Term 1 - Week 4 - 27th February, 2025

IMPORTANT DATES

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Breakfast Club
Thank you to those who have donated items for our Breakfast Club. We are very appreciative of your support.
Thank you to those who come in and volunteer to help. Many hands make light work.
We will soon have some student leaders helping with Breakfast Club. There has been some interest from students to help out.
We are currently toasting eight loaves of Spreyton Bakery and donated bread each morning with either jam, vegemite, cheese spread, honey, or plain butter.
We have fruit each morning for children to eat at Breakfast Club and fruit also goes out to classes, as well as Launching into Learning. We are currently getting a great variety of fruit from Squibb’s Orchard Shop. We have had oranges, bananas, grapes, honeydew melon, rock melon, watermelon, kiwi fruit, pineapples, strawberries, and apples.
All children are welcome at Breakfast Club, and it is certainly a busy place of a morning. Drop in and say hello.

School Association AGM - Thursday, March 27 at 6:00pm
Please consider nominating for our School Association as a Parent Member or Community Member. A nomination form is included in this newsletter.

SPREYTON PRIMARY SCHOOL ASSOCIATION

Notice of AGM

The AGM of the Spreyton Primary School Association will be held on Thursday, the 27th of March 2025, at 6:00pm in the staffroom. Results of the Association Election, if known, will be announced at the AGM.
The AGM will be followed by a general meeting at 7:00pm.

Committee Member Nomination Form

Parents, staff and community members are encouraged to nominate for a Committee Member position. All positions are for a term of two years. 
Nomination forms must be received by the Principal via the School Office by 3:00pm Wednesday 5th of March.  
If nominations received exceed the number of vacancies, a ballot form will be sent home on Friday 7th of March to be returned to the school office by 3:00pm Wednesday 12th of March. Members of the Committee must be elected by a ballot if required. 
One of the committee’s first items of business will be to elect its office bearers – Chairperson, Deputy Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Public Officer. 
Karen Wicks (SBM) is the Returning Officer. Prospective members should familiarise themselves with the roles and responsibilities of School Associations via the Department of Education website. 

NAPLAN 2025
Students will be sitting NAPLAN between 12th and 24th March 2024.
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.
This is the second year NAPLAN has been held in March, having previously taken place in May. This change was made so school systems would have access to results earlier in the school year. These 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. The questions a student receives depend on their answers to previous questions. This means that students answer questions that are 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
A parent information brochure and questions answered on NAPLAN and what it means for your child can be found at: NAPLAN information brochure for parents and carers.
The link will take you to the official National Assessment Program (NAP) website and covers a variety of topics, such as the timing of the tests and how results from the assessments should be understood.
It also allows access to a Public Demonstration Site, which shows the types of questions students will answer and the functionalities that are available in NAPLAN tests.
Please contact the school if you have any further queries.

2025 Open Classroom Afternoon
We are excited to invite you to our Open Classroom Afternoon on Thursday, 20th March 2025. This is a fantastic opportunity for families to visit our classrooms and see the incredible work our students have been doing and celebrate their learning in an informal and welcoming environment.
Our classrooms will be open for tours from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. 
To make this event even more enjoyable, we’ll be hosting a Sausage Sizzle! Please come along and view you child/ren’s work, mingle with our school community and enjoy a sausage. 
We look forward to seeing you there!

John Hudson
PRINCIPAL

ROAD SAFETY MESSAGE

We have been advised that an officer was stationed outside our school with a speed camera, and within just one morning, 10 drivers were caught speeding between 8:00am and 9:00am.

While we understand that some of these drivers may not be associated with our school community, this serves as an important reminder to all – please adhere to the 40 km/h speed limit during school hours. Keeping our roads safe is a shared responsibility, and by slowing down, we help protect students and families. Let’s work together to ensure everyone stays safe!

SPREYTON PRIMARY SCHOOL VALUES AWARD RECIPIENTS

FOYER DISPLAY - All About Me Sneaker (3/4D)

LAUNCHING INTO LEARNING (LIL)

Dear Families,

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Launching into Learning on the 21st of February. We had a massive turnout of new and returning Spreyton Primary Families. It was a delight to have such a positive response to our first LiL session for 2025. We had children from birth to five years old learning and playing with their adults and each other. It was wonderful to see all the new connections.

A reminder that our LiL session begins at 9:00am in the LiL room every Friday, and we have an additional program, Mini Movers, which is run on Thursday at 9:00am in the school gym.

We look forward to continuing to provide fun and engaging play experiences during these critical years before formal schooling starts.

Miss Leah Arrell and Miss Ali Meers

BLACK SQUARE CHESS

Last Friday, Carl from Black Square Chess visited our school at lunchtime to teach students the finer arts of chess. Fourteen students from Grades 2 to 6 joined Carl at lunchtime. Carl will be visiting this Friday to continue the tutoring. If any students missed out last week, then you’ll have an opportunity this Friday. Why learn to play Chess?

Cognitive benefits:

• Memory: Chess can help you memorise moves, which can improve your performance in school. 

• Concentration: Chess can help you focus on one thing for hours. 

• Problem-solving: Chess can help you learn to think rationally and make tough decisions. 

• Creativity: Chess can help you think outside the box and envision different scenarios. 

• Critical thinking: Chess can help you develop higher-order thinking skills. 

Barrie McClymont
AST/IS  

SECONDHAND BOYS GREY SHORTS SALE

WHEN: Tuesday, 4th March, Wednesday, 5th March and Friday, 7th March - 8:30am - 8:50am / 2:30pm - 2:50pm

WHERE: Library

PRICE: $1.00 each CASH ONLY

SIZES: 3-4, 4, 5-6, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 & 14

For any queries, please contact Shelley via email shelley.tyson@decyp.tas.gov.au

2025 SAFEGUARDING TRAINING FOR PARENTS/CARERS/VOLUNTEERS

In 2025, it is again a Department for Education, Children and Young People requirement for any parent/carer/family member that is planning to volunteer in our school (parent help, attending excursions, coaching sporting teams, etc.) has a current Working with Vulnerable People registration and has completed the Safeguarding Training before you undertake any of these activities.  If you undertook this training last year, you will be covered until the expiration date of your 2024 certificate.  For example, if you completed the training on 16 April 2024, you must complete it before 16 April 2025 to ensure it remains current.
To complete the training, please click the link below, then follow the Volunteers and External Providers tab.

Once completed, please download a copy of your certificate (at the end of training) and send it with a copy of your current Working with Vulnerable People card to the office or alternatively email it to spreyton.primary@decyp.tas.gov.au.

If you need to apply for a Working with Vulnerable People Registration, you can do this via the link below.

PLEASE BE AWARE: If you are visiting your child’s class teacher, dropping or collecting your child from the office or attending assemblies, then you are not required to have completed the training.
If you have any questions regarding this, please contact the office on 6421 2222.

Karen Wicks
SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGER

2025 PAYMENT OF LEVIES

Levies are one of the many ways that families contribute to our school community.  They support student learning by contributing towards the cost of essential items and services.
Families should receive an invoice for levies in the next few days.  Statements are posted from Hobart and provide BPay details for Parents/Carers to facilitate payment. Payment can be made online or at the school office via EFTPOS or cash between 8.00am and 4.00pm on school days.
Wherever possible we ask that Parents/Carers pay the amount of levies invoiced in full in Term One.  However, we understand some circumstances mean this is not possible and Parents/Carers may choose to agree to pay levies by instalments. Parents/Carers are encouraged to discuss setting up a payment plan as early as possible if there is difficulty in affording the levy charge.  This will enable us to set up an agreed instalment payment plan with regular weekly/fortnightly or monthly payments to suit your circumstance and ensure the levies are paid in full in an acceptable timeframe.
Families who are supported through the Student Assistance Scheme do not need to pay levies. If you have a current Health Care Card and have not already applied for STAS please follow the link below to complete the application.     

Parents/Carers of Grade 6 students have been invoiced for the Grade 6 Leavers Top for $40 per shirt, you should receive this in the next few day too. Students will receive their Grade 6 Leavers Top/s when they arrive and payment has been received.
Karen Wicks
SCHOOL BUSINESS MANAGER

MIDFORD TRADING HOURS

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Bluff 2 Boat Ramp

Choice Support Plus

Devonport Football Club Juniors Season 2025

360 Martial Arts Fitness