As we finish week 8 we have 2 final very busy weeks of 2022 for our school.  Please check through our newsletter and the calendar of events for days and times of all the wonderful events happening in week 9 and 10.

We are very much looking forward to sharing our end of year assembly and Grade 6 awards presentation next Thursday 15^th December at 11:00 am.  As in the past 2 years we will be on the oval with areas marked for the students, for family members to sit on the grass (you can bring your own blanket), and for families that would like to bring their own chairs.  The oval will be open from 10.30 am for families to get comfy ready for the 11 am  start.  The oval is busy up until 10:30 am with final preparations and recess so please do not arrive before then.

As part of the assembly we will also be celebrating the 11 years of Mr Felmingham running our amazing Environment Centre and wishing him all the best for his retirement.  If you would like to add a personal message for Mr Felmingham please let me know and we will make sure it is part of his gift. 

Thank you to Mrs Browning for all the hard work and time that she puts into our wonderful school library  Can all families please ensure that all their childrens borrowed books please be returned to school by the end of next week to allow Mrs Browning to have them all checked in and sorted ready for the start of next year.  Thank you.

What a glorious morning to be outside! What an even better morning to be out at the Domain Athletics Centre! Students in our Motor Program group hopped on the bus and arrived at the centre to practise events in preparation for our Kinder to Year 6 Athletics Carnival next Wednesday.  We were the only people out using the track which was really amazing, usually when we are at the Domain Athletics Centre there are more than 1,000 students from 7 other schools out with us!

We had a look at where athletes jump into the long jump pit, where they throw the javelin, hammer throw and shotput, and where they high jump! We then practised out on the track and in the throwing area! A very enjoyable morning.

We are sure off and racing this term with lots of athletics practise!

On Wednesday we had our first visit from Ben from Little Athletics Tasmania. We discussed with Ben what events are involved in little athletics, played games that tested our reaction times, practised our starting positions in a race, jumping and moving our bodies in different directions and running. All of our students will take home a little athletics flyer this week, we have attached it in the newsletter if you are interested in being involved in little athletics in your local area!

Ben will be back with us next week to practise more running, throwing and jumping athletics skills in preparation for our Kinder to Year 6 Whole School Athletics Carnival next Wednesday 14^th December at 11:00 am-12:30 pm. If you are available on this day it would be fantastic if you could come and cheer on our students!

We will be sitting in our house colours and students are encouraged to wear an item/s of clothing in their house colour! As per our sun smart policy, if they are wearing a coloured top it must have sleeves. If your child is unsure what house colour they are in please see their class teacher, Miss Gourlay or the office. A reminder of our 3 house colours; blue gum - blue, river mint - green and Waratah - red.

Below is the description of each colour and their special meaning for our school community:

Yesterday the 2/3 class visited the Poimena Reserve Disc Golf Course in Austin’s Ferry for some frisbee golf! We had such great weather, and with the beautiful view of the River Derwent in the background it was absolutely perfect conditions to play some Frisbee golf at the Reserve!

The Poimena Reserve Disc Golf course is operated by the Glenorchy Council with the support of local volunteers. Anyone can play and the course is open to the public all year round from dawn until dusk and is free! It is also not that far from the Derwent Valley! If you would like more information about this course please visit their website where you can look at photos, read about events coming up, check out the map and download the scoring sheets: https://poimenadiscgolf.com.au/

We would like to say a big thank you to Mr Andy McLean, Mrs Nicole Stokman, Mrs Rebecca Ferris, Mrs Donna Cross and Ms Abby Hanson for accompanying our groups and assisting our students in scoring! We appreciated your help!

Earlier this year we ran the Wonder bread bags recycling program that earned points to get new sports equipment for our school. With all of the collected bags from our school community we were able to get some lovely new sports equipment. With student voice, we selected basketballs for our recess and lunch time breaks!

We would like to thank our school community for their participation in this special program. Check out our new basketballs ready to hit the court at recess and lunch times!

We would like to thank Mr Rogers and his family for donating basketballs for our students to use during break times! I have no doubt they will enjoyed by all. Thank you!

Last Tuesday 29^th November, Palasa and Mitchell travelled to the Doone Kennedy Aquatic Centre to swim at the SPSSA Champions Swimming Carnival. When you see these two students next, you will have to ask them all about their champions swimming carnival experience. Congratulations to these two swimmers! Thank you to Mr Peter Roberts and Mrs Finn Roberts, Mrs Bernadette Kaitinis and Mr R and Mrs D Lawrence, for transporting Palasa and Mitchell to the pool and cheering them on!

COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses (like the flu) are still circulating in Tasmania. The official COVID-19 risk level has been raised to ‘Moderate’.

Together, we need to keep practising our COVID-safe behaviours to manage the risk.

Simple things we can do:

• do not come to school if unwell – stay home and test
• stay at home while you have symptoms, regardless of the result of a rapid antigen test (RAT)
• cover coughs and sneezes and wash your hands with soap and water, or alcohol-based sanitiser
• try to stay a reasonable distance away from others when you can
• consider wearing a face mask if you wish to – they are readily available for use at the school.

All students should ensure they have access to a quantity of RATs. If you need RATs, please ask for them at the school office so they are in your home ready for use if symptoms develop.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

For any COVID-19 enquiries, please contact the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738, or Department of Education COVID-19 Support Hotline at COVID19support@education.tas.gov.au or on 1800 816 057.

If you need support translating or interpreting this information, contact the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.