11th March 2021

Principal's Report

When visiting classes and on duty in the playground it is clear how settled and calm the term continues to be with students focused in class, engaged in class discussions and taking pride in their bookwork and the presentation of their learning. Walking around the school during the Welcome BBQ it was amazing to see how much learning had already occurred in the first four weeks of school. Thank you again to our teaching staff whose commitment to student learning and forming relationships with families was evident though their willingness to stay back after their work hours to talk with parents.

A reminder to take the time to meet with your child/s class teacher in Week 8 to discuss how they have settled into school this year. Parent-teacher online bookings close this Sunday.

I have had discussions with some students regarding reminders about hands off/ no play fighting at school and have been impressed with their ability to problem solve with others and talk about our school expectations of behaving in a safe, fair and caring way. The swimming carnival was a great example of the safe, fair and caring way students conduct themselves. The basis of our positive school culture is a school wide understanding of what we know the ‘Illawarra Way’ to be and how this is demonstrated through our actions every day and consistently acknowledged and reinforced.

In the last week of school this term we will be holding our annual Walkathon at Blackmans Bay Beach on Wednesday 31^st of March with the School Association running a sausage sizzle on the day. This promises to be a fun activity for students to finish the term on and an opportunity to get some fresh air and exercise with their friends. Our School Association will be funding new banners for use at our sports carnivals using funds raised through the sausage sizzle. Grade 5/6 students will design the symbols for the banners for our three houses during Art class time – Bombora (blue), Wattle (yellow) and Waratah (red).

Lastly, a reminder not to send unwell children who are coughing and/or have a runny nose to school until they are better to minimise the spread of infection to others.

Thank you,

Cathryn Kelly-Bounds

Acting Principal

Calendar of Events

Prep-Grade 6 Parent-Teacher Conversations

Parent - Teacher Conversations for Prep – Grade 6 students will be conducted from Monday, 22 March to Friday, 26 March.   Kinder teachers will contact families separately about home visits, which they undertake instead of interviews.

Conversations will take place face to face, although if you would prefer to talk by phone you can arrange this directly with your child’s teacher.

Conversations will run for 15 minutes. To ensure other parents are not inconvenienced, please help us to keep to this and be understanding when the teacher needs to finish the call.

During the conference you will be provided with a brief written progress report, and you will be updated on your child’s learning and wellbeing, as well as areas of future focus.  It will also be an opportunity for you to raise any concerns you may have.

To ensure that that we operate in a covid safe manner it is essential that all parents:

• Sign in to every classroom they enter, providing a mobile contact number.
• Use the hand sanitiser that will be placed at the entry to each classroom.
• Maintain physical distance from other adults on site and leave when interviews are completed.

To book times that suit your family, go to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and follow these simple instructions.

You can return to www.schoolinterviews.com.au at any time and change your interview times (until the bookings close).  For parents that do not have internet access, please contact Mr Hayen on 6229 6295 for assistance in making a booking.

Bookings close at 5pm on Sunday, 14 March

After this time you will have to contact teachers directly to make an appointment.

News from Grade 3/4

3/4 Bilson/Creed/Richardson

The class have begun a study of trees with Mrs Creed, and have been learning about the parts of trees and what trees provide to us. The class came up with ideas such as shelter, shade, oxygen and furniture so far.

Students have also participated in number scavenger hunts as part of a focus on place value in number. Place value is the value of each digit in a number. For example, the 5 in 350 represents 5 tens, or 50; however, the 5 in 5,006 represents 5 thousands, or 5,000. It is important that children understand that whilst a digit can be the same, its value depends on where it is in the number.

On Friday’s with Mrs. Richardson we have been learning to use onomatopoeias to add emphasis to our writing. Onomatopoeias are words such as ‘oof!’ ‘bang!’ ‘crash!’ ‘buzz’ ‘sizzle’ and are words which imitate the natural sounds of a thing.

3/4 Dwyer

In 3/4D we have been learning about ‘place’ in Geography with Mrs Amy. As our tuning in activity, each student thought about a special place they have been to in their lives. They sketched their special places and then used watercolours to create an artistic representation of them. Each student also did some writing about their special places, using some of the things we have been learning about in English (nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs). They also thought about the geographical features of their places, both natural and human. We then turned all of this hard work into a video, with students summarising their special place (scan the QR codes attached to the photos of our art to watch some of our videos).  

3/4 Genford

How many beans?

3/4 Genford was given the challenge to work out how many beans were in the jar.

Students wrote down their estimates. Estimations ranged from a couple of hundred to over three thousand.

Students then worked in pairs or groups of three to start counting a pile of beans. After a couple of minutes, we paused our counting and discussed some of the strategies that groups were using as they counted. Mia shared that her group had decided to put beans into groups of 10. Heidi added that her group had done this too as it was easier to keep count. Everyone decided that this was a good idea and so we used these tiny cups to keep groups of 10 beans in as we counted.

The counting continued until Noah said, ‘we’ve made a century.’ Everyone stopped counting again and Noah explained that his group had filled 10 tiny cups of beans so had counted 100 beans in total. We decided as a class that it would be helpful to know when we’d counted 100 beans, so we used these larger cups to stack 10 tiny cups inside. Each large cup = 100 beans.

The counting continued until Louis asked a question. “Should we stack 10 of the large cups together because this would be 1000 beans?”

We decided that this would be a good idea but that the large cups wouldn’t stack on top of each other. Instead we grouped 10 large cups in these trays.

Each tray = 1000 beans.

From here, the class continued counting and sorting 10 beans into tiny cups, 10 tiny cups into large cups (100 beans) and 10 large cups into trays (1000 beans).

This is what we had at the end...

Once all the beans were sorted, we could easily see that there were 3440 beans in total.

We compared this number to our estimates and found out that Fenella was only 60 away from the total. She had estimated 3500.

Most students were very surprised at how many beans were in the jar as many had estimated the amount that ended up being in only a few large cups.

3/4 Shaw

In 3/4Sh we have been learning about grammar. We have learned about nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs. We used this knowledge to make little books about animals for our Prep Buddies. At the start of our books the sentences are very short, and we don’t know a great deal about the animals. As the books continue the sentences grow, and we learn more and more about the animals through our longer and more descriptive sentences. We can’t wait to share these books with our Prep Buddies!

Onyas

Seth E, Ocean L, Jasper W-C, Ronan W, Christian H - for going out of their way to seek out extra jobs and ensure all equipment was ready to go for each event, and being great contributors to the smooth running of the Swimmind Carnival. Seraphina W for showing care for her learning by always listening respectfully and attentively in class discussions. Mason J for caring for the class by always volunteering for any extra jobs. Nicholas K for always trying his best with any learning task and being an engaged learner at all times. Evie B for her positive attitude to her work.  She always works hard and approaches difficult tasks with a growth mindset keep up the great work! Luka W for his excellent contributions in class discussions particularly during our class novel and maths. Ricky C for an excellent start to the year.  He is working hard in all subjects and is focused on achieving his targets.  Keep up the great work! Thomas D for showing care for others’ learning by helping one of his classmates when they were stuck on a maths problem. Noah W for demonstrating care for his learning by challenging himself and not giving up on when undertaking maths problems. Mia X for demonstrating care for her learning by always putting in her best effort when completing tasks. Illa J for participating enthusiastically in class discussions and sharing her thoughts and opinions with her peers. Sam J for striving to do his best in all aspects of his classroom learning program. Dylan I for applying his love of Maths to a real-life problem. Dylan demonstrated care for his learning by helping Mrs Nanna calculate the volume of soil required for a new garden bed in the school. Thanks Dylan! Fletcher P for applying his love of Maths to a real-life problem. Fletch demonstrated care for his learning by helping Mrs Nanna calculate the volume of soil required for a new garden bed in the school. Thanks Fletch! Finn O for being a helpful and considerate class member. Finn demonstrates care for our classroom environment by always offering to lend a hand to keep things running smoothly. Jacob S for being a helpful and considerate class member. Jacob demonstrates care for our classroom environment and classmates by holding doors open for others unasked, proving that good manners never go out of style! Sophie K for demonstrating care for her learning by always setting a high standard for the work that she produces. Sophie uses the time she has available for learning activities in a sensible and driven manner to ensure she completes tasks efficiently and to a high standard. Well done, Sophie! Kiera K for always offering to lend a hand to Tracy (Grounds) in the mornings. Wyatt J for selecting a challenge during a recent reading for comprehension assessment, and taking a measured, thoughtful approach to ensure personal success. Juliet J for being my second brain in times of need! Respectfully reminding me of considerations that I need to make the class aware of, keeping me on track, and for being a genuinely caring person. Lachlan C for successfully stepping outside of his comfort zone, and for making a great start to the school year. Robert B for attempting to make as many good choices for his learning as possible – even when it is tricky to do so. Henry M for asking those questions that others find difficult to ask. Elliot McC for being an incredibly curious learner. Campbell L for working hard to complete his work neatly and carefully and in a timely manner. Maya B for being an attentive and hard working student and helping other class mates when needed. Oliver McI for working diligently on the tasks given in class and then finding sensible activities to complete afterwards.

Swimming Carnival

On the 25th of February we held our School Swimming Carnival at the Clarence Aquatic Centre.  It was a day of great racing, plenty of water fun and competitive spirit.  We tried a few new races this year, and the students participated in these really well.  A big thanks to the Staff who pushed through what was a long day, our helpers from Kingston High School who did an awesome job at the finish line, and a number of our Grade 5/6 non-swimming students who helped run novelty events, gave out ribbons and moved equipment for our races.  The winning house will be announced at the next Year 3-6 assembly.

Those students who excelled in Division 1 races have been given a notice about the Huon Channel Swimming Carnival to be held on Wednesday 17^th of March at Huonville.  Unfortunately we have been advised that due to the number of students swimming across all schools and staff supervising/running the carnival, parents will NOT be able to attend the carnival this year.

Illawarra Primary Leaders - Semester 1 2021

Our Grade 6 House Leaders and Grade 3-6 SRC members have now been formally introduced to the students and staff. There were a number of great speeches delivered to students from grades 3-6, which ensured the final tally of votes across both roles was extremely close. As SRC members and House Leaders, these students will be supporting and developing a number of new initiatives and ideas planned for 2021, which started with the Grade 3-6 Swimming Carnival a couple of weeks ago. With these positions comes added responsibility, and we look forward to seeing these students further develop their leadership skills and promote the values of Illawarra Primary through both their actions and their words. Congratulations again to our 2021  SRC & House Leaders.

Student Representative Council

Class Captains

House Leaders

Launch Into Learning - Term 1

Book Club - Issue 2

Order forms for Issue 2 have been distributed to students today. Due to the shorter term time, books will not be back until Term 2, therefore please don't order anything from this issue as Easter presents. Orders are due back at the office by next Friday, 19th March.

Canteen Menu - Term 1

Please click the link below to access our Term 1 Canteen Menu.

Canteen Assistant wanted

The Illawarra School Association is seeking expressions of interest for a Canteen Assistant position on a casual basis  beginning Term 2. This is a position with 6 paid hours only and requires additional volunteer time.

The position involves coordinating canteen volunteers, managing orders and counter sales on the day.

For more information re the position please contact Yen Chamberlain (IPSA President) on 0404 605 388  or email  yen.chamberlain@gmail.com

Illawarra Primary School Association (IPSA)

The Illawarra Primary School Association AGM is coming up on the 24th March 2020 (see the notice in this newsletter for details). Our Mission is to ensure the best possible education for all Illawarra Primary School students within a safe, caring and stimulating environment by enabling communication and collaboration between all members of the school community.

The key objectives of IPSA are to:

• foster cooperation amongst students, parents, staff and the broader community
• raise funds for additional school resources, equipment and services through activities, such as the biennial school fair
• provide advice and feedback on school policies, plans and budget priorities
• contribute expertise to special projects within the school
• oversee the running of the school canteen; and
• organise social activities for students, parents, staff and the broader community.

Being a committee member is a great way to meet other people within the school community and to be more involved in your child’s school.

We are seeking a number of new committee members to provide ideas and guidance into the future.

If you would like further information on any of the roles or how you can be involved in any way please contact IPSA at ipschoolassociation@gmail.com

Pop Up Shop

The Pop-up-Shop will be open for business this Friday (12th March) after school.

We will be selling homemade cupcakes, vegetables from the school garden, lemons, quinces, herbs, and cards made by students.

Jumping Jacks

City to Casino

This year Illawarra Primary will be entering a school team in the City to Casino. The City to Casino will be run on Sunday May 16^th  starting at 8am, with the option of completing a 2.7km, 7km or 11km course. The run is a great opportunity to set yourself a personal goal to achieve, improve your general fitness and long distance running, and represent Illawarra Primary School in one of the largest fun runs in Hobart.

I will be running in the 7km race and will organise closer to the date a meeting spot for those students running in this race. It would be fantastic to have a parent runner in the 2.7km race coordinate a meeting spot for those students entered in that race. Parents not running with their children will need to be at the finish line to pick them up at the conclusion of the race. We are encouraging students to run in the new school sports shirts to stand out amongst the crowd of runners and supporters. I will hand out these shirts on Wednesday 12^th May at school to those students and parents who have successfully registered online.

If you think you may be interested in joining the team, feel free to jump online and register at https://citytocasino.com.au  Our team is Illawarra Primary School in the drop down box when you fill out your online registration form. Race numbers will  be available for collection from the Running Edge in the week prior to the race. If you would like me to collect your race number please contact me via email or in person before Wednesday 12^th May.  Feel free to pop in and see me if you would like further information. See you at the start line!

Chris Waugh

Ride 2 School Day

On Friday 19^th March, we will be celebrating Ride2School Day by encouraging students and parents to ride, skate or scooter to school. Students and parents who participate on the day will be invited to join in a shared feast of fresh fruit and nibbles on arrival at school in the courtyard. All students intending to ride or skate to school must wear a helmet and be accompanied by an adult. Ride2School Day aims to encourage students to remain physically active and maintain a healthy lifestyle. If any parents would like to coordinate a meeting venue for the morning of the 19^th, please contact Mr Waugh and we will advertise these details closer to the date via our Facebook page and newsletter. 

Vacation Care - Adventure Patch

Please click the link below for more information about Vacation Care.

Community Notices