2021 Satisfaction and Climate Survey Data

As part of our continuous effort to improve ACT schools, each year the Education Directorate invites all parents and carers, school staff and students in Years 4 to 12 to give feedback through the School Satisfaction & Climate Survey.

Your responses help to identify what we do well and how we can improve. The data will also be used to underpin school improvement practices and inform government priorities, as well as in research projects and longitudinal studies aimed at improving the quality of education services in the ACT.

Our 2021 results have recently become available. Last year, 127 (34.9%) of our parent/carers completed the online Survey. We are seeking ways to increase the number of parent/carers engagement (the Survey is usually made available in Term 3). Please contact me with any suggestions/feedback.

As a school we are celebrating some of the feedback we have received. Please see table below:

Our P&C run canteen has also received very positive feedback. 82.4% of our community agree or strongly agree that there is an ‘…availability of healthy food and drink’. With other ACT primary schools averaging 62.5%. A difference of +19.9%.

The results have also highlighted areas of improvement for the school. Please see table below:

We are currently continuing to review the data and will be working with families in Term 2 with the aim of developing our strategies when seeking parents’ opinions and celebrating diversity.

Thank you to those parent/cares who participated.

Easing of student COVID-19 restrictions in ACT public schools

Following the further easing of COVID-19 restrictions across the ACT, the Education Directorate has worked with ACT Health to review their plans that set out measures in place to minimise the transmission of COVID-19 in ACT public schools.

From 21 March, school bands, orchestras, choirs and performance rehearsals will be able to resume without our students needing to remain in their cohorts.

School sports can also resume without cohorting restrictions.

Face to face school assemblies and performances will also be allowed for students. At this stage parents are unable to attend in person but where possible and upon request, schools can make recordings of these events available for parents.

Overnight excursions can also resume with a two-night limit for interstate excursions. Schools will need to prepare a COVID-safe plan for each excursion.

Due to the easing of some restrictions, as of next week the students will have the option to choose where they would like to play. We will not have designed play areas however, the stagged breaks will continue for the rest of Term 1.

Erin Minehan
Acting Principal

What a whirlwind few weeks it has been! We are all very excited to watch the landscaping start to take shape over the fence and the anticipation is building as we approach the construction finish line. I am always so proud of how resilient and adaptable our students and families are and that has never been more evident than this term – so much change! Defence families are pretty well versed in “rolling with the punches” and continue to demonstrate wonderful adaptability here at school.

We are all very excited to have seen Defence Club return over the last 2 weeks for Years 1-6. Defence Club is a lunch time group run by the DSM for students who have a parent or parents serving in the ADF. It is a quiet space for play with craft, puzzles, lego and games on offer. The purpose of the group is to promote the networking and collaboration of students and allow them to share their experiences in frequent relocation and parental absence. It’s also an opportunity for the DSM to check on the welfare of students in a fun and social way. New students are encouraged to bring a buddy to further develop friendship networks and supports for our fabulous new crew. For this term Defence Club is running on a senior/junior fortnightly rotating roster to comply with cohorting requirements. Reminders are included in the morning notices for each grade on their allocated day and attendance is strictly voluntary. There will likely be adjustments next term once we have settled into our new spaces.

There are a number of Defence specific and general community events coming up soon. Below are just a few that might be of interest (follow links to register):

INVICTUS Australia Come and Try table tennis – Sunday 3 April

Soldier On Sport Ex at the AIS

Defence Member Family Support various events

Community things in happening:

Shakespeare to Winehouse – National Portrait Gallery  12 March  – 17 July

Auto Italia 2022 – Queanbeyan Park   3 April  showcase of Italian automotive design, including cars, motorbikes and scooters

Old Bus Depot Markets – Sundays 9.30am – 2.30pm

ANZAC Day at the AWM

As always I am available to CPS families Monday to Friday 9:00am–3:30pm. Should you wish to make contact please call the front office or email me directly at Karyn.heitmann@ed.act.edu.au.

Harmony Week – Celebrations on Friday 25^th March

Harmony Week is in full swing at Campbell Primary! Throughout the week students have been doing lots of learning to acknowledge the significance of Harmony Week, and the meaning of diversity within our community.

We are celebrating this coming Friday (25^th March). Children are invited to wear orange or traditional cultural dress to celebrate this special day.

Thanks to the loosening of cohorting restrictions, we are very excited to announce that we will hold a special Harmony Day Yuma (our morning assembly) on the school oval at 9:00am for Years 1-6. Markers for each class will be placed on the oval so that children will know where to leave their bags and line up after the morning bell. Kindergarten students will start the day in their learning space as normal. Families are welcome to spectate, as it will be a short, outdoor event.

On Friday we will also be spending some time with ‘buddies’ for the first time since cohorting restrictions were introduced last year. Please see buddy groupings below:

Preschool – Year 5 (these buddies will meet on Monday to celebrate Harmony Week)

Kindergarten – Year 6

Years 1 and 2 – Year 3-4

We are looking forward enjoying some of the opportunities afforded to us thanks to eased restrictions, and to seeing a sea of orange and colour on Friday! Keep an eye out on our school Facebook page for updates and snaps from the day!

House Colour Day – Tuesday 5 April

On Tuesday of Week 10 (5^th April) we will be holding a special ‘House Colour Day’. This exciting day is designed to encourage house spirit across the school (Preschool to Year 6), in lieu of having a swimming carnival this term. 

Children are invited to wear their house colours to school on House Colour Day. One point will be allocated to houses for each person who has come to school in the appropriate colour (see below). 

Davidson - GREEN 

Britten - BLUE 

Walker - YELLOW 

Hodge - RED 

Our wonderful P&C will kindly be providing each child with a house-coloured jelly cup on House Colour Day! If you would like to opt-out of the jelly cup, please email me at kate.herrington@ed.act.edu.au

Teachers have been provided with a list of house groups so that children can be made aware of/reminded their house group prior to the day. If your child is unsure which house they are in, feel free to contact the Front Office to confirm. 

House coloured t-shirts are available for purchase at the school’s uniform shop. New t-shirts are $20 and second hand t-shirts can be purchased for $2.
If you would like to order a house t-shirt, please contact Liz at uniform.shop@campbellpandc.com. Further details about the school uniform shop, including opening hours, can be found on the school website https://www.campbellps.act.edu.au/our_community/uniform_shop. Alternatively, children are encouraged to wear items that they already own in their house colours. 

Changes to RAT Distribution from Week 9 onwards

As per our most recent direction from the Education Directorate, there will no further automatic distribution of RAT kits. 

From next week (Week 9) RAT kits will be distributed on an ‘as needed basis’.  RAT kits will only be distributed upon request.

All students and school based staff can request their entitlement of (a maximum of) 2x RAT kits per week.

To request RAT kits for your child/ren please contact the Front Office each week and the kits will be sent home on Wednesdays (Tuesdays for Preschoolers) as per the previous timetable.

Fiona McKellar
Business Manager

Dear families

In addition to the recent request for nominations for our School Board, we find ourselves in the position of reaching out for support from our community once again. A position has become available on the School Board and we are asking for any interested parent/carers from our school community to nominate themselves (or a friend) for the 2 year position (concluding 31^st March 2024).

As we are currently in Week 7, the Nomination period will open tomorrow Thursday 24^th March at 11am and close Thursday of Week 10, 7^th April at 11am.

If there is more than one nomination and we need to hold a vote, the voting period will be in Weeks 1 and 2 of Term 2. Further information regarding this will be emailed out on Friday 8^th April, Week 10.

The nomination form is attached for your convenience, paper copies can be requested from the front office if required.

Thank you for your consideration.

Kind regards,

Fiona McKellar

Business Manager

Getting kids to and from school safely

Did you know that children find it difficult to judge the speed of moving cars?

40km/h school zones are in place between 8am and 4pm to help children get safely to and from school.

Remember to slow down and obey the signposted school zone limits and park safely and legally around schools – especially at school drop-off and pick-up times.

If you live close to your school, why not walk, ride, scoot or skate to school instead?

Let’s work together to keep our kids safe.

Transport Canberra has a range of resources, maps and safety tips for students.