16 November 2016

Newsletter Articles

Principal Report

Hello everyone,

Top of School Celebration

Each year the Department of Education holds celebratory events in each of the learning services to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of students who have achieved top of school and top 1% in NAPLAN. Earlier this month I attended a ceremony at Brooks High School in which Isaac Leslie was the recipient of the Top in School Award for Exeter Primary School. We are very proud of Isaac's achievement and know him to be a worthy recipient. Isaac's consistent effort, positive attitude to learning and his determination to achieve make him an excellent role model for others and a student who represents the very best of Exeter Primary School. Congratulations Isaac.

School Satisfaction Survey Results

The School Satisfaction Survey is conducted each year with parents, staff and students. All staff are surveyed and a random selection of parents and Year 5 and 6 students. The results of this survey provide us with valuable feedback which is used to inform our 2017 planning. This year our results were overwhelmingly positive and highlighted many of the areas in which we have worked hard to make improvements.

For students the most significant improvement was made in the area of student learning. Statements that indicated this improvement included:

• My teachers motivate me to learn
• My teachers expect me to do my best
• My school gives me opportunities to do interesting things
• I like being at this school
• I am involved in making decisions about my education.

Parent statements that indicated the most improvement included:

• Teachers expect my child to do his or her best
• I can talk with my child's teacher about my concerns
• My child likes being at this school
• Teachers at this school motivate my child to learn
• My child's learning needs are being met at this school

Staff statements that indicated the most improvement included:

• Teachers at this school expect students to do their best
• Teachers at this school treat students fairly
• This school looks for ways to improve
• Staff are encouraged to pursue professional development
• There is supportive leadership at this school

Swimming Carnival

On Friday November 4 we held our annual swimming carnival at the George Town Pool. Despite the weather, which was a little cool and windy, we maintained a good level of participation and our students displayed great sportsmanship and a willingness to brave the elements and enter as many events as they could. Thank you to our supportive parents who turned up in warm coats to support their children and cheer them on. As always the carnival was well organised by Peter Habel and we are grateful to the number of parents who helped out on the day as marshals and judges. Congratulations to those students who were selected to represent our school at the TPSSA Carnival held last week.

Class construction for 2017

Thank you to all the families who have contacted me with information in relation to class placements for 2017. Over the next couple of weeks we will complete the process of 2017 class construction. A priority this year will be on creating equitable class sizes and forming productive teaching and learning teams.

Halloween Social

Our Halloween Social was a great success. It was wonderful to see so many students there and we were impressed by the effort that was made with the Halloween costumes, there are certainly some very creative people out there! A special thank you to Ms Cunningham and our fabulous student leaders for the great job they did in coordinating this event. Thank you to parents who helped prepare the fruit supper and a special thank you to Leah and Alicia from the high school for being our DJs on the night. I am already looking forward to next year.

Remembrance Day and Exeter RSL

Last week Grade 2 Doyle and Grade 2 Johns attended the Remembrance Day Service at the Exeter Community Centre. As expected the students represented our school in an exemplary manner and made a valuable contribution to the service. The students were treated to a delicious morning tea before returning to school. At school the occasion was marked with brief ceremony around our flag pole. Students assembled and showed their respect by observing a minutes' silence and listening attentively to the messages shared by Ella Greehhalf and Will Jones, our student leaders.

Esk Band Extravaganza

Students participating in the Esk Band Extravaganza Concert have received permission forms and an information sheet about the upcoming concert. Permission forms need to be returned to the school office as soon as possible. If you wish to purchase tickets they are available from the school office or the Princess Theatre ticket office. The school will organise a bus to and from the Princess Theatre on Friday 24 November for the dress rehearsal so please ensure that your child has their instrument and music at school on that day. As always this will be a wonderful event and I look forward to seeing our Exeter students performing again this year.

Attendance

Keeping accurate attendance records is an important part the work our teachers and office staff do every day. If your child is unwell and away from school we ask that you contact the school early on the day of absence to explain the reason. There are a number of families who currently have a number of unexplained absences and some families who have an excessive number of explained absences. It is an expectation that all children are attending school on a regular basis so when there are an excessive number of absences we are required, by the Department of Education, to follow these up. If your child has been unwell for a prolonged or extended period of time you need to provide a doctors' certificate to the school to verify these absences. If you have any questions or queries about our attendance policy I would be happy to discuss them.

Lift

FAMILY MATHS

The answer to the problem in our last newsletter is;

The numbers Danny's 4 arrows landed on are:-
10 + 7 + 3 + 7 = 27
The Extension answer is 10 + 10 + 7 + 0

That was the last maths problem for 2016, watch out for some new problems in 2017.

STEVE BIDDULP

What a great night our Exeter Primary School community had with Steve Biddulph when he presented his RAISING GIRLS talk last Thursday! Steve shared his wealth of knowledge to help us raise our beautiful daughters to become confident and well-adjusted women. Steve will be returning in March 2017 with his RAISING BOYS talk and in June with his THE SECRET TO HAPPY CHILDREN talk. Keep an eye on our Facebook page and school newsletter for further details.

Steve will be sending some copies of his book RAISING GIRLS to be sold through our school office and we will advise you when they are available.

We are pleased to advise our parents and school community that Steve Biddulph will be presenting his Raising Boys talk on Thursday 7 March, 2017 and his talk The Secret of Raising Happy Children on Thursday 8 June, 2017. Mark these dates in your diary now! More information will be provided later in the year.

Respectful School

Growth Mindset

We are continuing to inform parents and families about the social and emotional learning we are undertaking as a whole school. We have been working on developing Growth Mindsets with our students for some time and so are sharing some informative youtube clips that have already been shared with our students. This clip is the third in a series of 5 and the topic is The Incredible Power of Yet!

We hope these clips will be the catalyst of some discussions on building Growth Mindsets with our students and members of their families.

Social and Emotional Learning

So what is Social and Emotional Learning? This Kids Matter clip gives a good explanation about the development of social and emotional learning in the first 5 years of a child's development. The term Social Skills generally refers to children learning how to relate to others and Emotional Learning refers to how children express their feelings and emotions. It is important that children learn how to regulate their emotions and behaviour, how to be with people and part of a group as these skills help children develop a sense of who they are.

5 Ways to Bolster Your Child's Emotional Intelligence

(Part 1 of 2)

Our ability to handle social situations, and control our impulses and emotions are critical to our success as adults. Learning about and how to manage their emotional intelligence can help our children on this path.

Emotional intelligence is the:

• ability to persist and be resilient in the face of difficulty
• monitor one's feelings
• get along with others
• resist immediate temptation to pursue a higher goal
• take action that considers the needs of self and others

As parents we can support the development of our children's Emotional Intelligence with these 5 simple strategies.

1 Talk about feelings

Describe how sadness, happiness, anger, and other emotions feel in the body. Teach your child to recognise and name emotions as they feel them. You can do this beginning when they is very young by saying, "You look angry. Your face is red, and your body is tense." As they grow older, talk to them about how to handle their emotions. Teach them ways to move through sadness, deal with disappointment, calm anger, maintain happiness, and so on. They will benefit from this lifelong.

2 Accept and validate all feelings

As parents, we often only like to see positive emotions in our children. Anger tends to trigger our own anger. Sadness makes us worry, and so we want to wipe it away quickly. We may dismiss disappointment or anxiety in hopes that these feelings will just go away in our children. We want to see them happy all the time, but human beings are not happy all the time, and it is important for your child to learn that all emotions are normal and okay to feel. They need to know, of course, that all behaviour is not acceptable (for example, they cannot throw things because they are mad), but it's perfectly okay to feel mad. Do not dismiss feelings that make you uncomfortable, but sit with your child through them. Often, they just need you to listen and show understanding.

This article will be continued in our next newsletter

Canteen

Friday Canteen Special

This Friday November 18th Mohr will have available for order a 'Pie with sauce together with a Fruit Box Special" or a "Hot dog with Sauce and a Fruit box" all for the extremely great price of $5.00.

Our Learning Community
Grade 6 Parents

Exeter High School Transition Program

The Grade 6 Transition Program to Exeter High School (EHS) began in Term 3 to ensure a smooth transition for Grade 6 students into High School. We have been working closely with the Transition Coordinator Stefan Lendvay and Principal Ben Frerk from EHS to ensure students' time at high school is a positive and rewarding experience.

During Term 3 students were visited by Mr Lendvay and some former Exeter Primary School students to learn about the new teaching and learning model being implemented at EHS. Our Grade 6 students enjoyed an Activities Day this term where they met some of their 2017 teachers, class members and students who will be mentoring them during their first year of high school.

Students have been given information this week regarding enrolments at EHS and the 2016 Orientation Day which will be held on Wednesday November, 30th. Orientation Day provides an opportunity for students to attend a day at EHS and participate in various subjects in order to become familiar with the opportunities they will have in Grade 7. EHS will also be hosting a parent information session on the night of Orientation Day where they will be sharing with you information regarding the learning programs that are offered.

If you have a query about the transition program or any questions please don't hesitate to contact Exeter High School on 63944366.

Book Club

Book Club Issue 8

The eighth and last issue of book club will be sent home later in the week. If you would like to place an order, please put your child's and teacher's name on the front of an envelope, place the order sheet and money inside the envelope and bring to the school office by

Friday November 25th.

If you would like to have a "Secret Order" please write ring home on envelope.

Music

Some members of the Grade 3-4 choir. All choir practices are hard work but fun!

Grade 6 choir members look back:

Over the past few years in choir, we've travelled to many places and participated in many events including Singfest, ANZAC Day services, The Festival of Voices, the Devonport Eisteddfod, and the Launceston Competitions. Some of the highlights of being a choir member were those performances, and practising with other schools both before and at Singfest, and working together in a large group to participate in these performances. It has been an amazing experience working with each other.

Laura and Skylah

Launching into Learning (Lils)

Look at our Launching Into Learning families experiencing music during our Music Tree Fun sessions with Tonya. Music was experienced through new and familiar rhyme and song using parachutes, playing games and visual props. The enjoyment of making music with communication and language skills allowed for lots of fun and involvement from families

Optional Swimming

Optional Swimming Catch Up Days

The Optional Swimming catch-up days for Prep Upson, 1 Gray/Nas and 2 Doyle will be Monday 28 November to Thursday 1 December inclusive. Students will swim at the same time as previously advised and will need their bathers, towel, plastic bag, goggles, comb. Parent help will still be required, please talk with your child's teacher to confirm your assistance

Sport

Swimming Carnival

Congratulations Dalrymple on taking out the Swimming Carnival last Friday. Batman and Brady tried their best but Dalrymple were comfortable winners gaining 525 points to defeat Batman(412) and Brady(394). Well done to all the students on their participation, encouragement, leadership and behaviour on the day which ensured a smooth carnival. I also like to thank the parents and staff for their assistance with supervision and officiating.

In Division 1 events outstanding performances were from:

Grade 3: Claire Beams, Lakeesha Geale, Damon White, Bradley Moylon, Caelan Stewart
Grade 4: Chloe White, Ben Hockey
Grade 4: Aimee Ringk, Eve Herne, Niall Swain, Will Radford, Mason Black
Grade 5: Jasmine Russell, Nikita Hockey, William Jones

Thank you to all who attended and contributed to the Carnival.

Peter Habel

TPSSA Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to the whole team on your performances last Thursday at George Town on what turned out to be a pleasant day, Exeter was pushed all the way by strong swimmers especially from Lilydale. Of the 88 races Exeter won 36 finished 2nd in 24, 3rd in 14 and 4th in 8.

Every relay team performed well gaining 7 firsts, 1 second, 1 third and 2 fourths from the 12 races.

Thank you to Carolyn Cunningham and Amanda Holloway for their management of the team and all the students for your excellent behaviour and efforts on the day.

Peter Habel

2016 TPSSA Swimming Representatives

3 Wheatley

Claire Beams
Lily Champion
Rachelle Plapp
Damon White
Bradley Moylon

3 Tulk

Lakeesha Geale
Makayla Danson-Green
Cornish
Avery Thomas
PJ Clark
Caelan Stewart

4 KG

Chloe White
Eliza Kemsley
William Hay

4 Gee

Danielle Beadle
Matthew Clark
Zayne Cornish

5 Geale/Alcock

Linkon Black
Samuel Beams
Aimee Ringk
Rachael Ford
Emily Franks
Alexamdra Dickenson

4/5 Clark

Niall Swain
Will Radford
Mason Black
Ashley Demarco
Eve Herne
Lauchlan Ryan
Ella-Jayde Clark
Shania Templar
Ben Hockey
Aidan Woods

6 Clancy

Joshua Beams
Maya Herne

6 W/H

William Jones
Liam Older
Ryan Geale
Nikita Hockey
Ellie Beadle
Jenna Griffiths
Jasmine Russell

2016 Tasmanian Schools Triathlon Challenge

When: Thursday November, 24th
Where: Devonport Bluff
Time: Individual races will begin at 10am and will be followed by the team events

Students must arrange travel to and from the event. Participation Packs will be given to students on Tuesday and these will include a race number, swimming cap, bike number (for those completing in the individual event of the bike leg), sports top and event timetable.

Students completing the bike leg will need to arrive at 9am to rack bikes

If you require any further information please contact Carolyn Cunningham.

Uniform Shop

Here is the 2017 Price List. If you would like to place your uniform order before the end of this year, just drop the form in to the lovely ladies at the office or email it through to exp.pf@education.tas.gov.au by Friday 2/12/16. We can have the items bagged and ready to go for when you come in for Book Sales in January.

Thursday 15/12 will be the last day the uniform shop will be open for 2016 as we will be stocktaking in the last week of school.

School Association

P&F Free Dress Day – Thursday November 17th

As always there is a catch. To wear "Free Dress" we ask you donate an item to put in the P&F Christmas Raffle to raise money for our school.

The items for the Christmas baskets can be things such as notebooks, food, chocolates, Christmas decorations etc.

Raffle tickets will be sent home soon.

Please make sure food is in current expiry date.

Message from Exeter Primary School Parents and Friends.

We have had a great year so far fundraising for our wonderful school. Thanks to the many volunteer helpers we've had, the success of our Mother's Day Stall, Ladies Night and other fundraisers means we are going to be able to make a real difference for equipment and grounds work for the school next year.

Please help us bring it home for 2016 by supporting our latest wine fundraiser which you should have received this week. Thanks to Stoney Rise we all have the opportunity to top up our wine stocks or purchase Christmas wine and raise money for the school at the same time. There is a minimum buy of 6 bottles but if you don't want that many then think about getting together friends or neighbours to make up a purchase of 6.

Please note that Lou Holyman from Stoney Rise (one of our school parents too!) who has organised this but on the information sheet her mobile number is wrong. The correct number should you need it is: 0418 853 924

Finally, please don't forget to send your child with an item for our Christmas Raffle Hampers on free dress day this Thursday (tomorrow) and watch out for the raffle tickets you can buy for your chance to win one of the hampers - they'll be coming home soon.

Thanks for your support,

The P&F

Community News

Exeter Show Vegies

Whether you like vegetables or not, now there is a new incentive to start growing your own. It is the season to put in pumpkin, carrots, potatoes, marrow and so much more, ready to harvest for the Exeter Show on Saturday 25th February. There are prizes for the heaviest, biggest or most unusually shaped vegetable and the good news is, you get to eat the rest of them! So start planting. You don't need a lot of room just a sunny bit of the garden, a patio or even a polystyrene box, just remember to water and check that the odd snail has not taken a fancy to your seedlings.

If growing vegetables really is not your thing ( and anyone can grow them!) then there are other categories that you can enter – Art, craft, cooking, flower arrangements and lots more.

For any further details please contact Hilary Keeley on 63944725/ 0438944725

Free Tennis Day

At Legana Tennis Club, Fulton St Legana

1.00pm-3.00pm Saturday 19 November 2016
Free tennis, coach available, hot shots, 'hit the target', ball machine
balloon art, icy poles and giveaways.
If you are interested in tennis whether you're a beginner or experienced your welcome to come along and join in the fun

More details contact Craig 0447 501 209 cboyce38@hotmail.com

WEST TAMAR COUNCIL SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM

West Tamar Council has just released its Summer 2016 School Holiday Program. Activities available include: Slider's Tube Park, Launceston Aquatic Centre, Orienteering, Wax Hands, Bush Maze and The Beaconsfield Youth & Community Festival. Activities are subsidised by Council and open to all West Tamar residents aged 10-16, with transport available to and from most activities. To make a booking head to: s or contact Stewart Bell (Youth Development Officer) on 63239206 or email: stewart.bell@wtc.tas.gov.au