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Dear Parents and Families,
I hope that as restrictions ease and we return to some of our normal routines and way of life, people are feeling positive and have a greater sense of optimism. Our school is certainly looking forward to having all students back on-site next week. In the last fortnight we have seen a larger number of students returning to school, enjoying seeing friends and teachers and settling back into school routines. While there is a sense of excitement about next week, we know this time also comes with some challenges and people will be experiencing a range of emotions. For some this will include feeling nervous, worried or anxious. Given the challenging time that we have been through, experiencing the full breadth of emotions is fairly normal. I would like to assure families that our focus for next week will be on supporting a smooth transition for all students. This will include reconnecting students and re-establishing relationships. We appreciate that as a result of the pandemic the experiences and challenges for students and families has varied considerably and we are mindful of the need to provide support and cater for individual needs. People cope and adjust in different ways. The strength of our Grade structure support, along with the work of our Support Team, will provide a focus on wellbeing for all students.
In order to support a positive return for all students, we will be ensuring some additional time in Home Group during next week, with a focus on activities that will reconnect students, re-establish relationships and foster team building. We will also be revisiting routines, with an emphasis on high expectations that align to and reinforce our school values of Courage, Aspiration, Respect and Endeavour.
Next week will also provide the opportunity for teachers to check in and monitor how students are progressing with learning in the different subject areas. While there has been ongoing communication during the time that students have been away, we know the advantage of being able to have face to face conversations. This will inform and guide teachers with decisions about where reteaching of key concepts, skills and understandings needs to happen. We are very mindful to provide opportunities for students to catch up, revisit learning as needed and ensure student learning is not disadvantaged as a result of recent circumstances. For next week, the opportunity to get back into routines, work in more collaborative ways and enjoy some of the hands on and practical learning, will be something that both staff and students are keen to progress.
As students settle back into school, we are also very keen to create opportunities to listen to student voice about their experiences as learners in recent weeks and months. During this time, our students have had to take a greater responsibility for their own learning than has ever been experienced before. We will be optimising opportunities for students to reflect on their progress and their enhanced awareness about themselves as learners. This is a golden opportunity and one that I am sure will be very insightful for us as a school. We are very keen to use this thinking and feedback to guide and inform teaching and learning, to refine practices and to evolve even greater flexibility in how we might differentiate, support and engage students.
During this time, both staff and students have had to make a rapid adjustment to working in new and different ways, particularly embracing a greater use of technology. There have been many positives from the increased skills during this time and I know that many students have found these ways of working engaging and teachers have benefited from the increased opportunity to collaborate and to teach in different ways. The silver lining in our current situation is that there are some new ways of teaching and learning evolving and that our school, like many other schools, will be reflecting in coming weeks on what we will take away from this time, in order to become an even better school.
On behalf of our school community, my genuine thanks to our staff team, for their resilience, flexibility and commitment to students, both their wellbeing and their learning. The many messages from families during this time is a strong reflection of how much the efforts of our school have been valued and we greatly appreciate people taking the time to pass on their thanks. The partnership between school and family has never been stronger; these are relationships we need to continue to maintain and strengthen. Many parents have commented to me about their renewed appreciation for teachers and the work they do. It is also fantastic to hear many parents explain that they have valued the opportunity to support student learning and have a much better understanding of what students are learning.
Students returning to school are noticing how much our redevelopment has progressed in recent weeks. It is exciting to have our new Cafeteria and Common Room, along with our Library and CARE Centre now open and available to students. Landscaping work shows new progress each day and with just a few weeks to go, until our redevelopment is completed, it is exciting to see it all coming together. We will be working with students next week to support them in becoming more familiar with the new areas, altered access points and walkways, along with the expectations for these facilities. Parents dropping students off or visiting the school will notice our new front entrance is taking shape. A new visitor car park near the front administration entrance will be open in coming weeks and some new signage will assist with drop off points and parking. Please be mindful that while this is completed over the next fortnight, Brownfield Lane is very busy and we would appreciate people being careful to follow all signage and drive carefully as we adjust to these changes.
Protocols in our school during COVID-19
Public Health advice is clear – it is safe for schools to be open. This is because we have a low rate of Coronavirus (COVID-19) community spread in Tasmania and there has been increased and expanded testing. To reduce the risk even further, schools have hygiene and physical distancing measures in place.
While it is safe to send your child/ren to school, we still need adults to maintain a distance from other adults, whilst on site.
To help us with adult physical distancing, we are asking all parents/carers to be mindful of the following:
- When picking up and dropping off students at school, please don’t get out of your car.
- If you need to contact the school or communicate with a teacher, please use phone or email wherever possible. Face to face meetings will be minimised and only held when necessary.
- If you need to call into the Admin Office, please follow our physical distancing protocols and signage.
- We would also like to reinforce the need for any visitors to our school to enter through Admin and be signed in as visitors. We currently have many community members who are using our grounds as a thoroughfare and a space for dog walking. This is concerning for student and staff safety, so your support with encouraging others to comply with not wandering through our grounds during the school day and ensuring that visitors are here for school matters only, would be greatly appreciated.
We want to make school as safe as possible for everyone. Feel free to ask questions if you require any further information. These things won’t be forever, but we all have a shared responsibility to act in a way that supports everyone being safe.
More information is available on the Department of Education website: www.education.tas.gov.au
In Closing
We look forward to welcoming all students back next week. If you need assistance and support from teaching staff, members of the leadership team or our professional support staff, please do not hesitate to make contact at any stage. We are very keen to continue working with you to support a positive return for everyone. Thank-you very much to parents and families for your support of students and for working so closely with us throughout this time.
Enjoy the long weekend,
Ms Natalie Odgers
At the end of Term 1, students in some Grade 8 HASS classes explored the Viking era. They were tasked with creating dioramas, longships, recipe books, armour and/or cooking utensils to showcase their knowledge and understanding of this period in time.
The work produced was outstanding. Here are just some amazing samples which reveal the dedication, skills, understanding and enthusiasm with which our students approached this unit.
Canteen Daily Specials for Winter
Monday |
BBQ Chicken Breast Wraps (toasted or untoasted) |
Tuesday |
Loaded Wedges with Bacon Cheese (optional guacamole sour cream and sweet chilli) |
Wednesday |
Nachos |
Thursday |
Chicken Curry |
Friday |
Burgers – Chicken, Beef, Fish and Veg |
Reminder that soup (vegetarian) is available at recess and lunchtime – $1.00 small and $2.00 large.
Canteen orders - Qkr App – Getting started is easy – try it yourself today, just follow the instructions to download on your device.
Metro Buses – please be aware of an additional service to the Trevallyn area (not a change of route but an extra bus).
MORNING
Route 845N from Trevallyn to Riverside High will commence from Coulter St Trevallyn at 7:55am, then via normal Route 845 (New World Ave, Reatta Rd, Pitt Ave, Pomona Rd, West Tamar Rd, Brownfield Ln) to Riverside High. The 'regular' Route 845 school bus will continue to operate to its normal route and timetable.
AFTERNOON
Route 862 from Riverside High to City via Trevallyn, departing Riverside High Stop 3 at 3:25pm. This service will operate in addition to the existing Route 862 which departs Riverside High at 3:16pm.
West Tamar Youth Website - NOW LIVE
We are pleased to announce the new www.westtamaryouth.com.au website is now live!
This website is designed to be a central platform for West Tamar young people accessing support, connecting with youth news and events, having fun and engaging with Council’s program on one platform. We would like to encourage you to connect with us on the website by promoting it, sending through any relevant information you may want to share on the site (eg. events/competitions/services offered) and to utilise the website as much as possible!
Some features to note about the website include:
- Youth News - https://westtamaryouth.com.au/youth-news - regular news and announcements related to young people. Youth organisations and schools are able to use this platform as well!
- Youth Programs and Events - https://westtamaryouth.com.au/youth-programs-events - gives an overview of what Council offers for young people.
- Sports & Support - https://westtamaryouth.com.au/sports-support-services - lists of groups and support services are available for young people. No doubt more information will be added in the near future!
- Youth Mayor Program - https://westtamaryouth.com.au/youth-mayor-program - Our Youth Mayor Program is now available for applications!
- Have Fun! - https://westtamaryouth.com.au/online-activities - features online activities, park scavenger hunts and other competitions where prizes are up for grabs.
There is a lot more to discover and we encourage you to connect and have a look for yourself. As it’s fresh and new, we invite you to share feedback and suggestions along the way.
COMPETITION ALERT!!! To celebrate this website going live, we want to give away 5 x $10 vouchers from local businesses. All you need to do is show us that you’ve added the website to your home screen and share it to https://www.facebook.com/YACWestTamar/videos/683863278839260/ or tag YAC West Tamar on Instagram.