As Week 4 draws to an end there is once again much to celebrate here at Duffy Primary School. If you follow us on Facebook you may have seen some of the amazing experiences that occurred during the week including:

Volunteer Afternoon Tea

We would like to give a huge shout out to our volunteers and the time and effort you spend supporting our students and teachers. Thank you!!

NASA Representatives Visit

Years 5 and 6 were so excited to host NASA representatives on Wednesday at Duffy. We learned about the Artemis missions, how they are using the satellites in Canberra and explored the relative size of Earth compared to other planets, the Sun and stars. We got to ask questions and loved getting to talk about space with international experts!

Cup-A-Yum

Thank you to our P&C for a wonderful and healthy Cup-A-Yum at lunchtime on Tuesday. There were lots of healthy snacks to be enjoyed!

Planetarium

Some of the senior students had the pleasure of inviting Mr Heap to our school this week for a planetarium incursion. Students got to explore space from the perspective of the Earth, Moon and Mars. Through this experience, we learned about the different technologies used in space that help us here on Earth.

As a means of strengthening the relationship between home and school we invite you to consider the following:

When your child comes home from school, you will often be keen and perhaps a little anxious to know every detail of their day, and you may find yourself asking them every day after school, “So how was school today?”

To assist with this conversation are some examples of more engaging questions to ask about school. They aren’t perfect, but some may lead to some interesting conversations... and hilarious answers... and more insights into how your child thinks and feels about school.

Our teachers continue to ‘post’ to their Seesaw class pages. These posts will also provide you with insights into what learning has been taking place and can provide the ideal springboard for purposeful discussion. It also allows you to interact with their learning through their posts.

At Duffy PS we are committed to working together with our parents / carers as partners in your child/ren’s education. We know that parent and family engagement matters – 50 years of research evidence tells us that when parents and families engage in their children’s learning we see positive impacts on student achievement and wellbeing outcomes.

The permanent introduction of SeeSaw in 2023 across our school provides our community with one platform to be engaged in their child/ren’s learning. Some helpful tips about how you can engage in feedback via the SeeSaw platform include:

‘Liking’ your child’s post – they will see a love heart appear next to their work.

Commenting with feedback that acknowledges the work they have completed and giving them an idea of something they could try next time or a question. This can also be given as a voice recording! An example might be. I can see you tried your best to name all the 2D shapes. I wonder how you know they are 2D shapes and not 3D?

Children will see this feedback next time they log into SeeSaw and have an increased sense of achievement and an opportunity to extend their learning. These posts from students and feedback from families provide great dinner table conversation starters.

Regards,

Katie, Arilia, Sarah and Katie

SPOTLIGHT ON LEARNING - YEAR 3

Maths - 3D Shapes

Year 3 has been completing a range of different activities in Mathematics. Most recently we have been exploring the properties of 3-dimensional objects and their nets. We constructed 3-dimensional objects using a variety of materials.

SEL -Social and Emotional Learning

In year 3 we have been learning about how we can work as a team. Our most recent challenge was working in a team to keep a balloon off the ground without hands. Some of the feedback we gave after this challenge was;

"We should work in a team more to be successful and get the job done"
"Using clear communication made the challenge easier"
" We get less annoyed when we can communicate with others"

We then shared how these different strategies can help us on the playground or in sports.

Digital Technologies

We have had the pleasure of the company of Daniel Heap from the Academy of Future Skills to assist us with our Digital Technologies work so far this term. In class, we have begun practising our coding and programming skills on Ozobots. These are small, programmable devices that can be instructed to complete actions using special markers and using a program online called 'Ozoblockly'. The students are working towards programming the Ozobots to complete commands to navigate a map, which links our understanding of Mathematics and Digital Technologies.

Below are some images of our students practising their coding skills!

Writers Workshop

We have been learning about how important feedback is to help us grow as learners. We have been working closely with our writing buddy to work together and create quality work. We are currently crafting our rostrum speeches and presenting these to our buddies for clear, constructive feedback.

SCHOOL LEADERS

Prime Minister

Barney Mungoven

Deputy Prime Minister

Kleio Slater

Speaker

Nina Aubrey

AWARDS

These will be presented at Monday Morning WOW (May 22nd - 9am)

Merit Awards

Annasya A - KBS

Annie K - KBS

James R - KDL

Keenai G - KDL

Clancy J - KRP

Sophie L - KRP

James C - 1ET

Elle D - 1ET

Jyrgal D - 1SF

Mason E - 1SF

Flynn J - 2KJ

Patricia M - 2KJ

Theodore S - 2RW

Avie L - 2RW

Pihu S - 3MS

Macaila K - 3MS

Taylah R - 3SZ

Sam F - 3SZ

Callum M - 3VS

Carter S - 3VS

Eden C - 4BH

Braxton W - 4BH

Tadhg Y - 4RP

Catrin F - 4RP

Ash H - 5CM

Chloe B - 5CM

Racquel S - 5CN

Lucian J - 5CN

Jake B - 6LK

Violet S - 6LK

Elsie F - 6ZG

Lily L - 6ZG

Silver and Bronze Awards will be handed out by Exec staff during the week.

Silver Spirit Awards

Amelia C - 3VS

Grayson E - 3VS

Oscar B - 3VS

Bronze Spirit Awards

Nio A - KBS

Annasya A - KBS

Annie K - KBS

Fletcher K - KBS

Charlie F - KBS

Maeve M - KBS

Scarlett E - KBS

Ursula V - KBS

Blake W - KBS

Frank W - KBS

Curtley K - KBS

Hayley K - KBS

Oliver C - KDL

Arthur B - 2KJ

Audrey B - 3SZ

Jasmine D - 3SZ

Josh F - 3SZ

Taylah R - 3SZ

Tai S - 3SZ

Abi O - 3SZ

Samuel F - 3SZ

Lilla K - 3SZ

Shahan K - 3SZ

Matilda L - 3SZ

Carter S - 3VS

Naavya W - 3VS

Evie W - 3VS

Jesse S - 3VS

Aubrea E - 3VS

Harry P - 3VS

Mahir P - 3VS

Grayson E - 3VS

Ali A - 3VS

Oscar B - 3VS

Calum M - 3VS

Hunter B - 3VS

Amelia C - 3VS

Max H - 3VS

Mia L - 3VS

Eva H - 3VS

Aiden B - GBP

Hugo D - GBP

Naveen C - GBP

Saxon B - GBP

Sean C - GBP

HEROES CORNER

Aidan Kelly attended the Barca Academy training camp in Sydney over the school holidays and has now been given the chance to represent Barca Academy Australia in the Barca Academy Cup Asia Pacific 2023 held in Tokyo, Japan later in the year. We would like to congratulate him on this amazing opportunity!

Congratulations to Adele M who competed in the ACT Tennis Championships, The Bruce Cup, earlier this term.

Adele represented our school wonderfully and played well to finish in second place. Well done Adele!

P & C NEWS

Update from the P&C

The latest P&C meeting was held on 2 May. Key items discussed were the

· new Preschool Cubby House to be purchased by the P&C

· 50th Birthday Celebrations in Term 4 including the unveiling of a new mural

· Events Calendar for 2023

· Additional projects for the P&C to focus on

Uniform Shop

Uniform shop is still opening on Friday morning on ODD weeks. The uniform shop will be open next on Friday 26th May between 8:30-9am. We will continue to fill orders submitted through Flexischools. For more information email duffypandc@gmail.com

Uniform Shop Co-ordinator needed.

Can you help out? This volunteer position plays a vital role in ensuring the unform shop operates smoothly. Tasks include overseeing the fulfilment of orders, processing payments and stock take. The Flexi School ordering system makes things super easy, and the position comes with not 1 but 2 helpers, who are already in place. The uniform shop is currently open Fridays of odd-numbered weeks from 8.30am – 9am, with Flexi School orders sorted during that time, so the time commitment is not extensive. You can change the day the shop opens to suit you better if you wish. If you’d like to know more, please email duffypandc@gmail.com or connect with us on Facebook.

Cup-A-Yum - Term 2

We had our first Cup-A-Yum on Tuesday and it was a roaring success. Many of our children enjoyed the healthy snacks and learnt a bit more about financial processes. Did we beat our previous record of $200?

Drumroll…………. We made $430!!! Absolutely smashed our record. Thank you, parents, for your part in helping.

Find the Duffy Primary Parents and Citizens Association on

Facebook!

@duffypandc

Don’t forget to connect with your Year level parent community on Facebook – this is a great way to stay connected, get year/school specific information and even organise gatherings.

Just search “DPS Year” on google and the groups will pop up, or head to the Duffy Primary Parents and Citizens Facebook page for more info.

Entertainment book fundraising

The entertainment book is still available to purchase from https://www.entertainment.com.au/

This is no longer a book but a convenient Digital Membership to be used anywhere, near or far and there’s bound to be a deal just around the corner. When you go to purchase make sure to name 'Duffy Primary School' as the donor beneficiary to count to our fundraising. A perfect gift for mum, dad or just yourself. Treat yourself and help the School at the same time.

In-store credits

Baker’s Delight: When you next purchase from Baker’s Delight at Cooleman Court, ask for your purchase to be registered against Duffy Primary School in their in-store credit program. The P&C uses these credits to get free products from Baker’s Delights, like bread for sausage sizzles at fundraising events. Last year the credits were used to get pastries for the end of year teacher’s breakfast.

Don’t forget that the lovely staff at Baker’s Delight Cooleman Court give the school store credits for every purchase made. These credits help us run events like school barbeques and other fundraising events.

Don’t forget to mention Duffy

Primary BEFORE your purchase.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Parent and Carer Support Courses - Term 2

Canberra school staff can now view a list of Parent and Carer Support Courses that are available across Canberra community services each term via the Healthy Schools Network ACT website. An overview of support groups is available on the webpage.

Active travel program evaluation

Transport Canberra and City Services (TCCS) is undertaking an evaluation of the school active travel programs, including the Ride or Walk to School, Active Streets for Schools and School Crossing Supervisor programs.

As part of the evaluation, TCCS is requesting school communities to complete a short online survey about their travel habits to and from school. The survey can be accessed through this link or via the QR code on the right.

TCCS has engaged First Person Consulting (FPC) – a Melbourne-based evaluation consultancy – to manage the evaluation and the surveys. FPC will not be collecting any identifiable information from anyone completing the survey, and all responses will be kept confidential and anonymous.

TCCS appreciates your support to evaluate these programs to continue to enhance the program offerings to schools.

Learning for Life

The Learning for Life program helps children by supporting their education from primary through to post-school studies, like TAFE or University.

Learning for Life provides:

To be eligible for Learning for Life, you need to:

Have a child or children in Primary School, at one of the schools The Smith Family work with
Have a Health Care or Pension Concession Card
Have a strong commitment to your child/ren’s education and make sure they attend school regularly

To register your interest in Learning for Life, you need to:

Click this link https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/campaigns/learning-for-life-expression-of-interest
Fill out the relevant details (your name, phone number, child/ren’s details and School Information)
You will then receive an email from The Smith Family with information about next steps

If you have any questions about Learning for Life, or need help to apply, you can call The Smith Family on 0481 464 065 or 1800 280 223.