August 25th

Last term we asked families to provide feedback regarding the school canteen. We had a fantastic response with nearly two thirds of our families completing the survey. Thank you for taking the time to complete this as it gave us extremely valuable information.

Collated responses from the survey were:

• People grateful to volunteers for supporting and to Canteen Supervisor for the service
• General consensus is that more variety and a change of menu is necessary
• 1/3 of responses indicated that more healthy choices should be available
• Overwhelming response (approximately 50%) requested healthier options such as home cooked meals, less processed food, soups, pasta, salads, nachos, gluten free and vegetarian options (only a few comments)
• Suggestions for improvement are that we open more days, healthier food options, change the menu more regularly & offer special menu days.

The School Leadership team have unpacked the results of the survey and carefully considered feedback from families, as well as the school’s capacity to deliver significant change and the impact this would have for the school. In terms of the funding that this would require, we have made a decision to outsource the canteen from the beginning of 2022.

Initially, we intend to advertise Expressions of Interest through the newsletter and email to give any NPS families the opportunity to take this on. If we are unable to find a suitable candidate this way, then we will advertise to the wider Launceston population.

We would like to take this opportunity to extend our high appreciation to Sue Hayward for her long standing dedication to this role, and also to the many volunteers who have assisted with this services over the many years the canteen has been in operation.  

Interested parties will be asked to complete an Expression of Interest addressing specific selection criteria detailing their capacity to provide the desired services. For further details please contact School Business Manager -  Nicole Moir either via phone 6344 2533 or email nicole.moir@education.tas.gov.au

All enquiries will be kept confidential.  

Kind regards, Karen & Nicole 

Congratulations to our Aussie's of the Month for July!

Well done Will and Ruby who were selected as July's Primary and ECE Aussie of the Month.

Attention: Parents and Carers of students in Years 4-6

The wellbeing of our students is important to us.

To get an understanding of how students across Tasmania feel about their own wellbeing, students in Years 4–6 at Norwood Primary School will be taking part in a wellbeing survey.

The Student Wellbeing and Engagement Survey is part of the Department of Education’s Child and Student Wellbeing Strategy.

The details for the survey are:

When:  24/08/2021 – 17/09/2021

Who:  Years 4–6

What do I need to do:  You and your child don’t need to do anything. The survey will be done in class time and will not require your child to prepare in any way.

A letter with more information has been sent home with all Years 4-6 students, including Frequently Asked Questions and a form to sign and return to the school if you do not want your child to participate in the survey.   

If you would like further information, please contact AP Luke Padgett on (03) 63442533.

Thank you for supporting us to ensure that all our learners are safe, feel supported and are able to flourish, so they can engage in learning.

As our school has transitioned into a values basis for guiding our way of being, it is timely to communicate these values in more depth with the school community. Our 4 key Values at Norwood Primary School mirror the Department of Education and are Aspiration, Growth, Courage and Respect and these underpin all that we do.

Why Aspiration?

Aspiring to do better for our learners every day is a core focus of our work.

We know that people with high aspirations tend to do better, and that young people’s aspirations have a significant influence on both their educational attainment and their future life outcomes.

By embedding this value in the culture of our school, we model the behaviour we encourage in our learners. Aspiration can relate to any area of life and can be linked to a sense of purpose or inner drive.

Having a value of aspiration can include:

• Expecting the best from ourselves and from others
• Striving for success
• Setting goals and planning to achieve them
• Building on our strengths and working on our weaknesses
• Continuing to lift and improve performance.

Aspiration helps us to move beyond our current circumstances and focus on where we’d like to be.

Our classes throughout our school are working hard to unpack our value of Aspiration and what it means for them. There is an explicit focus onto this value for the remainder of Term 3. Ask your child what they know about Aspiration and why this is important to them. Keep an eye out for some visuals relating to the 4 values beginning to appear around the school.

Prep Green/Gale, Prep Taylor and Prep-1 Paulsen

We will be travelling by bus to the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery at Royal Park. This is part of our inquiry focussing on Tasmanian Aboriginal culture. 

Date:      Tuesday 31st August

Time:      Depart school at 9:30am and arrive back by 2:00pm

Recess/Lunch: Students will need to bring a packed fruit break, morning tea, lunch and a big drink of water 

Sarah Green, Caroline Gale, Alison Taylor and Laine Paulsen

Classroom Teachers

We have been learning about maps and compass points. We made compass roses using magazines to show what we knew about directional language.

On Tuesday 17^th August 1 Andrew and 1/2 Roberts travelled to the QVMAG to participate in science activities as part of Science Week.

We were all very excited as this was our first excursion for the year.

We had 6 activities to complete which had been carefully planned by the Museum staff and which were linked to the Australian Curriculum. The activities were:

Food in Space (Earth and Space Science): We went to the planetarium and watched a clip about astronauts eating food in space. We also learnt about the stars, the moon and Jupiter, Saturn and Venus (which were visible in the night sky on Tuesday)

Food discovery (Biological Science), (Chemical Science): There were a variety of activities to do in this section. Did you know that it takes 20 star jumps to burn off the energy of 1 M&M?  We also learnt that in the future we might be eating grasshoppers as a source of food. We learnt that if we write with lemon juice, it stays invisible until we heat the paper.

Paddock to plate and farm biosecurity (Biological Science): In this activity, we learnt how apples grow from a seed to a tree. We even got to taste some apples which were delicious! We made a model of an apple’s life cycle.

Food packaging and Waste (Chemical Science): In this activity, we learnt the importance of recycling and how some plastics can be used again to make furniture.

Bush Garden ( Biological Sciences): It was very interesting to hear from some Elders about the native plants and how they can be used for medicines and making baskets. The best part of this activity was making damper – some of us liked it and some decided that it wasn’t the yummiest food we had eaten.

Whose Poo (Biological Sciences): A lot of us were very excited to learn about poo! Did you know that wombats do square shaped poo. Did you know that birds wee and poo at the same time. We also found out that birds swallow their food whole and then they vomit up the solid parts (bones, teeth and claws).

We had such a busy day but it was a day full of inquiring, questioning, researching, co-operating and discovering. We would like to thank the wonderful parents who came with us for their help and support during the day, Mrs Sonia Williams, Miss Kirsty Plumeridge, Mrs Denita Garwood and Mrs Emma Alomes and Mrs Janine Bligh.

We are looking for volunteers to help at our before school Reading Club to begin next week. Reading Club will run in the library from 8:30-8:55am from Monday to Thursday and will provide students with an extra chance to read to an adult or student Literacy Leader. If you have a Working with Vulnerable People card and would like to be part of this please let Mrs Scolyer or Mrs Evorall know.  

Are you really good at covering books with contact? 

We are seeking volunteers to help cover lots and lots of brand new library books in contact. Attention to details is a must!!

Please let the office know if you can help! Thank you!

Last chance to purchase from our Book Fair:

Thursday 26th Aug. 8:30 - 8:55am (All welcome)

Spectators are able to attend HOME GAMES ONLY (if your child is playing at Norwood Primary School) - 2 spectators per family - you are unable to spectate at other schools or venues.

Spectators must check in at the front office  by using the Check in Tas app. If you are unwell or have symptoms of a cold, cough or fever you must not attend.

Kinder 2022

Enrolment forms for children who live in our school intake area and will be coming into kindergarten in 2022 have been given out. Please return these forms to the office as quickly as you can, along with:

• your child’s birth certificate
• immunisation record
• documentation of child’s medical conditions
• proof of parent identity eg. Driver licence
• proof of residence

Surveys regarding preferences for session times will be emailed to you on return of your enrolment forms.

Please pass this information onto other families living in the Norwood community. Thank you!

Lynn Wyllie-Watson

Father's Day Stall

Father’s Day Stall will be held over two days.

Wednesday 1^st September

Thursday 2^nd September

We urgently require volunteers to help man the stall. If you can help, even for an hour, please let us know - email norwoodpsa@gmail.com or send a message via the school office.  Thankyou.

School Disco

Kinder - Grade 2:      3:45pm-4:45pm

Grade 3/4:                5:00pm-6:15pm

Grade 5/6:                6:30pm-7:45pm

Due to current COVID-19 regulations within the Department of Education, supervision of students this year will be shared between some teaching staff and a capped number of parents with WWVP card.

We ask that all parents drop off their children, just outside the hall and check them in and be ready outside the hall to collect their children at the allocated finish time. A parent/guardian MUST be there to pick up children from the hall directly.

NO PHONES will be allowed in the Hall, if using, teachers will remove and return at end of session.

School Fair 2022

We are seeking volunteers for our 2022 School Fair Committee. We need to start organising later in the year in preparation for a Fair early 2022. If we don’t have a committed group of 8-10 people we cannot go ahead with a Fair, so please gather your friends and contact us at norwoodpsa@gmail.com

Next School Association meeting:

When:           Tuesday 14th September 2021

Time:             7:00pm

Where:          Staff room

Agenda: School Disco, 2022 School Fair, End of Year Picnic

Please send all agenda items to norwoodpsa@gmail.com

Everyone is welcome to attend!

Minutes from our last meeting, 17^th August are now available on the school notice board. If you would like a copy emailed please contact us at norwoodpsa@gmail.com

Entertainment Book

The Schools Triathlon Challenge will be held again this year.

When - Thursday November 25th at the Bluff, Devonport

Who - Grade 3-6 students

Students can enter individual and team events or participate in both

Teams can be made up of students from different grades

Teams can be all male, all female or mixed

Teams can be made up of 2 or 3 students

Entry Fee: $25

Students only pay $25 regardless of how many events they are entered in

Entry forms can be collected from the school office and returned with $25 no later than Friday September 24th

For more information:

www.schoolstrathlonchallenge.com

Follow on facebook @ Schools Triathlon Challenge

We warmly invite you to join us at Kings Meadows High School parent information evening on Monday 6th September at 5:30pm.

BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL - Register @ https://bit.ly/Grade7Information2022No3

The parent information evening will provide you with the opportunity to:

• Tour 'C' block; receive information about Canvas and how we use iPads for learning; class groupings.
• Course selection and the opportunity to speak with current students and staff.

For more information contact Katie Wightman at Kings Meadows High School - Phone 6343 1000.

Please arrive 5 minutes early to use the Check-In TAS app and to sign into the event.