3 July 2024

From the Principal

Happy (nearly) end of term 2! This bout of sunshine has been a welcome relief from the wet and muddy middle of the term. However, it did bring the favoured elements to our Bush School and there was an abundance of mud, smiles, wet socks, and joyful learning had in the mud and wet. We are very fortunate to have staff who are so supportive and into the Bush as well as parents who also see the importance and joy that it brings their children.

On that note, can you please, irrespective of age, pack changes of clothes or clothes items in bags every day? We currently have handed out nearly all of our spare clothes to muddy footy players, wet creek stompers and the usual toilet needs. If we don’t have clothes here, we have to call families for a pickup (which can be avoided by packing clothes, please). Additionally, if your child has come home with “spares” from school, if you could launder and kindly return, that would be very much appreciated for the next muddy and wet student. Thanks for your support and help.

Cambridge Capabilities – Helping

This week and next, our students are exploring Helping. For us, helping is defined as: Making things easier for the people in my world. In our EAGLEs Framework, helping is aligned with Engage Others.

Helping is clear to our learners - they hear it all the time. Now we have the opportunity to link it to being a good learner. How does helping assist your learning? How does helping support the learning of yourself and the group around you? "Supporting" or "assisting" can be two good synonyms to use when describing helping. Additionally, the original thought was that helping was about servitude leadership, it was about being a good servant and helping the world around you, about leading by doing good for others and your community; this is a clear big bit of data from our parent input two years ago – “community minded”. This was a sort of leadership that everyone could participate in and access easily. We have a lot of this going on already - just thinking about all the cooked lunch helpers! Helping is also about showing what you know and helping (re-teaching) to others. This sort of peer-tutoring is a highly effective routine for added academic success.

The shadow side to Helping may mean that you overly support others and limit their chance of learning to doing things for themselves. Reducing their independence development. But overall, helping is a really important part of being a great learner at our school.

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 new Kindergarten now has windows and the internal areas and progressing on fit out. We have landscaping work progressing in full at present, diggers everywhere moving dirt and rocks!

The new two-storey is ready for a concrete pour again on Friday for the middle level slab. We will have a concrete pump on site on Friday (weather permitting). After the slab hardens, more block work will progress before works to a roof, exterior brick work and then the lower level framing begin.

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.

We are currently formulating the decanting plan, ready for the next piece of work. During next term, we will be starting on the outdoor terraces for rooms 6, 7, 8 and 9 and what is currently 4-5 will go back to our library. This will also include levelled areas around the new extended canteen. The interior work will need decanting from the building and won’t be able to start in full until the new building has been completed and students have somewhere to go.

Finally, over the school holidays the school’s electrical switchboard will be upgraded. This is a significant project. Vos (the builders) will also be cutting up the asphalt in the courtyard to connect the new build to the switchboard as this is the only time that we can do this work. There is a lot going on!

School and Home Communication

Good communication between home and school is integral to good outcomes for your child. Please let us know about events in your child’s life that may impact on their behaviour at school. Likewise, school will be in touch when we see patterns of behaviour that might be of a concern to us. The main person to talk to is always your child’s classroom teacher. If in doubt, you can email: cambridge.primary@decyp.tas.gov.au and someone will pass on or action your email.

If you have urgent information for us, please call the school on 6248 5168 and leave the information with the Administration Staff. They will pass it on.

If you have important but not urgent information, feel free to either call the school or email on the above email address. We can work to either pass the information on or set up a meeting time for you with your class teacher or potentially another member of staff. Alternatively, if you do drop off or pick up, this can be a time to share with your class teacher.

If you are emailing, or calling, please understand that both of these channels are only monitored during work hours. Additionally, teachers usually do not check their emails during teaching hours. Our teaching team will not respond to emails on the weekend, late at night or early in the morning (they’re working on their most important job, being a family member at home!). Additionally, if you believe it is critically important, there are Leadership Team members available in the mornings to discuss your concerns.

What is critically important is that you have a current email address with us and that you open school emails. We share important information regularly through our communication partner “Schoolzine”. We share notices regularly and Newsletters once per fortnight. Please take the time to read and engage with our communications – as we’d hate you to miss an important announcement or offer for your child or family (no one wants to miss out on Free Dress Day because dad or mum didn’t read the Newsletter).

Finally, we use Seesaw as the means for class teachers to securely and safely send specific learning and class related sharing to you. If you haven’t got the app and aren’t using it, you will be missing out – especially on the newer format to continual reporting. If you need help, please get in touch with the Office and we can assist you.

We wish you all the best for the Winter break. We hope that it is restful, relaxing and safe, and we look forward to seeing you all again in the new term.

Courtney.

School Association News

The next School Association general meeting will be held on Wednesday 14 August from 5.30pm – 7.00pm.

Yr1 – Yr6 Mid-Year Reports

Yr1 – Yr6 Mid-Year Reports will be sent home with students on Friday 5 July. Students with separated parents will take home the report addressed to the parent they are staying with that day. The second report will be posted unless you prefer to call the Office (6248 5168) for collection. If your child is not at school on Friday, you can call the Office to arrange to collect it during the holidays or it will be posted to you.

Carpark Disruption Term 2 Week 10 – Friday 5 July 2024

On Friday 5 July our carpark area where the buses pull in will be out of action due to the builders needing this space to bring in a concreting truck. 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.

New DECYP Safeguarding Requirements for Student Early Departure

When taking students early from school, parents/carers must report to the office and sign the student out as an Early Departure on the Kiosk screen. Admin staff will organise for your child to come down to the office. If we know in advance, we can arrange for your child to be at the office when you get here.

Home Reading

This year at Cambridge Primary School our approach to Home Reading looks a little different.

The decodable little books that your child may have been bringing home are designed differently and do not progress through levels the same as we have been used to in the past. See the difference in the original (top) and the new (bottom) ‘level 6’ books below!

The current books are designed to support children to apply the phonics knowledge they are reviewing at school in the context of sentences and passages. These decodable books allow children to directly apply what they are learning and build confidence through reading success at each step of the way.

It is beneficial for children to read these more than once, each time with a slightly different focus. The first time might be figuring out the words and noticing new vocabulary. The second read might be about experimenting with punctuation and practising expression. The third read might be to hear themselves as a fluent, smooth reader with attention to how fast or slow (pace) they read.

A reminder also, that children should also be borrowing from our school library regularly. They may now borrow 3 books at a time. Including non-fiction and fiction books is an essential part of home reading. There are so many benefits to having choice and enjoying all kinds of books, and even making time to read together with our primary-aged students.

Every time children read or are read to, no matter what the book, understanding and making sure it is a meaningful experience is our purpose.

Narelle Stevens, Quality Teaching Coach

Share your Thoughts on School Attendance – Closes 4 July

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 closes tomorrow, 4 July and 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.

Lost Property

Please encourage your children to check the Lost Property before the end of term if they are missing clothes, lunch boxes etc. Any un-named items will be disposed of during the holidays.

Speak Up Stay ChatTY’s Shorts Day

Thank you to all the families who supported the Shorts Day last week. A total of $330.65 was raised which will go towards raising awareness of mental health.

Amy’s Pumpkin Soup

What is better than homemade roast pumpkin soup on a cold winter’s day? School made roast pumpkin soup at bush!!

Thanks to Graeme and the garden team, our school garden produced an abundance of pumpkins this season. Amy made the pumpkin into her famous roast pumpkin soup that has been enjoyed by our Cooked Lunch participants and at Bush School. The Kinder classes had theirs at the fire pit and the Preps warmed theirs on the Trangia. It was a wonderful treat for our students and a great way to warm up at Bush School. It was pleasing to see every student trying the soup and some even surprised themselves by how delicious they found it. ‘This soup is better than my mums’ was a quote from a Prep student. 

Amy’s roast pumpkin soup is both gluten and dairy free with the option vegetarian with the use of vegetable stock. Serve with your favourite toasted sandwich for a delicious, hearty, and nutritious Winter dinner.

Roast Pumpkin Soup Recipe

2kg Butternut or Kent Pumpkin, de-seeded and skin removed.
2 large brown onions, peeled.
4 cloves of garlic
Olive oil
1ltr Masell chicken or vegetable stock
2X 400ml coconut milk

Chop pumpkin into even size wedges, quarter the onions and peel garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and place onto oven tray and bake until slightly caramelised and golden brown at 200 degrees for 1 hour.

Transfer to a large pot, add stock and bring to the boil, simmer for 10 minutes on low. Add coconut milk and blend with a stick blender until smooth.

Serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and crunchy bread.

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to a month.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Charlotte M in Gr4/5 for being selected in the Tasmanian Water Polo 13 and Under Sea Dragons team playing at the Water Polo Australia 13&U National Development Carnival to be held in Hobart from Thursday 4 July 2024 to Sunday 7 July 2024. Being the youngest player in the team by 2-3 years, she has really done an amazing job to be selected. Well done Charlotte!

Let’s Celebrate!

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