21 August 2019

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

2019 School Satisfaction Surveys

Today families will receive 2019 School Satisfaction Surveys. Families have the option to complete the survey online or complete the paper copy and return it back to school in the envelope provided. There is a green box provided in the school foyer for the paper copies.

The Department of Education conducts School Satisfaction Surveys every year in all Tasmanian Government schools, to gain feedback on what you think your school does well and where you think it can improve.

We encourage you to complete the survey about Exeter Primary School. Your feedback is important to help inform school planning and decision-making.

All survey responses are anonymous. All feedback goes to the school principal in a report with no individuals identified, and with all comments exactly as worded.

Screen Time for Toddlers

I read and listened with interest this week regarding a recent study into how much screen time is recommended for children under the age of 2 years. The recommend time is zero hours, research by the Queensland of University showed that on average children up to the age of 2 years were watching at least one hour per day. Recent research has shown that too much screen time may contribute to developmental delays. The study highlights the importance of social interaction and early play activities to facilitate development for example; crawling, skipping, grasping objects and drawing. Ongoing research is being conducted to develop guidelines for parents so that they can balance their busy lives and appropriate screen time use.

The study had me reflect on my own children and their use of screen time. As a parent and principal I have long held some concerns around the amount of time children spend on game consoles such as X-Box. Recently I read an article in a newspaper (Source: Sunday Herald Sun) that confirmed my concerns, but also provided some advice to help parents battle the challenges we all face with trying to get our kids off gaming platforms. The article named Fortnite as the most popular game for children, many of them as young as seven engaging in it. The recommendation age for the game is over twelve. For those who are not familiar with Fortnite, it is a game based upon violence, where gamers must kill all other participants to become the last standing avatar. The concern for us all includes;

• Students coming to school sleep deprived due to extended periods of gaming, therefore being too tired to engage in learning. Some students spending the day sleeping in classrooms.
• Students playing out and engaging in unsafe play.
• The exposure to cyberbullying, networking with unknown people across the world, not just their friends.
• Some neuroscience experts are concerned about extended sessions of gaming and the impact on learning and the brain.
• The effect on family relationships.

At the conclusion of the article the following suggestions were provided as a way of managing children’s time on gaming consoles:

• Families draw up a contract that outlines screen time rules, discuss them and have both parents and children sign the contract.
• Ban devices from bedrooms, including laptops and phones.
• Respect the age ratings on games such as Fortnite.
• Set up parent controls around Wi-Fi connections.
• Play your child’s favourite game with them to get an understanding of what is involved in it.

Certainly the use of technology is a great benefit for the way in which we work and interact daily. But we need to ensure that we have the right balance between using technology, communicating face to face and ensuring we are getting out and doing forms of activity away from the screen.

Celebration Assembly Awards

Parents

Student Wellbeing Survey

Attention: Parents and Carers of students in Years 4-6.

The wellbeing of our students is important to us.

To get an understanding of how students across Tasmania feel about their own wellbeing, students in Years 4–6 at Exeter Primary School will be taking part in a wellbeing survey.

The Student Wellbeing Survey is part of the Department of Education’s Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy.

The details for the survey are:

A letter with more information has been sent home with all Year 4-6 students, including Frequently Asked Questions and a form to sign and return to the school if you do not want your child to participate in the survey.

If you would like further information, please contact our school office on 6394 4700.

Thank you for supporting us to ensure that all our learners are safe, feel supported and are able to flourish, so they can engage in learning.

Every Day Counts

School Attendance

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 cannot come to school please contact the school by 9.00am on the day of absence. This can be done by phoning the school office, on 9394 4700, sending an email or via the Schoolzine app.

EVERY MINUTE COUNTS…..

 

 

Your child’s best learning time is at the beginning of the day…

Grade 5-6 Options Day

Yesterday saw all of our Grade 5/6 students and teachers attend Options Day at Exeter High School along with Beaconsfield Primary. Under the guidance of Grade 9 and 10 students, classes had the opportunity to take a tour of EHS, take part in Cooking, MDT, Art, Agricultural Studies and Drama. Classes also had the chance to take part in a competition throughout the day which was aligned with Exeter High School’s values of: Respect, Maturity, Learning and Acceptance. We look forward to sharing photos from throughout the day soon.

Middle Years Literacy Project

After school on Tuesday 6th August, teachers from Beaconsfield Primary School, Exeter Primary School and Exeter High School met and worked together to progress our cluster’s Middle Years Literacy Project (MYLP). The MYLP initiative was started by the Department of Education to support associations of schools to explore ways of teaching and learning that focus on literacy improvement, and which assist students to transition successfully from primary to high school. Consistent with the goals of our project, we have, after 18 months:

• developed and implemented a process for using data to inform the teaching of reading K-10;
• developed, launched and started using our Common Instructional Model, which is displayed in every classroom across our cluster;
• developed our capacity to write high-quality learning intentions and success criteria, thereby giving students a clear sense of what they’re learning and the quality of the work that’s expected of them; and
• familiarised ourselves with, and started using, strategies to help students reflect on and consolidate their learning.

Also, students have participated in enrichment programs in Science, Art and STEAM. Friday 16, saw three teams of BPS/EPS/EHS students are participating in the Write a Book in a Day event at Launceston Library. We’re sure the books they wrote and illustrated will entertain and lift the spirits of the recipients – children in hospitals. At the end of term, the work of the students who participated in the art enrichment program will be showcased at Exeter Primary School’s Arts Afternoon.

Our next whole-of-cluster meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 17th September. Teachers will share and evaluate the strategies they have been using to help students review and reflect on their learning. We look forward to hearing from one-another and trialling strategies our colleagues introduce.

The MYLP continues to provide teachers at BPS, EPS and EHS with opportunities to develop, consolidate and leverage ways of working that enhance the educational experience of all our students. We’ll provide you with more updates in the coming months.

Tahlia Ross, Amy Sims and David Shorter
MYLP Coordinators

Class in Focus

3/4 Zandavar

Grade 3/4 Kitchen Garden

3/4 Z has had a wonderful time participating in the Kitchen/Garden program this term. Students have enjoyed working on various gardening projects including filling jeans with soil to create a jeans planting wall, weeding, planting and making wind vanes to show us the exact direction of the wind. We also look forward to our cooking sessions at Exeter High School soon.

Outdoor Classroom

K-2 Classes Kitchen Garden Program

It has been a busy time in the garden with lots happening each week:

The Prep and Kinder classes had fun making grass heads and planting produce. They have really enjoyed looking for creatures in the garden and testing their cooking skills making savoury muffins and jelly fruit cups.

Grades 1/2 classes have made succulent cups to support the Mother’s Day Stall earlier in the year. They designed pot people in the garden and hanging pansy pots as well as book marks and leaf rubbing on the rainy days. They planted lots of produce ready for the other classes to cook with and hopefully use in the future. They also used the garden produce to create a dip and some very delicious fried rice.

It has been a pleasure to work with all the students and I'm looking forward to working with the Grade 3/4 and 5/6 students this term.

If anyone in our community can spare a few hours a week/fortnight to help maintain our garden (e.g.: weeding/providing garden ideas/support planting sessions) it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact the school for further details.

Liz Jordan

Sport

Schools Triathlon Challenge for 2019, November 28th to be held at Devonport Bluff

Entry forms are now available, please collect your form from the office, details are available on the STC website below:

Students can participate as an individual, in a team or both. (Students only pay $25 regardless of how many events they are entered in).

Exeter Primary School would like all entries back before the school holidays, therefore entries close at our school on 27th September. Money and entry to be given to school office.

On the day I will attend and provide a central meeting place with a tent however students have to organise their own transport to and from Devonport and transport of any bikes.

Peter Habel

Dates to Remember

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