14 February 2020
Newsletter Articles
- PRINCIPALS REPORT
- SECONDARY NEWS
- PRIMARY NEWS
- BACK TO SCHOOL PAPERWORK
- FINGAL CAMPUS P-2
- DRAMA NEWS
- FINGAL CAMPUS -Music with Miss Bramich
- KINDERGARTEN MUSIC – with Miss Bramich
- PRIMARY MUSIC -with Miss Bramich
- ST MARYS DISTRICT SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
- SAFER INTERNET DAY – Feb 11th
- AFTER SCHOOL CARE
- HOME WORK TIMETABLE
- SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS
- COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRINCIPALS REPORT
Welcome back to the new school year. A special welcome to our new students and families who have joined us this year, it had been lovely meeting so many families at enrolment interviews or through the transition meetings.
We also welcome the following new staff:
Miss Jessica Hilliard - Grade 1/2
Mr Daniel Gidas – 7-10 English
Mr Richard Levett – MDT
Welcome back also to Mrs Claire Neyland.
Mr Richard Levett |
Mr Daniel Gidas |
Miss Jessica Hilliard |
We have had a very settled start to the term across our school, with students at both campuses being organised and prepared for learning with all their books and stationery ready and looking amazing in their uniforms. Thank you to all our families for their support with these things and well done to all the students for showing such a commitment to learning. We have started this year with a whole school focus on our high expectations around uniform, behaviour and most importantly learning. Having a clear understanding of these expectations supports every student to do and be their best while at school. I encourage parents and families to continue these conversations with your child about their goals, expectations and aspirations over the coming weeks.
We have beautiful environments at both our Fingal and St Marys campuses, in which to work and learn and the team of EFAs (education facility attendants) and our admin staff have ensured that our school is looking spick and span for the start of the year. Thank you also to our staff for the extra hours you have already put in ensuring timetables are ready, units and lessons are planned and classrooms and learning spaces are prepared. This work has really supported our students’ successful return to their school and their learning.
Your child's Class Teacher will be sending home a welcome letter in the next week. These letters provide you with information about the school year as well as contact details for any questions you may have. Please contact your child’s teacher or the school office at any time if you would like to talk more about your child, their learning or you have a question or concern and I’d particularly encourage you to do this if you have a positive to share.
I like to remind families at this time of the year of a few things that will assist your child at school and assist us to ensure we are providing the best education and care whilst they are with us.
Attendance
Essential for good learning outcomes is students attending school every day. What may seem harmless can have a cumulative effect that significantly impacts learning. We acknowledge that students are not always well and able to attend school and thank families for communicating this to our administration team as soon as possible. This can be done via a phone call, message or through the Schoolzine App. Attendance at school is a legal requirement and we have to follow this up accordingly, following process and protocols as outlined in the Education Act. We have the responsibility of following up on non-attendance and will make calls home to ascertain why students are away. We thank families in advance for your support with this.
Drop off and Pick up
The school car parks are very congested places both in the morning and after school especially with spaces being limited. We have many school buses entering and leaving the grounds both of a morning and afternoon and they need to be able to safely navigate in and out of the school. Families are reminded to use the turning circle to drop of children in the morning and if parking to drop off or collect, to use the school driveway or the carpark in front of the pool.
Healthy Habits
A reminder to all students and families that we encourage the wearing of hats in our playground at breaks and in outside HPE lessons to be sun smart. Primary children are expected to wear a hat when in the playground in Terms 1 and 4 and will be asked to play in shady areas if they have left their hat at home.
We have water hydration stations in the school for students to either drink hygienically from and/or fill up their drink bottles. Keeping hydrated in hot weather is very important.
Sleep is vital for healthy brain development and activity and at this time of the year, when school resumes, it is important to get a good night’s rest. Please support and encourage your child to turn off devices and retire at a reasonable hour as they start the new school year.
Kind regards,
Carolyn Watson
Principal
Dear Parents,
You may be aware of the novel coronavirus which was recently detected in Hubei Province, China. The Australian Government has advised that there is no need for alarm and the risk to the public is currently low. At this time, there are no confirmed cases in Tasmania.
In accordance with advice from the Australian Department of Health, children should not attend school if:
They have recently been in contact with a confirmed case of the virus; or
They have recently visited Hubei province, China.
In these cases, children should remain isolated in their home for 14 days after exposure/leaving Hubei Province. If your child fits in to one of these categories, please let the school know.
Children who have recently visited mainland China, but NOT Hubei Province, may still attend school.
And of course, any child who is unwell should also stay at home.
Attached is a Fact Sheet from the Department of Education with more detailed advice about novel coronavirus and help resources. I strongly suggest that you read the Fact Sheet to familiarise yourself with this important information.
General information about the virus can also be found at the link below:
https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov
School Calendar
SECONDARY NEWS
It is an absolute pleasure to welcome our students to the new school year at St Marys District School. Although it has been just one week -what a positive start to the year we have had! After the summer holidays, we welcomed new families to our St Marys District School community along with Mr Daniel Gidas (English) and Mr Richard Levett (MDT). The high energy and enthusiasm of students reconnecting with one another along with staff, bodes well for the year ahead.
On behalf of Mrs Rachel Hodge (AST Years 7-8) and Mrs Mandy Simmons (AST Years 9-12), I share our pledge to support every student in their personal learning journey. United with our secondary staff, it is our commitment to deliver quality teaching and learning experiences within a positive school culture where individuals can flourish.
To celebrate the opening of the school year, we gathered for our first assembly for 2020. I spoke to the following theme: “What will your story be?” Every student has the opportunity to uncover their unique story throughout the school year. Will they advance themselves in a core subject? Build confidence through performance? Strengthen sporting skills? Participate in the St Marys District School or Interschool sporting carnivals? Surprise themselves with a hidden musical or artistic talent? Or perhaps build new friendships through programs such as Australian Business Week? A bounty of opportunities await. The power is within them.
Commencing the week – Monday mornings will focus on Wellbeing and Future pathways. Strategically scheduled, Year 7 Tasters, Year 8-10 Semester and Year options are encountered throughout the week. With the addition of Friday afternoon Short Courses as well as everything in between – the listed learning opportunities all sit within a refreshed school wide timetable. This all equates to enhancing student engagement.
At St Marys District School we look forward to 2020 being a year where each student creates their unique personal success story. Thank you for partnering with us.
PRIMARY NEWS
We have enjoyed the first two weeks with your children, and the children should be congratulated for their wonderful start to the school year. We wanted to take the opportunity to let you know who the people are who will be working with your children during 2020.
Teaching Team
Sandra Cook is the AST and Ros Smith is the Assistant Principal for Kindergarten to Grade 6. The teaching team of Rebecca Hibberd, Julie Stanford, Emily Garth, Narmina Hasanova, Lisa Cromb, Jessica Hilliard, Fiona Gray, Michele Bennett, Meg Burbury, Andrew Kelly, Karen Bramich, Dilys Fyle and Ellen Redden are looking forward to supporting the learning of all of our students.
The teaching staff are supported by our wonderful Teacher Assistant team of Genevieve Aulich, Sarah Tatnell, Robyn Miller, Jacki Hortle, Matt Hoskinson, Shan Wilmot, Fiona Lowe, Lexie Cox and Craig Freiboth.
Active 15:
Active 15 commenced on Monday, 10th February, for all students from Prep to Grade 6. All students will participate in 15 minutes of activity from 11.00am to 11:15am daily.
For Term 1, students will be either walking or running around a 1km track within the primary yards at Fingal and St Marys, and will record how far they have travelled daily on an individual recording sheet.
Class totals will be tallied when students come back into class at the conclusion of the 15 minutes of activity, and then our Grade 5/6 classes will be collating the whole school tallies and mapping the distance we have travelled on a map of Australia (and perhaps the world if we travel far enough!!). We are really looking forward to exercising together and improving our fitness and physical wellbeing.
Day one saw many children travelling almost 2 km on their own, so you can imagine how far we will travel as a team!!
The map showing how far we have travelled will be displayed in the primary foyer at St Marys and the foyer at Fingal Campus and we will also celebrate in our school Newsletter and Facebook pages, so that parents are able to keep up to date with where in Australia we are.
Primary Information Board:
We have a new Primary Information Board on the deck near the Grade 5/6 classrooms at St Marys and the foyer at the Fingal Campus. This board will remind students of any events or exciting opportunities they may wish to participate in during the week. The board will be regularly updated and will also have a copy of any notices which have been sent home. Please feel free to read about the exciting events which are occurring in our primary sector.
We have lots of photos of your children as they have slotted back into learning over the last two weeks. Enjoy!!





We appreciate your support and look forward to working together to support student learning. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us on 63 723 900 or speak with us in person.
Primary Assembly
Our first primary assembly for 2020 will be held on Thursday 20th February at 9.00am in the Performing Arts Centre. Please join us, if you are able for this celebration of our start to the year. We will be joining at this assembly by the Grade 10 Student Leader Board. Please sign in at the main office before making your way to the assembly.
BACK TO SCHOOL PAPERWORK
Annual Information Validation Forms
Prior to the end of the school year, students were issued with their annual Student Information Validation Forms. We received a fantastic return rate of these, with the first class with a 100% return receiving a pool and Pizza Party. There are still however a number of Validation forms outstanding for some students. Information Validation forms are required to be updated annually in order to ensure we have the correct contact details, emergency contacts and medical information for our enrolled students. If you have not updated and returned the form, please do so and return to the School Administration Office as soon as possible. If your form has been misplaced over the holidays, please contact us for a copy. When completing the form please read carefully and update any out of date information including: Address, contact, medical details, emergency contacts and permissions. When completing Emergency Contact Details, please ensure that the people listed are available and capable of acting on your behalf in an emergency. Don't forget to sign the form.
2020 Student Permission Forms
Students would have received a permission form with their book packs at the start of the year. The permission form gains consent or otherwise for publication of student names, photos and work samples over a variety of media, and for minor excursions. Please complete and return as soon as possible.
Aquatic consent form
The aquatic consent form allows parents to give informed consent to aquatic activities over the course of the year, including School HPE Swimming program, Squad Swimming, Swimming carnivals etc. The form allows parents to indicate to the school the skill level they believe their child has for various swimming activities. Annual completion of this form is required as students’ skills change regularly and in order for students to participate in aquatic programmes.
ICT User Agreement Forms
Students have received their annual ICT User Agreement Forms and have had a session in class to discuss their responsibilities around ICT use. We ask that parents discuss acceptable use of technology with their child, complete and sign the form and return to the school administration office.
If you require copies of any of these forms, or assistance completing them, please contact the School Administration office, we will be happy to help. Please remember to visit the Department of Education’s website below to access informative Parent Fact sheets about support and policies involved in the education of our children.
https://www.education.tas.gov.au/parents-carers/parent-fact-sheets/
FINGAL CAMPUS P-2
We have had a busy start in P/1/2/3/4 Stanford / Garth at the Fingal Campus. We have been showing off our fine motor skills, making our names with playdough in P-2. Our students have settled in beautifully and we are enjoying working in the double rooms, with our teachers and wonderful aides, Jacki and Lexie. We are all looking forward to a wonderful year ahead.
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Fingal Campus
DRAMA NEWS
CLINT IS BACK
We have an exciting week ahead in Secondary Drama. Clint Bolster is coming to work with Years 8-10 students to improve their character building skills and confidence on stage. Clint is from Queensland and is a wonderful mentor for the students. It will be wonderful to give him another warm welcome
Clint is a Character Actor, Theatrical Clown, Comedia Dell’Arte & Mask Specialist, Stilt Performer and Trainer and Teaching Artist. With over 16 years’ committed to developing new works and training extensively. Clint regularly performs in Australia and internationally in the United Kingdom, Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan.
FINGAL CAMPUS - Music with Miss Bramich
The Fingal Campus students are embarking on an exciting year of learning. Due to Fingal Campus students relocating to the main building with three teaching spaces, the K – 2 teaching room has now become an open spacious Music suite and multi-purpose room. In Week 1, Miss Bramich and the students transformed this space to accommodate the keyboards, string instruments, percussion instruments and other learning resources. The space will also allow for fantastic cooperative activities for wet weather Physical Education including more space for gymnastics tumbling skills.


FC Music
KINDERGARTEN MUSIC – with Miss Bramich
Our Kindergarten students began Term 1 Music by doing a “walk and talk” tour of the Performing Arts Centre. Spatial awareness, location and direction are concepts that our little ones are learning about – where they belong within different spaces and what they do within the different spaces. The squeals of delight when they played on the beautiful glossy black piano was delightful. The groovy moves in front of the floor to wall mirrors was hilarious as they danced, waved and blew kisses to themselves in the Dance room. They learned about what a ‘stage’ was and each child had a practice of walking on to the stage to hold up and imaginary painting to show an imaginary audience. There are some fine actors in the making!! In the larger Music rooms, the students played some funky beats on the bongos AND……all students received their personal musical instrument – a brand new recorder. Every Kindergarten to Grade 2 student will receive their own recorder to commence learning about foundation music knowledge and skills. This knowledge can be transferred to voice and other music instruments as they move from grade to grade. Each recorder has been named and each recorder goes back into its own “sleeping bag” until the next lesson. The recorders will remain at school. Students are learning to name the parts of the recorder, how the holes make sound and how to move their lips, tongue and use breathing to make sounds and notes. It was great fun. Hopefully we might be able to produce some wonderful recorder items for assembly!!!


Kindergarten music
PRIMARY MUSIC - with Miss Bramich
Our Primary students have begun Music by looking to nature as a source of different rhythms, sound, pitch, tone and timbre. Their 2019 Music knowledge was revised by engaging in a range of activities including an outdoor Music treasure hunt. Learning about how a person’s voice box and larynx works was part of this activity. Students had to find a large leaf or blade of grass and by holding it tightly in their fingers and blowing on to the sharp edge of the leaf, they could create a sound. Students experimented with how to create a high pitch (tightly stretched leaf) and how to create a lower pitch (loosely held leaf). This was related back to the structure and function of their own voice box – linking Music with Body Science. The students used rocks, sticks, leaves and playground equipment to create different sounds culminating in them using 3 pieces of nature to create a 16 beat composition using crochet notes. The students also engaged in group challenges including ‘rhythm walks’. Using their feet to step, the students were asked to use the four main music notes semi-breves (4 beats), minims (2 beats) , crochets (1 beat) and quavers (1/2 beat) to create music patterns and sequences. Counting in 1’s, 2’s, 8’s, 16’s and 32’s made links to Maths sequencing and learning their tables – magic Music Maths!!!!!



Primary music
ST MARYS DISTRICT SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
The School Association Committee has vacancies commencing 2020. There are 3 parent member vacancies on the Committee. Positions are for a period of 2 years.
Nominations for these vacancies close on Wednesday 18th March 2020. If there are more nominations than vacancies, elections will be held on Wednesday 25th March at a Special General Meeting, St Marys District School Performing Arts Centre, 5.30pm.
St Marys District School Association invites you to consider nomination for one of these positions. To nominate please complete the attached nomination form and return to Sharlene Ridler-Mason, Returning Officer c/- St Marys School Administration Office by 4.00pm Wednesday18th March, 2020.
Further information on the School Association can be found at:
- The School Office
- https://www.education.tas.gov.au/community-and-providers/school-associations-tasmania/
SAFER INTERNET DAY – Feb 11th
Safer Internet Day, held on 11th February is a worldwide event that raises awareness about online safety and encourages everyone to help create a better internet.
Celebrated in 150 countries, Safer Internet Day is coordinated by the joint Insafe/INHOPE network, with the support of the European Commission. In Australia, the eSafety Commissioner is responsible for managing and promoting Safer Internet Day. There are so many resources and conversation starters available from the eSafety Commissioner’s office at the link below for students, parents and community members
https://www.esafety.gov.au/safer-internet-day
AFTER SCHOOL CARE
After School Care with Northern Children’s Network is now available at St Marys District School. We are sharing a lovely space with Bec and the team from the St Marys Childcare Centre in order to provide a great place to offer fun activities and the chance to chill out after school. So if you are in need of after school care, give the team a call on 63722187.
HOME WORK TIMETABLE
Class |
Teacher |
Homework/Assignments |
Due Date |
Prep/1 |
Miss Bovill |
Home Readers |
When the book is completed |
Grade 1/2 |
Miss Hilliard |
Home Readers |
When the book is completed |
Grade 3/4 |
Mrs Gray and Mr Kelly |
Home Readers and Times Tables |
Weekly |
Grade 4/5 |
Mrs Bennett and Mr Kelly |
Home Readers and Times Tables |
Weekly |
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
Parent letter for Kinder – Grade 6 and Fingal Campus students
SECONDARY
GRIP Leadership Conference - Secondary Student Leaders – Tailrace Centre Launceston – Tuesday 18th February
WHOLE SCHOOL
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
NOTICEBOARD
Table Tennis - Community Group - St Marys School Gym
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