How quickly this school term is moving, and it looks as though it will continue to propel forward at speed. 

I am pleased to report that the positive and productive start to the school year continues. We have our Grade 7 Camp completed and our Grade 8 Camp afoot, there’s our Grade 3-12 School Athletic Carnival coming up and our K-2 Athletics Fun Day to prepare for. We held our Community and Family Welcome BBQ on Thursday afternoon. By the close of the term, we plan to have the 2023/2024 Student Leadership Team elected. In the meantime, our current 2022/2023 student leaders are to be commended on the work they have been undertaking to make sure our school has a strong student voice. Of course, in all of this, our commitment to student learning remains our essential focus. As a school we remain fully committed to placing our Learners First. The many events we have on offer help to build connection and resilience. We continue to work hard to build a culture of high expectations and high achievement.

Please be aware the School Association AGM is coming up on the 27^th March. This is a great opportunity to be a voice for parents, carers or the broader community. PLease contact our school office if you would like more information about our School Association.

We also have NAPLAN (National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy) taking place this term. NAPLAN commences on Wednesday 15 March and runs until Monday 27 March. This is an important time for schools. Students in Grades 3, 5, 7 and 9 engage in NAPLAN. NAPLAN tests are one aspect of our school’s assessment and reporting process and it is important to note these do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. Each teacher will have the best insight into our students’ educational progress. Parents and carers can use NAPLAN reports, along with other school assessment reports, to discuss their child’s strengths and areas for improvement with their teacher. 

As always, our school welcomes contact to discuss student progress and welfare. Please do not hesitate to contact the school should you have any matters you would like to discuss. Our friendly front office staff will be best positioned to direct your call or help you make contact so you can organise a time to catch up. 

In this newsletter we have also included a short article titled ‘Every School Day Matters’. I hope you can make time to have a look through.  If you are experiencing attendance challenges, please reach out, we are here to help and support. 

Shiv Khera - “Your positive action combined with positive thinking results in success.”  

Every School Day Matters

Keep the school year on the right track by making every school day count. Check out this new video:

Every school day matters - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hSg5_ys-2w 

There are lots of things you can do to set your child up for success:

Make sure your child goes to school, every day

Going to school every day gives your child every chance to learn and grow, and connect with their mates and teachers. It’s where bright futures start and where they’ll benefit the most.

Get them excited for school

If you show a positive attitude and excitement towards school, your child will pick up on that.

The most common thing we hear from students, of all ages, is that school is where they can:

• spend time with their friends and teachers
• create new and fun experiences
• find their interests
• learn new things
• open up their options – for whatever future they want (whether that’s their dream job or to travel around the world).

Share these positives with your child. 

Talk to your child about school

Open up a conversation with your child about what’s happening at school. It will help you to better support their interests and confidence in learning. If you show an interest in school, they’ll know that getting an education is important and valued.

Celebrate the milestones

Big and small! Celebrate milestones such as making it through the first day or week of school. And remember: all milestones look different. If it’s a big achievement for your child, it’s important to recognise it.

Set up a time to talk to your child’s teacher or the principal

If you’re struggling to get your child to school, help is available. Please talk to us at school about your situation. We’ll support you, in whatever way we can.

Know when to seek help

There is no weakness in admitting you need help. If your child has completely disengaged with school, and is not attending at all, there is support to help you. In the first instance, talk to us at school.

For more helpful tips, please check out the 

Anything can happen - Department of Education, Tasmania.

https://anything.tas.gov.au/ 

Students will be sitting NAPLAN between 15 and 27 March 2023.

The National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance; however, students and parents may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.

This is the first year NAPLAN will be held in March, having previously taken place in May. This change was made so school systems would have access to results earlier in the school year, so they can be used to inform teaching and learning plans for the remainder of the year.

Why NAPLAN is conducted online

NAPLAN online provides a better assessment and more precise results.

One of the main benefits of NAPLAN online is that it uses tailored (or adaptive) testing. This means that students receive questions better suited to their abilities, so they can show what they know and can do.

Online testing also allows us to provide a wide range of accessibility options to support students with disability to access NAPLAN.

Feedback from students is that they find the online test more engaging.

Please note that students in Year 3 complete the Writing Test on paper.

Parent information brochures and other resources

Your questions answered on NAPLAN and what it means for your child: NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers

The link will take you to the official National Assessment Program (NAP) website.

Please contact the school if you have any further queries.

On Wednesday 22^nd February, 21 adventurous Grade 7 students and 4 brave teaching staff set out for a 3-day camp on Tassie’s east coast. We all arrived at our camp site, The Spring Bay Mill at Triabunna, just after 10 am. The students were assigned to their homes-away-from-home, generous glamping tents. They soon unpacked and settled in before we were given a guided tour of the site and a brief overview of the history by Mark #1. After walking around the enormous site for approximately 90 mins, we then made our way back to camp for lunch.

After lunch we joined Mark #2 and Robin for a taste of native foods grown on the site. We then got our hands dirty in the worm farms and harvested some seed from local Oyster Bay pines and sheoaks. An evening meal of spaghetti bolognaise, barbeque zucchini salad and potato chips on the barbeque was then enjoyed by all.

Day 2 started early, with many needing to be nudged out of bed. We were heading to Maria Island and needed to leave at 9 am to meet the ferry. After washing our boots and greeting our Discovery ranger, Reyne, we all trouped onto the ferry for an exhilarating trip across to Maria.

After disembarking from the ferry, we headed inland away from Darlington to the convict-built reservoir. On the way we saw some of the local wildlife, including Cape Barren Geese and small wallabies. We then had lunch at the reservoir before leaving to return to Darlington. After having a brief stop, we then walked around to the Painted Cliffs, on the western side of the island. The beach was pristine, and some couldn’t resist paddling in the water, even with their clothes on.

After exploring the cliffs and rock pools we then returned to Darlington to meet the ferry for the return trip. A lone wombat was spotted on the way back. The return trip across the Mercury Passage was very exciting, with many passengers, including the students being tossed up in their seats. It was very entertaining. Dinner was tasty hamburgers and barbeque chips. Dessert was chocolate mudcake, in celebration of Maddy’s birthday, and golden syrup dumplings prepared by Dale.

Our last day started a bit slower than Day 2, with most enjoying a cooked breakfast of eggs and bacon. We then joined Mark #2 and his team to participate in activities in the Garden. We helped to build a new garden bed, plant seedlings, harvest sunflower seeds and some even picked sunflowers to take home. After a barbeque lunch and three days of fantastic weather, excellent learning opportunities and trying new things, it was finally time to head back to school.

I would like to thank the students for working together to make this a great experience for everyone. I am grateful to my fellow teaching staff, Dale Westhorpe, Sonja Gangell and Noel Cramp, for joining me and assisting in cooking, driving and working with the students. I would also like to thank the staff at The Spring Bay Mill and Reyne, our Discovery ranger. From Mrs Gatehouse 

School Photo Day will be Tuesday 14th March. 

Please don't forget to order your child/childrens photos through the QR Code that was sent home in the validation packs at the start of the year. If you have any questions please contact the School Office or Pied Piper Portraits www.piedpiperportraits.com.au

 Hello, my name is Hilary Semmens, and I am the School Health Nurse for Campania District School.

This term I will be at the school each Thursday and every second Friday.

I will be conducting free vision checks for all Grade 7 students. A letter regarding these vision checks will be sent home with students in the coming weeks. If you don’t receive this letter and would like to know more, or if you do not wish for your child to participate, please contact the office to leave a message for me.

Please let the office or you child’s teacher know if you would like to catch up with me, either in person or via phone, to discuss any health concerns you have regarding your child.