St Marys District School
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13 Gray Road
St Marys TAS 7215
Subscribe: https://stmarysdistricts.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

st.marys.district.school@education.tas.gov.au
Phone: 03 6372 3900

14 August 2019

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPALS REPORT

Three Way Interview Follow Up

Those parents who were unable to make it to the Three Way Interviews held earlier this term should soon receive a copy of the teacher notes that were developed to share at these interviews. These notes will be posted home this week and will provide parents with an overview of their child’s learning and areas for future focus. I hope you enjoy reading these notes and discussing them with your child.

As an addition to this I have asked all teachers to make follow up phone calls to parents who will be receiving these notes in the mail so that parents are able to ask any questions or discuss their concerns over the phone. So if you were unable to attend the interviews you can expect a phone call from the school in the next couple of weeks. I am aware that parents are at times concerned to see the school number come up on their phones but I know that all our teachers are very keen to share the positive learning and achievement of students and to ensure that you are fully aware of any specific needs your child may have.

Parents are also encouraged, at any time, to make contact with the school and arrange a time to meet with teachers. Regular communication and a positive partnership between home and school is crucial to ensure best student learning outcomes.

School Satisfaction Surveys: Parent and Staff

Annual School Satisfaction Surveys for parents and staff are being conducted during August 2019 across Tasmanian government schools. The surveys provide an opportunity for parents and staff to give important feedback on what the school does well and where we can improve.

Questions cover a range of topics about our school. All responses are secure and anonymous.

Parents and staff are invited to participate. Parents selected to participate in the parent survey will receive a letter in coming days.

We encourage you to complete the survey to give our school a clear direction for future programs and services for students.

IMPORTANT: In 2019 all students will be undertaking a Wellbeing Survey that will incorporate elements of the Satisfaction Survey.

Please contact the office if you wish to use a school computer to complete the survey.

Student Wellbeing Survey

The wellbeing of our students is important to us.

To get an understanding of how students across Tasmania feel about their own wellbeing, students in Years 4–12 at St Marys District School will be taking part in a wellbeing survey. The Student Wellbeing Survey is part of the Department of Education’s Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy.

Information from this survey will support us to ensure that all our learners are safe, feel supported and are able to flourish, so they can engage in learning.

A letter with more information has been sent home with all Year 4–12 students, including Frequently Asked Questions and a form to sign and return to the school if you do not want your child to participate in the survey.

If you would like further information, please contact the school on 63 723 900.

Thank you for supporting us to ensure that all our learners are safe, feel supported and are able to flourish, so they can engage in learning.

School Calendar

Sync Calendar

School Calendar

Term 4 Commences

All day

LIL 10.30-11.30 Kinder

All day

Pre Kinder Group 1 9-10am

All day

Grade 3 Sleepover

16 Oct 2025 - 17 Oct 2025

TasBGas Construction Skill Set Student interviews - Ref Tanya time tbc

All day

Construction Skill-Set Interviews

All day

HoL PL - KG, WI

All day

Kinder Excursion- St Marys Town Hall Children's Week

All day

Pre Kinder Group 2 9-10am

All day

LIL 10.30-11.30 Kinder

All day

NC/LC Enrolment Interviews

All day

Grade 9 Camp - CYC Blue Lagoon

27 Oct 2025 - 29 Oct 2025

Immunisation Catchups - if required

All day

Grade 5 Camp Rostrevor

29 Oct 2025 - 30 Oct 2025

LIL 10.30-11.30 St Marys Hall

All day

Pre Kinder 9-10am

All day

Transition visit 4 BPS Y6 to SMDS - OPTIONS Day

All day

World Teachers' Day 2025

All day

Student Free Day - Professional Learning

All day

Recreation Day (Northern Tas only)

All day

HoL Pyegana Dairy Co

All day

'Knock Knock' Performance K-4 PAC

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

Kinder Excursion Serpentarium

All day

Pre Kinder 9-10am

All day

LIL 10.30-11.30 PAC

All day

Sporting Schools Surf Groms Gr 5/6

All day

Secondary Athletics Carnival

All day

PAC/Common Room closed for Student Exhibition Set Up

07 Nov 2025 - 14 Nov 2025

RYDA (Simmons Plains)

All day

National Theatre Company Water Literacy Performance 3-6 2.15pm

All day

National Theatre Company Water Literacy Performance K-2 1.30

All day

2025 Student Exhibition

All day

Year 11/12 EOY Lunch @TBC

All day

LIL 10.30-11.30 Kinder

All day

Inter-High Athletics @ St Leonards

All day

Pre Kinder 9-10am

All day

Recurring event

BOOK WEEEK

Book Week 2019 will run from Monday 19th August through to Friday 23rd August.

This year’s theme is ‘Reading is my SECRET POWER.’

Some of the schoolwide activities will be:

Book Parade

St Marys District School (SMDS) students will bring the parade to the community once again!

On Tuesday 20th August children are invited to dress up as their favourite book character or as something related to this year’s theme. At 11:20am students will proceed out the SMDS front entrance and walk into the St Marys township. When considering costumes please take into account the weather and suitable footwear so that students are warm enough and can walk the distance comfortably. We look forward to you finding a viewing point to wave and cheer us on. In case of wet weather the Book Parade will take place in the Performing Arts Centre at St.Marys District School. Please see the attached map for parade route and details.

Lunch on the Green (Primary classes)

Following the parade, bring a blanket, your lunch and join your child’s class for a picnic ‘on the green’ outside the Performing Arts Centre.

Book Fair

The Scholastic Book Fair will be held at St Marys District School to coincide with Book Week celebrations. A range of books will be displayed in our entrance foyer which will be available for purchase throughout the week during business hours.

All profits from the sale of books at the Book Fair will be used to purchase books for our school libraries. The school is entitled to purchase books to the value of 30% of all sales at our Book Fair. So if we are able to sell $500 worth of books we will be able to purchase $150 worth of books for our library for everyone to enjoy!!

Shared Reading Experiences

The secondary drama students will present plays based on featured CBCA short-listed titles to Primary classes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Themed Classroom Doors

Our Prep - Grade 10 classrooms will be dressed in a theme as selected by students with their teachers. Come and join your child’s class as we snake from room to room on Thursday 22nd August to admire our artistry and creativity.

Mystery Reader

Following the viewing of ‘Themed Classroom Doors’ a Mystery Reader will share a book title of their choice with our students. Who will it be?

Following the Mystery CBCA – Announcement of 2019 Awards Winning Titles

Reader all students will stay gathered to acknowledge the 2019 CBCA shortlisted winners.

If you have any queries about any of the above events please contact the school office for further details.

This is a wonderful opportunity to promote reading engagement as well as strengthen links between our school and the community.

Together let’s unleash our ‘SECRET reading POWER.’

GRADE EC1 FINGAL

EC1 students are starting to learn how to identify and classify different features of a place. As an introduction, students were asked to walk around the school and examine the area to find various features and sort them into natural, managed and constructed features using the recording sheet. Here is what they discovered!

TRIGONOMETRY WITH GRADE 9-10A AND 9-10B

Grades 9/10 A and B have been working on Trigonometry in Maths this term. The students have demonstrated their learning by creating cartoons involving angles and heights. Here are just some examples of the fantastic work that was produced.

HISTORY WITH PREP/1 AND GRADE 1/2

In History this term, we are studying our local area, exploring, recognising and appreciating the history of our community. We are inquiring into what a community is, what a community is made up of and how a community helps us to live. Kaylee Davis, Harrison’s mum is the local doctor in St Marys. She came into our class to tell us all about what she does as a doctor in St Marys. We used the medical equipment such as the stethoscope, the ear torch, thermometer etc. Kaylee also put a plaster on Jacob’s arm, who had a pretend break. Thanks Kaylee for sharing all about your job in our community!

THE EAST COAST COMBINED CHOIR – WHAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE?

An excited group of Grade 3 – 6 students from both campuses have been preparing for a number of weeks to participate in an amazing choir opportunity. This music event is held over two days. The first day was hosted at our school on Thursday 1st August and the second day will be hosted at Scotch Oakburn College in Launceston on Friday August 16th. Our students had been learning Project 1 - a song called “You and me” and some of our students were selected to perform in Project 2. Project 2 involved recording many sounds and percussion rhythms found in and around the grounds of St. Marys Campus. All these voices and sound recordings are going to be used in a final recording of voice, instruments and sound at Scotch Oakburn College. Some of you were able to see the choir process ‘live’ as it was happening on Facebook. Our students were a credit to our school and it has been a privilege working with them. We look forward to day 2 with great excitement.

Karen Bramich

FINGAL CAMPUS KINDER – GRADE 2 MUSIC AND HEALTH EDUCATION WITH MISS BRAMCIH

I am so proud of our students. They are showing such growth and improvement in their knowledge and practical skills each week. In Health Education, they have been learning about “How are we different? and, How are we the same?” Through the use of teddy bears, Venn diagrams, and conversations with each other, the students have been learning about how to accept differences and to tolerate those with different points of view.

In Music, our students are learning about the music from countries in the southern Pacific Ocean. They are learning to sing a traditional Pacific Islands song called “Sit down Sit down” in three languages – English, Cook Islands and Somoan languages. They are also learning keyboard techniques. They loved making crazy sounds using the ‘voice’ function.

FINGAL KINDER – GRADE 2 HPE GYMNASTICS with Miss Bramich

How can we stretch, roll, bend and use our bodies in safe ways? How can we roll, swing, leap, balance and make interesting shapes on our own and with buddies?

NETBALL TASMANIA HIGH SCHOOL CUP

In Term two, on the 4th July students travelled to the Silverdome to compete in the 2019 Netball Tasmania High School Cup.

A team of combined ages competed in the carnival including, Erinn Spilsbury, Kate Aulich, Bridie Aulich, Tahlia Randall, Larna Malley, Ava Lockwood, Evie Simpson, Ella Triffitt and Darshini Barnes. The team played a total of four games throughout the day. They lost the first game against Riverside, won the second game against Leighland, lost against Burnie and finished on a win against Smithton. It was a fun, eventful day and all students displayed great sportsmanship.

Thank you to Mrs Swanson for coaching and managing the team.

A huge thank you to Jacqui Lockwood for giving up her time to umpire for the netball cup.

GRADE 3-4 BENNETT

We have been having lots of hands-on fun in Grade 3-4 Bennett. Students have been learning about life in Africa and have enjoyed using Art and Technology to demonstrate some of their learning. After constructing their own small huts from clay, sticks and straw, students now have a whole new respect for how hard children in some African villages need to work to help build their homes.

Students also enjoyed a technology challenge where they used marshmallows and spaghetti to build towers which could remain standing.

GRADE 5-6 DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

In Grade 5-6 Williams we have been learning to add detail to our writing to help the reader visualise what we are describing, focussing on natural disasters. We have been looking at using a variety of basic, compound and complex sentences and ensuring we are using strong nouns and verbs in our writing. Our nouns and verbs are supported by adjectives and adverbs.

Some students presented their sentences on water colour.

Here are a sample of sentences:

  • Katy (fire) The burning stream of flames penetrates everything in its path.
  • Amali (flood) The ground is moist and swallows your feet every step you take.
  • Bella (volcano) The sky turns red as black ash falls from the sky, like snowflakes.
  • Kiara (cyclone) The strong unbeatable cyclone stormed over the houses until there was nothing left.
  • Amelia (fire) The trees started erupting into flames.
  • Alice (fire) The burnt trees shrivelled into ashes.
  • Lucas (fire) The fire rips through the colourful bush.
  • David (fire) The fire burns the white gum tree and turns it black with ashes everywhere and coals.

Class

Teacher

Homework/Assignments

Due Date

Grade 7/8’s

Heather Marshall

The Grade 7/8 Canvas Course for Science 'Space' is available in Draft form. Rubrics and some activities are still being updated. Comments on additions or corrections are welcomed as part of the trial. Please contact Heather Marshall at the school if you have suggestions or you need help accessing this valuable tool for student learning.

The 'Space' Unit can be accessed from home and activities submitted from home.

Students can log into their intranet page from a simple google search for Canvas Education. Students will need to use their normal school login and password to access their dashboard.

SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS

These notices have been sent home to parents in the last fortnight. If you did not receive one and would like to receive a copy of the notice, please contact the school office on 63 723 900.

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

Grade 7-10 Social – Thursday 22nd August 2019
Drama Excursion for selected Grade 9-10 students

WHOLE SCHOOL

Daffodil Day – Friday 23rd August to raise money for the Cancer Council

MISCELLANEOUS

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Choose how to add this event to your calendar: