9 February 2023

Principal's Report

Welcome back to all of our families and a very warm welcome to our Kinder families and new families that have recently joined our school community. We hope you feel a sense of belonging and connectedness at Illawarra Primary as your child learns and plays with us for years to come.

Yesterday the school had a lovely feel to it as children reconnected with friends, settled into work and routines and got to know their teacher/s and classmates. Teachers spent time discussing with students how they will support each other and themselves in their learning this year through being safe, fair and caring and demonstrating the Illawarra Way. This will be reflected in each class’s learning agreement and shared with families once finalised. Teachers are also to be thanked for the effort and time they have invested in making their classroom a welcoming and pleasant space for students to learn.

We also met as a whole school to introduce our new staff members, welcome new students, introduce our Preps to whole school meetings and introduce our grade 6 students to the school who set the standard of behaviour as our oldest students and role models to all.

We have high expectations of respectful behaviour at Illawarra Primary through remembering to be safe, fair and caring at all times across all areas of the school. Respectful behaviour is the responsibility of everyone in our school community.

Kind regards,

Cathryn Kelly-Bounds – Acting Principal

New Staff

We have a number of new staff joining us this year and we look forward to working with and learning from them and their experience. Cassie Steele is our Acting SBM (Senior Business Manager) and replaces Deb Doole. Many of you will remember Cassie’s friendly face when she worked as an Admin Officer previously in our office.

Mandy Brown – Mandy will be teaching Music across the school.

Tenille Ashlin – Tenille teaches a Grade 1 class.

Annie Oettle – Annie teaches a Grade 3/4 class and previously taught Prep/1 Williams on Fridays last year.

Bernadette Brinkfoff – Bernadette teaches a Grade 2 class.

Laura Panopoulos – Laura will be teaching Prep Renee on Monday and Tuesday this term.

Tara Rawlins – Tara is an Intern teacher as part of the Teacher Intern Placement Program and will be working with Hannah Barker all year in a Grade 2 class.

Reminders

CONCERNS - If you have any concerns regarding your child please raise this with their class teacher in the first instance.

SEESAW - Teachers will send home notices so you can connect to Seesaw, this is the app teachers use to communicate with parents. Teachers have been encouraged not to respond to messages outside of work hours and we ask for patience regarding the time it may take a teacher to read and respond to a message, especially during the day when their primary focus is teaching their class. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page as information is often shared  on it.

END OF DAY BUSES - A separate email will be sent to parents regarding whether your child needs to catch a bus at the end of the day – please look out for this.

VALIDATION FORMS RETURN - Please return validation forms to class teachers by Wednesday 15 February so we have up to date contact details in case we need to contact you. With the grade 3-6 swimming carnival not far away, it is also important we have permissions back so your child can participate.

MEDICAL PLANS - Any medical plans must be updated – it is very important if your child has a medical condition or allergy that the school has the most up to date information. All medicine must also be in date.

COVID - Across our school we have some families where the children or adults are vulnerable to respiratory conditions, particularly COVID. While it is not a requirement to let the school know if your child has COVID, if you are able to do this it would be appreciated. In this way we can let vulnerable families know if there is a COVID case in their classroom (without identifying anyone).

STUDENT SUPERVISION – Please ensure children do not arrive before 8.30 as duty of care is not provided before this time. Children should be collected by 3.00 and not left to play unsupervised in the playground after school. Before and after school care is available on school grounds and run by Adventure Patch Outside School Hours Care. We thank you for your support in this.

CLOTHING – Please make sure all clothing and property is clearly named to avoid lost property piling up and that your child has a sun safe red school hat.

Calender Of Events

Welcome BBQ

In Week 4 on Wednesday 1 March our School Association will host a Welcome BBQ for our school community. This is an opportunity to become more familiar with your child’s classroom and hear further from Teachers about how the classroom operates.  It’s also a great opportunity to mix and meet with other parents. More information will be sent out closer to the date and we’d love to see lots of families there. 

Canteen for 2023 - New ordering system

Launching into Learning

Book Club 2023

Welcome to Scholastic Book Club issue 1 for 2023!  The Book Club catalogue will be coming home with students next week, with a vast selection of award-winning books offered for all ages, from old favourites to new exciting volumes!

Orders can be placed by returning the completed order form and money to school, or by using the online Book Club LOOP platform (scholastic.com.au/loop) for parents which allows you to pay by credit card. 

Your child’s order is submitted directly to school and the books will be delivered to class. 

Each order also helps earn free books and teaching materials for our school.

Orders are due by the 24th of Frebruary, and for this issue there is a special offer - by ordering through the LOOP platform you can earn free books!

Illawarra Primary School Association

We have a very active School Association who in the past have raised money for our Flying Fox in the playground and an AV system in the GP room. They are currently funding the upgrade of our sand pit which is due to be completed over the Easter school holidays.

Last year they held a very successful Disco, Dinner, Drinks event out on the courts area among other fundraisers. We always appreciate parents being part of the committee and coming to meetings in the staff room twice a term at 7:00 pm. It is a good way to make connections and offer any skills you may have for the betterment of our school. Parents may not wish to be part of the committee but often volunteer at events. Any help is welcome to improve the School facilities and environment for our students. Look out for the first IPSA meeting date in upcoming newsletters.

Every School Day Matters

Welcome back for another school year – we’re excited for what’s 
ahead! Start the year right by making every school day count. There are lots of things you can do to set your child up for success:
Make sure your child goes to school, every day
Going to school every day gives your child every chance to learn and grow, and connect with their mates and teachers. It’s where bright futures start and where they’ll benefit the most. 
Get them excited for school
If you show a positive attitude and excitement towards school, your child will pick up on that. The most common thing we hear from students, of all ages, is that school is where they can:
» spend time with their friends and teachers
» create new and fun experiences
» find their interests
» learn new things
» open up their options – for whatever future they want (whether that’s their dream job or to travel around the world). Share these positives with your child.
Talk to your child about school
Open up a conversation with your child about what’s happening at school. It will help you to better support their interests and confidence in learning. If you show an interest in school, they’ll know 
that getting an education is important and valued.
Celebrate the milestones
Big and small! Celebrate milestones such as making it through the first day or week of school. And remember: all milestones look different. If it’s a big achievement for your child, it’s important to recognise it. Set up a time to talk to your child’s teacher or principal If you’re struggling to get your child to school, help is available. Please talk to us at school about your situation. We’ll support you, in whatever way we can. 
Know when to seek help
There is no weakness in admitting you need help. If your child has completely disengaged with school, and not attending at all, there is support to help you. In the first instance, talk to us at school. For more helpful tips, please check out the Anything can happen 
website

Community Notices