Newsletter Term 2

Students at Port Dalrymple School are provided many opportunities to connect and engage with learning that provides them with a foundation to experience success in many ways. I am proud of everything we do at Port Dalrymple School. Visiting classrooms, I observe the quality of teaching and learning and the level of respect students show to themselves and others as they navigate their learning journey. I wish to commend all students embracing our focus on our school wide expectations, ensuring an orderly learning classroom by being a learner and being respectful. Respect is an important human characteristic, and it is an expectation that all members of the Port Dalrymple School community show respect for each other and respect for themselves and our environment. Throughout this term we have introduced students to “This is how we do it” expectations, focusing on acknowledging students efforts in creating a positive school culture. These expectations were a collaboration of students, staff and parents as we continually focus on improving our school experience for all.

Teachers have been focusing on these messages and acknowledging students’ effort to apply these across the school community.

• Respect ourselves, others and our environment
• Accept the consequences of our behaviour
• Respect other people’s differences and strengths
• Follow instructions first time, every time
• Ensure our actions and choices impact on others positively

Our students have been engaged in an array of exciting activities this term. From Hands-on Learning to participating in insightful industry talks, representing the school in a breadth of sporting programs and attending events that connect learning to our community, they are truly exploring the world around them. Recently, students have also attended college presentations and secured work placements that provide real-world experience. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and the dedication they show in all their endeavours.

Every Day Matters- School Attendance

Students attending school every day is so important for their social and intellectual development. Research has proven that when students attend school all day and every day, they achieve much better results and give themselves a greater chance of a successful future. School helps students build important life skills such as teamwork, communication and resilience along with developing their academic understanding. Parents need to be aware as well that it is a legal requirement that students attend school. Under the law you must make sure that your child attends school every day unless you have a reasonable explanation. It is very important that you don’t keep you child away from school for minor reasons. You can expect Port Dalrymple School to do the following: -

• Monitor student attendance.
• The office will communicate every time your child is absent from school via a text message. Please respond to this.
• We will follow up on any unexplained absences.
• Provide students with real-life authentic experiences to engage them in their learning.
• Work with you around strategies to encourage your child to come to school.
• It is important that if your child is absent from school, you contact the office and provide a reason. If you have any problems getting your child or children to school, please contact us for advice or support.

We recently acknowledged students who had attended school every day of term 1 with a certificate for 100% attendance. This term the class with the highest number of students attending 9 out of 10 days will receive a special class luncheon and next term individual students who are attending 9 out of 10 days will have the opportunity to attend an excursion to an activity in Launceston.

Regular attendance at school is important. The recommended minimum attendance rate over the course of the year is 90%. To put this in different terms, with 192 student attendance days in 2025, this means that a student must attend 173 days (i.e. no more than 19 days absent for the year) to achieve this threshold. Nevertheless, the higher the attendance rate the better. Please also note that arriving late to school or leaving early also contributes to overall attendance rates. 

As we head into the colder months, a few important reminders:

• Uniform Expectations: While the weather is cooling down, our expectations around school uniform remain the same. Please continue to wear your full school uniform with pride.
• ‘Off and Away’ Policy: Mobile phones should remain off and away during school hours. If students need to contact home—or if parents need to reach their child—please do so through the front office, where our friendly staff are always happy to assist.
• Attendance Matters: Every day at school counts. We encourage all students to be present and on time each day. Consistent attendance is key to staying connected, engaged, and on track with learning.

Reporting

As part of meeting our requirements under DECYP’s Communicating Learning Progress with Families Procedures,  teachers have commenced preparing mid-year reports. Reports will be shared with families during progress conferences with teachers on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during the final week of term. We encourage all families to make a time to meet with teachers. Staff will share your child’s progress through the evidences of learning and give you a copy of their report. More specific information about reports and progress conferences has been emailed to all parents/carers. Meaningful communication is integral to supporting the partnerships between families and schools that effectively promote student learning progress and wellbeing. As part of quality teaching practice, teachers regularly elicit evidence of student learning through assessment. This evidence is used to:

• assess where learners are in their learning, at a point in time
• adjust teaching practice to progress learning
• communicate learning progress with learners and families to support learning

Parent/Teacher/Student interviews will be held shortly.

An email has been sent to families.

We invite all families to make a time to meet directly with class teachers to discuss progress and future learning focus.

Go to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the code r352x

Or CLICK HERE to book.

1. Enter your details.
2. Select the teachers you wish to see.
3. Select the appointment time that suits your family best.

When you click FINISH your selected bookings will be emailed to you instantly.

 If you do not receive your email INSTANTLY, please check your junk-mail AND your SPAM folder, or enter the event code again and check your email address spelling. Update your details if the email address is incorrect.

The email will arrive from bookings@schoolintervie.ws

DO NOT DELETE the email you receive. Keep it somewhere safe. You may need to refer back to it at a later date.

REMEMBER TO ADD YOUR APPOINTMENTS TO YOUR CALENDAR - reminders will not be sent.

Bookings must be finalised by Friday 27^th June, 2025.

If you need to view, cancel, change or print your bookings:

• Click on the link in the confirmation email you received after you made your bookings
• OR return to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the code and the email address you used when making your bookings.

Lunch Program 

Project Lifesaver 

Project Lifesaver is an initiative to equip eligible DECYP sites with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to enhance emergency response capabilities and improve safety. St John Ambulance Tasmania has been secured as our supplier of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). This initiative is part of DECYP’s ongoing commitment to enhancing safety and wellbeing across sites by ensuring that more locations are equipped to handle cardiac emergencies effectively. This project demonstrates DECYP’s dedication to providing timely and effective emergency response capabilities across the state, ultimately saving lives and fostering a safer environment for everyone. While we already have an AED on our site at the pool,  additional devices will be most welcome, particularly for out of hours user groups. The new AED is in Administration block and the Trade Training Centre.