Mount Ousley Public School News

What a fantastic week we have had! Our 'Meet the Teacher' afternoon was a huge success with lots of parents in attendance. It was lovely to have the beginning of the year with our families on site for the first time in a few years. 

In keeping with that theme, we are hoping to keep the parent engagement high at the AGM for our P&C happening on 14 March from 5:45pm. Come along and join our very welcoming and friendly P&C, you will be surprised at how much can be achieved when a dedicated group all put their heads together. We are always looking for new members to have their voice heard, to assist with fundraising and to be an advocate for our school. If you would like to know more please contact the office. We are also in need of volunteers for the canteen. If you can spare 3hrs once a month please let us know. Without your help the canteen may be closed on some days. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed being in the playground with the students this week. They are enjoying building and engaging in imaginative play in the Outdoor Learning Area (OLA). The boys were thrilled to have their picture taken and have it in the newsletter. So many happy faces. 

Our students will shine brightly this Friday as they participate in the district swimming carnival. We have individual swimmers and relay teams competing. Good luck everyone. Thank you to Mrs Myers for your wonderful organisation of our carnival and in getting our students to the next level. 

Next week you will see the Healthy Harold - Life Education Van, on our school grounds. This is a fantastic resource that sees students learn all about their bodies, healthy choices and forming safe and healthy relationships. If you haven't sent in the notes and payment for this yet, please do so as a matter of urgency. 

On Monday next week we will be announcing our SRC representatives from each class. Parents will be notified if their child is receiving a badge so they can be present. This is the beginning of the leadership journey for our students and they are very proud to be part of this team. 

Our P&C have been offered, and have accepted, the opportunity to cater for the District Cross Country carnival. The carnival will be held on 5 May at a local venue that is to be confirmed. This is a fantastic chance for us to raise much needed funds for our school. The event will see over 700 students participate and many family and friends attend as spectators. The potential to raise thousands of dollars is very high. All we need is YOUR HELP!  We understand that this is a work day, but we are hoping that with notice you will be able to assist us in this very worthwhile venture. To sign up please contact the school office or indicate your interest on the parent Facebook page. 

What is the money spent on?

In 2022 the P&C assisted the school by providing funds for;

- Carpeting of the community room and undercover passive play space

- The transport costs for swim scheme

- 50% of The Anxiety Project registration fee ($5000)

- Purchasing of reusable lunch order bags for all kindergarten students

- Set up of the P&C online ordering system for canteen and uniforms

- Canteen equipment

- Year 6 farewell cake

Money raised this year will be earmarked for a new whole school speaker and PA system. This system would see us enjoy clear sound at twilight concerts, year 6 farewells, year 6 clap out, Easter hat parade, ANZAC and Remembrance Day ceremonies, bells and evacuations.

On Monday, students in years 3-6 were given the opportunity to express interest in this year’s Choral Festival, which is returning to the Town Hall in August, after 3 Covid affected years. Choir students will perform on one evening as part of a massed choir of 200 voices, as well as performing their own individual item. Students will need to commit to attending one rehearsal each week, and be prepared to come during a lunch or recess break if required. The cost to be part of the choir is $10, which will include all props and a commemorative ribbon. There will be a small additional cost for bus travel for up to 2 rehearsals. It is not anticipated that the total cost will exceed $20. 

The Choral Festival is always a fun night. Students get the chance to shine on stage, and the spotlight is completely on them for the length of the 90 minute show. Places are limited, so if your child missed out on a note, it can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1SiXOyO9z2irI_QfdxmxVpTXYp-zkqWeW  and needs to be returned by the end of this week, so that we can get started! 

If you have not already joined School Bytes, please follow these instructions as a matter of urgency. 

School Bytes: To streamline our communication we will be transitioning to School Bytes for all communication, calendar, finance, roll marking, excursion notes and payments, submitting reasons for student absences and all administrative purposes. This will be a gradual process as we are currently training in the use of the platform. There is a parent portal that will make life easier for you.  To join the Parent Portal;

1. Scan the QR Code, (it will open in a new browser window on your device). 

2. Click 'create new account'

3. Enter your email address and a password, click next

4. Type in the name of our school, your child's name, their date of birth and the year that they are in this year. 

5. Submit this information and you should be linked to your child/ren. 

If you are having difficulties or it is asking for a linking code please let the office know and we will organise one for you. The most common reason for these steps not working is if you have not provided your email address to the school. If you need any further help with this please see Emily.

Face-to-face: We are all very keen to connect with you in person and need to give you the time and attention you deserve. If you would like to have a conversation with your child's teacher about how they are progressing with their learning and friendships, please make an appointment with them. 

School Accounts

This year we will be sending out accounts for each family. Included in these will be costs for incursions such as FootSteps Dance. You may not be aware that dance is included in two of our key learning areas, Creative Arts and PDHPD, and is a compulsory part of schooling. Dance helps students to learn coordination, rhythm and to move in a variety of ways. By enlisting the expertise of FootSteps we ensure an extremely high quality program for all students of all abilities. This term we will begin dancing in week 6 of this term. 

Premiers 'Back to School' Vouchers

You can now use your back to school vouchers to pay for excursions, incursions, band and camp. All you need to do is see the ladies in the office and they will be able to help you to spend these. 

You can also use them to pay for uniforms, however the process is different. Please see the information below with instructions on how to use them with the P&C. 

P&C Meeting

We would love to see as many parents as possible join our wonderful P&C. If you are interested in helping our school, connecting with other families and helping with fundraising, we would love to see you at our next meeting! The meeting will be held on at Tuesday March 14th at 5:45pm in the library it will be the AGM. I hope to see you all there.

To ensure all students are able to get the most out of every opportunity that is offered at our school, it is extremely important that they are in attendance each day. Having all students at school allows them to learn new concepts alongside their peers, consolidate previous learning and build new skills.

When looking at our attendance data trends from previous years, it has been discovered that there are many days of learning lost due to incidental absences. Students 'having the day off' for their birthday, for a friends birthday, to get their hair done, a holiday, or even because there was something on at school that they didn't want to do. These are not valid reasons to be absent from school. Please make sure that if you do need to keep your child home that it is for a valid reason. We also ask that wherever possible, appointments are made outside school time to allow your child to fully engage in learning. If your child is sick they must be kept home and this is a valid reason for them to be away. To assist us in ensuring our records are accurate, please advise the school of the reason your child has been away. This can be done through a phone call or by submitting an online form. Each fortnight notes will be sent home to any student who has an unexplained absence, please complete these and return them as soon as possible.

Please see below our list of school events for the upcoming months:

Term 1