Dear Families,

Welcome to the school year!  I am very happy to be once again leading this outstanding school and very much looking forward to connecting with our students, families and wider school community.

Coming home today is a letter from me, sharing important information that will support a positive start for your family.  There is information about our Newsletter, Canteen and Uniform Cupboard.

Also coming home today is a 2025 Student Validation Form. It is critical that schools maintain accurate information on each student, especially in the case of an emergency.  Please look at the information we have, and record changes where required on the form. 

It is most important that the Consent to Publication of Personal Information section of the form is completed. Your consent is asked for matters relating to minor excursions, photos, publication of student’s given and family name, and samples of work placed in the school newsletter and in the media. This section must be updated each year.

The Validation form must be signed and dated by the parent/guardian listed on the form. Also coming home with the Validation Form are the following documents requiring your attention:

• Special Data Collection Form - For Parents
• ICT Acceptable Use Agreement

Please return all forms by Friday, 14 February.

Sharon

Congratulations to our House Captains and Vice House Captains of Beatty, Cadorna and Jellico. They were presented with their badges this morning in assembly.  Best wishes for your leadership in our school.

The Newsletter is uploaded to our school app and website every Wednesday. Paper copies will not be printed, as is our usual practice. Please find below instructions on how to download our app.  It is most important that you read the Newsletter each week as this is our main way of communicating with families. 

Our School Canteen is managed by Mrs Angela Griffiths. It is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for snacks and lunch orders. Lunch orders can be made in the classroom before school or on the Qkr! app, and snacks can be purchased directly from the canteen. If families place an order using the Qkr! app, the order needs to made by 9:00 am. The Canteen Menu is available on our School app. 

Our Uniform Cupboard is coordinated by Mrs Jenny Broad.  The Cupboard is open every Monday from 8:30 am to 9:30 am. Order forms may be collected from the school office at any time. You can also order items using our Qkr! app. Instructions for downloading and registering for Qkr! are below.

The school office is open from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Monday to Friday.

School is open for students and supervision is provided from 8:30 am

Learning starts at 8:55 am

Recess is from 10:55 am to 11:25 am (includes eating time)

Lunch is from 12:55 pm  to 1:55 pm (includes eating time)

School finishes at 3:00 pm

Supervision of students concludes at 3:15 pm

Library bags will be given out to students during their first library lesson. Books borrowed from the library travel to and from school in this bag. Please keep all library books in this bag when they are not being read. Library bags will be collected at the end of Term 4.

Our Library Technician is Ms Angela Rose-Eadie and the teacher in the library is Mrs Sharon Rafferty.

The library is open Monday to Thursday from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm and students are welcome to exchange books on these days. They do not have to wait until their allocated class library day.

Sharon Rafferty

Everybody has a role to keep children and young people safe.  One way to do this is to ensure all members of our Mowbray community are aware of what is appropriate and expected when it comes to taking photos and videos of students.  Please know that you are welcome to take photos and videos of your own child/ren, however in line with DECYP Safeguarding expectations, sharing images of other children without permission from their parents/guardians is not permitted. 

This year you will see the poster below, displayed at school to remind everybody of this information.  At assemblies and events, you will also hear a similar message read aloud.

Thank you for helping to keep our students safe.

Janaha Williams – Safeguarding Lead

If your child has a medical condition which may require special treatment (for example asthma, allergies) your child will need a Medical Action Plan.

A plan from the Doctor and information from you is required so that we can ensure we have current and correct information. Please make sure your child's class teacher is aware of your child's condition as a priority.

Please contact the office on 6326 1892 to formalise the Medical Action Plan.  

If students require any medication whilst at school, we require a signed form from the doctor stating dose and time of medication, plus a signed form from the parent authorising the administration of medicine or tablets. These forms can be obtained from the school office. Medication must be provided in the original packaging.

The DECYP policy on mobile phones, Off and away all day, applies to all Tasmanian Government Schools. Students are reminded that if they bring a mobile phone to school, it must be handed in to the Admin Staff each mornng. Phones will be returned to students at the end of the school day.

Please make sure you remind your children about being safe on the way to and from school. Please encourage them to use the lights and road crossings safely.

It is very important that students do not enter or leave school through the staff carpark as this is a very busy place from 8:30 am - 9:00 am and from 3:00 pm.

We encourage students to take up the healthy practice of riding scooters or bikes to school if parents consider it a safe option. The law requires helmets to be worn when riding. When students enter school grounds, bikes and scooters cannot be ridden and need to be pushed, thus ensuring all people in our school yard are safe.

To ensure the safety of bikes, a bike lock is essential. Bikes are stored in the bike shed located beside the primary toilets.

Scooters are stored in the Quadrangle.

Fizzy drinks, cordial and sports drinks are not appropriate at school. Water is the preferred hydration option for learning and play. Please no glass drink bottles. Thank you for supporting your children's health and learning.

The carpark off Cadorna Street is designated for Staff. Families are most welcome to drop students off in the turning circle. Students can then safely walk along the Cadorna Street footpath to the school gate. Students are not to walk up the driveway without an adult as this is a very dangerous place for students before and after school due to lots of traffic.

On Friday 28 February, the Year 5 and Year 6 students will be going on an excursion to Hobart. The bus will depart school at 7:00 am and will return by approximately 8:15 pm. As the bus will leave school at 7:00 am, it is vital that students are at school by 6:45 am. Students will be visiting ZooDoo at Richmond, the Hobart Royal Botanical Gardens and walking around Battery Point.

5-6 Teachers

Invoices will be sent home to families who have not been approved for STAS in the next couple of weeks.  This composite levy covers almost everything, including learning materials, resources, equipment, excursions and performances.  It does not cover specialised activities such as the Leavers’ Dinner, cost of school photo or any other optional activity.

Families are able to choose between a single payment of the levy or they may take advantage of a range of payment options. You are most welcome to discuss your needs with Ms Tina Todman our School Business Manager (6326 1892).

The Student Assistance Scheme provides assistance for low income families towards the cost of levies. STAS is provided to the school rather than paid directly to families. STAS 2025 application forms are available for new enrolments, or for families who have not applied for, or been in receipt of STAS in 2024. Please note, being the holder of a Centrelink Health Care Card does not automatically mean that a family will be approved for STAS. Families who were approved and received STAS in 2024 have been sent correspondence regarding STAS 2025 directly from the Department for Education, Children and Young People. STAS application forms can be downloaded from the Department's website at www.decyp.tas.gov.au or collected from our school office.