For all upcoming events please see the Penguin District School Calendar

Partnering for Student Success: Why Family Engagement Matters

6 hours per day.

5 days per week.

10 weeks per Term.

40 weeks per year.

That’s (approximately) 1,200 hours per year that we have the pleasure of being with your children at school.  

Primary families will receive a snapshot of learning at the end of this week, outlining one evidence of student work for some subjects. It gives you a glimpse into some of the learning that your children are undertaking in the many hours they spend with us. But that doesn’t always tell you how they’re tracking holistically.

Holistic approaches consider every part of a child’s development: how they’re feeling emotionally, how they interact socially, their physical wellbeing, cultural background, interests, and individual learning needs. Every child is unique, and all these aspects play a role in how they learn and grow. By focusing on the whole child, we’re not just preparing students for success in school, we’re helping them thrive in life.

At Penguin District School, we value a holistic approach and strong partnerships with families. We believe that open communication is key, whether this is a discussion about academic growth or a more holistic conversation, staying connected helps ensure every child feels supported and encouraged to reach their full potential.

Next week we’ll be making opportunities to chat with families at our Communicating Learning with Families Meetings. If you have questions about your children’s learning both academically or socially/emotionally, this is the perfect time to do so. Please see the link below for your chance to make an appointment.

Primary link

https://penguinds.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/66 

Secondary Link

https://penguinds.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/67 

Parent_Booking_Guide.pdf

2025 Families School Satisfaction Survey - Reminder

The 2025 School Satisfaction Survey is open!

Every year the Department for Education, Children and Young People conducts a School Satisfaction Survey to find out what your child(ren)'s school does well and where it may improve. Your feedback is very important to help us inform our school improvement planning and decision-making.

If you have not had the opportunity to complete the survey about Penguin District School yet, it is open until Friday 19 September 2025 and should take about 5 minutes of your time.

Each family should nominate one person to fill in this survey for their child(ren). Take the online survey by clicking this Link, or pasting it in your browser: https://nam.dcv.ms/zOrgPX7dON The survey is carried out on a secure website and all responses are anonymous and confidential. All families in this school received the same survey link and no identifying information is collected. A summary of the survey results will be provided to schools. Responses from individuals or small groups will NOT be disclosed to any Department for Education, Children and Young People staff.

Please contact the school if you require any assistance.

Thank you for taking the time to fill in this survey.

Shout Outs:

• To students, staff and families for undertaking a massive Learn to Swim sessions. Getting bathers and towels dry overnight, showing up and getting in a not-so-warm pool, and giving back-to-back lessons in a humid loud environment is no small feat.
• To Rory, Madison, Darci, Peyton, Sallea, Jhett, Jax, Rayff and Lucy who have eben selected in NW teams that will participate in the Sports Exchange against Launceston Friday 19 September.

Students have been honing their creative and fine motor skills by using cross-stitch and blanket stitch to create an insulated pot-holder. They have worked really well on this task and are now looking forward to practicing their cooking skills. Some of the things students will be cooking next term include vegie nachos, butterscotch scrolls, savoury toast and apple muffins.

Yesterday, 11 September, our Year 7 and 8's ventured to Devonport to take on other schools for our Soccer Gala Day.  We had 45 students show interest making 3 teams representing our Year 7 boys divisions, 2 teams in the Year 8 boys division, one Year 7 girls team and one Year 8 girls team. 

The students had a wonderful day each with a few wins, draws and losses.  Our Year 8 girls were runners up in their division and came home with a medal.  All students came home very sore after playing a minimum of 4 games each. 

The Year 9 and 10s were represented by 27 students with 2 team in each of the year groups. Students competing against a range of schools and also had some wins, draws and losses.  Although the conditions weren’t ideal, the students showed courage, determination and resilience to try the best they could for their team.

Well done to all our participants and thank you to Mr Abblitt for organising this amazing opportunity for our students.

On Thursday 11 September, a group of 45 students and 3 staff attended Burnie High School’s production of ‘Once Upon a Time’ at the Burnie Arts and Function centre. It was great to see the hard work and dedication of students and staff from another school leading into our 2026 production year. The production was great with lots of amazing sets, costumes and acting.

We thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and it has made us all even more excited for our show next year.

Students at PDS have been signing up over the last 2 weeks to be part of our 2026 production. Auditions will be held early Term 4 this year and the show will be announced in Term 4 2025.

In Maths this term, the Year 11 and 12 students have been focusing on interpreting graphs and different ways to represent and compare data. This has involved researching to collect and collate data as well as deciding the best type of graph to represent the data.

In English the students have been focusing on examining and analysing different types of multi-modal texts. This includes podcasts, poetry and documentaries.

In Career and Life Planning the students have been exploring options to expand their opportunities in seeking employment beyond their time at school.