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A very warm welcome back to school! We hope you had a restful and enjoyable break, and we’re excited to begin another fantastic year with your child. Term 1 is officially underway, and we are eager to dive into our learning journey together.
We would also like to extend a warm welcome to our new families, staff and to our Kinder students who are starting their journey with us this term. We understand that starting school is a big step, so to ensure a smooth transition, our Kinder students will be staggering their start over the next week. This will allow us to provide them with extra support and care as they settle into their new routines.
This term, our focus value is Respect. At our school, we believe that respect is the foundation of positive relationships, strong community, and personal growth. We encourage all students to show respect for themselves, others, and their environment, and we look forward to seeing how our students embrace this important value in both their academic and social lives.
Our school motto, Together: We Aspire. We Strive. We Achieve., will guide us throughout the year. By working together, supporting each other, and maintaining a commitment to excellence, we believe our students will continue to grow, strive towards their goals, and achieve great things.
Thank you for being a part of our wonderful school community. We look forward to a term full of learning, growth, and success. As we begin this exciting new term, we would like to take a moment to emphasise the importance of the partnership between home and school in ensuring the best outcomes for our students. We know that when parents and teachers work together, we create a powerful support system that enables our students to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
We believe that by maintaining open communication, sharing insights, and collaborating on the individual needs of each child, we can make their learning experience both meaningful and successful. Your involvement and support in your child's education plays a crucial role in helping them reach their full potential, and we are grateful to have such a dedicated school community. If your child is in Kinder to Year 8 you will receive information about Seesaw and we encourage you to sign up. For families with children in year 9 and 10 homeroom teachers are your first point of contact.
The Penguin District School Parents / Guardian Facebook page is not a Department of Education Children and Young People (DECYP) endorsed Facebook page and it is not run by the school. While some members of staff are part of te page they do so with their parent hat on. Penguin District School relies on official channels such as the school newsletter, our school website, SZ app and letters for communication purposes. Please contact the school directly with any questions or concerns that you may have.
Thank you once again for your trust and collaboration. Together, we will continue to foster an environment where our students aspire, strive, and achieve.
Wishing all of our families a wonderful start to the year!
Yours in partnership
Angela McAuliffe
8:20am – School Opens (supervision until 8:50am)
8:50am – School Starts
2:50pm - School Finishes (supervision at buses)
Families are responsible for their child outside of school hours unless it is in school-based care
Policies:
- Sun safe policy (insert pdf)
- Respectful visitor policy (insert pdf)
Uniform can be purchased directly from Ulverstone Sportspower. The store has facilities for students to try on items of uniform.
Grey Shorts and Trousers are still a part of the PDS uniform. As these are non-logo school uniform items families can purchase from any supplier ie: Kmart, Best and Less, Target etc
Leadership
Principal – Mrs Angela McAuliffe
Year 7- 12 Assistant Principal – Mr Jade Hughes
K- 6 Assistant Principal – Mr Adrian Beard
AST K-2 – Mrs Jessie Eberhardt
AST 3-6 – Mrs Katrina Blair
AST – Andrew Woodard
AST Years 7/8 – Mrs Karina Van Essen
AST Years 9/10 – Mr Nick Owen
AST Years 11/12 – Mr Robert Maywald
AST Support Teacher Secondary – Ms Jodie Murphy
Support Teacher Primary – Mrs Susan Broadby
K – 12 Instructional Specialist – Miss Nicky Green
Teaching Staff
Launching into Learning – Mrs Jessie Eberhardt & Mrs Christine Lusted
Kinder A – Mrs Mel Atkins
Kinder B – Mrs Olivia Bracken
Prep A – Mrs Wendy Ratcliff and Mrs Carla Hubbard
Prep B – Mrs Hannah Roberston and Mrs Emmie Gee
1/2A – Miss Maddi Penton
1/2B – Mrs Elisse Gardam
1/2C – Mr Richard Collins
1/2D – Miss Zoe King
1/2E – Mrs Lynn Taylor and Ms Wendy Bishop
3/4A – Dr Janet Mackenzie
3/4B – Miss Paige Blackett
3/4C – Miss Hayley Marshall
3/4D – Miss Elysia Beard
3/4E – Mrs Amanda O’Shea and Mr Steven Jones
5/6A – Mrs Kylie Mudford and Mrs Deb French
5/6B – Miss Maddison Hayward and Mrs Lyn Brown
5/6C – Mrs Carolyn McNaughton
5/6D – Mr Damien Rabe
5/6E – Mrs Bronwyn Enright
Literacy Support – Mrs Deb Haberle and Miss Bronwyn Gibson
Educational Support Specialist (Prep) – Mrs Belinda Burton
P- 6 Music – Mrs Christine Lusted
Art & Digi Tech – Mr Andrew Woodard
HPE – Mr Alex Baldock, Mr Chris De Ruyter and Mr Tom Abblitt
Secondary Maths/Science – Mr Ashley King, Miss Darcy Shake, Mrs Heather Burgess, Mr Nick Owen, Mrs Karina Van Essen, Mrs Amie Redman, Mrs Arianne Popowski and Mr Tom Abblitt.
Secondary English/HASS – Miss Sarah Mott, Ms Narelle Butler, Ms Jodie Murphy, Miss Charlotte Solomon, Miss Matilda Lutwyche, Ms Tash Turner
Educational Support Specialist (Year 7) – Mrs Sonia Bingham
Arts – Mrs Beth King
Music – Mr Jarrod Minton Connell
Drama – Mrs Heather Burgess and Ms Tash Turner
Technologies – Mr Rob Maywald
HPE/Outdoor Ed/Athlete Development – Mr Jordan Taylor, Mr Tom Abblitt, Mrs Arianne Popowski and Mr Chris De Ruyter
Foods and Fibre – Mrs Alison O’Donnell
Year 11/12 – Mrs Alison O’Donnell
School Business Manager - Julie McKenna.
Administrative Officer – Kathryn Smith
Administrative Clerk – Fiona Rowe/Donna Raimondo
Administrative Clerk - Christine Haywood/Bec Kaine
Support Staff
Social Worker – Cat Grining and Helen Burrage
Speech and Language Program – Rebekah Brandsma
School Psychologist - Eloise Wickham-Dolbey
School Nurse – Alex Clark
Chaplain - Zak (Tuesday) and Ansley (Wednesday)
Aboriginal Education Worker – Brodie Deverell
Library - Sonya Browning and Anna Grist
Teacher Assistants
Keira Ward
Katrina Olm
Jessy Jordan
Bec Langham
Karen Helm
Alex Cappelli
Brailee Helm
Belinda French
Caitlin Overend
Amanda Russell
Melissa Brinkman
Tegan Boxall
Erin Simonis
Alise Petterwood
Amy Crawford
Michelle Howard
Brielle McNaughton
Misha Frankcombe
Nikki Bramich
Melayne Cassidy
Chenae McNaughton
Sharyn Radcliff
Mitchell Enright
Kate Finch
Niki Hayler
Peter Martin
Bronte Bugeja
Leanne Ray
Melissa Carpenter
Megan O'Donnell
Debbie Jordan
Zoe Crawn
Dalton Stretton
Jackie Kinch
Education Facility Attendants
Tim Auton
Janice Bakes
Chris Bugeja
Sandra Dickson
Sharon Farrelly
Belinda Harris
Brad Jordan
Sharon White
Canteen Staff
Tish Townsend
Belinda Di Maria
The first meeting of the year will occur on Monday 17 February at 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm.
We are starting to plan for our AGM, the date will be advised in next weeks newsletter. We currently have three parent seats available. I strongly encourage parents, carers, and grandparents to consider joining our group. The meeting on Monday 17 February could be
a great way for you to see whether it feels right for you..
On behalf of the School Association, we hope you child/ren have had a great start to the school year.
For all upcoming events please see the Penguin District School Calendar