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- Principal's Report
- Gold Card
- 3/4A & 3/4B
- Why School Attendance Matters
- School Canteen
- Why self-sufficiency is paramount
- Rethink Waste Tasmania
- A message from CommBank School Banking
- 2022 Student Assistance Scheme (STAS)
- West Ulverstone Child and Family Centre is coming soon
- Launch Into Learning
- COVID-19 Vaccinations for Students aged 12 and over
- School Calendar
- Community News
Congratulations to the students pictured below for being acknowledged for displaying our shared school value of Courage!
Courage – accepting challenges and embracing opportunities
Living the values at WUPS – “everyone has the right to feel welcome and respected”
The best outcomes for children come when schools and families work together. We highly value ‘working positively together between school and home and are seeking your support in living our vision and values at WUPS. We encourage families to take some time to discuss and reinforce our school value of respect: respect to self, others and our environment. These keyways of ‘thinking’ prior to ‘speaking and acting’ are essential in all aspects of our lives, not only when students are at school. We often talk to students about WUPS being our practice community.
Key Messages:
- Everyone has the right to feel respected and safe at school (students, families, staff and visitors)
- Respectful behaviour in our school is everyone’s right and everyone’s responsibility.
Term 4 is a busy time of the year. At the end of this term, a number of events (end of year picnic, colour run, Year 6 Big Day out) are planned for students. These events are a privilege for students. Students who are not following our values of Respect, Courage, Aspiration and Growth will not be invited to attend.
Constable Leesa Poulton (Early Intervention Police Officer) is at school fortnightly on a Monday. Please let me know if you would like to speak to her or a member of the Leadership Team to assist in conversations about respectful behaviour.
Ulverstone Concert
On Wednesday 17 November students from Prep to Year 6 went to the Leven Theatre to watch a performance put on by Ulverstone Secondary College. The performance included singing, musical items, dancing and drama. The WUPS choir preformed The Climb by Miley Cyrus. Students’ confidence grew throughout the performance. We congratulate the choir for showing our value of courage by standing up on stage and singing in front of their peers and USC students. A favourite act was cheer leading.
Yours in partnership
Angela McAuliffe
Principal
Codie 1-2B
For independently thinking of a great ending to the class story and completing an amazing comic. Well done Codie!
Kobe 3-4A
Bailey 1-2B
Temprance 1-2B
Information Reports
This Term 3/4A and 3/4B have been exploring information reports. We have started writing information reports on animals of our choosing and by doing so we have learnt so much about animals. Did you know that some penguins can swim up to 36km/h which is four times faster than an Olympic swimmer? Neither did we until we started our information reports.
Whilst undertaking this unit of work we have talked about all the important components that make up a great animal information report. These components include an introduction, their diet, their appearance, their habitat, their lifecycle, their predator and prey, and even a fun fact.
We have enjoyed this unit of work as we love to research new information on the laptops and write about it. So far, we have collected all the information to put into our reports and next week we plan to start writing our good copies.
Fractions
In maths in 3/4A and 3/4B we have been looking at fractions. We have learnt that a fraction is a part of a whole and that this whole can be a number, an object, or a group of objects. We now know that if you look at a fraction the bottom number is called the denominator. The denominator shows the equal number of parts something is divided into. We also know the top number of a fraction is called the numerator, and this shows how many parts we have out of the whole.
On Tuesday Mr. Barnett hosted a ‘Millionaire Hot Seat’ game show where both classes competed for a prize of ice cream. We took turns to answer questions about fractions playing for the grand prize and we won! This was a great way to test our knowledge on fractions so far and we all LOVED the prize (even the adults!).
On Wednesday, 3/4B used MnM’s to represent their fractions and had lots fun. We enjoyed being able to see the fractions in a hands-on way and we especially enjoyed eating the MnM’s!
We have explored equivalent fractions and are beginning to look at how a fraction can convert into a decimal and how this looks on a number line.
Attending school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students are provided with opportunities to learn at school each day and can connect and build relationships with others in a social setting. Attending and participating in all aspects of school life will help your child develop:
- important skills and knowledge to help them learn and grow
- social and emotional skills such as communication, resilience and teamwork
Children who attend school every day and complete year 12 are more likely to have:
- improved overall health and wellbeing
- a wider range of job opportunities
- job opportunities with higher income
It is important to remember that there is no safe number of school days to miss - each day your child is absent can impact on learning, student connectedness, and a student’s overall sense of school belonging
What do I do if my child is unable to attend school?
Parents or Guardians need to contact the school office as soon as possible and explain why your child is unable to attend school. This can be done by phone, email or a note explaining the absences. We cannot accept siblings notifying the office for absentees.
If contact is not made a text message will be sent to remind parents to contact the school.
As you know the canteen is running every Tuesday until the end of Term 4.
Canteen Order Forms will be available for students from their classroom and available at the office.
To allow us to collate and organise orders, we ask order forms to be returned the Friday, prior to the Tuesday.
A big thank you to Kelly, Narelle and Bianca for making this possible for our school community!
Why self-sufficiency is paramount
Recently, a mother of two primary school children thanked me for the impact one of my presentations had on her parenting style.
When I asked “what was it that made the difference” she said that one particular question I posed in the presentation had the most impact. The question was “What are you regularly doing for your children now that they can do themselves?”
This mother attended my Parenting for Independence seminar after reading my book Spoonfed Generation. My message of developing self-sufficiency in children from the earliest possible age stayed with her.
She said that the independence message really came home to roost when her children went to an international school in Germany two years later. Self-sufficiency was expected at the school so the training she provided them as a result of the seminar such as in teaching them to pack school bags, preparing snacks and assisting with meals, doing daily chores, and getting themselves up each morning helped to prepare them for the expectations of an international school.
Why is self-sufficiency important?
Self-sufficiency, of the ‘I can do it myself’ kind, is the basis of self-esteem and resilience. One of the main developmental tasks is for children and teenagers to gain a sense of control and mastery over their environment. This mastery begins by gaining basic competencies such as being able to feed and dress yourself as a toddler and then gradually adding new competencies as physical and mental capacities allow. The development of children’s independence can be frustrating and time-consuming, particularly if you are time-poor or have a strong perfectionist streak. But that is the price of independence-building.
Step back to allow kids to step up
Respected US parenting and child development expert Dr. Debora Gilboa (aka Dr. G) believes parents need to step back to allow children to step up. It’s a smart phrase that infers that parents need to take on the role of their child’s teacher rather than be the person who is always solving their problems and doing routine tasks for them.
Gilboa says, “It’s crucial that you take a step back and let your kids make mistakes and learn from their experiences. You aren’t going to be there in adulthood to clear the obstacles they face or solve their struggles.” It is through dealing with their own frustrations and learning from their mistakes that kids develop the resilience needed to stand on their own two feet.
Self-sufficiency tips
Gilboa gives the following three tips to develop self-sufficiency in children at any age:
- Problem-solving. When your child or adolescent comes to you with a problem, resist the urge to fix it. Invite them to resolve the problem themselves.
- Welcome failure. This is hard in our perfectionistic world but expect them to struggle and talk about what they can do to get back on their feet.
- Expect them to help. Give them tasks that help the whole family, not just themselves and make sure they do them well. Be patient, but firm.
Self-sufficiency has many forms and many faces, including the ability to problem-solve, emotional self-regulation and taking responsibility for your actions. It’s easiest to develop in children when they are young. This is also because not every child in a family will take to independence as willingly as others.
If developing independence is something that you haven’t focused on before, don’t despair. It’s not too late to start. Begin where you feel comfortable, rather than make huge changes straightaway. Persist rather than give in when you have resisters; the notion of independence is too important for children’s future success.
Michael Grose, founder of Parenting Ideas, is one of Australia’s leading parenting educators. He’s the author of 12 books for parents including Spoonfed Generation and the best-selling Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns Want to Change It. His latest release Anxious Kids, was co-authored with Dr Jodi Richardson
Rethinking Christmas – full of stats about Christmas waste and great ideas to have a fun and waste-free Christmas.
2022 Student Assistance Scheme (STAS)
Did you know?
When your child goes to a Tasmanian Government school you will find that there are costs that you will need to pay. These include levies, school uniforms, excursions and other costs associated with your child’s educational program.
If you are eligible, there are a number of financial assistance schemes available to assist you to cover costs.
Where to start
The levy you pay contributes to the cost of your child’s education program, and includes:
- Items your child uses during the school year such as learning materials and stationery.
- Services, such as school excursions, attending performances and school camps that are part of your child’s educational program.
Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) for 2022 School Year
The Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) provides assistance to low income families towards the cost of levies for students enrolled in a school from kindergarten through to year 12.
STAS is provided through school and college resourcing rather than payments direct to families.
Eligibility
Parents who have a current concession card as listed below can apply for dependent students for assistance under the STAS:
- Services Australia – Centrelink Health Care Card
- Service Australia – Centrelink Low Income Health Care Card
- Services Australia – Pensioner Concession Card or
- Department of Veteran Affairs – Pensioner Concession Card.
To apply for STAS please complete the Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) Application Form.
For further information please view the Frequently Asked Questions.
COVID-19 Vaccinations for Students aged 12 and over
The Tasmanian Government is working hard to provide the COVID-19 vaccination to all Tasmanian’s aged 12 and above.
As you may be aware there have been a number of clinics run in colleges to vaccinate students in years 11 and 12. There will also be a small number of regional high schools that will host a vaccine clinic but this is not something that will be occurring at high schools in larger population centres at this point in time.
However, there are a number of different options available for parents to arrange for students aged 12 and above to be vaccinated, these include:
- At one of the community clinics across the state. Appointments can be made by visiting www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/booking or calling the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738.
- At participating GPs - contact your local GP directly to make a booking.
- At selected pharmacies - find one near you at findapharmacy.com.au
Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself, your family and the wider community from COVID-19. Don’t wait. Vaccinate.
Young people under the age of 16 are encouraged to attend their vaccination appointment with a parent or guardian.
There are a number of places where you are able to find more information in relation to the COVID-19 vaccine. You may like to look at this information with your child to support them in understanding more about the vaccination:
- Information from the Australian Government about COVID-19 vaccines
- Information from the Tasmanian Government about COVID-19 vaccines
- Information from the Western Australia Government through a video presented by Dr Karl Kruszelnicki which answers common questions and dispel myths about COVID-19 vaccines.
Thursday 25 November | Schools Triathlon Challenge |
Thursday 25 November | Year 1/2 Beach to Bush Program |
Friday 26 November | Devonport Show Day - Public Holiday |
Tuesday 30 November | Year 6 Transition Sports Day at USC |
Friday 3 December | Athletics Carnival |
Monday 6 December | School Association Meeting 4:45pm |
Tuesday 7 December | Final Sharing Assembly 1:30pm - Followed by a Community BBQ |
Friday 10 December | Transition Afternoon Kinder - Year 5 |
Monday 13 December | Colour Run 1:30pm |
Thursday 16 December |
Celebration Assembly 10:45am *Invite only due to Covid requirements and venue density |
Thursday 16 December | Last Day for Students |