Tamworth West Public School
February 2024
Principal's Report
Welcome to what promises to be an outstanding 2024 school year...
Welcome to day 1 of the 2024 school year. I am so pleased to welcome back our returning families and to extend that welcome to our new families joining us at Tamworth West this year.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to our wonderful students, families and community members who reached out to me at the end of last year with well-wishes and healing thoughts when I was unwell. I really do appreciate your kind words and thoughts. I would also extend my sincere thanks to Sara Spinks, who relieved as principal during my absence and to our whole staff for working together to finish the year in such a positive manner.
For those who are new to our school, it is with great pride that I introduce myself as the principal of Tamworth West Public School. My name is Terrie Kay, and I am very excited to lead the Tamworth West team. I am looking forward to continuing to work with the community to ensure that our students are provided with amazing opportunities to grow, learn and to reach their potential. I am committed to providing all our students with high quality education and opportunities to achieve their personal best. I am very privileged to work with such a dedicated group of people who support one another.
We have been very excited to welcome our students in years one to six back to their new classes from today. At the end of last year, it was decided to trial a different way of completing the mandatory Best Start Assessment with our new kindergarten students. As such, our staff have met and worked with approximately half of our kindergarten cohort today and will meet and work with the remainder of students tomorrow. Best Start Kindergarten Assessment identifies student’s literacy and numeracy skills on entry to kindergarten and the results will provide teachers with information so they can plan effective teaching and learning programs. We are so excited to have all kindergarten students onsite from next Monday.
Our School Newsletter
Our school newsletter is electronic and is published monthly. It is our plan to upload it to the website and our school Facebook page on the first school day of each month (excluding when the 1st of the month falls during school holidays). If the newsletter is delayed, we will notify families through Facebook.
Our February newsletter is an abridged version of what you will normally receive. Our newsletter usually contains reports from all stages of learning, teams across the school, our sporting endeavours, the P&C and community-based activities. You will see what I mean when our March newsletter is published.
School Bytes
At Tamworth West Public School, we have just moved to the School Bytes application to support administration, communication, wellbeing and reporting. The Parent Portal can be used to manage attendance, receive communications, provide parental/carer permission and to pay for excursions and events.
If you require help to access the parent portal, please contact our front office on 6765 8316.
2024 Classes and Staffing
Today, students in years one to six were placed into interim classes for 2024. As has happened in previous years, students have been placed into classes based on a range of information. This includes academic results, support needs, friendship groups and behaviours. All students have at least one of their chosen friends in their class for this year.
It is our intention to maintain our classes if at all possible. This might have to change, however, if our numbers increase or decrease dramatically. We are hoping to finalise classes by the end of next week.
Each year we farewell a few staff. For 2024, the following staff are not returning to Tamworth West Public School in their previous roles, and we wish them all the best with their endeavours:
Katie Massey (continuing leave)
Georgie Wilson (leave)
Crystal Flick (transfer to Oxley Vale PS)
Karen Wise (appointed to Westdale PS)
Maree Black (continuing leave)
Nadine Dwyer
Nat Deaves (appointed to Tamworth South PS)
Linda McEnerny (appointed to Sandon PS)
Kylie Taber
Sarah McInnes (parental leave)
Pip Diss (continuing leave)
Alex Taggart
Jade Hewitt
Ainslie Hobson
Shakayla Spearim-Lewis (completed traineeship)
Bree Turley (continuing staff movement for term 1)
Jordana Cooper (leave for term 1)
When staff leave, we are fortunate to be able to welcome new people and new ideas to our school. For 2024, our new staff include:
Melinda Wilson (permanent appointment)
Emily Roworth (temporary appointment)
Alexis Neilson (staff movement from Parry School)
Alexandra Wirth (permanent appointment)
Carla Chudleigh (temporary appointment)
Erin Hickey (temporary appointment)
Courtney Stanton (School Based Trainee)
Please see the 3 page PDF below for full staffing details.
Meet Our New Staff!
Alexis Neilson
Hello! I'm Miss Neilson, and I will be the Relieving Assistant Principal for Special Education, as well as teaching K-3N for Term 1.
I have been teaching for 4 years and I moved to Tamworth two years ago from Wee Waa.
My favourite thing about being a teacher is making learning fun and engaging for students!
Fun Facts
Favourite Colours: Green and Purple
Favourite Animal: Horse
Favourite Food: Pasta
Favourite Subject: Maths
When I'm not at school, you might find me...
Going to the gym
Spending time with friends and family
Melinda Wilson
My name is Melinda Wilson and I am excited to be teaching at Tamworth West Public School.
I grew up around the Tamworth area however, my teaching career has taken me to Dubbo, Deniliquin, Muswellbrook and finally returning to Tamworth.
I look forward to meeting new children, parents and staff.
Emily Roworth
Hi everyone,
My name is Emily Roworth and I will be teaching Year 5. I am very excited to be teaching at Tamworth West Public School this year.
I enjoy playing sport after school and on weekends or walking my two dogs (they normally walk me).
I am looking forward to a fabulous year of growth, laughter and learning.
Alle Wirth
Hi, my name is Alle Wirth and I am very excited to be permanently joining Tamworth West Public School. I am a passionate and enthusiastic teacher, dedicated to fostering children's learning experiences by creating an enjoyable and harmonious learning environment for all.
On the weekends I love spending time with my family, going camping and playing basketball. I look forward to meeting the Tamworth West school community.
School Operating Hours
Our front office is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am – 4:00 pm.
Our school day begins at 9:25 am and finishes at 3:25 pm.
Teaching staff commence duties from 8:55 am.
To cater for local bus services, our school gates will open at 8:25 am. Students who arrive at school between 8:25 and 8:55am are to proceed directly to the COLA, where they are to sit and wait for the 8:55am bell. Students are not supervised during this time.
At 8:55 am, students can move their bags to their class lines and play sensibly in any of the hard-surface areas of the school.
Parents and carers are very welcome to enter our school grounds to drop your children off in the morning and collect children of an afternoon. Our gates are locked between 9:45 am and 3:10 pm. During these times, all visitors to the school are to enter through the Bridge Street gate and sign in at the front office. There may be times when the safety of our students necessitates our gates remaining locked for the duration of the school day. We will be sure to communicate with you if this is required.
When collecting your children of an afternoon, please feel welcome to enter the school grounds from 3:10 pm. We recommend waiting under the COLA, outside the canteen or on one of our grassed areas. Please do not wait on verandahs outside of classrooms as this can distract students.
At 3:25 pm, students will be released from classes. They will make their way to bus lines, the walking group, the Church Street gate, the William Street gate, or to where you are waiting. For work, health and safety reasons, students are not to be collected from our bus stop gates on Church Street or Bridge Street.
If students are not collected by 3:45 pm they will be directed to the COLA and our friendly office staff will telephone you. If this happens, parents and carers are asked to come into the COLA to collect students. As our gates are locked at 4:00 pm, if parents or carers arrive after this time, please ensure that you come via Bridge Street.
Student Leader Induction Ceremony
Our student leaders for 2024 will be finalised early next week and we will be holding our annual student leader induction ceremony from 2:30 pm on Friday 9 February. Everyone is welcome to attend.
School Plan 2024-2027
We are currently finalising the strategic directions for our new school plan. Over the next four years we will be focusing on:
Learning – student growth and attainment
Curriculum
Assessment
Teaching – improving teaching practice in order to improve student learning
Effective classroom practice
Data skills in use
Leading – model, guide & inspire
Educational leadership
2024 School Development Days
Schools provide opportunities for staff and school leaders to continually improve their knowledge, skills and professional capability to deliver key curriculum priorities and school strategic directions.
School development days are used to build on the knowledge and skills of teachers, school leaders and school administrative support staff through a targeted professional learning program.
Professional learning is important in building the capabilities of all staff to ensure a highly skilled and professional workforce that can support the department’s vision for NSW public education to be Australia’s best education system and one of the finest in the world. School development days improve the learning outcomes of students by:
providing targeted professional learning activities aligned to school strategic directions and Department of Education priorities
enabling whole school planning and enhancing teacher quality, school leadership and management practices
implementing legislative and policy requirements.
The dates for school development days are determined by the department and are scheduled to occur on the first 2 days of Term 1, the first day of Terms 2 and 3, and the last day of the school year.
For 2024, school development days will be held:
Tuesday 30 January and Wednesday 31 January
Monday 29 April
Monday 22 July
Thursday 19 December and Friday 20 December
On The Calendar This Month
Please find below a general reminder of some of the things we have coming up this month. Specific dates can be found in the school calendar attached to our newsletter:
This week (Week 1)
Kindergarten Best Start Assessments
Week 2
Kindergarten students start their ‘Big School’ journey
Student Leadership Induction Ceremony
Week 3
P&C meeting
School swimming carnival for competitive swimmers
Valentine Day
Years 3-6 information evening
Week 4
Years K-2 information evening
Tamworth Zone Swimming Carnival
Week 5
Olympians Unleashed – Stages 2 & 3
Thank you for being such wonderful supporters of Tamworth West Public School and I look forward to working with you throughout the year.
Terrie Kay
Principal
Sport
Swimming Carnival
On Tuesday 13 February our school will be holding a swimming carnival for competitive swimmers at the Tamworth Olympic Swimming Pool (City). Students who can confidently swim 50 metres can attend the carnival and nominate to compete in one or more of the following events:
Individual 4 x 50 metres Medley
100 metres Freestyle
50 metres: Freestyle, Breaststroke, Backstroke and Butterfly
Primary students and students in Year 2 who turn 8 this year are able to nominate for these events.
Expressions of interest (EOI) and permission forms will be published via School Bytes next week.
Creative Arts
2024 Tamworth Show
The Tamworth Show is fast approaching! It is to be held on the first weekend in March with many opportunities for students to create, make, and enter in a variety of categories. Below is further information about each category. If further information is required, please contact Nikki Cunneen at TWPS.
The categories are as follows (click the categories for full details):
PBL
Tamworth West Public School is a Positive Bevahiour for Learning (PBL) school. PBL is a whole school program that encourages positive behaviour and allows students to become responsible for their own actions. Students and teachers work together to create a positive learning environment within our school using consistent procedures, language and expectations.
We have three expectations that underpin teaching and learning at Tamworth West Public School.
These are:
RESPECT
RESILIENCE
RESPONSIBILITY
We encourage students to uphold these expectations to a high standard. Our PBL motto is:
EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE, EVERY TIME
Positive Rewards
We have a school wide behaviour system that recognises and encourages positive behaviour. Students receive raffle tickets for displaying the correct behaviour.
Weekly Lessons
Students participate in weekly school wide lessons that focus on a specific behaviour which is determined by data. There is a fortnightly focus area taught after each PBL assembly, for example, sportsmanship in games.
RESPECT
We keep our areas tidy
We use our manners
We speak nicely to others
We keep our hands and feet to ourselves
RESILIENCE
We accept our consequences
We use also inclusive
We seek help when needed
We solve problems peacefully
RESPONSIBILITY
We look after our things
We wear our school uniform
We are honest
We stay in the right areas