For all upcoming events please see the Penguin District School Calendar

Collaboration

What is the definition of collaboration? Collaboration is when two or more individuals work together toward a common goal. At Penguin District School we have 762 students and staff who are working collaboratively, together we strive, we aspire and we achieve.  

We do not need to look hard to see the value of Collaboration in action at Penguin District School (PDS). During the week we held our Primary Communicating Learning with Families evening where teachers have been sharing evidence of learning and identifying focus focuses for students. The meetings provided opportunities for families to partner in learning and identify areas of success and areas for growth. We encourage this communication to continue throughout the year, you can do this via Seesaw or making an appointment with your child’s teacher. There will be another formal opportunity for Communicating Learning with Families evening in Term 3.

If you were unable to make it this week to Communicating Learning with Families evening, evidences of learning will go home with students on Friday 16 June, please check your child’s bag. Please contact classroom teachers if you would like to make an appointment.  

With a change in reporting and communicating learning with families during 2022, we are still developing our new ways of working and want to hear your feedback to assist us in fine tuning our processes. Use the link  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WDM353Y to complete the anonymous, 3-minute survey. Teachers will reshare the link on Seesaw next week.

Another example of collaboration at PDS is our Breakfast Club. This is held Wednesday morning K-12 in the café. A big thank you to the Penguin Rookery for their weekly donation of fruit and to our Year 11 students Olivia, Harriet and Raeshelle who are preparing food and serving. A shout out also goes to Sandra, Sharon and Alana staff members who are always happy to help.

PDS are currently supporting six prac students from the University of Tasmanian and Tafe Tasmania, this will continue throughout the school. This collaborative partnership benefits PDS staff and students while building the future of Tasmanian Schools.

Term 3 Staffing Update

Miss Maddison Hayward will start maternity leave Term 3. Mr James King and Mrs Lyn Brown will take over Year 5/6C until the end of the year.  I will start maternity leave Term 3. The Acting Principal position will be advertised next week for 12 months. The outcome of this process will be communicated as soon as the information is available. Sadly, Miss Grace Lozoraitis-Jones will be leaving us at the end of Term 2 due to needing to reduce staffing. Mr Adrian Beard will be enjoying Long Service Leave for the first five weeks of Term 3. Mrs Julie Argent will be backfilling this position.

Mrs Elisse Gardam is taking Long Service Leave for Term 3. We welcome back Mrs Pietta Nichols as her replacement during this time.

New online information hub for families

Some exciting news! The Department for Education, Children and Young People has recently launched a new online information hub for families with school-aged children in Tasmania. Our new website has information to help you navigate your child's education, from birth all the way up to 18 years of age.

Visit our new webpage at Welcome to your child's Tasmanian education - The Department for Education, Children and Young People Tasmania (decyp.tas.gov.au) (https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/information-for-families-and-students)

Some of the things you’ll find include;

• tips on how to support your child’s learning at home
• information to help you keep your child safe and well
• a guide to explore courses for the career they want
• school holiday and term dates.

We hope this website will be a valuable tool for you as you help your child navigate their education journey. We would love to know what you think of our new information hub for families. You can tell us by completing a quick survey on the webpage.

Yours in partnership

Angela McAuliffe

Principal

Due to an overwhelming response on our recent survey, Playgym will be held on Tuesday from Term 3. It will run from the basketball stadium and families can use the school/stadium parking to access these facilities. It will continue to run from 1:30-2:45 pm.

There will be NO PLAYGYM on June 28 and the July 5 to allow for staff to move our resources. Thanks for your understanding.

After hearing about the success of our secondary students last Friday, our primary students were eager to represent Penguin District School at their NWPSSA Cross Country in Ulverstone.

All students should be commended on demonstrating their personal bests and showing great determination when representing our school and community. All students were well rewarded with their efforts with the 2023 Division A champions – making that 2 years in a row!

A big thank you Mr Perry and Alana for coming along and supporting our team and assisting getting students to races as well as celebrating the many achievements across the day. Another big thanks must go to Mr Lane, Steph Challis and NWPSSA crew who held another fantastic event and making it enjoyable for all athletes, these events would not be able to run smoothly without your ongoing support.

Next up we have our State Cross Country event held at Symmons Plains on June 27. Some students will be selected to represent Penguin District School. Information to be sent home soon.

Cross Country Champions 

Year 7 Boys – Miller 

Year 7 Girls – Willow 

Year 8 Boys – Mitchell (overall winner)

Year 8 Girls – Taleah 

Year 9 Boys – Jaxx 

Year 9 Girls – Heidi 

Year 10 Boys – Chad 

Year 10 Girls – Lara 

Last Friday, Year 10 students spent the day at Camp Clayton to participate in RYDA (Rotary Youth Driver Awareness Program).

The program aims to educate young people on their responsibility as a driver and also highlights some worrying statistics linked to how often P platers are involved in vehicle accidents and fatalities.

Sessions included risk profiling, braking distances, hearing from a crash survivor, and strategies to drive safely.

RYDA is a government recognised program that allows students who participated to claim 5 hours in their Learners Logbook.

Penguin District School Community Garden Subcommittee ‘Dial Community Garden’

The subcommittee held its first start up meeting and the group invites any interested people to the next meeting on Monday 19 June, 5pm at Penguin District School. The subcommittee aspires to create a community space that benefits our community directly, bring people together, incorporates student learning opportunities and is sensitive to environmental issues. The garden will be developed on an area of about 2,000m2 (between the tennis courts and Café/Drama Building). Watch this space.

Andrew Geddes – Dial Park Garden Subcommittee Chair