23 July 2025

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear parents and families,

A NEW SEMESTER

It’s exciting to have all our little and big people back on board for Term 3. There’s lots of news from Larapinta! Miss Emily Dickinson welcomed her little girl Lily Isla into the world at the end of last term. We were delighted to have them visit us at our staff day on Monday last week. Both are doing well! Ms. Caron Lane is taking Miss Emily’s Room 5 class for the remainder of the year.

We were thrilled to have Kahlia, Damien, Josh, Cassie and Deanne share their stories on our staff professional learning day last week and prepare staff to support NAIDOC Week.

NAIDOC WEEK at LARAPINTA

Mr Josh Lander, our AEO, was honored to receive a NAIDOC award for Education at the NAIDOC Ball. We are so happy to have Mr Josh working with us. Last week he spent time with all our classes christening the new fire pit and cooking kangaroo tail and damper. It was great to see family members come along to these sessions. Mr Damien Williams from the CFC worked alongside Josh sharing knowledge and stories. Student leaders ran break time activities across the week. On Friday afternoon Damien DJ’d for a disco on the courts – a great way to wind up a week of learning and sharing of culture. Check out the beautiful photos of the peaceful and joyful sessions at the firepit enjoyed by all our school community. Thanks to families who came along to celebrate with us – it was so lovely to have you here.

LARAPINTA GARDEN OPENING

Last Friday morning we officially opened the new garden space. Two years in the planning and making, and twelve months of sheer hard work by many, has seen the transformation of a previously unused space in our school to a magnificent place of learning.

Miss Tara, the driving force behind the garden, thanked many people in her speech on the day. I’d like to acknowledge them again here:

• Geoff Miers and his incredible vast knowledge of growing veggies in the desert.
• Steve from 'Shoots and Roots' for all the natives and bush tucker plants
• Simon Hopper, a permaculturalist, who offered his expertise
• Justin Clark and his trusty sidekick Wayne, whose machinery and ideas brought so much to life and shared secrets of the trade.
• Alice Springs Waste Management Centre for their donations of rocks and logs
• SDS landscaping
• The many parents who came to working bees and beyond - especially Joe Schofield for the extra weed spraying and help with our Yeperenye creation and Danae Moore for all her in-depth knowledge on native plants and extra hands.
• To Junior for all the digging and lugging of wheelbarrows
• Mrs Mullins for her movements around the timetable to give time to this space.
• To our amazing Aboriginal staff and families during our Aboriginal parent meetings for your advice and guidance.
• To the teachers who gave their time during breaks, non-contact hours and after school - especially Jayde and Tamara for the endless hours
• And to ALL the students: the Buffel Busters, the Environment Team, and everyone who offered a hand - this is for you.

None of this would have happened without Tara's vision and passion; she is a gem!

Kind regards,
Brenda

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NAPLAN

Results for Year 3 and 5 students who sat NAPLAN tests last term have gone home this week along with two information sheets. Additionally, parents can access this link for a video about how to read the results. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcYsiLtE7a8

SHARING FOOD AT SCHOOL

A reminder that children should not bring cakes, chocolates, lollies and other sweets to share with students at school (even on their birthdays). Please keep these for home. We acknowledge and celebrate birthdays within the class, but we do not distribute foods to children not provided by their own families. 

CHANGES TO P.A. ANNOUNCEMENTS/MESSAGE DELIVERY

To minimise interruptions to student learning across the school, we will no longer be making PA announcements with messages for students. We request that families DO NOT phone the school with messages about end of day pickups, except in an emergency, and instead ensure that children are clear at the start of day about afternoon arrangements for getting home. If you need to collect your child for an appointment, or deliver lunch, please check in at the office, and take a green card to the classroom to collect your child or drop off food.

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

As we begin a new semester, it’s hard to believe we are at the mid-point of the school year already and that our Year Sixes are entering their final months of primary school!

With only eighteen weeks of school left for 2025, we are filling every day with opportunities for all our students to consolidate previously learnt concepts, extend their thinking, and explore new ideas across all areas of the curriculum.

From deepening their skills in reading, writing, and maths to immersing themselves in science, languages, and the arts, there’s something to challenge and excite every learner. For example, this term, we have swimming lessons, the school concert, a raft of excursions, as well as the much-anticipated Year Five sleepover.

With so much happening, it’s essential that all students are at school, on time, and ready to learn each day. Of course, if they’re unwell, rest and recovery at home is best — but otherwise, every single day counts. We know it can be challenging to get children up and moving, especially when it is cold, but it is important they are here to start the day at 8:30am.

We’re so proud of how far our students have come and can’t wait to make this semester one to remember. Let’s make the most of every moment!

Jackie

SCHOOL SNAPSHOT

IMPORTANT DATES 

LARAPINTA PRIMARY SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAM – SUPPORTED BY FOODBANK

Foodbank SA & NT’s School Breakfast Program helps to provide healthy, nutritious food to children who may come to school hungry. The provision of a nutritious breakfast at school means that children can fill their rumbling tummies, feel better from eating good food and be healthy and happy. Having a good breakfast can assist with:

• Students engaging in class better with a full stomach
• Students demonstrating greater persistence and resilience for learning
• Improvements to learning, attention span and behaviour
• Providing a safe environment and keeping students focussed
• Improving student attendance at school

ALL students are welcome to come to the canteen window (near the courts) from 8:10 – 8:30am daily to have Weetbix and/or fruit for breakfast. There is no cost for families. For more information, please contact the front office.

ELECTRIC SCOOTER RULES - an update!

If you want to use an electric scooter, also known as an e-scooter, you don’t need a driver licence or learner permit. But you must follow the rules below. If you don’t, you may be fined, receive demerit points or have your licence disqualified. To use an electric bike (e-bike), you must ride them how you would ride a regular bicycle. Read more about bicycle safety.

Rules for riding a Beam e-scooter

You can only use e-scooters in public places if they're provided by Beam Mobility Australia. To hire and ride an e-scooter, you must:

• be at least 18 years old
• wear an approved bike helmet that is securely fitted
• only ride on footpaths and shared paths and bicycle lanes, unless prohibited
• keep to the left
• give way to any pedestrians.

You can only travel on a road for a distance of less than 50m if:

• there is an obstruction on a footpath, nature strip, or shared path
• it is impracticable to travel on the adjacent area.

You must also not:

• carry passengers or use a mobile phone
• have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05 or more
• take them on public transport or outside of areas permitted by authorities.

For your safety, scooters are also:

• speed limited to 15 km/h
• fitted with an electronic warning device eg. bell
• fitted with front and rear lights which must be operating for use at night.

Rules for riding your own e-scooter

If you own an e-scooter, you can only ride it on private property. You can’t ride it on roads, footpaths or other public spaces. If you're caught riding an unapproved e-scooter, you may be fined for driving an unregistered and uninsured motor vehicle. Read about traffic offence fines and demerit points.

PRESCHOOL NEWS

Werte from Preschool

The children have made a really settled start to Term 3, following the routines, reconnecting with their friends and teachers and engaging well in play. There were lots of stories shared about their holidays – with some venturing away interstate or overseas and others staying in Alice.

We celebrated NAIDOC Week along with the school; our children participated in fun learning activities. They are working on a group art project, painting leaves to put towards a mural of Australia to be displayed in our foyer space.

Unit 2 have jumped straight into the ocean, following their play and interests from last term. We have set up an ocean role play space with a boat, treasure, sea creatures, fabrics and lots of books to inspire imaginative play. They have taken to this space, rowing their boats to treasure islands, going fishing, finding a message in a bottle, pretending to be mermaids and hunting for sharks and crocodiles.

 Lots of children shared their excitement about going to the Alice Springs Show in the holidays, sharing what they saw, ate and the rides they went on. We had several art and craft entries in the art and hobbies section. One of our students in Unit 2 won three prizes for her amazing art pieces, one student in Unit 1 won 3rd prize for her drawing, and our group recycled piece also won 1^st prize. We were also very excited to learn this week that our preschool won the prize for the most entries in the preschool category and we will be presented with a prize next week – how wonderful!

We look forward to another great term of learning and fun.

CHILD AND FAMILY CENTRE (CFC)

Our vision is that every child has the best possible start to life.

Children and families are at the centre of all we do.

We live and work on Arrernte Country.

Werte!

School Holidays

During the school holidays, CFC staff joined two Tangentyere Healthy Days—one held at Larapinta Valley and the other at Charles Creek. The team set up a fun and welcoming stall where kids could enjoy hands-on activities that support healthy habits and early learning.

A favourite activity was making fruit skewers. Children enjoyed naming the colours and fruits they saw, and carefully threading the fruit onto sticks. This helped little ones with their fine motor skills (important for things like writing and using scissors) and built on their language and colour recognition.

Kids also had lots of fun playing with bubbles, trying different wands to see what kind of bubbles they could make. This helped them with movement, hand-eye coordination, and social play.

It was a great chance to support children’s development in a fun, relaxed setting – and to spend time together as a community focusing on health and wellbeing. Thanks to all the families who joined in!

Self-care and Sisterhood

Last week, Kahlia (Strong Young Mother Coordinator) celebrated the success of her collaboration with CAAFLU and Tangentyere on the ‘Self-Care and Sisterhood program’, a powerful initiative supporting young Indigenous women with self-care, healthy relationships, and parenting education. It was a beautiful moment to reflect on the incredible work achieved by everyone involved. Even more special was seeing a long-standing CFC/FaFT mum, Anoushka, and her artwork, featured on the shirts. The powerful slogan on the back states ‘Sisters not by blood, but sisters by heart’.

Big Brekkie

To start the term off right, we hosted a big breakfast filled with delicious food to help kids and families get back into learning mode. It was a great morning full of laughter, fun, and plenty of playtime. Seeing so many happy kids enjoying themselves and connecting with others made it a great way to welcome everyone back to the Centre. We’re excited for the term ahead!

NAIDOC celebrations

Last Friday, we came together to celebrate NAIDOC Week with a special morning for our children and families. NAIDOC is an important time to recognise and honour our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, helping them feel strong, proud, and connected to their culture.

We had a big, joyful morning filled with meaningful activities. A highlight was creating a Languages Map that showed all the different language groups our Aboriginal children are connected to - many of them linked to more than one! This was a powerful way for children to see and share their identities, helping them feel seen and valued.

We also made personalised shirts that proudly displayed these languages. Activities like this help children build a strong sense of self, which is a key part of early development. When kids feel connected to their culture, they grow in confidence, belonging, and wellbeing.

Thank you to all the families who joined us—it was a beautiful morning of pride, learning, and connection.

Kele Mwerre

COMMUNITY NEWS

Free eSafety Webinars for Parents & Carers

The eSafety Commissioner is running a series of free live webinars this term to help parents and carers support their kids to stay safe and confident online. Sessions are short, practical, and delivered by trusted experts.

Remaining topics include: Exploring the online experiences of boys and young men – 30 July, 12:30pm AEST Webinars for parents and carers | eSafety Commissioner