Tamworth West Public School

COVID-19 UPDATE

Some of the layered COVID-smart measures you’ve come to know in recent months will continue this term. These ‘baseline measures’ are aligned to the NSW Government’s general community settings and include:

• rapid antigen testing for symptomatic students and staff

• vaccinations – including booster shots (from 3 months after your child’s primary COVID-19 dose) are encouraged for all eligible students and their families. Staff and volunteers on school grounds are to follow vaccination guidelines

• ventilation

• good hygiene practices

• enhanced cleaning.

Continuing these baseline measures allow us to prioritise student and staff wellbeing while giving our learners a consistent and productive learning environment this term.

What’s new in Term 2?

As we head into the cooler months, our COVID-smart measures have been updated in consultation with NSW Health, to provide additional protection to our school community.

• Change to close contact isolation requirements. On 20 April the NSW Premier announced that from 6pm 22 April 2022, close contacts (including household contacts) could leave home isolation with certain restrictions. The announcement means that from Week 1 of Term 2, students and staff who are identified as close contacts will be able to attend school with the following risk mitigations in place:

  • • You must notify the school and/or early childhood education (ECE) service provider (including their outside of school hours care provider) if you are intending to return to school.

    • You/your child should conduct a daily rapid antigen test (RAT) and receive a negative result each morning before attending school for 5 subsequent school days as part of your personal responsibility to minimise the risk of transmission.

    • Staff members and high school students must wear a mask indoors at all times except when eating or exercising. Primary school students are recommended to wear a mask indoors at all times (except when eating or exercising).

    • No student or staff member identified as a close contact will be permitted to participate in overnight excursions, including school camps.

    • Students and staff in SSPs or support classes or utilise assisted transport who are identified as close contacts must not attend school during this time.

    • Visitors in contact with students including volunteers, allied health partners and staff providing professional learning who are close contacts should conduct a daily RAT and return a negative result before attending a school or ECE site. They must also wear a mask indoors at all times (except when eating or exercising) if they are 12 years old or over. If attending a school site and interacting with students for an extended period of time, the visitor should advise the school that they are a close contact.

    • In line with these changes, students with health conditions should speak with their treating medical practitioner or specialist to review their health support plan or COVID-19 action plan and speak with the school around any local considerations.

• Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs). The department will continue to supply RAT kits to students and staff to support symptomatic testing and testing for close contacts returning to school (as mentioned above). Within the first three weeks of term we will provide 1 multipack of rapid antigen tests per student and staff member in mainstream OR 2 multipacks of rapid antigen tests in each per student and staff in support classes. Once these department-supplied RATs are exhausted, please continue to access PCR tests and store-purchased RATs which are now readily available in the community or let the school know that you need more and we will try and assist. [Include details on how RATs will be distributed at your school].

• Masks. The latest NSW Health advice recommends wearing a mask for people who have recovered from COVID-19 and recently completed their 7-day isolation period for an additional 3 days (from days 8 to 10 after receiving a positive COVID-19 result). Staff in support classes are also required to wear masks to provide additional protection for our students. Additionally, as outlined in the above section on close contacts, mask wearing is mandatory for staff and high school students returning to school as close contacts for 5 days and recommended for primary school students returning to school as close contacts for 5 days. Where students or staff are unable to wear a mask, they should be supported to learn or work remotely.

• Responding to our local situation. We will continue to liaise with NSW Health and the department’s Health and Safety case management team to ensure our COVID-smart settings keep-up with the latest developments. If local conditions require it, this may mean temporarily reintroducing some additional COVID-smart settings including:

o   mask wearing for all staff and students in Year 7 and above

o   directing cohorts to learn from home for short periods of time

o   postponing or limiting non-essential activities like excursions, indoor assemblies and visitors to the school.

We will make sure to update you at the earliest opportunity if any of these additional measures are required in Term 2.

• Ventilation. The NSW Department of Education is reviewing environmental differences across NSW as part of their winter ventilation planning, ensuring that local climatic conditions at each school are considered. The department will provide local guidance to schools, including advice on maximising natural ventilation while balancing thermal comfort and the use of indoor and outdoor learning areas for school activities to support schools to adapt to local climate conditions through the winter months.

• Reducing the risk of illness this winter. Finally, it’s important to note NSW Health’s advice to reduce our risk of not only COVID-19, but also other illnesses that may affect our school this winter like the flu. We can all protect our loved ones and our community by:

o   taking a RAT before visiting vulnerable loved ones or going to large gatherings and events.

o   staying home if unwell

o   keeping up to date with our vaccinations – including the flu vaccine, which is available from your local GP, pharmacy or Aboriginal Medical Service now. Flu vaccines are free for all children aged 6 months to under 5 years, or for a small charge for those aged 5 years and older

o   getting tested immediately for COVID-19 if you become symptomatic and isolating until you receive a negative result

o   practising good hand hygiene by washing regularly with soap and water

STATEWIDE INDUSTRIAL ACTION

The NSW Teachers Federation has directed its membership to take industrial action in the form of a 24-hour strike on Wednesday 4 May 2022. As a result of the strike, we will still be open but will be providing minimal student supervision on this date. Minimal supervision means onsite teaching and learning continues however temporary class structures and a modified timetable are required to meet safety and supervision requirements.

The department has been negotiating with the NSW Teachers Federation since October last year to reach an agreement on the new Teachers Award.

The department is seeking a resolution for a new 3-year Teachers Award through arbitration in the Industrial Relations Commission in early May. The department is committed to securing the maximum remuneration increase allowed under the Industrial Relations Act. This includes a 2.5% increase in remuneration for all teachers and related employees which was implemented in January this year.

Thank you for your support and understanding during this short period of disruption.

Tell Them From Me

During this term, students in years 4 to 6 will have the opportunity to participate in the Tell Them From Me survey. This survey will provide our school with insight into student engagement, wellbeing and effective teaching practices, from the perspective of the students. Data collected from the survey is used by the school to identify emerging issues and plan for school improvement.

The survey takes less than 30 minutes and is conducted entirely online here at school. Participation is optional, a note will be sent home prior to the survey, parents can choose for their child not to participate. The survey is anonymous and we are not able to identify individual student responses.

This is valuable data for us as school leaders to be able to analyse and plan for whole school improvement. It is an opportunity for your child to voice their opinions about their school experiences.

Sara Spinks

Deputy Principal

Easter Raffle

Thank you to everyone who supported our annual Easter Raffle. The winners were:

Logan Elliot

R. Allwell

Shannon Skavinski

Jason Johnson

Dee Burns

Phillip Bridge

Mason Cartwright

Taylor Cattle

Hannah Simpson

Patrick Miskle

Jacinda Ainsworth

Lucy Farrell

 Bunnings BBQ 

On the first Sunday of the holidays our P&C hosted the Bunnings BBQ.  We greatly appreciate those who volunteered their time to help.  Thank you.

Mother’s Day Stall

On Thursday, 5 May we will be running our Mother’s Day Stall.  Gifts will range in price from $1 to $7.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of the Mother’s and Grandmother’s a wonderful Mother’s Day.

Cookie Dough

Please keep an eye out for information regarding our cookie dough fundraiser later this term.

Next Meeting

Our next general meeting will be held on Monday, 9 May at 5:30 pm in the staff room.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

Directed Drawing - Easter Bunny

Welcome back to Term 2 😊 

This term is already super busy and we are super excited.

In English, we are focusing on writing persuasive texts. We are understanding that we all have an opinion and we have reasons to justify them. We are especially concentrating on our handwriting and making sure our letters are of consistent size and shape.

In maths, we have been looking at estimation. We are thinking about how we can estimate large groups of objects and then talk about the best strategies to find out how close we. We are also having fun finding the capacity of different sized containers.

Our fitness is definitely improving as we are practising for Cross Country every day. The children are looking forward to putting all their skills into the Cross Country race this week.

Welcome back to Term 2. I hope everyone had a happy and safe Easter and enjoyed some special time with their families. Everyone looks refreshed and ready to learn and we are all looking forward to another term of fun and learning. 

This term in English we are focusing on writing persuasive texts. Students are already discussing different persuasive elements that can be included in our writing including the use of exaggeration, rhetorical questions, alliteration and using facts and opinions. The teachers all look forward to working with our classes to develop the skills needed to be successful persuasive writers! 

NAPLAN for year 3 students starts in week 3 and goes across weeks 3 and 4. This year the students will be doing a mixture of written and online responses. Although it is a new thing for many of our students, it is important that we as adults, support the children without overwhelming them. The students have already done a few online trials to show students how they access and move through the tests online. The year 3 teachers will be working with students in the next few weeks to assist with their preparation. More information regarding timetables etc will come out as soon as we know more. 

This term in English we are focusing on writing persuasive texts. Students are already discussing different persuasive elements that can be included in our writing including the use of exaggeration, rhetorical questions, alliteration and using facts and opinions. The teachers all look forward to working with our classes to develop the skills needed to be successful persuasive writers! 

Cross Country is coming up this week. Students have been busy running laps around the playground and earning house points for every lap. The last few days I have managed to ring in Miss Deaves to help hand out paddle pop sticks for each lap because the job was TOO big for one person to do. WOW, the students are running well! I am looking forward to seeing them all run on the day! 

A reminder that the Cross Country is a school event and the expectation is that ALL students will attend and participate unless a valid reason is provided. As is a whole school event, there will be no supervision back at school. It is important that we as adults model and project a positive message about participation in school based activities such as the Cross Country. Participation in our sports carnivals is a valuable way to contribute to overall school and sporting house spirit and it is important that we encourage our children to have a go. Please send the permission note in as soon as possible. 

In sport this term we will be focusing on learning and improving our athletics carnival events. These include high jump, discus, shotput, ball games and running. We look forward to getting back into some of these fun events!

The stage 2 teachers look forward to continuing to work with you this term. Thank you to our parents and staff for everything you do to support our students at school.

Felicity Bagshaw 

Welcome back.

We have hit the ground running this term! Literally. The School Cross Country event will be conducted in Week 2. Classes have been building their fitness daily. PE and Friday Sport have primarily been spent walking or running, to ensure students are able to produce their best result. Mr Willis has worked tirelessly to ensure the day is run efficiently. Staff are excited, to be again participating in a whole school event.

Last term, we bid farewell to Mrs Nuske who was the Assistant Principal on Stage 3 for three days a week in Stage 3. While on maternity leave, I will continue as Relieving AP until further notice. All staff and students wish Mrs Nuske the absolute best, as she awaits the arrival of her newest family member.

The final deposits have been made on the Stage 3 excursion and we have been able to supply the event organisers with our final numbers. More information will be distributed in the following weeks. An itinerary and a payment plan will be included for your information. Staff look forward to being able to participate in an offsite excursion! I know that students are equally excited.

Finally, the leadership team have been able to fulfil their duties this term. They have distributed sporting equipment, assisted at the canteen, run assemblies and will assist at the Mother’s Day stall this week. All SRC members, from 2-6 have been present at twice a term meetings. Mrs Lothian has been upskilling the team on correct meeting etiquette. SRC members are assigned roles and procedures are adhered to formally and respectfully.

Stage 3 students are participating in a kindergarten mentoring program every Friday. Classes have been able to support KM and KW during literacy and numeracy sessions. The experience has been heartwarming. This invaluable program enables all students to build their expressive and receptive language while developing their confidence and competency delivering information.

The Year 6 commemorative shirts should arrive soon and we look forward to seeing students wear these proudly. A reminder they are only to be worn on sports days and never at formal events. I kindly thank Mrs Nuske for her efforts organising the shirts.

Year 5 are also preparing for the NAPLAN testing in Weeks 3 and 4. All students were able to participate in practice sessions last term in preparation. Year 6 students will work with Mrs Flick and Mrs Van Ingen on test days. All stage 3 staff have worked collaboratively to ensure the work completed on these days is meaningfully and engaging for Year 6, while year 5 are completing NAPLAN.

Welcome back to another busy term

Once again there are lots of exciting things happening, starting with the annual Cross Country this Friday. Please make sure those notes are returned ASAP. The P&C is also running a Mother’s Day stall on Thursday with gifts ranging in prices from $1-$7. If you want your child to purchase gifts from the stall, please ensure they bring money on the day.

Finally, the University of Newcastle is going to run a cooking program in the 5-6D classroom once a week during this term. This opportunity is made possible as part of a wider program to provide opportunities for 3rd year Occupational Therapy students to work with students in support classes. It is anticipated that the cooking classes with run for approximately 5 weeks and will start in the next couple of weeks.

Thank you to parents and carers who were able to attend the Personalised Planning and Support meetings with teachers at the end of last term. If you were unable to attend and would like the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher, please do not hesitate in contacting them through the office.

Pip Diss

Assistant Principal

Special Education

CREATIVE ARTS

Term three has begun with a toot, a bang and a strum. The students have enthusiastically picked up the instruments and are learning the rhythm and beat of songs.

Students in year one have started learning about bucket drumming and how we can use the drumsticks in different ways to create sounds. We have also begun learning a song, We Will Rock You by Queen and we are getting very good at keeping the beat.

Year two dusted off their recorders from last year and revised the notes B, A and G to the song Hot Cross Buns. After only a few practices, the students were playing the song confidently and correctly. They have moved up to the next song, Baa Baa Black Sheep and their enthusiasm and smiles are infectious.

Year 5/6 started learning the guitar. Year 6 were fortunate to remember some aspects from last year and could be experts for the year 5 students. We played simple chords to known songs with lots of laughter and fun. All students had a positive attitude and were outstanding. I look forward to working with them for the rest of the term.

Next week, years 3/4, Kindergarten and our support classes will start their musical journey. Year 3 will be doing recorders, Year 4 will be doing guitars, Kindergarten will be exploring all musical instruments with a guest performer coming in week 9, 1-4M will be doing bucket drumming and guitars, 3-6W will be doing guitars and 5-6D will be doing guitars. All musical instruments are provided by the school.

If students have their own guitar and they wish to bring them in on their RFF day, they will be kept safe in my room and only the owner will play it.

Looking forward to an amazing, magical musical journey with everyone.

Nikki Cunneen

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9.   

NAPLAN is a nationwide measure through which parents, teachers, schools, education authorities, governments and the broader community can determine whether or not young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.

NAPLAN results allow parents/carers and educators to see how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy over time – individually, as part of their school community, and against national standards.  

The results can assist teachers by providing additional information to support their professional judgement about students’ levels of literacy and numeracy attainment and progress.

NAPLAN tests are one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process and do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. Each teacher will have the best insight into their students’ educational progress. Parents/carers can use NAPLAN reports, along with other school assessment reports, to discuss their child’s strengths and areas for improvement with their teacher. 

NAPLAN is made up of tests in the four areas (or ‘domains’) of:

• reading

• writing

• language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation)

• numeracy