Thank you for your support in keeping students home when they are sick. The Health Department’s advice is that no one should be at school if they have colds, flu or COVID. We have been fortunate in the fact that a big portion of our staff have avoided getting COVID and this is helped by your support with this.

The Department of Education has released its next five-week COVID plan and it states that masks will continue to be worn by adults in school buildings including classrooms. Students can choose to wear them in primary schools if they want, however they are not required to wear masks.

We have been instructed to promote ventilation of our rooms by continuing to have doors and windows open. At the beginning of the week, I told all staff to limit this to one window and only internal doors, I have also advised staff to crank the heaters up. We continue to use the fans and air purifiers provided. I am hopeful at some stage soon the advice will support managing the colder months.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit the Tasmanian Government Coronavirus website or contact the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738, or Department of Education COVID-19 Support Hotline at COVID19support@education.tas.gov.au or on 1800 816 057. If you need support translating or interpreting this information, contact the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.

Before & After School Parking

Please be mindful of other parents when dropping off and collecting students each school day.

We have very limited parking out the front and the designated area is strictly for drop off and collection only.  Parking is not permitted which means that parents are not allowed to leave their cars.

It is also illegal to do U-turns outside the school and recently we have had an increase of complaints from concerned parents that the safety of some students has been compromised due to this behaviour.

Police have once again been contacted to make regular spot checks. Our Crossing Guard can also record number plates of vehicles and pass this information onto police for action.

Your support in keeping our students safe would be greatly appreciated.

Student Validation Forms

The updating of student validation forms is required to be completed and signed by parents each year to ensure we have the correct contact details for your child should we need to contact you. 

This form also requires you to give your permission for your child to attend minor excursions and any media/photo permissions. 

If your child has not yet returned their form unfortunatly they will be unable to attend excursions or sporting activities.

New forms have been sent home early this week with those students that have not yet returned these froms. 

LSSSA – Punchbowl Cross Country Team

On Friday 27th May, Punchbowl Primary School sent a team of 40+ students selected from Grades 3-6 to compete in the LSSSA Cross Country event held at West Tamar Precinct. Both Mrs Frerk and Miss Dykman accompanied students and Mrs Bent was there in an official capacity. Our students tried their absolute best and showed great perseverance to achieve some personal goals.

Last week all our students from Prep to Grade 6 were involved in the National Simultaneous Story time. This was a fun annual event aimed at encouraging young Australians to read and enjoy books.

Parent /Teacher Meetings

From Monday 20th June, teachers from Prep to Grade 6 will be hosting parent teacher meetings. Students in Grade 3 -6 are welcome to join their parents for these meetings and be involved in these conversations. At these meetings teachers will have a conversation focusing on learning progress, application to learning, well-being, and /or learning plan goals.

Science, Music and P.E teachers will be available for parent teacher meetings on their workdays and welcome any appointments.

To make an appointment to meet with your child's teacher, the online booking system opens on Friday 3rd June and will close 3pm Friday, 17th June via the below link. https://punchbowlps.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/8

Reports

In week 9 on the July 1st, parents with children in grades 1 -6 can expect to receive a summative report. The report will be in the form of a 9-point scale and will show more specifically where your child’s learning achievement is against the expected standard for their year level. An achievement rating will be given for English, Maths and Science. This report will not contain any comments. Music and P.E teachers will give an effort and behaviour rating for their subjects for students in Grade 1-6. Prep teachers are not required to write a summative report until the end of the year in Term 4.

For more information about the changes to reports, please use the following links: · School Reports FAQs (education.tas.gov.au) · Understanding the 9-point scale (education.tas.gov.au) · Visit the Department of Education’s website at: Reporting - The Department of Education Tasmania

Assemblies – We Welcome Back our Parents

We are excited to welcome back parents and carers at assemblies. All adults must physically distance where practical, and there will be a designated space for parents and carers, separate to students and staff.

For the remainder of this term, we will be hosting small class groupings for assemblies on the below dates. Parents are welcome to attend, however must wear a mask while indoors. We look forward to sharing some of our learning and achievements with you all.

Date	Time	Class Groups attending	Sharing classes
6th June	2.00pm	4-5A, 5-6B & 5-6C	5-6A & 5-6C
20th June	2.00pm	Prep A, Prep B, 1A & 1-2A	Prep A & Prep B
27th June	2.00pm	2-3A, 2-3B, 3-4A & 3-4B	2-3B & 3-4A
4th July	2.00pm	4-5A, 5-6A, 5-6B & 5-6C	4-5A & 5-6B

Launching into Learning (LiL) capacity limits have also been removed and we’re excited to welcome back more families to our sessions. A reminder that adults will need to wear face masks when indoors. 

Futsal competition

Both our 3/4 and 5/6 teams had a great day last week at the Futsal competitions. A huge thank you to our parents, supporters and coaches for making this possible.

Dance Fever

We have been informed that Dance Fever is back on, and we will be participating as a school. Interested students in Grade 5 and 6 have been given a letter explaining what is involved. If students are interested in participating, please complete and return the permission form along with T Shirt Order form (if you wish to purchase) by Friday, 10th June as Launceston College are requiring our orders to be placed early this year. 

Enrolments 2023

We are now taking enrolments for 2023. Please let us know if you have a child turning 4 this year at home that will be ready for kinder in 2023. If you know anyone looking for a kinder placement that lives in our area, please encourage them to think about making an application for enrolment soon, as spaces are filling fast. Students need to be 4 years old by the 1st January 2023.

Liz O'Donahue - Principal

• Mobile Phones are to be handed into the office at the beginning of each school day.
• Please name your childs clothing as a lot of our lost property is not named.   
• Please remember to bring your water bottle to school each day.                                        
• If your residential address has changed or have a new telephone number, please contact the office to request a change of details form.

• Please notify the office if your child test positive to COVID-19. 

If you wish to purchase any uniform items for your child, to limit the number of adults we have on site and congestion in the main corridor, we would greatly appreciate orders and payment via telephone.  Clothing purchased and a copy of receipt will be sent home with your child.  Office staff are happy to assist your child try on clothing if you are uncertain as to what size is required.

A reminder to families that mid-year reports will be distributed on Friday, 1st July.

The new look report will show your child’s learning achievement differently. A new 9-point visual scale replaces A-E ratings for students in Years 1 to 10 (and for Prep students at the end of the year).

The 9-point scale will show more specifically where your child’s learning achievement is against the expected standard for their year level.

There will be no teacher comments on the report. This term, parent/teacher meetings will be offered during the week commencing Monday, 20th June. These are a great opportunity to discuss how your child is progressing with their learning.  To make an appointment to meet with your child's teacher, the online booking system opens on Friday 3rd June and will close 3pm Friday, 17th June via the below link. 

https://punchbowlps.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/8

For more information about the changes to reports:

· School Reports FAQs (education.tas.gov.au)

· Understanding the 9-point scale (education.tas.gov.au)

· Visit the Department of Education’s website at: Reporting - The Department of Education Tasmania

The 2022 All Schools Cross Country Carnival will be held on Tuesday, 21^st June at Symmons Plains.

Students wishing to compete in this event must be born in 2010, 2011, 2012 or 2013 and the cost is $18 per individual entry (includes $2 admin fee). All entries must be received online by Athletics Tasmania no later than Wednesday, 15^th June.  If you are unable to enter online, our office staff are happy to assist you with processing your entry via the school office.

As Athletics Tasmania will only accept online entries please do so via the below link:

https://www.tasathletics.org.au/events/119266/

Information regarding this event is available from our school office or via the Athletics Tasmania site www.tasathletics.org.au  

In previous years our school has provided a teacher and a bus to and from this event, so in order for this to be viable and a decision made, it would be greatly appreciated if you could please indicate your child’s interest on the slip provided return it to the school office no later than Monday, 6th June.

Parents will be advised should the school provide a bus to and from the event and they will also need to complete a Major Excursion and Medical Details Form for each competing child.

We have a lot of jackets/jumpers etc in our lost property baskets. If your child has misplaced an item of clothing please make sure they check the baskets located out the front of the office and outside 5-6 Frerk/Marshall. 

We also have 2 x watches at the office. If you are mising a watch please see the office and describe the watch so we can return it to its owner. 

There is one lego piece sitting at the office that has been there since Brixhibition. If this is yours please come and collect it. 

Are you ready to get out and about to enjoy the best things in life? Buy an Entertainment Membership to support our fundraising and your next adventure could be around the corner. Buy a Membership and Punchbowl Primary receives 20% of the purchase.

To order: https://www.entertainment.com.au/orderbooks/2406h04

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

If you currently hold Volunteer Working with Vulnerable People Registration,  please bring your card to the school office so we can record your registration.  Teachers will also ask to see your registration prior to initially doing Parent Help, as it is a requirement to carry your card 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. Please update your registration status via the below link to update and advise all organisations in which you volunteer.

If you wish to register, please complete the online application via the below link:

http://www.justice.tas.gov.au/working_with_children/application

The Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) is now open for 2022.  Applications for 2021 are now closed. Families who were approved for STAS last year will receive written notification regarding their eligibilty (approved or not approved) for 2022. Application forms for 2022 are available from the school office.

2022 Term Dates

• Term 1: Wednesday, 9^th February to Wednesday, 13^th April  

     (Tuesday, 8^th February & Thursday, 14^th April) – Student Free Days

• Easter: Friday, 15^th April to Tuesday, 19^th April

• Term 2: Monday, 2^nd May to Friday, 8^th July

• Term 3: Tuesday, 26^th July to Friday, 30^th September

                       (Monday, 25^th July - Student Free Day)

• Term 4: Monday, 17^th October to Wednesday, 21^st December

                      (Friday, 4^th November – Student Free Day)

Students  have the opportunity to purchase books via Scholastic Bookclub. Catalogues are sent home throughout the year.

Orders can be placed either via the school office or via the Scholastic website.  If you wish to place an order via the office, please enclose named order and money in an envelope and hand to either the class teacher or to the office.   

Closing dates for Bookclub orders will be stated in the newsletter. 

Issue 4 of Bookclub will be due in by Friday, 17th June.

Public Health has reviewed their advice about hay fever in the current COVID-19 environment.

Hay fever symptoms are similar to COVID-19 symptoms, so it’s important families know what they need to do if their child experiences hay fever symptoms.

If your child has hay fever symptoms, please keep them at home and test for COVID-19 using a rapid antigen test (RAT).

If your child tests negative on a RAT and symptoms continue, Public Health advises that you must do a second RAT 24 hours later, or seek a PCR test. 

If the second RAT or PCR remains negative, this is sufficient evidence for your child to return to school if they feel well.

If symptoms change or increase in severity, please see your treating medical practitioner for review.

Please know that Public Health advice can change at short notice and we appreciate your patience as we respond to these changes as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions, please contact the school office. For more information, please visit the Tasmanian Government Coronavirus website or contact the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738, or Department of Education COVID Support Hotline at COVID19support@education.tas.gov.au or on 1800 816 057.

From 12.01am Saturday, 26 February 2022, people with COVID-19 are only required to quarantine for a single 7 day period – the 7 days will not be extended if subsequent people in the household test positive (as long as they are symptom free and return the required negative test result).

This advice applies to all COVID-19 cases i.e. anyone currently in quarantine and anyone who needs to quarantine from this point onwards. If a person is already part way through their quarantine period, then they will complete their 7 days from the time of the first positive diagnosis of COVID-19 in their household.

As long as the person completed the correct testing requirements, has returned negative results and does not have any symptoms they are free to leave quarantine at the same time as the primary case.

As an example: If a child is home because their parent/carer was positive, then their sibling tests positive after 5 days, does the quarantine still end after 7 days, not reset?

The quarantine period will still end 7 days after the diagnosis of the parent/carer – as long as the child is symptom free and returns a negative test on Day 6. Quarantine length does not reset due to the sibling’s positive test. If someone in a household has already tested positive and is isolating in the household, and subsequent household members test positive, close contacts in the household do not need to restart their quarantine period. Close contacts only need to complete 7 days from the date the first case in the household tests positive.

For more information, visit the Tasmanian Government Coronavirus website and refer to Public Health’s factsheet.

Changes to close contact requirements

Public Health has recently changed the rules for close contacts of COVID-19 cases so that they no longer need to isolate.

This means that if your child is a close contact – and importantly, symptom-free – they can attend school (except for support schools).

They would however need to pass a daily rapid antigen test before leaving home each day, for a seven-day period. Advice for close contacts is available on the Tasmanian Government Coronavirus website.

You will only need to let us know if your child is a close contact if they’re not attending school.

Close contacts should practise COVID-safe behaviours including good hand hygiene, physically distancing from others when they can and staying away from school if they have any symptoms.

While primary aged close contacts are not obliged to wear a mask in school, they can still choose to if it is practicable for them and they are happy to do so.

If your child is medically vulnerable and you have concerns with the changes to close contacts, then you may wish to work with your child’s medical practitioner to identify further options to reduce the risk of COVID-19 to them. If you have any concerns, please talk to us about alternative learning options.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our school office.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit the Tasmanian Government Coronavirus website or contact the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738, or Department of Education COVID-19 Support Hotline at COVID19support@education.tas.gov.au or on 1800 816 057.

If you need support translating or interpreting this information, contact the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.

Everyone is welcome to attend our School Association meetings as it's a good way to learn about what is going on in the school. Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, 27th July, commencing at 7pm at school. 

School Association Meeting Dates

Wednesday , 27th July

Wednesday 19th October

Wednesday 30th November

Thank you to our entire school community for your cooperation this term by practising COVID-safe behaviours.

As you know, an important COVID-safe behaviour is to stay at home if you’re unwell and get tested for COVID-19 using a rapid antigen test.

Public Health tells us that the number of cases of COVID-19 in children is low, and they’re likely to have milder symptoms.

It’s a good reminder to be mindful of the symptoms of COVID-19 in children. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 in children are cough, fever, runny nose and gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

For more information, please visit the Tasmanian Government Coronavirus website or contact the Tasmanian Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738, or Department of Education COVID-19 Support Hotline at COVID19support@education.tas.gov.au or on 1800 816 057.

If you need support translating or interpreting this information, please contact the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.