Dear Parents, Carers and Community Members

Our students have made a very successful start to Term 4.  Literacy continues to be a high priority for teaching and learning.  We are highly committed to supporting every student to become an effective reader.  Our current focus is on embedding word recognition and developing reading fluency.  We are seeing very encouraging growth in the skills and capacity of our students.

This term is filled with events that recognise and celebrate the achievements of our students.  We extend our heartfelt thanks to the bursary committee and donors for their generous support of Campbell Town students completing Year 10. These bursaries play a crucial role in helping rural students pursue further study and vocational opportunities that align with their life goals.  The bursaries will be presented at our Year 10 Celebration Assembly on Wednesday, 18th of December, and we are excited to invite students, their families, the bursary committee, and donors to attend. Following the assembly, our Year 10 parents/carers are invited to attend and enjoy a morning tea as we celebrate this important milestone together.

The ongoing development of our school environment and grounds is a key priority for us. We are excited to share that we have recently completed an outdoor learning area in the internal courtyard adjacent to the library. This space features plants, seating, outdoor learning activities, and reading stations, providing students with an engaging environment to learn and explore. We have been delighted by the enthusiasm and excitement of our students as they’ve enjoyed their first opportunities to play and learn in this new space. Huge thanks go to Michelle, Scott, our Hands on Learning team, and other staff and students who worked hard to bring this project to life. Our next initiative is the balcony outside the 4/5 and P/1 classrooms.

Our athletics carnival will be held next week on Wednesday 30th and Thursday 31st of October and we are looking forward to two exciting days of sporting competition and fun.  We encourage the participation of every student, as these events are a great opportunity to showcase effort, teamwork, and school spirit.  We also warmly invite parents to come along and support their children, cheering them on as they compete in various events.  Your presence and encouragement mean a lot to the students and help create a positive and enthusiastic atmosphere for everyone involved.

On Monday 11th of November our students will attend the community Remembrance Day service.  It is important that students present in full uniform for this event. A reminder that next Friday 1st of November is a student free day for K-10 students as staff undertake professional learning activities. Classes will run as normal for Year 11 and 12 students. 

We extend a warm welcome to our families to be involved in all of your celebration activities this term. We are very grateful for your participation and support.

Regards

Mike

We have been contacted by parents expressing concern about dogs being brought onto the school site during end of day pick up. DECYP regulations state that an animal can only be brought onto a school site with the permission of the Principal. This usually occurs when the animals are here for a support or educational purpose. We ask that dogs or other pets are not brought into the school grounds without this permission.

Mike Flanagan

Principal

On the last day of Term 3, our entire school community, from Kindergarten to Year 10, came together to celebrate and prioritize mental health and well-being with our highly anticipated Mental Health Expo. The event brought a fantastic array of activities, support services, and fun to raise awareness about the importance of taking care of ourselves and others.

We were fortunate to have several incredible organisations attend the expo to support the day, each bringing something special to the event:

- Salvation Army: Their food van was a massive hit, serving up delicious chicken and chips to keep everyone energized throughout the day.

- Vinnies: They joined with their own food van, offering warming milos and providing a range of fun games to keep spirits high.

- Anglicare, Nebhub, and Youth Health North: These organisations were on hand, providing resources, support, and activities to engage students.

- Headspace: Encouraged creativity through an interactive Art Canvas that is now in display in the corridor.

- Rural Alive and Well: Hosted fun games like Jenga and a bean bag toss, giving students the chance to relax and enjoy some friendly competition.

In addition to the wonderful activities provided by our partners, our talented Student Leaders played a key role in organising the event. They ran a popular free BBQ and facilitated a community mural artwork project, where all students contributed a handprint, symbolising unity and connection.

Following the expo, students enjoyed an extended lunch break, with a variety of activities on offer to cater to everyone’s interests:

- Yoga led by Ash Wilson,

- Skipping in the gym,

- Board games in the library,

- Outside reading group, and

- An exciting 4WD presentation in the automotive area.

To close out the day in style, the afternoon featured the much-loved annual Colour Run, where students and staff alike took part in a vibrant and energetic celebration, ending Term 3 on a high note.

Thank you to all the organisations, student leaders, staff, and volunteers who helped make the Mental Health Expo an unforgettable event. A special mention to Natalie from the Northern Midlands Council for your assistance with organising this event and the ongoing support from the Northern Midlands Council.  We are proud of our school’s commitment to mental health and well-being and look forward to continuing to foster an environment of support and care in the future!

Ashlee Lowe

HPE Teacher

On Friday 18th October, Ella, Ty, Jodie and Jill rose way too early, according to some, to catch a 6.20am flight to Melbourne to explore the Banksy Exhibition at Docklands. It was Ty’s first time flying, so he had a window seat and cloud all the way. We caught the Skybus, which disappointingly for Ella, didn’t fly through the sky into the city and found that Melbourne didn’t really wake up till 10.00am. After a food stop and window shopping in closed shops, we walked towards the exhibition, only to find that when the forecast says it is going to rain, it really rains, and we grabbed our first tram of the day.  

The Banksy exhibition was brilliant. Very thought provoking and gave a timeline of the images Banksy produced. Ella liked the girl with the balloon, whilst Ty liked a piece depicting a monkey with a shirt saying, “Laugh now but one day we will be in control”.  

The Melbourne Art gallery was a big contrast with its 3000-year-old Grecian urns, huge portraits, Indonesian puppets and flowing water facade as you enter. More people, higher ceilings, security guards at every corner.  

After the museum, and taking photos of Jodie with a Bin chicken, we headed back past Flinders Street station and up to Bourke Street Mall to look at shops Melbourne style. Best find, according to Ella, was the Lolly shop, but Ty enjoyed the Lego displays. 

A quick, post excursion survey revealed Melbourne had “Too many Teslas”, and it “Felt odd walking amongst the big buildings”. Best things – “Flying” and “Shopping”. Interesting experiences – “The women yelling in the DFO” and the homeless people. Ella learnt the lollies that have gone viral, don’t always taste good and there is lots of walking to do in Melbourne. 

It was great to catch up with Amba who left us a couple of months ago to live in the big smoke where she is flourishing. 

It was an excellent day. A big thank you to Jodie for her amazing organisation and ticking all the boxes to make the trip possible.  And to parents for getting everyone there on time. Think we might just have to go again! 

Jill Bennett 

11/12 AST 

On Wednesday the 25th September the Tasmanian Schools Wether Challenge was held at the Campbell Town Show Grounds. This year’s team was made up of students from Grade 5/6 Lester and included Florence, Emilia, Billy, Ruby, Miriam, Elsie and Hazel. They did the school proud with their representation and several comments were made on how well they had prepared the sheep. Their behaviour on the day was outstanding and their enthusiasm contagious.

The day consisted of the sheep being judged on their carcass and fleece value, and their presentation. Our team was first up with carcass value where an ultrasound is used to evaluate the fat cover and eye muscle depth. A sample of wool was taken from the mid-side to measure the fibre diameter. The operator spoke to the team about what was being measured and showed them the results. We also looked at the wool diameter results which showed our sheep had wool between 14.8 and 17.4 micron. Throughout the day we visited many career presentations which had a variety of activities. We got to guess the weight of a fleece, watch a dog working sheep, put woollen clothes in order of value and learn about the sheep numbers in Australia.

Our team looked great as all the sheep lined up to be judged for the best presented group. Three judges assess the sheep for their evenness, conformation and wool type. Once this was completed the sheep were shorn and the fleeces weighed. It was interesting to look at all the fleeces lined up and talk about their qualities and differences.

One of the students highlights was being interviewed for the radio. The link is below if you missed hearing it on the Country Hour.

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/tas-country-hour/merino-challenge/104406296

Sadly, we didn’t place this year but we had a great day and are looking forward to next years event with a few new ideas for preparing the sheep.

We need to thank the following for their support of the program:

• The Scott family of Myrtlewood for donating the wethers.
• Sam Lyne from Riccarton for donations of grain and a pea straw bale that allowed us to house the sheep out of the weather for the final week.
• David Taylor from Kenilworth for donations of grain and weighing and fat scoring the sheep.
• Peter Barber and Winton Estate for a large bale of lucerne hay.
• Georgina Wallace for lending us dehorners to shorten horns and advice for preparation.
• Mel Morris from Elders who talked to students about wool and its characteristics and why it is an amazing fibre.
• The teachers and students who helped out by feeding the sheep during holidays and weekends. Very grateful for your help.
• 11/12 VET Ag class for assistance with preparation for the show.
• 5/6 Lester students for their fantastic enthusiasm in working with the sheep and walking the school corridors.

Jill Bennett

Teacher