Tamworth West Public School
JUNE 2023
Principal's Report
Hello everyone and welcome to our last newsletter for Semester 1
It is very hard to believe that we are almost half way through the 2023 school year already.
Last Friday our school acknowledged National Sorry Day and the start of Reconciliation Week with a K-6 assembly at the start of the day. Four of our student leaders, Miranda, Feungnapa, Jasper and Madden lead the assembly and spoke with the student body, sharing the following important message:
'Today is National Sorry Day. Sorry Day is a time to remember the past policies of forced child removal, and reflect on the sad and painful stories of the Stolen Generations. The first Sorry Day was held on the 26th of May 1998. This date was exactly one year after the “Bringing Them Home Report” was presented to the Parliament. Sorry Day remembers and commemorates the mistreatment of the country's Indigenous peoples as part of an ongoing process of reconciliation between the Indigenous peoples of Australia and the settler population.
Annual Sorry Day commemorations are intended to raise awareness among politicians, policy makers, and the wider public about the forcible removal policies and their impact on the children who were taken, their families and their communities. Sorry Day is also a time to recognise the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the power of saying Sorry.
The term “Stolen Generations” refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who were forcibly removed as children from their families by government, welfare, or church authorities, and placed into institutional care or with non-Indigenous foster families.This forced removal of children began as early as the mid-1800s and continued until the 1970s.
On 13 February 2008, then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd moved a motion of Apology to Indigenous Australians. His apology was a formal apology on behalf of the successive parliaments and governments whose policies and laws "inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians". The apology was the new parliament's first order of business; Rudd became the first Australian Prime Minister to publicly apologise to the Stolen Generations on behalf of the Australian federal government. The apology was passed unanimously as a motion by both houses of parliament, as thousands of people gathered to hear the apology both in the Great Hall and outside Parliament House in Canberra and in large gatherings across the country, in schools, offices and public squares. Crying, cheering and clapping followed.
Sorry Day marks the start of National Reconciliation Week. National Reconciliation Week runs from Saturday 27 May until the 3 June and is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The two dates, 27 May and the 3 June commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.
Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.
The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2023 is “Be a Voice for Generations”. It encourages all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation in tangible ways in our everyday lives – where we live, work and socialise.
“Be a Voice for Generations” urges all Australians to use their power, their words and their actions to create a better, more just Australia for all of us. For the work of generations past, and the benefit of generations future, let’s choose to create a more just, equitable and reconciled country for all.
Last week all classes discussed the importance of Sorry Day and its great significance for the Stolen Generations and First Nations peoples. All students were provided an opportunity to reflect on how we can contribute to the healing process and acknowledge Sorry Day by making our Healing Hands.
After the assembly, under the direction of classroom teachers, students were invited to plant their healing hands in the front gardens of the school. This is now a collaborative art piece that reflects the importance of National Sorry Day, what it means to say sorry and how we can be a voice for generations.
On National Sorry Day, we gather together to commemorate the Stolen Generations, their families and communities, celebrating their strength and survival and sharing in the process of healing and reconciliation. The story of the Stolen Generations is a significant and important aspect of Australia’s history. By learning about this past, we widen our scope of understanding our country’s history and stand to make a genuine and long-lasting contribution toward the broader understanding of this history among children and adults, and to the achievement of healing and reconciliation in the wider community.'
I am extremely proud of our student leaders for hosting the assembly and speaking with such passion and conviction and our whole school population for showing the true meaning of what it means to be sorry - with not only their healing hands, but their words and their actions.
Parent-Teacher Interviews
Semester 1 Parent-Teacher interviews are scheduled to be held between Tuesday 13 June and Friday 30 June (weeks 8, 9 and 10 of this term). Bookings will be open to parents and carers via the Sentral Parent Portal from today at 6pm Friday 2 June, and will close on Sunday night, 11 June. If you have not yet registered for Sentral and require an access key, please contact the school.
NSW Premier's Back to School Vouchers
A reminder that your Back to School Vouchers expire on 30 June 2023. Parents, guardians, carers or students can apply for 3 x $50 vouchers, totalling $150 for each eligible student.
Vouchers can be used towards the cost of school uniforms, shoes, technology, textbooks, excursions and other eligible expenses.
Terrie Kay
Principal
From the Deputy
Awesome Attendance
It was fantastic to see 257 students receive an attendance voucher last week. These students have been present at school for 90% or more during weeks one to four. Due to the shortened number of days, students were only able to have one day absent during this time to qualify for the voucher. Another 41 students followed closely behind on 89%, having had 2 days absent.
The next vouchers will be in the last week of this term. During weeks five to nine, students will need to be at school for 22 out of a possible 24 days to receive a voucher in week 10. That means no more than 2 days absent. Wouldn’t it be great to give out 370 vouchers! Let’s aim for at least more than 300. WE CAN DO IT!
The Resilience Project Parent Information Evening
Thank you to those parents who braved the cold recently to enjoy an evening of The Resilience Project- Authentic Connections. We were delighted to have a chance to listen to Martin and chat with families about their own experiences. Miss Bagshaw did a short lesson with the parents so they have an idea of what we are doing each week here at school.
If you have not seen any of The Resilience Project videos, I urge you to click on the link below to see what all the fuss is about. You may have noticed that The Resilience Project acknowledged our school and the work the students are doing with Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness on their Facebook page.
The Resilience Project Parent and Carer Hub
Part 1 - Hugh talks about embracing the season you are in- https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-hugh-martin/
Tell Them From Me
This term, our school is taking part in the Tell Them From Me student survey. The survey will provide us with valuable feedback on what our students think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them.
The survey is run by an independent research company, The Learning Bar, which specialises in school-based surveys.
As well as providing our school with feedback from our students, the survey has a broader purpose. It provides the Department of Education, through the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, with insights into student wellbeing, engagement, and effective teaching practices for ongoing school improvement. This is done by using non-identifying student data from across NSW.
This survey is confidential, and staff in schools will not be able to identify individual students from their responses.
To ensure confidentiality, participating students will receive a unique username and password. Information is only reported where five or more students answer a question. All information will be handled according to relevant privacy legislation. Students’ personal information will not be disclosed by the department to any other person or body other than as required by law. Individual students will not be identified in any publications.
The survey is online, takes 15 to 30 minutes, and will take place at school during school hours. We will receive a report on our school’s survey results shortly after our students complete the survey.
Participating in the survey is voluntary. If any survey questions make your child uncomfortable, your child can skip the question or can choose to stop the survey at any time.
A consent form will be sent home shortly. If you would prefer your child did not complete the survey, the consent form will need to be returned to their class teacher.
Sara Spinks
Deputy Principal
Aboriginal Education TEAM
Yaama,
Lots of wonderful things have been happening in our school.
Sorry Day
Last Friday, 26 May, we commemorated Sorry Day with a whole school assembly. During the lead up to this, students discussed the meaning behind the day and decorated hands. These hands were then planted in the front garden to recognise the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the power of saying Sorry. They will remain in place for the week 29 May – 2 June in recognition of Reconciliation week.
Dance Workshop
In early May, our school hosted an Aboriginal Dance Workshop. This saw the coming together of 4 schools (Guyra, Inverell, Westdale and Tamworth West) to participate and learn a variety of both contemporary and traditional dances. As we were only able to have 10 students from our school participate, students were asked to complete a questionnaire on why they should be chosen for this opportunity. It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm and cultural respect come through in their answers. The students who were successful certainly proved themselves to be great role models for our school and culture. It was an amazing day and all who participated, including Mrs Spicer, embraced the opportunity and fully engaged in all aspects of the day.
Drawing Us Together
We are currently involved in the “Drawing Us Together” project run by Charter Hall (Tamworth Square), which involves the creation of a book. Our school has been given 4 pages of the book to design and illustrate. We will then present the top 6 options for each page to Charter Hall for their ‘NAIDOC – Community Story’. These illustrations will be displayed in Tamworth Square from Saturday 24 June - Sunday 16 July. The community will be asked to vote for their favourite illustration for each page. The favourite designs chosen by the community will then be created into a book. We are looking forward to having our artworks displayed in the shopping centre and will send out reminders when it is time to vote.
Didgeridoo & Weaving Lessons
Week 5 saw the start of our Didgeridoo and weaving lessons for our boys' and girls' groups. Our School Based Aboriginal Trainees are facilitating these lessons under the supervision of Mrs Wilson. It is amazing to see our boys from Kinder to Year 6 already having some success in learning the breathing technique required to play and making some incredible sounds. The girls weaving has started off well and all participants are enjoying the experience.
Language Classes
As our Gamilaraay language classes continue, we are now trying to imbed this more in all classrooms. To fascinate this, Mrs Brown, our AEO, and Mr Taylor, our ACLO, are in classrooms each morning focusing on meeting and greeting in Gamilaraay language. It is great to see all staff embracing the use of Gamilaraay language in their classrooms.
We look forward to sharing more of our Aboriginal Educational activities with you all in the coming months.
Yaluu
P&C
Mother’s Day Stall
Thank you to the lovely ladies who helped to sell our gifts to the children at our Mother’s Day stall. We hope that all of the recipients loved their gifts.
Bunnings Barbecue
Another thank you to the wonderful people who volunteered to help sell sausage sandwiches and drinks at our Bunnings barbecue. This is a fantastic fundraiser that attracts the support of the larger community. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Next Meeting
Our next meeting will be on Monday 19 June due to the public holiday. It will be held at 5:30pm in the staff room.
Canteen
Hi from the Canteen!
After the June long weekend there will be some changes to the canteen menu. A few things have been removed but I am adding some yummy canteen made meals which I hope the kids will enjoy.
More details will follow so keep an eye out on theschool Facebok page, Tamworth West P.S. Parents & Carers Group on Facebook and the Flexischools app for the new additions!
Thanks,
Amy
Canteen Manager
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
Early Stage 1
Welcome Miss May!
The kindergarten team are very excited to welcome Miss Kahla May back to Tamworth West after travelling in Europe. Her class has settled very quickly and easily into their new routines and surroundings.
Interviews
In week 8 and 9 the school will be holding parent/teacher interviews. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet Miss May and discuss your child’s program. If you wish to meet with your teacher please book a time online through Sentral. Bookings will be open from Friday afternoon, 2 June.
Cold Weather & Uniforms
Now the weather has become cooler, we are asking that students dress warmly for the colder days. From Tuesday 13 June, students should be wearing their full winter uniform. Can I please ask that you label all clothing as we have a small pile of lost jumpers in the classroom at present waiting to be collected? If you have lost clothing, please come and check our lost property.
Maths
Kindergarten have been busy learners this month in Maths. We have been learning to collect information and arrange it in a way that we can analyse it. We have also been learning to tell the time using an analog and digital clock.
Sport
During Sport, kindergarten have been developing their fundamental movement skills. We have been working on catching and throwing, sprint runs, vertical jumps and balancing. Kindergarten are also starting to prepare for the Athletics Carnival by learning new ball games such as ‘tunnel ball’ and ‘over/under.’
Life Education Van: Healthy Harold!
Next Tuesday, kindergarten are excited to be visiting Healthy Harold for the first time. It is a wonderful incursion giving students an opportunity to learn about healthy living. If you would like your child to attend, please return notes before Tuesday 6 June.
What’s been happening in Kindergarten
Stage 1
YEAR 1
1D and 1SD have had an excellent (but busy) term so far, with lots of exciting things still to come!
Writing
In writing, we have been learning about the different techniques that authors use to make their writing more interesting. We have even practised using some of these techniques ourselves in our writing.
Reading
Home reading folders have made their way home and Mrs Deaves and Miss Dwyer have been super impressed with all the reading that is happening both inside and outside school hours! Remember to bring your blue reading folders in when you complete a page so you can receive a special award.
Maths
We have been learning about doubles and near doubles and developing lots of new strategies to add numbers together quickly. We have also learnt some fun new games using dominos, cards and counters.
We are looking forward to the second half of the term and all the learning and fun times ahead of us!
YEAR 2
Maths
Year 2 have been having a blast in Math. We have been playing lots of games. Year 2 have been using dice, cards and completing partner activities to consolidate new concepts.
Year 2 have been using Essential Assessment in their Math lessons. This has been a great tool in revising concepts and collecting data for each student.
Reading Groups
2P are really enjoying reading groups this term. Students have multiple activities that they rotate between, such as: group reading, handwriting, spelling, writing, phonics, comprehension, and word work. Students take turn being group leaders, where they have the chance to demonstrate our school values of resilience, responsibility, and respect.
2H are learning to work closely with a partner during reading activities. The role of each partner is to monitor the other's reading of the text and work together to revise learnt sounds using partner practice sheets.
Homework
2H have been enjoying mental maths activities and the variety of phonics based activities in their homework. The Decodable Readers books on the website are proving popular too. When students read a certain amount, they can qualify to receive a reading award from Mrs Sheedy at assembly.
Students have been doing lots of home reading. Once students in 2P read 20 books, they complete a star. This star goes on our classroom wall.
This year 2Ps theme is Galaxies. We hope by the end of the year our wall will be covered with stars.
2Ps New Room
2P have made a great adjustment to our new room. We have enjoyed redecorating our new classroom and love using the outdoor space. A change in environment and the fresh air has made our learning fun.
2H was saddened to lose 2P as our near neighbours, however the two classes still find opportunities to interact. We are lucky to have Mr Lyon and his hard working class move in next door. Thank you to Mr Lyon for finding heaters for our room when the air-conditioning was not changing automatically from cooling to heating in a timely manner. It saved us all from coming down with colds.
-Stage 1 Teachers
Stage 2
Welcome to the June newsletter
We are more than half way through the term and things are still very busy across the school and Stage 2.
We welcomed Mrs Nicole van Ingen to Stage 2 last week. Mrs Van (as she is known) will be working in a Learning and Support role in all Stage 2 classes for the remainder of the year. Welcome Mrs Van!
English
Students are enjoying our narrative study that we are doing in English. It is great discussing the ways that authors use different literary devices such as humour, alliteration or a great story starter to engage the reader. We look forward to being able to put this knowledge into action while we complete our own writing.
Sport
In Sport this term, we have been focusing on learning and improving our athletics carnival events. These include high jump, discus, shotput, ball games and running. All the students are doing an excellent job and learning new skills to put into practice.
We are also excited to be part of a visit from an ex Olympian this week. Marianna Tolo (Rio 2016 & Tokyo 2020 – Basketball) will be visiting Tamworth West Public School on Friday. Stage 2 will also be participating in a basketball skills session later this month.
Sport Reps
We have had a number of students represent our school at different sporting events in the last few weeks. We had around 16 stage 2 boys and girls head off to a netball Schools' Cup on 15 May. Students came back exhausted after a big day, but full of news! Well done to those students. Last Friday, 26 May, we had a number of Year 4 boys head off to the PSSA Boys Softball Gala day. It was VERY chilly on the day but all 3 of the boys played superbly and demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and athletic skills. Well done to those 3 boys and a HUGE congratulations to Hamish Blackman who made it through the Tamworth Zone selections to try out for the North West boys softball team later this month. We wish him all the best.
Check-in Assessment
Well done to the year 4 students who took part in the Check-In Assessment last week. Check-in Assessments are online assessment for students in Years 3 to 9 (Year 3 will do them at the end of the year). They are mapped to the NSW Syllabuses and National Literacy and Numeracy Learning Progressions. There are two assessments: reading and numeracy. It was great to see how resilient the students were and took their time to have a go at every question! Great work year 4!
Sydney Excursion
By now, students who had returned the EOI note for Sydney should have received the payment instalment note. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s classroom teacher as soon as possible. If you have changed your mind and your child is no longer attending the excursion, can you please let your child’s teacher know?
Cold Weather & Uniforms
The weather has changed in the last week or so. As the weather turns cold, it is important that students have appropriate clothing with them. Long pants and stockings will keep legs warm and jumpers are important for our top half. Please check with your child that they have adequate clothes for the day to avoid them getting sick! We appreciate your help with this!
Crunch & Sip
Thank you also to parents for packing fresh fruit for our morning crunch and sip. Food doesn’t have to be whole piece (even an apple cut into slices is good) and it makes eating their food while doing our morning routines nice and easy.
Parent-Teacher Interviews
Parent/teacher interview timetables are available from this afternoon for those who wish to speak to your child’s teacher. Interviews will go for around 10 minutes each (times are in 15 minute blocks)
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
Stage 2 Assistant Principal
Stage 3
Wow, we cannot believe we are over half way through Term 2 already! As the weather is cooling down, it is great to see our stage 3 children wearing their winter uniform with pride and setting a great example for the younger students, keep it up!
Sport
During our Friday sporting lessons, students have been engaging in a range of activities in preparation for our upcoming athletics carnival. We have also had a number of students represent our school at numerous sporting carnivals over the past few weeks including softball, netball and touch football. We are very proud of each and every student who attended for having a go and representing our school with pride. A massive thank you also to the teachers that have given up their recess and lunch breaks to train these teams.
Mathematics
The stage 3 teachers have been working very hard with the Strategic School Support Team to ensure the quality implementation of mathematics lessons in our classrooms. We are very excited to be building the capacity of our staff members through planning sessions to improve outcomes in multiplicative and additive strategies in students. It is great to see the engagement from both teachers and students as we complete this project.
Check-In Assessments
Well done to our Year 6 students who have completed the Check-In Assessment online over the past 2 weeks. These assessments were completed for both Mathematics and Reading and it was great to see all students working hard to ensure they read the questions carefully and completed to the best of their ability. We look forward to going through the results with the children and working on areas of improvement in the next few weeks.
Science
Stage 3 have been very engaged in their science lessons this term and are really enjoying discussing the role of experimentation to enhance learning.
Healthy Lunchbox Choices
With the flu season upon us, it is vital to ensure we are giving our children every opportunity to be healthy to boost their immune systems. Please make sure children are coming to school with plenty of healthy lunch and recess options and a full water bottle. Please encourage children to make sensible choices about food and drinks that are appropriate for school and ensure that energy drinks are not brought to school.
We thank you for your continued support throughout the school year and we are really looking forward to meeting with you all in Weeks 8 and 9 for parent teacher interviews to discuss your child’s progress.
Warm Regards,
Kirrily Milton & Sally Nuske
Stage 3 Assistant Principals
Special Education
Welcome to the mid-point of term 2
Students and teachers are working busily to complete assessments in preparation for reports. Once again there are lots of exciting things happening including major school building works, movement of 3-6L from room 10 to room 12, NAIDOC week and National Sorry Day.
National Sorry Day
We have been learning about National Sorry Day and what it involves and culminated in the creation of hands to be displayed as a school artwork in the garden. The students showed great respect and understanding of this lesson and produced some thoughtful artwork.
At the start of the term Mr Lyon and 36L relocated to the top story of C Block for the remainder of the year. Students are enjoying their new room with a view of the basketball court area and the vegetable gardens.
Sweet Potatoes
The students have also been busy harvesting the last of the vegetables from the garden and have taken home some amazing sweet potatoes. The harvest was so large that it was shared with the canteen and staff. Thank you, Mrs Reading, for the lovely sweet potato curry and sweet potato soup.
Stage 2 STEAM
Students from across stage 2 have integrated with their peers to participate in STEAM activities fortnightly. Mr Lyon hosts an activity based around symmetry and teamwork, where students have to make the largest symmetrical snowflake possible, using paddle-pop sticks. This has resulted in a very colourful classroom and lots of laughter.
K-4M Measurement & Cooking
In K-4M we have been exploring measurement and applying this knowledge to our cooking sessions. In our first session we made some lovely cupcakes and Ms McEnerny’s secret chocolate icing recipe. Next week we will be having fun making bread dough and watching it rise.
5/6T
In 5-6T we celebrated in history as it happens with a tea party for the coronation of King Charles the third, complete with cakes and chicken sandwiches. Students were interested to learn the history of previous English monarchs, including the “divorce” process of King Henry the Eighth and his unfortunate wives. In Maths, we have been learning about 2D and 3D shapes and have enjoyed the hands-on learning activities that this subject lends itself too. Our favourite has been the manipulation of tangrams to create different animals.
K-4M Art
To celebrate the end of Autumn, the students in K-4M produced some amazing autumn tree artwork which is proudly displayed in the classroom.
Students across the unit are excitedly getting ready for the athletics carnival. They are learning new skills and training to perform their best on the day.
Chris Lyon Kylie Taber Linda McEnerny
3-6L 3-6T K-4M
Sports Report
Zone Cross Country
On Friday 12 May, our Cross Country team, made up of students from Year 3 to 6 competed at the Zone Cross Country Carnival. The students who attended finished in the top 4 of our own carnival at the end of term 1.
The event was hosted by the Tamworth Jockey club, and whilst the track was flat, the long, thick grass on the track made for difficult running conditions. All of our students did an exceptional job to finish the 2km (8 to 10 Years) or 3km (11 to 12 years) course.
We had 3 students place in the top 6 of their age group which means they now head to Coolah for the Regional Cross Country trials in June. Evie Glyde finished finished 4th in the 10 year girls. Patrick Miskle narrowly missed being named aged champion, just being pipped at the post and running in 2nd for the 10 year boys. Saiyuk Shrestha finished 5th in the 11 Year boys.
A big thank you to Francine Wrigley for assisting as a judge on the day. Also to Jayden Grainger for the many excellent photos he took during the day.
Congratulations to all our competitors. Good luck also to Patrick, Saiyuk and Evie!
Touch Gala Day
On Tuesday 9 May, a number of students in stage 3 represented our school at the Tamworth PSSA Touch Gala Day. After giving up numerous recess and lunch sessions to train with Mr Willis and Mr E, it was great to see our boys and girls team put this teamwork and strategic plays into action.
Both teams came away with some wins and we are very proud of the sportsmanship, resilience and encouragement that each and every one of the students displayed.
-Jonathan Willis
Sports Coordinator
Netball
PSSA Netball Knockout Gala Day
Ten of our stage 3 students were selected to represent Tamworth West at the PSSA Netball Knockout on May 5. The team put their best foot forward and gave it their all coming out with a lose, a draw and a win. Unfortunately, due to the loss in the first game, we were knocked out of the competitive rounds, but continued to enjoy a non-competitive round robin for the remainder of the day.
Hayley Mason also trialled for the North West Schools netball team that day and was selected as a reserve player. Congratulations Hayley!
Schools' Cup Netball Gala Day
What another AMAZING turn out for Schools' Cup 2023! This was our biggest year yet, taking 54 students across five teams! Every student tried their absolute hardest, represented the school with pride and demonstrated great sportsmanship, all while wearing a big smile on their face.
Our Stage 3 teams:
Shipmates
Our all girls team had many returning faces hitting the courts again this year. The girls took every game in their stride. While unfortunately only having one win for the day, they had lots of fun taking on other teams from around our local area.
Swashbucklers
Our ALL BOYS TEAM! Yes, you read that right!! It was very exciting having enough interest from boys that we were able to enter an entire boys team and didn’t they smash it! The first game was a bit of a slow start with the boys still finding their feet and refining the differences between basketball and netball. Barraba took the win for that game, but the remainder of the day the boys were undefeated!
The boys made it into the finals and played against Gunnedah South, the undefeated mixed team from pool A. After an exciting and competitive game, at full time Gunnedah and our boys were in an 8 – 8 headlock! This meant that the outcome was left with the organisers to decide who would go through to the next level. As Gunnedah were undefeated for the day in their pool and we had lost one game, Gunnedah proceeded to the next level. Our boys team is on reserve in case any team pulls out and they will get the opportunity to participate. Fingers crossed!!
Treasures
Treasures was our stage 3 mixed team with many new, but eager, faces. They had mixed results with some wins and some losses, but most importantly they had fun and demonstrated growth over the course of the day!
Our stage 2 teams, Bilbies (year 4) and Quokkas (year 3) had a fun day out learning and putting their skills to good use in a non-competitive round robin gala day. While the year 4 team had some Saturday netballers, both teams were otherwise made up of students just wanting to have some fun and learn more about netball. Both teams had a mixed bag of results, but all students reported back saying they had lots of fun and some even made the comment they cannot wait for next year!!
To all the parents, other family members and carers who came out to watch and support!! I know the kids loved having you there! Finally, a huge thank you to our helpers on the day: Miss Rivernell (Team manager and umpire), Mrs Mumford (team manager), Mrs Crompton (team manager), Noah (umpire) and Taylah (umpire). The day would not have been possible without you!
-Dee Burns
Softball
Last Friday, 26 May, Miss Bagshaw, Mr Taylor and 15 boys from stage 2 and 3 braved the cool weather and headed down to the Riverside softball fields for the PSSA Knockout competition. There were 6 teams competing on the day. Our boys had done a lot of training at school over the past few weeks and their skills had improved tremendously!
The first game against Nemingha was a tough one! The boys played well both in the field and batting but unfortunately we went down by only a few runs.
Our next game was a friendly against Tamworth South. Mr Taylor umpired that game for us and Miss Baghaw was lucky to make it through the game alive after being hit with the ball by one of our own team!! Everyone got to bat that game and we won the game convincingly.
Our last game was against Kootingal. It was also a friendly, but our opponents were tougher. Again, the boys batted and fielded beautifully and we had another win.
By this stage the weather had turned VERY cold and we had already stopped a few times for the rain but our Tamworth West boys didn’t let it ruin the rest of the day. Miss Bagshaw had put forward 5 names to trial for the Tamworth Zone team. Jett, Naite, Hamish, Cameron M and Jace all braved the freezing weather and went out to bat and field to try and grab a place. ALL of the boys played incredibly well and the decision by the selectors was tough, HOWEVER, we were lucky enough to have 3 boys make it through to the Tamworth team. They are Hamish (year 4), Jace and Cameron M (both year 5). The three boys will now continue their journey and try out for the North West softball team later this month. Well done boys!
Congratulations to ALL of our boys softball team; Max, Hamish, Kasch, Cameron M, Cameron R, Jace, Roland, Darius, Bentley, Ashar, Naite, Ryder, Jake, Jett and Jaylen. You played well and your sportsmanship on the day was excellent.
Thank you also to Mr Taylor for coming down to help us on the day and to the coaches for their hard work at school in improving their skills.
-Miss Bagshaw, Mrs Spinks and Mr Taylor
2021-2022 PRICELIST - West Tamworth - SCHOOL COPY.pdf
