The Launceston Preparatory School - Newsletter 30 May 2024

Music News - Getting There

Our students have been working very hard in building their skills and knowledge in music - and we are truly Getting There!

Our term has been based around developing and celebrating new and existing instrumental and theory skills and knowledge.

Early Learners have enjoyed singing some new and old songs together as a group, and playing some movement and dancing games such as, ‘Wheels on the Bus’.

Kinders are working hard on memorising song lyrics for important songs such as, ‘Give Me A Home Among the Gum Trees’, and our school song, ‘Truth and Happiness’. We also love dancing and sharing solo performances whenever we get the chance.

Preps and Year 1s are busy committing our National Anthem, ‘Advance Australia Fair’, to memory, and learning to play rhythm duets on xylophones with a partner. Students create their own 1 bar rhythms, and play a solo line, then a duet line to finish their piece. They are very proud of their work and love to show it off to their classmates and teachers.

Year 2s and 3s are continuing on their Recorder Karate journey, with students earning a new coloured ‘belt’ each time they have shown good improvement in their playing. ‘Perfect playing’ doesn’t matter, moreover, showing that we are ‘getting there’ counts for everything. We have also enjoyed working through theory workbooks and playing musical games on Boomwhackers and percussion instruments.

Preps through to Year 3s all have a combined singing session after Assembly each week, where we love to burn off some pent-up energy with a DJ Raphi dance. This is followed up by singing new and old songs with the chance to hold and sing through the microphone.

Seniors are hard at work in small groups during Monday Music sessions. Each student is placed into one of three small groups, which rotate around three stations: keyboard, drums and theory. The keyboard station provides a keyboard, some headphones and an appropriate piece of music to each student, with the goal for each individual being dependent on their prior experience in keyboard playing. The song may be, ‘Hot Cross Buns’, for those without prior experience, up to, ‘Dance Monkey’, for the intermediate, and the more experienced players may work on Satie’s, ‘Gymnopédies’, suite. The drumming station provides the students an opportunity to work on their drumming rudiments, with a short free-play turn on our electronic drum kit. The theory workstation has the students working on their individual theory workbooks, supplement the practical exercises we are undertaking. Each time a student hits a milestone in their learning progression, they receive a sticker for their visual learning tracker, which is displayed proudly on the wall in the Multi Purpose Hall.

It has been a very busy term full of achievement and celebration, however, the enthusiasm and engagement from each year group has been high. We certainly walk away from each Music lesson with a little bit more knowledge and skill.

Mr Billy Green

Connected Parenting Workshop with Jo McFarlane -5th June 2024

You still have time to book this fantastic FREE workshop opportunity !

On Wednesday June 5th,  Jo McFarlane is presenting a workshop, Connected Parenting, just for parents here at The LPS!

Don't miss this opportunity to hear Jo's powerful message, build your strategy bank, and ask your pressing parenting questions.

Where: Multi Purpose Hall

Time: 7:00pm start

How to book: simply email the office to book your place – admin@lps.tas.edu.au

         What is connected parenting?

- The quality of time you spend together.

- Being present and fully engaged during the time you have together.

- Approaching interactions with a positive and compassionate attitude rather than, being critical, nagging, or blaming.

- Accepting your child for who they are.

- Validating and supporting their feelings and beliefs.

- Creating a safe and supportive place for them to feel comfortable make mistakes, acknowledge their mistakes and be themselves.

About Jo McFarlane!
Jo McFarlane is a passionate professional who builds respectful relationships with families. Her extensive knowledge of disabilities combined with current research enables her to support children with current interventions and accommodations in school and home environments.
During her 30 years in education, Jo has developed experience in the following settings:

• Giant Steps Tasmania Teacher (School for Children with Autism)
• Vision Impairment Support Service (Children 0 – Year 12)
• Esk Support Service (Support role, support inclusion of students in DECYP schools, School age children)
• Learning Support Coordinator (Accessing funding, working with families and children, 3 years – 12 years, in the school setting)
• Jo has worked closely with Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, and Speech and Language Therapists to provide successful programs to support children at home and at school. This multidisciplinary approach is evident in her work.
• see more at https://connectingwithkidstas.com.au/

Early Learning - Reconciliation Week

This week in Early Learning and Kindergarten, the children have engaged in activities to promote reconciliation. Reconciliation Week provides an opportunity to explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through storytelling; arts and crafts; and music and dance. Our goal is to lay the foundation for understanding, uniting and respecting all Australians and our beautiful country. The children have engaged in bark painting, making baskets, painting eucalyptus leaves, drawing traditional symbols and patterns; activities to familiarise the children with the meaning of the colours on the Aboriginal flag and; listening to indigenous music. We have viewed three episodes of Play School titled, Walking Together, Yarning and Dreaming, and Acknowledgement of Country. The themes in the episodes are about being open to change and sharing and caring for country. The children have also continued with our daily Acknowledgement of Country.

Mrs Alice Batten

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Kinder - Reconciliation Week

In Kindergarten, we worked collaboratively on an art piece focusing on our connection to our land. This came about as a result of sharing about  connection to country during our week long focus on Reconciliation Week. 

Ms Rebecca Howard

Prep/1 - Swimming

This week, our Prep/1 students have embarked on our swimming program every afternoon under the expert guidance of Mr Payne and Miss Gilbert. It has been so lovely to have Miss Gilbert teaching us in the pool when normally only the Kinder students are lucky enough to have her with them. 

We are quickly becoming experts at floating, kicking, swimming and diving. It is amazing to watch the fast progress of consistent practice, all while having a great time!

Thank you to Mr Bristow for joining us every day to help.

Mrs Cook and Miss England

Group 2/3 - Maths

The Group 2s and 3s are making wonderful progress in Maths.  They are working hard, following procedures, and practising their skills at school and home. 

Term 2 is a great time to drill down on the basics, so we have been working hard to learn our multiplication tables.  Multiplication is a fundamental operation in mathematics, and proficiency in Multiplication tables lays the groundwork for success in various mathematical concepts.  The children have been saying them aloud; matching questions and answer cards together; playing Buzz; identifying patterns, building them using counters; racing the clock to see how fast they can say them; and answering jumbled questions.  By fully immersing ourselves with a wide variety of activities related to multiplication, the children are having lots of fun whilst also consolidating their understanding. 

The children absolutely LOVE their Friday Sports Maths.  Recently, they have played cricket and worked on a series of cricket-related Maths problem-solving challenges.  They also enjoyed making mini- basketball hoops, and adding up their scores. 

Mrs Melissa Freeland 

Seniors - Maths

Over the past few weeks, Senior students have used scaled instruments to measure and compare the length, mass and  capacity of different items. Length saw us measuring objects within the classroom with rulers and measuring tapes and different spaces outside of the classroom with trundle wheels. For mass, we practised hefting, comparing cups filled with different materials, and then confirming our predictions by using digital and balance scales. Capacity froze our hands, as we filled different containers with water using measuring jugs.

Miss Mel Andrews

Philosophy Group 2 and 3

There was a dramatic moment in the shared novel last week, where one of the characters was thrown from one of the palace towers! This inspired us to consider:

• Was this action justifiable?
• When, if ever, is it all right to hurt someone you believe to be “bad”? and
• How can you tell a “good” person from a “bad’ one?
  

Mrs Leonie McNair

Philosophy Groups 4-6

In Somewhere Around the Corner, the local policeman is caught sketching and is embarrassed about drawing for a hobby, so we discussed:

• Why might art have been considered unsuitable as a man’s hobby?
• What other hobbies are considered more feminine or masculine?
• Do we need to change these gender stereotypes? If so, how can this be achieved?

Mrs Leonie McNair

Visual Art - Groups 2-6

Students were very excited to send off their group artwork, ‘In the Deep’, to the Bay of Fires Youth Art Prize. The exhibition called ‘Ocean’, will be held at St Helen’s Portland Hall from 6-9 June if you would like to go along.  When it comes back to school, you will find it in pride of place in Mr Bristow’s office.

You may have also noticed a collection of the Group 2/3s wonderful clay artworks on display just outside the office.

Senior students have looked at photos of murals around Tasmania and have even taken their own photos of murals they have noticed around Launceston. After also looking at the mural at the Geelong terminal of the Spirit of Tasmania (which features the orange-bellied parrot which migrated between Tasmania and Victoria), they are now busy planning their own murals. This is being done as a number of group projects portraying a range of suggestions for the Devonport terminal.  Lots of interesting and creative ideas were shared, and the students are now ready to begin!

Ms Jane Dean

DEEP - Keep Calm and Cook

Our term two DEEP classes have started off smoothly with Keep Calm and Cook mindfully cruising into a zen state. 

Enjoy the photos of our classes so far. 

Mrs Tammy Goss Edmunds 

Meet the Staff - Mr Billy Green

We are excited to continue a new addition to our weekly newsletter! We are featuring a different staff member each week providing an opportunity to meet and celebrate the talented individuals who make up The LPS.  This week, we introduce our Music Teacher Mr Billy Green. A very talented man, Billy also teaches Science to our Group 2/3 and Digital Technology to Prep/1. He has been with us three years at The LPS and we all feel very blessed to have him living our values, bestowing his joy for music upon us all. Billy is a highly valued member of staff and all of our community. 

Dolly's Dream

This term, Esk House raised money for Dolly's Dream, a cause that aims to put an end to bullying. Our Mrs Edmunds also ran her own fundraising effort and pledged to have her head shaved if $1000 was raised ! The Esk Leavers combined their efforts with Mrs Edmund's and together a huge $2412.40 was raised. Thank you to everyone who donated to this worthy cause.

Photos Gallery - Cross Country Carnival

If you would like a copy of a photo of your child that appears in this gallery, please email Melissa L in the office and she will happily forward it to you.

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Bake Sale - The Parents of The LPS

When: Order now, until Monday 10th June

What: Sweets and savouries from JJ's

How: Online by clicking this link https://parents-of-the-lps.square.site/

Collect: Friday 14th June 2024 from Multi Purpose Hall, The LPS

Why: Money raised lets us dollar-match the fundraising efforts of the students, purchase resources for the school, and pay for the Welcome and Christmas functions.

Be part of the conversation, join the Parents of The LPS Facebook Messenger group. All Welcome

Mr Adam Sutton

Chess Club

This week, Chess Club started for the senior students. Hayden from Black Square Chess will come in each Tuesday lunch and work with those senior students who have joined. Hayden is an experienced player having played all around Australia in tournaments. With a bit of practice and some game development sessions over the course of next term and possibly beyond, the school may even be ready to enter into the Interschools Chess Competition later in the year!  Mr Green and myself love chess and play daily, so are both really keen to develop the children's interest in this awesome sport.

Mr Eddie Barnes

Chess Club is here.

Calling out all students (and parents) who would like to try something new!

We are fortunate to have the access to both internal Chess champions (Mr Barnes and Mr Green - self- proclaimed) and external Masters of the sport (James Bryant and Hayden Shaw) on Tuesdays at The LPS! This new weekly feature to our timetable is sure to grab the attention of our chess enthusiasts and curious competitors alike. It is a lot of fun all jammed into 45 minutes of lunchtime comradery! All levels encouraged

Who knows, you might even join the big time at 2024 Tasmanian Junior Chess Championships, running in Hobart (see flyer for details)

SPORT REPORTS

Soccer

The LPS Green Machines played Scotch Oakburn at Scotch Park. The score was 5-1 their favour. Overall I think we did a great job, we tried very hard and had good teamwork. Special mentions to Xavier for scoring our goals and to Belle and Susie for good footwork even though we lost we still tried hard through out the entire game. - Tilly B

Hockey 

The LPS Wackadoos team played Scotch Oakburn at Scotch Park. The scores was 9-1 in our favour. Everyone played really well. Special mention to Aagaman for scoring one of the goals and Henry for doing a great job protecting our goals. - Ryan B  

Netball

The LPS Netball team played Launceston Christian School at Hoblers Bridge. The scores were 8 - 12 their favour.  It was a very sunny day and it was good weather for netball. Even though we didn't win we improved our total score by alot.  Special mentions to Lucy, Arkie, Milly, Lincoln and Sophie for scoring our goals. We did an amazing job at moving into space. I think we still need to improve on sticking on our players  - Arkie I

Under 11 Girls' Schools Futsal Competition

We are super proud of our champion girls, taking out Under 11, Girls’ Schools Futsal Competition! The team went undefeated and represented themselves with honour and humility. The Launceston Preparatory School is brimming with pride at your feats. Throughout the tournament, each of our stars were lucky (and skilful) enough to score for the team, whilst their sense of occasion was evident for all schools to witness.

Congratulations to you all!

Mr Timothy Bristow

OSSA Fundraiser - 24th June 2024

The Ossa Fundraiser will be supporting Tassie Mums. Tassie Mums, a volunteer-led group, is passionate about providing essential items to babies and children in need. Students will be collecting CLEAN second hand coats/jackets (please ensure zips are working and pockets are empty), gloves, scarves and blankets to donate to this cause.  A free dress day will coincide with this fundraiser, (no money is required) however, students are encouraged to wear warm clothes, beanies, scarves (separate to the clothes they are donating). 

Photos Gallery - General School & Class Learning

If you would like a copy of a photo  of your child that appears in this gallery, please email Melissa L in the office and she will happily forward it to you.

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