19 June 2024

From the Principal

As we enter the end of Term 2, it’s important to note that your mid-year reports will come home at the end of this term. Reporting has shifted in all government schools over the past few years – we now focus on continually communicating your child’s learning progress to you throughout the year. We at our school use the Seesaw App for this purpose (we also use Seesaw to communicate general happenings in the classroom).

In addition to Seesaw, we use an annual Parent-Teacher meeting in early Term 2 and two printed “reports” on a nine-point scale to communicate your child’s achievement against the Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards. It is this marked up set of scales that you will be receiving at the end of this term. As always, please contact your child’s classroom teacher if there is any information in the report that you wish to discuss or do not understand.

Rob Vingerhoets is with us again this week for 4 days. Rob is a Victorian Maths consultant who has done a lot of work in Tasmanian schools over the past many years. Both our staff and students love having Rob on site working with them. Tonight, Rob will run a staff meeting for our teachers and tomorrow Rob will hold a parent-workshop. Please, if you want to know more about how to work with your children with maths at home – come along! Details below.

Cambridge Capabilities – Adapting

This week and next, our students are exploring Adapting. For us, adapting is defined as: Making changes to suit different situations. In our EAGLEs Framework, adapting is aligned with Grow Grit.

Adapting is in our Grow Grit domain as it links explicitly with being resilient and finding ways to persist. Adapting is about being able to make alternate plans when what you want to do isn’t going to work out. Adapting is being flexible and changing plans. It's about carrying those plans out to achieve a goal. Adapting is making the most out of the way things turn out. Adapting is a key part of resilience and problem-solving. Being adaptable is an integral skill for future life and work success. Life's plans always change and we need to be adaptable to have great wellbeing as well as success.

The shadow side to adapting may mean that you lack the perseverance to push through difficult times and stay the course on things that matter. Balancing the need to be adaptable and persevere involves dialing up the strength of judgement. Another way to view it can be that you still persevere with a goal, but you do things in a different way.

We know from our parent consultation, being resilient (and adapting is a key part of this) was one of the top inputs from our families for your desires for future dispositions in your students.

Redevelopment update

The Minister for Education, Jo Palmer came to visit our build progress last week. It was wonderful to meet her and have her at our school, we look forward to having her back as the build progresses – and next time she is really keen to taste some of our delicious, cooked lunch that she could smell throughout the school.

The new Kindergarten now has internal plaster and windows are being fitted in right now. We have some beginning landscaping (more brickwork and concrete steps nearly finished) before more internal trade work continues over the next 7 weeks.

The new two-storey build now has been stalled by the poor weather, unfortunately. The scaffold is up and ready for the higher level to be further fitted out. The steelwork and some timber for the middle level is progressing. We will have a crane on site on Monday and Tuesday of next week (weather permitting) to lift and install more steel before more work can progress on this level, for example, the internal brickwork. The goal will be to get the roof on ASAP and then we can start the internal fit-out.

We are still expecting to be into the new kinder building in mid-August (the outside area will not be complete by then) and the new building in Late November.

Photographing and videoing on school grounds or at school events

A reminder that private photos or videos that parents take on school grounds or at school events are to stay private. For example, please do not take a video at assembly and post it to social media. We have a number of students with a variety of photo-sharing permissions, and it is not permissible for parents to capture these students’ images and share them in anyway.

See you soon – Courtney.

School Association News

The next School Association general meeting will be held on Wednesday 26 June from 5.30pm – 7.00pm.

Carpark Disruption Term 2 Week 9 – Monday 24 June and Tuesday 25 June 2024

On Monday and Tuesday next week (24 and 25 June) our carpark area where the buses pull in will be out of action due to the builders needing this space to bring in a large crane. Buses will drop students off at alternative areas, supported by staff. Parents/carers are asked to please be extra vigilant and patient at drop off and pick up times.

Student Wellbeing Officer

Hi, my name is Toni Price, my pronouns are they/them and I'm the new Student Wellbeing Officer from Speak Up Stay ChatTY, working at Cambridge Primary School every Friday. My role here is to support students with their general wellbeing but focusing on their emotional wellbeing. The support I offer can look different for everyone but more than anything I am a safe person for students to come and talk to about anything they need. I am passionate about creating a space where young people feel safe and secure to express themselves freely.

Speak Up Stay ChatTY’s Shorts Day

We have registered Cambridge Primary to participate in Shorts Day, on this Friday, 21 June. (Thu 20 for Gr3/4s) Staff and students will be asked to wear their favourite pair of shorts to school and to bring a gold coin donation to raise money for Speak Up Stay ChatTY and raise awareness for mental health. There is also a digital link if you prefer to donate online.

Parent Maths Workshop

On Thursday 20 June from 6.00pm – 7.30pm Maths consultant, Rob Vingerhoets, will run a workshop for parents to understand more about Maths and how we are teaching it at our school. It would be a useful evening for you as parents to help you to help your kids with maths. There will be lots of ideas, tips and activities.

Rob will be working here with the staff all week, both after school and in classrooms.

If you’d like to know more about Rob, click on this link: 

Please RSVP to the office if you would like to attend, on 6248 5168 or email cambridge.primary@decyp.tas.gov.au.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

This year, Cambridge Primary School students from Prep through to Grade 6 are encouraged to participate in the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Classroom teachers are supporting students to set a personal reading goal and will provide plenty of opportunities for children to spend time with a good book. This is all about finding the right books for you and sharing in the joy of reading. If there’s a great book, series or author that we don’t currently have in our school library, please pop in and tell us more about it!

Share your Thoughts on School Attendance

Help us better understand any barriers that may be in the way, and what supports are needed to help with getting to school.

The Department for Education, Children and Young People is doing statewide consultation on school attendance. 3P Advisory is independently running the consultation. Your answers are confidential, and you won’t be identified.

We want to hear from you. You can take part in an online survey, share or vote for suggestions, or join an online drop-in session via the 3P website. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

You can also share your thoughts about what you like or don’t like about our Every school day matters campaign.

As a parent or carer, please have your say. Please encourage your child/ren, too.

Every piece of feedback counts. Thanks for helping shape future DECYP initiatives, school-based engagement strategies and public awareness campaigns.

Optional Advanced Safeguarding Training Now Available in our Schools

Earlier this year, the Department for Education, Children and Young People rolled out Safeguarding Training for staff, volunteers, and service providers.

This training was compulsory for everyone as part of our ongoing commitment to safeguard Tasmanian children and young people and prevent them from harm.

The department has recently released additional advanced Safeguarding training modules.
These are optional and are aimed at anyone who volunteers at a DECYP site, external providers, and anyone in the community who wants to learn more about how to keep children and young people safe.

If you’d like to build your knowledge in this space, the modules are available on the department’s Safeguarding page.

Note: If you require additional assistance to access the modules, please take a look at the FAQs about technical support and additional assistance, which are also on the department’s Safeguarding page.

Jump Rope Performance

Thank you to Waimea Heights Primary School Jump Rope for Heart Team who came to our school last Friday. They gave an amazing performance that we all enjoyed.

Assemblies in Term 2

Assemblies are held in the MPR and start at 1.40pm. All are welcome to attend. This term’s remaining Assembly will be on:

Friday 28 June

Half Price Public Transport Fares

Let’s Celebrate!

Community Notice Board