By sharing regular updates on our school improvement plan, we aim to strengthen the connection between home and school, ultimately leading to improved student outcomes.

Priority 1:

Increase individual student growth in writing across all year levels.

During week 8 , we welcomed the return of Fiona Hamilton to continue our work in Word Inquiry.  Fiona worked along side our staff, modelling lessons and providing opportunities for rich discussion with teaching teams. Fiona has been working closely with our staff for over 12 months now and was impressed by the noticeable growth of our students as word noticers and namers.

Priority 2: 

Improve the percentage of students making expected growth in number.

Last Thursday Fiona Chapman and Sarah Moore joined many educators across the ACT, exploring numeracy and best ways to engage students in learning. It was powerful to join fellow educators in deepening our approaches to numeracy and aligning these to our school improvement journey. The following day two of our Numeracy  Champions Brooke Sedgmen and Rachel Pummeroy attended a whole day PL on numeracy. 

Highlights included:

• Insights into Maths in AC V.9 and how this assists students to be prepared for the next phase of the technological revolution (working with AI and digital data)

• How taking parts from both inquiry mathematics and explicit instruction is best practice and suits the widest range of mathematicians

• Discussions around the introductions of new topics in maths and how to connect these to authentic experiences as a starting basis using  Ball et al/s Domains of Mathematical Knowledge Model

Introducing Strong Foundations

Last Friday, 21 June the ACT Government announced a $24.9 million investment over the next four years to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for students in ACT public schools.

This means a new suite of system-wide initiatives, called Strong Foundations, that will support all students at ACT public schools to have access to consistent, high-quality literacy and numeracy education.

Under Strong Foundations, your family will have access to:

• evidence-informed and consistent teaching practices in every classroom

• common assessments, including a year 1 phonics test

• advice and resources for parents, to support their children with literacy and numeracy, and

• multi-tiered systems of support for students in every public school 

From the start of 2025, our Kindergarten to Year 2 classes will receive additional funding to purchase new literacy and numeracy teaching materials and equipment, including decodable readers and mathematical resources.

The Education Directorate is currently planning supports for every ACT public school to adopt a more consistent approach to literacy and numeracy education.

To read more about the recent independent inquiry into literacy and numeracy in ACT public schools visit the Education Directorate website: Inquiry into literacy and numeracy in ACT public schools - Education.

You will be kept you updated as this important program is designed and rolled out.

2025 School Enrolments open now 

Enrolments for the 2025 school year are now open for students starting at a new school. Visit education.act.gov.au for the online application link and information about the school in your child’s Priority Enrolment Area. School information sessions for prospective students are being held throughout May. Alternately, visit school websites to find out more or contact the school directly. 

Protecting ourselves from illness over winter

The cooler weather is well and truly here. We have already seen an increase in COVID-19 and other seasonal illness at school, and across the community. It is important we keep everyone healthy by making sure we take simple steps to protect one another. As parents and carers, one of the simplest ways to do this is to keep your child at home when they are unwell.

If your child has COVID-19 you must let us know by contacting the Front Office. Your child should only return to school once they are well, and their symptoms have cleared.

Get vaccinated

You are reminded that vaccination is one of the best ways to keep everyone safe. We encourage everyone who can, to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and the seasonal flu. To find out more visit the ACT Health website.

COVID Smart ACT public schools

ACT public schools have a range of strategies in place to keep everyone safe over winter. This includes cleaning of high touch points in schools, as well as strategies to ensure we balance ventilation and thermal comfort in classrooms to help prevent the spread of illness.

You can read more on the ACT Education Directorate website.

Parent Portal reminders

Parent Portal is now available. It is a secure online platform used to share student information between you and your child’s teachers.

Some reminders about Parent Portal:

• If you already have a Parent Portal account, use this Parent Portal access link to start using the great features.

• You can’t access Parent Portal directly through the ACT Digital Account website, you need to use the link above.

• When you are logged into Parent Portal, we recommend saving the browser as a favourite or to the homepage on your mobile phone for quick access in the future.

• The website can only be viewed using a web browser on your computer, mobile phone or tablet. An app is not available at this time.

• If you still need to register, you will need an access key and a Parent Portal registration link via email to link your existing account to your child’s records. If you haven’t received this, please contact the school’s front office team for assistance.

Head to our website for all the details: Parent Portal - Duffy Primary School (duffyps.act.edu.au) 

Mobile Phones

A new ACT Public Schools policy comes into effect this year. Our practice regarding phones already aligns with this policy. All students who bring a phone to school need to hand it in to the front office. Phones are collected from the same spot at the end of each day. This routine has worked well for our students and phones are stored securely during the day.  Please ask that any student who wears a smart watch that these are set to ‘school mode/ school time’ during the day.

ACT Public Schools policy 

Exciting Achievements at the Regional Cross Country Championships!

We are thrilled to announce the outstanding performances of our school’s cross-country team at the recent South/Weston Regional Championships! Many of our dedicated runners have been training tirelessly with Mr Larson, and their hard work truly paid off at the event.

A special congratulations goes to Chester D and Yaksh P, who both finished in the top 10 of their respective categories. We are also incredibly proud of Rupert A, who secured an impressive 3rd place finish. All three students earned a spot at the ACT Cross Country Championships.

Final placings for all the events can be found at https://schoolsportact.org.au/sports/cross-country/

Congratulations to all our runners for their hard work and success!

On Tuesday last week, Duffy took two mixed teams of Year 3 and 4 students to the Southside Netball Gala day. The teams versed 5 or 6 other teams each, improving their knowledge of the game and their netball skills as the day went on. They had lots of fun and were great representatives of Duffy Primary, with both teams showing impressive teamwork and great sportsmanship. They finished with a superb last game - sinking five goals in under ten minutes!

A special thanks to the parents who came to support and help the day run smoothly, you are absolute gems! 

On Tuesday a very excited group of Year 5s and Year 6s attended the Netball Gala Day.  We had one Year 5 mixed team and one Year 6 mixed team with each team playing 6 games throughout the day against other southside schools.  It was a day of lots of fun and for many of them learning how to play the game.  All students played well and there were some fantastic displays of team effort.  Very proud of all the students for their commitment and sportsmanship on the day.  

A shout out to parents Erin, Sal, Mel and Nadia for all your support on the day which was much appreciated. 

Thank you to families who have paid their 2024 Voluntary Contribution.

Contributions to the CRF (resources fund) have been used to purchase maths resources for all year groups.

Have you paid for your child’s book pack resources for 2024?

We ask for $50 per child per year to cover the costs of exercise books, art resources, portfolios as well as headphones in our senior primary years. We also supplement this contribution to purchase

Paying for your child/children’s stationery resources reduces the impact on our budget as the costs for these supplies is recovered.

Bulk purchasing reduces the cost per child for all families. The $85.00 has not been increased for several years.

Our process ensures that the students have the required equipment that matches the educational needs of the classroom. It also means that resourcing is equitable and consistent across year levels.

Please get in touch with:

Alice Lollback – Business Manager

E: alice.lollback@ed.act.edu.au

Phone: 02 6142 2513

Uniform Shop

A reminder that the uniform shop will not be open or filling orders in the last week of the term. The last day for getting flexischool uniform orders filled in term 2 is Thursday 27th June. Orders placed through flexischool after this date will be filled on the first Friday of term 3.

The uniform shop is open each Friday (except last Friday of each term) 8.30am-9am, with second-hand uniform items available as well as new items available for purchase.

Lunch Orders

Woden Community Service Ltd (WCS) will be taking over operation of our school canteen/food delivery service commencing term 3, 2024.

The service is currently provided by Healthy Kids Association (HKA) as part of a wider ACT School Canteen service operation.

The intention is for a seamless transition, with all current staff members retained.

WCS will continue to deliver the canteen service as it is, including the menu options, ordering process, and payment methods.

If you have any questions, please feel to reach out to our front office by email: duffyps@ed.act.edu.au

French Day

Bonjour tout le monde,

In Term 3, week 2 we will be celebrating our French Day on Friday 2nd August.  

We ask that all students come dressed in red, white and blue or if you are very creative, to come dressed as a well-known French person or character.  We will have various French activities planned throughout the day.

A French lunch will be organised for the day (see menu below) and can be ordered online through Flexischools from mid Week 10. 

Looking forward to seeing lots of fun and creative outfits.

Katrina Sinclair, Specialist Teacher - French

Chief Minister's Reading Challenge 2024

The Chief Minister’s Reading challenge is well under way at Duffy Primary! 

The Challenge, which runs in ACT schools each year, encourages students to read 30 books over a 5 month period, from February to July. 

So far, our school has read a total of 11, 432 books, which is an average of 27 books each!

All books read and listened to count, and students can record their read books on an individual reading record (which went home with students in Term 1) or on their class chart (Years 3-6).

So far, Year 3 have read the most books as a cohort, with a whopping 2833 books read so far! With one month to go, there is still plenty of time to get the numbers up! Winter is here, let’s all snuggle up with a book!

Sustainability 

Duffy Primary has embarked on the ‘Container Deposit School Pilot Project for Schools.’ It only started this term, so it is still early stages. The idea is that everyone collects the containers, that are labelled with the 10c on the back. Please keep the labels on. At school we have the purple wheely bin for you to deposit the bottles. But if it is easier for you, we also have the plastic bags that you can take home then bring back to school once they are full. Once our bin is full, collected and counted, we will be paid in cash for our efforts. The money raised will be used to support students learning about Sustainability. Everyone will have an opportunity to have a say in how the funds are distributed. So, if you would like to take a bag or two to keep at home or at your workplace or other, you are welcome. Just ask the front office or myself. Here are some useful links:

eligible containers    https://actcds.org.au/eligible-containers/

Ilse Arellano, Specialist Teacher - Sustainability 

Ilse.arellano@ed.act.edu.au

Assemblies

Wednesday assemblies now commence from 2:30pm-3pm. Please check our website for an Assembly Roster for the year. 

City Entertainment Membership

As we prepare for the next school holiday season we are excited to launch a great new promotion to keep our families entertained for less.

Beginning 6pm AEST Monday 24 June until 11:59am AEST Tuesday 2nd July, grab any Single City Entertainment Membership and get a FREE upgrade to a Multi City Membership! Plus, receive a $20 Everyday WISH Bonus eGift Card!

That's up to 50% off kid-friendly restaurants, thrilling activities, exciting outings, travel adventures, and so much more! All with a 12-month Entertainment Membership starting at just $70!

Term 2, Week 9 - Merit Awards

Silver Spirit Awards

Bronze Spirit Awards

Requirements for daily sign-in/out and wearing of identification

Volunteers and visitors must sign-in/out for each visit, recording the date, start and finish times and the tasks undertaken.  

All Volunteers and Visitors at Duffy Primary School must enter and exit the school via the front office sign in on arrival prior to proceeding to their destination or activity (including accompanying students on excursions), identify themselves (present WWVP registration card or other identification if relevant) and report to front office staff to be signed out before leaving the school. You will be given a Visitors sticker each time you visit which must be displayed for the entirety or your visit.

This allows the school the opportunity to monitor compliance with the WWVP Act and Emergency Evacuation Procedures.

Duffy Preschool has a Visitors and Volunteers sign-in and sign-out register and you must report to preschool staff before proceeding to work with students. 

School Gates 

Thank you to parents/ carers in our community who have provided some feedback about the school gate situation. We are reviewing the plans we have in place. We will share this with the community once it is finalised. In the mean time, the internal  gate near the Year 5 classrooms, will not be opened for students to enter/exit the school. Due to no supervision in that area of the school and for the safety of our students we require that students that would ride their bike through that gate will now enter/exit the school through our Kindergarten/Junior gate.

Could you please remind your child/children that they need to walk their bikes once on the school grounds.

Cyber Security Tips for Parents

Keeping our students safe online is a top priority. The Australian Cyber Security Centre provides resources to help parents protect their children from cyber threats. We encourage all parents to review the following guides:

Protect your children online: A guide to cyber security for parents and carers covers key tips including:

• Using antivirus software and backing up data regularly

• Staying informed on the latest cyber threats

• Teaching kids to recognise online scams and how to report them.

Security tips for online gaming has helpful tips to protect against security risks such as viruses and account takeovers:

• Importance of Multi Factor authentication

• Password protection

• Use of legitimate software.

Online shopping shows you and your children how to safely shop online.

Knowing your Emojis to keep Kids Safe

Do you know that a chili emoji can have multiple meanings? Or what the acronym PIR or the number 9 stands for?

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) is urging the community to understand the double meaning of emojis and acronyms, to keep kids safe. They offer some top tips for parents, and recent examples of emoji use and acronyms popping up with youth online. For more information, read the online article https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/knowing-your-emojis-keep-your-kids-safe.

Dogs on School Grounds

Just a  reminder that under the Domestic Animals Act, dogs are not permitted on school grounds.

Section 42 of the Act defines places where dogs are prohibited. These include the grounds of a child care centre, preschool, primary school, high school or secondary college during school hours or when school sport including training is being conducted or a dog is taken into the grounds with the approval of the principal (e.g. service support dogs). Dogs are prohibited within 10 metres of anything designed for play by children in a public place if children are playing on it; a fireplace designed for cooking food; or a swimming area defined by a sign erected.

We understand that dogs are an important part of people's families, and for some the walk to school is a good opportunity to take the dog for a walk. However, as well as the legislation mentioned above, there are children and adults in every school that for whatever reason find it difficult to be around dogs. We ask that you keep this in mind when walking your dog, and please do not bring them onto the school grounds.  Thank you!

Help fight the spread of illness

With Winter around the corner, one of the best ways to help protect you and your family is to get the flu vaccine. It’s important to vaccinate your child as they’re at a higher risk of serious complications if they get sick and are more likely to spread it to others.

Help fight the spread of illness by staying home if you’re sick and wash your hands regularly. Please read the Winter Wellness flyer (465 kb PDF) from ACT Health or visit ACT Health Influenza (Flu) page for more information.

Woden Library temporary closure

The Woden Library will be closed to the public from Wednesday 8 May 2024 until mid-August 2024 for upgrade works. A temporary pop-up library will be operating from 26 Corinna Street, Phillip, between 10:00 am and 5:30 pm Monday to Friday.

Libraries ACT apologises for any inconvenience this may cause and they look forward to welcoming you back when they reopen mid-August 2024. For more information on the services available during the closure, visit www.library.act.gov.au.

REMINDER – Death cap mushrooms

Do not touch, pick or eat any wild mushrooms.

The ACT Health Directorate is reminding all school communities that death cap mushrooms are growing in the ACT. They are a deadly poisonous fungus. There have been multiple poisonings and deaths associated with death caps in Canberra.

Death cap mushrooms (Amanita phalloides) are one of the world’s deadliest mushrooms. They often grow near established oak trees, although they have also been found in other places. Death caps grow in the ACT at different times of the year, and autumn is usually the peak growing period.

All parts of the death cap mushroom are poisonous and eating just part of a mushroom can be fatal. Death caps cannot be made safe by cooking, soaking, peeling, freezing or drying.

If you suspect someone might have eaten a death cap mushroom, they must seek urgent medical attention at a hospital emergency department. Do not wait for symptoms to occur. The chances of survival increase when treatment is started early. If possible, take any remaining mushroom sample to hospital with the patient.

The key message is not to touch, pick or eat any wild mushrooms.

If you see death cap mushrooms growing on your property:

• keep children and animals away

• remove the whole mushroom using gloves or a tool, including any part under the ground

• secure it in a plastic bag

• place it into a rubbish bin that cannot be accessed by children, to go to landfill, and

• wash your hands

Also, monitor the site frequently for further growth, remove mushrooms before mowing to prevent spreading and do not compost them. Death cap mushrooms in public places can be reported at Fix My Street, or by calling Access Canberra on 13 22 81. 

More information is available at www.act.gov.au by searching death cap mushrooms, including some translated resources.

Upcoming online eSafety opportunities for schools

The Online Safety (eSafety) Education team is committed to working with school communities to create safer online environments for everyone and have curated resources that can be shared with parents and carers through your existing school networks. These include:

Upcoming Webinars from the eSafety Commissioner

• • These live webinars give parents and carers the knowledge, skills and tools to support their children to have safe online experiences. The include eSafety 101, Wellbeing and digital technologies, consent and online boundaries, and setting your child up for success online.

Online Safety for every family

• • These short videos and easy-to-read advice sheets will give you the confidence to talk with your children about online safety. They include tips to help them stay safe, and important information about what to do if something bad does happen online.

The eSafety Guide

• • Find out how to protect your personal information and report harmful content on common social media, games, apps and sites. Entries are for information only and are not reviews or endorsements by eSafety.

Home Learning Hub

Literacy People's Literacy Learning Modules - A guide for engaging parents and carers

Mindfulness Podcast Series - ACT Education Directorate