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PRINCIPAL NEWS
Dear Families,
There are so many exciting activities happening around the school at the moment, including many infrastructure projects. Below are just a few examples:
- Taroona High School Year 10 Art students have started pencilling out a new mural in Kinder with painting to commence this Friday and continue Mondays and Fridays until completed.
- Pam Christie, Megan Tubb, Kirsten Hartel and students have planted out the new garden bed at the Early Childhood entrance.
- New Playground markings are to be installed next week: Snakes and Ladders & Hopscotch in the EC area (under shade sail) and a new chess board in the quadrangle.
- An access carpark is to be installed in the visitor carpark in the coming weeks. This will be located in the first parking bay next to our drop off and pick up zone.
- Permanent bins (metal frame with bin inside – same as on oval) are to be installed before the end of 2020. Three general waste bins will installed, located in the EC playground, the quadrangle and Play West. A Red-cycle bin will also be installed in the quadrangle, next to the general waste bin.
We are hoping that the retaining wall behind our Office Administration block will be completed at the end of next week so that the pathway and garden beds in Play West can be re-instated ASAP.
2021 Class Structures
I can now confirm that the following class structures will be in place for 2021:
- 1 x Kinder
- 1 x Prep
- 3 x Year 1-2
- 4 x Year 3-4
- 4 x Year 5-6
A reminder that class placements are made using the following process:
- Teaching staff will place students in a class group taking into consideration the educational needs of the child, the social & emotional needs of the child, the balance of student abilities within the class group and the balance between boys and girls in each class group.
- In the first two weeks of November of each school year, parents will be given the opportunity to make a class placement request for their child for the following year. This should be communicated to the Principal either by letter, email or a formal meeting. A class placement request will only be considered on educational grounds, not individual class teacher preferences. (Please note end date for requests is Friday 13 November, 2020).
- After teachers have initially placed students in a class group for the following year, the Principal will review class placements in light of any specific parental requests. Not all class placement requests can be met and ultimately the final decision rests with the Principal.
- Final class placements are announced in the last week of Term 4. No changes will be made unless an obvious error has occurred.
End of Year Celebration Assembly – 9th December 2020 (Students Only)
As mentioned in our last newsletter, due to COVID Restrictions, we are unable to host adult visitors at our End of Year Celebration Assembly which we plan to have onsite for students to share with other classes (not recorded). Please note that some classes have decided to film a version of their item (taking into account student media permissions) to share publicly with our school community via our school YouTube Channel on or after the 9th November. Please contact your child’s teacher if you would like more information about what is planned or if you would like to review your child’s media permissions for this event.
I am really looking forward to seeing what the students produce this year to celebrate 2020 – a most unusual year for all of us!
Best wishes
Danielle Bresnehan
Principal
Zones of Regulation
In our previous newsletter we shared examples of calming tools that children may use at school to stay in a zone or move from one zone to another.
This week we provide some information about social thinking and its connection to the Zones of Regulation.
Social thinking is our meaning maker – it allows us to interpret the deeper meaning behind what others do in the world, and (if the situation calls for it) prompts us with how to respond. A person’s social thinking ability has a considerable effect on their relationships and success in school. It affects the person’s social skills, perspective taking, self-awareness, self-regulation, critical thinking, social problem solving, play skills, reading comprehension, written expression, ability to learn and work in a group, organizational skills etc.
We practise social thinking all day long. At school, students must use social thinking constantly to work effectively as part of a group, stay on task, figure out the expected times to talk (or listen) and to successfully share space with others, both in the classroom and out in the playground. Social thinking is also important for academic tasks, especially as the curriculum becomes more socially abstract and moves way from memorising facts and towards more analysis of information.
Our Zones of Regulation curriculum provides many opportunities for students to improve social thinking through:
- Observing their social world
- Using language and visuals to promote metacognitive learning (thinking about thinking).
- Encouraging children to talk about their thinking.
- Developing children’s social emotional awareness.
- Teaching cognitive strategies to adjust and practice specific behaviours to meet their own personal goal(s).
- Developing internal self-reward system (pride) in one’s ability to self-regulate based on a goal.
For more information https://www.socialthinking.com
e-Safety: Growing Up Digital Australia
Do you wonder how digital media and technologies that children and young people live with might affect their wellbeing, health and learning?
The Gonski Institute of Education at the University of NSW are working on a ground-breaking research project called Growing Up Digital Australia. This international research project partners with Harvard Medical School, the University of Alberta and Alberta Teachers Association and seeks to understand the health, wellbeing and learning impacts of growing up in a digital world on our young people. A number of Australian organisations are supporting this project, including Departments of Education, parent organisations and teacher associations. The researchers hope that this longitudinal study will reframe issues surrounding children’s consumption of media and digital technologies, moving into evidence-based solutions for parents, educators and young people to live healthier, safer and happier lives here in Australia.
Parents and grandparents of any child aged 5-17 are invited to participate in Phase 2 via this survey link.
Phase 1 Results are available at this link
CLASSROOM NEWS
Kinder Wilson
Please click on the images below for further information about the Kinder Bunnings Competition.
3-4 Carne
Genius Hour
After working independently on their Inquiry question over 10 weeks, the year 3 and 4 students were proud to show off their ‘Genius Hour’ projects to the whole school and to families last week. 3-4 Carne shared their learning on Thursday. It was a wonderful day and we were all very tired at the end.
Millie “Can I make a care package for homeless dogs?”
Clara “How many interesting facts can I find out about dogs?”
Oliver “Can I show people the importance of preserving old buildings and restoring homes to their former glory?”
Other interesting questions were:
Freya – “Can I explain why people are overfishing?”
Ryder – ‘Can I explain how people will influence the environment in the future?”
Ada – “Can I raise awareness of Climate Change using a plastic bottle rocket?”
LAUNCHING INTO LEARNING – Super LiL Term 4
Families are encouraged to come along and join in the fun with special sessions scheduled in Term 4. Click on the flier for full details!
TPSA NEWS
Please find below links to documents from the most recent TPSA Meetings
Principal Report TPSA Meeting 13 October 2020
Please send all enquiries / correspondence to TPSAenquiry@gmail.com
UNIFORM SHOP NEWS
Good News! After months of delay, our Size 10 and 12 Short Sleeve polo tops are back in stock. Orders can be made via QKR or in person at the Uniform Shop (Thursdays 2:45pm – 3:15pm).
Uniform Ordering
We encourage all parents to order their children’s uniforms online via the QKR! App. Click here for instructions.
All orders received via QKR by 11am on Thursdays will have their order ready for collection at the School Office on Friday mornings. QKR is the preferred method to order uniforms at this time. Please note, no cash will be accepted in the Uniform Shop – only EFTPOS payments until further notice.
Uniform Shop
The TPS Uniform Shop is open on Thursdays from 2:45pm – 3:15pm. The Uniform Shop is located directly underneath the staffroom, accessible via the Early Childhood Playground and the Quadrangle.
Please note: The Uniform Shop will be closed for the remainder of Term 4 from the 4th December to allow for stocktake. If you require any urgent items after this date, please contact Katie Ferguson directly.
Volunteers
A call for volunteers is now out for the 2021 Back to School Sales days which will be held on Wednesday 27 January (PM), Thursday 28 January (AM) and Tuesday 2nd February (AM). If you are able to assist in helping with the sales days, please contact Katie to register your interest. We very much appreciate the support of the volunteers during these busy days.
Second-Hand Clothing
The second-hand clothing racks will be on display inside the uniform shop for purchasing. Second hand uniform purchases are very popular so please be mindful of the time spent viewing the racks. We will do our best to serve everyone.
Second-hand clothing donations are very welcome, these can be dropped into the School Office during office hours.
Uniform Item and Price Lists
Please click here for the current list of uniform items.
Please click here for the order form (manual processing) and price list.
Covid-19 Rules for the Uniform Shop
The Uniform Shop is small with limited room to move around, so it is important we adhere to the current Covid-19 advice and ask that visitors follow the social distancing and hygiene measures in place at the school for visitors, parents and carers. ONLY two customers at a time are allowed in the shop, maintaining a physical distancing of 1.5 metres. A hand-sanitising station will be placed at the entrance of the shop and all customers must use this prior to entering. We kindly ask that customers be considerate of others waiting outside so please keep browsing time to a minimum. The shop doors will close at 3:15pm sharp.
If you have questions about school uniforms, please contact the Uniform Shop Coordinator, Katie Ferguson via email katieferguson@netspace.net.au
Changes to STAS Eligibility
A set of Frequently Asked Questions has been developed to assist with any questions you may have.
Further questions about STAS or Levies and Charges in general can be sent to the Department of Education’s Financial Services Unit at stas@education.tas.gov.au or by calling 1800 827 055
SCHOOL INFORMATION
Student Absences
A reminder to parents/carers to advise the school office if their child is unable to attend school due to illness or any other reason.
- By phone (6227 8325)
- Email taroona.primary@education.tas.gov.au
A medical certificate is required if a child is absent due to illness for 5 days or more.
Signing Students in/out
To ensure we have an accurate record of student attendance, we ask that any student arriving at school later than 9:00am, or leaving for any reason during the school day, be signed in or out at the school office.
Messages to Students
If you need to get a message to your child, please contact the school before 2:15pm to ensure enough time for us to pass the message on.
Duty of Care
Please note that students are not to arrive before 8:30am. This is for the students’ protection and safety as there are no teachers on duty prior to 8:30am and classrooms remain locked until this time. Supervision is provided before and after school:
- Playground (EXCLUDING PLAY WEST & OVAL) 8:30 to 8:55am
- Car park & bus area 2:50 to 3:05pm
LADY GOWRIE
Lady Gowrie Taroona Before and After School Care operates from the hall each school day from 7:00-8:30 am (Before School Care) and 3:00-6:00 pm (After School Care), catering for children aged 4-12 years. We offer a safe and stimulating environment based on the children’s interests incorporating both indoor and outdoor play. We employ trained Educators and provide a nutritious breakfast and afternoon tea each day. Please contact the Lady Gowrie Outside School Hours Care Office on 6230 6806 or email us at oshc@gowrie-tas.com.au for more information.
To ensure the safety of our school property, please ring Crime Stoppers if you see anyone acting suspiciously in our school grounds.
