Mount Macedon Primary Newsletter

Tuesday 8th November 2022

Hello Everyone,

It is fete week!! So much time has gone into planning and organising this event and it’s exciting to be finally here. Thank you so much to everyone involved. What a team effort to get something this big ready. We are carefully monitoring the weather and making back up plans if it is wet. Currently the weather report is for a lovely 23 degrees with some rain – but it’s not clear what time of the day the rain will occur. Fingers crossed for a dry, sunny event. There are still quite a few vacancies to help on stalls and if you haven’t yet committed some time on the day, please put your name on the board at the front of the school.

There is a lot of information about the fete in this newsletter. Please take the time to read it. Setting up for the fete will commence on Friday and go into full swing on Saturday morning. Any baked goods or donations can be delivered to the school on Friday. We are still accepting donations of books and toys, plants, things for the hamper raffles.

Our grounds have not looked this beautiful for years. Over the height of the COVID period, we were unable to have working bees. Last week we had two days where many parents came to help and volunteer some time to make the school look lovely. Thanks to Phil Krajewski for organising Friday and Andrew Quinn for the Saturday working bee and thanks to all the parents who came to weed, prune, trim, sweep, plant etc. Both days remind us about the wonderful community we live in.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to take three of our grade 6 students, Lilith, James, and Molly into Melbourne. They are doing their PYP Exhibition (last unit of study) on the theme of poverty. During the morning we made and wrapped over 100 sandwiches for homeless people. Every Monday night, Mission for a Cause organises to deliver a main meal to over 200 homeless people. We joined them last night to help with this project. We were warmly welcomed into this community of volunteers and beautifully treated by the homeless people we served. It was an experience that none of us will forget. One of the men we provided food to, gave the students this advice – “Doesn’t matter about being rich or poor – being kind is what you should aim for”.

Today we have a group of Grade 6 students also going to Melbourne for their Exhibition work. They are at the Melbourne Aquarium looking at sustainable practices to support our sea life. This high-level learning is a key part of the Primary Years Programme in the school.

This week our Grades 3-6 students commence a program called “Living and Growing” which will be delivered by Sex Education Australia. This company has been recommended to us by other local schools. Our Grade 3-4 students will learn about their bodies, where did I come from?, and growing and changing. Our Grade 5/6 students will do a more comprehensive Preparation for Puberty course. It is your choice for your child to undertake this program. If you feel that your child is not yet ready to learn about and discuss these topics, then we will provide an alternate program for them. As parents, it is always best for you to make these decisions and to encourage talking at home. Please contact your child’s classroom teacher if you do not want your child to participate.

Next week, we have our Grade 1/2 sleepover. I have had a couple of parents talk to me about separation anxiety and children not wanting to sleep over. This is definitely not a compulsory activity, but is part of our camping program, supporting students to prepare for their first external camp in grade 3. The aim of the night is to have fun, so if your child is too anxious, then they are welcome to come to BBQ dinner and then go home again.

I can’t wait to see you all at the fete. Let’s make this a wonderful MMPS family event!!

Have a lovely week.

Kind Regards,

Trish

Join us at the Mount Macedon Primary School Spring Fete on Saturday 12 November for a day of family and community fun as we fundraise for a new outdoor learning area to benefit our children and for generations to come.

Please "Like or Follow" our Fete social media pages and share them to your "Friends & Followers" :

• https://www.facebook.com/Mountmacedonschoolfete/

• https://instagram.com/mountmacedonps_springfete/

To ensure that all of their friends and family members were aware of the upcoming MMPS Fete, our students wrote out invitations on post cards and mailed them out last week to promote the day. Each student got a stamp and postcard or two to write out an invitation message, then walked up to the Trading Post from school to the mailbox. It was a fun way to create some excitement about the event, and provide students the experience of posting mail. Below are some photos of our students posting their invites!

Not only is Eliza from Grade 6 our star school reporter, but she is also a talented artist, and has created a beautiful banner to promote our upcoming school fete. The banner has been proudly hung over our front fence for all to see and enjoy. The photo below will even feature in the Gisborne Gazette to further promote our school fete to the wider community. 

As the excitement of finishing primary school and transitioning to secondary school draws nearer for our senior students, we understand that this can also be an overwhelming and challenging time for them. With this in mind, we have been working with our students in class to prepare and support them through this period of change. Below are some great resources on how you can help students cope with big life changes in order to support their mental and emotional well being.

Register for parent information session:  MENTAL HEALTH FORUM MACEDON RANGES HEALTH - "DEVELOPING MINDS" With key guest speaker, clinical psychologist, Jennifer Dix, we explore how to best support the social and emotional wellbeing of our children. Macedon Principal, Matthew Forrest will be offering a school perspective and be available to answer questions throughout.  

To register click on the link below:

Register for parent information session: MENTAL HEALTH FORUM MACEDON RANGES HEALTH - "DEVELOPING MINDS" (google.com)

With all the excitement leading up to the Spring Fete, and my skills in jam-making and Devonshire tea drinking sorely lacking, I wanted to get into the Fete spirit in a more on-brand kind of way, so, last week some of my classes were given a challenge: to come up with a short, digitally hand-drawn animation to promote something about the fete.

In only one session, students learnt about how animation works using individual frames, how a traditional flip book works (thanks to Edward for the inspiration), and then, to make (and finish one themselves)

Even with the time constraints, they all did a pretty awesome job.

Now, given there were a lot of videos (students worked in pairs) and I know how hard it can be to sit through a giant video while you wait for your 3 seconds of fame, I have put all the animations together in one giant video wall which I will try and set up to be playing this Saturday at the Fete.

Click the link below to get into the Fete mood now...

Mr. Garcia

Video Link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zOBrvxCX95THlrLetZ7EgdG-xHuUmHu8/view?usp=share_link

This week our Foundation students are practising their writing skills, and to help them write a story, they were treated to some very cute little subject matters in the way of animals! They got to pat and feed some baby alpacas and lambs, parrots and even a tawny frogmouth. The students then had to write a story about the animals and their experience. See below for some very cute photos!

Our veggie Garden is now looking amazing! Last week some of our Grade 3 and Foundation students were planting and tending to the Veggie Garden, ensuring that we have a healthy and abundant garden for all to enjoy. They were not afraid to jump right in and learn how to dig a hole, plant, then mulch and water to ensure the seedling can grow and flourish into a yummy vegetable. Thank you to Jane one of our parents who helped guide the students and give some great tips on how to grow and nurture veggies. See below for some veggie planting in action.

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! The weather is now warming up and spotted on the grounds were some of our students wearing their hats today.

Hello! I’ve decided to take on a challenge as part of Peter Mac's Walk to Fight Cancer! I'll be walking as far as I can this week in honour of my late husband, Lucy and Eleanor's Dad, Adam Damen – and I need your help.

Peter Mac is Australia’s only public hospital,100% dedicated to cancer treatment. It’s also the home to Australia’s largest cancer research group. Your donation to my walk will help Peter Mac’s dedicated researchers find new and more effective treatments for cancer. Peter Mac were so amazing in all they did to help Adam through treatment and palliative care after his diagnosis with Synovial Sarcoma, a very rare cancer with few treatment options.

I’ve set myself a goal to raise as much as I can – you can help me get there by donating online to my challenge here – just click this link: https://w2fc.me/michelle-damen 

Thank you very much for being a star and helping me. I will keep you updated with how I go!

Michelle

'Madagascar' is the haunting story of a mysterious disappearance that changes three lives forever. At 3 different periods in time, 3 people find themselves alone, in the same hotel room overlooking the Spanish Steps in Rome. 

They each tell their individual story of how and why they are here. Their relationship to each other, what this room means to them, and why they have been called to it slowly reveal themselves. Their stories spill out, weave back and forth—each contradicting, clarifying, deepening what the others say—becoming strands of one gripping and disquieting tale. 

Book tickets via www.themountplayers.com or call 5426 1892

Saturday 12th November - MMPS School Fete

Wednesday 16th November - Foundation 2023 Welcome Evening 7pm-8pm

Thursday 17th November - Foundation, Grade 1 & Grade 2 BBQ and Grade 1 & 2 Sleepover

Friday 18th November - Foundation 2023 Transition Day 2 9am - 10am

Tuesday 29th November - Grade 6 Exhibition

Thursday 1st & Friday 2nd December - Grade 3 & 4 Boomerang Ranch

Thursday 8th December - Professional Practice Day -no students at school

Wednesday 7th December - Foundation 2023 Transition Day 3 9am - 10am

Wednesday 7th December - Carols

Tuesday 13th December - Foundation 2023 Transition Day 4 9am - 11am

Wednesday 14th December - Hanging Rock Picnic

Thursday 15th December - Grade 6 Graduation 

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

2023

Term 1 starts Tuesday 31st January.