24 August 2023

Principal Report

Dear Families,

I’m finding it hard to get my head around the fact that we are at the end of Week 5 and halfway through Term 3. Our teaching staff collaborative inquiries are in full swing, students are very much in settled routines and focused on their learning and we begin to turn our attention to planning for next term and next year.

This week many schools celebrate Book Week. This is a special time for many children who enjoy becoming another character for the day. It can also be a stressful time for some parents who are time-poor but manage to cobble together a costume. Although my own children are older and are past this stage, I remember this feeling well!

Wendy Rapee, chair of Children’s Book Council of Australia says that Book Week “is an opportunity to draw attention to the joy of reading and for advocating for stories in children’s lives”. Rapee explains this is the reason behind this year’s CBCA Children’s Book Week 2023 theme: Read, Inspire, Grow.

She says “Like dressing up, reading books presents the opportunity to walk in someone else’s shoes, to experience adventures, feel things they have never felt and hopefully learn something about the world they live in”.

The reading many of us engage in as adults is to learn or seek information but we must never forget that reading is also for pleasure, to escape, to expand our world view and to become more critical thinkers.

Lastly, we are very much looking forward to attending the Quiz night this Saturday in the GP room which has been organised by our very hard-working IPSA parents. The last time we had a Quiz night at Illawarra the teachers table won, so game on!

Kind regards, Cathryn

Calendar of Events

ONYAS

Congratulations to all of our ONYA award recipients. These awards will be handed out at the next assembly which will be held on Monday 28 August 2:00pm start. 

Family Members are welcome to attend. 

Koa D - For his thoughtful and considered contributions in class discussions.

Sarah B - For developing more confidence in expressing and communicating her ideas in class discussions.

Louis F - For always being actively engaged in his learning and encouraging others to do so as well.

Ethan L - For working co-operatively in our Fractions investigation with Mr Waugh.  His confidence and ability to articulate his thinking in maths has been amazing to see.  Excellent job Ethan!

Ryder G - For his high level of interest in mathematics and participation in all class activities. Well done!

Josie H - For her outstanding progress when spelling and for her excellent comprehension skills.  

Violet K - For her focus and interest to achieve her best when writing her Owl Spine Poem.

Tom H - For improving his ability to work independently during mental maths and asking for help with more complex problems.

Henry S - For confidently sharing his ideas and strategies during maths groups.

Henry J - For being a kind and respectful student who always tries his best with every task.

Liam E -Liam is to be congratulated for making good progress with his reading this year. Well done, Liam!

Selby R -Selby has lovely handwriting and takes care to present his bookwork to a high standard. Great job, Selby!

Olive D -Olive has worked hard to improve her understanding of the structure of compound sentences. Well done, Olive!

Priya W - For always applying herself to her learning and being willing to share her ideas with the class. Thank you Priya for your deep insights and application to your learning.

Matthew A - For striving to improve his maths understanding, by applying himself to tasks and extending himself. Thank you Matthew for trying your best in maths.

Aaric D - For improving his focus on learning and being willing to share his thinking with the class. Thank you Aaric for trying your best to improve your focus in class.

Lincoln W - For improving his writing by applying feedback to edit and improve his work. Thank you Lincoln for focussing on your writing and using feedback to improve your work.

Finlay C – For challenging himself in maths and approaching difficult tasks with a growth mindset.  Excellent work Fin!

Lilly D – Lilly always tries her best in every subject.  She listens carefully to feedback and sets an excellent example for others to follow.  Great work Lilly!

Christian T -  For showing leadership and flexibility during student led fitness.  He is also an excellent IT monitor in class and never complains about organising devices.  Awesome work Christian.

Sara V– For an excellent piece of journalistic writing about the Soccer World Cup.  Great work Sara!

Thion L - Thio has shown a mature approach to solving problems recently and has approached his work with flexibility and a positive attitude. Excellent attitude Thio, well  done!

Oliver G -Ollie is such a diligent student. Always pleasant, helpful, willing to give anything his best shot. He's an excellent example of how to best achieve the high expectations we set for students at IPS.

Maisy B - Maisy has such an amazing way of looking at the world - her positivity and focused attitude to her work are an absolute joy to see. Excellent job Maisy.

Kaiyden R - Kaiyden is always keen to take on new challenges, especially in his maths. His easy-going, can-do and positive attitude is an absolute joy to watch, and he never gives less than 100% in his work. Phenomenal work Kaiyden!

Zibah D - Zibah is a very kind student, caring for her friends, always willing to help and using excellent manners in class.

Liam L - Lucas is a conscientious, motivated student who is keen to share his excellent ideas with the class.

Seoras N - Seoras has completed some excellent descriptive writing and has shared his perceptive responses to literature.

Michael S -  Michael is a confident and capable mathematician who is keen to share his ideas with others.

Tanner C - Tanner is trying hard to improve his writing, reworking his ideas and editing and proofreading with greater care.

Casper A - For his focussed attitude towards learning tasks.

Felix F - For his research skills displayed during his Geography assignment.

Charlie G - For his recent presentation skills around our Geography inquiry.

Maggie C - For the effort she has been putting into bumping up her writing

Winter Carnival

On Tuesday, five students from Illawarra participated in the Winter Carnival as part of the Huon and Channel netball team. Teams played 5 games against other teams from around the Greater Hobart area. Imogen and Sara were members of the division 2 team which came 3^rd, and Chloe, Isla and Cariad were members of the division 1 team which came 2^nd.

As one of the coaches, Miss Genford was very impressed with the behaviour and attitude of all players. They gave their best effort in all games and showed great sportsmanship towards others. Well done girls!

2023 School Satisfaction Survey

Every year the Department of Education conducts a School Satisfaction Survey to find out what your child(ren)'s school does well and where it may improve.

We would be grateful if you completed our online survey about Illawarra Primary School. Your feedback is very important to help us inform our school-planning and decision-making.

The survey is open from Monday 28 August 2023 until Friday 22 September 2023 and should take about 5 minutes to complete.

Take the online survey by clicking this Link.  or pasting it in your browser: https://ncv.microsoft.com/Cxi7YXJiCY 

The survey is carried out on a secure website and all responses are anonymous and confidential.

All families in this school received the same survey link and no identifying information is collected. A summary of the survey results will be provided to schools.  Responses from individuals or small groups will NOT be disclosed to any Department of Education staff.

Please contact your school if you require any assistance.

Thank you for taking the time to fill in this survey.

Canteen - Week 6

Student Wellbeing Survey

Giant Book Swap - Friday

Parent Teacher Conversations

Quiz Night - Important Info

Illawarra Primary School Association News

Recycled Materials Wanted

Metro Tasmania - Temporary Service Adjustments

Adventure Patch - Spring Vacation Care

Kindergarten 2024

Community Notices