Our school has been a busy place over the last fortnight and as we reach the midpoint of the term, it is important to celebrate the many achievements and activities our students have had opportunities to take part in. We Welcome Owais, Renad, Siyun and Seoha to the Burnie Primary School community and trust they will thrive within our school community.  

Learning at our School 
While we celebrate the many achievements that take place in and out of schools, it is also important to acknowledge the wonderful work taking place in our classrooms. As I walk through classes, I see learners who are engaged, working collaboratively and thinking critically to complete learning tasks.  I would like to congratulate students on working towards achieving and exceeding their learning goals, and acknowledge the efforts put in by our dedicated team of teachers to ensure every student is provided rich, authentic learning tasks that challenge and extend them. 

Staffing update 
This week we welcome back Ms Vicki Brumpy, who has returned from a period of leave. Next week, Ms Sue Smith returns from a period of long service leave. We know our students will be interested hearing in stories of overseas travel experiences. A huge thank you to Ms Sharni Evettts for her commitment to ensuring continuity for our year 6 students. Sharni’s expertise and experiences will certainly be missed. We also thank Mrs Julie-Anne Elphinstone for working an extra day to ensure consistency with the class too.  

We also welcome four UTAS students to our school, Mia, Georgia, Keeleigh and Imogen. We wish them the very best on their learning placement with us, as they work alongside Mrs Woodward in year 3, Mrs Parke in year 2, Mrs Page in Year 5 and Mrs Williams in year 1 over the coming 4 weeks. 

School Association  
Our school association met on Wednesday 31st of May.   

What is a School Association? The School Association is made up of the parents, staff and community members of a school. School Associations exist for each Tasmanian Government School, including primary schools, high schools, district schools and colleges. The School Association is an important part of the school, working with the Principal to achieve shared outcomes for learners attending the school and for the benefit of the whole school community. Membership of the School Association provides a forum for the sharing of knowledge and skills. The purpose of the School Association is to provide members with a way to participate and support the school. It is not a business and there are restrictions on some of the activities the School Association can conduct. Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday 30th August at 6 pm.  

For more information visit.
School Associations - The Department for Education, Children and Young People Tasmania (decyp.tas.gov.au)  

Communicating Learning Progress with families  

Mid Year reports - For students in Grades 1-6, a 9-point scale and worded descriptor will appear on your child’s report,  (and Prep students at the end of the year).  The 9-point scale shows where your child’s learning achievement is against the expected standard for their year level. Term 2 2023 reports will show how your child is achieving against the Australian Curriculum learning areas of English, Mathematics, and Science. 

Your child’s teacher will also provide information about work habits that include information regarding effort and behaviour. Students who are assessment on Learning Plans will receive a 5 point rating against their goals as well as effort and behaviour. 

The DECYP Reporting Policy outlines that teachers are not able to provide written comment in the Mid-Year and End of Year Report.  We understand that this change will take some getting used to for all of us.  I strongly encourage all parents and carers to make sure that they can attend the learning conversations this term.  Evidence of learning will be shared during the learning conversation.  

For more information about the changes to reports:

Reporting - The Department for Education, Children and Young People Tasmania (decyp.tas.gov.au) 

Learning Conversations 
Parent Teacher (Kinder-Grade 6) will occur between Monday the 19th of June, through to Thursday the 22nd June with our late-night session happening on Wednesday the 21st of June.  We would like to strongly encourage students in grade 2-6 to attend with their parent / guardian and teacher.  Students in Kinder, Prep or Grade 1 can attend these conversations if families feel this would be beneficial.  Members of the Leadership Team and specialist teachers are also available for via appointment during this week.  All conversations will be held in classrooms. More information on our online booking system will be sent out to families when our booking system is live.

Kindergarten learning conversations will involve a sharing of information regarding students’ progress against the Kindergarten Development Check markers. 

As you arrive please collect reports from the office and families are welcome to wait in the library where tea and coffee will be provided. 

Celebrating Student Success
Congratulations to these students who recieved a merit certificate in our recent assembly.

Susan Barnard
Acting Principal

In Kinder J, we have been inquiring about what a family is. We have created artwork of our own families and the children have contributed these ideas:

Sometimes families are small and sometimes medium and sometimes lots of people live at your house  -  Sofeya

They play games  -  Lincoln

A whole group living together in a house and sometimes they live in other houses  -  Stella

They’re my friends  -  Emily

I love my brothers and I love my Mum and I love my Dad  -  Lucas

It’s about love and caring  -  Pearl

In Kinder H our Inquiry focus is all about respect. We watched ‘Word on the street’ on Sesame Street and heard Elmo explain what it means to be respectful. In our classroom we are highlighting times when students are being respectful to each other, respectful to their belongings and our environment. Here are some examples of how kinder students described what respect is.

Talk to people, be nice, check if they are okay-Elodee

You say come play with me. If they are sad, I can ask if they want a cuddle-Harvey

You say come play with me-Roman

Be nice, be friends-Seth

Be nice, be kind, you say sorry if you hurt people, You play together and share-Caleb

The following photos show Kinder students being respectful listeners, caring for their environment,  using resources respectfully and moving around the school calmly and quietly.

Dear Parents and Friends,

Thank you for your overwhelming support with our Pizza Lunch fundraiser earlier this term. We ordered 87 pizzas in total, and our wonderful volunteers were able to distribute the orders to the classrooms with the help of the grade 6 leaders. It has proven to be very popular with the students and will continue to be a staple in our fund-raising calendar.

Soon families will receive order forms for our very popular Pie Drive. We encourage you to share your order form with friends and family as every order is greatly appreciated. It is important that orders are returned with payment on the date stated to avoid missing out, as late orders will not be accepted.

On Sunday 2^nd July, we will be running the sausage sizzle at Bunnings. We are currently looking for donations to help support the event and keep our cost down. The below table is an estimate of what we require on the day. If you can assist in providing any of these products, or if you are able to volunteer on the day, please contact us via the P&F Facebook page use the QR code or contact Sarah Lewis at sarah.a.lewis@decyp.tas.gov.au