1 December 2022

Principal Report

Dear Families

With so many positive events the past two weeks it has been an exciting time for the Illawarra community.  These events include the Jumping Jacks performing in Hobart’s Christmas Pageant, grade 5 students participating in Challenge Week activities, the grade 6 students attending their camp, as well as many grades 5 and 6 students performing at last Friday’s Combined Primary Schools Band and Choir Annual Concert.  I would also like to acknowledge and thank all the staff and parents who assisted on the evening of the Disco Drinks and Dinnerfest, especially Georgia Pearsall, Lisa Nisbett and Cathryn Kelly-Bounds.  A great night was had by all.

The end of the school year always provides many opportunities to reflect and review the school’s successes and areas for future attention. In the next few weeks, I will be completing an Annual Review of this year’s learning and wellbeing priorities, finalise acquittals for the additional funds we receive to run the school’s Launch Into Learning (LIL) program and to deliver a Language Other than English (LOTE), as well as continue to work with staff to identify the key priorities for the 2023 school year. Earlier in the term I reported on this year’s NAPLAN results and Student Wellbeing Data and pleasingly this year’s PAT data shows that our students continue to perform at a high level, with the majority performing at and above the national mean score for each test, and many of each cohort performing well above the mean scores. 

Staff Changes for Next Year

Many would already know that there will be a number of staff changes for next year with Terri Coombes, Jess Dwyer, Mary-Ann College, Cathy Graney, Deb Doole, Emily Jardine and Damien O’Toole either retiring or taking on new positions in 2023.   Terri Coombes, Cathy Graney, Mary-Ann Collidge and Jess Dwyer are all leaving after having long associations with the school.  Terri, Cathy and Mary-Ann’s children attended Illawarra and Jess attended as a student when she joined the first enrolment of Illawarra Primary School in her grade 1 year in 1991.

Terri was first employed as a teacher assistant at Illawarra in 2000 and then as a teacher from 2005 and during that time took on a variety of roles including acting in a senior staff role. Terri’s creative, kind and dedicated approach to the profession has always been admired and respected by her colleagues and the school community, as has her focus on student and staff well-being.  Terri also needs to be acknowledged for her contributions as an Australian Education Union (AEU) Branch Councillor and as a member of the AEU Executive.  Her contributions to both of these AEU roles have benefitted the teaching profession and support staff employed in Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) schools state-wide.  Terri’s respectful and inclusive practice and commitment to inquiry-based learning needs special mention as throughout her career she championed the work of Kath Murdock and our very own Mr David Gilkes. 

Cathy’s association with the Illawarra Primary School dates back to 1991 when her eldest son Nicholas began attending the school.  As a parent, Cathy managed the school’s 2003 Tournament of Minds Gd 5/6 Social Science group, which included her youngest son Jordan, who won the gold medal for that section.  Cathy was also a member of the committee that designed the Illawarra uniform with the signature lighthouse logo design that is still used today.  Two of the highlights for Cathy during her four years of teaching at Illawarra have been the plays her class put on for the school, Rooster in Skinny Jeans and more recently The Gruffalo. It was such a thrill for her to see children enjoying themselves and gaining confidence every time they stepped on the stage.

Cathy has had a long and very successful teaching career and with her permission I have included the email she provided to announce her retirement earlier this term.  Cathy’s passion for teaching, ability to support the most energetic of students and great sense of fun will be missed by us all.

After working with the Tasmanian Education Department for 46 years I have decided to retire at the end of Term 4, 2022. I have been a passionate and hard working teacher throughout my long career and I have been privileged to teach thousands of Primary school children.

I have also been fortunate to teach at nine schools from the West Coast (Rosebery District High school) to the Huon area (Judbury) finishing my career at Illawarra Primary where my three sons went to school.

I would like to express my thanks to Nick Donnelly, Principal at Illawarra Primary, and other senior staff and colleagues at IPS. I have thoroughly enjoyed my final four years at IPS which has a very supportive and warm environment for teachers and students. 

Finally, I would also like to thank DoE for their kind support towards me in 2003-2004 when I lost my mother and husband both to cancer.  Martin was a Maths/Science teacher at Kingston High School until mid 2003 when he retired due to terminal illness.

Jess has recently been successful in applying for a Quality Teaching Coach position at Lindisfarne North Primary School.  This is great recognition for the outstanding educator that she has become.  Jess’ dedicated, organised and supportive approach will be missed by us all, especially her PLC colleagues and the senior staff who have often called on her due to expertise and effectiveness as a classroom practitioner.

Mary-Ann has been a long serving member of the Kindergarten staff and has so ably supported our youngest students since 2009.  The patience, care and support she has provided to so many students, ensuring they have a successful start to their school life, has been greatly appreciated by parents and colleagues, especially those who have worked closely with her in support roles across the school.

Deb has been the school’s Business Manager since 2017 and has overseen many changes to the school by supporting the school community with such great humour and commitment during the past six years.  Deb’s triumph would surely be the completion of the school’s administration building in 2018/19 where she took on very much a project management role.  Deb’s ability to navigate the systems of the DoE, now DECYP, to support the staff and wider school community has also been a real strength, especially as this work has helped reinforce the school’s welcoming and supportive culture.

Emily will be leaving us after 8 years working as a teacher assistant.  Over that time, she has supported many students with disabilities and in recent years has been able to use her passion for literature to provide small group and in-class literacy support. Next year Emily will be moving to Risdon Vale Primary School where she will take up a teaching internship position and on the completion of this placement will be a qualified teacher.  A wonderful achievement.

Damien O’Toole will also be leaving us after taking on the Music teaching role at very short notice almost 2 years ago.  Damien’s passion for this subject area has always been evident, none more so than this week when he worked with Mrs Sietske Hunn and the 1/2 students, providing the music score for the Mad Magpie play performed by grades 1/2 Anstice, Barker and Coombes.

The final staffing update that I need to provide is my decision to take long service leave for the first 6 weeks of term 1 next year, after which I intend to resign from the DECYP. I have been considering for some time what I would do post working at Illawarra and strongly feel that now is the right time for me to investigate and pursue other work/life options. 

This has been a difficult decision, mostly because of the support I continue to receive from the staff and the school community. However, I know that I will be leaving the school in a great place and now seems to be the right time for someone else to lead Illawarra Primary.  Importantly, Cathryn Kelly-Bounds will be appointed to the Acting Principal role for the first 6 weeks of term 1.  This will ensure continuity and certainty for the start of the 2023 school year.

(I will introduce, in the next newsletter, the teachers who have been appointed to Illawarra Primary School to replace the staff mentioned above.)

COVID Update

Unfortunately, we continue to experience increased numbers of students and staff testing positive for COVID.  This and the regularity of the school being informed of close contact cases provides us a reminder of the need to be vigilant in how we continue to support each other as a school community.  Last week I provided a quick update regarding increased cases and would like to continue to reinforce the following:

• Students are not to attend school if they have cold or flu like symptoms.
• The school should be informed if students test positive to Covid or become a close contact.
• Any adult that is a close contact and without symptoms can attend the school site but need to wear a mask if visiting indoors.
• All close contacts need to test when they become aware that they are a close contact, this includes children.  They only need to test again if they become symptomatic.  RATs can still be collected from the school office.
• Please continue to be mindful that there are some members of the school community who are considerably more vulnerable to the virus, in particular those who are immunocompromised or have a disability. Therefore, everyone’s quick response to providing information regarding a potential exposure to COVID is essential.

Wishing everyone a happy end to the school year.

Calendar Of Events

Covid Safe Behaviours - Reminder

COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses (like the flu) are still circulating in Tasmania. The official COVID-19 risk level has been raised to ‘Moderate’.

Together, we need to keep practising our COVID-safe behaviours to manage the risk.

Simple things we can do:

• do not come to school if unwell – stay home and test
• stay at home while you have symptoms, regardless of the result of a rapid antigen test (RAT)
• cover coughs and sneezes and wash your hands with soap and water, or alcohol-based sanitiser
• try to stay a reasonable distance away from others when you can
• consider wearing a face mask if you wish to – they are readily available for use at the school.

All students should ensure they have access to a quantity of RATs. If you need RATs, please ask for them at the school office so they are in your home ready for use if symptoms develop.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

For any COVID-19 enquiries, please contact the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738, or Department of Education COVID-19 Support Hotlin at COVID19support@education.tas.gov.au or on 1800 816 057.

If you need support translating or interpreting this information, contact the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.

Christmas Stall

The Christmas stall is coming up on Wednesday December 7th, and we need volunteers to wrap presents chosen by students on the day. Time slots are available between 9:30am and 2:30pm.  It's a fun day, and you can come for as little as an hour, or longer if you'd prefer.  Please click on the link to join the Christmas cheer. 

https://signup.com/go/anjxvQS

ONYAS Prep to Grade 2

Congratulations to the following recipients who recieved ONYAS in our last assembly which was held on Monday 28 November.

Josie P, Jackson X, Fraser W, Sam D, Benji R, Armaan S, Niamh M Connor A, Lilah P, Tanner C, Edan G, Jasmine G, Quinn H, Hugo J, Nina L, Stella M, Jack G, Roxy D, Pascal L, Mila McP, George V, Joh H, Daisy C, Spencer C-R, Hudson G, MJ D, Frank Q, Sidney K, Zuhaa B, Freya N, Bailey R, Eve B-Mc, Liam O, Neisha W, Zoe S, Orlando P, Jake K, Claire E, Noah M, Imogen F, Henry K, Ethan L, Nathan F-K and Ryan S

Grade 6 Camp

As we all arrived, a smile on our face and a skip in our step, we prepared for what we knew was going to be the best excursion we have had so far. We lugged our luggage up the schools’ front steps and put it in the trailer before slipping into our seats on the bus. The bus ride was crowded to say the least and filled with loud laughter, group conversation and plenty of chance to catch up on the latest gossip. As we arrived at blue lagoon, we were given a tour of the site and introduced to the cabins that were going to house us for the next 2 nights. After a sit-down snack from the lunchboxes we packed, we dove headfirst into fun for our first three activities, crate climb, rock-climbing and fun in the games room (a room full of pool, air hockey and Ping-Pong) after our activities we had some afternoon tea (donuts)free time which mostly consisted of gaga ball and dorm time. We then had dinner, which was a chicken dish that people had mixed opinions about, followed by apple pie and ice-cream that didn’t disappoint. At night we had a campfire with marshmallows and fun, the girls went that extra bit far and ended up marching to the fire in their pjs and facemasks on their face. Then, after watching the soccer world cup, we were sent to bed and talked until the cows came home, when we were meant to sleep.

The first morning we all rose bright and early to an 8:00am dorm inspection, forcing us all to conceal our mess or be charged with late breakfast. For our breakfast we were treated to the options of toast, pancakes and/or cereal. After munching down all that we set off for our first activities of the day. The initiatives course tested our teamwork and problem solving as we rushed to complete our set tasks. Then there was abseiling, where we tested our fears as we put our lives in the hands of an inanimate rope, a few carabiner clips and a man to grab the rope if something went wrong. We had the choice of abseiling off a 9m or 6m wall, many of us were nervous at first but eventually majority of us took the leap of faith, including the teachers. Some of us even went to the next level and bellyflopped off (went headfirst), although it wasn’t the elegant sight you may think it was. Another activity was team games where we played some familiar games, like mushroom tag, and new ones like cat and mouse (a game Mr Hayen enjoyed thoroughly). We, of course, had a break for morning tea a little treat of chocolate cake goodness kept us going. For lunch we had decadent wraps filled with delicious flavours. Then we trekked down to the beach and those of us bold enough braved the cold for a quick swim. For afternoon tea we scoffed down lamingtons then hiked back to the dorms and headed for dinner soon after that, dinner was meatballs followed by dessert of chocolate mousse and cream. Some watched the LEGO Batman Movie while others waited for the football game or went to bed.

On day 3 / the last day, we woke to another 8am dorm inspection, where we loaded all our stuff into the big TV room before we went to breakfast. For breakfast we chose from a selection of French toast, regular toast and/or cereal. Then we broke off in to 2 groups, group 1 started with archery whilst group 2 had some free time in the playground, the games room and in the gym. Archery consisted of 1 of 3 groups taking turns to have a go at shooting the targets. Then we had Anzac biscuits for morning tea, said goodbye to the band students and swapped over the archery and free time people.For lunch we had rolls filled with our choice of meats, salad and sauces. Then they gave us a slice of cake for a kind of lunch dessert goodbye type thing. Then after some more free play we put all our luggage out to be loaded into the bus trailer then hopped on to the bus in a not so orderly fashion. The bus ride home was vaguely similar to the ride there. Once we got back to school we waited in the library for the bell, then went home and had a goodnight sleep.

Written by Ruby, Rose & Juliet 

Grade 5 Challenge Week

Starting on the 23rd and ending on the 25^th of November, the grade 5’s participated in a series of activities for Grade 5 Challenge Week.

Day 1, Molesworth:

At Molesworth, students were spit into 6 different groups to perform team-building challenges. Each different challenge involved using different leadership skills. A lot of the students worked with people they hadn’t worked with before but made new friendships heading into grade 6. The day was enjoyed by all students.

Day 2, Kingbourgh Sports Centre:

On the 24^th students took a bus up to the Kingbourgh Sports Centre for a wide range of activities including Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Squash, Basketball and a workout session. When the students got there everyone participated in a gymnastics class, rotating around different activities throughout the session. Next, students were split into groups to do a wide range of activities including Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Squash, Basketball and a workout session. When the Students were gathered round in the foyer area of the Basketball courts, Scott Roth, the coach of the Tasmania Jack Jumpers walked in as the Jack Jumpers were having a training session there. The students had a chance to meet Scott as well as a photo with all the grade 5’s. Everyone was exhausted after two big days. And slept well that night.

By Thomas Dillon

Canteen Week 8

Australian Mathmatics Competition Awards

Blake and Thomas attended an awards evening on Tuesday, 22 November to receive certificates for achieving the two highest scores in our school in this year's Australian Mathematics Competition.  Congratulations to Blake, Thomas and all of our other students who were involved in this year's competition.

End Of Year Reports

A reminder to families that end of year reports will be sent home on Monday, 19 December, together with 2023 class placement information.

You can learn more about school reports by watching the video accessed through the QR code or by viewing the links below:

• School Reports FAQs
• Understanding the 9-point scale
• Visit the Department of Education’s website at: Reporting - The Department for Education, Children and Young People Tasmania (decyp.tas.gov.au)

Prep Information Session

Prep information session for parents of Kindergarten children

On Wednesday 7 December there will be an information session for Kindergarten parents at 3:15pm in the Lighthouse Unit re transition to Prep in 2022.

Renee, Mrs. Oldmeadow and Mrs. King will talk with Kindergarten parents about expectations for Prep and the differences between the Prep and Kindergarten year. Parents will also have an opportunity to ask questions.

Kindergarten students and younger siblings will be supervised in the playground during the session by senior staff.

We look forward to meeting with everyone.

Kind regards,

Mrs. O, Renee and Mrs. King

Launch into Learning

2023 Uniform Sales

* Please note change of date*

Community Notices