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- Penguin District School Calendar
- Assistant Principal's Report
- Green Penguins
- 2025 Secondary Student Board
- Australian Open Minecraft Challenge
- 1-2A
- 1-2B
- 1-2C
- 1-2D & 1-2E
- Early Childhood Water Orientation Program - AMENDED CLASS TIMES
- NAPLAN 2025
- Year 7 Camp
- Online Safety Message
- Year 7 and 10 Immunisations - Wednesday 7 May 2025
- Australian Government School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) over the NBN
- Penguin Waddle
- Shuttle Smash
- Ulverstone Library - New Afterschool Programs
- School Calendar
For all upcoming events please see the Penguin District School Calendar
In our Green Penguin meeting this week we discussed how we can show respect for our grounds and classrooms and how chipping in and doing little things everyday can be really helpful in maintaining our beautiful school. It’s been great to see students volunteering to picking up rubbish at lunch time or helping their teachers to tidy their classrooms. I wonder if the DECYP and PDS value of Respect the environment is seeping into student’s home life too?
Congratulations to Jacob S, Logan W, Bradley W, Solomon C who have won the Tasmania’s first place for their innovative redesign of the Australian Open facility in Minecraft. It is great to see challenges like this where student’s can think outside the box and compete in an interest based task. Congratulations on taking out a State Title.
Speaking of thinking outside the box, there’ll be lots of students undertaking the Children’s University challenge this year. They will be using all of their extra-curricular and lunch/recess activities to clock up hours, and eventually graduate at the end of the year. Children can write reflections about their sporting, musical, theatre and many more experiences that they have in their lives. Participating in initiatives like this allows students to develop their time management skills, their self-confidence, expands their interests and social connections. We currently have 47 students enrolled already. Thanks to Dr Mac for leading this for our students.
Swimming for our young learners starts next week. This is an exciting (and exhausting) time for the students who get to practise their swimming skills or maybe even test them out for the very first time. Don’t forget to pack swimmers, towel, dry bag, change of underwear and name all items children bring along. Over the weekend, let the children practise getting dressed on their own or folding their clothes and popping them into a neat pile. I promise that the Early Years teachers will appreciate their independence.
Families are allowed to come and watch (at the East Ulverstone Swimming Pool) at their child’s designated swimming time but are unable to enter the changerooms to protect the safety of all students participating.
A big shoutout to the Primary students that will be assisting the young learners in the pool and Mr de Ruyter for facilitating the learning they’ll undertake.
Another big shoutout to Mr Baldock, Mr Woodard and our PDS Athletics Team that will be attending the NWPSSA Carnival next week. (Yr.3/4 on Wed and Yr 5/6 on Thurs). We wish them all the best of luck.
One of my favourite things to witness, is a student receiving a Gold Card for the very first time, and I was lucky enough to sign Atley’s “Golden Ticket” this week (as he affectionately called it). And maybe it does feel like receiving a Golden Ticket in your chocolate bar like Charlie did! He had produced some writing to accompany a picture he’d drawn and is beginning to use letters and sounds that he’s learning in Literacy. Prep is such a big year full of new connections being made and student’s seeing themselves as readers and writers with a purpose.
Mrs Hubbard also received her very first Gold Card this week, her Prep students seeing that even adults are learning new things every day.
Yours in partnership,
Jessie Eberhardt AST (Acting Assistant Principal Friday)
Today we acknowledged our Student Board for 2025. The grade 9 and 10 students received their blazer which will help the rest of the community to recognise who our student leaders are. All students also received a name badge and a certificate. We thank all students who did and did not make it onto the student board as there were many wonderful students who could have all been amazing leaders. Well done to our elected students and we look forward to seeing how the students work together to achieve some wonderful things to help make our school the best possible school it could be.
Last October, a group of Year 7-10 students teamed up to make a Minecraft world based on improving the Australian Open Site. They had to consider differently abled citizens, bringing more youth attractions, and create more environmental practices in the surrounding areas. The competition went for five weeks, which was not a lot of time for the huge job in front of them. Leo and Ryder from Year 9 were awarded a certificate achievement. Bradley, Logan, Jacob and Solomon were awarded not only an Australia 3rd placing, but are the Tasmanian winners. Congratulations gentlemen on a fine effort!
We’ve had a fantastic start to the school year in 1/2A!
In math, we’ve been busy collecting data by surveying our classmates about their favourite things. We’re learning to organise this information using numbers, tally marks, and graphs.
In literacy, we’ve been exploring the structure of a recount. Students have been practising recounting their weekends and school days, focusing on sequencing events and adding details.
For inquiry, we’re investigating the differences between living and non-living things. We’re learning to identify living things by asking key questions: Does it need food and water? Can it move or grow on its own? Does it need air?
It’s been a great start and we’re excited for more learning ahead!
In 1/2B we have begun to explore the needs of living things in our inquiry learning time. This began with the needs of plants, where we observed, sketched, asked questions and planted seeds, bulbs, cuttings and runners to test our theories. Students have also shared their current understanding of the needs of animals through building a play world. Grade 1s are beginning to look at seasonal changes that might affect our plant growth, while the Grade 2s are looking further out at the solar system and how the sun and moon might affect our living things.
Communication and Collaboration with others are integral parts of learning. Students in 1/2C will often work in groups to focus on positive ways to collaborate with others. Working with building materials and different types of games is always a class favourite.
1/2DE
Students in 1/2DE have jumped into routines and learning this term. Here are some of our highlights so far.
Ask us about the ways we make sounds using our tongue, lips, teeth and breath.
(picture here ‘ask us about the ways we’)
Come in and look at our wonderful work displayed on the walls.
(pictures: come in and look 1, 2, & 3)
Ask us about our curious questions, and ways we can be researchers.
(picture: ask us about our curious questions)
Students will be sitting NAPLAN between 12 and 24 March 2025.
The National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so.
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.
NAPLAN has been held in March since 2023, having previously taken place in May. This change was made so school systems would have access to results earlier in the school year. These results can then be used to inform teaching and learning plans for the remainder of the year.
Why NAPLAN is conducted online
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.
Please note that students in Year 3 complete the Writing Test on paper.
Parent information brochures and other resources
Your questions answered on NAPLAN and what it means for your child:
NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers
The link will take you to the official National Assessment Program (NAP) website.
Please contact the school if you have any further queries.
Last week, the Year 7s ventured to Fulton Park for their camp. After Brodie performed a smoking ceremony to welcome us to camp and high school, we created flags, played lots of games and built connections (old and new). We had a dance party and played spotlight. Most of us went to bed on time and all of us identified a respectful action another camper made.
Here is what 8 of our students named up as the “Best thing that happened at Camp”.
Will H– Hiding in spotlight with Theo, Stell and Georgia.
Toree – The Dance Party, when everyone would join in and sing and have a dance circle.
Nate – Spotlight, when I didn’t get tagged.
Liam – Hiding alone in the dark and eating waffles.
Caleesi – Spotlight, fun to go and hide, had to be super quiet.
Kiara – My friends and I had a huge picnic together, with a bunch of chips and chocolate fudge.
Daniel C – Making waffles with a whole bottle of syrup, they were undercooked and falling on the floor.
Tyrese – Spotlight, hiding with friends.
Click on the link to watch some of the fun had a camp.
The eSafety Commissioner website is a great resource for parents to maximise online safety in
the home, or a student’s personal device (phone).
Parental controls | How to keep your child safe
At times, during the school day, staff observe students discussing content that they’ve viewed online, outside of school hours, on platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
Did you know that TikTok has a feature called ‘Family Pairing’ which allows parents to manage screen time and restrict content? Snapchat also provides parental controls in its ‘Family Centre’. This includes the ability to monitor who the young person is communicating with.
Without these safety measures in place, what a young person can access online will not always be safe, respectful and age appropriate.
Jade Hughes
Acting Assistant Principal (Year 7-12
This year the School Immunisation Program is going digital which means there will be no more paper consent cards floating around school bags or ‘lost’ before they are due to be handed in.
The system we are using is called Vitavo and is simple to use and update your children's information at any time.
To get started you need to provide consent for Immunisations.
Please click the link below or scan the QR code and input your child/ren’s Year level you are consenting for.
https://centralcoast.book.vitavo.com.au/school/PenguinDistrictSchool-CcA6ET
Australian Government School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) over the NBN
The Australian Government has made a commitment to deliver access to free broadband for up to 30,000 families with school-aged children who are not connected at home currently via the NBN network. SSBI is a targeted affordability measure to help boost education opportunities.
To be eligible for the SSBI, families must have at least one child studying in a Tasmanian school in grades K-12 and live at a premises with no active broadband service over the NBN network.
The NBN will install connection equipment at the premises of the student. The internet connection will be a standard unfiltered NBN internet connection, which will need moderation of use by the student by their parent or carer.
The student will need access to a device for use on the NBN service. This may be a device 'loaned' to the student from their school where available.
Information to include in newsletters for parents and families is attached.
Contact:
- Families can contact the National Referral Centre on 1800 954 610 (Mon-Fri, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm AEDT) or by visiting www.anglicarevic.org.au/student-internet.
