Dear families,

This edition of our school newsletter is a bumper one! It is reflective of the significant efforts our staff go to to provide students with an incredible breadth of learning and extracurricular activities.

Please remember that tomorrow (6th June) is a student free day and next Monday (9th June) is a public holiday.

On Friday, our school will host over 100 teachers from eight neighbouring schools to review student work samples to ensure that we make consistent judgements in how we assess those work samples and in the afternoon we will work together to learn from each other as we work to embed our structured approach to literacy. Be assured that our school is a rich place of learning for adults as well as students!

Campbell Town Show

I had a ‘pinch myself’ moment last week as I sat in the viewing area for the school’s Wool Handling competition at the Show. I was thoroughly impressed to see students demonstrate courage and put themselves forward in this public event and thrilled to hear the enthusiastic cheering from the crowd. More than half of our school was able to witness some of our Wool Handling teams and the way they cheered their peers on was wonderfully supportive.

I also had the pleasure of accompanying some of our Primary classes through the Exhibition Hall and to witness their excitement as they saw their pieces of work on display... often with a placing certificate attached. Campbell Town District High School has again taken out the overall Show prize. I want to say thank you to our parent helpers for their support on the day and to all staff involved in preparations for the Show and the excursion on the day.

illuminate Challenge

Congratulations to our Grade 5/6 students involved in the illuminate challenge in Longford last week. I was pleased to see students get off the bus each afternoon as the week wore on increasingly excited. Our incredible showing in regard to the awards for the week evidence the fact that students were very engaged and productive.

Upcoming School Association Meeting:

Please consider joining us for our next meeting, which is held at 9.00am on Monday 16 June.

Items for discussion at this point in time include:

• Discussion of and possible ratification of our school’s Respectful Visitor and Volunteer Policy
• Student leader presentation and discussion re Recycle Rewards program
• Bursary Committee discussion
• Principal’s report
• Sharing information about the upcoming External School Review
• School redevelopment update

Principal position

I can advise that Mr Flanagan’s Student Support Leader position has been extended for Term 3. Consequently, the Acting Principal position at Campbell Town District High School has recently been advertised (for term 3). I will inform you of the outcome of that process when possible.

External School Review

Our school will benefit from an external review in the third week of next term.

The purpose of External School Reviews is to support schools to raise achievement, sustain high performance and provide quality assurance to build public confidence in government schools.

All Tasmanian Government Schools are externally reviewed every four years. The focus of the Review is to evaluate school performance. The Review Team consists of an External School Review Leader and trained Principal Peer Reviewers. The review will occur from Monday 4th August until Wednesday 6th August.

We will find out the effective school practices that have been verified through the Review processes as well as the improvements that we need to make in the future.

During the External School Review some students, families, School Association members and staff will be asked to provide information to the Review Team in several ways. These include:

• individual interviews (can include family phone calls)
• group discussions (with students or staff or families)
• meetings (usually School Association, staff meeting)
• visits into classrooms.

Closer to the review date I will provide you with further information, including how you can nominate to speak to the review team. If you already know you would like to be involved, please email our school office on campbell.town.district.high@decyp.tas.gov.au

It is always a pleasure to connect with you briefly on morning or afternoon duty, as well as at special school activities. Please remember you can always book a meeting time with me though our office if there is anything I can support with.

David Bryant,

Acting Principal

Learning Conversations will be held on Monday 23 June and Tuesday 24 June 2025 for Kinder to Grade 10 families (excluding Mrs Fry’s Grade 6 class).  

Mrs Fry will be on leave and her conversations will be held on Monday 28 July and Tuesday 29 July.

Please enter the school by the main office for directions.  The schedule of staff who will be available for appointments are:

The link to book an appointment and view your child's teacher/s available times and days is below.  You can also book an appointment via the Schoolzine app (SZApp) by clicking on the learning conversations tile or by using the QR code below.

Link to book learning conversations:

https://campbelltowndistricths.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/23 

Link for assistance to book learning conversations please refer to the guide below or ask our friendly office staff:

https://www.schoolzine.com/sk-booking-guide

Kinder students enjoyed their visit to the Campbell Town Show, here are some highlights from their day:

Seth – I liked the show, shearing the sheep and the platypus. 

Walter – I liked going on the old bus.  

Mia – I liked seeing mummy and watching dad shearing.  

Colt – I liked looking at the real horses. They were jumping up and down, running and walking.  

Cleo – I liked riding the pretend horse. You had to get on it and rock the horse. I had to put my feet in the things.  

Indi – I liked the sheep. They were shaving the sheep and taking off their wool. They put the wool in the basket.   

Kelsey Maconachie

Teacher

Kindergarten students have been actively exploring key print concepts through a variety of engaging texts. 

Together, we’ve been learning about letters, words, where to begin reading, and the directional flow of words and sentences - all foundational skills that support early reading behaviours. 

Each student received their own copy of I Went Walking by Sue Machin, providing a wonderful opportunity to apply and demonstrate their growing understanding of these concepts. 

Kelsey Maconachie

Teacher

In Prep students have been learning about partitioning numbers.  This is an important numeracy skill and assists students to subitise collections efficiently and complete operations such as addition and subtraction.  Please enjoy our part/part/whole butterflies.  

Rachel Langiu

Teacher

Students in grade 3A having been learning about statistics in maths. They have spent time collecting data to answers questions such as “what is the most popular coloured smartie in the box?”

Students then collated this data to create bar graphs.

Anita Fitzallen

Teacher

In Grade 4 Science, we have been learning about sustainability.  Last week we focused on the water cycle and conducted an experiment.  We used a jar with water to represent the air, shaving cream to represent the clouds and food colouring to represent condensation.  We learned that precipitation (rain) occurs when a cloud gets heavy enough with condensation. We then had some fun with the colours making a thunderstorm!

Elizabeth Webber

Teacher

During the entirety of Week 5, our Primary Student Leaders along with other Grade 5 and 6 student volunteers participated in the illuminate Community Challenge.  Students were tasked with finding a solution to a problem: how can we increase tourism to the Northern Midlands and how can we get tourists to stay longer and enjoy more activities?   

Throughout the week, our three teams came up with an overall focus plan/solution as well as completed mini challenges thrown at them.  Their solutions were: 

• A zipline across the Campbell Town River
• Rock climbing Ben Lomond with magical views of the lakes below with an option to spend the night under the stars
• A scavenger hunt around the Northern Midlands – think Amazing Race/Agfest

Our teams all demonstrated our school values wonderfully and all staff who attended are extremely proud of the teamwork, dedication and commitment to the challenge.   

Our teams were lucky enough to win some awards: 

• Overall best solution
• Runner up best solution
• Best pressure cooker submission
• Best marketing submission
• Team collaboration award

What an amazing achievement for all students who participated! 

Halana Knowles

Primary AST

Congratulations to the following students who received certificates at our Primary Assembly on Tuesday 3 June 2025.

Congratulations to our amazing wool handling team of 2025 – Lilly, Ruby, Makayla, Charlotte, Dane and Callum. All students tried their hardest and handled the wool with confidence. It was great to see them working together as a team – assisting each other to get the job done. Only one of the students had participated before and I look forward to seeing this team improve in the future. Whilst no one placed, all tried their hardest.

Thanks to the fantastic Campbell Town cheer squad. It is very daunting trying something for the first time in front of such a big crowd but when they are on your side, with cheering it makes you want to do your best.

Thanks to Mel Morris, Craig Loosmore and Andrew Baker for helping with the students preparation. CTDHS Wool handlers will be worth watching next year.

Jill Bennett

AST

We are thrilled to share the outstanding achievements of our Inter-High Cross Country team, who represented our school with distinction at the 2025 NHSSA Cross Country Carnival.

This year’s event brought together students from 18 schools across Northern Tasmania. Against this strong field, our students stood out - not just for their athletic efforts, but for their exceptional sportsmanship, respectful behaviour, and unwavering team spirit.

Our team was the largest we have fielded in several years, a testament to the growing enthusiasm and commitment among our students. Preparing for an event of this scale takes more than just talent - it takes courage, aspiration, and perseverance. Our students have been training weekly in PE, to build their endurance, strength, and mental resilience.

Their hard work paid off. Every student who competed gave their all, and their support for one another throughout the day was truly inspiring. Whether cheering from the sidelines or encouraging teammates at the finish line, the sense of unity and pride was unmistakable.

A special congratulations goes to Ava, who placed 2nd in Division 2 for Grade 9 girls - a fantastic achievement that reflects her determination and race-day focus.

We are incredibly proud of every student who took part. You have shown what it means to represent our school with pride. Congratulations!

Ashlee Lowe

HPE Teacher

Free 2 B Girls 

We are excited to share that Nat Dell will be running Free 2 B Girls lunchtime sessions for girls aged 10–16 every Thursday during lunch, commencing June 5th. These sessions are designed to empower and engage, offering a fun and supportive environment for girls to connect and grow. 

For any enquiries, please contact the school office. 

Louise Hawkins

School Health Nurse

Apps and games

For many parents and carers, the clock is TikToking for when you might get asked by your child if they can go on social media or play games online.

These are tough calls for parents and carers, and especially those of our generation who don’t necessarily understand the increasingly important role digital environments play in the social lives and identity development of our children.

The eSafety Commissioner (eSafety.gov.au) website provides a range of advice to navigate this often-challenging area for families.

• Learn more about apps and games by viewing The eSafety Guide.
• Understand your child’s gaming experience by having conversations, watching or playing together.
• Talk with other parents and carers from school. This could be a good opportunity to learn more about how their children use an app or game and strategies to manage the technology.

Lyrae Rattray

Safeguarding Lead

Are you ready for the biggest and best cross-country event on the Tasmanian calendar?

Entries for the 2025 All Schools Cross Country events are now open, and you don't need to qualify in a local competition to be a part of it. All school participants are welcome!

Visit the links below for more information and to enter:

Secondary - 12th of June:

https://www.tasathletics.org.au/events/294447

https://www.onlineentry.com.au/XCSecondary_Tas_2025.aspx

Primary - 17th of June:

https://www.tasathletics.org.au/events/294585

https://www.onlineentry.com.au/XCPrimary_Tas_2025.aspx