Dear parents and carers,

As we head into the holidays, it’s hard to believe we have come to the end of another term.  The students have been busily engaged in learning throughout the term, involved in a range of activities and events.

Interschool Carnival

Last week 115 Duncraig Primary School competitors had an enjoyable time competing at the Carine District School Sports Association Athletics Carnival. The overall result was outstanding, with Duncraig Primary School finishing second and Poynter Primary School coming in first.  What an outstanding achievement for our school.

There were a number of students who won their events with many successful team event places.  The teams demonstrated great perseverance as they practised considerably leading up to the event.   Of the sixteen events Duncraig won six, finished second in three, third in three and fourth in one.  Passball and Leaderball events were a stand out, with some very good relay results also to give Duncraig a fabulous overall result.

Special thanks to the teachers support in training and assisting students leading up to the event and on the day.  In addition, thank you to the parents and families who came to support their children and our school.  Finally, a great effort by all our enthusiastic competitors who embraced the competition whilst enjoying the day.

Book Week

Next term, the school will be celebrating Book Week during week two.  This will include the Book Fair, open in the library over the week and a dress up day on Thursday 22 October.  The theme this year is curious creatures, wild minds.  Your child can come dressed in their own creative interpretation of this theme.

Triple P

Last week a group of parents attended a seminar presented by our school psychologist Alannah Paris and her colleague.  Parents learnt key anxiety management skills that they can teach their children. This opportunity was offered following response to parent requests for how to support their children’s social and emotional wellbeing. Further information for parents can be found on the Triple P or Be You link.

Public Speaking Showcase

Next term students from year one to six will have the opportunity to present their speaking and listening skills.  We would love your support to assist your child in developing or reciting a poem.  Your child’s classroom teacher will share some examples of poems that could be recited or alternatively they may wish to write their own.  Further details will be shared via your classroom teacher early next term.  Two students per class will be asked to present their poems during the Public Speaking Showcase on 26 Nov.

Term 4 Calendar

Next term will be very busy with many activities and events.  Please see our term 4 calendar for some important dates for the diary.  A reminder that the first two days are School Development Days where no students are to attend.

I’d like to wish everyone a safe and happy holidays and we look forward to seeing your children back on Wednesday 14 October.

Best wishes

Leah Clegg
Deputy Principal

ECO team

On Friday 28 August, Rosie from Waste Wise Schools joined the year 3 students from room 12 and year 6 ECO team members to complete a waste audit. The purpose of this visit was to determine the quality and type of waste that our school produces.  In addition, the students learnt about ways we could reduce and reuse waste.   We conducted the audit after recess and organised the rubbish from our bins into categories. We then weighed how much rubbish we had in each category and recorded our results. The students noticed that there was a reasonable amount of paper in the bin, but this was mostly made of lunch bags, which shows our efforts to recycle paper is paying off.  There were large amounts of food waste including whole pieces of fruit and unopened sandwiches and snacks. The students were amazed that people would throw away their unopened Twisties packets! We discussed how the high amounts of fruit and vegetable scraps can be saved from landfill by using compost or worm bins and our Eco Team are very excited to get working on making that happen. We also recorded a large number of snack wrappers in the bins. The students came up with an idea to reduce this amount by asking their parents to buy snacks in bulk and bringing food in reusable containers. Overall it was a fantastic learning experience and the students who attended have shared their results and ideas with the student Eco Team.