19 December 2019

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPALS REPORT

As I write this final newsletter report, I take a moment to reflect on the outstanding year 2019 has been. This year has been one of change and celebration for St Marys District School and I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to have been appointed as Principal of this wonderful school. I once again, congratulate all those involved in the planning and actioning of the capital works project. Students and staff have gained so much from this re-development, as well outstanding learning and work spaces, this project has provided the opportunity for our school, our students and our staff to inquire deeply into our school culture and consider how we work together and how we interact with each other and our broader community. The school values of Aspiration, Growth, Respect and Courage have underpinned this reflection as have our improvement priorities of Quality Teaching and Establishing the Pre-conditions for Learning.

Continuous improvement of teaching has been supported by the work we have engaged in as part of the muka layna Collaborative. This work has resulted in the development of a model of instruction for teachers and a lesson planning template. As we move into 2020, knowing that great teaching requires great planning, all teachers will be using the lesson plan template to plan their teaching, as well as implementing the high impact teaching strategies contained within the Instructional Model. Our teachers have relished the opportunity to collaborate with teachers from other schools are looking forward to continuing this partnership.

Establishing strong Pre-Conditions for Learning has driven the work of every staff member this year. This work has focused on establishing orderly learning environments where all students are well known. Improvement data to support this work includes evidence of more settled and ordered classrooms with clearly articulated expectations and rules for behaviour. The Pre-Conditions for Learning will continue to be a school priority in 2020 and beyond as orderly learning environments, positive and supportive relationships, high expectations and strong home/school partnerships are essential elements to our continual improvement.

During the year, we have continued the work of strengthening school infrastructure. Improvements completed or underway include painting the exterior of the MDT/Art block, planting the gardens at the front of the school, replacing farm fencing, relocating the main staffroom, installation of a wall between the Art and MDT areas and building some much needed storage for Art. An audit of the MDT space is underway with some major electrical work planned as well as the installation of new work benches and updating of some machinery in preparation for classes to use. I can confirm that we have been successful in recruiting an experienced MDT teacher and that the MDT workshop will be open for business in 2020 running courses for 7-10 students in Design in Wood and possibly, dependent on interest, Year 11/12 Design and Production.

We have some other exciting developments underway. As you would be aware we are an 11/12 Extension school and for the past few years our 11/12 students have been working out of the TTC classroom located across the turning circle and behind the old music building. In 2020 we are very pleased to announce that our 11/12 students will be moving into their very own learning space. 11/12 students will now have access to a general learning area plus, a kitchenette, indoor and outdoor areas for relaxation and private study. 11/12 students have been helping to select furnishings for this learning space to ensure it is fit for purpose.

Exciting changes are also occurring at the Fingal campus. In 2020 we will have 1 class group working from the Fingal campus. The decision to move to this model was made in consultation with the School Association committee and after consideration of the current enrolment numbers and student needs. The class will cater for 20 students and will have two teachers working and planning together to deliver the learning program. A teacher assistant will also support this class group and additional teacher time will be provided across the literacy learning blocks. Students will continue to be provided with specialist PE, Music and Health lessons on site at Fingal every week. Although we are aware that this change has caused some concern for some of our Fingal community, we are confident that the model of educational provision we will implement will support each and every student and teacher at our Fingal campus in 2020.

I would like to share with you an individual student achievement that has come to my attention in just the last few days. Mahalia Baldwin, currently in year 8, has been appointed as a member of the Premier’s Youth Advisory Council. Mahalia’s application was 1 of over 100 applications received for only 12 positions. In this role, Mahalia will have the opportunity to be the voice of and share the concerns and ideas of young people with the Tasmanian Government, with the aim of delivering positive outcomes for young Tasmanians. Congratulations Mahalia on this appointment, I am very much looking forward to hearing more about her role in the Advisory Council as she represents the views of our children and young people.

As the year draws to a close, I would like to take a moment to thank and acknowledge the dedicated staff across the school who work tirelessly to enrich the lives of our students and engage them in their learning. A special mention also to the current school association committee, who have worked tirelessly to support the students and staff this year. With particular mention of the work of Janet Drummond and our Op Shop volunteers. I thank them all sincerely for the difference they are making for our students and our school.

Staffing News

As with every year, we do have a number of staff confirmed as leaving us at the end of this year. I would like to thank the following staff for their work and commitment to our school and students and wish them well in the future.

Mrs Sarah Williams
Mrs Rebecca Mason
Mr Jordan King
Mr Sean Bradley
Mrs Christine Wills

The following staff will be joining us in 2020 and I am looking forward to welcoming them into our school community.

Mr Daniel Gidas – English
Mr Richard Levett – MDT
Miss Jessica Hilliard – Grade 1/2

Our school leadership team is also confirmed for the 2020 school year. Working alongside me will be:

Miss Ros Smith - Assistant Principal (K-6)
Mrs Lynette Yodgee - Assistant Principal (7-12)
Mrs Sandra Cook - AST (K-6)
Mrs Rachel Hodge - AST (7-8)
Mrs Mandy Simmons - AST (9-12)
Miss Lucie Ellis - AST – Literacy Coach
Mrs Victoria Harrison - Assistant Principal - muka layna Collaborative

Farewell Grade 10’s

Farewell and congratulations to all our Grade 10 students as you transition to the next stage of your learning. We know that St Marys DS has prepared you well for this next step and we encourage you to be aspirational, have courage and embrace new opportunities, be kind and respectful, laugh lots and keep on learning. St Marys DS will always welcome you.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone in our school community for their ongoing support of our wonderful school. To our students who will be returning in 2020, their families and our school community members, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a restful, relaxing and fun filled holiday.

Thank you.
Carolyn Watson

PRESENTATION DAY 2019

KINDER NEWS

Bee Inquiry

The Kindergarten students have shown a particular interest in living things this year. After looking at a range of insects, bugs and creepy crawlies, the children began to wonder and ask lots of questions about bees. So, we inquired further to see what we could find out. We learnt so much!

Did you know that bees have two stomachs? One is called the ‘honey stomach’ which holds the nectar. The bees then vomit the nectar back up into the hive! Bees also collect pollen from plants and hold it on their legs in clumps called pollen baskets. If you look closely next time you see a bee, you might notice the yellow lumps of pollen on their legs.

We really enjoyed a visit from Craig from the school farm, who shared all his knowledge about bees. He is a bee keeper and looks after the bees on our school farm. Have you tried our school farm honey? It is delicious! Craig showed us all of the bee keeping gear. We even got to try on the special outfits that a bee keeper (apiarists) wear.

We tasted different types of honey. Some came straight from the honey comb – yummy! We also tried pink honey, which Macey’s family bought when they visited a honey farm. It was flavoured with raspberries.

The most important thing we learnt is to look after bees. Bees pollinate flowers, which help us to grow fruit and vegetables. As bees travel from flower to flower, they spread pollen, helping the flowers to make new ones. Without bees, plants wouldn’t be able to grow, including many plants that we need for food.

Circus Workshop

The St Marys Campus Kindergarten children were excited to attend a Circus Workshop at the St Marys Town Hall, run by ‘Social Circus Tasmania’ on December 1st. The St Marys Child Care Centre won a free circus workshop and Bec Scarr, Centre Director invited the Kindergarten class along. It was so much fun learning new things and challenging ourselves to persist with a challenge. We were all able to spin a plate on a stick by the end of the workshop. We would like to thank Bec at St Marys Child Care Centre, Building Blocks and Social Circus Tasmania for providing our students with this amazing experience.

Natureworld Excursion

Recently, the Kindergarten children visited Natureworld, near Bicheno. The students had a fantastic time getting up close with lots of Australian native animals. They were lucky enough to pat a kangaroo and a wombat and even got to hold a blue tongue lizard. The favourite animals were by far the snakes and the Tasmanian Devils. The students learnt lots and had a fabulous time.

LAUNCHING INTO LEARNING SENSORY PLAY DAY

What a busy year it has been at Launching into Learning (LiL). We have had so much fun each week, learning and exploring through play in our school and out and about in the local community. How lucky we are to have such a great group of young children and their families living within our community. To celebrate the end of the year, we held a Sensory Play Day. The children explored slime, cloud dough, water and other messy play. Lots of fun was had by all.

If you know of a family with children aged birth to 4 years, please let them know about our weekly LiL program. We would love to see them in 2020!

EARLY CHILDHOOD: READING

This year all of our students have enjoyed the love of literature. Every morning we read for a purpose and enjoyment. To celebrate our reading strategies some of the Grade 2 students read to the Preps, Grade 1 and 2 students Christmas their favourite Christmas books. They had practised these books and read fluently and with expression.

Thank you Grade 2 Gray!

GRADE PREP AND GRADE 1-2

Who hatched the chicken egg?

Our Early Childhood classes were introduced to some new members of our community, two baby chickens. Our wonderful parent helpers, Nigel and Susan, bought into our classroom some gorgeous chickens that had been hatched by their duck family!!!

We had fun inquiring into the life cycle of a chicken, its features, needs and habitat. Here is the evidence. So cute!

FINGAL CAMPUS CHRISTMAS LUNCH

In what has become a Fingal Campus tradition, staff and students were treated to a delicious lunch which was prepared by our wonderful Hot Lunch volunteers. There was lots of excited chatter and laughter as students and staff broke their Christmas bon-bons, put on their hats, read jokes and played with the treats inside. Lunch was delicious! Roast lamb, chicken and vegetables, followed by pavlova, ice cream and crumble for dessert. The treats continued as each student was presented with a gift from the volunteers. Isla was the lucky winner of the gingerbread house. Staff and students would like to thank our wonderful hot lunch volunteers for their hard work in providing hot lunches each week and for our beautiful Christmas lunch.

PLAYGROUND FUN AT FINGAL

PR1 EXCURSION TO PENNY ROYAL

Please enjoy these recounts from children in the PR1 class.

GRADE 10 CAMP

The Grade 10’s travelled to the stunning Mt William National Park to camp a night. Mr King had some entertaining challenges and we had some great card games. It was a relaxing and enjoyable way to begin the end of the year.

ST MARYS DISTRICT SCHOOL AT THE BICHENO PRIMARY SCHOOL PRESDENTATION DAY

On Tuesday 17th December 2019, Grade 9 Bailey Barnes, Louis Langoulant, Xavier Langoulant and Aaron Mason were invited by Bicheno Primary School to perform at their annual Presentation Day. They supported not only the school and community choir but also the Bicheno Primary School musicians. During the Principal’s address, Mr Rob Presswell acknowledged the ongoing collaboration between the music departments of both schools which is driven by the students with support from teachers Nic Wardlaw and Eliza Spykers, and local musician Pete Cornelius. Bailey, Louis, Xavier and Aaron enjoyed themselves immensely.

KINDER TO GRADE 9 MERIT ASSEMBLY

GRADE 10 DINNER AT WHITE SANDS RESORT

You are the fourteenth group of students I have farewelled as a teacher and it struck me when writing this, how different each group has been but how the bitter sweet feeling never changes. Saying goodbye to a cohort of students is always tough. We see you tonight, looking so grown up, and wonder where the years have gone. Underneath your finery and grown bodies, we still see the children. Tahlia’s infectious giggle, Fraser and Connah’s cheeky grins, Chloe’s bright gleeful eyes. These things have not changed and we hope they never do.

It is always a privilege to work with young people of your age. Seeing you grasp abstract and complex concepts and grapple with the world and how it works. We’ve probably seen you at your worst, but we have also seen you at your best and it is this that will stay with us when you go. I’ll remember the way Erinn has blossomed from a shy back-up singer to an absolute rocker and confident leader. How Tara went from avoiding me and any work I set in Grade 7, to handing assignments in early and demanding feedback. The way Jaidan, Sylvia and Rea have become courageous and opened themselves to friendships and opportunities. Enika, Ayla, Kane and Cameron – you are well on the way to your career and that is due to your determination and maturity. Alyssa, Monique, Tahlia, Olivia and Leo, you have demonstrated an incredible work ethic and dedication to your learning – it will take you far. We have delighted in seeing you all chase your passions and work hard to create and build extraordinary things. We see this in Lily and Jacob’s talent in art and Cameron’s prowess in the kitchen. Brayden and Jaidan on the sporting field and Jake on the farm.

Although it may not always be obvious, we appreciate the qualities in you that have sometimes caused us angst. Ria, Skhye, Georgia, Nikola, Brayden and Lochie: strength, spirit and a strong sense of justice are words I would use to describe you. The challenge for us is in the balancing act – how to nurture these qualities while helping you reign them in and use them to your advantage. We value these attributes and know you will use them fairly and well in your future.

You can all be pretty cute too. We’ve seen some long term romances blossom and it’s lovely to see you build such respectful and loving relationships. Jake and Enika, I’m so glad the flirting came to an end! Tom and Tara, there will be no more footsies and giggles in the common room. Alyssa, you and Jayden should probably just get married. Although some of these relationships have and may come to an end, you will remember them fondly in years to come.

There is one aspect of being a teacher of teenagers that we don’t often talk about. Supporting you through mental health issues and adversity is one of the hardest but most rewarding aspects of working with you. To those of you who have faced enormous adversity: your strength leaves us all in awe. Don’t ever underestimate the resilience you have built and the knowledge of people and life you have gained.

We have come to know you well, as only a teacher can. Our position is a rare one, we are often the ones beside you when you succeed and sometimes the ones you come to when you fall. We will miss you not just as a collective, but as individuals. Tom, Fraser and Harry’s cheery, laid back ways and Tiarna’s caring nature, Chloe’s empathy and Connah’s larrikinism. It has been a big year and a long road to reach this point. You should be proud of yourselves and the growth you have achieved.

Some of you, we have nurtured for twelve years and you have stayed close to your teachers’ hearts. Mrs Fyle and Mrs Bennett would not miss this dinner – “They were such a tight, loving group of mites” Mrs Bennett told me on Monday. “they are my babies” Mrs Fyle said. Others we have had under our care for less time, but it is no less precious to us. Because every one of you brings challenges and joys that make teaching worthwhile. It’s a bit like pass the parcel… or Russian roulette? Thrilling, quite stressful but above all, rewarding as nothing else can be.

Tonight is a night to enjoy each other’s company and remind ourselves of the joy we’ve had, the lessons we’ve learned and the memories we’ve made. For those of you staying with us, we look forward to making more memories. For those of you moving on, thank you for being you and being with us. Grade 10’s of 2019: We wish you the very best in life.

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