Dear Parents and Guardians,

A big welcome back to all our school community. It has been a wonderful start to the year. The excited faces from all our students as they ran into school was pleasure to see. This week all teachers sent out a letter introducing themselves and shared items that are particular to their class, please take the time to read this. These letters also included the best times and ways to contact your child’s teacher.

At Punchbowl we believe in strong communication with families, as a way of maintaining this we have a newsletter on the last Friday of each month and a school calendar on the first Tuesday of each month. The calendar is great to have up on the fridge to highlight things coming up within the school community.

For those that don’t know me, my name is Mrs Elizabeth O’Donahue, and I am the Principal at Punchbowl.  I have been the Principal here for the last 14 years and absolutely love this beautiful school.  We have a wonderful staff that work as a team to make sure that your child/children achieve success and feel supported while at school. I have an open-door policy and encourage families to come in and meet with me if you have any concerns or questions.

Leadership Team

Our leadership team is made up of an Assistant Principal - Mrs Rebecca Frerk and two Senior Teachers, Mrs Jane Jones (Support Teacher, Safeguarding Officer) and Miss Jess Bennett (Literacy / Numeracy Coach and leader of the ECE team).

Before School and After School Duty

The leadership team are on duty before school and after school.  The gates and doors open at 8.30am and leadership are on duty on the top netball court. Students can either stay in their classrooms between 8.30am and 9.00am or can join us on the top netball court. At the end of the day students are asked to go straight out to their parents or move to the outside gates near the hall and wait behind the yellow line. At 3.15pm the teacher who is on duty will accompany any students waiting collection to the office at which time we will call parents. Unfortunately, students are not able to play in the playground while they wait for parents as our duty of care is compromised, please make the most of the after-school care facilities particularly if you know you are unable to collect your child by 3.15pm.

Sharing of Food

At this stage we have been advised from the Education Department that sharing of food in schools is discouraged.  We ask that if students celebrate a birthday at school and want to bring something to share that it is individually wrapped and made in a commercial kitchen such as freddo frogs, cupcakes etc.  We thank you for your understanding and support with this.

New Additions to our School

Over the holidays we had a bright hopscotch painted in addition to our very old and uninviting one. I was so pleased to see the finished product full of brightness and wonderful messages. This has become an area of interest already.  We hope to have some more special paintings in the future. A big thank you to Annette Fleming.

Before & After School Care

Lady Gowrie operates before school and after school care onsite at Punchbowl. The carers will collect our Kinder and Prep children from their classrooms at the end of the day and take them to the after-school venue (which is in our school hall).

OSHC hours are;

Before school – from 7:00am - 8:30am.

After school – from 3:00pm - 6:00pm.

If you would like to use this facility, please contact Lady Gowrie on 6331 5106 or oshcclusternorth@gowrie-tas.com.au

Launceston Cup Day - Wednesday 22nd Feb

On Wednesday, 22nd Feb it is Launceston Cup Day. Students are not required to attend school on this day. Staff will be participating in Professional Learning onsite until 11am.

A big welcome to the new staff to our school

Mrs Rebecca Leedham	Teacher - Kinder A Mrs Leedham joins us from Norwood Primary School.
Mrs Deb Spangaro	Teacher - 5/6C Mrs Spangaro has joined our team after transferring from Longford Primary School.
Miss Georgia Richardson	Teacher - Grade 1/2B Miss Richardson worked at our school for part of the year last year and we welcome her to a full-time role in 2023.
Miss Grace Bannon	Teacher - PE Miss Bannon was previously teaching at Deloraine Primary School.
Ms Lisa Walkden	Japanese Teacher (Wednesdays) She will be referred to as Lisa Sensei. This is in line with Japanese titles.
Mrs Jacky Hartley	Teacher - 5/6A Mrs Hartley has re-joined our staff after being on Maternity Leave.
Mr Josh Baker	Teacher Assistant
Ms Mel Harper	Teacher Assistant
Ms Tamika Jacobson	Teacher Assistant

Liz O'Donahue - Principal

On the first day of school, Student Validation Forms and ICT Agreement Forms were handed to each student in a sealed envelope addressed to their enrolling parent for completion and return. The validation process is required annualy and requires all information to be checked carefully, updating of any contact details, emergency contacts, any medical details and permissions by parents/guardians.

Please read carefully the permission box section as this has changed this year before ticking the boxes which are relevent to your child, i.e. your child will not be able to have their photo published, photo taken by the media or permitted to go on excursions. 

It would be greatly appreciated if both these forms could please be completed, signed and returned to school not later than Friday, 24th February.  

Thank you

Assemblies will be held on the below dates during Term 1 and will commence at 2pm. Parents are most welcome to attend.

Monday 20th February - Grades 3 to 6 - Hosted by Student Leadership Board

Sharing Classes: 3/4 Dykman, 5-6 Marshall and 5-6 Airey

Monday 27th February - Prep to Grade 2 - Hosted by 1-2 Cameron

Sharing Classes: 1-2 Cameron, 1-2 Millen and P-1 Wilson

Monday 20th March - Grades 3 to 6 - Hosted by 5-6 Hartley/Sutton

Sharing Classes: 3-4 Faulkner, 3-4 Walkinshaw, 5-6 Spangaro and 5-6 Hartley/Sutton

Monday 27th March - Prep to Grade 2 - Hosted by 1-2 Richardson

Sharing Classes: Prep Stagoll and 1-2B Richardson

Uniforms can be purchased via the school office between 8:30am and 3pm each school day.

If you are unable to visit the office wish to purchase uniform, orders can be placed and payment made via the telephone.  Office staff are happy to assist your child try on clothing if you are uncertain as to what size is required.

Clothing purchased and a copy of receipt will be sent home with your child. 

ICYPOLES AND FROSTY FRUITS

Icypoles and Frosty Fruits will be available for students to purchase each Thursday throughout the year.

Lemonade Icypoles $1.20

Frosty Fruits $1.50

SUBWAY ON TUESDAYS

Subway will be avaialbe for students to order via Canteen Hub commencing Tuesday 14th February during Term 1.

The new prices for 2023 are as follows:

6inch & Wraps Lunch Packs

Veggie Delite - $8.00

Ham - $8.00

Roast Beef - $8.50 - possibly not available to order 

Turkey - $8.50

Falafel - $8.50

Chicken Strips - $9.00

Footlongs Lunch Packs

Veggie Delite - $12.00

Ham - $12.00

Roast Beef - $12.50 - possibly not available to order

Turkey - $12.50

Falafel - $12.50

Chicken Strips - $13.00

• 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.

Students will be sitting NAPLAN between 15 and 27 March 2023.

The National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance; however, students and parents may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.

This is the first year NAPLAN will be held in March, having previously taken place in May. This change was made so school systems would have access to results earlier in the school year, so they can be used to inform teaching and learning plans for the remainder of the year.

Why NAPLAN is conducted online

NAPLAN online provides a better assessment and more precise results.

One of the main benefits of NAPLAN online is that it uses tailored (or adaptive) testing. This means that students receive questions better suited to their abilities, so they can show what they know and can do.

Online testing also allows us to provide a wide range of accessibility options to support students with disability to access NAPLAN.

Feedback from students is that they find the online test more engaging.

Please note that students in Year 3 complete the Writing Test on paper.

Parent information brochures and other resources

Your questions answered on NAPLAN and what it means for your child:

NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers

The link will take you to the official National Assessment Program (NAP) website.

Please contact the school if you have any further queries.

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.

The Association meets in the school staffroom approximately once a term in the evening and everyone is invited to attend. Please see proposed dates below:

1st March

3rd May - AGM and General Meeting

26th July

18th October

13th December

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. 

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 Australian Government will start its program in Tasmania to vaccinate residential aged care and disability care staff and residents at the same time as the Tasmania Government’s roll-out program commences.

I recognise that you may have questions about the vaccination program. I encourage you to visit www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/vaccine for the latest information on the vaccination roll-out. Additionally, you can visit the Australian Government Health website for further information at www.health.gov.au.

Keeping yourself and others safe

We must all continue to play our part in being COVID safe. While the vaccine is an important measure in our response to COVID-19, it is part of a suite of things we need to do – including maintaining our COVID-safe behaviours:

• Stay at least 1.5 metres away from others;
• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water;
• Stay at home if you are unwell;
• Get tested for COVID-19 if you have any cold or flu-like symptoms; and
• Be aware of, and follow, current gathering, business and travel restrictions.
• Practise good hygiene, such as covering coughs and sneezes and washing hands
• If you or your child do get sick, stay at home until symptoms have passed, even if a COVID test is negative

Remember, symptoms include fever, tiredness, cough, headache, sore throat, sniffling and sneezing.

To keep our school safe, we are still:

• continuing with increased cleaning
• making sure there is plenty of soap, sanitiser and tissues available
• applying restrictions to large gatherings of adults and encouraging physical distancing
• requiring visitors to check-in on our sites

For the latest updates on the COVID-19 restrictions in Tasmania and across Australia, visit  http://www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au.

Term Dates

• Term 1: Wednesday, 8^th February to Wednesday, 5^th April  

     (Tuesday, 7^th February & Thursday, 9^th April) – Student Free Days

• Easter: Friday, 7^th April to Tuesday, 11^th April

• Term 2: Wednesday, 26th April to Friday, 7^th July

• Term 3: Tuesday, 25^th July to Friday, 29^th September

                       (Monday, 24^th July - Student Free Day)

• Term 4: Monday, 16^th October to Thursday, 21^st December

                      (Friday, 3rd November – Student Free Day)

The Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) is now open for 2023. 

Families who were approved for STAS last year should have received written notification regarding their eligibilty (approved or not approved) for 2023.

Application forms for 2023 are available from the school office