Dear Families, Students and Friends,

As we launch into Week 6 of Term 1, it is the perfect time to reflect on Term 1 Learning Goals as a family.  What actions can students and families take midterm, to grow, stretch and achieve goals? 

A sincere thank you to families for engaging in Goal Setting conversations with teachers last week.  Feedback from teachers and families suggested conversations were extremely valuable.  If you were unable to make your conversation, please contact your child’s teacher via do-jo (or call the school office) to set up a meeting.  I suggest taking time as a family to unpack these conversations.  Check in with your progress against these goals as we continue into the second half of Term 1.

Student Leadership

It is with great pleasure and pride that I present our School Leaders of 2022.  I applaud all students who were courageous in nominating themselves for a leadership role this year.  During our badge ceremony this week I spoke with students from Grades 4-6 about the dispositions and attributes I believe one needs to exhibit as a leader at our school:

1. You show up as learner, every day
2. You expect the best of yourselves and others
3. You set goals, you plan toward these goals and you work hard to achieve them
4. You commit to building on your strengths and working on your areas of weakness
5. That every day you aim to lift and improve your performance
6. That you are persistent in the face of adversity
7. That you are courageous in the face of challenge

I am incredibly excited to have this aspirational group of leaders join me, as we lead Longford Primary School in being the best school it can be.  I am proud to have leaders that live our school values every day and represent our school and community with pride.

SRC
Kobi, Gracie, Lily, Zayliah, Ella, Ashley, Kobey and Kiara

House Captains
Latour:  Gracie and Kasey
Norfolk:  Tyler and Noah

Reading Ambassadors
Gracie, Lily, Madison, Aimee, Lillian and Rhys

Environmental Warriors
Jacob, Liam, Ethan, Levi and Aidan

COVID-19 Update

I continue to be appreciative of all families supporting us to keep our school safe.  Our school numbers of positive cases have fallen over recent weeks and we are pleased to see students well, back at school and daily attendance rates continuing to climb.  Please continue to inform the school office immediately if you or your child tests positive or are confirmed as a close contact.  I continue to encourage families to drop and go where possible and to not access play spaces after school so cleaning of spaces and equipment can occur.  To Lynton, Marg and Michelle – thank you for your continued dedicated efforts in keeping our school clean and safe.  If visiting an indoor space at school, please ensure adults are masked.

Athletics Carnivals

We have seen incredible sportsmanship displayed by all students that have competed in Athletics Carnivals over recent weeks.  Students were incredibly encouraging and supportive of their peers, had great fun and gave their best effort at every event.  Students showed resilience and perseverance throughout both carnivals.  Thank you to Mr Ellis for coordinating two excellent carnivals for our students. (See gallery further in the newsletter).

For the students representing Longford Primary School at the Northern Midlands Athletics Carnival on the 22nd of March – we wish you the very best of luck!  It is a fantastic achievement to be selected into the Northern Midlands athletic team, I know you will represent yourself, each other and our school proudly.

Northern Midlands Athletics Team
Amira, Lacey, Blair, Willow, Zayliah, Harrison, Lincoln, Finn, Leila, Kiara, Brady, Kobey, Maddison, Gracie, Lacey, Harley, Milla, Ethan, Noah, Chase, Rivah, Aidan, Tyler, Levy and Lilly

School Values

Well done to all students that live our school value of RESPECT when interacting with others.  Congratulations to this week’s RESPECT certificate recipients – thanks for making our school such a happy and welcoming place to be.

Carolyn Sutton
Principal

Our AGM will be held on Tuesday the 29th of March at 9:15am in the school boardroom.  We will host our first School Association meeting immediately after the AGM. We currently have 4 parent vacancies to be filled on our Association.  Please let Maree know if you are interested in nominating for one of these positions.  Closing dates for nominations is this week – Friday the 18th of March. Term 2 meeting times and dates will be confirmed during our first meeting.

You do not need to be an elected committee member to attend meetings – everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend when they can.  If you are new to our school, or you have not been to a meeting before, please consider coming along.

Our newly elected SRC are excited to host their first fundraising event for 2022 – our fantastic Easter Raffle.  Friday 25th March will be a free dress day for Prep-Grade 6 and Tuesday 29th March for Kindergarten students.  The SRC are asking that all students donate an Easter item for our annual Easter Raffle in place of a gold coin donation. The SRC will make first and second raffle prize baskets from the donated items for each class.  Raffle books will go home on Tuesday the 29th March for all families.

We are looking forward to starting our LiL sessions again soon.  In Term 1 this will look like two outdoor pop up sessions in weeks 9 and 10.  Online sessions continue to be offered; please follow our Longford Primary School LiL FB page for details.

We are currently planning our LiL programs for Term 2.  If you have a child turning four in 2022, please contact the school office, this will help us determine how many pre-kinder sessions we need to include in our planning.  All LiL sessions in Term 2-4 will be held on Mondays and Tuesdays.

This year, you will notice some changes to reporting in Tasmanian Government Schools.

Firstly, you won’t see A-E reporting any more for Prep to Year 10 students.

Most families in Tasmanian Government Schools have told us that A-E reporting isn’t meaningful enough for them. So, the Department is introducing a new 9-point visual scale.

Along with the visual scale a worded description will be included to help you understand how your child is going against the expected standard for their year level. The 9-point scale will show more specifically where your child is at with their learning. This change won’t apply to students in Years 11 and 12.

The second main change you’ll see is that teachers will be communicating with you more regularly throughout the year, instead of providing written comments on reports.

This more regular communication might be through online communication, telephone calls, or face-to-face conversations.

By having more regular information about your child’s learning progress you’ll get a better understanding of how your child is going across the entire school year (not just twice a year).

What you should expect across the school year:

Families will be supported to understand the new reporting requirements and the changes to mid and end of year report as they are implemented.

Watch the video introducing the changes: Changes to reporting in 2022

If you’d like to know more about why these changes are occurring, visit Review into Reporting to Families - The Department of Education Tasmania

Healthy sleep in children

Sleep is essential for learning, growth, immunity, mental health, memory, healing and recovery. Healthy sleep means a good quantity and quality of sleep, with regular sleep routines. Good sleep hygiene promotes sleep by improving the regulation of sleep, either by reinforcing the body’s natural circadian rhythms (ie, timing of light and darkness), or by increasing the drive to sleep. Other sleep practices help us to associate certain activities (like a bedtime routine) and environments (ie,the bedroom) with sleep. 

What happens if my child doesn’t get enough sleep?

A child who does not get enough healthy sleep may experience difficulties with concentration, memory, regulating their emotions, organising tasks and creative thinking. These children may be easily distracted, irritable, disruptive or generally hyperactive and restless. A lack of healthy sleep has been linked to mental health problems, poor growth, weight gain, and reduced school performance.

To ensure good sleep it is recommended that:

1. children aged 5 to 13 years get 9 to 11 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
2. Have your child go to bed at the same time every night, preferably before 9:00PM.
3. Establish a consistent, positive bedtime routine (this can include brushing teeth, songs, bedtime stories).
4. The bedroom should be sleep-conducive friendly – cool, dark, and quiet.
5. Encourage your child to fall asleep independently.
6. Your child should avoid bright light at bedtime and during the night and increase light exposure in the morning.
7. Have your child avoid heavy meals and vigorous exercise close to bedtime.
8. Keep all electronics, including televisions, computers, and mobile phones, out of the child’s bedroom. Also limit the use of electronics at least one hour before bedtime.
9. Your child should avoid caffeine, including soft drinks, coffee, and teas, and chocolate.
10. Have your child keep a regular daily schedule, including consistent mealtimes.

What other factors might be disturbing sleep in children?

Children’s sleep may be disturbed by breathing problems during the night, often associated with snoring. This is termed Sleep Apnoea.

If you are concerned about your child’s sleep patterns, please drop in every second Thursday/email me on amy.bradley@education.tas.gov.au  or visit your local GP

Nurse Amy

2022

Leadership Staff

Support Staff