School News
Mr Irwin's Message
Hello families and welcome to this week’s newsletter.
Lantern Parade
I know many of you will have attended the Teesdale Live event which culminated in the wonderful Lantern Parade, but I wanted to acknowledge the hard work of the Turtle Bend Committee in getting this off the ground this year.
It is a labour of love and takes many hours to prepare and organise the lanterns for use. And this year the committee faced the logistical challenge of running the event at the school instead of its spiritual home at Turtle Bend. Whilst it was a shame the event couldn’t run at Turtle Bend I’m sure you’ll agree it was still a terrific evening and the lanterns looked stunning as it got dark. So on behalf of our community I want to thank the Turtle Bend Committee for putting many hours in to prepare and run such a spectacular community event.
End of Year Happenings
As we head into the final weeks of the year there’s still many exciting things happening to conclude our school year. Have you seen our Gradvent Calendar counting down our amazing Grade 6 graduates? Each day we’re adding new photos to this calendar just outside the entry of the BER. Our graduates have been compiling their memory book for 2022 and will soon start on their farewell speeches.
Our Year 5 students got introduced to leadership roles they can apply for in 2023. These include School Leader, House Leader, Wellbeing Leader and Mr Irwin’s Maintenance Crew. Students will have the chance to present their speeches to fellow students. 2023 leaders will be announced at our final assembly of the year.
Mrs Clarke has started preparing some songs for the Christmas Market, including writing our own Christmas song. This was such a great event last year with a big crowd, warm weather and good fun had by all. We’ll share the lyrics we create in the coming weeks, so you don’t miss out on the fun of joining in on the night.
The end of the year can also be an unsettling time of change. If your child is starting to feel anxious with regard to 2023, Mr Lindsay has some helpful hints on hand via our wellbeing page of the newsletter.
Teachers have worked hard to develop class lists for 2023. I did want to reiterate that earlier in the term we completed the 5 hand process to guide this. Class lists are one of the more complex processes we attend to and guaranteeing each student gets 1 person from their hand is an important part of the transition but bear in mind that 1 is our commitment and not 2 or 3 given how complex development of classes can be. On the Statewide Orientation Day on December 13th, students will spend time in their class groups with their 2023 class teacher. In the leadup to this we will announce our class structure and teacher placements.
For now however, the strong focus remains on finishing 2022 with a strong focus on calm and orderly classrooms.
Bye for now and have a great week!
Orientation Day Invitation for all New Students
All new students commencing in 2023 are warmly welcomed to attend our Orientation Day on Tuesday 13th December from 9.15am to 11.15am.
Please see the attached invitation with further information.
Graduation - Year 6
Last week families were emailed further information regarding the Year 6 Graduation.
A separate email also followed containing your family invoice for this event. If you did not receive the invoice, please contact the office.
Payment and permission to attend the event are required by Friday 2nd December. To provide consent for your child to attend the Graduation, please log in to the Sentral App or Parent Portal and grant permission. Payment can be made using your unique family BPay code. Don't forget to also complete the digital meal order form by 2nd December.
Community OSH News
Healthy Lunch Box Choices and Nude Food
Please help reduce waste in our school by packing 'Nude Food' (food without excess packaging) in your child's lunch box. The Healthy Lunch Box Pick & Mix posters below provide some good Nude Food options.
