DECEMBER NEWSLETTER 2020
Registrar's Christmas Message
Hello everyone, I would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to THEAC members, Office staff and the home education community as a whole for your support during what has been a challenging year.
I am grateful to all our home educators who were adaptable during this time given that we were not able to conduct visits in the home due to COVID restrictions. I am glad that Registration Officers are now able to visit you in your home and I know they are too.
I’m hoping you are able to take the opportunity to relax and spend some time with your family and loved ones during the festive season. I think we've all earned a well deserved break this year!
Warmest wishes
Katharine
Christmas Card Design Winners!
Thank you to everyone who entered the Christmas Card Design competition for 2020. Unfortunately we did not receive enough entries for the 10+ age category. The Registrar then decided that winners would be chosen from the entries overall.
We would like to announce our winners Gabriel Martain and Maddison Wilson! Congratulations to you both!
Our runners ups for this years competition are Riley Dumesny, Amelia Dumesny, Taylen Burke and Connor Glover-McGrath - thank you for your wonderful entries!
Gabriel Martain, 8 years of age.
Maddison Wilson, 9 years of age.
Tasmania Fire Safety Sessions
Thank you to all who expressed interest in the Fire Safety Sessions for 2021. We have received a fantastic uptake by the community for this initiative!
We look forward to working with the Tasmania Fire Service to secure suitable dates and venues. Once finalised we will communicate these details to all those who have expressed interest.
Meet your Registration Officers
Registration Officers employed by the Office of the Education Registrar are a passionate, experienced and diverse team of people. They care deeply about home education in Tasmania and pride themselves on undertaking such specialist work to a high standard. By doing so they are ensuring that home education remains a quality, legal and well respected educational choice in Tasmania.
Registration Officers Around the State
SOUTH - Catherine Azon-Jacometti, Caroline Waugh, Nina Francis, Rachel Meyers, Isabel Snow and Rebecca Jenkins.
NORTH - Sandra Cahill, Jenny Vanderpluym, Eileen Height and Vikki Harris-Newsham.
NORTH WEST - Rae Martin, Jenny Vanderpluym, Nina Francis, Jan Deeth, Faith Dickers and Nikki Pickering.
We understand that for many of you, a connection of familiarity is sometimes built with the Registration Officer who visits you in your home. Due to the ever increasing number of home education registrations in Tasmania we are unable to ensure that you will be visited by the same Registration Officer each year.
We can assure you that all of our Registration Officers are compassionate, experienced and professional people who love what they do!
First Aid Sessions - Expression of Interest
The St John Ambulance Tasmania offers a free First Aid Training Program for students in school from Kindergarten to Year 8.
The knowledge and skills gained in the St John First Aid in Schools Program develops first aid awareness in school children and contributes to building a more resilient community.
The fun, interactive hands on and practical First aid session gives children the confidence to act in an emergency. Through this program St John Ambulance Tasmania is reaching its goal of making first aid part of every Tasmanian’s life.
We have recently made contact with St John Ambulance Tasmania to see whether this program could also be extended to home educated children/youth in Tasmania.
The response received was very positive and we are now working with the Co-ordinator of the program to establish a way to deliver this to the home education community across the State.
Our first step of planning will be to gauge the level of interest from the home education community - this will be done by way of an Expression of Interest. Once numbers are confirmed, we can then move forward with some future planning that will enable us to determine dates and venues, based on suitability and locality.
Expressions of Interest - First Aid Sessions 2021
Home Education Forum 2020
Come along, meet other home educators, swap ideas and experiences!
Fiona Lohrbacher who is an active member of the home education community has co-ordinated a home education forum.
Date: Friday 18th December
Time: 10am - 2pm
Venue: C3 Conference Centre, Anglesea St, South Hobart.
Plenty of free parking, an enclosed playground and a cafe.
*The Office of the Education Registrar has been invited to attend.
*Registration Officers Catherine Jacometti, Caroline Waugh and Nina Francis from the Office of the Education Registrar will be there to talk about HESP writing and answer questions you may have.
*The Education Registrar, Katharine O'Donnell will also be in attendance and will be availiable to chat and answer questions.
*Caroline Waugh will talk about her experience in home educating years 11 and 12 and accessing further education.
*Sofia Shillito will talk about supporting beginner readers and writers and share some practical ideas.
Anyone interested in home education is encouraged to attend!
Numbers are limited (350, so we should be okay) so we need to have an idea of how many people are coming. So please RSVP to fiona.lohrbaecher@gmail.com
What's on - a guide to child friendly summer activities!
With the summer season upon us you may find yourself looking for some extra activities to enjoy these warmer and longer days.
We are aware that home educators are very resourceful and creative when it comes to finding activities for their children but we thought any extra hints or tips could be helpful!
Activities for Southern Tasmania
*The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) opens a new and exciting exhibition, Around the World in 80 Objects, which offers you the opportunity to travel the world via the museum's diverse collection. Providing a much needed reprieve for those who are itching to pursue international holidays!
The exhibition opens on 11 December 2020 and closes 21 February 2021. For further information please follow the link to the TMAG website - https://www.tmag.tas.gov.au/home
*The Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens (RTBG) https://gardens.rtbg.tas.gov.au/ offers free admission to the gardens where children can explore and play. Just BYO picnic basket and rug!
The RTBG also offer tours that depart daily at 11:00am, suitable for families - children under the age of 10 can attend free of charge with their guardian.
For those with a love of poetry, prose and theatre, Directions Theatre will be holding Shakespeare in the Gardens - As you like it at the RTBG in February 2021. Please contact Directions Theatre for more information.
*Chauncy Vale Wildlife Sanctuary is 380 hectare reserve visited by bushwalkers, bird watchers, field naturalist groups and families. With its enchanting natural environment, heritage, culture and history, Chauncy Vale has shared a role in creating many meaningful experiences for several generations of Tasmanian schools, families, individuals and community groups. Entry cost is $2.00 per adult, children enter free of charge.
There are a range of walks available which lead to points of interest such as Brown's Cave, Eve's Bath, Guvy's Lagoon and Flat Rock lookout.
There are several areas suitable for picnics and gatherings, with toilets, bbqs & picnic facilities.
For further information please go the website at https://www.chauncyvale.com/about
Activities for Northern Tasmania
*The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery (QVMAG) is located in Inveresk, Launceston. QVMAG offers a fun, educational and exciting day out for you and your family.
Between the between 8 November 2020 through to 31 January 2021, QVMAG will be presenting Summer of Sci-fi, featuring free weekly Sci-fi film screenings on Sundays at 1pm covering the top cult-classic Sci-fi films to date. Summer of Sci-fi will also include live space talks with resident astronomers to bring the event to a close in January 2021 a Sci-fi themed cosplay day, filled with competitions and costume workshops!
You can find more information about this event by following this link- https://www.qvmag.tas.gov.au/Events/Summer-of-Sci-Fi
*Located just 20 minutes outside of Launceston, you will find Hillwood Berry Farm. You and your family can enjoy picking your own berries and then treat yourself to something sweet at their Farm Gate Cafe.
Hillwood Pick your own farm is located at 105 Hillwood Road, Hillwood. For further information please go their website https://www.hillwoodberries.com.au/our-story
*New Years Eve Extravaganza at the Crazy Duck in George Town! Family Celebrations from 5-9pm, entry is free including a fireworks display at 9:30pm. Plenty of child friendly attractions! A fun way to farewell the end of a crazy year!
You can find more information about this event here- https://www.gtnh.org.au/new-years-eve
Statewide Activities
For those who are seeking an outdoor adventure, National Parks and Wildlife Tasmania have released a 60 Great Short Walks guide https://parks.tas.gov.au/things-to-do/60-great-short-walks You can find a walk suitable for everyone!
Office Closures between 2020-2021
The Office of the Education Registrar will be closed to the public on Friday 18 December 2020 and reopen on Monday 18 January 2021.
Should you wish to make contact throughout this period you can do so via email at registrar@oer.tas.gov.au.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!
