Welcome Back!

We hope you had a wonderful break and are ready for an exciting new year at Herdsmans Cove Primary! We're thrilled to announce that we are launching a new approach to reading in 2024, and we can't wait to share it with you.

Introducing UFLI: University of Florida Literacy Institute

This year, we are adopting the University of Florida Literacy Institute's structured synthetic phonics program. This innovative approach to reading instruction has been shown to be highly effective in helping students develop strong literacy skills.

What is UFLI?

UFLI is a comprehensive phonics program designed to systematically teach students the sounds of letters and letter combinations, enabling them to decode words with ease. By focusing on the foundational skills of reading, UFLI provides students with the tools they need to become confident and proficient readers.

What to Expect

In the coming weeks, we will be sharing more information about UFLI and how it will be implemented at Herdsmans Cove Primary. We'll also be providing tips and resources for how you can support your child's learning at home. We will be sending home decodable texts that you can use to support your child to learn to read. Decodable texts are specifically written for beginning readers as they are developing their skills and their knowledge of the alphabetic code.

Parent Sessions

We understand that parents play a crucial role in their children's education, which is why we will be offering parent sessions here at school. These sessions will give you the opportunity to learn more about UFLI and how you can help reinforce what your child is learning in the classroom.

Get Involved

We're excited to embark on this new reading journey with you and your child! Stay tuned for more updates and information about UFLI. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Here's to a fantastic year of learning and growth!

LiL

Our Launching into Learning (LiL) program begins this week. LiL is a free program for young children (birth – 4 years old) and their families. It helps parents/carers and their children get to know their local school and meet other families. If you know of any families with young kids in the area please encourage them to get along. This year we are developing strong connections with tagari lia Child and Family Centre and kutalayna collective. LiL programs support children with their development in an atmosphere of fun and creativity and helps children transition into Kindergarten.

Bikes and Scooters

Being active is an important part of every day. Students who are riding to school must have a helmet and put their bike/scooter away once they arrive. We understand that riding brings joy, however, students riding around corners and past class doors is an accident waiting to happen. Please support our students to be active and safe.

Warm regards,

Tobin McColl, Principal

We would like to warmly welcome the following new staff members to our team for 2024.

Please say hello to these friendly faces if you see them walking around.

Ms Bec Murray 5/6M	Miss Kendra Dowling 3/4	Mrs Tracey Parnham 5/6P	Mr Gabriel Paiva Lago, Garden	Mrs Michelle Sproule Social Worker

It was wonderful to welcome back all our existing and new students to school on Thursday 8 February.  Students have had a settled and happy start to term 1, 2024.

This year's school timetable is as follows:

Morning bell:             8.50 a.m.

Daily fitness:             10.40 a.m.

Recess:                     10.50 a.m. - 11.10 a.m.

Lunch:                       1.10 p.m. - 1.40 p.m.

End of Day:                2.40 p.m.

Our families came together at the end of the day on Tuesday afternoon for a welcome barbecue.  Thanks to Miss P and Mr McColl  for cooking the sausages and to all families that came, in the blustery conditions.

Welcome back! Let’s make every day count.

Here we go, another exciting school year ahead! We hope you enjoyed your holidays.

By showing up to school every day, your child will have the best opportunity at a bright future. It gives them every chance to be around friends, learn new things, and find interests.

Good attendance habits can sometimes be hard to stick. But creating a solid routine, from the start of Term 1, can set your child up for success for the year ahead.

If you’re looking for tips on how to create better attendance habits, visit the Anything can happen website.

Please always talk to us if you’re having trouble getting your child to school. We’re here to help.

Daily Fitness has started this week and it is already going so well. It is so great to see the grade 5/6 Daily Fitness Leaders running the activities and developing their planning and leadership skills. Along with gaining extra skills, it is also helping our students transition out to recess.

Friday March 8 will be our Athletics Carnival for grades 3-6. We are so excited to show off our running skills and great sportsmanship. We invite friends and family to come and watch. More information will be provided in the coming weeks.

Kate Prendergast - Health and Physical Education Teacher

Our Kitchen Garden program is now in full swing with our upper primary students cooking in small groups on Mondays and Tuesdays with Mrs Kelly Clark.

This week our students prepared and ate healthy Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls with dipping sauce.

Our school lunch program started today, enjoying a meal of Carribean Chicken.  Thank you to Mrs Linda Glover for preparing lunch for the school.

Recipe:

Pineapple Salsa

Caribbean Chicken

Method

Next week our students will be enjoying macaroni cheese.

If you do not want your child participating in the school lunch program, please contact the school office on 6263 7843.

Validation forms for 2024 were sent home with students at the end of last year.  Please complete the forms and return them to the office as soon as possible.  Thank you to those parents that have already completed and returned their forms.

It is a legal requirement that validation reports are completed at the start of every school year, updating student permission and contact address details.  Thank you for your support in this matter.

Notices for the school lunch project were also sent home at the end of last year, if you have not returned your child's form, please complete and return the form at your earliest convenience.

Students in grades 3-6 have been given the opportunity to play futsal at PCYC on a Thursdays.  If you would like your child to participate in this roster, please return permission slips to the office that were sent home earlier this week.

Janina & Tracy

Oral Health Services Tasmania will be conducting the Fissure Sealant Program at school for students in Kinder, Prep, Grades 1, 2 and 6 from Wednesday 28 February through to Tuesday 5 March.

Forms were due back on Monday 20 February.  If you have not returned your form to the office please complete and return as soon as possible, thank you.

Naplan for students in years 3 and 5 will run from 13 - 25 March.

The following information is a guide for parents.