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Penguin District School Calendar
For all upcoming events please see the Penguin District School Calendar
As we know from the messages from our State and National leaders, we are in a time where we need to be flexible and responsive in all aspects of our day to day life. We value our responsibility as schools to be a safe place of normality and consistency for students and our staff, but we are certainly in extraordinary times where information is continuing to change how we operate.
- Week 10 of Term 1 - Monday 6th till Thursday 9th of April (Friday is Good Friday) will be allocated as Student Free Days. These are to allow teachers to undertake professional learning and planning for online provision for the start of term 2
- Schools are planning to be open from the beginning of Term 2
- At the time of writing this letter, we are awaiting information from the Department of Education about online provision of learning
- Please know that if you choose to keep your child at home, as per Prime Minister’s recommendations, that it is without judgement or question. Equally, if children are well enough to be at school, and you intend to send them, we are open and prepared for face to face teaching and learning
Our priority as a community should be the health and wellbeing of each other - Education is critical and will continue, but needs to be secondary to this.
We are fielding questions about learning from home. It is brilliant that families are looking for some routine and enrichment for their children. A typical question/concern is, ‘Can I have work for my child as I don’t want them to fall behind?’. Parents will always be their child’s first and most important teacher, but this is not a Distance Education or Home Education situation. This is 8 days of us all trying to support some normality and routine with the lives of our students and we know parents and staff will do the absolute best they can.
Please know that your child will not fall behind children at school – the programs that are taking place at school until the end of term are simply not business as usual, classes won’t be undertaking significant new learning that students at home will miss out on. Based on health advice, Department of Education have advised vulnerable groups of staff to change their work situation – this will also mean that things will look different in many schools around the state.
Mat Grining
Principal
Mat Grining
Email: mathew.grining@education.tas.gov.au
The Tasmanian Government has announced there will be school levy relief for all parents/carers in Tasmanian Government schools.
What does this mean for you?
If you have paid the 2020 school levy payments you will be reimbursed directly from the Department of Education.
If you had not yet paid your child’s levy payment you will not be required to do so. Similarly, if you are making instalment payments these can now stop.
The Department of Education will be aiming to have the majority of refunds provided to parents by the end of April with any balance shortly thereafter. The refunds will be provided via a cheque delivered in the post.
Any payments related to activities, camps, interstate or overseas trips will continue to be reimbursed, if this has not already occurred.
This process will be managed directly between the Department of Education with parents and carers. We ask that you do not contact the school office in regards to this matter, in this current climate our school staff are under enormous pressure to look after the wellbeing of staff and students.
Please be assured that this levy relief will not have an impact on the funding that is available for our school.
We realise that many families are feeling worried and have been effected greatly by COVID-19. Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to look after our school community.
Learning Ideas : Kinder to Year 6
Please see below a series of learning ideas/suggestions to our families that have been developed by leaders across the Central Coast Cluster. The Department of Education have also provided some terrific links and resources from their ‘Learning From Home’ www.education.tas.gov.au/parent-carers/learning-at-home/
Considering the age and stage of each child, please know that these are just a guide. In the early years, teaching is such a social exchange and we hope that the suggestions give families some idea on what learning at home could look like. We will continue to send links, ideas and interesting resources through over the coming days so keep a close eye on the range of school communication – but equally, trust your judgement as a parent as to how you prioritise your time with your own children.
Central Coast Cluster Learning Booklet
The independence of children in this age group is obviously quite different. We are checking with families as to who has access to a device and reliable internet connection, with possible provision of school devices during this time for children that aren’t on site. Teachers are able to provide tasks that they are currently undertaking in class, and families can now email teachers directly.
Our 2020 production, Phantom of the Talent Factor for 2020 is still going ahead and all small group rehearsals are following our Term 1 rehearsal schedule with some alterations. The whole cast rehearsals are postponed until Term 2 and we will advertise these for students and families. Characters, dancers and band will continue.
This week we have a select cast rehearsal on Sunday from 4-6pm. Students are reminded to check the student notes and the production notice board.
Our current booking with the Leven Theatre is for the last 2 weeks in October with closing night being the Saturday of the November long weekend. We are working with the Central Coast Council to try and push our booking back further towards the end of Term 4 to increase the amount of rehearsal time. The show will go on and we will keep you posted.
Please make sure under manage on the SZpp you have School Production selected. Please contact the office if you need assistance.
In Year 9 Science students have been learning about biology with a focus on mammal body systems and homeostasis. This week we have looked at respiration. We completed experiments to reinforce the idea that humans breath in oxygen and breath out carbon dioxide by using new clean straws to blow into water and bromothymol blue indicator. We also completed an experiment with yeast and sugar so that we could witness the production of carbon dioxide through anaerobic respiration which occurs in animal cells when there is not enough oxygen available.