6 December 2023
-
From the Acting Principal
-
Prioritising Reading at Cambridge
-
Champions Swimming Carnival 28 November
-
Schools Triathlon Challenge 2024
-
2023 End of Year Presentation Assembly
-
Australian Childhood Anxiety Treatment Study 2023
-
Library Books and Home Readers
-
Assemblies in Term 4
-
Fundraising Team
-
Volunteers Thank You Morning Tea
-
Asthma Management over Summer
-
Let’s Celebrate!
-
Community Notice Board
From the Acting Principal
The first week of December has blessed us with beautiful weather and some very exciting end of year events. This week was the Double Your Dollars Market #1. Double Your Dollars is always a very much anticipated event where the whole school enjoys purchasing the goods produced by the grade 5 and 6 students. The grade 4/5/6 team work very hard in supporting the students to create, make and sell their goods and we greatly appreciate their efforts! We are looking forward to the second Double Your Dollars Market next Wednesday, 13 December, starting at 11:40am. Parents, carers and families are very welcome to attend.
Since the last newsletter, Cambridge Primary has been very well represented at the Combined Primary Schools Band event, Champions Swimming Carnival and the Schools Triathlon Challenge. The representation of our students at these events and activities has been top standard and it has been a pleasure to witness this in person at some of these events. Lots of courage, perseverance, grit and collaboration in action during these events! A big thank you to Mr Thomas and Mrs Sari who put in a lot of extra effort at this time of year to enable our students the opportunity to participate in all these events. It is very much appreciated.
Lots of other great things happening at school this week and next week that’s creating an energetic buzz about our school: cricket incursions during PE lessons, Daily PE training for the Grade 5s, lots of class excursions, 2/3/4 team making food for Louis Van, and the Kinder Fun Day that was held yesterday.
2024 Staffing
We continue to share staffing information with you this week and in the final newsletter of the year.
Josh Howard is continuing with us next year as a permanent employee. Josh participated in the Graduate Recruitment Process with the department mid-way through this year and was successful in his application. It is great to have such a fantastic young man aboard!
Thea Godfrey will be joining us as a permanent employee from the start of 2024. Thea has been doing some relief for us and applied for and was successful in the National Recruitment Campaign. Thea comes from Victoria and is an experienced teacher. It is fantastic to have Thea on our team and her skill set will be a perfect complement to the team and wider school.
Hayden Lodge is transferring to us from Snug Primary School from the beginning of 2024. Hayden has done a little relief with us on some Tuesdays and it will be great to have him on board next year and for years to come.
Eloise Walker will be joining us as a teacher in 2024. Eloise has done many days with us in a relief capacity as a teacher but has also been our Launching into Learning Teacher Assistant. It is wonderful to have her on board for the upcoming year.
A recent Teacher Assistant permanent process was run, and we can now announce that Danni Churchill and Ange Watson were both successful in winning permanent TA positions at Cambridge Primary. Danni and Ange are both very valued members of the Cambridge team and we are very excited to have them permanently with us from 2024 onwards.
Retirements
Julie Ransley is retiring at the end of this year. Although Julie has not been with us for the last couple of years, Julie was a very important and valuable part of the Cambridge team over many years, leading Literacy and intervention at Cambridge Primary, a very experienced early childhood educator and a member of the Cambridge Primary School Association. We wish Julie all the best for her retirement.
Ali Cato, Acting Principal
Prioritising Reading at Cambridge
In June this year, the Literacy Advisory Panel’s Final Report to Government – Lifting Literacy laid out clear recommendations for how Tasmanian schools should reset our approach to the teaching of Literacy.
This came about due to the huge growth in knowledge around the world about what happens in the brain when people learn to read. The neuroscience is now undeniable and so it is important that this informs our teaching and learning practices for all children.
At the moment, there is significant work happening within DECYP to ensure that all Tasmanian schools are resourced and supported to meet all 23 recommendations in the report as a Reading Priority.
These will guide our school improvement planning at Cambridge Primary for the next few years and some changes will guide Term 1 conversations teachers and families have about how we can work together to best support our children.
You will notice a focus on development of reading skills rather than reading levels, a focus on how the English language works for reading and spelling and gradual change in the types of texts children are reading.
Just some of the established practices at Cambridge Primary School, which fit the DECYP Reading Priority are:
- Teaching Phonemic Awareness skills systematically in the Early Years
- A strong focus on vocabulary and building comprehension of complex texts in Upper Primary
- Collaborative teaching teams and added teachers and teacher assistants to support within Reading Groups
This is an exciting and aspirational time in Tasmania and a journey that will be a shared responsibility for our school community.
We will continue to communicate with families in our newsletter about what these changes mean specifically for Cambridge Primary.
More information can be viewed from the link below.
Narelle Stevens, Quality Teaching Coach
Champions Swimming Carnival 28 November
The Cambridge Primary Champions Swimming Carnival Team performed admirably. In this final carnival for 2023 many students made it from their heats into the finals. Students who made it into finals included: Grace C, Zach K-S, Amely W, George M, Charlotte M, Madison V, Elsa P, Lucy C, Dustin S, Lluka D and Amos H. Making it into a final at a Champions event is a great accomplishment and many of these students also achieved top four places in these events. The team also did very well in the relays with the students achieving a victory in the Grade 3 girls freestyle relay, 4th in the Grade 6 boys medley relay and 3rd in the Grade 4 girls medley relay.
Despite the noise, heat and the long day of the carnival, the students behaved and performed well and should be very proud of their efforts at the Champions Swimming Carnival.
Ryan Thomas, Physical Education Teacher
Schools Triathlon Challenge 2024
Last Friday, Cambridge Primary had a large contingent of students who participated individually and in teams in the Schools Triathlon Challenge at Bellerive Beach. It was a MASSIVE day with thousands of students, parents, teachers and officials in attendance. Through the crowds, the organisers did an amazing job getting the participants where they needed to be. In the first go at triathlons, the grade threes made up the largest group and they had a very positive experience although there were some challenges with team mates struggling to find each other in transitions at times.
All the students did their best and performed very well in all the age groups and it was great to see the support and encouragement from the parents. The students were all well organised and represented Cambridge with pride. It’s a great day and I’d recommend any students who are interested to make sure they get involved in the 2024 Schools Trialthlon Challenge.
Ryan Thomas, Physical Education Teacher
2023 End of Year Presentation Assembly
The Cambridge Primary School End of Year Presentation Assembly is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the many achievements of our students and to farewell the Grade 6s. This year’s Presentation Assembly will take place on Monday 18 December at Rose Bay High School, in the gym at 11.30am. Doors will open at 11.15am. At this stage there are no Covid restrictions on gatherings, however, if you are feeling unwell, please do not attend. Prep – Grade 6 students and their teachers will travel to and from Rose Bay by bus. Parents/carers of Grade 6 students will have two seats reserved. If your child/children participate in the Cooked Lunch Program, please be assured they will still receive morning tea and lunch on that day.
Australian Childhood Anxiety Treatment Study 2023
The Tasmanian Department of Education has approved an Australian wide anxiety treatment study for 7 – 12-year-old children which is being undertaken by Griffith University, Queensland. Does your child become very afraid of certain situations or objects, worry about a lot of things, get very distressed, or try to avoid things they fear? Click on the document below for more information about this study.
Library Books and Home Readers
This week is the final week for student borrowing for 2023. From next week, please keep an eye out for school library books at home and send them in with your children to return to the Library. If you have any Home Readers at home please return them as soon as possible.
Assemblies in Term 4
This term’s remaining school Assembly will be on Friday 15 December, in the MPR, starting at the earlier time of 1.30pm. All are welcome to attend.
Fundraising Team
The Fundraising Team is currently seeking new members. The end of 2024 sees the majority of our team leaving the school. In order to ensure a smooth transition, we aim to use the coming year to train and prepare the next team to take the reins. Our fundraising activities include organizing events such as Mother’s Day/Father’s Day stalls, disco, quiz night, election day bbq, Easter raffle and more.
School fundraising is crucial for financial support, but it also fosters community engagement and helps to improve school facilities and programs. Parents benefit from participating by actively contributing to their child’s education, building relationships within the school, setting a positive example for your child and having a voice in the school community.
If you feel that fundraising is for you in any capacity either big or small, then please reach out via our fb page or contact the school office. We would love to hear from you.
Carolyn Smith and The Fundraising Team
Volunteers Thank You Morning Tea
Last Monday we held a Thank You Morning Tea for volunteers who generously give their time to our school and our students. It’s always difficult to think of ways to show our appreciation and we understand that coming along to a morning tea isn’t always possible. However, please be assured that all our volunteers are very much appreciated and valued. Thank you for your support throughout 2023.
Asthma Management over Summer
Summer Holidays are an important time for kids with asthma. During all the festivities, please don’t forget to keep up your child's asthma management and medicine as prescribed. Good asthma management over the holidays means less time off school when kids return in the new year, and less time off work for you.
To make sure your child stays as healthy as possible over the break and into 2024, you can take the following steps:
Check your child’s medication to make sure it is still in date.
Keep using your child’s preventer medicine as directed over the summer holidays, even if they’re feeling well.
If you’re leaving the house or going on holiday, make sure you pack your child’s asthma medicine(s) and a spacer.
Book an Asthma Review with your doctor to get an updated written Asthma Action Plan during the holidays - you'll need this for Term 1 2024. Book in early as doctors can have limited appointments over the Christmas period.
Use Asthma Australia's School’s Checklist for parents and carers:
Let’s Celebrate!