Last week each class held an information night for families to learn about class routines and the learning that will be happening over the year. Thank you for making the time to come to those meetings. If you were unable to come, the class teachers have emailed out relevant information.

Remote Learning
Obviously the big news this week is the temporary COVID shutdown. Class teachers will have sent out some suggested learning tasks for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Due to the anticipated shortness of the remote learning period teachers will not be launching online lessons or expecting children to stick to any rigid timetables. Simply have a go at some of the suggested learning activities if it works for your family situation. Give the children plenty of opportunity for reading and physical activity. I am confident that we will return to school on Thursday (touch wood).

Swimming
Last week children in Yrs. 3-6 took part in the House swimming sports. Congratulations to Wellsford House for winning the event. I was very impressed with the supportive attitude of all the children who were cheering for everyone and encouraging all to have a go. Thanks to parents who helped with timing and cheering. Thanks also to Brendan for running such a well organised event. There will be 18 swimmers representing Yackandandah Primary School this Friday at the Regional Swimming championships.

Age swimming champions for Yackandandah Primary School are:

Age group champions 2021

12/13 Boys

1. Oliver Boddenberg (Wellsford 17)
2. Mitch Waller (Kars 14)
3. Lachy O’Brien (Kars 10)

12/13 Girls

1. Rose McKenzie-McHarg (Wellsford 17)
2. Ivy Edwards (Windham 10)
3. Ava Walker (Hammond 9)

11 Boys

1. Flynn Graham (Windham 15)
2. Hugh Mason (Wellsford 9)
3. Aidan Dent (7)

11 Girls

1. Saoirse Beatty (Windham 13)
2. Lenni Ridgeway (Kars 9)
3. Lily Houston (Hammond 8)

9/10 Boys

1. Fredi Farley (Hammond 9) and Edward Boddenberg & Tarn Charles-Jones (Wellsford 9)
2. Aidan Wall (Windham 5)
3. Jim Kelley (Windham 4) & Harry Schmidt (Wellsford 4)

9/10 Girls

1. Violet MacCalman (Hammond 15)
2. Lara Brenton (Windham 10)
3. Aliya McCormack (Kars 8)

Bunnies up for grabs!

There are three friendly and cuddly house rabbits who are in need of a new home! The current owners reluctantly have to let them go due to moving interstate. If you are interested in giving a home to three friendly bunnies let Michael or Sandra know at school and we will point you in the right direction.

Michael Edwards
Principal

Attention Health Care Card Holders - Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families.

Payment amounts this year are $125 for eligible primary school students Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions and sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

If you applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

If you would like to apply for the first time, please call into the school office and ask for an application form.

You can also download the form, and find out more about the program and eligibility, on the Department of Education and Training’s Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund web page https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/csef.aspx

Check with the school office if you are unsure, and please return completed forms to the school office as soon as possible.

Hume Bank Student Banking Program

Following the announcement from the Victorian Minister for Education at the end of last year we will no longer be running the Clancy Koala School Banking Program with the Hume Bank.

We encourage students and their parent to continue to educate and develop their children’s banking practices with their own banks.

Matilda Ridgeway for setting high personal standards for her home reading. Well done!
Jonah Leane for taking on new challenges with a “can do” attitude.
Oscar Dickeson for demonstrating a positive mindset in Mathematics. Keep it up!!
Grace Westbrook for showing so much confidence starting at a new school and settling in so well!
Florian Whitley for helping another student learn about analog clocks.
Ivy Mahoney for displaying dedication in improving in all areas through practising handwriting and remembering to do home reading.
Henry Lerch for taking feedback on board and striving to do your best.
Katherine Somerville for working hard to make deep connections with your learning.
Lenny Graham for always displaying kindness and helpfulness towards others.
Emma Pinard for her amazing and suspenseful cold write, including some excellent figurative language.
Jack Gregory for his outstanding contributions to our classroom discussions.  Keep it up, Jack!
Isaac Hewson for putting in a fantastic effort while training for and participating in our swimming carnival.
Mim Martini for consistent enthusiasm for all learning.
Hugo Dickeson for writing a fantastic Big Write.
Tom Murphy for trying his best with all activities and always sporting the brightest smile.
Nate Maybury for an excellent start to Foundation and using great learning habits.
Elijah Leane for being a responsible and engaged learner in our class.
Mia Bebbington for having a go at writing letters and words in writing tasks.

House Swimming Carnival

One of the most impressive features of the recent House swimming carnival was the number of kids persisting, supporting others, and having a go to earn points for their ‘House’. It was the kind of sporting spirit we like to foster at Yackandandah Primary, so it was great to witness it in bucket loads. Thanks, as always, to the parent helpers on the day, and the other teaching staff, who all combined to make it wonderful day. The House winner this year was Wellsford Red. Great job Wellsford!

Division Swimming Carnival

We have a crack squad of 18 swimmers heading to Wodonga to make a splash this Friday, February 19. More information has been emailed directly to parents and carers today. Best of luck to all those involved.

Brendan Hogan.

Hot lunch this week is a BLT /Haloumi Roll. Helpers are:

Hannah Jones, Louise Thornton, Kerrily Jeffery and Jenny Garvey.

My apologies for the Birthdays not being in the previous newsletters.

Happy Birthday to the following students who have had birthdays so far this year and are having one this week:

2^nd January            Isaac Hewson & Oliver Paull
3^rd January             Henry Wyatt
5^th January             Vanessa Williams
6^th January             Ruby Lebner
8^th January             Angus Glanville
12^th January          Lenny & Pippa Graham
13^th January          Freya Vorbach
15^th January          Patrick McIntyre & Kaitlyn McGlead
19^th January          Jed Walker
20^th January          Sally Bayne & Zac Spargo
22^nd January          Charlie Killen
24^th January          Raff Gargiulo
25^th January          Oscar Barker-Powell & Ava Walker
26^th January          Lola Mahoney
27^th January          Olive MacCalman
29^th January          Hugo & Zack Dickeson
31^st January           Lara Bebbington
1^st February          Richie Burston & Laycee Nocentini
4^th February          Beau Ridgeway & Ivy Mahoney
5^th February          Max Edwardes
6^th February          Ewan McInerney
11^th February        Gabrielle Gargiulo
13^th February        Emerson Paull
19^th February        Jim MacCalman & Maddie Prentice

Wodonga Little Athletics

Way back on a warm December day, the 12th to be exact, we were celebrating Santa Hat Saturday and in the first race of the day, Ollie had a goal, a goal to break our 400m record annnnnd he did it!!!!

Ollie was aiming to break his own record on the synthetic surface at Shepparton on the weekend for the Little Athletics Victoria Regional Track and Field Carnival, however, it was postponed with the snap lockdown that has just been imposed on us. We are hoping that Ollie will still get his chance later this month to run at the Regional Carnival and qualify for the State Championships to be held in Melbourne on the 13th and 14th March. This is Ollie's first record for the centre and we are very proud of his achievements he is a credit to our centre and we love to watch him run!

More information on Wodonga Little Athletics can be found on our social or at https://linktr.ee/wlac26.