20 March 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

It is not news to any of you that it has been a challenging fortnight for us all. The health crisis that has enveloped the world has also impacted education in Tasmania, and at Snug Primary School. I want to assure you that we are doing our very best to manage a complex and ever-changing situation.

Fortunately, Tasmania has up until now, been spared the worst of the Covid-19 epidemic. Critically, our school remains open, and there is a big focus on ‘business as usual’, to ensure we continue to provide a quality education for our students. That said, we have made a few changes to our program – there is no LiL program until further notice and our kitchen/garden program has amended its focus. As highlighted in the media, there will also be no assemblies, excursions, sports days or the like until further notice.

Our school staff are doing an incredible job during these trying times. They remain positive and committed to ensuring the school continues to run as normal. As a community, we are lucky to have such a committed team. Please continue to support them as you always have.

No doubt many of you will have seen and read information about possible school closures. The department position on this is schools will remain open until further notice.

I also want to acknowledge that some of you are choosing to keep your children at home at this time. We understand your decision. As a result of the situation, non-attendance will not be treated in the same manner as normal – there will not be attendance sanctions or parental contact as a result of prolonged absences. If you are choosing to self-isolate your children, please just call our office and let them know, so we can keep a record.

It is very important that if your child is unwell, to please keep them at home until they are back to full health. While we understand that there are a range of ailments we all pick up, from a runny nose to a common cold, we want our whole school environment to remain as healthy as it can possibly be so that we are all in the best shape to manage should the coronavirus start to move through the community.

Information is constantly changing and evolving, so please keep referring to the school Facebook page, where we will continue to post updates on events as they occur.

Lastly, I want to wish you all the very best. We understand that among you there are people in vulnerable positions, both through your employment or your health, and this is creating anxiety and concern for you. But we are lucky that Snug is a wonderful, tight community, and I am sure together, we can see out this challenge.

Kind Regards,
Blair Curtis
Principal

Kath’s Spot

Well, I feel like a lot has happened since I last shared with you! Who would have thought we would be amongst such a challenging time for all of Australia and the world.

At this time, I would like to send a huge Thank You to you all. Thanks for your patience and understanding - we are each learning day-by-day and trying to carry out the best for your children. Thank you for encouraging your children and for looking for the positives amongst all the uncertainty. Thank you for stopping in the moment to listen to what others are saying when, sometimes with the many loud noises going on around us, it can be hard to hear each other.

I also wanted to ask you what you are grateful for today? If any of you have used the main toilet in the office building, you would have seen our wall of post-it notes. The last question I put on the wall for us to think about was ‘what are you grateful for?’ and I love, each time I visit the loo, seeing a new post-it stuck up with something new to feel grateful for.

Are you grateful for your family around you? Or for toilet paper? For the local IGA keeping us up to stock? Or maybe for neighbours or friends checking in on you to see how you are going?

Yesterday I met an older lady at Snug Pharmacy and offered to help her out over the coming weeks if she needs a hand with anything. Who could you support at this time? Could you set up a Skype or Zoom call with older family members or write a letter to Snug Village to brighten someone’s day? Could the kids draw a picture or write a story to send to someone to make them smile? Could you send a text to a local healthcare worker and encourage them in their work or shoot your child’s teacher a Dojo message to let them know you appreciate them? All of these things, I am sure, would make someone’s day.

In the midst of uncertainty and the unknown, let’s try really hard to still keep up our giving spirit to others. Don’t forget that everyone is feeling a little anxious and overwhelmed, so maybe give someone a bit of grace too when little things crop up along the way.

Bless you all at this time,

Many Blessings

Kath Dolliver
Chaplain

Class in Focus – Year 5B

The first thing we have been learning during our Rock and Water social skills program this year is to stand strong.

• Standing strong means being connected and centred. It means you’re no pushover. Being rock means standing strong and not moving. Being water means being flexible and flowing around obstacles. (Mutong)
• Standing strong means you are able to stand up for your friends. It means you’re no pushover and it mean’s you can find a balance between being rock and being water. Once when I was little I wasn’t able to stand up for myself against a bully when I needed it most, but now it’s my opportunity to stand up for myself. (Sebastian)
• Standing strong means sticking up for your friends. It means you won’t move and you’ll be there for them. I means you’re trusted. Piper)
• You can stand up for yourself, you can stand up for friends, you’re no pushover and you’re balanced. (Seth)
• It means being intelligent and confident. (Madisyn)
• Sometimes I can be too much rock at home and I know I need to be more water! (anonymous)
• Rock and water means being flexible, sometimes being strong, standing up for yourself and other people. (Oliver)

Rock and Water

Assembly Awards

New Staff Bio – Jo Pybus

My name is Jo Pybus and I’m the new Year 3/4D teacher at Snug Primary School. I’ve been teaching in the south of the state for the last 22 years, and absolutely love any reason to dress up (especially as a character called the ‘Hairy Fairy’).

I live in Huonville in a lovely little cottage by the river, with my husband and teenage boy/girl twins, who are the 5th generation of my family to live in this house!.

As well as my Education degree, I also have a Fine Arts degree, so I have a real passion for anything creative – which includes working on landscaping our lovely 2 acres of garden at home.

We have a beach shack at Southport that we try and escape to every holiday – we love the beach!

We have 3 cats, a dog, and a silly group of various breeds of chooks and some guinea fowls.

I really appreciate the very warm welcome from the whole community at Snug, and am enjoying working in a school that is so passionate about the learning that happens for all of our children.

Book Club

This year Book Club orders can only be submitted and paid for online via the Book Clubs Loop. Please go to this link It’s a very straightforward process to sign up and then super quick and easy to place orders. The Loop will be closed off on Wednesday 25th March so ensure you have your orders in by then. Books will arrive to school and be distributed to students a few weeks later.

School Banking

Wednesday is school banking day. Please remember to write your student number on the deposit slips. Replacement Dollarmite wallets are available from the office.

New Bankers are very welcome – for every new banker, the school receives a $5.00 commission and then 5% of every deposit made thereafter. Just head to any Commonwealth Bank with some ID for yourself and your child (a drivers licence and birth certificate, for example) and ask to open a Youthsaver Account for School Banking. You’ll be given a deposit book and Dollarmites wallet on the spot and will be able to begin banking the next business day - it’s that easy!

Rewards Program: For every deposit your child makes, they will receive a silver Dollarmite token. Once they have received 10 tokens then will then receive a gold Dollarmite token which they can redeem for an exclusive Dollarmite reward item.

Kids Matter eNewsletter

Coming Events

For more information please see our school calendar by clicking the link below:

Community Notices

Winter Camp

Term Dates for 2020