Macedon Primary School Newsletter

24 June 2020

School Values: Respect, Responsibility, Creativity, Integrity, Teamwork

Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you

We have almost made it to the end of a term that I’m sure we will never forget.  It has been an incredible roller coaster ride for everyone involved.  Thank you to our staff, the commitment and hard work it took to get remote learning up and running was immense. Then the energy it took to monitor, respond to feedback and adjust planning, mange student wellbeing and navigate working from home is a true testament your professionalism and strong work ethic.

Thank you to our parents, grandparents and carers who were thrown in the remote learning scenario that really stretched your comfort zones.  I can image that you learnt quite a lot about your child/ren as learners.  I would like you to keep what you learnt at the forefront of your mind for our parent teacher evenings planned for the early part of term three. 

Lastly, I would like to thank our students.  What an amazing, creative and resilient group of young people that we have in our school.  I feel so privileged to come to work each day.  Your grit, resilience and hard work through the remote learning inspires me to try as hard as I can for our wonderful school.

As you all know, things are not back to normal by any stretch, but these holidays are an opportunity to take a breath and rejuvenate so things can get back closer to normal in term three.  Please enjoy and safe and restful holiday.

PFA events

In term three there are a number of PFA events that we have made a decision about.  The father’s day stall will continue as planned with provision being made for social distancing, we will make a plan that includes our parent volunteers, however we also have a back-up plan in the event that no volunteers are allowed onsite.

The school disco will not occur in term three however we will keep it on the agenda as a possibility for term four.  Hopefully things are settled by then and we can run this fun student event.

I would like to extend our gratitude, on behalf of all the staff, for the generous parent led morning tea planned for our staff tomorrow.  We plan to adhere to all of the social distancing rules and acknowledge the staff’s efforts throughout the term.  It is such a generous and thoughtful gesture and we are grateful.  Thank you.

Interior Design

Recently, I have been working closely with parent, Joseph Kiely, on an interior painting design for the school.  We’re planning to give the inside of the school a facelift and aim to create an inspiring, engaging and dynamic environment where student learning thrives.  Please click the link below to see our first draft of this plan and take up your chance to comment. 

https://forms.gle/cvTgCR3Yp2agy1Zq9

Early finish on Friday - 2:30pm

Warm regards,

Matthew Forrest

Principal

Important Dates to Remember


  • 26 June - LAST DAY OF TERM 2 (early finish 2:30pm)
  • 13 July - FIRST DAY OF TERM 3
  • 8 September - STUDENT PHOTO DAY

From the Office

Family Statements

Outstanding family statements have been sent out today, these are for essential learning items that the school supplies such as pens, paper, workbooks, tissues. We understand that due to the current climate some families may be finding it hard to pay these invoices, if you are experiencing difficulties, please contact the office.

Sick Children

Thank you to all families for monitoring your children's health and keeping them home if they are unwell. Some parents have asked for clarity around when their child should stay at home. If your child is sick they should stay at home. A sore throat, cough or runny nose are symptoms of a cold or virus. A snuffle with clear mucus that clears up once children are inside could be from the cold wind or air.  If the discharge is thick and your child is congested, that would indicate that they should remain at home.  If you child needs Panadol to be at school, that is an indication that they are still unwell. 

If your child is feeling unwell at school and is sent to the sick bay, you will be asked to collect them. Please note, they need to be collected promptly, if you are unable to collect them, then you will need to arrange for a friend or family member to collect and you will also need to advise the office.

Dressing for the Macedon Winter

Winter is well and truly upon us and we ask that the children dress accordingly. Please make sure your child has a jumper and jacket each day. A spare change of clothes is a good idea, particularly for the children that like to play on the oval at lunchtime.

Parents collecting students early / late arrivals

To minimise adult traffic within the school, if your child needs to leave school early or arrives late, parents need to sign them in and/or out at the office.  If you need to collect your child early, can you please contact the office and we will then arrange for your child to be ready for collection from the office.

Private second hand uniform sales

In an effort to limit the amount of goods handled by office staff, if you are buying or selling second hand uniform privately, we ask that you arrange a drop off point privately. Thank you for your understanding.

Drink bottles - please remember to bring to school

The drink bubblers have been turned off in the school due to COVID-19, therefore all students must bring their own drink bottles from home. Can you please make sure the drink bottles are clearly labelled with your child's name.

We hope you have a restful term break.

Julie and Emma

Student Family Occupation Forms

Each school budget is calculated by a range of formulas. One formula is based on Student Family Occupation (SFO).

Each year we need to update our Parent Occupation Groups to ensure our school receives the budget to which it is entitled.  

It is imperative that we have accurate Parent Occupation information as it may result in our school, and therefore your child, having access to greater resources for their education.   If we have a substantial number of parents in the ‘N’ category for example, this increases our funding significantly while we do not receive any SFO funding for parents in the ‘A’ category.

Please carefully read the information on the form sent home with your eldest child and place your occupational code in the space provided. If you require clarification please contact the office on 5426 1518.  This is also a good time to ensure that the school has your latest contact and emergency contact details in our system. If you have not received a form, please find the link below.

Please return these forms by Friday the 26th of June

This information is strictly confidential and is only used to collect aggregate data. Your information is protected by the Privacy Laws.

Download

Enrolments for 2021

A reminder that 2021 enrolments are now due. If you have a child that you wish to start at Macedon Primary please fill out the below enrolment form ASAP. We want to start finalising our numbers for 2021 and have received a lot of interest from new families. If your child is not returning to Macedon Primary next year (other than grade 6 students) please also let us know.
Download

Student Achievement Awards - this week 2pm

The following awards will be announced at this weeks 'virtual' assembly. It will be earlier this week due to the end of term.

 https://eduvic.webex.com/webappng/sites/eduvic/meeting/download/5c51e9f011ce4ef0b35766dec5b226d8?siteurl=eduvic&MTID=m443d628f25a9c0d5cdf463bd1d81ba90

Talent Show - Last chance to enter

All entries will need to be submitted in digital form. They must be clearly marked with age group, name and category in which you are competing. This can be done via Seesaw, email or USB dropped to school. This competition will remain a digital one.

Please have your entry in by close of business, the last day of term 2 (Friday June 26).

 Drama

Drama can come in many forms, you can create and perform something yourself, or you could choose a piece of work. Some ideas include; a play, a story from a book, a poem, monologue or a duologue (one person acting alone on stage or two together). This will depend on how many people you have in your family. You may have enough for a whole play? Don’t forget the work we have done this semester on how to use your voice to create a character.

Dance

Dance is a fun one. It is such a free way to express yourself. You have the choice to either create something and perform it, or choose something that has already been choreographed. Perhaps you know ballet and would like to showcase what you can do?

Think also about the dances we did in Term 1. You could always film yourself doing one of those. I will also allow circus skills in this area of the competition.

Remember, these are just ideas, you can be as creative as you want!

Music

For all of our musicians out there, this one's for you. Have you been dying to show us a hidden talent? Now is your chance. If you play an instrument you might want to record yourself doing a solo. If you have someone to jam with….. go ahead.

Perhaps you’ve written a song and you finally have a chance to show someone. Or…. Maybe you love singing covers (someone else’s songs), that’s fine too!

Multi Media

There are so many of you that have computer and technology skills that I could only dream of. This particular category is open to all kinds of ideas - as long as you use multi-media. As the name implies, multimedia using multiple forms of media. This could include; text, graphics, audio, video, etc. For example, a presentation involving audio and video clips would be considered a "multimedia presentation."

Maybe you have directed your own short film or film clip? Now is your chance to show it. It could be as simple as a PowerPoint presentation.

Script Writing

Do you prefer to be behind the camera instead of in front? Script writing is a great way to get your creative juices flowing. You could choose to write a traditional play or perhaps a monologue of duologue?

Who knows, if it’s good enough, we might want to use it in class!

If you are in P-2, one to two pages is enough. Older students and beyond, write as much as you want - this could be in the form of a narrative story.

These are just ideas, feel free to be creative and come up with something totally unique!

Remember everyone, whatever category you wish to present, must be G rated and family friendly.

Uniform Shop News

Outside School Hours Care

Our rates are: $15.00 for Before School Care (7:00am - 8:45am) and $22.00 for After School Care (3:30pm - 6:30pm). All you need to do is call the school 5426 1518 or email oshp@macedonps.vic.edu.au to book.  If the unexpected happens and a casual booking is required within 24 hours, please contact the school via phone, we cannot accept walk-ins after school.  Please note that enrolment forms need to be completed at least one business day before the first session of care.

Please pay through the school via Direct Deposit, using the following details (not BPay):

Account name: Macedon Primary School

BSB: 063-840

Account: 1003 4330

Vicki, Helen, Karen & Marie.

Community News

NCGRL Library News - school holiday program

Gisborne Library is now OPEN 

Monday to Friday 10am-4pm

Saturday 10-12

Browsing and Borrowing for 30 mins.

 School holiday program is online via the Goldfields Library website and our Youtube channel.

Kids - join in our fun, free holiday activities! 

We love to have fun with you in the library, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun online too. Our staff have created some awesome holiday activities that you can do at home. Have a look below. We’ll be adding more to this page in the coming days, so check back for more holiday fun!

Download the Wild & Woolly Winter holiday program, or see below for some great holiday activities. Activity sheets will be available from Monday June 29.

Make sure to share your creations with us, we’d love to see what you come up with! Email us at programs@ncgrl.vic.gov.au, or share on social media using the hashtag #GLCWoollyWinter

Macedon Primary School

Macedon Primary School acknowledges the Wurundjeri people as the traditional owners of the country upon which we learn and work. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community and pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.