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AGM School Association
On Tuesday the 9th of March we held our School Association AGM. Below are the names of our new members and office bearers
- Jarrod Cole – Chair
- Kara Bonney – Vice Chair
- Susan Jones– Treasurer
- Kayla Pyke – Secretary
- Amanda Lloyd – Vice Secretary
- Ben Jones – Staff Representative
- Melissa Carpenter – Parent Group Representative
- Ray Yaxley – Parent member
- Helen Clarke – Parent member
- Bec Evans – Staff member
- Paula Pearce – Principal
A big thank you to our outgoing member Letisha Kirkland for her many years of service and dedication, not only to the School Association but also managing uniforms, volunteering with fundraising events, canteen volunteer and cooking the Xmas Roast.
The purpose of the School Association is to provide members with a way to participate and be involved in supporting the school. All parents and carers are invited to attend meetings which are advertised in our Newsletter with agenda items outlined. Please remember you can speak to any of our parent representatives listed above if you would like further information or clarity.
Progress Reports
All students from Prep-6 will bring home their Progress Report today. The Progress Report is an extra report that we provide to give a short snapshot of how your child has settled into the school year. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your child’s progress so far, please make contact with your classroom teacher via a phone call. In Term 2 you will receive a more detailed report with ratings against areas of the curriculum plus the opportunity for a more formal Parent Teacher meeting.
Please note: recommendations from the DoE 2021 reporting review are being finalised. Once the new requirements are known, we will discuss with the School Association and negotiate our reporting agreement for 2022.
Restorative Practice
As outlined in our Positive Behaviour Support Policy and reinforced in several newsletters over the last few years, we have developed a whole school approach which focuses on restorative practice. This usually involves discussions based around a core set of questions:
- What happened?
- What were you thinking? What are you thinking now?
- Who has been hurt or is sad because of what you have done?
- What do you need to do to make things right?
- What will you do differently next time?
In some cases, after the discussion, students complete a restorative reflection sheet which incorporates some of the questions above plus the language associated with our Zones of Regulation. Students then take their sheet home to assist them in explaining to their parents/carers the mistake they made and the actions they are going to take in the future. By sending the sheet home it not only keeps parents informed of what is happening at school but it also gives students responsibility in explaining and reflecting on their own behaviour. We then ask parents/carers to sign the bottom of the sheet and return it to school in acknowledgment that they have received the information. Of course, if the behaviour is of a more serious nature or if it is a pattern of behaviour, we will contact you prior to the sheet going home and may also suggest a meeting to discuss further.
Working in a restorative way:
- aligns with our values
- establishes environments where students feel safe, valued and included
- supports, maintains and restores respectful and healthy relationships as there is no blame attached
- promotes explicit teaching of behaviour expectations.
Spotlight on our Values
On Monday 8th March Campbell competed in the State Swimming Championships. He did an outstanding job and came 1st in the 100m breaststroke, taking 8 seconds off his personal best. He also won the State Based National Age Challenge by getting the most improved times over the championships.
Well done Campbell, a terrific effort of how our students are living our values not only at school but also in their outside endeavours (To Grow, To Believe and To Dream). Hopefully one day we will see Campbell representing our country in the Commonwealth or Olympic Games – something to dream about.
Brochures for parents/carers and the community
ACARA produces a NAPLAN information brochure for parents/carers which schools can provide to members of their local community. This brochure covers the basic facts that parents/carers need to know about NAPLAN, including dates of NAPLAN tests.
- A handout was sent home to all grades 3 & 5 student families on 18/3/21.
- Alternatively this handout can be read following the link: NAPLAN Online information brochure for parents and carers (PDF 182 kb)
The key people to discuss this with at Somerset Primary include either your child’s teacher or Mr Jones or Mrs Lloyd.
KA have had a wonderful start to the year with everyone having a lovely time getting to know each other and the routines of Kindergarten. We are doing an inquiry into ‘sound’. What things make sounds and how sounds are made. The children were very interested in my whistle and were very excited to experiment with their own whistles. We have discussed sounds that we like and we are looking into ways of making different types of sounds. One child said ‘microphones make a sound’ so we had a small group of children who tested this theory and they realised that they only make a sound when you make a sound in them. The children have expressed an interest in animal sounds, so this is where we will go next as well as making sounds with everyday objects. We have lots more questions we want to find answers to, so we will continue our inquiry for the time being.
This week our teachers were able to work with Julie Shepherd, a literacy consultant from Victoria. Julie worked with teachers from 5 schools in our area (Burnie, Havenview, Ridgley, Yolla, and our school) to deepen our understanding of how to guide students to improve their writing. These sessions were part of an ongoing focus for our school on improving the gains students are making in writing. At the beginning of our focus, lots of our students felt that writing was all about their neatness and spelling. We are working to help students understand that the important parts of writing are about the skills of being an author; their ideas, the purpose for their writing, and getting our message across to their audience. Julie was able to guide us with our learning and provided many practical ideas for us to use in the classroom with your children. Some of our students had the opportunity to work with Julie during a writing conference, and I believe they left the conference feeling that Julie really cared about their piece of writing they shared with the group. I know I enjoyed listening to some of the writing as students read them out; we have a creative bunch of kids at Somerset.
Tracey Ross (literacy support/coach)
On Tuesday 16th March, 5 of our students represented SPS at the North West Schools’ Twilight carnival. Once again all students made us proud by giving their best effort, displaying sportsmanship and our school values.
Well done:
Ella Grade 3 – 6th 100m
Bailey Grade 5 – 12th 1500m
Jacobi Grade 6 – 5th in both the 100m and 1500m
Lara Middap Grade 6 - 2nd 1500m
I am pleased to let you know that we have an upcoming parent information session and registrations are now open.
‘Welcome to Autism’ is an introductory workshop for parents of newly diagnosed children or children who are suspected of being autistic and are not yet diagnosed.
This workshop explores the characteristics strengths and challenges of autism and provides parents and family members who are new to autism with a welcoming introduction to useful resources and supports.
Who Should Attend?
These sessions are for parents and unpaid family carers of children of all ages who are on the autism spectrum, or who show autistic characteristics. A confirmed diagnosis of autism is not needed.
Cost: Free for parents and unpaid family carers
When: Date – Wednesday 31 March 2021
Time – 10:00am to 1:00pm
Where: Burnie Arts and Function Centre – Braddon Hall 77-79 Wilmot Street Burnie
Registration: Registration is essential. Parents / Family members can register through TryBooking via this link: Book now
Please share this with families who you think may be interested in participating. If you, or families you are working with have any questions please feel free to contact me for further information.
Regards
Amanda Gunders
She/Her
Training Facilitator
Phone: (03) 6431 0306
Email: amanda.gunders@autismtas.org.au
Work days: Tuesday - Thursday, 9am - 2pm
