It has been a busy and rewarding Term 2 to date. Visiting classes and seeing how focused and committed our young people are to their learning is heartening. From Kinder to Grade 12 there continues to be a range of opportunities that allow students to connect with their community, improve knowledge and understanding of the world around us and to be creative, critical thinkers.

Our whole school will next week participate in Simultaneous Story Time and this will see our senior student lead and model reading strategies and peer mentoring of our younger students. 

This story time will also coincide with our Cross Country Carnival where the theme of the book connects closely to celebrate having a go and being the best you can.

It was finally time for the event of the year, Spike couldn’t believe it The Great Race was here! The other sloths said it couldn’t be done, but Spike didn’t care, she was ready to run! From award-winning creators, Rebecca Young and Heath McKenzie comes this inspiring story to celebrate all winners ... The official story was chosen for ALIA National Simultaneous Storytime 2023, to be celebrated all across Australia and New Zealand!

The event will take place at from 9.30am -11am on Wednesday 24 May, 2023.

In a letter home earlier in the term parents and carers were informed of staff changes. I wish to thank all staff in supporting a positive, seamless transition. Change is difficult as teaching and learning is based on positive, respectful relationships. Core to our learning is developing the skills and dispositions for our young people to meet the demands of the real world. Establishing relationships and working with a range of people shows resilience, growth and mutually benefiting relationships.

We would like to welcome new staff to our team:

• Miss Kate Walters will take over from Lynette Knibbe (Monday-Thursday) on 5/6 A who remains at Port, being promoted to our Quality Teaching Coach, leading our literacy priority and supporting staff and student intervention provisions
• Ms Sonny Kilby will extend her time on 3/4 A to full time as Sharyn Miller prioritises her health
• Mrs Stef Jackson will be joining us to teach Year 10 English and History and Year 7 HASS
• Mrs Zoe Kay will increase her time at Port to support Hands on Learning, a wonderful flexible provision that students applied to be part of
• Mr Ian Cheney, senior school maths and science
• Mr Tony Green who is working with the Support Team to introduce Hands on Learning – Build
• Teacher Aides Luci Burr, Fran Carroll and Logan Hardstaff where they will work alongside our Student Support Staff to engage our young people in a range of learning provisions.

All of these staff bring an expert skills and knowledge to our school community and will value add to our existing dedicated teaching team.

Community Partnerships

Port Dalrymple is one of the riches resourced schools in the state when it comes to positive community partnerships and students in all grades benefit from these connections.

Ongoing relationships that promote community connections, student voice and inclusion are

• GFG Foundation- Liberty Bell Bay
• Bell Bay Aluminium- Breakfast Club, Tree Planting and Vocational Pathway networks
• George Town Council- Youth Advisory, Launch Pad, Future Impact Group
• George Town Library- Parent sessions and access
• Salvation Army- mentoring and fundraising partnerships
• Bell Bay Advance Manufacturing Zone- work placements, employment pathways
• Child and Family Learning Centre

Together we continue to support our young people with a collective responsibility to ensuring students are connected, confident, proud people within our community.

“It takes a village to raise a child”

GFG Foundation

The GFG Foundation Student Programme in conjunction with CSIRO and The Prince’s Trust Australia is a primary way of investing in future generations. They recognise that most of the areas GFG Alliance has a presence in are industrial heartlands with significant workforce shortages and optimal capacity for growth. However, they also know that with a commitment to a carbon-neutral economy, these industries are seeing the dawn of great technological change, which brings opportunity for young people. We have therefore developed the GFG Foundation Student Programme to help young people be better equipped for the opportunities ahead. The programme takes students away from the constraints of timetable and curriculum and introduces them to the world of locally focused STEM opportunity, coupled with a life-skills component to help them with confidence and self-esteem.

The programme was developed in-house by the Foundation in partnership with CSIRO and Prince’s Trust Australia to enhance and deliver programmes of the highest standards. Although the programmes are STEM based, there is also a strong life-skills component woven in. Part of this is the ‘Ten Best Self’ points that we introduce to students and ask mentors to encourage them to follow these on a weekly basis. They are:

• Be respectful to others and you will be respected
• A firm handshake will show confidence
• Eye contact will show honesty
• A please and thank you are simply polite
• Hats and caps are for outside only
• If you are on time, you are probably late
• Always reply to texts with at least one whole sentence
• Tell us if you can’t make it
• Be kind
• Smile, laugh often and make it fun for everyone

Students of the GFG Foundation Student Programme participated in a speed networking session where they were able to improve on their interview skills, increase their confidence and connect to members and leaders of the George Town Community

Breakfast Club

We also had Bell Bay Aluminium staff from the local smelter and Queensland visit our Breakfast Club to see how this supports setting our young people up for a successful day. The team spoke with Jayne Watts our Youth Networker and students about the importance to a good start to the day. The visited Prep/1 Leslie and enjoyed being part of their morning routine. Breakfast Club allows students to have some cereal, hot milo and toast, enjoy a catch up with staff and friends and prepare for the busy day ahead. Breakfast Club is available daily from 8.30am-8.50am

• Prep-6- Stephanie Alexander Kitchen
• Years 7-12- Support and Learning Centre

Northern High School Winter Sports Roster

This week after many years we saw the return of Port Dalrymple School’s participation in the Northern High School Winter Sports Roster. This was a very exciting day. We have strong teams in both male and female football, mixed soccer and two netball teams. Students have been training Wednesday afternoons this term in preparation to Round 1. Feedback from students and staff was that the bus trip, positive team relationships and the way students represented the school with pride was worth the effort to re-join and engage in school sport. We have had significant support from the George Town Football Club, George Town Junior Football Club, AFL Tasmania, the NTFA and the NTJFA.

Organised sport has many psychological and social benefits for children – even more than the physical activity during play. Researchers think this is because children benefit from the social side of being in a team, and from the involvement of other children and adults.

Developing life skills through sports

Boys Football

The PDS boys football team travelled to Rocherlea Football Ground to take on the might of KMHS in the Div 2 Round 1 clash. Re-entering the NHSSA winter sports roster after a 10-year hiatus, the boys were extremely excited to be representing the school and George Town community. With our Y10 boys of Ashton, Jobi, Alex, Jobe, and Jack leading the way, the boys got off to a flyer in the first quarter and had piled on 6 goals to nil by quarter time. Newcomers to the sport Connor, Allan, and Jaxon showed their willingness to win the hard ball. As the game wore on it was clear PDS were the superior team. Our boys continued to play a ‘team first’ game, with the ball and goals being shared around, with Zay bobbing up in the second quarter to bag two brilliant goals. Harrison, William, Josiah, and Oliver all contributed strongly throughout the day as were recorded a 17.15 = 116 to 0.0 = 0 result. Thanks to Johnty for scoring. Round 2 we take on CDHS at the NTCA on the 24/5.

Girls Football

Our girls' football team at Port Dalrymple made an amazing debut into the NHHSA! They played with energy and sportsmanship, putting pressure on the opposition. Despite having several opportunities in our 50, converting them into goals proved challenging. Montanna dominated in the ruck, while Zoranna showcased her versatility. In the midfield, Mia was always ready for action, and Natarsha, Daisy, and Sophie applied great pressure. Keeley, Paige, Lizzy, Imogen, and Savannah persisted in the forward line, creating relentless attacks at goal. Leilani, Emily, and Ella held their ground in defense, with Savannah also shining in the backline. Ella, our outstanding manager and assistant coach, provided exceptional support. The score was Port 16 vs Cressy 34. Next, they will face Riverside High School at Rocherlea Football Ground.

Mixed Soccer

Our girls' football team at Port Dalrymple made an amazing debut into the NHSSA! They played with energy and sportsmanship, putting pressure on the opposition. Despite having several opportunities in our 50, converting them into goals proved challenging. Montanna dominated in the ruck, while Zoranna showcased her versatility. In the midfield, Mia was always ready for action, and Natarsha, Daisy, and Sophie applied great pressure. Keeley, Paige, Lizzy, Imogen, and Savannah persisted in the forward line, creating relentless attacks at goal. Leilani, Emily, and Ella D held their ground in defence, with Savannah also supporting in the backline. Ella C, our outstanding manager and assistant coach, provided exceptional support. The score was Port 16 vs Cressy 34. Next, they will face Riverside High School at Rocherlea Football Ground

Netball

It was fantastic to see so many families come in over our two-day book giveaway afternoons! We were able to rehome over 100 packs of preloved books from our school library and talk to our families and community members about the teaching and learning happening at Port Dalrymple School. Thank you to Rachel and Sophie for coming along to show us what the library is all about. They were able to sign up 24 new members who can now access audio books, ebooks and print books from the George Town Library.

Congratulations again to our raffle draw winners: Bianka F. Emma E. and Amelia D.

Special thank you to Miss Knowles, Jayne Watts and our Junior Leaders for taking the time to organise this event.

Students from years 10, 11 and 12 have been successful in gaining full-time apprenticeships and employment over the past six months. Port Dalrymple School prides itself on providing students with various opportunities to enhance their pathways for the future. Students participate in industry visits, work placements, Pre-VET and Certificate II VET programs whilst at school. We appreciate and are grateful to the businesses and industries that support our school and students. We are very proud of these students and wish them all the best within their chosen career.

We are lucky enough to have several programs students use to support and extend their learning at Port Dalrymple School. Mathletics and Reading Eggs are valuable tools used throughout our classrooms for skills based and enrichment tasks, but you can also access them on devices at home. Each class teacher is able to download the username and password for your child and give you a copy upon request through our main office.

Mathletics and Reading Eggs can both be accessed by downloading the apps or visiting these links and logging in using your child’s individual user details.

www.mathletics.com.au

www.readingeggs.com.au

Sora is an app that Libraries Tasmania and The Department for Education, Children and Young People have worked together to provide access for any student in a public school since 2020. Simply download the app for free or follow the directions on http://soraapp.com.au to access audio books, ebooks and magazines for a variety of interests and readers.

From Prep to Year 6 our students participate in various initiatives to support their reading development and encourage reading for learning and pleasure. From Week 5 Term 2, all students who complete 100 nights of Home Reading or 100 Reading Journal Responses will receive their certificate and a brand-new book. Once students have achieved 150 Nights or Responses, they will receive their certificate and have the choice between either a Book Buddy or a Book Worm. We look forward to celebrating the reading achievements of all our students in the coming months! 

It has been fantastic to come into classrooms across our school and witness the variety of teaching and learning opportunities we have available for our students. Here is a snapshot of some amazing work in the last few weeks.

• Prep to Year 2 students have been working hard to practise letter formation, handwriting and writing sentences.
• 3/4 classes have been learning about procedural texts including how to draw a bee.
• 5-8 classes have explored fractions and decimals in Mathematics and persuasive texts for English. Enhancing their writing with sizzling starts and using TEEL paragraphs to support their arguments.
• While our senior classes have also practised their persuasive arguments using texts that explore Australian migrant perspectives. Year 10 have used classic literature to compare and contrast character traits, motivations and perspectives.

Year Nine student, Harrison, is now a member of the staff at Port Dalrymple School in the role of a school-based apprentice. Harrison will work alongside Mr Potter on Monday and Wednesday as he engages in a Certificate II in Horticulture. Harrison will continue his studies in the classroom as well as specific units aligned to the Horticulture course. The school currently has two other students on school-based apprenticeships working in the community in Hospitality and Civil Engineering. Businesses are invited to consider a school-based apprentice in their workplace. If you have any questions about apprenticeship opportunities, please contact the Mr Stuart Austin.