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 5th April 2022

Hello everyone,

Thank you all for your support in a busy term. The children seem settled and happy (for the most part) and we have focussed on both academics and wellbeing to ensure that our students are successfully navigating the hills and valleys of our world at the moment.

We have had to manage a significant amount of staffing absences, due to COVID, having to isolate and also illness. I’m proud of the resilience of our students in this situation and also the staff who have had to change direction at short notice and have done so with good humour and professionalism.

It has been wonderful to have our Inclusion Coordinator, Olivia Desormeaux on board this term, working with our students who need a little extra help. Student Support Group meetings have been held and Individual Education Plans put into place for a lot more students than we have been able to manage in the past. We are lucky to be part of a pilot program that has financially supported us to add this important role to our school. Tied to this, our Tutoring and Little Learners Love Literacy programs have helped students with any ‘gaps’ that they had following remote learning. I feel that as a school, we are well on track to move ahead.

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the Dr Billy Garvey WebEx session on Wellbeing for our children. Even though it competed with the Shane Warne memorial, almost 150 families attended, and the feedback suggests that it was very well received. In today’s Inclusion newsletter, Olivia has included a link for you to watch the session if you missed it.

Next term I would like to open the school up to parents coming inside again. This will mean that you will need to show your triple vaccinated status to the front office and at this stage, wear a mask. We can’t wait to have you come back into the school to see us working with your children. We will be asking for parent helpers to also return to support our Reading program by listening to our junior students read. In the first week, you will hear from your classroom teacher with details. You will be welcome into the school at any time.

This week the school was the recipient of a very generous donation from family and friends of the Taylor family. In celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary, Charlotte and Geordie asked that a donation be made to the primary school instead of receiving a gift. Thank you for such an amazing gesture. The money will help build the outdoor reading room.

This Friday we are having our Easter Assembly in the hall at 1.45pm. We will open the sliding doors to the hall and invite you all to come along and watch the drawing of the Easter Raffle. School finishes at 2.30pm on Friday.

Last Thursday we held our annual Williamstown Bike Ride. This is always a great day, and it also gives the students the opportunity to use their road skills in a “real life” situation. Thanks to the 18 parents who volunteered and supported the students to ensure that they were safe, and to Sharny, Simon and Joe who organised the day. You will see some pictures of the ride in the newsletter.

Congratulations to Olive G who competed in the Regional Swimming sports (a very big event) and came fourth in her heat. We are very proud of her. Also, congratulations to Moser P who won his Division Tennis event and came 4th in the District Cross Country. He will now move on to the next level.

Thank you to the Quinn family who mowed, and whipper snipped the school for us last weekend.

Have a lovely break everyone (if you can) and enjoy the Autumn weather. 

Kind regards

Trish

Parent Information Session – Conversations around mental health with Dr. Billy Garvey

Hello!

Thank you for registering for our Parent Information Session – Conversations around mental health with paediatrician Billy Garvey. 

Please click here to find the recording of this session.

We would love to hear your feedback on this session. Please click here to fill in a short survey to help us support our collaboration with Billy and Jen. Our aim is bring you more relevant and evidence based strategies to support your child’s emotional and social development.  

Olivia Desormeaux

Inclusion Leader (Mon, Tues, Thurs)

Macedon and Mount Macedon Primary School

MMPS Inclusive Education Newsletter

Please click on the download below for our Inclusive Education Newsletter.
Download

MMPS Update by School Reporter Eliza

Hello everyone.

The last week of term has rolled in like the cold air of winter. The cold breeze has got us suited up in jackets. The Grade Six jackets are coming soon as well and this represents the final year of our primary school experience.

It's hard to believe that Term One has already finished. It has gone so fast. Perhaps it’s been all the fun events we have done around the school, making it more enjoyable for everyone.

A few weeks ago was the Macedon Bike Ride for the Grade 4/5/6's with long steep hills around Macedon. Last week was the Williamstown Bike Ride which was a beautiful ride from Essendon, along the river, out to Williamstown and back. We also went under the Westgate Bridge. It's way bigger in person than it is in photos. We had lunch at the park on the harbour at Williamstown and saw hungry students eating pizza and fruit, while pesky seagulls were trying to get a bite. 

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the week, and also enjoys the Easter holidays.

Eliza 

Williamstown Bike Ride

MMPS Sport Update

District Cross Country

Last Friday some of our students participated in the District Cross Country at Dixon Field in Gisborne. All the students who qualified ran really well, and we were very proud of all their efforts. Congratulations goes to Moser P who came 4th and has qualified for the Division Cross Country to be held at Bacchus Marsh on the 26th of May. A special mention goes out to Sybil T and Charlie D who also ran very well and finished in the top 20, and will be the emergency team members for the Division Cross Country. Great work guys!


Division Tennis

Another achievement for Moser P is his fantastic effort in the Division Tennis event, which he won. Moser now goes through to compete in the Regional Tennis which takes place on the 26th of April. Congratulations Moser, we wish you the best of luck and a successful day.

Regional Swimming

Congratulations also goes to Olive G who competed at the Regional Swimming Competition this morning, and achieved 4th place in her 50 mt Freestyle heat. Well done Olive, what a fabulous result.

Below are some photos of our students having fun at the Cross Country.

Music at MMPS

Last week the students took part in some music classes. All the classes explored percussion instruments and played on the glockenspiels. The grade three class chose a song to learn on the glockenspiel and then some of the students chose to play in front of the class. It was a very noisy but fun day with lots of music, singing and dancing. See below for some music in action.

Lego Masters

As part of our Inclusion and Wellbeing focus this year, we have implemented a new Lunchtime Activity program for the students. During term 1 some of our students have been involved in lunchtime Lego Masters and have been having lots of fun building all sorts of wonderful creations. This week we held the Lego Masters Challenge of building a house for an animal. There were lots of different animal houses created, but the winner of this weeks challenge was Francesca from grade 1. Francesca built a house for an echidna that included a place for shelter, a place to play and a place to eat. It was chosen as the winning house for it's clever design and practicality to ensure an echidna would stay comfortable and happy. Below is a picture of Francesca and her home for an echidna.

Sushi Mondays!

Sushi is coming to MMPS. In addition to our lunch orders on Wednesdays and Fridays, we will be offering Sushi Lunch Orders on Mondays. 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. The first Sushi delivery will commence on Monday 2nd of May, Term 2.

MMPS School Photo Day 2022

Mount Macedon Primary School School Photo Day for 2022 is Tuesday 10th May. Please ensure that your children are in correct school uniform on the day. See below for more information on purchase and payment procedure. Envelopes will be sent out first week of Term 2.

From the Office

A big thank you for kindly welcoming myself to the Mount Macedon Primary School community.  It’s a lovely school I feel very lucky to be here.  I am available Wednesday to Friday and look forward to meeting more parents throughout the year.

A few reminders………..


Term 2

With the colder months ahead of us and the possibility of COVID causing further disruptions to schools, please be reminded that your triple vaccination status must be sighted at the office. 

Evidence of triple vaccination is required for everyone entering the school including parents, grandparents, volunteers, contractors, delivery drivers and the list goes on and on and on!  At present, we can promise we will sight your certificate once and document it in an effort to avoid repeatedly asking. 

This can be frustrating, however, your patience while we wade through the regulations and guidelines we must follow, does not go un-noticed and is greatly appreciated.

Working with Children’s Checks

A reminder to all parents/guardians to register MMPS as a volunteer organisation on the Working with Children’s Check website.  On updating your details, The Department of Justice send us an official letter which we keep on record and check through when parents opt to volunteer for activities.

Thank you to the parents and volunteers who have already provided this information.  Many activities and events would not go ahead without you!

Qkr!

There are quite a few activities awaiting payment on Qkr!  Please check your receipts for record of payments.

If you are unsure, please contact the office, myself and Naomi are more than happy to assist you or step you through how to view your receipts on Qkr!

Late Arrival, Early Departure & Absence

Thank you to everyone for being diligent and signing your children in and out.  This is important to ensure accurate attendance records for your child/ren and is also used in the event of an emergency. 

A reminder, the Late Book and Early Departures Book is located at the reception desk. 

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

Update Details

Update Details Forms were sent home earlier this term.  Thank you to those that have returned the forms.  

If your family details change, please email the school mount.macedon.ps@education.vic.gov.au .

Enjoy the last two weeks of term!

Amy Crosbie

Business Manager

School Assembly Friday 8th April

The last school assembly for term 1 starts at 1.45pm this Friday 8th April. We are hoping to have the Hall open for assembly so that parents can attend and sit outside to watch (just like we did for Christmas last year). We will be drawing the Easter Raffle at the assembly.

Easter Raffle

FOS are organising our annual Easter Raffle again! Donations for the raffle will be appreciated and can be placed in the student's classrooms. Our Easter Raffle is one of the many ways that FOS helps raise some important funds for the school, and we hope that this year's is a great success. This is the last week before the raffle is drawn at assembly on Friday 8th April, so please ensure you hand all your raffle tickets in! Thanks so much to the wonderful support from all of our families so far!

FOS Bulb Fundraiser

Spring to it!

We know it’s hard to think about spring flowers when we’re still waiting for summer to arrive, but if you want your garden full of spring bulbs you need to order them now!

Welcome to our first fundraiser of the year, and this one is super easy to be a part of and spread the message far and wide to your friends and family (even those outside of Mount Macedon). Forty percent of all sales are donated to the school by Tesselaar, who is conducting the bulb sale on our behalf. So if you were going to order spring bulbs through a reputable seller then this is the way to do it and raise money for your local school at the same time. It’s all done online so no need for cash in envelopes or notes back to teachers, just head to www.bulbfundraiser.com.au/MOUNTMPS (it’s also super easy to send the link to family and friends). Get in quick, final orders will be taken until 9th April 2022, or until sold out.

Funds raised will go to supporting projects at the school. Please try and support this important fundraiser if you can.

Thanks,

The FOS Team

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF)

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. Please see the below attached for more information and an application form. Please contact the School Office if you have any further enquiries.

CSEF Financial Assistance Information

Download

CSEF Application Form 2022

Download

Schools Out

Don't forget! Last day of Term 1 is this Friday 8th April. School finishes at 2.30pm on this day. First day back for Term 2 is Tuesday 26th April. We hope you all have a very happy and enjoyable holiday.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Autumn Festival Music

Ranges Events are hosting a pop-up concert at the Community House on Friday after school (4-6pm) at the corner of Victoria and Bruce St as part of the Autumn Festival calendar of events. The concert will feature Big Horn & The Six String Bandits (Rhythm & Blues) with special guests the Trentham Trio (a youth act).

The concert is FREE and everyone is welcome to bring a picnic rug, some take away and have some fun to wrap up Term 1.

Term 2 Tennis

Auskick 2022

Holiday Football

Puppy Pride

Puppy Pride Event

Hello friends,

Please help us to promote our upcoming Puppy Pride event on Sunday 10 April by putting in your newsletters, sharing on your socials and telling your mates.

Puppy Pride facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/956983305178811

Puppy Pride facebook post to share: https://www.facebook.com/WayOutVictoria/photos/a.446795985354079/5253847327982230

This is going to be wonderful event in the Kyneton Botanic Gardens where we can bring out the rainbows, hang out and have a little fun!

We have two wonderful and very special guests lined up to host our 'Fashions on the Fur' competition so y'all get cracking on those 'dynamic duo' outfits, refine your best 'tricks' and for those who look alike, get your 'matchy-matchy' outfits sorted! This is going to be a hoot!

Sunday April 10th people, 12-2.30pm and dog walk from 11.30am.

Thanks for your support!

Rhani Dean‑Talbett  

(she/her)

Learn more about the importance of pronouns here.

Way Out Health Promotion Officer  

(Mon ‑ Wed)

P

 03 5421 1614

  |  

M

 0491 174 546

  |  

E

 rhani.dean-talbett@scchc.org.au

Macedon Junior Football

Macedon Junior Netball

Important Dates

School Assembly, Easter Raffle Draw - Friday 8th April

Last Day of Term 1 - Friday 8th April

Good Friday - Friday 15th April

Easter Saturday - Saturday 16th April

Easter Sunday - Sunday 17th April

Easter Monday - Monday 18th April

Anzac Day - Monday 25th April - Public Holiday


2022 Term Dates

Term 1 - Monday 31st January to Friday 8th April

Term 2 - Tuesday 26th April to Friday 24th June

Term 3 - Monday 11th July to Friday 16th September

Term 4 - Monday 3rd October to Tuesday 20th December