6 November 2024

From the Principal

Congratulations to our Interschool Swimming Team yesterday, and our Marimba group at Marimba Mania in Kingston on Friday. Both groups represented our school well and we’re proud of your efforts. Thank you to Mrs Sari for a year of tutelage on Marimba and to Mr Thomas for organising the Swim Team.

Redevelopment Update

The new build is continuing along, as per the last Newsletter. You’ll see the outdoor stairwell taking shape and preparation work for the downstairs slab and pathways starting up. You’ll also see the landscaping beginning to take shape.

The works outside the canteen are going ahead with framing continuing, and the footings are being prepared for the large, covered verandah on the entire north side of the main building. This verandah and the minor refit of the attached rooms will not start in earnest until the new year. Post both of these works, we will have the gymnasium to plan for and build.

Any gym construction will need close Clarence City Council collaboration as they are the land holders. To be frank, our Department has some money and they have the land. It’s pretty simple.

The Council need to first propose and pass a Masterplan for the area. The Council ran a consultation process for this in March to May of 2023. Below is a link to the webpage detailing the results of their community consultation. The proposed gym location and any associated carpark works are most likely going to be adjusted from the plans after Council workshops (some of which have been held) and when Council adopt a Masterplan. We don’t have a date for this yet, and they have informed us that this is a first step before any design work and then a development application.

We are looking forward to news of a proposed Masterplan coming before a Council meeting at some stage, hopefully soon.

Levies and Charges Policy for 2025

At the recent School Association Meeting, the annual process of endorsing next year’s Levies and Charges Policy took place. It is not without discussion every year as we weigh up the increasing costs to school and what levy payment we might ask of our families. It’s a good discussion to have, and not to be blind to the issues any decision may hold.

A massive thank you to our families for your levies and charges payments. Each year, we need to take some time to thank you and appreciate what that money goes towards.

In case you didn’t realise, every year we receive a “School Resource Package” (SRP) to use to pay for just about everything at school. We receive an allocation of teacher wages, and some cleaner and admin wages. Everything else (including all Teacher Assistant wages) are to come from our SRP. Long relief periods are paid for centrally as are significant building works when we win a grant. Otherwise, we pay for relief, minor upgrades, power, computers, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, fridges, desks, … the lot!

Roughly speaking, we receive (it fluctuates each year) about $900 000 per year. Once we pay for TA wages (Around $600 000) and some additional teacher wages we have between $150 000 and $200 000 left. All things considered, we think we do a pretty good job of providing for the school with this little bit of money. I’m more than willing to chat with anyone through school finances if you’d like to know more, it’s a bit of a complex web and yet the outcome each year is not that variable. Things like cooked lunch, canteen and uniform store all run on a breakeven costing.

Your levies money provides us with nearly $100 000 on top of what I have described above. For us, this is a huge amount of money. Your levies provide us with 1 in every 3 dollars of “discretionary” funds. The School Association also provides $10 000 annually for programs. We make sure that levies money does not go towards TA or Teacher wages (any wages at all) and goes towards clear student items – class budgets, library books, sports equipment, excursions, and the like. If you’ve paid for childcare, you know that our levies are just a fraction of those costs, yet what you provide us with really does make a huge difference to what we can offer and provide.

We are aware that money matters are harder for every family at present, we also know that you’ll appreciate that things for school are much more expensive as well. Any increase to our levies over the past 10 years has been either less or much less than the rate of inflation. We pride ourselves on good resource management, and yet without your levies money, we’d have to make some really hard choices about what we do and what we’d have to stop doing.

So, a big, genuine heartfelt thank you for your contribution and efforts in annually paying your levies money. It’s a really important contribution to us.

Every school receives a different amount of money at a different rate, your levy contributions mean a lot to us being able to do the unique things that we do.

Every year, the payment terms are the same (they have changed slightly over the years). Firstly, your levies are not drawn up until February, we cannot charge you until after this time. Once they are drawn up, payments can be made in full or in part over time. The amount and timing is entirely flexible to your needs. Please remember this with our school levies, every year. If in doubt, feel free to call Shelley in the Office for a confidential chat.

Uniform Policy

At the same School Association meeting, the Committee moved and passed an updated Uniform Policy and Dress Code. We foreshadowed this in the last Newsletter. Thank you to those people who provided feedback to our last message about this. We appreciated the input; it was all positive. Attached is the updated Policy, the blue highlighted parts reflect either additions or more clarity in the wording. The link on our Newsletter and webpage is still the older one, if you would like to compare and contrast. If you didn’t read the previous Newsletter item regarding uniform, we’d suggest you do so.

If you have feedback about either our policy above, or our uniform, or the way it is worn (the dress code), then please email cambridge.primary@decyp.tas.gov.au or talk to a School Association member.

We will share photos of the new uniform items in the next Newsletter when the mock-up items (top and jumper) arrive. We will then be able to take orders, ready for the new year.

More importantly, we will begin to refer to our policy and dress code with more consistency from the beginning of 2025. We have already done so in a few cases, and we thank our parent body for their support in this matter.

We will discuss uniform at length in the next Newsletter and the launch of our new school logo as the design work is finalised.

It has been an exciting time to look at the new identity that our school community has built for our school and then how we can represent this visually both to ourselves as a source of pride and external to our school. This work is not over, but the fruits will start to come through over the next few weeks and early next year.

Recovery during Daylight Savings

Finally, please help us (and yourselves!) by making sure the young people in your house get enough rest as we start Daylight Savings. Every year, we see the slow, incremental tiredness sneak into our students as they have the annual rite of passage of after dinner bike riding, cricket, trampolining and general pre-summer fun times. I did it, you did it – it’s a great thing! Please also help your child to find the right amount of rest, recovery and sleep to make the most out of their last few weeks at school. It might mean a quiet evening or two or a sleep in on the weekend. Every child is different, and yet with less sleep, they are all the same – slowly worn down and less chance of staying emotionally regulated.

The better rested they are, the better they can learn and make the most of the remaining few weeks of the year. That’s what we want for them, and we’ll need your help to get there.

We hope you’re all enjoying the longer days and the warmer (sometimes) weather.

See you all soon – Courtney

School Association News

The next meeting of the School Association will be held on Wednesday 4 December between 5.30-7.00.

Division B Interschool Swimming Carnival

On Tuesday November 5, Cambridge Primary School had an amazing day in the pool at the SPSSA Division B Interschool Swimming Carnival.  Students represented the school with great energy and pride.  Their behaviour was very good and there were many excellent individual and team performances.  First places ribbons were earned by many of the students but possibly the biggest highlights were the relay wins which got huge cheers from the crowd and Cambridge team.  There will be several students who will be earning qualifications to the Champions Swimming Carnival later this month and invitations will be sent home as soon as possible.  Cambridge achieved a remarkable second place finish, which was a great way to finish the major carnival events for 2025. Ryan Thomas, HPE Teacher.

Help Us Shape the Future: Seeking Fundraising Coordinator and Volunteers!

As we approach a new chapter for our school, we find ourselves in need of fresh energy and new perspectives. Many of our dedicated fundraising team members are transitioning out as their children finish primary school, leaving us with an exciting opportunity for new parents to step in and take the reins.

Fundraising Coordinator Needed! We are on the lookout for a passionate and organized Fundraising Coordinator to lead our efforts. This role involves overseeing event logistics, managing communications, and ensuring that our initiatives run smoothly. Your leadership will be crucial in continuing our tradition of successful fundraising and making a positive impact on our school community.

Volunteer Opportunities Available: If you’re interested in contributing but aren’t ready to take on a coordinator role, we still need you! We are seeking volunteers for various tasks such as event setup, promotion, and day-of support. Your involvement, big or small, will be greatly appreciated and will help ensure the success of our events.

Why Join Us?

• Make a Difference: Your efforts will directly benefit our students and support their educational experiences.
• Connect with the Community: Meet and work with fellow parents, teachers, and community members.
• Enjoy the Experience: Be part of a team dedicated to creating memorable and impactful events.

How to Get Involved: If you’re interested in becoming the new Fundraising Coordinator or would like to volunteer, please reach out to us via our Facebook page @cambridgefungroup or contact the school office.

We’re excited to welcome new faces and ideas as we continue to build and support our vibrant school community. Thank you for considering joining us in this important role!

The Fundraising Team

Combined Primary Schools Annual Concert

Tickets for the Combined Primary Schools Annual Concert, to be held at MyState Bank Arena on Friday 22November 2024, will be on sale from 9.00am on Friday 20September.

The concert performance will start at 7.00pm sharp, and students are requested to be at the venue by 6.30pm. Student performers do not require a ticket.

Please note, due to copyright and privacy, recording and photography are not permitted during the performance.

Cambridge Primary Open Day – Tuesday 12 November

Do you know of any parents who live in our catchment area and who might be considering Cambridge for their child’s education?

Please forward the link to the booking form below or pass on our phone details – 6248 5168, and they will be given a very warm welcome. They will be able to:

• See the school in action.
• View our classrooms and our flexible learning spaces. Come and find out more about our new school build.
• Understand how our Early Years Literacy Support works.
• Find out about Bush School.
• Hear about the whole school Cooked Lunch Program.
• Visit our school garden.
• Chat with staff about questions you may have.

The Royal Hobart Show

The Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania recently ran a pencil sketch exhibition and competition in the Royal Hobart Show. The exhibition was held in the Hobart Town Hall.

Congratulations to all students from Cambridge Primary who exhibited their original sketches.

Special congratulations go to the students who were awarded ribbons for their work. They were:

In the Ages 8 – 10 Section

1^st Place – Scarlett M
2^nd Place – James KS

In the Ages 11 – 14 Section

2^nd Place – Arthur S

Well done everyone, Sally Sari.

Festive Card Design

Every year Julie Collins, MP, runs a competition for Grade 3/4 students from schools in her electorate, to create a festive design to appear on the Christmas cards that she sends out to 30,000 households.

This year, we are very proud and excited to announce that Ethan S’s design won.

Ethan will receive a $100 movie voucher.

Congratulations Ethan!

Cambridge Mural

On Friday 1^st November, the mural of Cambridge, painted by our 2023 Grade 6s, was mounted on the wall of the new coffee shop at Hollow Tree, formerly The Horseshoe Inn.

I’m sure they will feel proud when they drive past or pop in for a coffee. Sally Sari

Girls Basketball

On the weekend of 26 – 27October a few grade six girls represented Cambridge Primary in the Southern School Div 2 Girls Basketball Competition. These talented girls fought a hard battle leaving Cambridge as the champions.  The girls that competed were Madi V, Matilda L, Evie L, Evie K, Isla C, Elsa P and Grace L, and of course our lovely coach, Penni Lamprey.  Thank you so much to our parents who helped make this possible, team manager, Emma Kropp and Ryan, our amazing referee.  Without these special people we would not have won the grand final.  The challenges we went through were remarkable, highlights were Evie K scoring 20 points in one match, Grace scoring 88 points over the whole competition, Evie L, Isla C and Madi V being defensive stars, Elsa P hitting the Coast to Coasters and Matilda scoring her first ever points.  Thank you to our parents for taking us down to Kingston and to everyone who helped make the weekend happen.

Written by the girls.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Grace L whose U14 basketball team won the Div 2 State Championships, on the weekend of 19/20 of October.  Grace top scored the competition with 61 points, including 12 made free throws. The team went into the Grand Final during the tournament.

Let’s Celebrate!

2024 Term Dates

Term 1:  Thursday 8 February to Friday 12 April (Easter Break Fri 29 March -Tue 2 April)
Term 2:  Monday 29 April to Friday 5 July (Student Free Day Friday 7 June)
Term 3:  Monday 22 July to Friday 27 September
Term 4:  Monday 14 October to Thursday 19 December (Student Free Day Friday 25 October)

Assemblies in Term 4

Assemblies are held in the MPR and start at 1.40pm. All are welcome to attend. This term’s Assemblies will be on:

Friday 8 November
Friday 15 November
Friday 13 December

Outside School Hours Care – Clarence City Council

For Outside School Hours Care enquiries please email address below:

OSHC@ccc.tas.gov.au

Community Notice Board