Dear Parents and Carers

I am incredibly proud of teachers who have navigated a massive change to the way they deliver teaching and learning to support the Government’s recommendations to stay home and save lives.  I really do appreciate the efforts of our parents who have embraced online and learning from home and supported their children through this different approach.

As the Premier regularly states "if you are able to support your child to be at home then this is where they should be". Many of you may be aware that the North West Coast schools have been closed completely and no staff are allowed on sites due to the outbreak.  By staying at home, we are helping to limit the amount of people moving in our community. Students that need to be at school due to parents working are supervised by a variety of staff. Some students are finding this very different and sometimes confronting. Teachers are busy supporting online learning and preparing further paper based support and as such are not in classrooms with their students on a daily basis.

We really do appreciate that many people are working from home and as such teachers have worked hard to try to provide materials that can be done more independently or require minimal support. We are aware of technical issues that have arisen for some families and once we have known about them we have been able to support families in navigating a solution.  We always knew there would be hurdles to overcome during the first week but overall we have had a lot of success.

We have put some measures in place to protect the staff and students that must remain on site on a daily basis, such as limiting numbers, maintaining social distancing and washing hands regularly. The unlocking of gates at 8.30am has been helpful in supporting our duty of care and has limited the early arrivals we have seen in the past and will be something we will continue into the future.    Parents have been asked to remain outside the school grounds to limit the amount of people our staff and students are in contact with. If you need to speak to teachers or any staff member, please email or ring the office.

The newsletter will look a bit different, you will not see a calendar with events, as at this stage we are unable to confirm events. Once things are stabilised and things return to normal we will publish a calendar of events.  The School Association will defer its AGM to August.

Again thank you for your support and patience. 

Kind Regards

Liz O'Donahue - Principal

Our School Photo Day will now take place on Thursday, 27th August 2020.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions Scholastic Book Club Issue 3 has gone digital.  Please place your Book Club order by May 18, 2020 online via Loop.  Below is the link to access and purchase from the latest Issue.  Your order will get delivered to the school and we will notify you when they arrive and are ready for collection.

https://scholastic.com.au/book-club/virtual-catalogue-1/

Message for Parents

This message is just a reminder to parents about the Department’s School Levy Refund Process. If you have not already completed this process, a simple online form and related instructions have been made available here: https://levyrebate.education.tas.gov.au.

The online form can be completed up until Friday, 1 May 2020 on a computer, laptop, tablet or mobile device with internet capabilities. Safety and security steps have been built into this process to ensure complete confidentiality for parents/carers.

Once validation has occurred and the online form has been completed and submitted, the reimbursement of funds will occur within five business days.

The Department of Education will offer an alternative arrangement where this online option may not be possible. For more information please visit: https://www.education.tas.gov.au/parents-carers/novel-coronavirus-covid-19.

For any enquiries regarding your refund, please contact 1800 827 055 or email stas@education.tas.gov.au.

The lost property baskets are located near the main office and outside 5/6 Frerk/Sutton.

Currently we have a lot of clothing that is not named in these baskets, so it would be greatly appreciated if all parents could please ensure their child’s clothing is clearly named. 

Esk Band has now has been linked to the CANVAS page in our school.

The music tutors and I have worked hard to develop alternative delivery models for students in this Program which will assist in ensuring its continuity in some form for 2020. This will be, of course, only useful if students have computers and internet connection.  The 2020 Esk Band Program will be a different experience to previous Esk Band experiences, but will provide learners with exciting opportunities to continue their instrumental learning, and to work with students outside their immediate school.

A range of video resources have been posted for participants aiming to support their instrumental learning at this time, initially focusing on the first year players.  In conjunction to this, digital licences have been secured for the learning materials Esk Band uses for each participant which will give them access to the music and backing tracks.

Luke Beasley will email the login details to parents for the KJOS IPS software, and will give a guide to accessing the Esk Band CANVAS page.  Unfortunately he does not have access to student email addresses or passwords and cannot assist participants in this regard.

For students playing reed instruments, new reeds (at no charge) can be collected from Barratts Music.  

All invoicing has been placed on hold and further information regarding this will be made available later in the year.

Punchbowl Primary School students from Prep to Grade 6 are invited to join the Tasmanian Premier’s Reading Challenge for 2020 that is happening during Term 2.

The students are challenged to make reading a part of their day and read 10 books in 10 weeks.  Recording pages will be distributed with the next home packs, or students working online can keep records at home to send to their teacher (for students working online, your teacher will give you further instructions in week 3).

All students recorded as having completed the Challenge will receive a certificate from the Premier and will go into the draw to win a prize.

Happy reading!

Miss Jupp

AST

https://premiersreadingchallenge.tas.gov.au/Documents/2019_PRC_Reading_Log-type_into.pdf

Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic Icypole sales will be postponed until further notice.

As a school we are trying to reduce our carbon footprint on the world by reducing the amount of paper we use.  One of the ways we can do this is by relaying information to parents via digital platforms i.e. Schoolzine, Facebook, Email, Telephone and Class Dojo.

It has come to our attention that some parents were not receiving information relayed via Schoolzine other than the fortnightly newsletter, as their individual devices may have not received a notification that we had posted some information.  This information can be found in Schoolzine "Feed".

We apologise if you are not feeling informed, and encourage you to contact the school should you have any queries or concerns.

Entertainment Memberships are here! You can support Punchbowl Primary School buy purchasing yours today – and you can choose to activate it now or wait up to 6 months.

https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/2406h04

With many businesses offering takeaway, you can still use your Membership and benefit from many offers, as well as discounts at places including Woolworths, Dan Murphy’s, Big W.

https://www.entertainment.com.au/Member%20Information/Takeaway/Australia/Launceston

A very strong School Association supports our school. In addition, a fundraising committee operates under the umbrella of the Association and works extremely hard to raise money for equipment. Many parents give much time to support school activities which is great appreciated. Normally, School Association meetings are held in the school staff room approximately twice a term in the evening and everyone is invited to attend. 

Proposed School Association Meeting dates for 2020 are listed below.  

• 6th May (Cancelled)
• 22nd July - AGM followed by General Meeting
• 9th September
• 28th October
• 2nd December

Due to the current COVID19 pandemic unfortunately, there will be no Mother's Day Stall this year and no Hot Food lunch days until advised.

IT IS AGAINST THE LAW FOR A PERSON TO WORK OR VOLUNTEER AT PUNCHBOWL UNLESS REGISTERED!

If you currently have a Volunteer Working with Vulnerable People Registration, could you please bring your card to the school office so that the school can record your registration if you haven’t already done this.  Teachers will also ask to see your registration prior to initially doing Parent Help, so this is a requirement to carry it with you at all times. 

If you nominated another organisation in which you volunteer when you registered, unfortunately at present we are unable to check you are registered.  Could you please update your registration status via the below link to update and advise all organisations in which you volunteer.

Complete the online application http://www.justice.tas.gov.au/working_with_children/application

From the commencement of Term 2, 2020 all Tasmanian Government Schools from Kindergarten to Year 12 will need to implement restrictions on the use of mobile phones by students at school. The Minister for Education and Training announced this policy in November, 2019.

Kindergarten to Year 12 – “Off and away all day”

The decision to restrict the use of mobile phones by students during the school day will support schools to minimise distraction from learning and encourage healthy and positive personal interactions.

The policy has been developed in consultation with schools, School Associations and students.

From the start of the school day to the end of the school day, students must have their mobile phones switched off and handed to the school office to be safely stored. All communication with students during the school day must go through the school office.

This policy applies to all students, unless they meet the requirements of an approved exemption.

Exemptions may be considered where students require the use of their mobile phone for educational adjustments, monitoring health conditions or other extenuating circumstances. There may also be instances where teachers permit students to use their mobile phones for educational purposes.

If you would like to discuss an exemption for your child or have any questions about the policy please contact Elizabeth O'Donahue. 

Parent Support

City Mission's Morton's Place Restaurant is now offering takeaway homestyle meals to the community.

Hot Meals - $5.00

Frozen Meal - $3.00

Sandwich Pack - $2.20

 These meals can be collected from 46 Frederick St, Launceston between 11.00am - 12.30pm Mon - Fri.  There are no special pre-requisite to purchase them, simply go in place your order and collect them.

Dear School Community,

2020 Fuel Reduction Burn Program

The City of Launceston has engaged an experienced contractor to undertake a number of fuel reduction burns over autumn across Launceston and in West Tamar. The program is available at https://www.launceston.tas.gov.au/Emergency-Management/Bushfire#section-3 and includes fuel reduction burns at:

• Cambridge Street Reserve, West Launceston
• Carr Villa Memorial Park Bushland, Kings Meadows
• Cataract Gorge Reserve, Denison Road, West Launceston
• Calvary Road, Mowbray
• Freelands Lookout,Trevallyn
• Hardwicke Street Reserve, Summerhill
• Machens Reserve,Kings Meadows
• Meadow Ridge Reserve, Launceston
• Merthyr Park, Lilydale
• Punchbowl Reserve, Punchbowl
• Russell Plains Farm, Ravenswood
• Salisbury Crescent, West Launceston
• Ti Tree Bend Silt Ponds, Mowbray
• West Tamar Silt Ponds, Launceston
• Youngtown Regional Park, Youngtown.

Why do we need to do this?

The aim of fuel reduction burning is to reduce existing fire hazards, protect property and other assets, protect flora and fauna and their habitats, assist in the regeneration of degraded bushland and control weeds. The Council uses a range of vegetation management programs to minimise bushfire risk which includes fuel reduction burns.

When will this happen?

The burn will only be carried out on days when weather conditions are considered suitable meaning the decision to burn is made on a day to day basis. Operations are expected to take one day. Notifications of scheduled burns will be updated on Council's website -www.launceston.tas.gov.au/works and the Tasmanian Fire Service website - https://www.fire.tas.gov.au/.

What does this mean for you?

During burn operations, the area and trails around the burn will be closed to the public. Signage will be in place. Safety checks will be carried out following the burn before reopening the area and trails. Caution should be exercised for several days after the burn. Whilst fire intensity is expected to be low, the burn will generate flames, smoke and ash which may persist until the next rainfall event.  People with medical conditions are advised to have a personal plan for avoiding smoke from the burn. Advice is available from the Department of Health and Human Services website www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/peh/alerts/air/precautions.

For further information or questions, please contact Customer Service Centre 6323 3000 or contactus@launceston.tas.gov.au. Please pass this on through your school community network.

Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

Kind Regards,

Launceston City Council 

Attachment has become a popular topic for anyone who is interested in the wellbeing of children and young people. It is often thought as a bond or the quality of relationship between a parent/ carer and a child. However, there is more to consider.

Humans have an emotional and physical need to be “in relationship” and this is through how they experience nurturing and safety. Children in care experience similar needs and younger children especially may not even understand why they’re there and what is happening, so they will need a lot of support. Foster carers play a vital role in these children’s lives as they provide a safe, caring and stable environment for these children to learn and grow. Foster carers also help families where there are no supports in their own networks who are able to care for the children. Foster carers are indeed “ordinary people doing extraordinary things”.

There are lots of different options for providing foster care, depending on your lifestyle and needs. If you are interested to be an ally and work alongside Baptcare to support children in care, we are here to support you from your first call or email. Baptcare provides training, answer your questions and offer you ongoing support 24/7. Even if you don’t think you are ready to become a carer we are here to talk to you about what is involved. Please contact one of our local foster care team members on;

Allison 0408 773 290

Joanne 0428 768 101

Baptcare Launceston office 6323 6700

Email: fostercaretas@baptcare.org.au

See the COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD situated in the walkway outside P-1B Millen classroom for all upcoming community events

Wash and sanitise hands

Wash and sanitise hands 191.74 KB

Corona Virus

Corona Virus 181.23 KB

Baptcare_Flyer.pdf

Baptcare_Flyer _pdf 258.06 KB