What a busy week it has been. It seems like only yesterday that I was writing the last newsletter and here we are already into week 3 of the term.

This week our teachers started their weekly Professional Learning Team Meetings, working alongside Miss Van der Schans and Mrs Tucker to focus on setting numeracy goals this year. This will become a large part of our school wide work this year.

I had the pleasure of spending some time in the Kinder classroom and we had a wonderful time reading Wombat Stew together. The class joining in as we read it a second time, having great fun with our expression and acting out the various personalities and mannerisms of the characters in the story.

Student Representative Council elections

At our morning assembly today students from Grades 5 and 6 wishing to run for SRC this year delivered speeches to the school. They had already created posters promoting their skills, attributes and ideas and these have been on display in the Multipurpose Room windows. The delivering of their speeches today was an outstanding demonstration of all our school values, as each and every person showed a clear respect and passion for our school. They spoke of the aspirational goals they would like to achieve if elected and identified ways that would encourage the growth of our school. It certainly took a lot of courage to stand up in front of the whole school and speak publicly. Well done to every student who ran for election.

Congratulations go to the following students on being elected as our successful SRC representatives for 2021:

• Ashlegh
• Brody
• Ella
• Elsie
• Elvy
• Heather
• Johanne
• Keira
• Leino
• Luca
• Mem
• Olive
• Scarlett
• Talara
• Zach
• Eamon

Grade 5/6 Camp

Our Grade 5/6 students are getting excited about their camp to Port Arthur which is coming up next week. They will be heading off on Monday and returning on Wednesday afternoon. This will be a wonderful opportunity to build friendships, develop skills of independence and self-organisation and there are also some really fantastic activities and experiences planned for the day at Port Arthur Historic Site.

Swimming Carnival

Our Swimming Carnival is coming up on Thursday 4^th March. A letter with more information will be coming home shortly including permission forms for aquatic activities

COVID-19 Update

The situation around COVID-19 continues to be monitored on a daily basis and so far we have been incredibly lucky here in Tasmania. Whilst parent and carer access to school sites was restricted for a period of time during 2020, schools are now being encouraged once again to seek the active involvement of parents and carers in our schools. Physical distancing of 1.5m for adults continues to be the expectation and we thank you for your support in ensuring this occurs, particularly at the end of the school day when quite a number of parents and carers assemble to collect students.

Our school now has a Check in TAS App QR code. This means that any visitors to the school can scan the QR code with their phones and register their presence on our school site. This information is purely for contact tracing purposes and is NOT shared with the school or the Department of Education.

As a school we still require our own visitor sign-in process and so it is important to note that use of the Check in TAS APP QR Code does NOT replace having to sign into the visitor logbook.

Late Bus Jokes

Mrs McKay started a tradition of saying a short rhyme over the speakers when it was time for students catching the late bus to gather their bags. Whilst I was filling in for Mrs McKay last year when she broke her leg, I was informed of this tradition but instead of telling a rhyme I started instead to share a joke.

The joke telling has continued upon my return and in order to share the laughs (and sometimes groans of, “Mrs Lees, that’s so lame!”) with the whole school, I will be publishing the jokes from the previous week in the newsletter for all of you to enjoy.

What do you call a fly with no wings?

A walk

What does an echidna have for lunch?

Prickled Onions

What steps would you take if you were being chased by a bull?

Big ones!

On what side does a chicken have the most feathers?

On the outside.

What should you do if a gorilla is sitting at your school desk?

Sit somewhere else

Don't forget our first Parents and Friends meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) 17th February at 1.50pm in the Staffroom. We would love to see you there.

Our plan is to hold a monthly meeting which will alternate days and times to provide families with the opportunity to attend. However, we understand that life often gets in the way of these meetings so we have a Facebook Group “Glen Huon Primary P&F”

https://www.facebook.com/groups/837604833240697/

We will be posting all information from meetings as well as events that you can help out with. Please feel free to join the group and stay up to date with what we are doing.

Laura Corbett

Parents and caregivers are the most important educators in a child’s life – even more important than their teachers – and it’s never too early (or late) to start reading together.

This week the children will be bringing home their Red Home Reading Folder. It’s red for reading! Inside there is some information for families with tips on home reading, some books to read and a record sheet. After your child has read every day for 25 days, recorded this on the sheet and given the sheet to their teacher, they will get the next recording sheet as well as a leaf in assembly to add to our School Reading Tree. Each leaf is a different colour and by the end of the year our School Reading Tree will be full of colourful leaves. If you would like any advice on home reading, or need more information, contact Ms Sarah Webb. Happy Reading.

Prep have made a great start to the year! We have been busy learning routines and adjusting to full time school!  We have been painting, playing, exploring the bush, writing, drawing, being circle detectives and talking about what we need in our classroom to help us learn! We came up with a list together and have written to Mrs Lees to ask for some of the items that we don’t have yet… The list is in the photos and we are adding to it all the time.

We are looking forward to a FANTASTIC year!

Tania Steenholdt

A student's health and wellbeing is a significant determinant to the outcomes of their education. A child's overall health and wellbeing is influenced by all aspects of a child's life: the physical, social, emotional and psychological.

In 2021, I continue as the School Health Nurse at Glen Huon Primary School and I am at the school every Thursday.

My role includes: 

• Kinder health checks- a consent form was sent home the week beginning 08/02.
• Hearing/ vision assessments (all grades)- parents/carers/guardians can refer their child to me if you have concerns with their vision and/or hearing. A referral form needs to be completed by you, please ask your child's teacher or at the main office for a referral form to complete.
• I am available to assist you with advice, guidance and support if you have concerns with your child’s overall development, diet and nutrition and/or weight, toileting issues, sleep problems etc.

I welcome you to contact me by phoning the school (who will pass on the message to me) or through your child’s teacher. I will then make phone contact with you at my earliest convenience. 

Emma Middleton- Primary School Health Nurse