Today, Friday 2 December all families will receive end of semester reports for 2022. We congratulate all students for their many achievements despite the challenges of 2022. If you have not received these please check your junk folder and then contact the front office.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Meetings with teachers to discuss your child's progress will be offered in week 9. These meetings will occur online unless an in-person meeting is required. Please let your child's teacher know if this is your preference. You should have received an email from the front office with a link to register for an interview. If you did not please contact the front office.

Staff

We would like to share with the school community our staff changes for 2023. We farewell some amazing team members who are moving on to new schools in the ACT, taking leave and entering new careers.

Congratulations to Gabe Kearins, Helena Jovanoska, Bec Thompson and Steph Bourke who have been successful in a move to a new school in 2023.

We wish Claudia Robinson, all the best of luck as she commences maternity leave.

Lachlan Hunter is anticipated leave for 2023. Lachlan is in the final stages of ACT Fire and Rescue recruitment round; we wish him the best of luck.

A huge thank you to Claudia, Gabe, Helena, Bec, Steph and Lachlan for their commitment to giving everything to their students, you will be missed.

We farewell Michelle Northey, our term 4 Deputy Principal who is heading back to Kaleen for 2023. We thank Michelle for her contribution to Duffy. Her experience and energy have been an asset to the school.

Staff 2023

In 2023, we welcome Ms Katie Smith as our Principal. We are excited to be working with you next year.

A message from Ms Katie Smith

I am thrilled to be joining the Duffy Primary School Community as Principal in 2023.

In addition to my passion for education and student centred learning, I love spending time with my family. I have two teenage children and lots of weekend time is spent on the sidelines of sporting fields. We love taking our Australian Kelpie, Beau on walks along the beautiful Canberra trails. I am an avid reader and enjoy waking up early to go to Reformer Pilates.

I look forward to meeting you all in 2023.

New Teachers for 2023

Next year we welcome some new teachers to Duffy. In week 10, Ilse, Paris, Geraldine, Macaila, Joanne and Hannah will be joining us for a transition afternoon to meet the students in their year level. We are very excited to have secured such quality new educators for 2023.

Macaila Simm

Hi I’m Macaila,

I look forward to starting my year in 2023 at Duffy Primary School. I have experience teaching various year levels and love igniting a passion in reading amongst my learners.

In my spare time I enjoy cooking, gardening, and spending time with my two cats. I’m very excited to become a part of the Duffy Primary School community.

Joanne Argaet

Hi All!

My name is Jo Argaet and I’m excited to be coming to Duffy in 2023. I have been teaching for 7 years, most of which has been spent at Evatt Primary School.

Outside of school, I love playing music. I’m a big believer in singing for enjoyment so I hope you’re ready for some singalongs! I’m looking forward to meeting everyone at Duffy and becoming part of the community.

Hannah Blount

Hello Duffy Community!

My name is Hannah Blount and I’m so excited to join your community next year. I’ve been teaching for 5 years and in that time, I’ve taught in a Small Group Setting and Year 3.

I love to teach art and get outside with my class to share my knowledge of gardening and sustainability. Outside of school I have a very lazy cat who joins me in the garden and a dog who comes everywhere with me.

I can’t wait to meet you all in 2023!

Hannah/Mrs B

Paris Corcoran

My name is Paris Corcoran, and I’ll be moving to Canberra next year to teach at Duffy Primary School. I first attended Duffy PS in my third year of my teaching degree and loved every minute of it. I’m originally from a small country town called Boorowa, living on a cattle farm with my family.

I’m very creative and passionate about visual storytelling. Whether this is through taking an excessive amount of photos, creating art, or making a calm and nurturing environment, I feel my personality shines through my creativity. I recently taught Year 1/2 in 2022. Prior to becoming a teacher, I was an SLSO (also known as an LSA) for four years, driving my dedication to inclusive education.

I’m passionate about coffee, and my love of sausage dogs. I currently have two, named Gertie and Louis. It's safe to say there are very spoilt. I love to stay active and enjoy all things that involve the sunshine. You’ll usually find me enjoying my morning brew, or having my head buried in a good book. Sometimes both at the same time! My goal next year is to continue my love for snowboarding. I haven’t yet mastered the technique; however, I feel moving to Canberra will help me stay motivated.

If I could describe one strength of mine, it’s the ability to form relationships with my students to motivate them to learn and thrive. I share a deep passion for inclusive practices and the belief that all students can experience success in their own learning journey. This passion is evident in my everyday interactions with my students, as I strive to believe in a strong sense of community in my classroom.

I’m looking forward to teaching at Duffy Primary School next year.

Ilse Arellano

My name is Ilse and I’m looking forward to working with you at Duffy next year.

I have worked in various schools across Canberra, ranging from Preschool to Year 6. I am passionate about early childhood education and love supporting children and families beginning their journey into formal education.

Some of my interests include gardening, cooking, knitting, and crocheting.

Geraldine Allen

Hi, my name is Geraldine, and I am excited to be joining the Duffy Primary School team.

I have recently finished my Masters of Primary Education from the University of Canberra. I love teaching and while I am a late starter, I bring life experience. I love books and history and look forward to getting to share it with you all.

Transition Day

In Week 10, on Monday 12 December, students will have the opportunity to participate in a transition afternoon where they will be able to meet the teachers on their cohort next year.

Due to the influx of international students in late January classroom teachers cannot be confirmed until the week prior to school starting. We hope by providing students with the opportunity to meet all the teachers in their year level and sending home a photo introducing teachers on Friday of week 9 this will help reduce any anxiety.

Front Office Infrastructure Works

Duffy PS has received funding for school upgrades to the front office for admin refurbishment.

The infrastructure work is due to start on Saturday 17 December throughout the Christmas break and into term 1.

This does mean a change to our front office location, starting from Monday week 10. The doors of our current front office will be locked from Monday of week 10 and inaccessible. We ask you please follow the signs and the map below to direct you to the new location of the front office and sick bay.

You will also find the locations of each year level outlined on the map ready for 2023.

Kind regards,

Arilia Abell

Principal

Duffy Primary School

SPOTLIGHT ON LEARNING - YEAR THREE

Year 3 Long Dap Camp at Birrigai

In week 5 of this term, Year 3, along with Year 4, attended a long day camp at Birrigai. We participated in two different activities over the duration of the day. Here are some photos and a description of the activities we participated in!

Campfire and Damper Making

To begin our campfire and damper making activity, we had to explore the surrounding bushland to find suitable material for our campsites. This included finding small, medium and large sticks to build and maintain our campfires. Once we had fire we were lucky enough to make and cook our own damper, YUM!

Creating on Country

We went for a nature walk through fields and near creeks. On the way we collected flowers, seeds, grass and other small items to bring back to the camp area. When we arrived back, we used our items from the walk to inspire or create artworks. We were able to choose between clay making, flower pressing on fabric, using charcoal, building stone artworks and exploring our items with magnifying glasses.

AWARDS

Merit Awards

These will be presented at the next Monday Morning WOW (5th Dec)

Alexander N - KCR

Levi C - KCR

Toby M - KCR

Elise G - KDL

Wateen A - KDL

Sandy M - KKW

Joey W - KKW

Ali S - KRW

Samuel C - KRW

Lewis A - 1RP

Connor B - 1RP

Chloe R - 1SF

Florence M - 1SF

Elliot H - 2KR

Mahir P - 2KR

Connor O - 2RT

Josh F - 2RT

Erin H - 2SB

Eva H - 2SB

Ciaran W - 3LH

Paolo Y - 3LH

Israel O - 4BS

George K - 4BS

Hazel D - 4BS

Bronte B - 4TS

Noah S - 4TS

Adele M - 5CM

Thomas I - 5CM

Sarah R - 5SZ

Phi P - 5SZ

PBL Hero Awards

These will be presented at the next Monday Morning WOW (5th Dec) and students will be invited to the PBL Hero Morning Tea on Friday 9th of Dec.

Elsa B - 3GK

Nina H - 3GK

Catrin F - 3LH

Rachel G - 3LH

Alienna G - 3LH

Shanzay M - 3LH

Maya P - 3LH

Sienna P - 3LH

Lena P - 3LH

Jessie T - 3LH

Ciaran W - 3LH

Paolo Y - 3LH

Hazel D - 4BS

Gold Spirit Awards

Linc W - KCR

Lexi W - KCR

Wateen A - KDL

Ava L - KDL

Anoushay M - KDL

Emmanuel N - KDL

Gus P - KDL

Logan P - KDL

Josie D - KKW

Talia A - KKW

Ilya D - KKW

Mason E - KRW

Richard M - KRW

Aria K - KRW

Judd C - 1RP

Alice M - 1RP

Anya J - 1RP

Jesse H - 1SF

Harrison S - 1SF

Oscar B - 2KR

Carter S - 2KR

Evie W - 2KR

Stella W - 2KR

Elliot H - 2KR

Eva J - 2KR

Tom G - 2KR

Levi D - 3GK

Joseph K - 3GK

August V - 3GK

Harriet J - 3GK

Ethan J - 3LH

Ali A - 4BS

Ella B - 4BS

Sophia D - 4TS

Klm M - 4TS

Skye H - 5CM

Violet S - 5CM

Sammi C - 5SZ

Lilah E - 5SZ

Alana R - 6ZG

Silver Spirit Awards

Arham U - 1RP

Rupert A - 2SB

Samuel F - 2SB

Erin H - 2SB

Eva H - 2SB

Gabe K - 2SB

Lilla K - 2SB

Pihu S - 2SB

Naavya W - 2SB

Jesse S - 2SB

Faith B - 3GK

Beatrice C - 5SZ

Eamon D - 6ZG

Audrey E - 6ZG

James G - 6ZG

Lucas H - 6ZG

Zahli J - 6ZG
Indi H - 6ZG

Amber S - 6ZG

Bronze Spirit Awards

Shahan K - 2SB

Mila K - 3GK

Unsung T - 4BS

Gold Awards will be presented at the next Monday Morning WOW (5th Dec). Silver and Bronze Awards will be handed out by classroom teachers.

SCHOOL LEADERS

Prime Minister

Deputy

Speaker

P & C NEWS

From the Uniform Shop

Don’t forget - The best time to order uniforms for 2023 is now!

The Uniform Shop does not open in week 10. The last orders for the year will be filled in week 9, Friday 9 December, for orders placed by 5pm on Thursday 8 December. Any orders placed after that time will be held over to 2023.

A rack of uniform items has been taken to pre-school for families to decide what items you might like to purchase for next year. Please place your order through Flexischools, noting the cut-off dates above.

The Uniform Shop will open for face-to-face trade for the last time in 2022 on Friday week 9, from 8.30-9.00.

We hope to open the Uniform Shop in the week before school commences next year, but will not be able to confirm this until much closer to the time. Please keep an eye on the P&C's Facebook page from mid-late January for details.

Year Level Facebook Groups

Don’t forget to connect with your Year level parent community on Facebook – this is a great way to stay connected, get year/school specific information and even organise gatherings – perfect in the lead up to the long summer break. Just search “DPS Year” on google and the groups will pop up, or head to the Duffy Primary Parents and Citizens Facebook page for more info.

*NEW GROUP* A group for parents of pre-schoolers starting in 2023 has also been created, please share with any families you know who have a pre-schooler starting next year. This group is called DPS Preschool 2023.

Find the Duffy Primary Parents and Citizens Association on

Facebook!

@duffypandc

Don’t forget that the lovely staff at Baker’s Delight Cooleman Court give the school store credits for every purchase made. These credits help us run events like school barbeques and other fundraising events.

Don’t forget to mention Duffy

Primary BEFORE your purchase.

SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENTS

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Parent-Teacher Interviews Message

In preparation for Parent-Teacher interviews, we would like to confirm that the Google Meet interview link can be located and accessed through the PTO portal, where you would have previously logged in to register for an interview time.

As always, if you need any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact the front office.

Stranger Awareness Safety Message

This is a reminder to ensure your children and young people understand the importance of stranger awareness safety and information has been included on how to report an incident.

Please support us to keep our children safe by having conversations about moving safely around the community. You may wish to visit the Australian Federal Police website section on Child Safety for tips. In addition, the Safety4Kids is a non-government website that has useful information and links. The Constable Kenny website also has a number of tips for parents for younger children.

If you become aware of an incident or notice anyone acting suspiciously around a school or student, contact police immediately on 131 444 or in the case of an emergency call 000. If you witness an incident or if you have any information that could assist police, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Information can be provided anonymously. We would also ask that you notify the school so we can also support the wider school community to be aware of incidents.

Help with the Cost of Schooling and Everyday Essentials

All ACT public schools can help families meet the costs of schooling or everyday essentials – such as personal hygiene products including sanitary hygiene items, school uniform items, book packs and stationery, school excursions, camps, transport and enrichment activities.

Part of public education’s important objective is making access to education more equitable for all students, regardless of personal circumstances. If you are experiencing a situation that affects your ability to meet the costs of schooling or everyday essentials for your child, we encourage you to talk to us.

Families who are looking for help with the costs of schooling can:

talk to the school principal or other staff member about their situation
have a relative, caseworker, friend or advocate make contact on your behalf
contact the Education Directorate ETDStudentWellbeing@act.gov.au.

A Message from the ACT Education Directorate

Have your say!

The Education Directorate is working to strengthen inclusive education and is reviewing the way ACT public schools deliver disability education to inform a draft Inclusive Education Strategy. The Strategy will provide longer term direction and system reform to embed inclusive cultures and educational practice in ACT Public Schools.

A discussion paper presents a draft position statement on Inclusive Education and 7 proposed themes for the Strategy, informed by the Community Conversation and a review of contemporary evidence.

Further information is available on the Education Website - Strengthening Inclusive Education including a link to the Discussion Paper, an online survey and the Community Conversation Report.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this important work.

For further information please contact the Inclusive Education Strategy team via email - EDUInclusiveEducationStrategy@act.gov.au

A Reminder to Stay COVID Smart at School

As we experience new waves of the virus in our community, we need to remember to stay COVID Smart not only in the community but also at school. For the latest advice, watch the ACT COVID-19 update (November 2022) from Chief Health Officer, Kerryn Coleman.

If your child has COVID-19, you must keep them at home and let the school know. Telling us when your child has COVID-19 will also help us track if there is an increase in COVID-19 transmission at school and manage any high-risk exposures for our more vulnerable school community members.

Being COVID Smart is easy

· Make sure you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters.

· Stay away from schools if you are unwell.

· Wash your hands regularly.

· Wear a mask in public indoor places if you can (12 years and over).

· Keep a distance from others when indoors, if possible.

And don’t forget – if you have COVID-19 symptoms, make sure you get tested. You can access a free rapid antigen test from your school’s front office. Keep up to date at COVID-19 (act.gov.au).

St John Ambulance ACT Junior First Aid Courses

Life is unpredictable and when it comes to first aid, every second counts.

St John Ambulance ACT is providing Junior First Aid courses, commencing January 2023, which are designed to teach children the fundamentals of first aid and instil confidence to perform first aid and eliminate the ‘bystander effect’ in our future generation.

Using a combination of fun, controlled practical scenarios, interactive games and roleplay, our fully qualified trainers will equip your children with the age-appropriate skills and knowledge to respond to basic first aid incidents. Just like teaching children of ‘stranger danger’ awareness, we are teaching children how to recognise and react to a medical situation, providing you with peace of mind to know that your child understands how to react in an emergency situation.

Topics included in the training are: