Dear Parents and Carers,

Our school community continues to be a vibrant place of learning! Students are busy working on their various projects and looking at ways that they can go more deeply with their learning. To support students with their learning we are always looking to form partnerships with “experts” from our community. If you have a particular skill or interest and are keen to work with young people, we would love to hear from you!

We have been fortunate in regard to the quality and skills of the volunteers who work with some of our students on a regular basis. I am pleased that we are able to have such an amazing Design and Technology program at school! Wow, hasn’t it been a success, students learning programs such as Google ‘Sketch Up’ to create some really interesting and detailed designs and then using hand and power tools to actually make them. A big thank you for John Crick for his continued work with this program.

Bob Blackman continues to run his “now famous” creative writing and Bikes programs- these are both integral to the culture of learning from skilled volunteer mentors that exists at our school. Thank you Bob!

At Launceston Big Picture School we all know that so much learning occurs outside the traditional classroom setting. As a school we continue to offer opportunities for our young people to involve themselves in programs or activities that involve learning within our local and wider school community. It is fantastic to see that the vast majority of our students are participating in a Learning Through Internship program. It is wonderful to chat with students upon their return from their Internships and see the real sense of purpose and authenticity in the work they not only completed off site but are participating in at school. As a staff we have made a collective commitment to ensure that every student has at least had the opportunity to participate in a shadow day by the end of term 2- the half way point of the year.

Redevelopment

Our school administration is progressing and we are expecting things to be finished in the next few weeks. It is exciting to witness the new space “taking shape”. If everything continues to go to plan, we anticipate officially moving into our new areas by the end of term. Students and staff have been working together to look at possibilities for the “old” reception area with early thoughts focussing around setting up our science and technology equipment in this area. I have got no doubt that the new environment will be “state of the art” and support our 20^th century innovative learning culture.

Attendance At School Matters- Making Every Minute Count!

At LBPSS we have a real commitment to supporting and ensuring students attend school. Our school day begins at 8.55 am and finishes at 2:45 pm. The information below highlights some important elements around attendance.  We monitor individual student attendance closely and would really like to see all students work hard to increase their individual attendance percentage.

Higher student attendance at school is associated, on average, with higher student achievement.

Why is regular attendance at school important?

Regular school attendance will mean that your child has a better chance in life.

• they learn better
• they make friends
• they are happier
• they have a brighter future.

Why must I send my child to school?

Under Tasmanian law, you must make sure your child of school age is enrolled and attends school all day, every school day unless they have an acceptable reason. Illness, doing learning through internship placements or competing in a school sporting event are acceptable reasons for being absent from school.

The DoE Attendance Policy states.

“Consistent attendance at school is critical to achieving positive educational outcomes and keeping students engaged in their learning. Parents/guardians have a legal obligation to ensure a child is enrolled in and attending school or is registered for home education. “

Avoid keeping your child away from school for:

• birthdays, shopping, visiting family and friends, if they sleep in, looking after other children, haircuts, etc

Routine medical or other health appointments should be made either before or after school or during the school holidays.

What should I do if our family is going on a holiday in school time?

You are encouraged not to schedule holidays during school time. If your family holiday is during school time, let the school know in advance and talk about what arrangements can be made for your child.

Do I need to let the school know if my child has been away from school?

Yes, you must let the school know the reason why your child has been absent. If possible, advise the school beforehand.

Are you having problems getting your child to school for some of these reasons?

• won’t get out of bed in the morning
• won’t go to bed at night
• can’t find their charger or equipment
• haven’t done their homework or have a presentation to do, have an assignment to hand in
• watching TV
• it’s their birthday

If so, a set routine can help

• have a set time to go to bed
• have a set time to get out of bed
• set a time for daily homework activities
• speak about school positively
• be firm, send your child to school every school day including their birthday and the last day of term!

What should I do if my child won’t go to school?

You should contact us as soon as possible for advice and support.  Every day counts – is your child at school today?

The following chart highlights the impact of non-attendance over time.  Viewed in this context, the implications of regular absenteeism are startling.  The chart shows the cumulative effect of persistent non-attendance over the period of compulsory schooling.

NAPLAN

Over the past two weeks we have been conducting Naplan testing with our Grade 9 students. The tests have been on-line again this year and will provide students and the school with another data set to measure progress and growth for individual students and our school. We are very proud of the way our students approached these tests and showed commitment and focus to their learning.

School Association – next meeting

Our next School Association meeting is Wednesday 9^th June at 5.00pm at school.

We invite and welcome all existing and new members to attend these meetings.

The Australian Curriculum Review

Have a say in what your child learns. 

All students from Prep to Grade 10 in Tasmanian schools are taught the Australian Curriculum. 

The Curriculum is currently being reviewed and refined to ensure that it continues to be world class and best meet the needs of our students in our changing world. 

Families and school community members are invited to contribute to the review. This is an important opportunity and we encourage you to visit the website and have your say in what your child learns. 

The website is open from 29 April – 8 July. 

For more information: 

View this short video to learn more about the Review and how to give feedback:

Our Newsletter

Thank you to those people who regularly read our electronic newsletter! I certainly hope that you enjoy looking at the achievements of our young people and hearing about the various things happening at our school. Please feel free to encourage others to subscribe using the following link:

New Enrolments For 2022- Family Information Session

We continue to have lots of people enquiring about our school- families wanting to know more about what Big Picture learning is all about and people wanting to come and have a look at our school! The first step for new families interested in an enrolment for 2022, is to register their interest by phoning our office on 63 351500.

Adrian Dean
Principal

Informational Interviews 

Pure Food Eggs

Last Tuesday I went to Pure Food Eggs for an informational interview. We got a full tour around the chicken farm. I sparked up when something was said about their chicks coming in on the 1st of June, so that’s when I start my LTI. I’ll be starting at 6 am in the morning and finishing at 2 pm. The next week I’ll be going through the sheds finding and collecting all the eggs that have been laid out of place.

Before going I had my questions ready. I asked John what his role is.  He replied “I’m the manager.” and then he explained how he got to that role. Then I asked him “What does a typical day look like for you?” and he explained what a typical day looked like for him. I asked “How did you get your job?” John said he got his job by volunteering at the farm then the manager at the time offered him a full-time job in the hatchery area.

Some things that interested me were that Pure Foods get 25,000 chicks come in on planes from Melbourne. The eggs are collected from the farm at the times between 9 and 10 am then transported to the grading factory in Kings Meadows. After they are graded the eggs that didn’t make it to the shelves get turned into egg pulp that is sold to supermarkets, cafes etc. to be turned into cakes and other bakery goods.   

I was interested that you can be offed a full-time job with no qualifications or knowledge about the chickens. John didn’t really mention what opportunities that the business offers but that may be a question I can ask next time.

All my questions were answered and there were no further questions I could think of at the time. I was quite excited about getting a couple of shadow days with them because I liked how their chickens were looked after and how much room they had to explore. I asked John how they kept track of all the hen’s health and he went on to explain that he gets 5 vets in, one every month to check up on them. I left feeling happy about that.

At first, I wanted to go to Reptile Rescue but I decide to go with my passion and for what’s closer, so now I have 3 shadow days at Pure Foods Chicken Farm in Longford.

Bridie O'Shannessy
9B Advisory

Big Ears Animal Sanctuary

My informational interview was at Big Ears Animal Sanctuary, we met Brett Steele and he showed us the animals they were taking care of, we first saw the cockatoos which were very talkative and one spoke Italian, we then patted some donkeys that were very cute.

There was a cat called Socrates that had to be kept away from the other cats because it would kill them since it had been a stray cat that fought a lot before it was at Big Ears.

There were rabbits and one had a disease that made it tilt its head to one side, so it looked very confused a lot of the time. We then saw the goats and sheep and they also enjoyed being patted a lot and one goat had one horn on its head, so it looked like a unicorn. The pigs we saw were very lazy and just stayed under their shelter and slept. It was a very enjoyable experience and I’m excited to go there again.

Andre Santamaria
9A Advisory 

Fur Babies & Friends Photography

Justyne is one of our very talented Year 11 students.  She has been lucky to have had an amazing Learning Through Internship (LTI) mentor, Deb Sulzberger–Fur Babies & Friends Photography.

Deb posted the following glowing article on the LBPS FaceBook Page: Justyne Westwood you are a star. I can't tell you how proud I am. As you all know I have been mentoring Justyne from Launceston Big Picture School and what a gem. She took herself off to Hollybank and had a little photoshoot for her Mum for Mother's Day. Mum must be absolutely over the moon. She really produced some fantastic work. Check out those fur babies, I think I need to watch my back.

Launceston Tram Museum

My name’s Brayden Cunningham, and for my LTI I’ve been going to the Launceston Tram Museum every Tuesday. 

I decided to go there for my LTI due to my interest in the railway.  I’ve been learning a lot of things there, for instance, I’ve learnt how the tram is operated, I’ve learnt about the communication systems the conductor and motorman have. I’ve learnt a bit about customer service too and I learnt how to wash windows. 

I’ve had lots of fun at the tram museum, being able to ride on the tram every Tuesday, being able to make more adult relationships and being able to meet heaps of interesting people who have travelled from all over Australia, it’s been awesome.

Brayden Cunningham
10B Advisory 

Ishka

Hi, my name is Aerawyn and my LTI is at Ishka. I’ve only just gotten my LTI at Ishka in second term and I am really enjoying it so far. I keep busy with things like security tagging items, putting items from deliveries away in the shop, packaging items up ready for them to be posted to the customers, cleaning up the mirrors, helping customers when needed and cleaning up the shop. I’ve really enjoyed my time there as everyone is always lovely and I enjoy spending time there. There is always something to do. I think that my time there so far has been good and I like it there a lot. I’ve learnt about how to remain calm in stressful situations and I’m really excited to continue to do my LTI there.

Aerawyn Height
10B Advisory

Jessup's IT & Computers

I have been conducting an LTI at Jessup's IT & Computers for the last 6 weeks. My role at Jessup's IT is to take jobs off the other technicians' hands and free up time so they can tend to other jobs. In this time, I have learnt a lot of worthwhile skills to use in the industry. I have worked on a variety of devices, such as a point of sales (POS) machine. I hadn't used one before doing my LTI and I really enjoyed working on it. 

Clay Townsend
10B Advisory 

We want your help for our Learning Through Internship Program!

If you are a local business and have opportunities for students to engage in your industry during this uncertain time please contact Mel at melanie.van.asperen@education.tas.gov.au.

Mel Van Asperen
LTI Co-ordinator 

Get Active Program (GAP)

On Monday the 10^th of May 2021 the GAP (Get Active Program) went out to ten pin bowling. The Gap program is a program where we get out of the building and do fun activities while trying new things that we never thought we would try.

The group is organised and supported by Ella Baker-Condon, Youth Health Social Worker and Jasmine Poslon, our school’s Social Worker.

The student involved in ten pin bowling activity were Jasmine, Ebony, Sarsha, Melody-Jane, Ella, and Jasmine. Ella won the game of ten pin bowling

Melody-Jane Collyer
9B Advisory

Multicultural Food Day

On Friday 7th of May, the Gang As Advisory organised a multicultural food day for the school. Students researched their own heritage and explored traditional dishes before practicing and then delivering to the school for consumption. On the menu were nachos, brigadeiros, chilli bites, vegetarian haggis, banoffee pie, oliebolins, hamburger with fries, pavlova and more.

The money raised (approx $150) will be donated to the Launceston Migrant Resource centre as part of the Gang As Advisory Social Action Project.

Thank you to all who supported the cause and enjoyed our food.

Ben Miller
Gang As Advisory

All Schools MTB Championships

Although this article appeared in our last newsletter, I just wanted to attached some more photos of our awesome students taking part in the All Schools MTB Championships held at the Trevallyn Nature Reserve on Friday, 6th May.

With over 300 students taking part from across the state, this was the first time that students from the Launceston Big Picture School have competed in the event, with our team members needing to be commended on their support of each other throughout the day, and the positive attitudes they displayed whilst competing.

Brendan Liddell
9A Advisory

Harry Radbone Year 12 Student

Harry is one of our amazing year 12 students with a passion for all things film related. Recently he entered the 2021 Kids Helpline short film Challenge. The theme of the competition was "Coping Mechanisms". Yesterday Harry found out that he had won the first prize of $1000. Congratulations Harry! Check out his work below!

Writer’s Workshop

On Friday, 21^st May, Jimmy Harrison ran a writer’s workshop with interested students. Jimmy is a playwright and writer who is a lecturer at the University of Tasmania. Students had the opportunity to explore story sentence starters and endings, which helps motivate their writing. Below is some of the work that students wrote:

Story Starters:

• None of them liked running very much. Too bad they didn’t have a choice. They thought about fighting but 500 mutant beasts against two lanky teens didn’t seem too fair.
• Chains dangled from the cliffs high above, jangling in the wind with the howls of the damned slowly rising in pitch.
• The rift widened once more, spewing out all sorts of cursed jewels and treasures, glittering in the sun.
• One by one, the stars vanished, plunging the land below into darkness.
• Stepping carefully, the figure made their way across the giant web spanning the canyon.
• One by one, the beacons flared to life, bringing along with them the promise of a battle.
• The figure sailed across the sea of fire, their small ship’s hull alight.
• Gleaming gems and slivers of precious metals sand softly, the music echoing down the long tunnels.
• The automaton stepped across the frozen tundra, still searching.

 Story Endings:

• I hate being outside. Now before you say, “outside is beautiful”, remember that on your world, the trees don’t scream, and the clouds aren’t trying to kill you.
• The fires flickered and dimmed, the sigils on the walls fading away into the night along with the remnants of the battle.
• One by one, the stars flickered out, leaving behind a silent Earth.
• The torch fell into the raging sea below, the wreckage of the ship disappearing below the waves and with it, the treasure.

Marianne Olsen
Support Teacher/AST

The Luna Moth

The Luna Moth is usually around 11cm wide and can get as big as 18cm. They live in North America. 

It’s only purpose in life is to reproduce, so the adults do not have a mouth or a digestive tract.  They live about 10 days then fly off to mate.  Soon after they  mate or lay eggs they die.  They lay around 200 eggs at a time.

Luna moths are also known as “giant Silkworm Moths” and I like to call them “giant moth boi’s”.

The moth is also called a Luna moth because it is named after the moon (Luna means moon)

Abbey-Lee Waugh-Lucas
Grade 10B

Music

Hi, we’re Tyler and Aerawyn. Tyler and I have formed a band at Big Picture.

Tyler plays bass and drums and I sing. Tyler has been doing drums for one year and has only been learning bass for a week.

I have been doing vocals for about five years. I have also been working with Kit who has been learning to play the drums and we have been jamming on ‘Long way to the top’ by AC/DC.Tyler and I have started to learn how to work as a team.

I am in the music group for active learning and am currently working on ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ by The Verve. We hope to do some performances in front of the school in the future.

Aerawyn Height
10B Advisory

Sport & Recreation

The Sport & Rec group recently had loads of fun at Mowbray Indoor Sport N Skate. Fortunately all students survived injury free.

Design & Construction

Many students are nearing completion of their various projects. It has been awesome to see the wide array of work and learning being undertaken.

Sienna Barrett is a Year 11 student who has a passion for agriculture and farming. 

As part of her learning program, she has designed and built a feeder for her horses.

I am sure you will agree, the finished product looks as good, if not better, than those available in retail outlets. Congratulations Sienna!

Zach Kerrison is a Year 9 student and is building this fabulous bookcase in the Design & Construction Activity Group.

Harley Wykes is a Year 12 student and for his senior project he is making a welding trolley.

He chose this project as he has a real passion for welding and this project will show off his design and welding skills.

The project will be used at his house giving him the ability to move his welder around the workshop as well as outside jobs.

To further his study Harley is starting an LTI at TJM Springworks on Wednesday.

STEAM

Seth Perry is a Year 9 student who joined our Launceston Big Picture School community at the start of Term 2. He set his sights on designing and making a fireplace on his very first day.

Since then, Seth has developed skills using Tinkercad, a 3D modelling program, to design a scale model of his fireplace. Seth worked with Dan to learn about 3D printing and printed his first model in week 4 of this term. His first try was pretty good but there were a number of small things he thought to improve.

Seth revised his design and set the 3D printer for a 23 hour print. His second attempt included supports that he had to carefully remove after printing had finished. The final model is a great basis for him to continue designing his fireplace. Seth has also organised shadow days at Howorka Welding and Engineering, beginning next week, and he is very excited to be able to build his metal fabrication skills alongside a mentor. Well done Seth!

Food & Cooking

For my personal interest project, I have decided to spend most of my time in the kitchen because I have a passion for cooking. Each week I research two different dishes from a different country from around the world and try that cooking style. Doing this has opened my experience with different cooking techniques and different dishes I would never normally cook or different foods I would never try. After I have cooked the dish I choose different people inside the Big Picture grounds and ask if they could write a couple of words or sentences about the dish, if they liked the presentation, was is cooked to their liking, is there anything I could do next time to improve the dish or anything I could add. Getting feedback on my work, lets me see if I can improve or how much I have improved since the last time I cooked. So far this term I have cooked all different kinds of food like vanilla filled doughnuts, caramelised figs with ice-cream, different types of breads with different fillings and stuff like roasted plums with a caramel syrup sauce.

Molly Walker
9A Advisory

Art

Tyler Loone is a grade 10 student who is interested in story writing and character development.

Tyler's favourite mediums include, copic markers, charcoal and ball-point pens. 

Tyler hopes to produce a graphic novel in the upcoming terms.

From the Art Pod

Aspiration, Courage, Respect, Growth

We are always looking for ways of rewarding positive behaviour at our school.

Students and staff are encouraged to nominate those people who have shown Aspiration, Courage, Respect or Growth. Winners receive a voucher from Bizy Bee  Café, Invermay Road and our winners this month so far are:

• CHLOE HAWKINS: GROWTH - for getting an LTI after trying for over a year
• PAIGE TEMPLETON: COURAGE & GROWTH - for overcoming problems and tries her hardest
• FINN READ: COURAGE & GROWTH - for adapting to changed expectaions and leading by example
• NAOMI BARRY: ASPIRATION & COURAGE - for achieving her week's goal
• AMBER HARTLAND: COURAGE & RESPECT - for sharing and helping organise class discussions
• BETHANY MACFARLANE: COURAGE - for emailing a potential LTI

Exhibitions

Term 2 exhibitions commence on Wednesday, 16th June.  Thank you to those families who have already booked.  If you haven't, please click on the link below:

TasTAFE Info Week

Find out more about TasTAFE’s courses at their upcoming June Info Week!!

From 7–11 June 2021, TasTAFE will have more than 130 online and face-to-face information sessions scheduled across a range of industries from Business to Health and Community Services, Hospitality, ICT, Horticulture and Construction.

With more than 200 nationally accredited and industry-endorsed qualifications ranging from Certificate I to Advanced Diploma level, as well as lots of short courses and skill sets, there’s a fair chance that you’ll find a course that interests you!

TasTAFE also offer a number of Certificate II courses that are designed to help provide you with the skills you need to gain an apprenticeship if you’re looking to take up a trade.

For more information about TasTAFE Info Week or to register for an information session please click on the link below:

Term 2: Start and End Dates

• Wednesday, 21st April - Friday, 2nd July 

Term 2: Public Holdays

• Monday, 14th June - Queens Birthday 

Volunteers

Launceston Big Picture School has a proud history of volunteer involvement. I would like to invite any family or community members who hold a “Working with Vulnerable People” authorisation to contact the school if you have any interest in assisting in a volunteer capacity.

The school welcomes the contributions of our volunteers. Should you have a special area of expertise to offer, or simply wish to support our students in their daily programs, please feel free to approach a member of our team with your ideas and interests.

COVID Quick Check-In TAS

To comply with Public Health Directions, our school is now set up with the COVID Check In TAS App. This app enables visitors to our school to register their visit using the self-check-in QR code and have their information directly stored with the Tasmanian Department of Health for contact tracing (if required).

Use of the app will help the Tasmanian contact tracing team quickly identify and assist anyone who may have been exposed to COVID-19.  

Click on the link below for instructions on how to Download the COVID Check-In TAS App.

Big Picture Education has 12 distinguishers.  In our newsletter we will share them.  Our fourth is...

4. Authentic Assessment

Each term the students exhibit their portfolios of work to a panel made up of the advisory teacher, family, peers, the mentor, and others from the community.  They provide evidence of progress against their learning goals and they reflect on the process of their learning.

Autism

If you are interested in furthering your learning and understanding, please click on these links:

Informing School of Student Absences

Your child’s Advisory Teacher records attendance daily using the DoE EduPoint system. Attendance is taken between 8:55am – 9:30am. 

If your child is going to be absent, you will need to inform the school ASAP - otherwise the EduPoint system automatically marks the absence as ‘Unauthorised-Unexplained’ and this is not altered until communication is received from parents.

The preferred method of communication is to send the school an SMS 0427 016 460 (this is a short message service only, so you will not be able to ring the school on this number).

LBPS admin check the SMS service throughout the day and update any changes to student attendance.

You can of course ring the school direct on 6335 1500 and leave a voice message on the answerphone.

School Uniform

It is compulsory for students to wear their school uniform when attending school excursions, interviews, LTIs or if they are representing the school at events. 

Uniforms can be purchased from the school office and are sold at cost price:

• Polo Shirts with school logo = $30 (sizes 6 up to 5XL)
• School Hoody with school logo = $65 (sizes XS up to 2XL)

Any pre-worn uniform donations would be very much appreciated and are used in our emergency uniform/clothing pool.

Parking Inveresk Precinct 

It is highly recommended that parents and visitors to the school DO NOT PARK along the nature strip in front of the school, slong the footpath or on the grass area beside Aurora Stadium.

The City Council have recently approached the school and have advised these areas are being patrolled and infringements are being issued.

Parents and visitors are advised to use the paid parking facilities at the Inveresk Car Park (next to Blue Cafe).

Communication & Useful Links

I would like to remind families of some useful links and apps that you may use to assist with receiving communication from our school.

• SMS Only - 0427 016 460 to report student absences, please send a text to our short message service
• Schoolzine App & Newsletter - Our newsletter is published at the end of every month through Schoolzine. Schoolzine is an app that allows you to communicate with the school, receive notices and newsletters

• School Website - Our website allows you to access lots of useful information about our school

• School Facebook - please 'like' our facebook page as we often post communication to parents on there

Local Transport Services

Support Staff 2021

Student Leaders 2021

Just want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all the LBPS students who have contributed to this months newsletter, we really do enjoy reading your articles and stories of your personal progress.

If students have stories they would like to share, then please email your news items to me jennifer.kendall@education.tas.gov.au

Jennifer Kendall
School Business Manager