24 August 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

What a brilliant morning this morning celebrating Book Week and the love of reading in our community. From Shakespeare to Freda Kahlo, Cinderella to Gandalf; we celebrated our favourite characters and the wonderful things that authors do. Of particular mention was a Year 3/4 student who came as her own lead character from a novel she is currently writing. This gives me confidence that our Generation Alpha will be creative, curious and show this kind of outstanding initiative.

I hope all families have found the time to complete our annual School Satisfaction survey which came home recently. The survey takes 5-10 minutes to complete and gives the school great information about what is going well and where to put our energy into improvement.

Snug Starlight Science Night was a magnificent success last Friday, with approximately 500 people attending on the night. Our school opened its doors to the community for Tasmanian Astronomy Society presentations, delicious food, warm fire pots, intriguing virtual tours and yarning around the fire with Aunty Trish. We acknowledge the outstanding work of Heather, Dearne and Dave in making this night happen and thank all our volunteers from staff and community for their help on the night. Working together…..to achieve personal excellence.

Bonnie Jeffrey
Principal

Kath’s Spot

I was recently watching the show Anh Do's Brush with Fame, an absolute favourite of mine, where Anh Do, a comedian, paints a celebrity while interviewing them about their journey of life.

In the last series there was an interview with Dr Munjed Al Muderis, who is an orthopaedic surgeon who pioneered work on prosthetics and patents titanium devices to help serve those who are amputees.  He had originally come to Australia as a refugee, and now not only carries out amazing surgeries but is also an author and human rights activist.

He said "Life is about making a difference.  We all have a mission in life and what is left behind us is either, knowledge that we have left for others to benefit from, or a charitable source that people live from, or children that carry your legacy".

Life is about making a difference isn't it!  As I pass by different parts of my journey, I would like to hope that I have made a difference to others along the way.  It’s tricky though when you are exhausted, or under the pump yourself, but step by step we can all do little things.

I heard of a lady recently that had someone beep their horn really loud behind her in the drive through lane.  She felt upset, but instead of disputing the lady behind her, she realised that the lady following her, was obviously having a really bad day.  So instead of feeling angry, she proceeded to pay for the ladies coffee, and bless her in this way.

Every little bit counts doesn't it!  I have the pleasure of being able to drop off food hampers and hand out food vouchers to those in need, every bit makes a difference.  What can you do today to brighten someone else's day?  If you would like to help contribute in some way, especially in our school and local community, let me know!

Many Blessings
Kath Dolliver
Chaplain

Assembly Awards

Class in Focus – Prep B

The children in Prep B have enjoyed many wonderful learning experiences this term. Our school is developing Inquiry Based Learning experiences in line with current Education Department policy. Much of our program this year has embraced Inquiry Based Learning where children explore ideas and develop knowledge and skills through play. We have now introduced “Investigations” into our weekly program to further extend this type of learning.

In Investigations the children participate in a range of activities around the room, including Construction, Dramatic Play, Collage, Maths, Writing, Sensory, Reading and Tinkering. These activities change often, allowing the children to spend quality time in areas that interest them. Each day there are children with roles. There are two Focus Children who have a specific task to complete during the morning. They report back to the class about what they have learned. There is also a Photographer each day who is given something specific to photograph which links to the Learning Intentions. Eg 5 photos of things which contain a short vowel in their name. Our Reporter has a written task, again linking to the Learning Intentions. Eg. Record 3 things about your friend’s ‘Special Place’, remembering to use a capital and full stop. There is a Reflection Time at the end of the session to make the links between the Investigations and the learning which will occur in the rest of the day.

Our first Investigations have included activities based on environmental changes in Winter and the impact these have on our clothing and activities. We have examined crystals and made snowflakes. Our sensory table provoked conversations about air bubbles trapped inside ice. We have also had experiences involving 3D objects, measuring and counting in 10s. Some children have enjoyed writing and publishing their very first stories. Our busy wood workers have made amazing designs and constructed these proudly. We have been amazed to discover what is inside a computer keyboard as our Tinker Table has been explored. The children have been focussed and engaged in their learning. We are pleased to share photos of some of their experiences.

Snug Starlight Fair and Astro Evening

Winter Sports Football Carnival

Yesterday I coached at the winter sports football carnival and our Snug Guns absolutely dominated! There could not have had a better display of raw talent.

Shelby kicked the first goal of the game.

Ned was outstanding in all 3 games.

Maverick unmatched skill of any player (after playing 10 games of football last week!).

Ryan was the team’s general as centre half back!

Angus was the runner up ‘Most Valuable’ player of the tournament!

So proud! Mr Watson, PE teacher.

Book Fair

The Book Fair is currently running in the office and will be until Friday 31 August.

Drama News

Pinocchio and Rumplestiltskin

Photos from the Year 3-4A and Year 3-4B performances of ”Pinocchio” and “Rumpelstiltskin” are now available in the office and will be for the next couple of weeks.

The Magic Toyshop

Tickets for the Year 3-4C and Year 3-4D performance of The Magic Toyshop will be available from the office from Monday 27 August – Adults $5.00, Child $3.00, Family $15.00 – cash only please.

Kids Artworks Fundraiser Update

We would like to thank all those who supported our Artwork fundraiser. We raised approximately $2500 profit. This will be used to purchase classroom resources such as blocks, construction sets or puzzles which are appropriate to each grade level. We appreciate your purchases and look forward to sharing beautiful products when they are returned to school following production.

Pre-Kinder Sessions

Pre-Kinder Sessions will be held on the following dates in the Kinder A (Mrs Martyn) room:

Wednesday 29 August, 9.00am – 10.30am
Wednesday 12 September, 9.00am – 10.30am
Wednesday 26 September, 9.00am – 10.30am

There is a charge of $2.00 per session to help cover the cost of materials. Term 4 dates will be advised closer to the time.

School Fair

Call for Donations!

We are now seeking your donations for women's and children's clothes, and toys to be sold in the second hand stall at the school fair. Feel free to bring them into the office and then they will be placed in our storage bay.

We are also seeking donations of plates, cups/mugs and utensils-mismatched and odds and ends are fine - to help us to 'go green' this school fair! This will enable us to serve all our food on plates, and we will then in turn be able to get rid of any excess waste.

Plants for Plant Stall

If sowing plants, please grow some extras for our fair plant stall!

Enviro Bag Donations

For our school fair we are on the look out for any types of enviro bags that can be used on the day for our stands to put purchases in. If your business or that which you work for, or you have a contact for, eg a bank, real estate agent or the like, have any they can donate to the school we would love to hear from you.

Term Dates for 2018