Athletics Carnival

It has been very difficult to find a time for our Athletics Carnival.  The Primary Learn to Swim Program is on from the 2nd - 13th November which takes those dates out.  The next available date is 26th November.  Our carnivals are on a Thursday as that is the day Mr West is with us.  So book in the date and hope the weather gods are with us so that we can run the carnival on that day.  

Our Whole School Assembly is on Monday at 1.50pm. This clashes with the Primary Learn to Swim Program which means the Grade 5 students will be at swimming and unable to attend the assembly.  The Grade 5 certificates will be awarded at the following Tuesday morning assembly. 

It was funny to turn up to school today and find an aeroplane trying to park in the carpark.  The RFDS flight simulator is a wonderful educational experience for the children. All classes had an educational talk and experienced what it is like in the RFDS plane. 

School Association is on tomorrow night at 6.00pm.  If you are intending to come to this meeting can you please let the school know so that appropriate seating can be arranged to meet COVID guidlines. 

The Kindergarten is looking more and more like a complete building each day.  The plasterers are onsite this week and the internal walls are coming together.  

Here are some photos from around the school.

The Swimming program will commence next Monday 2^nd November and conclude Friday 13th November.  Permission forms were sent home yesterday and need to be back before Friday this week.

There will be two groups.  The first will start lessons at 12.15 pm and return to school 1.15 p.m.  The second group will commence lessons at 1.15pm and return at 2.15pm. Your child will know whether they are in the first or second group.

Swimming caps are compulsory and are available from school office for $2.00.

The Early Childhood Swimming Program will commence 30^th November until 4th December. More details later.

Welcome to week 3!

Over the next few Wednesdays we will be focussing on self-care for parents and care-givers, and trying out some craft activities for grownups and children to enjoy together, such as basket weaving, felting and stencilling.

On Thursday we will get muddy, search for beetles as the weather warms up, and roast pumpkin on the campfire.

On Friday our letter focus will be Nn

We'll be playing with the rainbow ring, singing and dancing, reading a story about night-time and making a beautiful night time craft together.

We hope to see you there! 

Mrs Black and Mrs Carson

If you'd like to see your SRC leadership team put through their paces bring your dollars to school on Friday 30th October. For every dollar received one member of the SRC will do a lap of the oval in fancy dress! 

You are also able to come to school in 'Free Dress' to enjoy the show.

All money raised will go towards building a new sports shed to store all our play equipment.

The Garage Sale Fundraiser  which is on Saturday 21st November 8am to 4pm is getting closer!!! 
Any donations for the Garage Sale can be brought to the school from Monday 16th November, although there is limited storage so we would prefer the donations on Thursday or Friday. 
A personal carboot space can be bought for $10 if you have more that you would like to sell for yourselves. 

This will be an outside only event due to Covid-19 restrictions.  For any more information please contact Megan Perkins on 0427 396 374 or mperky83@hotmail.com.

A blue dress has gone missing. The dress was on loan and worn for Book Week last week.

It was then packed into a white Woolworths bag, when the student went to collect it where she had left it in her classroom it had gone.

As the dress was on loan, the family are very concerned and would be very pleased to see it turn up.

We believe that it could have been mistakenly picked up and taken home with another student's costume.

It would be appreciated if parents could check their child/children's rooms, bags etc. especially if your child is in Grade 3.

https://coronavirus.tas.gov.au/families-community/schools-and-childcare

Hay fever symptoms can include:

• runny, itchy or blocked nose
• sneezing
• itchy, sore and watery eyes
• a cough.

These are also symptoms of a cold, flu and COVID-19 so it is hard to tell them apart without testing.

Students experiencing hay fever symptoms, even mild symptoms, should get tested for COVID-19.

They should stay home and not attend school while they wait for their test results.

Students can return to school if they have:

1. had a test for COVID-19 while they had symptoms and the result was negative
2. consulted a doctor to discuss their symptoms and received advice/treatment to manage them
3. received a certificate or letter from their doctor stating they currently have hay fever and can attend school.

If a student’s symptoms worsen throughout the hay fever season or new symptoms develop, they should see their GP who may ask them to get tested for COVID-19 again.

Place value has taken centre stage in the 5/6 classroom of late. We are working hard to understand it forwards, backwards and inside out. Have a look at these desk mats. We’re enjoying making models and getting a feel for how big or small the numbers are in comparison to others on and between them in the number line.

Tamara Tucker

Card and dice games are terrific to build up our understanding of the size of numbers.

Here’s a game I introduced teachers to at last Friday’s Student Free day – a Staff Professional Learning Day targeting our Numeracy needs.

Zilch!

There are some significantly competitive staff amongst us so make sure you practice your winning strategies first and then please come and ask if you can play a game with your teacher or Mrs McKay.

Enjoy,

Stephanie van der Schans  AST/Numeracy.

Zilch   Concept – Exploring up to 10 000

Materials – 6 six sided dice, scoring sheet

Three 1s      100 points

Three 2s      200 points

Three 3s      300 points

Three 4s      400 points

Three 5s      500 points

Three 6s      600 points

Three pairs (incl 4 of a kind and a pair)   1500 pts

Straight 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6    3000 points

Bonus if all six dice can be used to make a scoring combo in first roll       1000 points

Winner first to 10 000 OR first to go over 10 000.

Play – roll six dice, set aside dice to aim for one of above

Roll remaining dice, decide to stop or continue providing one additional die can be set aside.

If subsequent rolls do not add to scoring combo.

Zilch!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the Student Assistance Scheme (STAS)?

STAS provides financial assistance for eligible families, by waiving the cost of school levies. It is provided through school and college resourcing, rather than direct to families.

What will the expansion of STAS mean for my family?

From Term 1, 2021 all families that are eligible for a Centrelink Health Care Card, Centrelink Low Income Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card will be eligible for STAS. It is estimated that more than 9,000 additional students will not incur school levies as a result of this change.

What if my family is currently eligible for STAS?

Your eligibility for STAS will be assessed based on whether you hold a Centrelink Health Care Card, Centrelink Low Income Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card. Parents who received STAS during 2020 who do not hold a concession card outlined will be approved using the 2020 process where evidence is provided to support their claim. The Department will contact parents in relation to this.

What does STAS cover?

Families who are eligible for STAS do not need to pay levies. Levies include costs for items and services that are required to complete the normal educational instruction at the school. Families eligible for STAS are also eligible for the Spectacles Assistance Scheme, which provides financial assistance towards the purchase of spectacles for students who require them from participating optometrists. STAS does not cover the cost of uniforms. The Department of Education has a School Uniform Exceptional Assistance Scheme for students in exceptional or extenuating family circumstances. For more information on this please contact the social worker at your child’s school.

I am currently receiving STAS. Do I need to reapply?

Most parents who currently receive STAS will not need to provide any additional information. If further information is required, we will make contact with you during Term 4, 2020.

Are students with their own Health Care Card eligible for STAS?

If a student holds their own Health Care Card, is recognised as independent by Centrelink, and is enrolled as an independent student, they are eligible for STAS. Students holding their own Health Care Card without independent status are not automatically eligible for STAS. Eligibility is based on their parents’ holding a Centrelink Health Care Card, Centrelink Low Income Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card in their own name. This is because parents are responsible for paying school levies.

What support will be provided to schools to assist with the expansion of STAS?

Schools’ 2021 budgets are not affected by the expansion of STAS, with additional funding provided to schools to offset families no longer paying levies.

How do I apply for the expanded STAS?

Detailed information about eligibility for STAS can be found in the Student Financial Assistance Guidelines. Online applications will open for the 2021 school year early in Term 4, 2020. If you would prefer a paper-based application, you can request a form from your school office.

Who do I contact if I have a question in relation to STAS?

Questions about STAS can be forwarded to the Department of Education’s Financial Services Unit at stas@education.tas.gov.au or by calling 1800 827 055.

A FREE RESOURCE FOR THE TASMANIAN COMMUNITY

The CLE program is a government-funded early intervention and prevention program. Through CLE, Tasmania Legal Aid aims to inform and build individual and community resilience through legal education, information and referral but also to help people resolve their problem earlier and before it gets worse.

Legal Aid continues to present to school groups across the State on a whole range of topics. This is a free service.

Here is some recent feedback on our face-to-face presentations in schools:
 

“The students at PHS really enjoyed (the) presentation and continued to talk about it throughout the day… they all took away something from the presentation which is wonderful.” (Prospect High School)

"[The presentations] had the right mix of information, seriousness, humour and engagement with the students. I found the presentation spot on for our College-aged students and the material on cyberbullying and sexting given in an informative, thoughtful and engaging manner.” (Guildford Young College)
 
“We were super happy to have [Legal Aid] come in so promptly after my request for a visit. [Legal Aid] has a fantastic manner with our students and the content was spot on. Student and staff feedback on these sessions was very positive.” (Hagley Farm School)
 

WANT TO REQUEST A PRESENTATION?

Our presentations are tailored to class-sized groups to maximise student engagement. We can work around school schedules and prefer a minimum 50-minute period to present. We can accommodate longer sessions too. 

Popular topics for school presentations include:

• Being Cyber Safe (bullying and social media use)
• Party Safe (drugs, alcohol, consent to sex, parties)
• Going It Alone (school leavers)
• Violence
• Dealing with Police

If you would like a CLE lawyer to come to your school then call us on 1300 366 611 or email cle@legalaid.tas.gov.au to discuss.
 

WHAT ELSE DOES CLE DO?

The CLE team not only go out to schools, but also provide legal information sessions for large or small community groups and the general public. We can speak on a variety of legal topics and even tailor a session to suit your particular needs. The sessions are free of charge. Call us on 1300 366 611 or email cle@legalaid.tas.gov.au.
 
We also provide fact sheets on common legal issues:
https://www.legalaid.tas.gov.au/fact-sheets/?all-fact-sheets

CONNECTIONS

www.legalaid.tas.gov.au

www.facebook.com/TasmaniaLegalAid

www.youtube.com/user/LegalAidTasmania