Issue 16, 28 October 2022, Week 2 Term 4

Dear Families,

What a busy start to Term 4 for our staff and students. Students are well into the swing of tackling new learning experiences and building on the important learning they achieved in Term 3. With Spring now here and days becoming warmer, we plan to have many more outside play opportunities to engage our students in the playground. We look forward to reporting on these opportunities in the upcoming weeks.

Over the term break we upgraded our Upper Primary play equipment, including a fresh coat of paint. This was the beginning of several upgrades we have planned to make to all play spaces across the school. In the coming months it is our aim to introduce more seating areas for our Year 3–6 students to enjoy, as well as a new piece of equipment that will be located close to the school oval.  We certainly hope to make these spaces a place our children will enjoy for years to come.

We anticipate another packed schedule this term for both students and staff. While many of our annual whole school events are held later in Term 4, I know how important it is to book in leave or other care arrangements so that you can join us for these celebrations.

Important dates to remember for Term 4 include:

• School Association Term meetings; Tuesday 1 November at 1.45 pm and Tuesday 6 December at 6.30 pm. 
• Year 5/6 School Camp in Week 5 of this term, week beginning Monday 14 November.
• Face-to-Face Parent Teacher Discussions for all classes beginning on Monday 12 December.
• Year 6 Big Day Out on Tuesday 20 December.
• Meet the Teacher on Wednesday 21 December.
• Year 6 Leavers Assembly on Wednesday 21 December.

There will be detailed information sent home via all of our communication platforms closer to each date. However do not hesitate in contacting your child’s teacher or the office directly should you need any information or have any questions.

Athletics Carnival

Wow, what marvellous Athletics Carnivals last Tuesday and Wednesday! Thank you and congratulations to everyone who participated. I was so impressed with the atmosphere and level of engagement in the day. The House Captains did an outstanding job leading classes, and the level of enthusiasm and encouragement by all was brilliant to see. A special thanks to Mrs Cockerell for her outstanding leadership and organisation. Mrs Cockerell was onsite from 6.30am each day to set up and ensure each day was a huge success. It was great to see so many students participate with huge smiles on their faces. Thank you to everyone who came along to support our amazing students. It was great to be able to have families back on school site supporting these important school events.

Student Wellbeing Survey Results

The Child and Student Wellbeing survey commits to the development of valid and reliable measures of child and student wellbeing. The data gathered informs future effort and planning at Kingston Primary School. This is a universal approach to wellbeing as it provides a platform for all students in Years 4, 5 and 6.

Those year groups undertook the Student Wellbeing Survey in August this year, and the student survey results will be used to guide and support whole school approaches to student wellbeing. As a school we were particularly pleased with the level of student engagement. It was fabulous to see what we were doing well and the areas we will plan to improve. Our results improved in nearly all of the areas assessed. Areas that our students were particularly pleased with included feeling connected to an adult at school, feeling connected to their peers at school, and identifying a person they can emotionally connect with. An area that our staff were particularly excited about was the lack of bullying at our school. We have worked incredibly hard in extinguishing these behaviours and feel pleased students are reporting this. However six percent of our cohort still feel a concern in this area so we will continue to work to address this for our students. This survey will continue to be delivered annually.

Hats Off to Teachers – World Teachers Day (Australia)

Today is World Teachers Day (Australia). The theme is ‘Hats Off To Teachers’. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our fabulous team of teachers. I feel incredibly lucky to lead such a dedicated, talented and committed team.

Pre Kinder Sessions

This week we commenced Pre-Kinder sessions for those children who are enrolled for Kindergarten in 2023. It was so lovely to meet new families and children joining our school community. These sessions are a fantastic introduction to our school community. Pre-Kinder sessions help build strong friendships and partnerships before next year, and where parents/carers will have the opportunity to spend time with their children engaging in learning through play.

We still have a handful of vacancies for Kindergarten in 2023. If you have a Kindergarten aged child for 2023 (a child born in 2018), it is vital that you collect an Enrolment Pack from the school office, and return it as soon as possible so we can secure your enrolment. We start allocating 2023 Kindergarten children into classes over the next few weeks and want to make sure we have included all of our current families who have siblings in older grades. If you have any questions around this process or your child’s placement for 2023 do not hesitate in contacting Miss Crane at school directly or via email – angela.crane@education.tas.gov.au.

Pre-Kinder sessions will take place on the following days between 1.45pm – 2.45pm:

TERM 4

Week 3           Tuesday 1 November (Mrs Jess Suffolk)
Week 4           Tuesday 8 November (Mrs Anita Grey)
Week 5           Tuesday 15 November (Mrs Jess Suffolk)
Week 6           Tuesday 22 November (Mrs Anita Grey)
Week 7           Tuesday 29 November (Mrs Jess Suffolk)

A Parent/Carer Expo and Information Session will be held on 6 December between 1.45pm – 2.45pm.

If you have any questions feel free to contact Anita Grey, Jess Suffolk or the School Office. We look forward to seeing you soon.

It has been a lovely start to the term. I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing our students so immersed in their learning. As always, should you have any questions or queries about the school, please do not hesitate in contacting me. I look forward to Term 4 and witnessing all that Kingston Primary will continue to achieve.

Have you purchased a ticket in our MEGA RAFFLE? With 33 prizes, and valued at almost $5,000, we are sure there is something in it for everyone! Tickets are only $4.00 each and can be purchased by scanning the below QR code with your phone. Or type this address into your internet browser:

The raffle will be drawn on Tuesday 13 December at 11.30am in the school office area. Our Target 10,000 Parents and Friends Fundraising Team have worked hard to create this amazing raffle – please share with all your family and friends!

Kingston Primary School Community Association is coordinating a Crazy Camel Fundraising event to raise funds towards Target10,000 for our awesome school. This is a school wide event which takes your child/ren’s artwork and turns it into keepsakes your families will love. They will also make great Christmas presents!

We are running a school lunch BBQ Fundraiser on Wednesday 23 November, sponsored by Woolworths. This is a great opportunity for us to raise money towards Target10,000 and allow you to take a day off packing lunch!!