4 December 2019

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPALS REPORT

It is hard to believe that the end of the 2019 school year is just two weeks away. This year has certainly flown by! Whilst we are still maintaining our focus on our students finishing the year by making the most of every day and every learning opportunity, we have also been very busy planning for the 2020 school year. Below is some information from that work that I would like to share with you at this time.

Class Groupings Structure of the School Day

In 2020 at St Marys District School composite class groupings will again be the norm in most cases. Composite classes are not based on academic performance but instead are determined by a range of information including teacher, student and parent feedback. Class lists are currently being constructed to ensure all children have a positive and successful learning experience.

Below are our 2020 class and team structures. Teachers for each class will be confirmed as soon as possible.

We are excited to introduce a personalised learning approach for our 10-12 class next year. Year 11/12 students will continue to participate in a range of TASC courses, with each student having an individualised timetable to support their course selections. A small number of 11/12 students may participate in a VLT (Virtual Learning Tasmania) as part of their enrolment. Please see the information provided below for more information on VLT.

Structure of the School Day

2020 will also see a change to the timing of recess and lunch and also the length of lessons during the school day. These changes have been developed in response to identified needs and feedback from students, teachers and parents. Below is a guide to the structure we will move to in 2020.

Upcoming Events

During the final two weeks of term there are a number of events happening across the school. Starting next week with the Grade 10 Camp, 2020 Student leadership Learning Workshop, Fingal Campus Christmas Lunch and Presentation Assembly. In the final week of school we have the Grade 10 Celebration Dinner, the K-9 Merit Assembly, the Grade 10 Picnic and the Grade 10 Celebration Assembly. Our final day of the year with students is on Thursday 19th December.

I recognise that although this time of year can exciting, I also recognise that it can be a time of anxiety and concern about change for some students and parents. Please come in or contact the school to speak to myself or someone else if we can support in any way  

I hope to see you at one of our upcoming Assemblies or events.

Kind regards,
Carolyn Watson

CANTEEN OPERATIONS
Please note that the canteen will be closed for service on:
Friday 13th December for Presentation day.
Thursday 19th December - Last day for Students.


New Education and Training Requirements for Year 10 Students

Whatever a young person wants to do in life, there is a pathway to take them there. It all starts with education and training.

Students now in Year 10 are the first group of young people required to stay in education and training for longer under the Education Act.

Young people with full-time employment (or other specific circumstances) can apply for an exemption, so they can leave education and training early.

There are processes to assist young people plan and stay involved in education and training:

YOUR TECH GIFT GUIDE FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Be smart and secure when choosing tech gifts for children and young people this year with our eSafey Gift Guide. The Guide helps inform parents and carers about what to look out for with tech gifts and provides practical advice on how to stay safe, including setting strong passwords, turning off location settings and limiting the amount of personal information shared.

Check the safety of popular tech gifts like drones, smart toys, smartphones, tablets and even wearables for pets before making your purchases this holiday season.

Visit the eSafety Commissioner’s website below for information on gifts, staying safe on the internet, privacy and much more.

INTER- HIGH ATHLETICS

Congratulations to our Inter High Athletics team of 2019. St Marys District School finished third in the junior shield, third in the senior shield and third overall. Zali Taylor, Ava Lockwood, Mia Gillies, Leo Taylor, Louis Langoulant and Sofia Agostonelli gave outstanding individual performances. A wonderful team effort in very hot and windy conditions. Well done to all!

ST MARYS SECONDARY ATHLETICS CARNIVAL

Results

Champions

EC1 FINGAL

Prep-Year 2 students have been exploring forces in Science. Gravity, Friction, Push and Pull – were the main areas we have been learning about. We conducted hands-on experiment to identify different aspects that might have had an effect on the object’s speed and the distance it travels.

First we had to set up our experiment conditions, which involved building a ramp and getting objects to roll. We used two different materials for the ramp; a lid with a rough surface and a wooden plank with a smooth surface. We had two different balls: a tennis ball and a ping-pong ball. We also used books to regulate the slope of the ramp; we went from four books to eight books.

We started off with the tennis ball and rolled it on a smooth and rough surface, as well as changed the slope by regulating the number of books. Before each roll we made our prediction on how far the ball would travel. After rolling the ball we measured the actual distances, recorded them and compared with our estimates.

We kept recording our estimates and results as we changed the conditions of the experiment. We discussed our conclusions and shared them with each other. Maybe you would like to have a go too?!

GRADE 6 TRANSITION DAY

Grade 6 students from St Marys, Fingal and Bicheno had a taster of high school over Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th of November. The students took some core classes with Grade 7 students, had tours of the school and got to grips with high school life.

SPEECH FROM GRADE 6 DINNER - GRADE 6 PREDICTIONS

Congratulations on finishing primary school. All of your primary teachers and teacher aides can already see you are growing into bright, clever and resourceful young people. I am sure you will love high school and whatever comes next. Thinking of what comes next, I’d like to make some predictions about where you’ll all end up. Some of these are meant to be a bit funny so please don’t be offended.

Lenny will be the drummer of a rock and roll band by night and supernatural expert by day. You’ll find him leading ghost tours around Tasmania and building his own ouja boards!

Aman will be an astrophysicist, that’s someone who studies the stars, he will design a rocket ship to take the first people to Mars.

Storm will open a rescue centre for old race horses, which she will lovingly care for.

Katy, Kiara and Amali will start St Mary’s first all female lawyer’s agency targeting animal right’s cases. They’ll work with Storm and her horse shelter and fight for all animals.

Cohen and Riley will live next door to each other. They will each have a farm and compete to grow the biggest fruit and vegetables, have the tastiest beef and the finest wool. On their days off they will fish, hunt and ride motorbikes together.

Harley will travel back in time and meet a man called Davidson, they’ll start a motorcycle company together.

Marcus will become an IT expert and convince all schools in Australia to base all of their lessons on Minecraft. He will live in a large cube shaped mansion with all the sponsorship he receives from Minecraft.

Ashton will become a politician. He will use his charm and cheeky smile to win over the voters and implement public holidays for all major sporting events.

Thomas will be Ashton’s political adviser, providing the research and the facts to back up Ashton’s great plans. He will then go on to run the campaign for Australia’s first president with a landslide win, all thanks to Thomas’ behind the scenes work.

Amelia will be Australia’s first president. She will stun the world by solving the Middle East Crisis, providing Aboriginal rights and coordinating a worldwide agreement to stop climate change.

Lucas and David will start a training camp for young kids wanting to learn outdoor skills. They will take them gold panning, fishing and motor bike riding.

Izack will open his own garage servicing only his favourite cars – Holdens.

Alice will work in early childhood education supporting children with disabilities. She will spend her evenings riding horses at Storm’s horse shelter.

Jhye will frustrate scientists around the world by solving a major world problem like famine without even trying. He’ll do this by joking you could feed people some new plant that will actually work. He’ll use the money he receives to build a mansion in the shape of a rubbish bin so he can say he met his goals.

Jay will work for the United Nations bringing together people from around the world to sit down and sort out complicated world problems. He will be part of the team implementing the changes brought in by Jhye’s accidental discovery.

Bella will be the youngest councillor ever on the Break O’Day Council. She’ll make a huge difference in the local area working with her legal support team (Katy, Kiara and Amali).

Zabian will open his own organic farm with beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables. He’ll have an artist’s studio out the back.

Britney will become Amelia’s Presidential Personal Assistant, researching all the current issues of the planet and creating a comprehensive list of possible solutions for her to choose from, she will be an international spy in her free time.

Nick will become an international electronics mogul, selling robots with artificial intelligence to kids all over the world, so they can program their robots to clean their rooms, giving them more time to solve the world’s problems… electronically of course!

Delta will open a Healing Centre in her home town of Fingal, and celebrities from all over the world will come to be counselled by her deep wisdom and kindness. She will write a book on gratitude and mindfulness and it will become a top seller amongst teenagers.

A big thank you to Sandra Cook, Lynette Yodgee and Sarah Williams for all their organisation of this event.

A huge thank you to Rachel Hodge, Amanda Jordan, Monique Dufty, Sam Jordan and Kate Aulich and the Hospitality class for their beautifully presented meal, it was delicious.

GRADE 2/3 AND GRADE 3/4

The Grade 2/3 and 3/4 class enjoyed a games afternoon this week. Mrs Mason brought in some Lift games. Students practised strategies as they played old favourites and learnt new games.

SRC FUN DAY

Water bombs, coloured powder, games, laughter and relaxation followed fun filled event for Grade 7-10 students, arranged by our Student Leaders.

LPSSA SWIMMING CARNIVAL

On Friday November 29th 2019, Ashton Gillies, Helayna McGiveron and Ava Howorka attended the LPSSA Division 1 Swimming Carnival as part of the ENE team. This team is made up of Grade 5 and 6 students from St Helens, Bicheno and St Marys and allows our top swimmers the opportunity to compete against students from Launceston.

Helayna had a very big day with 4 individual swims and a relay. She finished with 2 thirds and a second and Ava received a 3rd for her individual Freestyle event. Our three swimmers did very well and were wonderful representatives for our school and region.

BOOK AND UNIFORM SALES – 2020

For students attending Fingal Campus, an additional selling day will be held at Fingal Campus on:

• Tuesday 28th January, 8.00am – 12.00pm

Booksales will take place at St Marys Campus for St Marys & Fingal Campus students on:

• Wednesday 29th January, 8.30am – 3.00pm
• Thursday 30th January, 8.30am – 3.00pm

Uniform suppliers, LOWES will be operating a pop up shop on Wednesday 29th January 8.30am – 3.00pm

TERM DATES FOR 2020

HOODIES

A limited number of navy School & School Association approved Hoodies will be available for sizing and purchase from the School Administration office early in Term 1 2020. Hoodies are a supplemental uniform item, designed to assist in comfort of students during cold weather. The wearing of hoodies is subject to the following strict guidelines:

Students must not wear hoods during school activities, excursions and whilst on the school site.

School hoodies only must be worn all other hoodies are not acceptable.

Hoodies with embroidered school logos will be available at $29.00.

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

PRI EXCURSION NOTICE – Thursday 5th December

SECONDARY

Grade 10 Camp – Mt William National Park

WHOLE SCHOOL

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Van Diemen’s Band announces a special Christmas concert in St Helens!

Tasmania’s own Baroque super-group, Van Diemen’s Band, is bringing a wonderful new 'VDB Christmas’ concert to St Helens on Wednesday 18 December. Artistic Director, Julia Fredersdorff has put together a large 17th Century band featuring weird and wonderful instruments of the renaissance. The concert will feature the Tasmanian Youth Chorale as well as soloists, Soprano Helen Thomson, Counter Tenor Nicholas Tolputt and Bass-baritone Thomas Flint. Join us for a family-friendly musical Christmas celebration featuring music written for Christmas, as well as some well-known carols for all to sing.

DETAILS:

6pm, Wednesday 18 December 2019 –
Portland Memorial Hall, St Helens.

TICKETS:

Tickets at vandiemensband.com.au and at the door. Adults $35. Concession $25. Children up to 16 - $10. Family of 4 - $80.