Dear Duffy Primary School Community,

Welcome back to the final term of 2023. We hope you enjoyed the school holidays and enjoyed spending extra time together as a family.  We are very excited for all the events planned for this term such as our 50th Anniversary P&C Picnic, Preschool and Kindergarten transitions and Year Six Graduation to name just a few. Please ensure you have key dates marked in your calendars. 

Duffy's 50th Anniversary Picnic

We look forward to celebrating our school's 50th anniversary on Saturday 28th October and hope to see our Duffy community there to celebrate this special milestone!

50th Mural
We are so grateful to the wonderful P&C for the significant funds they contributed to our 50th anniversary’s mural.

It has been exciting to see and hear students , staff and families stand and admire our stunning mural.  This project has been a collaborative process with community members, our Indigenous families and students to ensure our mural reflects our school community. The artist, Eddie Longford, worked alongside our student leaders throughout the design process and we would like to thank him for his amazing work and for creating not only a mural, but one that has a beautiful story.

Please join us at our 50th Anniversary Picnic Celebration as we officially unveil this stunning art piece.

School Vision, Mission and Values

A school's vision and mission are the guiding principles that define its purpose, direction, and values. They communicate the school's identity, aspirations, and expectations to the stakeholders and unites all members of the school community to work towards a common purpose. It brings both commitment and coherence to the day-to-day work of the school, providing a depth of understanding about what is most important and why. 

Current Vision

Our shared vision is to provide a secure and caring environment where children, teachers and parents can work harmoniously and productively as a team. Children are respected and their individuality encouraged and supported.

Current Mission

Our students will be given opportunities to be active and effective citizens in their local and global community. We work in collaboration with students and families to ensure that students are able to access learning at their level and ability and have a voice within our school community.

Current School Values

Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Inclusive

However, a school's vision and mission are not static; they need to be updated periodically to reflect the current context of a school and its environment, as well as building momentum for our future.

As we celebrate our 50th anniversary it is timely for us to consult our community and consider if we need to reinforce, refresh, reframe or redevelop our school’s vision and mission. The best way to achieve this is through a collaborative process involving staff, students, parents and friends. 

As we embark on this journey you are invited to have your say by: 

1. Completing this short survey

2. Consider joining our stakeholder focus group. Please click here to register your interest. 

Planning for 2024 

Planning for 2024 is in full flight. To assist this planning, if your child is not returning to Duffy Primary School in 2024, please let our front office know ASAP via phone 61422510  or via email duffyps@ed.act.edu.au

Class Placements Reminder

It is almost time for our teachers to start working on our class combinations for 2024. Please use the Google Form to complete any parent requests: Class Placements for 2024. More information is included in the email sent out last week. Today is the last day to submit any requests for 2024 Class Placements. Requests must be received by the end of Week 2, 20 October 2023.

Please discuss with your child, the students they consider to be preferred peer learners and list up to 5 (including last name if known) on the form. If you have any other relevant information that may impact your child’s placement, please complete this section too. Please note it is a good idea to share any relevant information from previous years as this will not transfer across. Please remember requests are considered, however there are no definite guarantees.  Teachers will make thoughtful decisions informed by the needs of every child.

If you choose not to complete the form by the due date your child’s current class teacher will ensure your child’s placement is suitable.

Referendum Barbecue
Thank you to the P&C for organising our Referendum barbecue and the many parents who assisted on the day or generously donated items. What an amazing school community we have. I am very proud to be a part of it.

World Teacher's Day

World Teachers’ Day will be celebrated in Australia on Friday 27 October 2023. We are so fortunate to have the incredible teaching staff we do here at Duffy Primary School. They go above and beyond every day! Please take the time to say thank you to our amazing teachers and recognise their work and dedication.

Kindergarten Transition Visits and Parent Information Sessions

To support Preschool children’s transition into Kindergarten the Galahs, Possums and Wombats will be involved in our transition to Kindergarten program during Term 4. 

We look forward to our Kindergarten transition visits on the following dates: 

To support you and your child in the transition to Kindergarten, we will be hosting a Kindergarten Information Session in the current Kindergarten classroom on Thursday 16th November at 3:30pm.

Year 7 Transition

Year 6 students will be attending a transition day at Mt Stromlo High School on Thursday, November 2nd. Don't forget to return your permission notes to the front office.

Bike & Kite Festival for Children's Week

Next week, Friday the 27th of October (Friday week 3), we will be having a Kite and Bike festival at school to celebrate Children’s Week. Students are encouraged to ride or bring a bike to school so that they can use the pump track. Students will also get the opportunity to create their own kites using materials from school and they will fly their kites on the oval during the day.

With every best wish for a wonderful weekend with your beautiful families.

Regards,

Katie, Arilia, Sarah and Katie

Writing

In GBP this term we have started keeping journals to help us practice writing in a way that benefits them both academically and emotionally. The students have free choice over what tools they use to draw, write, paint and be creative. We also encourage the students to use their journals to help regulate their emotions and help communicate their thoughts and feelings at times when talking is too hard. 

These will be presented at the next Monday Morning WOW (23rd October - 9am)

Merit Awards

PBL Hero Awards

Gold Spirit Awards

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

Silver Spirit Awards

Bronze Spirit Awards

50th Birthday Party Picnic

2023 is Duffy Primary School’s 50th birthday!!! To celebrate, the P&C is hosting a birthday party picnic, and all current and former Duffy PS families are invited to attend. There will be oval games, sausage sizzle, kids’ activities, and a special formal unveiling of our new mural at the front of the school.

SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday 28th October

3pm-7pm

Volunteers

We are still looking for volunteers to help run the various stalls. Please sign up for just a small amount of time at volunteersignup.org/94KWP

We have divided the stalls between year levels and are still calling for parent volunteers to run their year level stall:

If you have any questions please contact duffyps50birthdaypicnic@gmail.com. 

Please also contact us if you have another stall idea that you want to run.

Volunteering is a great way to support the school and meet other families and people in the community 😊

Invite your street!

At Duffy Primary School, we pride ourselves on being an important part of our broader Weston Creek community. Many alumni of our school still live and work in the area. We have provided some invitations for you to pop into your neighbours’ letterboxes. Please feel free to print more and send the kids letterbox dropping around your neighbourhood to spread the word! Available at: https://shorturl.at/oAFMW

Chess Club 

Learn to be a chess champion! Coaching for students at Duffy Primary School (ACT) is held on Fridays from 8:30am to 9:15am, starting on 13 October 2023. 

Learning and playing chess helps children develop their logical thinking and problem solving skills, improves their concentration and focus, while also being a great source of enjoyment. Activities include group lessons on a demonstration chess board or interactive whiteboard, puzzle solving and fun practice games. 

Students earn merit awards by making checkmates, or by displaying skills and positive qualities, which all good chess players strive to develop. 

Each student in the Chess program will also receive access to Chess Squad https://www.chesssquad.com/ which is an online teaching/playing platform. 

If your child is interested in taking part in the class, please email office.sydneyacademy@gmail.com for an enrolment form. 

For all enquiries, please contact Sydney Academy of Chess on (02) 9745 1170. 

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:

1. Click this link https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/campaigns/learning-for-life-expression-of-interest

2. Fill out the relevant details (your name, phone number, child/ren’s details and School Information)

3. 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.

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