Newsletter 22 October
From the Principal
Our school continues to thrive – we need help with the next steps!
As we move into the last term of the year it is fantastic to see so many positives for our students. Current PAT testing is indicating high gains for many of our students, especially in the year two space. Participation in last week’s World Food Day was fantastic – so many children willing to have a go at trying something new. Our school food matters program has certainly made a huge difference with this.
Another thing that has made a huge difference for many of our students is the STEM program that runs on a Thursday afternoon with Saul. This is ramping up as the competition day on November 8 gets closer! Thanks to Saul for all his help and facilitation with this group.
The Her Court Program will be starting up at lunch time next week encouraging girls to participate in more sport, especially basketball. Thanks to Jo Wrigley who will be supporting this in her lunch break!
While our students and our school generally continue to thrive it’s important we don’t relax too much. In order to extend the work, we have done we need some parent support this term.
Breakfast Club – listening to students read. Come in with your child, join us for a piece of toast and listen to a child read. You’ll tick off another night of home reading for them as they make their way to 100 nights and beyond. Some children are very close to joining our end of year excursion! Time commitment is half an hour from 8:30 – 9:00am Tuesday and/or Thursday morning.
School Lunch Matters – we’d love some help with preparation, serving and clean-up of our school lunch program on a Monday through to Thursday between 12 – 1:45pm. You may have one day you can give, you may have more.
Next year we will be looking for someone to take on responsibility for Children’s University. Janine has done a brilliant job facilitating this in the last two years but won’t be continuing as her grandsons move on to high school. It would also be great to have some help with Tournament of Minds next year and see if we can’t enter a team!
It would be great to see more parents and community members helping out across the school. Please text the school mobile if you are able to help in any way. Leave your name and when you are available and I’ll get back to you. School mobile: 0438 705049.
Nadine Davey
Principal
Kinder
Kinder – Term 4
Term 4 has already been an exciting, explorative 2 weeks! Kinder enjoyed trying new foods from different cultures at World Food Day in Week 1. We then joined with the Prep class in a wonderful day at TMAG! We got to ride a bus and explored 4 exhibits: mapiya lumi – around here, ningina tunapri, Islands to Ice, and Tasmania: Earth and Life. Students were inquisitive as they asked lots of questions about new things they found and connected new things with what we have been learning at school!
3/4 Balhatchet
Grade ¾ B have been busy digging deep in Science. They have taken soil samples from around the school and investigated them to observe what they can see, feel and hear (yes, you can hear sandy soils make a grinding sound!). They have been practising the ribboning technique to see how the particles within the soils hold together to decide if they are sandy, silt or clay. The students work well in teams together and have had lots of fun getting messy!
5/6 Grech
This term our Grade 5/6 class has begun exploring how severe weather events such as bushfires, floods, droughts and cyclones are managed in Australia. We are combining this topic with our English focus, which is informative texts. Students will be using their research skills to gather information about these topics and present their findings. They will then use this knowledge later in the term when writing narratives. It has been fantastic to see the interest and focus from students when engaging in these lessons.
In mathematics, we are learning about fractions, in particular adding and subtracting fractions and how we can use our knowledge of equivalent fractions when doing this. We have also started investigating probability through chance games, and students will soon be creating and testing their own chance games.
World Food Day
World Food Day
World Food Day was an enormous success last week with lots of dishes providing the opportunity for children to experience the tastes and aromas of foods from around the world. Kate was very busy in the kitchen leading up to the day and Anna our EAL teacher worked with students to make some dishes and signs as well.
Besides the variety of foods available it was so wonderful to see so many children try something new or different. Having School Food Matters at our school has certainly improved our interest in other foods!
A huge thank you to the staff that got in and helped with serving on the day – it was a massive task to get approximately 200 people in and fed, they did a brilliant job.
I must say my favourite were the ANZAC biscuits!
Thai noodle salad - Thailand
Mixed bean quesadillas with tomato salsa - Mexico
Hummus - Turkey/Egypt
Tzatziki - Greece
Tomato Gnocchi - Italy
Spring rolls - China
Potato/Sweet potato samosas - India
Spanakopita triangles - Greece
Roti Bread - Malaysia
Fried rice - China
Kimchi - Korea
Sauerkraut - German
Chocolate mousse - France
ANZAC biscuits – Australia
There were some very full plates and lots of people that went back for seconds!!!
Literacy
Reading Corner – Mr Bowden
Structured Literacy
You may have noticed some changes in the way we’re teaching reading in our school. These changes are part of a statewide commitment to ensure every student develops strong reading skills that will support them throughout school and beyond.
Learning to read is a skill that must be taught—it's not something we’re born knowing how to do. That’s why our teachers are using high-quality, evidence-based strategies to help every child become a confident reader.
Our students are learning to read through structured and explicit literacy teaching. This means they are building foundational literacy skills step by step, with each new skill reinforcing the last. This approach helps students grow into capable, independent readers.
We’re proud to be part of this statewide effort to provide structured literacy lessons that are proven to work. Thank you for your ongoing support as we help every student succeed.
Our Literacy Block is first thing in the morning (9:10 – 11:30), with our structured literacy sessions beginning at 9:10am. Attendance is important to ensure your child is receiving the targeted explicit instruction they require in building their reading skills.
Keep your eyes out for some family information sessions which will be running in Term 4 and into 2026, aiming to provide understanding of what’s going on in our classrooms at Springfield Gardens.
Home Reading Program Update
On Friday 19 September, we had a very special morning tea for students across the school, who have read more than 75 nights, as part of the Home Reading Program. We were pleased to invite more than 35 students along, to enjoy a selection of delicious treats with Ms. Davey and myself. A special thank you to Jo and Kate for setting up and organising the morning for us!
Reading with a child at home has many benefits, including:
- Better comprehension and communication
- Improved academic performance
- Bonding between parent/caregiver and child
- Focus and self-discipline
- Creativity and imagination
- Expanded vocabulary
- Learning to value books
Reading 10 minutes a day, exposes children to more than 300,000 words throughout the year. In Term 4, we will have our excursion to Bounce, recognising students who have read more than 100 nights – there’s still plenty of time to join the list!
We welcome families to restock their home libraries with books which are pre-loved from our Library. There is the stand in our front office with books you can take home, and we will have further opportunities in Term 4 to purchase/collect a bag of books.
Port Arthur Excursion
Port Arthur Excursion, End of Term 3, 2025
The Port Arthur excursion was really amazing! The first thing we went to was a cottage, which was really exhausting because the walk was very long. At the cottage, there was a big ship and a wishing well where we took a picture. Next, we went to a huge prison (the main part of Port Arthur); we explored the first floor which had mould everywhere, and the places where the convicts lived – they were so tiny!
We then walked up a big hill to a hospital where the convicts were treated. After that we had an energy break, and while we were up there, we went to a lighthouse with a spectacular view!
We then walked to a beautiful garden, where we saw a nice fountain and had five minutes of silence. Last, we visited the memorial garden.
We all had a great time!!!
By Nishtha and Yashal
Chess Tournament
Our students attended the inter-school chess tournament at Hilliard Christian school at the end of last term. Everybody should be proud of how they represented our school and our school values. The students enjoy the weekly chess sessions held at school and had been honing their skills ahead of the tournament. Well done team!
School Food Matters
Upcoming menu for the lunch program:
Week 3 - Moroccan Lamb and Chicken Singapore Noodles.
Week 4 - Taco Mince Potato and Butter Chicken
One of our delicious meals from this week was the Pasta in Napoli sauce with garlic bread and salad.
Lunch Special
Our senior classes will be holding another school lunch special where they will be preparing and selling chicken and veggie burgers. Kindergarten children will have their special lunch day on Wednesday 5 November and Prep - 6 on Friday 31 October.
Order forms will go home on Monday 27 October.
Monies raised will support our end of year activities, we appreciate your support.
Car Park
A reminder that smoking and vaping are not permitted on school grounds. For the safety of our school community please refrain from smoking in any form whilst visiting the school. You may be excluded from parking on school grounds if you are caught doing so.
PaKT
Think You Know
Think U Know (https://www.thinkuknow.org.au/ ) sessions will be conducted in classes Prep – 6 at Springfield Primary School by Tasmania Police (on behalf of the Australian Federal Police) on Friday 31st October.
The sessions very important for students as we progress with the future and usage of internet, gaming and social media. There is no way of avoiding internet usage, but we can just aim to provide children with information on how to stay safe whilst online. The presentations are age appropriate and talk to students about how to stay safe whilst online along with the do’s and don’ts.
Australia has a new law that will require social media platforms to take "reasonable steps" to prevent users under 16 from creating accounts, effective from December 10, 2025. The Online Safety Amendment (social media Minimum Age) Act 2024 aims to protect children from harms like cyberbullying and harmful content. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X are expected to be included.
A parent/carer session will be conducted on the same day starting at 8.40am and running until 9.30am. Please contact the office to register your attendance.
eSafety
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