The final newsletter of 2020 gives us the opportunity to look back and reflect on the school year while getting excited for the year to come! It promises to be action packed and full of new learning opportunities and building works!

This year has been like no other with bush fires, smoke and COVID-19.  I would like to acknowledge that this has challenged us all as we have had to reduce the amount of parent opportunities to be actively engaged in the school and classroom. We are hopeful that next year will enable us to open the doors and welcome all our families back into the school so that you can hear and see the amazing learning that is taking place across every learning environment.

Thank you

I would like to especially acknowledge and extend my heartfelt gratitude to our wonderful volunteers who in many instances continued to support the school remotely throughout 2020. In a regular year, we would have hosted a morning tea to celebrate your contributions and extend our continued appreciation, but, this year has made this difficult as we continue to operate under social distancing guidelines to keep our families and children safe. 

Our volunteers help make Campbell Primary School an amazing community hub and a place of deep connection and warmth for our students. As a collective group, the Campbell Primary School staff want to say thank you for your support and all that you do each and every day to enrich the learning of our young people.

I would like to take a moment to especially thank Leah Hanley, Julie Vey and Susan Hoffmann for representing Campbell Primary School on the Board. The School Board has positively represented the community and has been invaluable in providing input into the school’s improvement journey and feedback to the Directorate regarding progress on the Building modernisation project. It has been an absolute privilege to work collaboratively with the School Board, and I look forward to advancing the school’s vision with focus on student achievement and building productive partnerships.

I would also like to thank Natasha Burney and our P&C for their valuable input into supporting the school’s improvement agenda and enhancing the learning opportunities of our students. It is the active involvement of the association and the School Board that make Campbell Primary School a wonderful learning community. The P&C is an amazing way to become actively engaged in the decision-making process at Campbell Primary School and all families are welcomed to attend and contribute.

Save the date:

P&C WELCOME WINE & CHEESE NIGHT

Please join us on 23rd February 2021 for our first P&C meeting of the new year! 5.30pm in the school staff room. A Zoom option will also be available.

2021 Class placements

Starting tomorrow, emails will go out to families informing you of your child’s teacher for 2021. On Friday we will communicate class lists to students and provide the opportunity for students to connect with their peers in their new class groups. 

Book pack

Once again, the P&C are kindly facilitating our school book packs. If you have not yet ordered one for your child, please remember that orders and payment need to be made by Friday 15^th January 2021.  This will ensure they are available for your child at the start of Term 1.

These comprehensive packs have been carefully put together by teaching staff for all year groups from Preschool to Year 6 and will provide for your child’s educational needs throughout the year.

This year, book packs will cost the following:

Preschool: $35

Kindergarten to Year 6: $115

Each book pack contains stationery items and classroom resources needed including lead pencils, coloured pencils, pens, erasers, sharpeners, glue sticks, rulers, exercise books, scissors, paper, folders, tissues and much more.  They also include subscriptions to the following learning resources (dependent on year level):

• Seesaw
• Mathletics (Numeracy)
• Soundwaves (Literacy)
• CARS & STARS (Comprehensive Reading Strategy resources)

Students in Years 3-6 are encouraged to bring along a pencil case on the first day of school.  We leave this item off our book packs each year as students have expressed that they often like to choose these personally or may already have one they would like to re-use.

Ordering and payment information for 2021 book packs can be found using the below link:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=CPLkdTUpukigHCeYRsLBc-falO6sth9DstWZJP7WLqdUNTNCUTI2NElTUU9TR1RQRzIxT09OQk4xRC4u

If you have any questions or require alternative arrangements, please email anna.woodhouse@campbellpandc.com.

Building Modernisation (also sent as an individual email)

I am excited to share with you the designs for the modernisation of our school.

We have been working closely with the ACT Government to finalise the designs and new information about the project has been updated on our school website. I encourage you to visit our website to view the latest plans and artist impressions. We have included some Q&A's about the project and design of the new learning spaces.

A pop-up information session will be held at the school on Monday 15 February 3.30pm to 6.00pm where you can learn more about the final designs, landscaping plans, the construction program and ask any questions you may have about the modernisation project. A reminder about this event will be sent to school families closer to the time. I hope you can join us then.

Construction will commence on our new learning communities during Term 1, 2021 and the contractors may start to fence off the building site over the summer holidays. The safety of our students, families and neighbours is important to us and access points to the school may change to accommodate the construction process. Plans for the construction fencing and work site are being prepared and once finalised, I will update you with the details.

This is an exciting time for our community as our school is modernised, providing contemporary learning spaces for all students and staff.

• Please note I have already received some enquiries and the Directorate is working on updating some of the images so that a better resolution and downloadable versions are available.
• Communications may come out during the holiday period to keep you informed regarding site fencing and the building process so please check your emails.
• The front office will send out information regarding student arrival on the first day of school once we have confirmed site fencing information.

Farewell

To all our students who are graduating or moving to another school (internationally, nationally or locally) we wish you all the best in the next chapter of your schooling. It has been an absolute privilege to have you at Campbell Primary School and your contributions will be missed by your teachers and peers.

We wish all our families a happy, safe, and relaxing break.