8 November 2018

Newsletter Articles

Key Dates

Thursday 8 November – Friday 9 November: School Show
Tuesday 13 November: Assemblies (Years 7 - 12: 12pm, Primary 1.30pm)
Tuesday 13 November: Parent Information Evening (Year 7)
Wednesday 14 November: Don College Preliminary Enrolments (Year 10)
Thursday 15 November: First Aid (Year 10)
Friday 16 November: Athletics Carnival
Friday 16 November: CPR Update Training (Railton Campus 4.30pm)
Monday 19 November – Friday 23 November: P – Year 2 Swimming Program
Tuesday 20 November: iParty (Year 10)
Tuesday 20 November: SRC Leadership Conference (Year 10)
Monday 26 November: Tour de Cure Visiting Railton Campus
Monday 26 November - Friday 7 December: Swimming & Water Safety Program
Tuesday 27 November: LiL (Railton) Learn to Swim (Railton Pool)
Tuesday 27 November – Wednesday 28 November: Kinder Learn to Swim (Railton Pool)
Tuesday 27 November – Thursday 29 November: Exams (Year 10)
Thursday 29 November: LiL (Sheffield) Learn to Swim (Railton Pool)
Friday 30 November: Devonport Show Day Public Holiday
Monday 3 December: Inter-High Athletics Carnival
Tuesday 4 December: Don College Start Day (Year 10)
Tuesday 4 December: Orientation Day (Year 7)
Thursday 6 December: Arts Concert
Friday 7 December: Hagley Farm School visit
Friday 7 December: Ulverstone Dinosaur Park (Kinder/Prep)
Tuesday 11 December: Presentation Day
Wednesday 12 December: Picnic - SPLASH Aquatic Centre (Years 1 – 6)
Thursday 13 December: Celebration Dinner (Year 10)
Tuesday 18 December: Railton Christmas Assembly (1.45pm)
Wednesday 19 December: Christmas Assembly (K – 6: 9.30am)
Wednesday 19 December: End of Year Picnic (Secondary) – The Bluff
Thursday 20 December: End of Year Assembly
Thursday 20 December: Last Day of School 2018 (Students)

Principal’s Report

Last week I attended a NAPLAN Awards Ceremony at Burnie High School to recognise students who have achieved outstanding results in the 2018 NAPLAN test. Students from across the North West were recognised for achieving the highest results in their school. Their Certificate of Excellence was presented by the Minister for Education, the Honourable Jeremy Rockliff. Throughout his education Denver Puccetti has consistently demonstrated above national average results and this year he achieved results in the highest 1% of Tasmania, an amazing achievement Denver and reward for your aspiration.

(Photo by Chris Puccetti)

Early Childhood Learning Focus

In 2019 Sheffield School will be joining the Refocusing Teaching and Learning Initiative in the Early Years. The program is being trialled across 50 Tasmanian schools this year and our school will join this initiative next year. We recognise the importance of these fundamental literacy and numeracy skills developed while children are in the early part of their formal education. This will compliment and further support our existing Launching into Learning and K - 2 programs.

Year 12 Leavers

Friday 9 November marks a significant day for Sheffield and our year 12 leavers. We have four students who will complete their education with us receiving a TCE Certificate; Troy Milton, Rebecca Hutton, Blake McGuinness and Dylan Sherman. Troy and Rebecca began their Sheffield School journey as Kindergarten children 14 years ago at 'The Little School' ECE campus in Nightingale Avenue! Congratulations to you all and we wish you well for the next chapter of your life.

Assemblies

Our next Assemblies will be held on Tuesday 13 November, Secondary at 12pm and Primary at 1:30pm. There is always lots of variety at these assemblies and an opportunity to celebrate all that happens at our school. I'm looking forward to seeing student learning on display, hearing all about the Cambodia trip and Brooke Foster's amazing Equestrian experience in China. Parents are always welcome to attend, we would love to see you there.

Remembrance Day

At 11am on 11 November 1918 fighting ceased on the Western Front and the Armistice was signed to signify the end of the war.  Since this day allied nations have paused for a minutes silence on this anniversary to remember the commitment and sacrifice demonstrated by men and women in national service.  This Sunday I encourage you to acknowledge this by observing a minutes silence at 11am.  Our local RSL will hold a service at the cenotaph on main street to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of signing the Armistice. 

Cambodia

Our Cambodia team have returned from their amazing overseas adventure. It was great to see the updates and photos on our School Facebook page and we will publish a report in the next newsletter.

Uniform Review

Responses to our survey at the end of term 3 indicated overwhelming support for our uniform to be reviewed. Possible changes to the uniform are currently being explored and we hope to have further information, including possible options for families and students to vote on in the next few weeks.

Change to End of Year Reporting

Students will receive their end of year report that will include an A - E rating for each subject and work habits. No written comments will be included on end of year reports. The Department’s minimum reporting guidelines do not require a written comment in this report. However, our teachers normally provide these comments because we see this as a valuable form of communication to parents. The decision to change our school reporting guidelines for 2018 has been made in response to union action and this change will ensure consistency across the school.

Sheffield Show

The Sheffield School Junior Cattle Handlers Show of Tasmania will be celebrating its 25 year anniversary when the annual event is held at the School Farm tomorrow, Friday 9 November. Some of the best young cattle handlers and junior judges from around the state will be competing, along with top quality cattle in both dairy and beef events. The purpose of our show is to promote the agricultural industry in our community and to make connections with people who are passionate about agriculture in our region. Parents and guests welcome.

Jamie Skirving
Acting Principal

2018 Arts Concert

A Focus on our School Values

Some of the work being completed in classrooms is featured below.

The 5/6 team have focused on “Treating others as we would like to be treated” and students from 5/6 Hinrichsen used magazine cut-outs to create a graffiti wall of messages about respect.

Year 8 students have looked at the element “Support, help and encourage others” through the lens of Athletics Carnival preparations. They viewed videos which demonstrated ways in which people support, help and encourage others and then reflected on not only their performance after the lesson, but also how they supported or encouraged others.

Year 7 students used the story “The Girl who Thought in Pictures: The Story of Temple Grandin as their ‘hook’ to explore “embracing differences and diversity”. Through this lens they looked at acceptance and difference and then reflected on their qualities that make them different or unique.

Athletics Carnival

Sheffield School’s 2018 Athletics carnival will be held on Friday 16 November. The carnival will include both secondary and primary school events. Athletics and field events will be held over a number of venues and parents and friends are warmly invited to come along and support students in their endeavours.

Secondary events will be held on the northern oval and at the recreation ground

Primary events will be held on the main school oval.

Starting time for both is 9:30am.

Canteen facilities will be open to members of the public, except between the hours of 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm, this will aid us in efficiently delivering lunch orders to students. We thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Book Fair

Cooking Sessions

Cricket

On Thursday 1 November eleven Year 7 and 8 boys travelled to Byard Park in Devonport to contest the High School cricket championships, competing against Devonport High School, Reece High School and St Brendan-Shaw College.

Our first scheduled match was against Reece High School.

The matches were 16 overs per side with a batsmen allowed to face 15 balls maximum before retiring for the next player. Our opening batsmen were bowled out for low scores due to having to face a very handy quick bowler from Reece High School. The boys regrouped and put up a decent score for Reece to chase down. Riley Richardson-Hume batted through his 15 balls and showed some real ability with the bat. Brandon Foley Year 7 managed to get some good shots away before he was caught going for the boundary in his innings. Brock Fox our Captain also showed some real character when he was struck by a bouncer early in his innings and hit in the neck but decided to bat on. Throughout Reece Highs run chase Reuben May showed his ability with the ball getting a couple of wickets with his spin bowling. Reece were too strong in the end taking the win.

The next contest was against Devonport High School. They went into bat and posted a very decent 94 runs off their 16 overs. The boys worked hard in the field to prevent as many runs as possible but knew the job ahead of them was going to be difficult. We went into bat to try and chase down the 94 runs. Once again Riley Richardson-Hume was fantastic batting through his 15 balls scoring well over 30 runs. We chased the score hard and had a glimmer of hope when both Brock and Riley who were batting near the end of the innings scoring frequently but in the end we came up short with 84 runs at the end of the 16 overs. It was definitely an entertaining contest between the 2 teams.

Our last game was against the powerful team from St Brendan-Shaw College.

The match was a revised 8 over per side contest. St Brendan’s were way too strong with the majority of their team made up of Year 10 and Year 9 players but it was a great opportunity for our boys to test themselves.

A big thank you to the whole team on the day who played each match with great enthusiasm and sportsmanship they did a fantastic job representing Sheffield School.

Don River Railway Excursion

On Friday 26 October Kinder/Prep van der Velde, Kinder Moles and Prep Hinrichsen went on an excursion to the Don River Railway. We had an amazing day walking along the Don nature trail and hiding rocks that we had decorated for people to find as they walked the track. We went for a ride on the train and stopped for lunch at Coles Beach, where we were able to collect a rock to take home to decorate. The train arrived to take us back to the station. On our way home we stopped by McDonalds for a soft serve. It was a very fun day and we went home ready for bed!

Kindergarten 2019

We are now taking enrolments for students who reside within the Sheffield and Railton zone.

All children who were born in 2014 are eligible.

Enrolment forms are available at the school office.

Families who attend the Parent Information session at Railton on Tuesday 20 November and Sheffield on Thursday 22 November will receive an information pack.

LiL – Railton

Railton Canteen

For many years at the Railton Campus there has been a canteen once a week. This has been run by a lovely group of volunteer parents. It gives our students the opportunity to order their lunch from a menu which meets Move Well Eat Well guidelines. Many of our children regularly use this service. Our ability to continue to provide this service in 2019 is currently at risk.

Our current volunteers’ children are moving on to the Sheffield campus and they will be stepping down from this role. To continue to provide this service to our children and families, we will require new volunteers in 2019.

To assist in the canteen, you need:

• a current Working with Vulnerable People Registration, which the school is able to assist you in acquiring,
• to be able to spend a few hours at school once a week. If we are fortunate enough to receive a few expressions of interest, a rotational/roster basis could be an option.

Currently the canteen operates on a Tuesday, but this is flexible, depending on any new volunteers’ availability. Our school health nurse is also interested in supporting any new volunteers’ meet the Move Well Eat Well guidelines and training will be provided.

The Railton campus also operates a very well utilised Breakfast Club, which currently operates every morning between 8.30 am and 9:00 am. We also require new volunteers for this service to continue.

If you are interested or know someone who might be able to assist us with either School Canteen or Breakfast Club, please contact Alison Last at the Railton Campus.

Railton Pool

The Railton Pool season is about to begin – and there are still spaces available during term time and in the school holidays.

A current CPR certificate is required if you wish to hire the pool. There is a training session being offered by Surf Lifesaving Tasmania at the Railton Campus on Friday 16 November at 4.30 pm. Cost: $50.

To book please contact the school office on 6491 8222 or Isobelle at Surf Lifesaving: 6216 7800

School Canteen

School Nurse

Cyberbullying is the use of technology to bully a person or group with the intention to hurt them psychologically, socially, or physically.

This fact sheet explains cyberbullying and includes tips for parents and guardians to manage this issue

Year 3/4 Launceston Excursion

On Thursday the 3-4 classes went on an excursion to the Queen Victoria Museum in Launceston.

We took two big buses for an hour and a half trip. Our classes went through the doors to a room outside. We were starving so the teachers let us have our recess. Then we went to the objects outside and had a little play. They were cool. We went through the doors again to go to the spider exhibition. It was awesome because there were live spiders in there and they were creepy. I learnt new kinds and names of spiders too. There were some things you could press and some things you couldn’t. All of us had to complete a worksheet but that didn’t spoil it. After that, we went to another room and played with things too. Then we went back to the room where we started and got our stuff and went on the bus to the City Park to see the monkeys and have lunch. For lunch, we never saw coming, because the teachers ordered a small bucket of nuggets and chips. (My opinion) “Good on ya teachers.” That was great. We had another run around on the grass. Then, Mrs Thomas split us up into groups to go and see the monkeys. I think they were baboons. The monkeys had babies too. It was great when one baby did some tricks. On the way back our bus broke down on the side of the highway. So, we had to squish in on the other bus. We had lollies though, so it was good.

I loved what happened today, apart from when the bus broke down. I felt tired and happy.

By Amanda Padman (Year 4)

Community Notices

26TEN - Helps Adults with Reading, Writing and Maths

Did you know that almost half of all adult Tasmanians struggle with everyday reading, writing and maths?

This means there are people in our school community who aren’t able to enjoy reading to their children or helping them with their maths.

Luckily, in Tasmania, we have 26TEN that helps build these skills so parents and carers can support their children’s learning.

If you or someone you know would like to improve your reading, writing or maths skills, call 26TEN on 1300 002 610 or visit the link below

Devonport Surf Life Saving Club

Surf Lifesaving is an amazing activity for growing a child’s confidence, as well as providing a strong foundation of knowledge and skills in the beach environment.

Nippers is a junior program that introduces children aged 7 to 12 to Surf Lifesaving with our Flippers program aimed at 5 and 6 yr olds. Surf Lifesaving is a fun outdoors activity that grows a child’s confidence and teaches valuable life skills and knowledge. The programs are focused on play, participation and fun.

Nippers and Flippers are a great way for children to make friends, be active, enjoy the beach in a safe environment and be part of the community for life.

Nippers started on 8 November at runs Thursdays and Sundays 10 am -12 noon with the season ending in March.

Flippers starts on Sunday 2 December 10-12noon and only runs on a Sunday with the season ending in March.

We are proud to be associated with the Starfish nipper program. The Starfish nipper program is designed for individuals with additional needs, catering for children with Autism, Attention Deficit Disorder, Down syndrome and individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities. Contact the club for program dates and times.

See you at the beach!

Contact us via:

Email – members@devonportsurfclub.asn.au
Facebook page - Devonport surf club
Instagram page – Devonport Surf Lifesaving Club

Kentish Council Youth Scholarship

The Kentish Council is offering a $1,250 scholarship to a University student or a student attending an approved education facility in 2019. The scholarship is to help defray expenses associated with relocating from Kentish.

The Student must:

1. be enrolled or accepted for enrolment for full time study at either a University or approved education facility in 2019;
2. have been a Kentish resident for the last 2 years of their secondary education;
3. intend or be living away from home as a result of their studies; and
4. be under the age of 25 as at 1 January 2019.

All applications must be on the appropriate form which can be obtained from the Council’s website at the link below or by phoning Leigh Gracie on (03) 6491 0200 during business hours.

Closing date for applications is Friday 16 November, 2018.

Kentish Family Support House

Men of Kentish

Meander Valley

Memorial River Walk – 17 November 2018

Would you like to learn how to support those bereaved or impacted by Suicide?

Free workshop 23 November 2018

Parklands High School