Dear Families

Welcome back everyone!

Our 2021 school year is well and truly underway.  Welcome back to everyone, and a special welcome to all our new students, families and staff members.

It is really tempting to say that the energy, enthusiasm, the welcomes, the laughter and the smiles on the first day of school was magical……that it was a mysterious force that over took us, but it wasn’t. 

Science tells us that the feeling that we all experienced was the contagious effect of our positive emotions!  Emotions (positive and negative) are easily passed from one person to another, one smiling face leads to another, one outburst of laughter will often set off a chain reaction of giggles and a supporting pat on the back or hug encourages care and concern for others.  Promoting the wellbeing of students through positivity is something that our staff strive for every day!  As students enter our school and our classrooms our staff make sure that they feel welcomed, that they belong and are appreciated. 

At the heart of all of our interactions with students, staff and the community we strive to uphold our GPS values.

-           We CARE

-           We are SAFE

-           We LEARN

Student engagement in learning activities has been great in the classroom.  We have adjusted the timetable, moving Daily PE to 9:05 and a 10 minute mindfulness sessions after recess helps us refocus after a busy playtime!

As mentioned in the Parent Handbook this year we are a Move Well Eat Well School.  Please ensure students bring water to school as their drink.  

• water keeps children hydrated and is more beneficial to their overall health and learning. 
• Do not pack cordial, sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit juice or flavoured milk for students as the content in them impacts learning and the ability to regulate behaviour due to the sugar and caffeine content.   

Routines are vital for children. To make sure your child is at their best and ready to learn we suggest that children have a regular school night bed time, where they can not access technology or other stimulants and given the best opportunity to sleep.  Sleep is crucial for children, growth hormones are released, the body repairs itself and the brain becomes very active making sense of the events of the day.    

Your child’s health, safety and wellbeing are crucial to us.  If we contact you to collect your child it is essential that you collect them as soon as possible, regardless of the inconvenience that it may cause.

 Use your camera on your device to scan the QR code and depending on your device you’ll be directed to our webpage and to sign up to our newsletter. Bookmark our website for easy access to our school calendar and other important details about the school.

Being on site

As COVID regulations are being changed we are asking visitors who are staying longer than 15 minutes on site to sign in, using the QR code at the office.  Regarding assemblies you are most welcome to attend if your child is receiving an award, hosting or participating in the assembly displaying their work or reading an item

We ask that you subscribe to schoolzine (online newsletter/website) to receive notifications, emails, newsletters and class related information.  It is a quick and efficient way for our staff to inform you of important events and news.

Have a great week! 

Kind Regards Ryan.

Best Wishes

Ryan Kinder

A/Principal

LiL NEWS FOR 2021

At Goodwood Primary School we value feedback from our families. Over the past few months we have listened to LiL families tell us that they would like to see a Pre-Kinder session run for the entire school year. We have weighed this feedback up with our desire to provide a quality Launching into Learning program and we have come to some decisions regarding our 2021 program.

• Ms Elise will run a longer Launching into Learning session on a Friday from 9 – 11am for children aged 0 - 5.
• Our Pre-Kinder program will run every Friday afternoon from 1:30 – 2:45pm, starting Friday February 12.
• Pre-Kinder sessions will be for children born in 2017 who will be attending Kinder at Goodwood Primary in 2022.
• Pre-Kinder families are welcome to bring younger siblings to the Pre-K session.
• At this stage, we will no longer be running a LiL session on a Monday morning.

If you are keen to enrol your Pre-K child, or find out more information about these sessions, please contact the school office on 62729100.

Please find below the LiL Timetable for Term 1.

Ms Elise Zucco

Students moving to another school in 2021

It is now the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the school in writing when their child is leaving to attend another school or moving interstate. This is a Department of Education requirement and verbal confirmation is not enough.   Once the school has received this notification in writing the enrolment can be closed so the student can then be enrolled at the new school.

Levies 2021

There will be no increase in Levies for 2021 as indicated below. 

Payment of levies can be made in full in Term One 2021 or by instalments using a payment plan. Payment plans are flexible and can continue throughout the school year.

Families can request a payment option.  Please contact Ros Ackerley (School Business Manager) is you require a payment plan.

Levies can be paid using the following:

• At the school (by EFTPOS, cash or cheque)
• At Service Tasmania (by EFTPOS, cash or cheque)
• Through BPAY (using the Biller Code and Reference on your invoice)
• By mail, forward your cheque, money order or credit card details to the school, with the payment slip from your invoice attached (payable to the Department of Education)
• Using Centrepay, a service provided by Centrelink.

Families who are supported through the Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) do not need to pay levies. Applications for the Student Assistance Scheme may be made online, or paper forms collected from the front office at the school.

School Hats

The wearing of hats during break times and outside lessons is compulsory from the beginning of Term 1.  Students must wear a school hat and these are available from the uniform shop for $8.00.  Please clearly name your child’s hat.

Student Absences

A reminder that if your child is absent from school for any reason that you notify the school office by 9:30 am of that day.  You can either contact the school office on 6272 9100 or email goodwood.primary@education.tas.gov.au

Lost Property

We have a number of school items in our lost property bin.  All items left in the lost property bin at the end of term will be donated as second hand uniform items.

Registration to Work with Vulnerable People

All people wishing to volunteer at Goodwood Primary must hold a “Working with Vulnerable People” card. Please see office staff for information on how to register for a card.

School & Office Hours

A reminder that our gates open at 8:15 am. Students are not to be left unsupervised by parents until 8:30 am when staff are on duty. The office also opens at 8:30 am. Students are to be collected promptly at 2:50 pm. If you will be late collecting your child at the end of the day you will need to notify the office.

Late Arrivals

If your child arrives at school after 8:50am unaccompanied by a parent/guardian the office will be marking attendances as unexplained other. The procedure for late arrivals will be as is for unexplained absences that office staff will be calling the parent/guardian to clarify the reason the student was late arriving to school.

Student Medication

Please advise office staff and your child’s class teacher if your child needs to take medication during school hours so arrangements can be made for the medication to be administered.

It is a Department of Education requirement that the following forms must be completed and signed before the commencement of dispensing medication to students: ‘Administration of Routine Medication Authorisation Form for Parent/ Guardian’; and ‘Administration of Prescribed Medication Authorisation Form for Doctors’. The administration of medication to students is undertaken by Admin staff who will ensure it is taken correctly, details (e.g. date, time, dose etc) entered on the student’s personal medication sheet, and signed by both staff and student.

Medication is kept locked in the school safe or safe room. Students should not have any types of medication in their school bags.

Student Long Absence

If your child is going to be absent from school for longer than a few days a Student Absence Approval Form must be completed by the parent/carer and approved by the Principal. The form is available from the school office or it is attached below for your convenience.

Change of Term 1 & Term 2 Dates 2021

Please be advised that there have been some changes to the Term 1 school holiday dates.  The end date for Term 1, 2021, has been brought forward to allow the school holiday period to commence immediately following Easter Tuesday.

This means that students will not have to return to school for three days between Easter break and Term 1 school holidays, which was previously the case.

The overarching reason behind this decision is to allow for greater learning continuity for students.

The new arrangements are as follows:

With the school holidays falling directly after Easter, it will be an ideal time for your family to take advantage of the extended holiday period!

All Term dates for 2021 can be found on the Department of Education website at www.education.tas.gov.au/about-us/term-dates/term-dates-2021/

Get involved in the School Banking program.

Goodwood Primary School is excited to offer the Commonwealth Bank School Banking program to all students.

School Banking is a fun, interactive and engaging way to help teach your child the importance of saving. Children who deposit money into their Youthsaver account through School Banking will earn an exciting reward everytime they reach 10 deposits.

The rewards available during 2021 are:                            

School Banking is also a great fundraiser for our school. Our school receives a Regular Savers Contribution of $5 for every 10 deposits processed per student as well as an Annual Contribution which is based on the number of students who made at least one School Banking deposit in the prior year. For more information about contribution payments, visit www.commbank.com.au/sbinfo .

Getting involved in School Banking is easy!

All you need to get involved in the School Banking program is a Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account. You can open an account for your child in one of two ways:

Online

Visit www.commbank.com.au/schoolbanking  and click on the link to open a Youthsaver account.

In branch

Visit a Commonwealth Bank branch with identification for yourself and your child, like a driver’s licence and birth certificate.

If your child has an existing Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account they can start banking straight away. They just need to bring their deposit in every week on School Banking day using their Dollarmites deposit wallet.

School Banking day is THURSDAY. Each week you need to send your child to school with their bank deposit book and any money that you want banked for them.

If you would like to know more about School Banking, please ask for a 2021 School Banking program parent guide from the school office or visit www.commbank.com.au/schoolbanking

The Department of Education recently announced that they would be expanding the Student Assistance Scheme for 2021.

Parents who have a current concession card as listed below can apply for dependent students for assistance under STAS:

• Services Australia – Centrelink Health Care Card
• Service Australia – Centrelink Low Income Health Care Card
• Services Australia – Pensioner Concession Card
• Department of Veteran Affairs – Pensioner Concession Card

Please note that if you are already receiving student assistance you do not need to complete a form.

For 2021 a new online form has been developed to assist with processing applications for new applicants.

The online form can be completed here:  https://stasonlinesubmission.education.tas.gov.au/

The form will be available for public use from 10 November 2020.

Once a validated form is completed the Department of Education will confirm the outcome of your application in writing, this process takes approximately 14 days.

We understand this online option may not be possible for all families, so if you require a hard copy form please contact the school office or the Financial Assistance Unit on stas@education.tas.gov.au or phone 1800 827 077.

Hello Goodwood Students and Parent/Carers   

My name is Tayla Wagner and I will be your School Health Nurse for 2021. I am super excited to meet you all. I have come from NSW quite recently so, very new to Tassie, but am absolutely loving it!                                                                                                                                           

So, what does a school nurse do/provide?

School health nurses support schools to create a physical and social environment that promotes health and wellbeing and assists to improve the health and education outcomes for children and young people in Tasmania. The core focus of the School Health Nurse Program is prevention, early detection and health promotion/education. This is achieved by providing free ‘kinder health assessments’ and running health education programs and health promotion activities in line with state and government initiatives. Just remember to return any consent forms sent out for any assessment ?

Although, kinder health assessments are a large part of my position, I am also available for any other students who need hearing and vision assessments as well as any other issues that may be a concern or just general questions and information. I will also be running class programs such as hand hygiene, dental care, sun safe programs and positive mental health later in the term and throughout the year.

If you have any questions about your child or about my role, please feel free to come and see me, I am here every Friday. Alternatively, you can always catch me on email: Tayla.wagner@education.tas.gov.au

Looking forward to the year ahead!

Nurse Tayla

Long-Steps Ballroom Dancing

Please find attached information for Adventures in Dance - Glenorchy:-