Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome to Week 6!

Last week, we celebrated Book Week with the theme "Reading is Magic." A definite highlight was our Book Week parade, where students and staff showcased their creativity by dressing as their favorite book characters. It was a joy to see so many parents and carers attend the event, both in the school and preschool classes.

Books have the power to transform children's lives by opening new worlds and ideas. They spark imagination, build empathy, and foster a love of learning, helping kids explore diverse experiences and understand themselves and others. This not only nurtures their curiosity but also equips them with the tools to shape their futures. At Duffy Primary School, we celebrate imagination and reinforce the lifelong value of reading in enriching our lives.

Looking ahead, next Wednesday night, members of our Duffy Senior Choir will perform in the Step into the Limelight 2024 Gala at Llewellyn Hall as part of the Massed Primary Choir. Step into the Limelight is the major annual arts showcase for ACT public schools and the largest youth arts event in the ACT, featuring dance, drama, media, music, and visual art. We extend our thanks to Mrs. Morrell for her dedication to this event and her support of the arts here at Duffy Primary School.

A few reminders:

Please complete our School Satisfaction Survey if you haven't already. Your feedback is invaluable as it helps us understand what we’re doing well and identify areas for improvement within our school and the broader public school system. The purpose of the School Satisfaction Survey for ACT Public Schools is to gather valuable feedback from families, students, and staff regarding their experiences and perceptions of the school environment. This survey helps identify strengths and areas for improvement, guiding decisions and strategies to enhance the quality of education, support services, and overall school experience. Your input plays a crucial role in shaping a better learning environment and ensuring that the needs of the school community are effectively met. 

Link: https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/school-satisfaction-and[1]climate-survey

We are beginning to plan for 2025 already. To assist us with this planning, if you know that your child will not be returning to Duffy Primary in 2025 (year 6 students excepted), please let our front office know as soon as possible by emailing duffyps@ed.act.edu.au.

We look forward to seeing many of our students at the upcoming P&C Spooky Friday Disco on Friday 13th.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend now that the warmer weather has started.

Warm Regards,

Katie, Arilia, Fiona and Sarah

We remain dedicated to continuous school improvement, striving to enhance the quality of education and create the best learning environment for our students.

Below is a snapshot of our students' NAPLAN results, highlighting their achievements and strengths across the standardized tests. While these results provide valuable insights into student learning and progress, they are just one of many measures we use. Our commitment extends to employing a variety of multi-modal and inclusive assessments to gain a comprehensive view of each student's development. This approach is part of the broader reporting we share with you throughout the school year.

Year 3

This year, 63% of our Year 3 students are at the Exceeding or Strong proficiency levels in reading. 87% of our Year 3 students are at the Exceeding or Strong proficiency levels in writing. This performance is higher than the average of comparable schools and reflects the effectiveness of our writing instruction which has been a school improvement focus for the past two years.  In numeracy 65% of our students are performing at the Exceeding or Strong proficiency levels.

Year 5 

79% of our Year 5 students are at the Exceeding or Strong proficiency levels in reading. 79% of our Year 5 students are at the Exceeding or Strong proficiency levels in Grammar and Punctuation. In numeracy, 69% of our students are performing at the Exceeding or Strong proficiency levels in numeracy.

As a staff, we are actively using this data to identify support needs and target assistance through differentiated instruction tailored to each student's specific requirements. This approach includes individualized learning strategies and resources designed to foster academic growth and progress over time.

If your child is in Years 3 or 5, they will have received their NAPLAN results. Should you have any questions or wish to discuss these results further, please feel free to arrange a meeting with your child's class teacher.

Literacy

Over the past weeks, Year 2 has been learning about how to take notes and how to be a reporter. We have been writing notes, drawing pictures and recounting events from the most recent Olympics. 

So far we have created reports and recounted events including the Men’s swimming, Women’s skateboarding and pole vaulting. This week we are looking at the Men’s 3 metre diving. 

We have used a mix of large storyboard whiteboards and paper to help us take short notes based on the event that we are watching. These notes contain key information that helps us later when we transfer this information into full sentences. The pictures also help us to sequence the event and put the information in the right order. 

Students have enjoyed recording their reports using SeeSaw and sharing with carers and parents. There are definitely some future reporters in the Year 2 cohort!

Maths

Inquiry

During inquiry we have been exploring our Physical World, uncovering the ways that different technologies have impacted our lives and evolved over time. Students began their inquiry by asking the question ‘What is Technology?’ which helped them to understand that technology encompasses a wide range of tools and innovations.

We then began to explore how technology can be placed into different categories depending on what the technology is used for, discovering that technology is used to help us solve problems or make our lives easier.

Our final line of inquiry asked students to investigate how technology has changed over time. Students created posters with ‘past’ and ‘present’ descriptions of their chosen technology, and then designed their own future version. This week we finished our unit by creating 3D models of our future technologies! Year 2 put a lot of work into their designs and they look incredible!

ACT Public Education Awards 2024

2024 Public Education Awards Nominations open now!

The ACT Public Education Awards celebrate excellence and recognise high performing school leaders, teachers, school support staff, allied health professionals and volunteers in our public schools and the Education Support Office.

We encourage all members of the school community to take the time to acknowledge the incredible work happening in our schools.

For more information and to nominate, visit ACT Public Education Awards - Education.  

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 

DON’T FORGET

We are still accepting payment for you child/children’s 2024 Stationery Packs costs.

Please remember to pay for SW Athletics, Floriade, Limelight and Arboretum excursions if your child is a participant.

GRASS AND GARDENS

Thank you to students, parents, and carers for remembering to use our paths to enter and exit the school.

SECURITY 

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

Just a reminder that is essential that anyone coming into the school needs to sign in and sign out at the front office.

PROPERTY and UNIFORM

Please ensure your child/children’s uniform items are labelled There is a large amount of lost property that the school does not have space to keep on site.

I ask that personal items from home like toys, balls and books are not brought into school. we do not have the capacity to make sure they are not lost, stolen or damaged.

Alice Lollback – Business Manager

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

Phone: 02 6142 2513

Free Period Products Available at ACT Schools

 All ACT public schools are stocked with free period products so students can access them no matter their circumstances. This is part of the ACT Government’s commitment to ensuring students feel comfortable and confident within our schools.

Free period products are available at our school’s front office. Students can access them at any time by talking to our helpful front office staff.

Sanitary pads are available from the front offices of primary schools, while pads and tampons are available at the front offices of high schools and colleges.

Because menstruation is a fact of life, we believe free access to period products should be too.

To learn more about this equity initiative and other places where free period products are available, please visit: https://www.act.gov.au/community/women/free-period-products

Assemblies

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

P&C Spooky Disco

Respond to the event on Facebook for updates: https://www.facebook.com/share/RFfym2f1wo16Rb96/ 

Term 3, Week 5 - Merit Awards

Gold Spirit 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. 

Help Us Create a better Education Directorate Website Experience

Share your thoughts on the Education Directorate website. This website has general information on education in the ACT and is where you go to enrol in ACT public schools. It is different to your school’s website.

Help us create a better website experience by completing a short 5-minute survey before Friday 30 August 2024.

Parentline ACT

Parentline ACT offers free and confidential telephone counselling for parents and carers in the Australian Capital Territory. This service provides guidance and assistance on various parenting issues, ensuring you have the support you need with no appointment necessary. Parentline ACT is open on Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. For support, call (02) 6287 3833.

Get ready for MyWay+ 

MyWay+ is Transport Canberra’s next generation ticketing system that puts all public transport services in one place, MyWay+ will offer more ways to pay for public transport and introduce new digital platforms for journey planning and accessing real-time information. 

With more ways to pay, you can choose what works best for you and your family! 

The switchover to MyWay+ is expected later this year. Until then, students should continue to use their current MyWay card or a paper ticket from a ticket vending machine to pay for travel on Transport Canberra bus and light rail services. You can also: 

• Ensure your child’s MyWay card is registered to protect the balance. Transport Canberra can only process refunds and transfer credits for registered MyWay cards. 

• Sign up to Transport Canberra’s weekly e-news for regular updates. 

• Connect with Transport Canberra on social media. For more information on MyWay+ visit Transport Canberra – MyWay+. 

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.

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.

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