Dear Parents/Carers

This term has been very busy and it is hard to believe that tomorrow is the start of the Easter break and that when we return next Wednesday, we will be half way through week 9 and only have 8 school days left in the term.  It is very pleasing to see so many students engaging in their learning in their classes and acting on feedback given by their teachers. 

Thank you to the many family members that joined us for our open afternoon and BBQ. It was wonderful to connect with so many families and many of our students were very excited at the prospect of their parents and teachers having time to meet, talk and get to know each other.  If you were unable to attend, but are keen to connect with your child’s teachers please contact the school on 63723900.

NAPLAN

Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 students have been busy over the recent week undertaking NAPLAN Testing.  Students participated in practice testing to learn about the NAPLAN Portal and then they all participated in testing for reading, language conventions, writing and numeracy testing.

We would like to remind parents that 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.

The reason why NAPLAN is conducted online is because 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.

School Association

Congratulations to the following new and returning school association members for their successful nomination to the 2024 school association committee.

• Gary Barnes (Chair and Parent Representative)
• Janet Drummond (Vice Chair and Community Representative)
• Louisa Rhodes (Secretary and Staff Representative)
• Melanie Woods (Treasurer and Parent Representative)
• Kayla Newton (Parent Representative)
• Bree Piscitelli (Parent Representative)
• Catherine Charles-Brown (Parent Representative)
• Greg Bean (Community Representative)
• Laura Jenkins (Staff Representative)
• Lisa Bean (Staff Representative)
• Carolyn Watson (Principal)

It is fantastic to welcome some new parent and staff representatives to the school association committee and we look forward to sharing school association news and events with parents and families through coming newsletters.

Explaining an Absence

We really value the importance of consistent and regular attendance and have high expectations for our students in this area. We understand that no matter how hard parents try, some students experience times when they can be reluctant or refuse to go to school. We know that attendance patterns are established very early in the year and that is why we have a strong emphasis on working with you to address any attendance concerns at the start of the year.    

What You Can Do

• Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day, make that the expectation. Regular attendance sets up good behaviours for regular attendance at work.
• Help your child maintain daily routines and get a good night’s sleep. On average, children and young people need between 8-10 hours’ sleep to be healthy and alert. You may also need to monitor their use of the internet, mobile phone and TV at night to ensure they are not staying up too late or being disturbed while sleeping.
• Try not to schedule hair, dental or medical appointments during school hours.
• Schedule family trips for school holidays, rather than during term time.
• Don’t let your child stay home unless genuinely sick. Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be signs of anxiety. Please feel free to contact your child’s Teacher or AST if you are concerned that this may be the case.
• Monitor your child’s attendance and school performance. A regular check in by phone or email is a good idea. If you have concerns about your child’s attendance, please contact us through the Teacher, AST, Assistant Principal, the Social Worker or the Principal.

Explanations of absence, where known in advance, are always appreciated. A reminder that when your child is absent from school there are a variety of ways that you can communicate with us about that. These are:

• Phoning the Administration Office on 63723900.
• Using the Schoolzine App.
• Writing a short note for your child to drop into the office.
• Sending an email to our school email address St.Marys.DS.Admin.Staff@decyp.tas.gov.au 
• Replying to the text message if you get an attendance SMS from the school.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish students and families a happy Easter and look forward to seeing our students back at school next Wednesday 3 April.

Carolyn Watson

Principal