30th May 2025

Welcome to our Newsletter

Principal's Report

Dear Families,

Project Lifesaver:  AED

If you have visited our front office recently you would have noticed that we now have an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) outside the front entrance to our school administration area.

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is a portable device used to treat sudden cardiac arrest by detecting dangerous heart rhythms and delivering a safe electric shock to restore normal heart function.  

When cardiac arrest happens, the heart suddenly stops beating, and blood stops flowing through the body. An AED can help restart the heart and restore blood flow. 

AEDs are designed to be user-friendly, providing clear voice and visual instructions to guide users through the process, even if they have no medical training. Simply turning on the machine will start voice prompts telling you what to do. 

The AED was installed as a part of Project Lifesaver – AED rollout to DECYP sites. The project is designed to ensure that these life-saving devices are more accessible.

This project demonstrates our Departments' dedication to providing timely and effective emergency response capabilities across the state, ultimately saving lives and fostering a safer environment for everyone. 

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent teacher conversations begin week 9 -  Monday, 23^rd June 2025.  As part of DECYP reporting, schools will provide this opportunity to focus on:

• Learning progress
• Application to learning
• Wellbeing
• Learning plan goals (if appropriate)

It is a great opportunity to have a discussion with your child’s teacher about their progress. At this meeting, teachers will be sharing the Evidence of Learning with you in the areas of English and Mathematics. Have a chat with your child about how they feel they are going in these curriculum areas and what learning goals they may want to achieve!

We are encouraging students to attend the conference as well so that they may share their thoughts on their learning.

Booking instructions will be shared on Monday, 2^nd June.   Bookings will be open on Tuesday, 3^rd June and will close Thursday, 19^th June.  Any additional bookings after this date will need to be made with the teacher via Seesaw. Please take the opportunity to meet with our wonderful teachers about your child’s learning.

Reporting

Student reports will be sent out to families on Friday, 20^th June.  A reminder to families who receive separate copies of reports for their child/ren (i.e. one copy for each parent) that these will be posted out at the close of business on Friday 20^th June, unless you contact the office prior to this to arrange a collection time.  This is to ensure it is equitable for both parents in this situation.  Any questions, please feel free to contact the office.

Online Safety for Our Students

We all know that children go online with their friends to play games, to complete research assignments. Sometimes being online can bring many challenges for our children. It is important that in our technological world, children (and families / schools etc) are taught about being safe while online. This includes such things as protecting personal information and privacy, avoiding dangerous situations like cyber bullying, online predators and scams, and ensuring that if they see / hear anything that makes them uncomfortable – that they can talk about it with trusted adults.

Online safety is vital for our children. Using the internet is used for both educational and recreational purposes. Our role is to help educate them about what to do if they come across inappropriate content, being on the receiving end of harassment or bullying and privacy concerns. To help support children there are websites that address how to help.

The eSafety Commissioner’s site: Online safety | eSafety Commissioner, also contains valuable information for families to assist with online safety. They have 2 webinars occurring this month specifically designed to assist parent and carers with social media issues:

Sexual extortion: What parents and carers need to know - 28 May 2025, 12.30pm 18 June 2025, 12.30pm.

For more information and to register

eSafety 101 – how eSafety can help you - 28 May 2025, 12.30pm 18 June 2025, 12.30pm.

For more information and to register   

Additionally – our students in years 5 and 6 will be receiving an information session regarding these issues. This is run by “ThinkUKnow” Australia. It is an evidence-based education program led by the Australian Federal Police. The program is designed to address topics that can be challenging but are vitally important. Our students will engage with this on June 18. For further information, please visit their web site ThinkUKnow. We have also booked a parent session; however, the date has not been confirmed. Further information for parents / carers of children in years 5 and 6 will be available shortly.

Futsal Competition

Congratulations to Emily, Alma, Hugh, Riko, Johanna, and Josh who have been selected to represent Tasmania in the State Futsal Championships in Brisbane in September. What a fantastic achievement.

Channel Cross Country

Well done to all the students who travelled to Huonville with Ms Bell for the Channel Cross Country event. All students demonstrated our school values, particularly courage and responsibility. They represented our school with pride. All students were successful; however, the year 5 girls came away as the winners for their age group. Well done. The year 6 girls were also magnificent drawing first place with Illawarra Primary School.

Evie, Alma, Neve, Johanna, Harper, Lexie

Alexis, Indi, Audrey, Kelsey (and Amayah)

School Association

Did you know that as parents/guardians of children who attend Margate Primary, you are automatically a member of the School Association? This is wonderful as the importance and value of the School Association cannot be underestimated. This is a place where teamwork is enhanced between staff, parents and the community, it brings ideas together which creates a great collaborative culture and supports opportunities for creative thinking and working towards the best outcomes for our students/your children.

At the last School Association meeting we welcomed Alice Parker as our new Chairperson. Alice is a very active and visible presence in our school, running the School Uniform Shop, and organising varied events for our school such as the Trivia Night and the upcoming Silent Disco. This is done with the support and enthusiasm of other valued members of our Association. We thank them for their contribution to our wonderful school.

If you would like to be involved, please come along to our next meeting on Monday June 2^nd starting at 6pm in the staff room.

Sorry Day

On Wednesday 21^st May, we gathered as a school community to celebrate Sorry Day with the planting of a Blackwood tree (donated by the School Association). The students led the way, talking about how we can all live together in peace and harmony, being respectful towards everyone and the importance of learning by, and fixing our mistakes.

Suzanne Oates                                                                                                                                                                        Acting Principal

Photos

DECYP Volunteers - Safeguarding

Safeguarding Children and Young People

All DECYP employees and volunteers must complete Safeguarding training every year, before working with any children or young people. This is compulsory under new laws determined to better safeguard children in Tasmania from sexual abuse.

The volunteer training is a 14-minute video, you do need to register and will receive a certificate on completion. Please download certificate and provide a copy to the school (in person or via email).

Compulsory Safeguarding Training for Workers - Department for Education, Children and Young People

Certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of completion.

Golden Tickets

Sorry Day Tree Planting

Last week we planted our Sorry Tree, a blackwood. We chose this tree as it is local to our catchment and important to the Aboriginal community.

The leaves we all put at the tree have a special message drawn or written from each person at this school.

At this Sorry Day Ceremony we acknowledge the wrongs that have been done to the first Nations people and traditional custodians of this land, the Melukerdee people.

“Long long ago, Aboriginal people were the first people here. They took care of the land and were connected to it. European people invaded this beautiful country and took away the First Nations people’s rights.”

On Monday, Prep/1 Platypuses were learning about Sorry Day down in the bush in Area 4. At that moment, a strong wind started. A student said, “even the wind is sad.” We are sad for what happened in the past, but we are hopeful the future will be a better place for us all to live. When we play under this tree, we will remember this.

Kinder 2026

Gumnuts Early Learning

MPSA News

Kiss and Drop off Zone Mornings Only - Top Carpark

Please remember this is a drop-off zone only in the mornings and is not to be utilised in the afternoons due to many buses entering and exiting this space and to ensure safety.  Please be mindful that the carpark is for staff members only.  There are alternate parks at the bottom of Area 4, the hall and the cricket club.  

Duty of Care

We have had a number of students at school well prior to 8.25am.

We would like to remind families that the school does not have duty of care for children before 8.25am and encourages families to drop student/s off from then onwards.

The school office is open during each term from 8.25am - 3.45pm Monday to Friday.  

Safety on Van Morey Road

Van Morey Road is very busy around school times with buses and cars going everywhere.  This is why we had a school crossing installed.  For the safety of yourself and your children please only use the school crossing to cross Van Morey Road.

Booking of the Gym

Just a friendly reminder if you wish to use the gym after hours for training, please make sure you ring and speak to the office first to check that there are no other bookings.  Thank you.

Collecting your child from school within the school day

If you are collecting your child from school within the school day for an appointment or other early departure reason, please come by the office first.  The office will then assist in calling your child up to the office and you can sign your child out.

Attendance Notifications

Please contact the Office with attendance notifications no later than 9.30am to avoid receiving a phone call from our office staff.

Phone 62 672 238

Text Attendance's Only: 0437 294 856

Email: margate.primary@decyp.tas.gov.au 

Facebook

Please follow us on our School Facebook page for infomation about upcoming school events and celebrations.

Lost Property

Please help us by coming along and looking through the lost property items. Named lost items will be returned to the student (where possible) and all un-named items will be passed on to the uniform shop at the end of term.

Community Notices