September 2021

Newsletter No. 6 / September 2021

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Newsletter No. 6 / September 2021

Principal's Report

This week we have moved into our fourth week of Learning from Home and as has already been announced, this will continue until at least Friday, 10 September 2021. I extend a massive thank you to our students, parents, carers, families and staff for the positive response the school has received to Learning from Home. Please know that whatever is happening, we are always looking to support the students and families of Tamworth West PS.

Throughout the past three weeks, we have remained open to assist families who need to attend work as essential workers. We continue to have minimal adults onsite. The few teachers we have onsite are supervising students to complete the same online package of work as students are working on at home. Please also be aware that it is imperative that students and staff are well whilst at school and if any student presents at school with flu like symptoms, we will request they are collected immediately.

Last week, the Premier and the Minister for Education announced the roadmap for students returning to school. Schools will return to face-to-face learning either through a ‘full return’ or ‘staged return’, depending on NSW Health conditions in their area.

‘Full Return’

If we are removed from stay-at-home rules, we will return to school under Level 3 settings. This is a full return for all cohorts to schools, with reduced mingling and onsite activities.

‘Staged Return’

If stay-at-home rules are still in place but other community vaccination and transmission conditions are met, students will return to school in a staged way. This is a staggered return for prioritised cohorts, with no mingling or onsite activities.

Students will return to face-to-face learning with NSW Health-approved COVID-safe settings on school sites in the following order:

· from 25 October – Kindergarten and Year 1

· from 1 November – Years 2, 6 and 11

· from 8 November – Years 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10.

We will provide further advice in regards to this as it comes to hand.

Finally, I would like to let all of our students, families and staff know how incredibly proud I am of your resilience and your ability to keep on keeping on in these difficult times. You are all doing an amazing job. Well done everyone.

Terrie Kay

Welcome Spring!

Learning from Home Work Packs

During Learning from Home, we are providing hard-copy work packs for families who are unable to access the learning online. We only prepare the hard-copy work packs for families who have requested them. If you decide to change from online learning to a hard-copy work pack, you will need to request this package through your classroom teacher.

New hard-copy work packs are available each Monday afternoon between 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm and Tuesday morning between 9:00 am – 12:30 pm from the school hall. In order to meet our COVID plan, we are asking that only ONE person from each family enter the school grounds to collect the work packs.

Packs will be organised in alphabetical order, based on student’s surnames.

The double gates on Church Street will be open for access to the hall. It is essential that parents and carers sign in using the QR code provided before entering the school grounds.

If you are unable to collect packs during the set times, please contact the front office on 6765 8316 to organise collection of your child’s pack via the front office.

Parents and carers are asked to return the previous week’s work pack at the same time as you are collecting the next pack. Returned work packs should be in the envelope provided (or other document holder if preferred) and labelled with your child’s name and class. Packs are to be placed in the tubs provided on the floor beside the tables in the hall.

Remote learning guidelines for parents and carers

Remote_guidelines_for_parents (1).pdf

Remote learning guidelines for students

Remote_guidelines_for_students (1).pdf

Have fun with your children

Encourage your child to take some time to be creative. Draw, play with Lego or tune into the daily NSW Education livestream. Please find below a list of ideas you can get your children to do if you are looking for additional activities…

Activities_to_Try.pdf

Looking after your mental health

We have been told that there is increased anxiety and worry affecting our younger students in relation to COVID19. Please find below a text that you can share with your children. It has been written to dispel fears and misconceptions about COVID19 in a calm and easily understood manner.

We thank the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service for sharing this resource.

dave-the-dog-coronavirus-1-1.pdf

In addition, I have also included a flyer that has been produced by our school counselling team. Whilst students can’t meet in person with a school counsellor at the moment, we can provide ‘tele-school counselling’ (over the phone and video-conferencing). If you would like your child to speak with the school counsellor, please let your teacher know and someone from the counselling team will contact you.

TWPS Mental Health Handout for students and parents.pdf

From the Deputies

Learning From Home

During these tough times it is important that we support our students, and their parents. You will notice in the work set for this week we have Wellbeing Wednesday. This is designed to break up the week and reduce the stress on families supporting their children to complete work. We are very mindful that the strain on families is enormous at the moment, and we hope that the Zooms our teachers are doing and the phone calls to check in are helping.

We also designed this day to also help those families with multiple TWPS children. All students Kindergarten to Year 6 will be following the same program of learning. We hope you can enjoy some of these activities with your children, or perhaps just enjoy them being able to be independent learners for a day. The minimum requirement is one activity.

Keep an eye out next week for Fun Friday

The Resilience Project- GEM TV

During last week, GEM TV had special broadcasts each afternoon. I hope your children were able to enjoy them, have a bit of a laugh and relax. Martin is such a funny guy! I have included the link to The Resilience Project @ Home page. This is a great spot to watch some GEM TV and listen to some tips about Gratitude Empathy Mindfulness.

https://theresilienceproject.com.au/at-home/

https://theresilienceproject.com.au/parent-and-carer-hub-martin

Teaching & Learning

We would like to give a huge ‘Shout Out’ to the families and students at Tamworth West Public School… you are truly amazing! During the past four weeks of Learning from Home there have been a number of challenges. However, there have been far more successes. Students have shown resilience, adaptability and responsibility, all while practising and learning new computer skills (I know I’ve learnt many new computer skills!).

The teachers and staff here have been working tirelessly to ensure your children continue to grow and learn. The activities that have been assigned are a modified version of the Term 3 Teaching and Learning Programs that students would have engaged in, had students been attending school.

Parents and caregivers, we thank you for your support of the teaching and learning programs! And remember, if you do have any queries or concerns, please reach out to your child’s teacher.

Now, here is a little game to play. Why not make it a family challenge?

The ultimate mathematical challenge…A game of ‘Bang Bang’! Who will win?

Bang bang is a great game for practising quick recall facts.

What you need to play: Two willing mathematicians!

How to play:

Step 1: 2 players stand back to back, cowboy style.

Step 2: A question is called out, such as ‘what is 7 x 6?’ (Simplify for younger students, challenge the older students!)

Step 3: The first player to turn, face their opponent, shout ‘Bang Bang’ and to give the answer wins the round.

Step 4: This is then repeated until a number of points, decided at the start of the game, is reached. That player is then the winner.

Jody Welsh and Jordana Cooper

Instructional Leaders

Early Stage 1

Welcome to Kindergarten 2021!

September has been a month of many firsts for Kinder. We attended our first sports carnival at the new athletics track; we learnt that there are things called adjectives, which describe nouns; we began learning online, watching recordings of our teachers teaching lessons; and we talk to each other through ZOOM. In such a brief time there has been many changes and challenges, but it has not stopped Kindergarten!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful parents and helpers out there supporting their child’s learning. Without you, this could not be achieved. So, thank you to all and know that you are hugely appreciated.

Stage 1

Welcome back to Term 3!

Welcome Spring! - What a wonderful time of the year.😊

Thank you to all our students and their families for all your efforts and hard work with home learning. You amaze us every single day with your resilience and efforts in these times we are currently facing.

Thank you to our amazing teachers – Mrs Rankmore, Mrs Lothian, Miss Clarke, Miss Burns and Mrs Hammond for all the incredible work you are doing. Also, I huge thank you to Mr Taggart, Miss McRae and Mrs Cox for everything you are doing to keep us all going.😊

We miss you all very much and remember, your teachers are here for you to help; and keep sharing your amazing work and photos.

Here are some photos to enjoy...

Stage 2

Miss Kahla May – 4M

Mr Adrian Wood – 4W

Mrs Courtney Lyon – 3L

Miss Felicity Bagshaw 3B (Relieving Stage 2 Assistant Principal)

Athletics Carnival

Stage 2 had a great day at the school Athletics Carnival. If was so much fun at the new Athletics field especially the hill which most students enjoyed rolling down. There was so much team spirit in the way that the students were dressed for the day. It was also great to hear the students cheering on not only their friends but also team mates from other year levels. A big congratulations to the ribbon winners and all those who competed.

Peel High Sports

On Tuesday mornings, 3L and 4M have been enjoying having students from Year 10 at Peel High teach them some new sports games. The students involved have been have a great time during these sessions. They have especially enjoyed seeing past students and talking to them about high school.

Home learning

As we all know, we were thrown into home learning on the 10 August 2021. It has been a real learning curve for both teachers and students. Lucky for us, Mrs Ward had been working with Stage 2 using Google Classroom all year. We had a few teething problems but everything seems to be running smoothly now. The teachers have been learning a number of technical tricks to try and make home learning as fun as it can be. The teachers have decided to work to their personal skill sets: Miss May has been creating the packages, Miss Bagshaw and Mr Wood have been turning them into daily work documents and Mrs Lyon has been trying her best with ZOOM. There have been a few hiccups with this including Mrs Lyon Zooming herself and wondering why there was no one there. All the teachers have loved seeing the photos that the children are turning in to earn extra house points. These have been both examples of work and ways they have been helping around the house. Just a reminder that the students are expected to complete work daily on Google Classroom if they are working online or work packages are to be returned weekly to hall when new packages are collected.

The Stage 2 teachers would love to thank all the mums, dads, nans, pops and carers for all the support they are giving the students to achieve their home learning goals. Please remember that you are able to contact your child’s classroom teacher for support or comment on the activity on Google Classroom. Please keep an eye out on the school Facebook page and ENews for the latest updates.

Sydney excursion

At this stage we are unsure about the Stage 2 Sydney excursion in term 4. Once we have more information regarding this we will share it will you.

Stage 3

It certainly feels like we have been here before! As we continue to engage in online learning it becomes increasingly more relevant that we practise and instill in our children being grateful for what we have. We are fortunate to live in a country where we are afforded our freedom.

We encourage our students to take up the opportunities available online, engage in the physical activities and mindfulness sessions. The unpredictability of our current circumstances can cause distress to some children and indeed families. Using the Resilience Project may assist to develop strategies for improved emotional regulation.

The weekly timetable includes a Gratitude Journal. The purpose of the journal is for children to recognise, not simply the material objects, but people and experiences in their lives that they are grateful for.

We had planned to visit Canberra last week, unfortunately the annual excursion was also a casualty of COVID and we had to cancel. Alternatively, our weekly timetable has links to virtual tours of sites in Canberra. Students will be assessed on their understanding of these visits, so it is important they participate in the registered events. On Tuesday, the first tour begins at the National Gallery of Australia at 10 am. Students then tour the Australian War Memorial on Wednesday, the Parliamentary Education Office and Questacon on Thursday, followed by Royal Australian Mint on Friday. Thank you to Mrs McInnes for registering us, and remember it is better to follow the YouTube links, as the zoom links only allow 100 access.

Finally, I wish to thank Mr Willis, Mrs McInnes and Mrs Flick for their tireless efforts to support Stage 3 students. Each of my colleagues have family they are also working remotely with; they are missing the daily interaction with students and the routine of the school day as much as you are.

I do hope that we do not have to be working from our homes for much longer but until we can meet again, take care, be kind to each other and I look forward to seeing happy, inquisitive faces on the daily zoom meetings.

Kind Regards,

Kirrily Milton

Special Ed

Home Learning

During the last few weeks, we have all been getting used to learning from home. All students in K-3M, 3-6S and 3-6D have been working very hard on their weekly learning packages and class teachers are very proud of the great work that they get to mark each time the packs are returned to school. Keep up the great work everyone!

I am including the Zoom meeting details for our daily Zoom which happens at

10:00 am.

Meeting Id: 63287245919

Passcode: TWPS

Zoom in each day and if you can demonstrate the PBL expectations to the highest level in our meeting you will be selected as the PBL Zoom Star of the Day. Daily winners are recorded and when we return to school their names will be placed in the draw for a wonderful prize.

Athletics Carnival

Earlier in the term we enjoyed our wonderful Athletics Carnival. Students from K-3M, 3-6S and 3-6D had an exciting day competing in their races and taking the opportunity to cheer on their friends. We sat together as a team on the hill. All of the students enjoyed the opportunity to travel to and from the carnival on the bus.

We all arrived back at school completely exhausted but very happy knowing we had tried our best and demonstrated outstanding sportsmanship and kindness to each other at all times.

Thank you to Mrs Milton and Mr Willis for their fabulous organisation of the carnival and also to the teachers and staff who assisted all students from the support unit on the day. It was such a memorable experience and everyone had a fantastic day.

Pip Diss

Assistant Principal

Special Ed

Sports Report

Athletics Carnival

We were very fortunate to hold our Athletics Carnival on Thursday, 5August 2021. This time last year we were unable to run sporting events, so it was great to have the opportunity to see kids participating in track and field events. It was the first time the students had the chance to compete at the new Tamworth Regional Athletics Track and it is safe to say the students enjoyed using the new facilities.

We started the day with the 200m and 800m races, with many students arriving at the track early to participate in these events. Once the rest of the school arrived at the venue, we continued with 100m races, High Jump, Long Jump, Discus, Shot Put and Junior and Senior Mixed Relays to finish the day. Our K-2 students participated in a range of enjoyable novelties organised by their teachers. When the 3-6 students were not competing, they were able to cheer on their houses from the viewing area along the 100m straight. The kids also made the most of the school canteen that sold sausage sandwiches, drinks and snacks.

One of the highlights of the day was the Junior Boys High Jump record being broken. Jake Cross-Felstead broke the record with a jump of 1.26m. This was a 30-year record belonging to B Simmonds all the way back in 1991. Congratulations to Jake.

A big thank you to the Mr Mathew Flanagan and the PEEL High students who assisted with timekeeping and field events throughout the day. It takes a lot of people to run the athletics carnival and without their help we would struggle to do so. Also thank you to all the teachers and staff who assisted with the organisation of the carnival and taking on various roles to help make the day run smoothly.

We were intending on presenting our Age Champions with their trophies at our Tuesday Primary School Assembly, however COVID stay at home restrictions were placed the very day before which stopped this from occurring. We hope to recognise these students as soon as we can get back to school.

House Points

The winning house on the day was Wentworth with a whopping 398 house points. The battle for second place was closely challenged with Farrer just beating Parkes and Macarthur.

1^st Wentworth: 398

2^nd Farrer: 294

3^rd Parkes: 271

4^th Macarthur: 240

Congratulations Wentworth and well done to every child who participated in Field Event Qualifications at school and those who competed in events on the day of the carnival.

Boys PSSA Basketball Knockout

On 30 July 2021 our 5/6 Boys Basketball knockout team advanced to round 5 playing against Nemingha. Having not played a lot of basketball in the lead up to the game, the boys were very rusty in the first quarter giving up an 8 to 0 lead. The team was able to find their mojo in the second quarter and started to establish themselves on the defensive end of the floor. At half time Nemingha led 16 to 10. Unfortunately for the West boys, Nemingha got their momentum back in the third quarter and pushed out to a 12-point lead. The 5/6 boys never gave up but couldn’t quite regain the lead that Nemingha had mounted. In the end Nemingha defeated Tamworth West 36 to 25.

Congratulations to the boys for making it so far through the knockout. They were one victory away from playing in the Regional Final. A very good result overall. Also thank you to Mrs Kay who attended the game to assist with benching and scoring duties.

Mr Willis

Sports Organiser