Term 2

What a wonderful start we have had to Term 2.  The way students entered classes refreshed and ready to continue learning was impressive.  The environment our teachers create for students enables learning to be maximised.  I am so grateful to be able to come to this school each day and work in a community that is so passionate about supporting the development of our children, I am looking forward to another fantastic Term.

School Association

The school Association is an opportunity for parents and community members to come together to discuss education based topics, be informed of school wide processes and systems and influence broader decision making.  It was pleasing to see some new faces join us this week when we met.  The Association meets twice a term working through a range of agenda items.  One positive I particularly like about the Association is the opportunity for this group of people to be the voice of our school community.  The Association would like to invite new members, you are most welcome to join us at the next meeting. This will be an opportunity to learn and be informed. At this next meeting we will appoint Office Bearers in the AGM meeting. The date and time will be confirmed and advertised soon. 

Farewell Mrs Bernadette King

Mrs King recently announced that she is leaving not only Boat Harbour Primary School, but Tasmania, moving with her family to Queensland. On behalf of our school community, I would like to wish Bernadette, Trent, Isla, Maeya and Noah, all the best as they embark on this next chapter of their lives.  Bernadette’s dedication and hard work towards learning has benefitted so many students over the past 13 years. Her passion to teach has ensured only the best for our students.  She is driven to be the best teacher she can be and as a result is a very valued and respected member of staff. We will miss you and your family Mrs King, and we wish you all the best in the future.

Newsletter feedback

Thank you for providing feedback regarding newsletters last Term.  We currently send the newsletter to you electronically, and while this is convenient to some families, we recognise that it is not for others.  We collect data regarding how many times the digital newsletters are accessed, and it is alarming at just how low this number is.  Due to these low numbers we thought it was best to try and find out from you if this was because you prefer electronic newsletters or paper copies.  Our hope is to make the newsletter as accessible as possible.  The digital format allows us to include lots of photos of students and celebrate their learning and achievements, in contrast with the paper version we have a limited number to include.  We are going to continue sending the newsletter via Schoolzine.  The printed version from Schoolzine is not as impressive as the digital copy, however it does contain all of the same information.  Printed copies will be available at the school office for students or parents to collect.  We hope this allows more from our school community to be connected to our school.

The School Association has endorsed the plan to send three newsletters each term, week 3, week 6 and week 9.  This allows important messages and celebrations of achievement to be periodically communicated with home and our school community. We hope this new schedule will allow families to be informed and connected to our school.

Calendar

Something we have been working to refine is the Schoolzine calendar.  We became aware late last term that the updates we were putting on our calendars were not transferring across to the public calendar.  We are rectifying this issue and keeping the calendar up to date with upcoming events.

Athletics

Recently the State Schools Sports Athletics Carnival was held in Launceston.  William Elphinstone, Lex Forsyth and Harry Gatenby represented Boat Harbour Primary School as members of the North West team.  In very trying, wet conditions our three boys performed exceptionally.  William won the Grade 6 Boys 400m, Lex came 4^th in the 100m and Harry came 1^st in both the 1500m and 800m.  These are outstanding results and we are extremely proud of you boys, well done!

Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums!  We are so proud and lucky to have you all connected to our school.  Thank you for being wonderful mums to our students.  It is not just a a special day for you to be spoilt and loved, it’s a recognition of how important you are to us every single day and that we appreciate you and know how much you do for us – we simply wouldn’t be here without you!

Cross Country and Assembly

We are looking forward to holding our first assembly for Term 2 in week 5, Thursday 25^th May.  The Kinder to Grade 2 assembly will start at 9:10am.  Directly after this assembly, students will move to the playground and participate in their Cross Country.  Parents are invited to both events.  At 11:10am we will hold the Grade 3 to Grade 6 assembly.  This will finish in time for their Cross Country to start at 12:00pm.  We hope you can join us!

Times:

9:10am               Kinder to Grade 2 Assembly

10:00am             Grade 2 Cross Country

10:05am             Kinder Cross Country

10:10am             Prep Cross Country

10:15am             Grade 1 Cross Country

11:10am             Grade 3 to Grade 6 Assembly

12:00pm             Grade 3 Cross Country

12:05pm             Grade 4 Cross Country

12:10pm             Grade 5 Cross Country

12:15pm             Grade 6 Cross Country

Start Term 2 right by making every school day count!

Going to school every day gives your child every chance to learn and grow, and connect with their mates and teachers. It’s where bright futures start and where they’ll benefit the most.

When your child goes to school every day, it helps them to:

• learn better
• find interests
• make friends
• connect with teachers
• be happier
• have a brighter future.

We have lots in store for this term, including <please include your school calendar highlights>.

If you’re struggling to get your child to school, help is available. Please talk to us at school about your situation. We’ll support you, in whatever way we can.

To find out more, visit the Anything can happen website.

This term in Kinder we have been very busy developing our fine motor skills through a variety of activities, practising making and writing our names, counting and subitising and beginning 'PreLit', which is our literacy program that helps to develop our pre-literacy skills.

The Kinder students love to explore the outdoors and have been fortunate enough to be gifted a class set of wet weather overalls. Thank you to our Parents and Friends group and the School Association for this wonderful donation, which will enable the Kinder students to access outdoor play more comfortably through the colder months.

ANZAC Day

“We thought of the day of ANZAC Day when all the stuff happened.” Harry

“The soldiers fought in the war for us so our lives could stay how they are now.” Alice

Charcoal Soldiers

“We used charcoal like from a fire just like the Aboriginals did because they didn’t have pencils.” Tyson

“We did them to remind us of when the soldiers died.” Jack

Soldier Sticks

“We used sticks and wool to wrap soldier sticks. We added a hat and a little flower to look like poppies.” Anjuna

“Soldier sticks remind me of the war.” Otto

Poppies with Loose Parts

“Poppies bloomed on the day they died.” Anjuna

“They had a fight on the poppy field.” Harry

On returning to school, Grade 1-2s discussed ANZAC Day and as a class, talked about what they know or what they think about, on ANZAC day. 

Discussions were around the sacrifices our soldiers made for us and that we remember them respectfully, by attending either a dawn or morning service or together with family.  

Teachers read stories about ANZAC Day and here are the students work from the various activities.