ENewsletter

Mount Macedon Primary School aims to develop positive, independent, resilient and inquiring students who are ready for the future.

IMPORTANT DATES

TERM 3

SEPTEMBER

Friday 8th - Production Full Rehearsal

Monday 11th - Production Dress Rehearsal

School Production - Monday 11th - Thursday 14th TRYBOOKING TICKET LINK https://www.trybooking.com/CKVIV

LAST DAY OF TERM - Friday 15th September 2.30pm finish

TERM 4

OCTOBER

FIRST DAY OF TERM 4 - Monday 2nd October

Monday 2nd - Friday 6th - Term 4 Swimming Program

Wednesday 11th - Whole School Working Bee

Wednesday 25th - Melbourne Zoo Excursion for Foundation, Yr 1 & 2

Thursday 26th - District Orienteering

Friday 27th - World Teachers Day

NOVEMBER

Monday 6th - PUPIL FREE DAY

Tuesday 7th - Melbourne Cup Day PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Wednesday 15th - Foundation information night

Tuesday 21st & Wednesday 22nd - Boomerang Ranch Camp YEAR 3 ONLY

Tuesday 28th - Guitar concert (Aaron Moar students only)

DECEMBER

Friday 15th - Kids Rule The School

Monday 18th - Hanging Rock

LAST DAY - Wednesday 20th December

SAVE THE DATE - WHOLE SCHOOL WORKING BEE

Principal's Report - Tuesday 5th September

Hello everyone,

It has been wonderful to see the planning and rehearsals for our production coming together in the past week. We have had our first rehearsal with the live band and almost all lines and lyrics have been memorised, a huge job by all the students! There are tickets still available for ALL performances so we are now offering each family the chance to purchase 2 more tickets with the possibility that more tickets may become available next week.

A big congratulations to our District Athletics squad who travelled down to Keilor last Wednesday to compete in a range of track and field events. We had three students, Moser, Pearl and Eliana, who will be competing tomorrow at the Division Championships in their respective events.

Last Friday we held a whole-school fire drill. As part of our Emergency Management Plan we are required to run a range of fire drills throughout the year and last week’s drill was an evacuation to our secondary evacuation point down at Stanley Park, everyone completed all their tasks and the students were calm, collected and followed all instructions beautifully. Quite a bit of work has been done around the school in preparation for the upcoming fire season; we have had an arborist complete an audit of our trees, fire extinguisher and exit lighting testing as well as testing and tagging of electronic equipment. As MMPS is a Category 1 Bushfire risk school it is so important that all of these plans and procedures are put into place - if you have any questions regarding our current emergency management plans please contact the school.

Term 4 begins with the second week of our 2023 Swimming Program. Students will have to come to school on day one of next term prepared for their swimming lessons. This will include having their bathers under their school uniform, ready to start their lesson as quickly as possible when arriving at the pool. They will also need to being a towel and plastic bag for wet clothes. If you have not already done so could you please jump onto QKR! and provide payment and permission (An ability form will NOT be required for this final week of the program).

The Primary School Nursing Program is currently being undertaken for all Foundation students, this may involve vision and hearing screening as well as general developmental assessments. Students in grades 1-6 can be included in this process by speaking to their classroom teacher who can help you to fill in a referral form.

Finally, a quick reminder that, with the beautiful spring mornings we are seeing quite a bit of dew/frost on the grassed areas of our school. This has raised the risk of slips, trips and falls and we need everyone to make sure that they are sticking to the paved paths and keeping them clear and used only as thoroughfares at busy times of the day.

Thanks,

Joe.

Parent Opinion Survey - CLOSING SOON!!

WE WANT OUR PARENTS/CAREGIVERS/GUARDIANS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents/caregivers/guardians think of our school. The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. The survey is optional but we encourage all families to participate. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

While the DET suggests a random sample of approximately 80 families or 30 per cent of parents/caregivers/guardians be selected to participate, at Mount Macedon Primary School all families are invited to participate in this survey.

The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey will be conducted from:

Monday 7th August to Friday 8th September.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. Survey results will be collated by DET and sent to the principal who will communicate to parents/caregivers/guardians through annual reporting. The online survey will be available in English, and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Haka Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish and Vietnamese. Please speak to the school office if you would like more information.

Instructions to complete the survey have been sent to parents via email, so please look out for this in your email in box. If you need the survey link re sent, please contact the school office.

Building Resilience, Inclusion, and Wellbeing Together

Kimochis Home links

This term we are learning about the Kimochis® Keys to Communication – to help our kids build strong relationships and lifelong communication skills.

Here's what you need to know:

1. Simple but Powerful:

These Keys may seem simple, but they can make a big difference in your child's life. They give our kids the tools to create positive relationships and handle life's ups and downs with confidence.

2. Easy Communication:

The Keys provide a common language everyone can understand. They help our children develop their communication skills, resolve conflicts, and make connections. When kids see how positive communication leads to good outcomes, it's a game-changer.

3. Character and Emotional Growth:

The Keys aren't just words; they're building blocks for character and emotional growth. They help kids become well-rounded individuals who can thrive in any social setting.

4. Everyday Use:

We're making sure our kids can use these Keys in everyday situations. When they become fluent in using them, they'll be great listeners, make positive choices, engage in respectful conversations, and handle challenges like pros.

By bringing the Kimochis® Keys to Communication into our curriculum, we're setting our students up for success – not just now, but for life.

We encourage you to chat with your child about these Keys and their importance.

If you have any questions or need more info, don't hesitate to reach out.

Olivia Desormeaux

Well-being and Inclusion Coordinator

CELEBRATING WORLD TEACHERS DAY

Year 3/4 students with 'Snuffles'

Welcoming Snuffleufagus (Snuffles) to our Mount Macedon family

Our 3/4 class has kindly named our new comforting companion, Snuffleufagus (Snuffles). Snuffles is a slightly weighted lovable dog who can provide a sense of security to any child that needs a little extra care during the day. Snuffles will reside in our Wellbeing room and is always up for a cuddle!

Student Podcast

A Mount Macedon well-being podcast for kids by kids. Please click on the links below for access to our most recent podcasts:

Update by School Reporter Harriet

Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s article.

Production Update

Starting to practise in the hall.

Getting excited about it.

Showing emotions.

Singing the songs.

Really enjoying it.

Can’t wait to perform.

Year 3/4 Passion Projects

Inquiry projects

Each person doing one.

Parents came.

They wrote invitations

They were nervous

It was like show and tell

And they are excited about the other presentations.

Harriet Quinn

Year 5/6

School Reporter

District Athletics

On Wednesday 30th of August, MMPS headed down to Keilor Park to compete in the District Athletics against other schools within the Macedon Ranges. With the weather looking to be quite ominous in the morning, we were very lucky that the weather held off until the end of the day. There were so many students that really embraced the challenges of some events and really stepped out of their comfort zones. I would like to congratulate each and every one of you for competing on the day and for your enthusiastic attitudes. It was so beautiful to witness all the students cheering on their peers and also their friends from other schools. A further congratulations to Mosar who will be moving on to Division, to compete in the 800m and 1500m track events and also to Pearl who will also be competing in the 800m.

Well done on these massive achievements!

Please enjoy the pictures from the day, the smiles say it all!

Jess Stone

PE Teacher

Friends of the School would like to thank those that were able to attend the Fathers Day breakfast last week. It was great to see lots of dads catching up and meeting new people. We were well supported by our community with Josh's Eggs donating the eggs for the morning, and the Macedon IGA sorting us out for beverages. It was very generous of both businesses to help our small school. A very big thankyou to Rowena Glenister, Amanda Hurren and Katya Woods for their time and effort to make the morning happen, and also students Lachlan Glenister as head waiter and Cienna Hurren the barrister.

Grades 3-6 finally had their final performances of the Japanese Restaurant role plays, using authentic models of Japanese food, and focusing on fluency and clarity of language, facial expression, voice, and eye contact. Students gave feedback about each other’s role plays based on these criteria. It was wonderful to see their improvement in speaking Japanese, and the development of their confidence

COMMUNITY NEWS

Please note, the Gisborne store will be opening at 11am on 5th of September and will return to normal trading hours on Thursday 7th of September. The Gisborne store will also be closed on Saturday 9th of September, and will return to normal trading hours on Monday 11th of September.

The season starts on 6 October 2023 and registrations close on 22 September 2023. Here is a link to registrations; https://www.woodendnetball.com.au/summer-season-2023

Join The Resilience Project’s high-energy Kids Show in the term three school holidays across Victoria this September! Through music, storytelling and plenty of laughs, Martin Heppell’s show “3 Happy Tricks

Please note, the Gisborne store will be opening at 11am on 5th of September and will return to normal trading hours on Thursday 7th of September. The Gisborne store will also be closed on Saturday 9th of September, and will return to normal trading hours on Monday 11th of September.

The season starts on 6 October 2023 and registrations close on 22 September 2023. Here is a link to registrations; https://www.woodendnetball.com.au/summer-season-2023

Join The Resilience Project’s high-energy Kids Show in the term three school holidays across Victoria this September! Through music, storytelling and plenty of laughs, Martin Heppell’s show “3 Happy Tricks