Table Cape Primary School eNewsletter

22 December 2022

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22 December 2022

As we finish this year together, I reflect over the enormously challenging year we have had and foremost, I want to acknowledge and commend my Staff on their flexibility, adaptability and never-wavering supportiveness of each other. And ultimately, this has ensured ongoing, positive learning for all children, no matter any interruption to staffing changes or absences from unplanned sickness that have constantly needed managing throughout the year.

I am so grateful to have the tremendous support and expertise of my Leadership Team – Michael van der Ploeg, Chantelle Thomas, Jessie-Type-Farrell and Andrea Miller - who have also collectively taken on additional roles and responsibilities… to the point that it would not seem obvious that we have actually been two less AST members of our team this year. All of these efforts have ensured a successful 2022 for our school community. We have all earned a well-deserved holiday break to enjoy quality time with family and friends!

2023 Class Information

This week all children have had a chance to meet in their new class groupings and participate in some early team building activities, especially sharing their prepared ‘Heart Maps’ with new teachers as a key way to get to know each other.

At the start of this term class teachers met with members of our Leadership team to create the most equitable classes possible by balancing a range of needs, including both learning ability and social connections.

Whilst parents have one child to consider (in a given class), we have approximately 350 children to consider, so educational decisions have been made to cater for all needs. We have worked very hard to ensure that every child has a friend and we ask for you to support our placements and reassure children that ‘new’ groupings bring many ‘new opportunities’ for them in 2023. Over the break, continue to encourage every child to embrace the many new opportunities planned for 2023… actively reflecting one of our key school values of ‘Courage’.

We have formed 15 class groupings for 2023 and so far, our known staffing is:

Kinder A – Kirsty Allen, Kinder B – Jacinta Craighead, Prep A – Alice Wade, Prep B – Catherine Badcock, 1/2A – Claire Thorp, 1/2B – Mandy Barlow, 1/2C – Allison Snare, 3A – Cathy Broomhall & Shelley Carpenter, 3B – Holly Mainsbridge & Jan Radford, 4A – Teegan Townsend, 4B – Michelle Smitheram, 5/6A Kelli-anne Gillam, 5/6B – Emma Liefhebber, 5/6C – Felicity Hookway and 5/6D Jane Nott & Monique Moore.

We are committed to the provision of quality learning opportunities for the growth and development of the ‘whole child’ and so far, our Specialist Program Staffing includes Ashleigh Laurendet – teaching Visual Arts; George Hills – teaching Health and Physical Education, Michael van der Ploeg teaching STEM, Sharon Neilson – teaching Music.

Some part-time class staff is still being finalised, along with our Birth to 4 Programs and Leadership roles and responsibilities for 2023. This information will be shared with our School Community before school starts next year.

2023 Uniform Sales, Stationary Packs and Levy Days

Levy payments, collection of books and uniforms can be made on:

Thursday 2 February: 8:30 – 11:30am Families with Surnames: A – C

12:00 – 3:00pm Families with Surnames: D – H

Friday 3 February: 8:30 – 11:30am Families with Surnames: I – Q

12:00 – 3:00pm Families with Surnames: R – Z

Please note due to Covid restrictions there may be a slight delay on these days due to the number of adults permitted in our building. Adults are asked to keep 1.5m distance from others both inside and outside at school.

EFTPOS facilities are available for both levy and uniform payments.

Office hours from Monday 30 January until Tuesday 7 February will be 8:30am – 3:00pm.

PLEASE NOTE:

Parents/Carers unable to make the levy payment during this period should contact our School Business Manager, Mrs Andrea Miller on 6442 3377, to make alternative arrangements.

Please note that there are no credit arrangements on uniform sales.

Office staff will be able to accept any new enrolments and to assist parents with any queries from Monday 30 January. Office staff will also make appointments for parents who wish to discuss any matter with the Principal and/or members of the Leadership Team.

CLASS PLACEMENT LEVY SHEET:

This sheet gives details of the class placement for your child in 2023 and the levy fee. It is included in your child’s 2022 End of Year reporting envelope.

PLEASE BRING THE LEVY SHEET WITH YOU WHEN YOU COME IN TO MAKE YOUR PAYMENT or collect Stationary packs if approved for STAS.

STATIONERY ITEMS:

Some stationery items for students will be issued upon payment of levies. The balance will be issued to children by teachers as required. The cost of these items is covered by your school levy payment.

Update of 2023 Medical Plans for Students

If your child requires a medical plan for anaphylaxis, allergies, asthma, epilepsy or a specific medical condition, then we ask that you have the most accurate and updated plans ready for us to copy when you come in for your allocated ‘Levy and Book Sales’ Day prior to school starting. This will ensure we are fully prepared to take on this extremely important duty of care for your child/ren.

SCHOOL WILL RESUME FOR 2023 ON WEDNESDAY 8 FEBRUARY

2022 Grade 6 End of Year Presentation Assembly

On Monday this week we had a great event in celebration of this year’s Grade 6 Leavers at our annual Presentation Assembly – a wonderful show of support from our parents and school community for all of our finishing year 6 students. We are extremely proud of all of our students and especially this week of our departing Grade 6s. Most importantly, a special event such as this, helps to remind us of what really matters most in what has been another extraordinary year for everyone!

Table Cape Primary is a great school focused on quality teaching and high expectations for learning achievement; balanced with elements of fun and enjoyment. I am sure that our Grade 6 Leavers will treasure their wealth of memories from Primary School and be able to look back one day and remember how great it was to be at Table Cape!

Our Leaver’s Presentation Assembly provides us with an opportunity to recognise, reward and celebrate some individual award recipients along with all of our Grade 6 leavers. We were also appreciative that our Minister for Education, Children and Young People. Hon Roger Jaensch was able to attend and present his awards this year.

Congratulations to all of our 2022 Award recipients (listed below). It has personally been an absolute privilege to share in each child’s last 8 years at primary school. Parents and families should be very proud of this wonderful year group!

Grade 5 Award Presentation:

*Respectful Student Award – Leon M

Sponsored by Roger Jaensch, Minister for Education, Children and Young People

Grade 6 Individual Award Presentations:

*Achievement in Music Award – Maddie Stead

Sponsored by Ruth Forrest MLC

*Table Cape Primary School Community Award ‘Living the Values’ – Josie Pointon

Sponsored by Table Cape Primary School Association

On Monday evening we also held our Grade 6 Dinner and Disco and I would really like to thank everyone who prepared and organised to ensure we had a memorable and successful event.

A special ‘Table Cape Primary thank you’ to:

Kym Matek, Wendy Richardson, Andrea Miller, Maria Street, Judy Blyth & Janelle Bugg– for working so hard behind the scenes e.g. preparing all invitations, certificates, programs and commemorative placemats, ordering and preparing food …
Ms Fiona Sculthorpe, Miss Emma Liefhebber and Mr Michael van der Ploeg – our Grade 6 teachers and 5/6 Team Leader - who were collectively responsible for planning and preparing for both the Awards at the Presentation Assembly and hosting and decorating our Gr 6 Dinner event. (And especially to both teachers …who also took on extra ‘catering duties’ at late notice last Sunday)
Our Gr 6’s families… who supported and joined us for their child’s special events this week, marking a positive end to their Primary School life experience!

Grades 3 to 6 Class Kindness Award

At our final Student Grades 3 to 6 Afternoon Meeting last week, Class Teachers announced their ‘Class Kindness Award’ – for a child who consistently displays all Values and Kindness to everyone, all of the time!

Teachers had an extremely difficult task of selecting one student who has displayed the following Criteria in their class for all of the year:

Certificate Description - in recognition for:

Choosing to engage in random acts of kindness to others without seeking anything in return
Always saying and spreading happiness to others by being kind e.g. – giving compliments or just providing a listening ear to a friend in need
Your acts of kindness inspiring others to be kind as well
Making our class and school a better and happier place everyday

Your small acts of kindness are able to inspire others, who will then spread those actions to their friends and family. This snowball will continue to grow, and can eventually have a big impact on the world (with or without your awareness of it)

Congratulation to our first ever… ‘2022 Class Kindness Award’ recipients:

3A – Addison Broomhall

3B – Amelia Smart

4A – Xavier Allen

4B – Chelsea Hyland

5A – Rossi Lamprell

5B – Sianna Hill

6A – Alisha Carey

6B – Lila Dowling

Announcing our ‘Foot Steps’ Dance Class Champions

In accommodating a required short-term change from specialist Visual Arts in Term 3, we offered ‘Dance’ in the Arts as a creative specialist option for all students from Prep to 6. I challenged our Grades 3 to 6 that their weekly classes were to be scored and the best class would be awarded the title of School Dance Class Champions… congratulations to 3B (Broomhall / Hills) who have achieved this awesome title!

Classes 3 to 6 – 100+ Home Readers Draw

Our one whole school ‘homework’ priority is Home Reading! Developing strong and independent Reading skills significantly supports all learners in every area of their learning and schooling. Each class has a lucky $20 Book Voucher draw for children who have achieved 100+ Reading turns.

Congratulations to:

3A – Addison Broomhall

3B – Daine Mackenzie

4A – Lucy Badcock

4B – Scarlett Bransden

5A – Jad Webb

5B – Kiera Smith

6A – Savannah Deverell

6B – Mary-Jane Williams

Update #2: Staffing Information 2022 – 2023

As a Staff group, we say, ‘Thank You’ and ‘Goodbye’ together on the last staff day of the term; but also, we take a moment through our Newsletter, Gr 6 Presentation Assembly and Christmas Concerts in the last weeks of school to share a ‘public school community thank you and farewell’ to those staff who will be leaving us this year. Our final Celebration Concert event also allowed for the students to give a small posy as their ‘thank you’ to departing staff.

Earlier in the year, Mrs Nikki Dowling finished teaching with us. At our Celebration Concert and Presentation events we have now had an opportunity to say both ‘thank you and farewell’. Nikki’s caring and exemplary learning provision for her little learners, in Kinder is greatly missed. Thank you, Nikki, for all that you have contributed to our great school community.

Staff completion of Fixed-Term Teacher Contracts also include Miss Lilly Maynard. When we had some unexpected staffing changes during the year, Lilly, readily accepted working one day on each Grade 5 vacancy in our school. Our students have really benefited from her caring and calm approach and we wish you continued success in your teaching career.

And finally, today, ‘Tis the season to wish one another joy, love, happiness and peace. These are my wishes for all members of our School Community! Merry Christmas everyone and also hoping everyone has a memorable and safe holiday with family and friends.

Lynette