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- Principal's Report
- Student Leader Report
- Gold Card
- School Value Champions
- 2021 School Satisfaction Survey
- 5/6A & 5/6B
- Congratulations Mr Pursell
- Congratulations Mr French and Molly
- Tasmanian JackJumpers Basketball
- Water Colour Paintings
- Anxious Kids? Teach them to take off their anxiety goggles
- Personal Interest Groups (PIs)
- Launching Into Learning
- West Ulverstone Child and Family Centre is coming soon
- School Calendar
- Community News
As we move closer to the end of the Term, it has been great to see and feel the sunshine; there is certainly something about extra light and warmth to recharge energy levels. Spring is definitely in the air!
Last week we welcome Pre kinder students and their families. Mrs Robertson and Sharon are running sessions until Monday, November 29.
Last week we celebrated National Teacher Aide Appreciation Week. A massive thank you to the amazing TA’s who support teachers, students and our WUPS families. We are thankful for everything you do.
Respectful Schools
Over the coming months you may see tv commercials, posters in our school and bus advertising. This is part of an awareness campaign, that is aimed at stopping offensive behaviour towards staff in Tasmanian schools. The simple message coming out of the Campaign is that disrespect in schools is crossing the line and that is not ok.
Our school is committed to providing a safe and secure workplace for all staff, as well as a safe environment for students to learn. We are working to eliminate any instances of offensive behaviour from adults directed towards school staff.
Most school community members respect schools and staff. However, at times schools deal with unacceptable adult behaviour, which may include aggressive, threatening, or violent behaviour. This can occur in the presence of students.
This Campaign has been developed by the Department of Education which included involvement from Principals, school staff and parents.
Some of the key messages from the campaign are:
- Everyone has the right to feel respected and safe at school, including school staff. It’s not just a courtesy, it’s the law.
- The best outcomes for children come when schools and parents work together respectfully.
- Respectful behaviour in our schools is everyone’s right and everyone’s responsibility.
If you would like to discuss any part of the campaign or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact marketing@education.tas.gov.au
Taroona High Band
On Monday 16 August 45 Taroona High School students visited WUPS. They were on tour to the northwest with their Senior Concert and Senior Stage bands and we were fortunate enough for them to perform at our school. It has been well over 10 years since they have done a state tour and Taroona students were excited to hit the road staying at Camp Clayton.
Their visit showcased the talents of 45 grade 9/10 students who performed a 50 min program covering many different styles of music. We enjoyed listening to the band play a few favourites including Harry Potter theme song, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Beast and Defeat of The Beast.
WUPS - North West Primary School Sports Association (NWPSSA) Representatives
Montana Crawford-Cooper and Rubi Coppleman Represented the NWPSSA on Thursday playing against the Launceston School Sports Association teams at the Launceston Exchange. Well done to Rubi and Montana for their participation.
School Association
A big thank you to Di Clark for organising a Father’s Day stall and raffle. Also thank you to Emma Preston and John Worley for assisting at the stall. We raised $430.30 from the stall; we hope our WUPS dads had a great Father’s Day. Congratulations to Tyran Ellison who won the raffle.
Yours in partnership
Angela McAuliffe
Principal
Footy Colours Day
As a reminder on Friday the 17 of September our school will be hosting a footy colours day. You can wear scarves, beanies, socks etc in the colours of football teams (AFL, NRL or A League). Please bring a gold coin donation. This is not a casual clothes day.
Talent Quest
We would like to say a big thank you to all WUPS families who came to this year’s Talent Quest. Also a big thank you to Ms Paterson and Mayor Bonde for making themselves available to be guest judges. Well done to all WUPS students who showed our value of courage to go up on stage. Congratulations to,
First place winners were Leo and Jameson Coote singing Shotgun and Eloise Small singing Dance Monkey.
Second place winners were the Preps doing the Hungry Giant dance.
Third place winners, Riley Small and Michael Parker, for doing a comedy act and Paige Lehman dancing to I Need A Hero in a dinosaur costume.
Transition
For the past two weeks our Year 6 students have been doing activities in Mr Gee’s class. These activities are to prepare us for Year 7 in 2022. On Friday the 17 of September the we will travel the Ulverstone Secondary Collage (USC) to do cooking class. Every Friday until Week 4 Term 4 we will visit USC to try out some of the classes. Here are some thoughts from different students about transition.
Sebastian Bellchambers – I’m very excited for the new Technology opportunities.
Jack Kingston – I’m excited to find out the different types of mathematics that we could learn.
Axle Pitchford – Making new friends and learning new things.
Monique Robinson – Making new friends and wood and metal work.
Written by Corben, Paige and Connor
Jason 1-2B
This term, we are focussing on our value of Growth. During our school meetings held on Mondays and Fridays, a student from each class is recognised for their Growth.
Congratulations to the students pictured for being acknowledged for displaying our shared school value of Growth!
2021 School Satisfaction Survey
Each year the Department of Education conducts School Satisfaction Surveys in Tasmanian Government schools, to gain feedback on what you think our schools do well and where you think we may improve.
We encourage you to complete the survey about West Ulverstone Primary School. Your feedback is very important to help us inform our school planning and decision-making.
You can complete the online survey at any time until Friday 17 September 2021.
All responses are anonymous and confidential with the survey carried out on a secure website.
Feedback is only accessible to the school principal, teachers and relevant Department of Education staff, in online summary report formats with no individuals or families identifiable.
For any assistance please contact Education Performance and Review by emailing: schoolsurveys@education.tas.gov.au.
Thank you for taking the time to fill in this survey.
5/6 classes wrote these reflections on their Brickendon Excursion
My favourite part of the Brickendon Excursion was the convict buildings, because they didn’t collapse on us. Lots of time went into building the structures and how they were able to build it from scratch.
I was surprised by how they constructed all those buildings without any help from machines.
I would recommend a Brickendon Excursion to people who like to see history with their own eyes.
By Corben
I liked the feeling of feeding the sheep and touching the donkey. I didn’t like the drive because it was too noisy and you couldn’t eat or drink. I find it crazy how everything has changed to mechanical machines from handheld shears.
I think my nan should go because I think she would enjoy it and she would like the houses and the history of the convicts.
By Kobi
- My favourite part of Brickendon Excursion was the little house because it was so cute and tiny and it was 200 hundred years old.
- I was surprised by how big the pigs were. They were massive.
- I would recommend a Brickendon Excursion to people who love old stuff and animals.
By Lily
My favourite part of the Brickendon Excursion was feeding the animals because I liked it how they ate out of your hands.
I was surprised by how old the buildings were and how the convicts built all of them from scratch.
I would recommend a Brickendon Excursion to my nan and pop because they like old things.
By Connor
My favourite part of the excursion was feeding the ducks and the sheep because they were cute, and they ate out of my hand.
I was surprised by how old the buildings were and how they kept the grain dry.
I would recommend a Brickendon Excursion to my pop because I think he would find it really interesting to learn about the convicts.
By Paige
- My favourite part about the Brickendon Excursion was feeding all the animals like the ducks, sheep, donkey, roosters and the turkeys. The reason I loved the animals so much is because they were very friendly and when you fed them, they didn’t bite.
- I was surprised by how big the cow was and how much it ate. I was also surprised by how old the buildings were and how they are still being used. They used to use them for different purposes though.
- I am going to recommend the Brickendon Excursion to Mum and Dad.
By Sienna
We used our spelling words to make this Word Art
We have been learning to use visualisation to help our Reading Comprehension. These quilts are an example.
Congratulations to Mr Damien Pursell, who was recently selected as an award recipient for the Tasmanian AFL Volunteer Award.
Damien Pursell – AFL Primary School Ambassador
Damien works with several schools across the North West Coast, helping to deliver AFL programs into schools and allowing kids to experience football in a safe and inclusive environment.
His passion to grow the game and to help develop football in schools is immense, giving students the ability to enjoy the game when they may not have the opportunity elsewhere.
Further information can be found at - Tasmanian winners of AFL Volunteer Awards announced | AFL Tasmania
Congratulations Mr French and Molly
A huge congratulations to Mr Alex French and his partner Molly, on the safe arrival of Charlie French on 4.08.2021.
Tasmanian JackJumpers Basketball
A huge thank you to "Jack the Jumper" and Michael Karena from the Tasmanian JackJumpers Basketball team for visiting our school and running some skill sessions with our Year 3/4 students.
Anxious Kids? Teach them to take off their anxiety goggles
Do you find it hard to focus on the present?
There’s always so much to do and plan for as parents. It’s no wonder our minds wander so much. But to think that we spend nearly half of our lives thinking about things other than what we are doing means there’s an awful lot we’re missing out on.
When we’re fully engaged with what’s happening, there’s so much to experience. Bringing our thoughts back to the present moment can be like landing them on a calm, quiet, relaxed island in the midst of stormy seas.
When our minds wander to troubling thoughts, we end up experiencing pain and suffering at times when we’re often warm and dry, fed and watered, safe and secure. Like when we’re in bed. Snug and relaxed in our comfy beds, our doona keeping us warm (or a sheet to keep us cool), with a lovely soft place to lay our heads. Could we be more content in that moment? If only our minds would stay with us!
It’s the same with our kids. It’s often at the end of the day when they’re no longer engaged in activities that they begin to think and worry.
Their minds are far away from the reality of being safe in their rooms with loving family close by but they are sick with worry about future events.
Sometimes thoughts are so ‘sticky’ it’s hard to let go
It’s hard being a wandering minds back to the present when we’re so swept up in our worries. It takes practice to notice a wandering mind, gently ‘unhook’ from the thought and return our attention to the present moment. That’s the practice of mindfulness. Notice, unhook, return, repeat.
Put your head where your hands are
A lovely woman at one of my retreats told me her grandma’s favourite saying was “put your head where your hands are” meaning think about what it is you’re doing while you’re doing it. That’s smart!
Noticing our thoughts are wandering and bringing our attention back to what we’re actually doing is a skill, which gets easier with practice. It’s a powerful skill to teach kids as it to gives them perspective and importantly, the space they need for positive change.
Viewing the world through anxiety goggles
When our kids feel anxious they look at what’s happening around them through ‘anxiety goggles’. It’s like when you look through a pair of glasses with red lenses and everything looks red. Take them off and all is clear again. What if we could help our kids to take off their anxiety goggles and learn to look at their thoughts rather than from them? It would bring them such relief.
Creating a lovely space between our kids and what they’re thinking
We can help our kids do this by developing their metacognition (thought-noticing) skills. That way, when their minds wander to their worries and troubles they can notice they’re actually ‘lost in thought’ and not really experiencing the events they are thinking about. It would help them to ‘unhook’ from their daydreaming and importantly, bring their minds back to the present moment.
Thought-noticing
This is a wonderful skillset which helps our kids to manage their mental health. When kids tune into their thinking, they immediately distance themselves from it. Rather than being lost in the thoughts that are making them feel anxious, they can mentally step back and see the thought for what it is. Just another thought that comes and goes like all the ones before and all the ones to come.
Teaching thought-noticing to kids
There are many ways to teach thought noticing to kids. Look at these ideas like a ‘Choose your own adventure’. Start where you like and go in any direction that feels right for you and your family. If the idea you try isn’t quite the right fit, choose another!
- Do you hear what I hear? Lay down comfortably side by side and spend 2 minutes listening for any sounds you can hear, near or far. When you’re finished, compare what you heard and open a discussion about how our minds often wander away with our thoughts. Kids will know this as ‘daydreaming’. Share how your mind wandered and invite your child to do the same.
- Tell me more… Day-to-day conversations are great for thought noticing. It’s about asking the right questions. Here are some examples to get the thought noticing conversation started: “Can you tell me more about why you think that? Why do you think you got so upset when we had to go straight home? Why do you think you’re putting off doing your homework? How will you know when your painting is complete?”
- Name your mind. If we get our kids to give their minds a name, we open up opportunities to ask them different questions. For instance, if your child name’s his/her mind Sam. You can ask your child what Sam is thinking. This encourages your child to step back and take a helicopter view of him or herself.
- Post-meltdown reflection In the aftermath of a meltdown or outburst, when calm has returned and your child or teen has moved on, take some time to ask why he/she got so upset over what happened? Ask questions like “what did your mind say to make you feel upset?” for younger children or “can you tell me what you were thinking that made you feel so angry, frustrated, disappointed etc.?” for older kids.
Developing metacognition or ‘thinking about thinking’ skills fosters self-regulation among children. As contributing to children’s mental health and happiness, metacognition helps kids be more successful, more resilient and be able to problem-solve because they are less likely to get caught up in their worries.
And remember, your GP is a great place to start if you have any issues with your kids that you’d like reassurance or advice on. Make time for a chat.
Meet our Experts
Dr Jodi Richardson
Jodi is a happiness and wellbeing speaker and writer, and is mum to two primary school aged kids who light her up. For more great ideas on flourishing mental health for the whole family, subscribe to her newsletter at drjodirichardson.com.au and say hello on facebook.com/DrJodiRichardson.
Personal Interest Groups (PIs)
On Wednesday afternoons, our students have been thoroughly enjoying their Personal Interest Groups (PIs). Students recently had the opportunity to change their group and had a wonderful afternoon on Wednesday participating in their new PI groups. Groups include; building and construction, fitness, science experiments, craft & knitting, lego challenges, painting & drawing, music, sports, men's shed and cooking.
Tuesday 14 September | Whole School Assembly 2pm |
Friday 17 September | Footy Colours Day |
Friday 24 September | Last Day of Term 3 |
Monday 11 October | Term 4 Commences |
Monday 11 October | School Association Meeting 4:45pm - 5:45pm |
Wednesday 27 October | Spring BBQ |
Friday 29 October | Student Free Day (Professional Learning Day) |
Wednesday 24 November | Year 6 Orientation Day |