DUFFY PRIMARY SCHOOL



NEWSLETTER 8 - WEEK 6 TERM 2

UP & COMING EVENTS

Did you know? 

You can find notes on our website. 

 Click here for school notes!

EXEC TEAM'S MESSAGE 

Dear Duffy Primary School Community,


As Week 6 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:

Preschool Working Bee

A huge thank you to all the parents, grandparents and carers who braved the cold last week at our Preschool working bee. So much was accomplished in a short amount of time thanks to everyone’s hard work. We pulled down our beloved (but VERY old) cubby and removed the timber. Our garden bed was dug out, turned over and the agapanthus were divided up and we started planting them along the fence line. Some new natives were planted in the garden bed with room for students to plant more in the future. New plants were added around the roped of edge of our new deck. All of this was done so quickly that the new cubby house was able to be installed the next day! Thank you to the P and C for our yummy afternoon tea that gave us energy to get through the afternoon. We hope to be able to enjoy more opportunities such as this, engaging with families and communities are COVID.


Year 6 Hoodies

Much to the delight of our Year 6 students and teachers, our Duffy 2023 hoodies arrived this week! How fabulous do our Year 6 leaders look?

Hats Off

In Canberra sun protection is required for part or most of each day between August and May. The end of May is ‘Hats Off Day’ whilst the beginning of August is ‘Hats On Again’ 

Reporting Student Achievement in the ACT 2023

ACT public schools are expected to provide a formal written report to parents and carers of students from Preschool to Year 12, twice a year. These formal reports form part of the suite of relevant and purposeful opportunities schools use to communicate student learning to families throughout the year.

In addition, Duffy Primary School shares student learning and progress throughout the year through informal processes including, seesaw, learning journeys and parent teacher interviews.

Our upcoming written reports for the end of Semester 1 will include one written comment and will reflect student progress against the relevant Achievement Standards from the specific learning areas/subjects covered within this semester. Following the publishing of reports via Sentral on Friday 23rd June (Term 2 Week 9) Parent / Teacher Interviews will be held during Week 10 Monday 26th June – Friday 30th June 2023. We look forward to engaging in positive dialogue with you about how we can continue to support the development and growth of your child/ren.

Managing Staff Absences

As the colder weather sets in, we expect to see a higher number of staff away at times due to seasonal illness and COVID-19.

To ensure that we continue to provide all students with quality learning with minimal disruption, we may be implementing temporary changes to our learning programs. If required, some classes may be combined for short periods of time. There may also be a need to postpone excursions and other extra-curricular activities until there is enough staff to support them. 

If changes are required at our school at any time, we will write to you to let you know. We will also ensure we keep you up to date on how long we expect any changes to be in place.

As always, we remain committed to providing our students with high quality learning experiences in a safe and welcoming school environment.

Staying COVID Smart at school

As we approach the colder weather, we are naturally seeing an increase in colds and flu.  COVID is still very present in the ACT community. To help minimise the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses in our school please remember the following:

·         Students who are COVID-19 positive or displaying symptoms (including a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever) should test and must not attend school while unwell.

·         If your student is COVID-positive let us know.

·         Practise good hand and respiratory hygiene.

·         Keep up to date with vaccinations.


You can access free rapid antigen tests from the front office. Nasal and saliva tests are available.

 

For the latest COVID-19 advice please visit the ACT’s COVID-19 website.


Regards,

Katie, Arilia, Sarah and Katie

SPOTLIGHT ON LEARNING - GALAHS & POSSUMS

Semester Overview

Our pre-schoolers have had a busy semester of learning with some exciting events and special celebrations. The first few weeks of Preschool were all about getting to know a little about ourselves and our families, what we like doing and how we do things. We also learnt about what happens at preschool and the routines. We had some special events such as Water Fun Day and Harmony Day. On Harmony day some of us wore orange clothes and some came dressed in their national costume. We did some cooking too, as the Possums made mini pizzas while the Wombats and Galahs made an orange cake celebrating our uniqueness and diversity. Water Fun day was all about getting wet and developing a team spirit through the group games such as rob the nest, tunnel ball and water relays. We would like to take this opportunity to thank those families who have shared their time and skills with us so far this semester. If you would like to come in and share an interest or a skill with us, we would love to see you in our classroom.

SCHOOL LEADERS

Prime Minister

Barney Mungoven

Deputy Prime Minister

Kleio Slater

Speaker

Nina Aubrey

AWARDS

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

Bronze Spirit Awards

Talia A - 1SF

Isobel A - 1JS

Sarah B - 1SF

Eboney B - 6ZG

Levi C - 1SF

Adele C - 1JS

Samuel C - 1SF

Josephine D - 1JS

Alex D - 1SF

Mason E - 1SF

Marine F - 2RW

Paige F - 5CM

Jude F - 1JS

Sarah G - 1JS

Alexander H - 1SF

Theodore H - KRP

Matthew H - 3SZ

Samuel H - 1JS

Vivaan J - 1JS

Clancy J - KRP

Edgar J - 1JS

Eva J - 3SZ

Arcaliffrey J - 3SZ

Aria K - 1JS

Bridie K - 1JS

Haya K - 1JS

Rohaan K - 1JS

Peter K - GBP

Akain K - 2RW

Ava L - 1SF

Caspar M - 2RW

Jiaan M - 1JS

Chloie M - 1SF

Willy M - 1SF

Eshan M - 2RW

Richard M - 1SF

Kirby M - 1JS

Adib M - 2RW

Annabel M - 1JS

Paige P - 1SF

Eddie P - 1JS

Logan P - 1JS

Veronica R - 1SF

Maya R - 1JS

Ahmed B - 1SF

Alanna S - KRP

Aisha V - 3SZ

Joey W - 1JS

Elke W - 5CM

Lincoln W - 1SF

Muhammad W - 1SF

Eevi Y - 1JS

HEROES CORNER

Congratulations to Racquel Smith from Year 5 for becoming our rostrum school champion for 2023. Racquel will be representing Duffy at the quarter finals on the 19th of July.


We wish her good luck at the quarter finals!

Earlier this week, Riot ACT published a story about Aidan Kelly's incredible efforts in being chosen to represent Barca Academy Australia in Japan later in the year. The article can be viewed here. A Go Fund Me page has also been set up to assist Aidan in getting over to Japan.

P & C NEWS

Update from the P&C

Last week we had some exciting things happen:

The old cubby house was dismantled with the help of volunteers and the new one is already in! Thank you to everyone who helped with this discarding job – it is very much appreciated

Our next P&C Meeting will be 13 June at the school or on MS Teams. Look out for the invitation for joining in. We love to see new faces!

Uniform Shop

Stock delay - trackie pants

Our supplier is experiencing delays in getting more bottle green trackie pants. We have sold out of sizes 6, 8 and 10, and will not receive any more stock until mid-June-ish. These sizes have been blocked out in the Flexischools store so cannot be included in uniform orders until more stock arrives.

 

If you need trackies before then, you can usually buy them at stores such as Big W and Best & Less. Please remember that the uniform policy allows students to wear black trackies (though these are not sold in the Uniform Shop) - these are often much easier to source than bottle green ones.

 

Winter dress

Last year we invited families to assist us with a quick survey about potentially adding a winter dress to the uniform. The responses received suggested there was not the level of support required to make this financially viable for the P&C. Therefore, this option will not be going ahead. If you would like to consider a winter dress option for your child, search for the Marks and Spencer Permanent Pleats School Pinafore, which comes in bottle green and is available for children aged 2-12.

 

Netball skirts

We have one netball skirt in stock, in size 16. Our supplier has discontinued manufacture of this item, so we won't be getting any more.

Despite no longer being stocked in the Uniform Shop, netball skirts are still an acceptable item under the uniform policy and are available at Best & Less, though buying online for delivery will usually yield better results than waiting for stock to arrive at the Coolo store.

 

Week 10 - no orders

No orders will be filled in week 10. The last orders to be filled for Term 2 will be Friday of Week 9. The cutoff is 5pm Thursday 22 June.

 

Uniform opening

Uniform shop is still opening on Friday morning on ODD weeks. The uniform shop will be open next on Friday 9th June between 830-9am. We will continue to fill orders submitted through Flexischools. For more information email duffypandc@gmail.com


Cup-A-Yum - Term 2

We had our first Cup-A-Yum 2 weeks ago and we are already being asked “When is the next one?!”

Well, we are going to run it again on Wed 21st June! To make it another roaring success, we would love your help. The help can be as much or little as you can manage and even the ‘help’ of little people. If you are free, please email duffypandc@gmail.com

We are looking to beat our new record of $430 so look out for the reminders in the newsletter and Facebook.

Find the Duffy Primary Parents and Citizens Association on

Facebook!


@duffypandc 

Facebook

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.


Don't Forget - 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.

COVID Smart Reminder

As you may be aware, there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases across ACT public schools in recent weeks.

To help stop the further spread of COVID-19 in our school, we are encouraging and implementing the following measures:

· Students who are COVID-19 positive or displaying symptoms (including a runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever) should test and must not attend school while unwell.

· Parents and carers must inform schools if their child is COVID-positive.

· Keep up to date with vaccinations.

· Families can access a free rapid antigen test (RAT) from the front office of their school. Nasal and saliva tests are available. Test when symptomatic or as a precaution.

· Practise good hand and respiratory hygiene.

· Distance where possible.

For the latest COVID-19 advice please visit the ACT’s COVID-19 website.

Australian Government School Student Broadband Initiative

The Australian Government has established the School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) to provide free home Internet for one year for up to 244 unconnected families with school students in the ACT. To be eligible, families must have a school student at home, not have an NBN connection and live at an address with access to the NBN.

The Australian Government has established the School Student Broadband Initiative to provide free home Internet for one year for unconnected families with school students in the ACT.

To be eligible, families must:

For more information see www.infrastructure.gov.au/SSBI

To nominate, please fill in this form: https://forms.office.com/r/kHUg92YZaR

2024 school year enrolment reminder

Have you remembered to enrol for the 2024 school year? If you apply by midnight 2 June you will receive an offer from 24 July 2023. Applications received after 2 June may receive an offer later in the year. Enrolments are open for students from preschool through to year 12. Going local leads to great things – apply online at https://bit.ly/3Zqhoj9

 

Need help or have a question? Call the Enrolments Helpline on 6205 5429 or email education.enrolment@act.gov.au.

Stranger safety awareness reminder

Please make staff aware that students have been approached by strangers within the local area on their way to and from school. Remind staff and students to remain vigilant and learn what to do in the event of a stranger approach.

 

Please share the attached stranger awareness information with your school communities.

For tips and resources about stranger awareness, read the attached safety notice.

Raising Respect - free parent/carer information sessions

Children need to be safe, connected, and free to grow as their unique selves. To make this happen, we need to learn how to challenge disrespect and gender stereotypes. Raising Respect is an ACT Government funded project to help equip parents and carers to talk to their children and others about respect, gender equality and inclusion.

 

Raising Respect runs one-hour information sessions for parents and carers to learn together. If your school is interested in hosting a Raising Respect session for parents and carers, register your interest and Raising Respect will get in touch with options Raising Respect registration form.

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:

 

 

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

 

 

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.

SUPA Holiday Program

SUPA Holiday is a two-day program for primary-school aged kids, in the July school holidays. It is run by Scripture Union, in partnership with St Peter’s Anglican Church, Weston Molonglo 


HELPFUL LINKS

Home Learning Hub

Home Learning - School Wide Subscriptions

Literacy People's Literacy Learning Modules - A guide for engaging parents and carers

Mindfulness Podcast Series - ACT Education Directorate

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