Principal’s Report – End of Term 3

As Term 3 draws to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on what has been an incredibly busy, rewarding, and successful term for our school community.

There’s no doubt it’s been full steam ahead and what a term it has been! From swimming, to skiing, to Book Week, to Bully No Way Day, to our Whole School Art Exhibition, to 100 days of Prep, Working Bee, Year 6 Social Enterprise just to name a few. Our students and staff have worked exceptionally hard across all year levels, showing remarkable dedication, resilience, and school spirit. It’s been a pleasure to walk through classrooms each day and witness the deep learning, creativity, and curiosity on display.

One of the major highlights this term has been our incredible snow sports program. We had an amazing 205 students take to the slopes of Mt Buller and another 77 students embrace our S2S adventures on Mt Stirling this year. These opportunities not only built on students’ physical skills, but also fostered independence, teamwork, and perseverance in challenging conditions. Thanks to all our staff, families, and volunteers for making this happen. A special thank you to Megan Seccull for supporting our staff to coordinate our Mt Buller program this year.

And a huge congratulations to all students who represented our school in the Interschool Snowsports Competitions, and a special shoutout to those who progressed to Nationals. What an achievement!

Another big event this term was our Year 3- 6 Athletics Carnival, which showcased the talent, determination, and enthusiasm of our students. Whether it was running, jumping, throwing, or cheering from the sidelines, it was heartening to see every student give their best and support each other. We are so proud of the sportsmanship and pride shown throughout the day; it truly captured the spirit of our school. I’m sure the P-2 Athletics Carnival today will be just as successful.

We were also thrilled to deliver another successful year of our Benalla Swimming Program, providing free, high-quality swimming lessons to over 510 students. We are incredibly proud to offer this opportunity, ensuring every child has access to vital water safety skills and swimming confidence. As a school, we know how important it is to play our part in helping students stay safe around water, and this program continues to be a strong part of that commitment.

A particularly exciting milestone this term has been the finalisation of our new school values: Bravery, Kindness, Respect, and Inclusion. These values will guide us in everything we do, and we are proud to share that student voice has been at the heart of their creation. From designing the logos, to describing how each value looks in action, to co-creating the new achievement awards and badges, our students have played a central role in bringing these values to life. At our final assembly on the last day of term, I will have the honour of presenting my very first achievement awards to students who have demonstrated these values in outstanding ways. I can’t wait to celebrate this moment with our school community!

Of course, none of these events, nor the daily successes in our classrooms would be possible without the incredible support of our wider school community. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the volunteers who have helped on excursions, supported our classrooms, contributed to the Breakfast Club, or assisted in countless other ways around the school. Your time, care and commitment make a real difference, and we are so grateful for your support.

And with a week still to come, we’ve saved the best until last, with the Yr 3 musical taking centre stage! If you’re free, please come along and see our wonderful students perform.

We look forward to returning refreshed for what promises to be an exciting but long Term 4!

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday.

Nicole Salmon                      

B.App.Sc. (Dis.St.), Dip.Ed., M.Ed. (Sp.Ed.) 

Principal

A reminder we finish school at 2.30pm on Friday 19th September.

Term 4 starts back on Monday 6th October.

AFTER SCHOOL ARRANGEMENTS 

Please ensure your child is aware of what is happening after school, where they are going, who is picking them up and they know the plan if a after school activity is cancelled. 

A reminder to families that the school day finishes at 3.30pm. Please ensure your child/children are collected from school in a timely manner. If you are running late, please notify the front office. 

BUS TRAVEL 

Any changes to your afternoon bus travel arrangements are to be made by 2.30pm for the day of travel. This can be made via the Audiri App by selecting Resources, Forms, then Bus Travel or calling the front office on 5775 2325 & follow the prompts. 

If your child has started a new after school activity for the Term, football/netball/cricket training for example, please update their regular bus travel arrangements. 

Absences

If your child is absent from school, we ask that you contact the school by 10am on the day or as soon as practicable. Absent messages can be submitted through our school app Audiri, by phone or email. 

Medication

All medication for students during the school day must be given to the front office staff and a medication authority form is to be completed.  

Student Toilets

Please be mindful that the student toilets are for students only. There are toilets located at the front office, please see the office staff if needed. 

Supervision Before & After School

MPS Yard is supervised before school from 8.30am and after school until 3.45pm.

Two teachers are on duty in the yard at these times wearing an orange vest and students can go to them with any issues.

Any students in the yard outside these times will be asked to move to the front office to wait until supervision begins.

Audiri

In an emergency our school app Audiri will be used as our main source of communication to our families. This is a reminder to families to download Audiri.

Please note (if you have not already updated) to update your child/s year level on Audiri. This is done by opening Audiri selecting resources, groups, & then selecting your child/s grade including whole school. 

Family Details

If your family contact details have recently changed - residential address, contact numbers & or emergency contacts please update via Audiri by selecting resources, forms & then change of details. 

SCHOOL UNIFORM

Uniform to be ordered through Spartan School Supplies.      

We have a full range of uniform on display at the front office for you to view before making your purchases online. 

LOST PROPERTY

Please note we cannot return items that have no name. Please ensure uniform & drink bottles are clearly labelled with your child's name. 

SPARE CLOTHES

If your child has come home in spare clothes from school, we ask that you please wash & return these items.

HEAD LICE

A reminder to families to be checking for head lice & taking the appropriate steps to treat hair if lice are found. 

Over the past few weeks, our students have participated in two fantastic athletics events, beginning with the Primary Athletics Carnival on the 26th of August, followed by the District Athletics on the 9th of September. Both days were filled with energy, enthusiasm, and great displays of sportsmanship from all involved.

Our Primary Athletics Carnival saw students giving their all across a range of track and field events, supporting their peers and enjoying the fun and competition. The momentum continued at District Athletics, where our school competed against others in the region with determination and team spirit.

Thanks to the outstanding efforts and performances across both carnivals, we are proud to announce that 53 students have qualified to represent our school at the Division Athletics in Shepparton on Wednesday, 17th September. This is a fantastic achievement, and we wish them all the best.

A special thank you goes to the Mansfield Athletics Club for generously sharing their equipment and expertise – your support made a real difference. We also extend our appreciation to the dedicated staff and students for their hard work, encouragement, and commitment to making these events such a success. Well done, everyone!