Term 1
Thank you to all students, parents and staff for making Term 1 so successful despite the new and varying challenges we have all faced. The collective responsibility that we have all shared has enabled learning to still shine across our school while keeping everyone safe. The courage to adapt to a changing world should not be underestimated, well done to everyone involved in our school. Congratulations to students for being resilient, continuing to be aspirational and striving for growth.

Term 2 will initially bring many of the same protocols that have been in place during Term 1.  As we have learnt to accept though, we will adapt to changes as directed by Public Health and communicate these to you as they unfold.

Buses
Nearly our entire student population travel to or from school via bus at some stage during the school week. Please talk with your child about their responsibility on the bus, ensuring that they are always following safe and respectful behaviour.  School buses are employed by the Department of State Growth, not the Education Department.  While I am 100% invested in students arriving at school and home safely, there is limited impact I can have if you have issues or need clarification regarding buses. Please always feel welcome to chat with me about buses, however communicating directly with the bus company is the best way to pass on feedback or to seek clarification for anything bus related.

NAPLAN
Information regarding NAPLAN has come home with Grade 3 and 5 students this week. NAPLAN will be held in week 2, term 2. This is another opportunity for teachers to gather information regarding to your child’s learning. If you have any questions regarding NAPLAN, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Easter
Have a wonderful Easter and school holiday break, we look forward to seeing everyone return in Term 2 fresh and ready for more learning!

Peter Brown
Principal

We have a few staff changes for Term 2!

Firstly, we welcome back Mrs Kearah Baker from maternity leave. Mrs Baker will rejoin us Mondays and Fridays in Prep-1C  and Thursdays in 3-4E.

We farewell Mrs Yvonne Townsend who has taught 3-4E on Fridays this term, thank you for all your hard work Mrs Townsend!

Miss Sam Hayes will step away from P-1C and continue in her role supporting literacy across our school

Mrs Elizabeth Knight has decided it is time to leave her School Business Manager role, Liz has been our School Business Manager for just under 25 years which is an amazing contribution to the school and we are sad to see her go! We will be holding a farewell event in Term 2 for Liz, please stay tuned for details. Our School Business Manager role is currently being advertised and Miss Monique Gardner will continue acting in the position until mid Term 2.

One of our wonderful Education Facility Attendants Jo McDougall has also decided to reduce her hours and therefore, Dimity Smith will join us job sharing the other part of that EFA role. Welcome, Dimity! 

Due to it being a short week next week, Jackie has decided to do a special menu for the last day of Term 1, 2022. Please see the revised menu below. Cash or Qkr orders will both be accepted.

This term in Music, grade 1-2 students have been focusing on rhythm and beat through movement, playing percussion instruments and singing songs.

We read the story, Chick Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin and John Archambault and worked out the rhythm for many of the phrases in the book. We then made our own little Chicka Chicka Boom Boom book. Students have also been reviewing the solfege signs (do re mi fa so la ti do) and using these to learn the song Do Re Mi. 

Mrs Matic
Music Teacher

After being unable to facilitate Launching into Learning (LiL) in Term 1 due to Covid, we are excited that from the beginning of Term 2 LiL will be running again at Boat Harbour Primary School. This means that our families within our local community with children from birth to age 4 can once again join us at our school.

While it is wonderful to welcome back our youngest members of our school community and their families, things will be adjusted to meet the requirements expected by Public Health. Things like social distancing, utilising outdoor environments, adults wearing face masks while indoors and utilising good hygiene practices.

If children or adults participating in LiL are unwell or show any Covid symptoms, we kindly request them not to attend.

One of the Covic expectations is for the session to run for a maximum length of one hour indoors. Each LiL session will start at 9:00am and finish at 10:00am. When the weather is fine all participants are welcome to utilise our outdoor Kinder playground as you leave.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding, we look forward to having as many families join us at our first LiL session on Friday, May 6^th. All LiL sessions will be held on Friday mornings in the Kinder building.

Thank you to our entire school community for your cooperation this term by practising COVID-safe behaviours.

As you know, an important COVID-safe behaviour is to stay at home if you’re unwell and get tested for COVID-19 using a rapid antigen test.

Public Health tells us that the number of cases of COVID-19 in children is low, and they’re likely to have milder symptoms.

It’s a good reminder to be mindful of the symptoms of COVID-19 in children. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 in children are cough, fever, runny nose and gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

For more information, please visit the Tasmanian Government Coronavirus website or contact the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738, or Department of Education COVID-19 Support Hotline at COVID19support@education.tas.gov.au or on 1800 816 057.

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