The Launceston Preparatory School - Newsletter 23 May 2024

WHY I'M BLUE...MY HAIR THAT IS !

During our upbringing, my parents taught my three brothers and I the value of serving our community and others. They demonstrated this by volunteering in the local mini league, being involved in organisations such as St John's Ambulance and the ROAB Lodge. When not with us or at work, they were always finding ways to support our extended family.

As I transitioned into adulthood, I also sought opportunities to contribute. When raising young children, it comes naturally to assist at their school, as many dedicated parents do, or participate in their extracurricular activities by serving as a team manager or coach, as I have done in the past.

My children have transitioned into young adults and no longer rely on me in the same way. I am now seeking fresh ways to contribute and offer support. This year, I've decided to support Dolly's Dream to raise awareness and funds.

I was introduced to Dolly's Dream by a former student of The LPS, Ruby Martin. Ruby, a true inspiration, raised funds for the charity through her business, Dig In Dog Treats, from a young age.

Dolly's Dream is harnessing its influence to transform the bullying culture by tackling the effects of bullying, anxiety, depression, and youth suicide. This is achieved through educational initiatives and providing direct assistance to young individuals and families. The organisation provides a wealth of resources for young people, families, schools, and institutions, including a support line, a collaborative cyber safety app, school workshops, mental health first aid training, and a parent hub. Explore these resources here:

https://www.dollysdream.org.au#what-we-do

At The LPS, our students, are fortunate to be part of a caring community that promotes empathy towards others and finding ways to help the larger community. This spirit of this kindness was evident during the recent The LPS Do It For Dolly Day. The Esk Leavers and their house teachers ignited excitement leading up to the event, and the entire school embraced the theme on the day, turning the school blue.

Our Esk House achieved an amazing fundraising total on the day, which was then matched by The Parents of The LPS, exceeding the target I had set myself personally.

That goal came with a condition: if we achieved it, I promised to shave my head. It seems like I'll be saying goodbye to my blue hair on Wednesday, May 29th.

A big thank you to the Esk Leavers, their house teachers, and everyone for supporting the The LPS Do It For Dolly Day and encouraging discussions about the charity Dolly's Dream.

We all leave our unique mark on this planet, and though some may find it unusual, this is how I choose to help others. After all, it's just hair, isn't it?

Here is the link to my fundraising page https://www.dollysdream.org.au/s/2260/2235

Mrs Tammy Goss Edmunds

Connected Parenting Workshop -5.6.2024

Just a reminder that on Wednesday June 5^th Jo McFarlane is presenting a workshop, Connected Parenting, just for parents here at The LPS!

You won’t want to miss this opportunity to listen to the powerful message and the bank of strategies she offers, and have a chance to ask questions that are on all of our minds when it comes to parenting.

Where: Multipurpose 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/

Kinder/Early Learning

Connecting with community is an essential skill we foster in Early Learning and Kindergarten on a daily basis. Our school cross country, last week was a perfect opportunity to become part of our wider school community. We barracked, clapped and cheered our older friends on in their races and participated ourselves  with energy and enthusiasm. 

Our families and teachers were a very proud audience as we ran our course with our Group 6 buddies. Well done, everyone! 

Ms Rebecca Howard

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Prep/1 - Art

In Art this term, the Prep Ones are looking at bugs. Last week, we worked on making a jar of bugs. Our drawing skills are really taking off, and we love using the water colour palettes to highlight our work.
Great work artists.

Miss Nicole England

Group 2/3 - Launceston Library Visit

On Monday, the Group 2/3 children visited the Launceston Library. We have been learning so much about our library with Mrs McNair each Thursday and thought it was time we went to visit the public library.

The children were put into two groups, one group went uptairs to tour the reference library whilst the other group toured the lending library on the ground floor. The groups then swapped over so the children got to see all areas of the library.

The children learnt about the Oscar system for searching for particular books; the sections of the lending library; the benefits of being a member of the library and having a library card; and all the information they  can access in the reference area of the library.

It was a very informative excursion and the children were all excited about the prospect of visiting the library with their families. It was also great that this excursion fitted in with National Simulataneous Storytime, which the Early Learners to Group 3's were involved in on Wednesday at 12.00. When we will share the joy of reading and hear the beautiful book, Bowerbird Blues, by Aura Parker being read simulataneously in libraries, pre-schools, childcare centres, schools, family homes and bookshops all across Australia.

Mrs Harriet Thyne and Mrs Melissa Freeland

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Prep/1 and Senior Buddy Maths

On Thursday mornings, during home group time, Miss England's and Miss Andrews' home groups have been getting together for Buddy Maths. So far, children have been playing maths games and completing puzzles. This is a great opportunity for younger children and older children to get to know each other. It supports younger in developing their maths skills, whilst giving older children the opportunity to support and teach others, thus consolidating their own learning. We love our Thursday mornings together!

Miss Mel Andrews

Senior Science - Experimental Design and the Effect of Wheel Sizes

This term, we are looking at the science of transport and how different inventions have improved the ways that we get around. We looked at the history of the wheel and axel, and its development. We conducted a simple experiment to see if larger or smaller wheels are more efficient (roll further). We created hypothesies and designed an experiment to test this using Lego cars. We found that each group got differing results and we looked at why this was (unwanted variables). We then analysed our data to see if the results supported or disproved the original hypothesis.

Mr Eddie Barnes

Philosophy Groups 2 & 3

There have been some very big ideas explored in Philosophy with the Group 2 – 6 students this week! Their capacity for philosophical and creative thinking is really growing!

In The Forest of Silence by Emily Rodda, we have heard how the people of Deltora have been led to believe their leaders are poor. We discussed:

• How do poor leaders gain positions of authority?
• What are the qualities of a good leader? (Students then gave their opinions on their order of importance.)
• Give examples of good leaders you know and explain your choices.
  

Mrs Leonie McNair

Philosophy - Group 4-6

In Somewhere Around the Corner, a character called Gully Jack talks about how he has all he needs in life, so we discussed:

• What do you need for a good life?
• Many people judge a good life by their possessions. Why?
• Why are brand names and the latest fashions deemed so important in today’s Australian society?
• Australia is often referred to as “the lucky country”. Do you agree?

Mrs Leonie McNair

Esk Fundraiser - Do it for Dolly - 15th May 2024

We are delighted to report that the Esk fundraiser last Wednesday raised an AMAZING $1595.40 for Do it for Dolly this included a very generous donation of $200.00 from The Parents of The LPS. We thank you all for contributing to this fantastic result and great cause.

Sport Reports

Soccer

The LPS soccer teams played each other, the score was 10 - 1 in Mr Barnes' favour. Good job to Max B, Archie. To Esther for scoring goals and Kathryn and Stella for great teamwork - Luke S

The LPS Green Machines played Mr Barnes' team. It was a good, fun game there was great sportsmanship. Special mentions to everyone who scored a goal and everyone for being amazing. I think we need to work on our communication apart from the fact everyone tried their best. - Logan B

Hockey 

The LPS Wackados team played Scotch Oakburn. The scores were 12-4, our favour. Scotch Oakburn put up a fight they had some good players. Shout out to Patrick for holding his head high and not giving up -Robert M

Netball

The LPS Netball team played Scotch Oakburn. The scores were 4 - 16 their favour.  We played well, however, we could work on not being congested.  We played well. It was a team effort. Special mention to Pixie for intercepting the ball when we needed it -  Lincoln B

Student Attendance

With the wintery feels rolling in recently, and the sharing nature of our school, we are noticing lots of little bouts of illness across the school.

Whilst we encourage you to take whatever means necessary to support your sick child/ren (doctor’s appointments, day of rest etc), we ask you ring the office to notify Melissa or Jody of your child/ren’s whereabouts. Our office staff can then relay information to relevant teaching staff. Likewise for late arriving students, please communicate with, and sign your child in at, the front office for record keeping. Your support here is greatly appreciated.

Mr Timothy Bristow

School Upgrade

While our school prides itself on being 'small by design,' this does not limit our capacity to build a robust paideia program, pedagogy, and enriching educational experience for our students. Whilst we wish to maintain small enrolment numbers (18 per group), this shouldn’t diminish our stature or quality. As many of you have noticed, there are signs indicating a proposed development currently under council review. This exciting news, as discussed at our AGM a few months ago, has been warmly received by our community. We are thrilled about the prospect of new, state of the art facilities for our learners. This development will offer a fresh perspective on what learning looks like for our future leaders and will undoubtedly enhance the quality of our educational philosophy. The new facility upgrade aims to both enhance enriching learning and reassure our community we are continually investing in the quality of education for your child/ren, to thrive. For more information or a sneak peek into the MASTER PLANNING, please keep an eye on our newsletter in the coming months or contact our office team.

Mr Timothy Bristow

Head Lice

We have been made aware that some students have experienced a recent case of head lice and we just ask that you all check your children’s hair and treat appropriately.

Students with head lice must remain at home until a day after an initial application of head lice treatment and preferably all eggs (nits) are removed.