25 March 2021

Principal's Report

Although the term is nearly at an end, there has been a flurry of activity around the school in the last few weeks. From below you will see how much activity occurs alongside classroom teaching and how many of our staff go over and above to enrich the experience of school for our students.

Review of values – We have continued to emphasise the simplification of our values throughout this term through whole school meetings, class learner agreements and Onyas that recognise student behaviour which demonstrates our values of safety, fairness and care. The metal signs of ‘Is it Safe? Is it Fair? Does it Show you Care?’ are being put back up on school buildings. We also have a new look values poster (thank you to Georgia Pearsall, one of our talented parents for the design of this) to use as a reference for our students and wider school community regarding the values that guide our actions and words every day.

Harmony Day – To celebrate individual diversities Mrs. Petersen, our Gd 3-6 Art teacher, gave every child in the school the challenge to create their own triangular geometric design in harmonising colours that would result in a class banner. Each class banner was placed alongside others to be collectively combined into a giant paper quilt symbolising harmony and belonging. The message is that when we connect all these blocks together enmasse (installation) we collectively symbolise a sense of belonging and respect that each artwork (diversity) is a part of something bigger. Together we can create something that is visually strong and has impact. The end result is stunning! Take a look if you happen to be in or going past the Office foyer and see if you can spot your child’s design.

Bullying No Way – During the whole school meeting this week we spoke about being an UPstander and the different ways being an UPstander can support students who are being bullied, such as leading the bullied child away, getting a teacher to come over or using your words to tell the bully what they are saying or doing is not ok. Mrs. O’s Prep’s shared a book called ‘Sticks and Stones’ which demonstrates being an Upstander. It is important to be clear with children about what bullying is and is not, to avoid all conflicts being labelled as bullying. Some conflict between friends does occasionally occur and is a source of learning and behaviour formation but does not always constitute bullying.  The Bullying No Way website  https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/ is great source of information and support for parents and children. A clip from the website was shared earlier this week on our school Face Book page. Lisa Ford (Clinical Psychologist) worked with our Grade 5/6 students this week on dealing with friendship issues and bullying. More details will follow in the next newsletter.

Ride to School – Thank you to the school community for such a great turn out for our Ride To School Day last Friday. Thank you also to Mr. Waugh and the SRC students for their organisation of this successful event.

Cricket gala day  - This Friday Mr. Illes, our PE teacher, will be taking some students to a cricket gala day at the Kingston Twin ovals where local schools come together for games run by Cricket Tasmania. It has also been great to see the 5/6 students training to be Student Led Fitness (SLF) leaders and showing their maturity and confidence in setting up for and coordinating their groups for SLF. Thank you to Mr Iles for his work with our fitness leaders.

TSO visit – The week before last, eight TSO musicians visited Illawarra after our Music teacher, Mrs. Howard requested last April – “Can the TSO please make accompaniments for beginner recorder?” The visit was part of a project called Recorder Lift Off. Students starting their second year of recorder class performed six Recorder Lift Off works during the visit. Thank you to Mrs. Howard for providing this great learning opportunity to our recorder students.

Japanese - Today Sarah Sensei and Mrs Brancher took all of our Grade 6 students to participate in Japanese sports activities hosted by the Japan Foundation at Fahan school.

Easter egg raffle – On Monday afternoon there was much anticipation in the courtyard as the Easter Egg raffle winners were announced! Thank you to Mrs. Nanna, Ms Genford and the Jumping Jacks students for organising this fun event and to the school community for helping to raise funds for the Heart Foundation.

Progress reports – Thank you to those parents who met with teachers this week to discuss how their child has settled into school, their work habits, and social behaviour and any strengths or areas of concern that need to be monitored. Having parent-teacher interviews earlier in the year is an opportunity to establish a trusting relationship with your child’s class teacher so you can work together going forward to support the learning of your child. Progress reports will be mailed home for those parents unable to make it to parent-teacher meetings.

Easter and the school holidays are nearly here, enjoy a well-earned relax after a productive term. We look forward to welcoming back students on the Wednesday (21^st) of the first week back.

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Calendar of Events

National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) 2021

Information for Grade 3 and 5 Parents and Guardians

Recently, an information sheet provided by the Department of Education about NAPLAN was sent home with all Grade 3 and 5 students.  The following provides parents with some further school specific information.

At Illawarra Primary School, all Grade 3 and 5 students will complete the Writing task on Tuesday, 11 May.  Grade 5 will complete the Reading and Language Convention tasks on Wednesday, 12 May and Grade 3 will complete these tasks on Thursday, 13 May.  The Numeracy task will be completed by Grade 5 on Monday, 17 May and Grade 3 will complete it on Tuesday, 18 May. 

There will also be catch up sessions run on 14, 19 and 20 May for any student who misses a scheduled task. 

The Grade 3 Writing task is done using pencil and paper, and will be undertaken in classrooms.  All other tasks for Grade 3 and 5 will be completed online in the GP room so that we can best ensure devices are properly set up and working correctly.

NAPLAN provides valuable information on how your child is progressing against national minimum standards of literacy and numeracy skills expected for each year level.  Later in the year you will receive an individual report that shows your child’s results and a comparison of your child’s performance against all other Australian students in their year level.  For students in Year 5, the results from the 2021 tests will also provide the school with information about progress they have made since they participated in NAPLAN in 2019.

Our teachers use the NAPLAN results to inform class and school planning and to allocate resources and support, including informing decisions around targeted programs and initiatives for individuals and groups.

The best preparation for the tests is a high quality learning program based on the Australian Curriculum, and this is what we focus on at Illawarra Primary School.  We also recognise that students need to develop familiarity with the testing format and conditions as these are quite different to the way in which our students commonly work.  In line with this, we are helping our students to develop strategies so they are able to perform to the best of their ability on the day.  These include: understanding how to approach the types of questions that may be asked; managing time effectively and checking answers; using effective problem-solving strategies, including working out paper; and leaving a question that is too hard and coming back to it later.

The best way you can assist your child is by helping them to feel comfortable about the nature and purpose of the tests, and assure them that the tests will give them an opportunity to show what they have learned in class.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact me at michael.hayen@education.tas.gov.au or on 6229 6295.

Michael Hayen

Assistant Principal

News from Grade 4/5 and 5/6's

Grade 4/5 Cooke-Hayen

As part of 'Bullying, No Way' day which was held nationally on Friday the 19^th of March, we have been looking at the definition of bullying, what it is, where it happens and what can we do to address it. We brainstormed some strategies to deal with instances of bullying and created chatterboxes as a fun way to introduce and reinforce the ways that people tackle the problem or ways they can suggest how others can deal with it. If you would like further information about this Federal government initiative you can visit https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/

Grade 5-6 Catterall

In 5/6 C we have been learning about persuasive writing. The topic we have been using is spy gadgets.

First we designed our own gadget for a spy, then we labelled all its features. Secondly, we wrote an advert to persuade people to buy our spy gadgets. Next we got into partners and edited our work. Lastly we did a good copy of our drawing and writing and made it into a book.  Some people have already made models, and the rest of us are looking forward to making our models out of clay.

We also learned about the five main sections of persuasive writing - Introduction, 1^st argument, 2^nd argument, 3^rd argument and the conclusion. Each argument is made up of the point, then the evidence, the example and the link, or PEEL. We got inspired to do this because we are reading our class novel called Stormbreaker. We have really enjoyed it so far. It’s about spies! 😎🐱‍👤🧨🕶 (We recommend it)

As well as that, we worked with Miss Hunn in the library to make some gadgets for a display. Come check them out!

Written by Abi, Lucy, Mai and Maia.  Edited by Mai and Miss C

Huon and Channel Swimming Carnival

A team of 36 Swimmers ventured down to the Huonville Pool last Wednesday to participate in the Huon Channel Division A Swimming Carnival.  It was a beautiful day for swimming and our team did the school proud with some excellent results, displaying great sportsmanship and support for our team.  A big thanks to Miss Genford and Mrs Pickett for assisting with the team and making sure everyone got to their races on time.  Well done, everyone!!

Onyas

Lola K for being a helpful, kind and caring member of our class.  Lola is always happy to help pack up or do jobs around the class. Ethan L for trying so hard at all his tasks.  Ethan always tries his hardest to show the 5Ls and do his best every time. Ruby D for displaying the school value of Caring. Ruby is always doing that little bit extra to help tidy up the classroom, help others in the playground and support others with their learning.  Keep up the amazing work Ruby! Imogen F for displaying the school value of Caring. Imogen goes out of her way to tidy up the classroom, help others with their learning and support her friends in the playground. She is a wonderful role model to other students. Oliver P for displaying the school value of being Fair.  Oliver is working so hard on being a learner and helping others around him be the best learners they can be. His listening, concentration and focus should be commended. Henry K for displaying the school value of being Safe. Henry is always respectful of others and uses the resources in the classroom in a safe and careful manner. Keep up the great work Henry. Grace G for being a very caring student towards her friends and other students in and out of the class. She has a good work ethic in the class. Jake K for making an excellent start to the year and being focused in class. He is very caring towards his peers in and outside of the classroom. Sophie B for making an excellent start to the year and being very focused on her work in class. She is always caring towards her friends. Brooke B for making a good start to the year and trying very hard. In the playground she plays safely and is caring towards her friends. Sebastian J for always using lovely manners and putting effort into all his work. Eva P for demonstrating wonderful learning assets and being able to work independently to complete her tasks. Elsie W for demonstrating wonderful learning assets and being able to work independently. Max G for his enthusiasm for learning and always giving his best. Jacob T for caring about all his learning and making a great start to the year. Audrey M for caring about all her learning and always doing her best. Noah D for being a fair, caring and kind friend to all. Blair G for being a safe, fair and caring friend in the playground and in the classroom. Evie F for being fair and showing she cares when playing with her friends. Jack B for showing he cares about his learning by always doing his best. Neve S for being persistent, resilient and confident at school and always having a positive attitude. Henry S being fair in the classroom and letting others have a turn. Jack G for his fun and positive attitude towards school and his work. Thank you for always trying your best and being a kind classmate. Michael S for respecting our classroom agreements and making choices that keep everyone safe and happy. Thank you for being such a considerate class member and setting a great example for others!

Jumping Jacks - Easter Raffle

The Jumping Jacks would like to thank the school community for their support in the Easter Raffle.

We raised over $2000. Funds support this valuable program.

The Jumping Jacks

Illawarra Primary School Association (IPSA)

Last night we held the IPSA Annual General Meeting and Committee Meeting. We had a successful and productive meeting with all executive positions filled and both continuing and new members. I am pleased to present our 2021 IPSA Committee: 

Chairperson: Yen Chamberlain

Vice Chairperson: Kate Huntington

Secretary: Rachael Lewis

Treasurer: Chloe Bibari

Parent and Staff Members:

Danielle Loenneker

Fiona Jordan- Coad

Alyson Coombe

Jacqui Proud

Jill Jones

Georgia Pearsall

Michelle Vout

Julie Wehba

Cathryn Kelly-Bounds

Michael Hayen

Monika Glover

We are particularly delighted to announce that some of our much-loved fundraising activities are back on the calendar for 2021.  We are already busy planning these events for the enjoyment of our students and school community.  Everyone who is keen to contribute, please keep an eye out for announcements in the Newsletter. 

Term 2: Date to be confirmed – DISCO – Dazzling dancers and disco music!!!

Term 3: August 20 WINTERFEST – Lantern Parade, School Bands, School Choir and more entertainment.  And of course, an incredible spread of culinary delights that will not disappoint! 

Term 4: late October PLANT & CRAFT SALE - All Crafters and Gardeners, it’s been a bit of a dry spell without the Fair but it is time again to hone your skills and share your wares.  In Term 2, we’ll be seeking out those interested in joining our team to start planning, making and creating.

Next Committee Meeting: May 12^th 

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