21 February 2018

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

What a smooth transition into the school year we have had at Exeter Primary School. As I walk around the school I am impressed with the sense of productivity and clear focus on learning that is evident in every classroom. At this stage in the year teachers are taking time to revisit, and in the Kinder and Prep classrooms, introduce our school expectations of Be Safe, Be Your Best and Care for the Rest and what these look like in the school context. Teachers also spend time on unpacking the Zones of Regulation and teaching students how to use the Zones to recognise and regulate their emotions. At Exeter we believe that high expectations around behaviour, respect, treatment of others and yourself are crucial pre-conditions for learning. We aim to create classrooms in which students and teachers feel safe and are in the optimal emotional state for learning. If you would like to know more about this process please talk with your child’s class teacher.

Road Safety

At this time of year it is important that we are reminded about the importance of keeping our children safe on the roads, particularly around school buses and during school pick up and drop off. Glen Ard Mohr Road can be very busy between 8.30 and 9.00 each morning when we have 16 buses bringing children to school. Please be aware that the area in front of the school should not be used for parents to park and drop children off. If you are dropping children off please use the car park at the Kindergarten end of the school or alternatively you could use the car park at the Community Centre next to our school oval. Remember you are in a 40 Kilometre zone.

If your children travel by bus can you please take the time to talk to them about how to remain safe on the bus, remind them to stay in their seats at all times and to use quiet bus voices. I would like to stress the importance of talking with your children about how to cross roads safely when getting on and off buses and I would also like to remind motorist to watch out for buses with their lights flashing which indicates that children are getting on or off the bus. The safety of our children is paramount so please take a moment to visit the following website.

Regular School Attendance

As you would be aware there have been some changes to school attendance procedures as a result of the new Education Act which came into effect last year. These changes further support regular school attendance for all children. It is important for families to set good habits early around school attendance and ensure children attend school unless they are unwell. There is a direct link between poor attendance during the Prep year and poor attendance later in school. Missing school on a regular basis contributes not only to poor academic success but also social isolation for many children. Even getting to school late can make a child feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. You can support your child to attend school every day by setting good habits around sleep and preparation for school, as well as reinforcing the importance of school attendance by speaking positively about school and sorting out any issues your child may be having quickly. Please let us know if you are having difficulty with getting your child to school so we can help. If your child is unwell and can’t come to school please contact the school office by 9.00 on the day of absence. This can be done by phoning the school office, sending an email or via the Schoolzine app. Family holidays should be planned for school holiday times. For more information on student absences please visit the following link.

Parent teacher Conversations

Throughout this term teachers will be making an effort to catch up with all families. This may be done via a phone conversation, a quick chat before or after school or by appointment. Parents are encouraged to make contact with their child’s teacher to share information and find out how they can support their child’s learning at home. To support this process we have opened up appointment times on Tuesday 27 February prior to the Welcome Barbecue. To make an appointment just use the link below to make an online booking. If you do not have internet access you can make an appointment by calling the office.

Please enter the following code at the above link: t96br

Welcome BBQ

Our annual Welcome Barbecue will be held next Tuesday 27 February between 5.30 and 7.00 pm. We are excited to use our new barbecue area behind the PAC and the pallet furniture that was made by our students last year. Parents and Friends will provide sausages and hamburgers but you are welcome to bring a picnic for your family. The Welcome Barbecue provides a good opportunity for parents and teachers to catch up for a chat. I look forward to meeting our new families and catching up with old friends.

Best wishes

Assembly Awards

Class Awards

We congratulate the following students:

Introducing our Support Staff for 2018

We are very pleased to let you know that our support staff remain the same for 2018. Please note that Rachel Chivers is now Rachel Wilkes after her recent wedding – Congratulations!

Speech and Language Pathologist – Rachel Wilkes works Monday and Tuesday.
Social Worker – Karen Button works Thursday and every second Friday.
Psychologist – Jessica Walker works Thursday and every second Friday.
School Health Nurse – Juanita Du Vergier works every Friday.

Should you need to contact any of our support staff, please do so through our school office or by contacting Helen Peart, who co-ordinates our support caseloads.

Rachel Wilkes

Pre Kinder

From our School Health Nurse

Welcome to the new school year! I am your Primary School Health Nurse. The role of the school health nurse is to provide health education to the whole school community. I will be running a variety of health promotion activities throughout the year, so please let me know of anything that you would like to see happening at school. Look out for “Nude Food Day” to be held later in the term.

I will be doing health checks on all kindergarten children during Term 2, this includes a hearing and vision screen. The hearing and vision screen is also available to all school children on request, consent forms are available from the school office.

Throughout the year I will work with your child’s class to focus on a variety of health education sessions. These can range from learning how to wash our hands properly, nutrition, being sun smart, to being mindful and relaxed.

I encourage everyone in the school community to chat with me. I have a display board with an assortment of brochures that you are welcome to take home.

I will be working every Friday here at Exeter Primary School.

Email is the best contact for me, please feel free to contact me anytime to have a confidential discussion. I am always more than happy to talk with our lovely school community.

juanita.du.vergier@education.tas.gov.au

Warm regards,
Juanita Du Vergier.

Date Change for Athletics Carnival

PIPS Parent Information

GRIP Leadership Conference

Grade 6 students will again have the opportunity to participate in the GRIP Leadership Conference at the Tailrace Centre on Thursday 22 February. This program provides wonderful opportunities to develop skills needed to be a leader. Students will travel on the bus from Exeter and will need to be at school no later than 8:35am as the conference starts at 9:00am.

If your child normally arrives after this time, alternative arrangements will need to be made with your child’s teacher. Students will return to school in time to catch school buses. Students are to wear school uniform and bring a packed lunch, with their drink bottles as they will be unable to order lunch on this day.

If you have any further questions, please contact your child’s classroom teacher.

Regards,
Grade 5/6 Grade Team

Great News

Our school will be having members from the Hawthorn Football club visiting us on Wednesday 7th March.

Origami

This year Mike Gorham will again be volunteering on Tuesdays in our 3-6 classes, supporting students to create origami. Mike also runs a lunch time program for our Grade 1-6 students. Wellie his dog often accompanies Mike when he is at school and is very popular with our students.

Could you please advise your child’s class teacher if your child is allergic to dogs or has any other issues in relation to dogs. Helen Peart

Parents & Friends

Thank you and Bulb Fundraiser

Thank you so much to the parents who made a donation on book sale days, a total of $278.00 was raised. To add to this we are sending out a Garden Express Fundraiser this week, which has a fantastic range of hardy and easy to grow bulbs for sale.

If you wish to purchase bulbs, please complete the order form on the back of the pamphlet and return to the school office by Tuesday, 20 March.

Class 3 / 4 Gee in Focus

Entries for the Exeter Show

Grade 3 / 4 Gee have entered dressed spoons in the Exeter Show. Here are some of our examples.

Class 5 / 6 Wivell Habel in Focus

5/6 WH started our year drawing portraits in the style of Italian artist Modigliani.

His portraits are famous for

• elongated faces and necks
• faces often skewed to the side
• use of warm colours
• shapes outlined in black

Coles Sports for Schools

School Banking

Community News