Mount Macedon Primary Newsletter

Care - Create - Collaborate

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


Principal's Report

Tuesday 31st January 2023

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to the first newsletter of the year. As I write this, I can hear the wonderful chatter and buzz coming down the passage from the classrooms. Although we had some nervous children this morning, they are currently all settled and happy. I’d like to welcome our new Foundation students, as well as the new students who have started in other year levels. I hope that your journey with the school will be a positive, enjoyable experience. Please remember that I am always happy to talk to you about any concerns or suggestions that you have.

This weekly newsletter will be your first port of call for information about what is happening in the school. Please try to read it to stay up to date with upcoming events, program changes etc, as well as just the celebration of school life.

I’d like to welcome our new staff members ;- Jessica Probert, Grade 3/4 teacher, Sharyn Morrice, Japanese teacher (I tried very hard to get a qualified replacement French teacher, but given the current shortages, there were none available), Jess Stone PE teacher, Laura Wenczel, who will be in the Grade 1/2 classroom on a Thursday and Friday, as well as remaining as our Music teacher, and Amber Fairley who will be with us in the 3/4 classroom on Tuesday and Wednesdays for this term as she undertakes placement as part of her Educational Support qualifications.

Over the next week the office staff will be sending home some forms that you will need to read and sign. I’m sorry about the number of forms, but they are a Department of Education requirement. Could you please complete these and send them back as soon as you can?

I have had some very excited students return to school with Smart watches that they received as Christmas gifts. As part of our Mobile Phone Policy, students cannot have access at school to text messaging, phones, or internet without teacher supervision. I have added this policy to this newsletter. Mobile phones can only come to school if your child is walking home alone or is changing from one parent’s household to another. If the phone comes to school for one of these reasons, it must be handed to the classroom teacher first thing in the morning and it will be locked securely in the school safe. If a student has a Smart watch, it must be switched to school mode, which blocks any access from external entities. This policy is a state-wide DET requirement.

This year as part of our Annual Implementation Plan, we will be focusing on Wellbeing, Numeracy, Writing and Spelling. Each school looks at their data and as a team, the staff decide what areas we need to put some extra effort in to. Whilst we always get excellent NAPLAN results, there is always room for further improvement. As part of this improvement focus this year, each student will be given weekly spelling homework, as well as the expectation that they read for at least half an hour each night. I will send home further information about this in upcoming newsletters.

I’d like to give a special thanks to the Quinn family who have spent part of their holidays maintaining our school grounds and vegetable gardens. Their commitment to our school is fantastic and this work in mowing and maintaining the gardens, saves us a lot of money. Thank you!

I’d like to finish by saying how wonderful it is to see you all this morning. The sense of school community and commitment to support the children to achieve the best that they can is what makes MMPS a great place to be. 

Kind Regards,

Trish

MMPS Mobile Phone Policy

Attached below is the MMPS Mobile Phone Policy. Please have a read through to become familiar with this important policy.
Download

From the Office

Hello and welcome back to school everyone! We hope you all had a lovely restful break and enjoyed the warm summer weather (finally!!).

It's been great to see everyone back for 2023, we are sure it will be a busy but fun and exciting year for our students, especially our new Foundation students who we welcome to the school today. We hope they and all the students enjoy their first day today.

A few notices and reminders for the first week of school......


Student Book Packs

Thank you to everyone for being patient with us during collection day.  It all seemed to go smoothly.  If you are missing any items from your order, please let the office know asap so we can sort out any issues quickly.

If you are yet to complete payment, this can be found on Qkr!   If you prefer to pay BPay or Direct Deposit, please contact the office for details.


Working With Childrens Check

Throughout the year we are fortunate to have many volunteers for various activities.  As a formality we must remind all families of the Working with Childrens Check requirements.

As per Department of Education and school policy visitors and volunteers working with our children must hold a valid Working with Childrens Check card prior to attending the school.  Please refer to the Volunteer Policy on the school website for more information.

If you currently hold a WWCC card, please ensure you have added Mount Macedon Primary School as a volunteer organisation (scroll down the bottom or the page to enter up to 4 organisations).  Once the school is added to your WWCC profile, an official letter from the Department of Justice confirming your registration will be mailed to the school. 

Here is a link to the WWCC website https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/


Late Arrival, Early Departure and Absence

A reminder that the late book and early departure's book is located at the front reception foyer. We appreciate parents filling this out, as it is important to ensure accurate attendance records for your children, and is also used in the event of an emergency.

If your child/ren are absent, please leave a message on the school absence line as early as possible.


Update Details

Update details forms will be sent home with the students this week. Please ensure you check and update any changes to your family details and return as soon as possible. Changes can be emailed to the school at mount.macedon.ps@education.vic.gov.au


CSEF Funding

Do you hold a valid, means-tested concession card? The Victorian Government will provide CSEF to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities. If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child. Further information and Application Forms are attached below. These documents can also be found in the 'School Documentation' link found under the 'Community' icon in the menu bar. Please contact the School Office if you have any further enquiries.


Kind regards,

Amy and Naomi

CSEF Application Form 2023

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Wellbeing News 2023

Hello! 

Here we are starting a new year and I wanted to share a few well-being resources which may help all of us during this time of change.

Is your child anxious about starting school? The approaches we use for children with disability can help all families (theconversation.com)

Back to School (allplaylearn.org.au)

Pop Culture Parenting: Ep021: Big + parental mental health on Apple Podcasts

In other news, we are currently creating a Well-being space near the library. This area will be specifically designed for all students to find support and develop strategies to help them to regulate and understand their emotions, connect to others and transition back into the classroom.  

This room will be resourced to support staff to develop students Social and Emotional learning, in either 1:1 or in small group. You can find more information about our Well-being and Inclusive approaches on our school website.

I will be continuing to work on Tuesday and Wednesday as the Well-being and Inclusion Co-ordinator, so please seek me out in person or you can email me at Olivia.desormeaux@education.vic.gov.au if you wish to chat.

Olivia

Lunch Orders

Lunch Orders continue on a Wednesday and Friday and will start from tomorrow. In the coming weeks we will be moving to an online system for ordering, however for the time being please continue to use the cash and paper bag system as per last year. Please find below the menu and orders instructions.

Sushi Mondays!

Sushi Monday's is back from Monday 6th February. Orders are to be placed via QKR only, no cash. Orders will close at 9am on the Monday morning of delivery. The Sushi menu is available on QKR! If you have not yet registered for the QKR! app, please find the link below and for those without access to a smart phone, a web-based version of QKR! is available at:  https://qkr-store.qkrschool.com/store

Hats in Term 1, 2023

Just a reminder to ensure that students have their hats to wear at school during recess and lunchtimes, as well as any other outdoor activities they may be participating in. It is important that we are all being sun smart and ensuring our children are protected from the harmful UV light that is at it's highest peak during the months of August to April, where UV index levels regularly reach 3 or above. Please also remember to name your children's hats as they quite often are lost, misplaced or left in the playground and it is handy to know who the hat belongs to! Spotted on the grounds were some of our students wearing their hats today.

Guitar Lessons 2023

Aaron Moar has been teaching guitar students at Mount Macedon Primary School for the last 8 years. He is keen to meet some new students who are interested in learning how to play, and continue working with current students for 2023. Aaron is a qualified teacher and has been teaching guitar for over 15 years. He conducts group lessons at the school, and teaches students of all levels and classes. His lessons are fun and interactive, where the students learn to play both modern and traditional tunes to practise their skills and technique. If you would like to enquire about guitar lessons for your child, please contact Aaron on 0438 177 764 or email: aaronmoar@infinitesound.com.au or see flyer below.

Ranges Music Network

For more information about music lessons including Voice & Singing, Harp, Ukulele, Bass, Drums & Percussion, Violin, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Doods & Toots (beginner Woodwinds), Trumpet, Trombone, Rhythm Warriors Jam & more..... please contact Ranges Music Network at rangesmusic.net or email info@rangesmusic.net

COMMUNITY NEWS

Central Highlands Orienteering

Young Voices of Macedon

Important Dates

Friday 10th February - MMPS Swimming Carnival

Wednesday 22nd February - District Swimming Sunbury

Tuesday 7th March - Division Swimming

Monday 13th March Labour Day Public Holiday

Wednesday 15th March - 27th March NAPLAN

Friday 17th March - Grades 3 - 6 Cross Country

Tuesday 4th April - School Photos

Thursday 6th April - Last Day of Term 1

Friday 7th April - Good Friday

Sunday 9th April - Easter Sunday

Monday 10th April - Easter Monday


2023 Term Dates

Term 1 - Tuesday 31st January to Thursday 6th April

Term 2 - Monday 24th April to Friday 23rd June

Term 3 - Monday 10th July to Friday 15th September

Term 4 - Monday 2nd October to Wednesday 20th December