MOTHER’S DAY AFTERNOON TEA – THANK YOU

On Monday, we held a special afternoon tea as I way of celebrating our Mums and all they do each and every day! We had lots of people attend on Monday afternoon which was lovely. On behalf of our staff team, I would like to thank everyone who attended the Mother’s Day afternoon tea. I would also like to say a HUGE thank you to our staff team for organising and planning this event.

We hope that all Mums, Step Mums, Grandmothers and other special people all had a lovely Mother’s Day on Sunday.

NAPLAN

This week, students in Grades 3, 5, 7 and 9 have all participated in NAPLAN testing. NAPLAN stands for 'National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy'. Its purpose is to determine if educational outcomes have been achieved by students and is also used to inform government policy and curriculum planning.

The grade 3 and grade 5 students at Launch all participated in the NAPLAN testing this week and we are all so proud of the positive manner in which our students approached these tests, and how hard they tried throughout the testing period. I would like to congratulate all students in grades 3 and 5 for their efforts during NAPLAN this week.

EMEREGENCY MANAGEMENT DRILL – OFFSITE EVACUATION

At some stage over the next couple of weeks, we will be having an offsite evacuation drill. It is a department requirement that we practice our emergency management drills at least once per term, as this practice helps us to refine our evacuation processes, and identify any issues that need addressing in the event that we should ever need to use them.

CURRICULUM DAY

A reminder that we are having a student free curriculum day on Tuesday the 25th of May. Our school will not be open on this day, and as such, students do not attend school on this day.

WALK TO SCHOOL DAY

Tomorrow, Friday the 14th of May, is National Walk Safely to School Day (WSTSD). This is an annual event when all Primary School children will be encouraged to walk and commute safely to school. It is a Community Event seeking to promote Road Safety, Health, Public Transport and the Environment. Students who walk (or ride) to school on Friday will be given a sticker to acknowledge their participation on National Walk Safely to School Day.

EDUCATION WEEK

Excitement is building for this year’s Education Week celebrations. This year’s theme ‘Building Connections’ is an opportunity for our school to showcase how our school is connecting with our local community over the course of the week.

During the week of the 24th of May, we have lots of events and activities happening at our school. They are as follows:

Monday 24th May: Book Week dress up day
Tuesday 25th May: Curriculum Day – no school
Wednesday 26th May: Grade 5/6 Film Festival at 2.30pm
Thursday 27th May: Grandparents afternoon and open afternoon
Friday 28th May: Multi-age activity morning

We are looking forward to a great week full of exciting activities!

STUDENTS ATTITUDES TO SCHOOL SURVEY

Here at Launch, we value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction. Over the next few weeks, we are conducting a survey to find out what children in Years 4 to 6 think of our school. The 2021 Student Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS), is an annual student survey offered by the Department of Education and Training to assist our school to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, bullying and life in general.

There are also some questions about student health and wellbeing. Understanding health and wellbeing needs is important to support students to learn and thrive at school. The Department is providing this addition to the core survey to allow schools to capture this information to support students. Our Students will be asked about resilience, community connections, mental health and physical activity. This year, the AtoSS will be conducted at Launch Primary over the period 24th May – 11th June.

SCHOOL FACEBOOK PAGE

In a further effort to promote a positive school community we are increasing the number of posts shared to our school Facebook page. Our Facebook page is for promoting a sense of community and will be used to provide families with information about events and activities and positive achievements within our school. The page won’t replace regular communication modes (such as Compass and the newsletter), rather, it will communicate through social media many of the interesting, exciting, fun and terrific learning activities of our students, giving you the chance to interact with “likes” and comments. Please search for Launching Place Primary School on Facebook, to like and follow our page.

WINTER IS COMING

If your child is unwell, even if symptoms are very mild, they should stay at home while unwell and should not attend school until they have recovered. If your child has symptoms of COVID-19 or of cold and flu-like illness, even if they are very mild, please see your doctor. Your child can then be assessed and tested for the virus that causes COVID-19 if required. If testing is advised, your child will have to stay home while waiting for the result of their test. At Launching Place Primary School, we have standard precautions to minimise and, where possible, eliminate the risk of transmission of infection. Each classroom has hand sanitiser and tissues available. Signage is also provided as a reminder to students of the appropriate hygiene routines. We would appreciate it if you would please talk to your child about regularly washing their hands as we head back into flu season once more.

SPOTLIGHT ON BEHAVIOUR

Over the next few weeks, we will be having a focus on student behaviour. Whilst our students have settled in well after the holiday break, we want to ensure that their levels of engagement and good behaviour choices are maintained throughout the term. We will be following up with parents on any repetitive and disruptive behaviours, so that we can work with you and support one other to ensure a productive and enjoyable learning environment for all students. If you ever have any concerns with about how your child is going at school, we encourage you to contact your teacher or myself to discuss further. We are here to help and our door is always open!!

Have a fantastic 2 weeks ahead!

00M	Levi F Isla T Kruze Y	For trying hard to stretch out the sounds and recording them in your writing. For working hard on your counting. For quick maths skills when completing Blitzmaster sheets.
3C	Declan O	For being 'switched On' in the classroom and making his learning a priority.
4/5F	Indi B Charlie G	For always trying her very best at all work tasks. For being a kind and caring friend to his classmates.

Star Students

Well done everyone on your amazing efforts!