22 April 2021

Principal's Report

A warm welcome back to Term 2 to all of our families and especially those families who are newly enrolled at Illawarra. Judging from the enthusiastic play of students out in the playground today, they are very happy to be at school and see their friends again after the break.

On the last day of last term, teachers from Snug, Blackmans Bay and Illawarra Primary moderated together to strengthen their consistency of assessments for Maths, particularly in the area of number. A focus for teacher learning this term is to improve teacher’s ability to develop ‘Low Floor High Ceiling Tasks’. These are tasks that students can access at multiple points and develop understanding of at their point of need. It is hoped we can work with Blackmans Bay and Snug Primary again this year to strengthen teacher practice across all three schools and to continue benefiting from each other’s skill and experience.

Today classes revisited our whole school expectations for safe, fair and caring behaviour, and the Grade 5/6 classes took off to the beach as part of their work on animal adaptations and biomes. Over the next few weeks grade 3-6 classes will be familiarising themselves with the format, structure and wording of NAPLAN tests in preparation for grade 3 and 5 students participating in NAPLAN in weeks 4 and 5.

Next Friday a group of volunteer parents and staff are meeting to begin organising Winterfest! This occurs every two years and it is hoped, all going well,  we are able to hold Winterfest in term 3 this year – watch this space.

Lastly, next Thursday 29^th  we will be holding our Grade 3-6 Cross Country between 9.00am and 1.00pm. This year students will run a course devised by Mr Iles around the Sherburd Oval area. A letter will be sent home on Friday with times specific grades will be running and instructions for how parents can come and support their child if they wish, through checking in with the COVID Safe app.

Kind regards,

Cathryn Kelly-Bounds

Acting Principal

Calendar of Events

School Levies

The 2021 school levies are now overdue.   Please contact the school office if you would like to put a payment plan in place.  Arrangements can be made for weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments to assist with paying of the school levies.

There is also the opportunity for families to apply for the Student Assistance Scheme (STAS).  The following information is provided about STAS and how you can apply.  If you have any questions about this process, please contact the office.

Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) for 2021 School Year

The Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) provides assistance to low income families towards the cost of levies for students enrolled in a school from kindergarten through to year 12.

STAS is provided through school and college resourcing rather than payment direct to families.

Eligibility

Parents who have a current concession card as listed below can apply for dependent students for assistance under the STAS:

• Services Australia – Centrelink Health Care Card
• Service Australia – Centrelink Low Income Health Care Card
• Services Australia – Pensioner Concession Card or
• Department of Veteran Affairs – Pensioner Concession Card.

2021 Eligibility for Previous STAS Recipients

Parents who received STAS during 2020 who do not hold a concession card as outlined above will be approved using the 2020 process where evidence is provided to support their claim. The Department will contact parents in relation to this.

To apply for STAS please complete the Student Assistance application form.

For further information please view the Frequently Asked Questions.

What is the Financial assistance for Parents

• Families on low incomes who meet the eligibility conditions of the Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) will not be required to pay school levies.  Grandparents raising grandchildren may also be eligible for STAS.
• Families who are not eligible for STAS, but who may experience financial hardship should talk to the school about payment arrangements and other financial assistance which may help.

Onyas

Holly S for starting the year in a mature and focussed manner. Holly demonstrates care for her learning by completing tasks to a high standard and is a friendly and supportive classmate. Well done! Mawgan C has demonstrating care for his learning by creating a detailed and highly persuasive text about pet ownership. Well done, Mawgan! Josh S for demonstrating care for his learning by working hard to progress to the next level of Mental Maths. Well done, Josh! Oliver G for displaying greater self confidence and pushing himself to take on new challenges. Lincoln P for developing greater resilience and becoming a more active problem solver and taking responsibility for his actions. Elanora B for showing kindness and compassion and always going out of her way to include others. William L for being a kind and caring classmate who looks after the welfare of others. Aki Y for demonstrating our class value of working well as a team excellently and always looking out for and helping others who may need it. Matthew P for setting an excellent example in our class with his behaviour and focus during lessons.  He always tries hard and challenges himself to produce the best work he can. Fenella V for entertaining the class with her fabulous magic tricks. Alla A for being engaged and focussed on her daily activities. Angus W for always having a positive attitude and trying his best in every task.

Canteen Menu - Term 2

Please click the link below to access our Term 2 Canteen Menu:

School Zine app

Please click on the link below for instructions on how to access the Newsletter via the School Zine app. Contact the Office if you have any issues downloading the app.

https://www.schoolzine.com/szapp-installation 

Community Notices