New Position

Dear Parents/Carers

In Term 4 I will be leaving Tuart Hill Primary School and taking up the position of Principal at Madeley Primary School. I have enjoyed my time as Principal over the past six years and am very sad to be leaving all the wonderful students, parents and staff here at Tuart Hill. I believe that we have come a long way and have achieved some wonderful things. Some notable highlights include:

• The Centenary celebrations

• Building the Community Arts centre under the Federal Government’s Building the Education Revolution funding

• Development of the kitchen through the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program

• Development of the garden through the Greenfingers TV show

• Implementation of sustainability initiatives across the school

• Implementation of a successful ICT program which has resulted in greater student access to computers and tablets

• Becoming an Independent Public School

My replacement for Term 4 and beyond is yet to be decided. As soon as this information is available it will be shared with the school community.

Good Attendance at Open Night

Almost 60% of our student were represented at last week's Open Night. This is a good indicator of the support of our parents. Many thanks go to those who attended.

Kitchen-Garden Program in Action

Mr Ioannou and Ms McQueen have been working on a program involving literacy, ICT, sustainability and cooking in our kitchen over the past few weeks. Their students have been highly motivated and engaged and have created some wonderful food.

This week they pulled out the pizza oven and prepared some delicious pizzas!

Another reminder about our Open Night

Please put the Open in Night in your diary. Sausage sizzle orders with money are due this Friday August 29. Money should be paid to classroom teachers. We look forward to seeing you.

Classroom Walkthrough Visits

I have been having a great time visiting classrooms to join in activities and get to know students better as they learn. Here are a few snaps I took in Rooms 3 and 4 (Miss Ricci's Year 1 and Miss Bradley's Year 1).

Spelling

Rainbow Fish

Word Study

Food Chains

An ocean in the classroom

More amazing ocean creatures

Maths

Theme Words

Literacy and Book Week

This week we are celebrating Literacy Week and Book Week. The students have been involved in a number of activities including the creation of a school 'choose your own adventure' story, a book report/cover writing competition and chalk art. Many thanks go to Mrs Growden and Mrs Gabrovec for their work in promoting literacy in our school.

New Signs

This week we have had some new signs placed around the school.

We hope that these signs will help visitors to find our Admin area a little easier.












Signs on the gates remind visitors to come through the office and not wander around our school.













The Tuart Green sign promotes our wonderful fruit and vegetable garden.

School Open Night

The NED Show @ Tuart Hill Primary School

On Monday August 4 the NED Show visited our school. Details of the show can be found at the NED Show website. The show commenced at 9.45am in the Hall. An information sheet about the show was placed in the newsletter.

Lots of students purchased yo-yos in the week following the show. I have been impressed by the tricks that many students have learned how to do with their new yo-yo.

The basketball court has been designated as the play area for yo-yos with instructions given to students to keep a safe distance from others when using their yo-yo.

World of Maths

Today the World of Maths van visited our school. Students in Years PP - 3 particpated in a large number of exciting and motivating mathematics activities.

Welcome Back

Welcome back to school for Term 3. Here is a copy of our Term Planner. Please regularly check our newsletter for changes to this planner.

We have lots of great activities planned for your child to participate in.

Parents are encouraged to talk to their child's teacher about ways they can help in our school. This could include spending time in a class listening to children read or helping at a special event.

School Disco

Last week's disco was a wonderful event with many students, parents and staff attending. The disco was the culmination of our dance lessons which were again provided by the wonderful teachers from Humphreys Dance Studio.

Allergen Aware

Last week our School Board endorsed the school’s ‘Healthy Food and Drink’ policy. Copies of the policy are available from the school office. We will also post a copy on our website. This policy will help clear up the misconception that the school is ‘nut free’. The policy states: “Tuart Hill Primary School is an ‘allergen aware’ school that follows a policy of ‘active avoidance’ . Staff, parents, students and health care professionals work together to create Health Care plans that suit the specific needs of students with allergies. All parents are encouraged to be sensitive to the health care needs of students at our school by being aware of possible allergies and not sending known triggers to school e.g. peanuts, tree nuts.”

Syringe Safety

Over the past few years the issue of syringes being occasionally found in the school grounds has been raised. This is an unfortunate part of living in an inner city area. The issue has been explored by the P&C and the School Board and we are continuing to look at ways to limit this hazard. Our gardeners regularly check the boundary fence and rake the sand pits. Students are also reminded not to touch any syringes that they see and to report them to an adult. We have a sharps container in the office to collect used syringes. 

The issue has been raised with the Stirling Council and I met today with the local chemist who runs an addiction treatment program. He believes that his clients are not the ones disposing of needles inappropriately. The concern is that some local drug users may meet behind the chemist to deal and then inject drugs. His staff regularly check the fence and clear any needles that they find. He has a camera which covers behind the chemist but not the entire fenceline. Together we are approaching the Stirling City Council for additional assistance in reducing the risk to local members of the public and our students.

Parents are encouraged to discuss this issue with their child and remind them that they should never touch a syringe.

Semester One Reports

This week marks the half-way point of the school year. On Friday students will receive their Semester 1 Reports. I ask that you take the time to read the report with your child. Congratulate them on the things they are doing well and encourage them to work hard to improve in other areas. Reports should not contain any surprises. If you are surprised or concerned by any of the grades or comments, please make an appointment to speak with your child’s teacher. Together we can work to help your child achieve their very best in all areas.