Mount Macedon Primary Newsletter

Friday 3rd March - Athletics Whole School Event

Friday 3rd March - FOS Welcome BBQ 5.30pm - 7.30pm

Monday 6th March - MMPS FOS Meeting 7.30pm at the school

Tuesday 7th March - Division Swimming

Wednesday 8th March -  Bike Ed 9.30am -11am (Grade 4)

Cross Country Years 3 -6 9am - 11am - TBA

Monday 13th March Labour Day Public Holiday

Wednesday 15th March - 27th March NAPLAN

Friday 17th March - Grades 3 - 6 Cross Country

Tuesday 21st March - Bike Ed 11.30 - 1pm (Grade 4)

Friday 24th March - Macedon Bike Ride 9am -11am (Grade 4,5,6)

Wednesday 29th March - Bike Ed 9.30am - 11am (Grade 4)

Friday 31st March - Williamstown Bike Ride (Grade 4,5,6)

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

TERM 2

Monday 24th April - Pupil Free Day

Tuesday 25th April - ANZAC day Public Holiday

Wednesday 26th April - First Day of Term 2 for Students

Thursday 2nd March 2023

Hello Everyone,

I’m sorry for the late newsletter this week. As part of my principal responsibilities, I am asked to go to other schools to review their progress. This week I have spent two days at Epsom Primary School in Bendigo. Whilst I miss being at our school, I learn lots of new ideas and practices when I visit other schools, which helps us to fine tune what we do here.

Hopefully you will have seen the notice on Skoolbag about School Council elections.

Each year, following DET guidelines, I declare vacant half of the parent member seats for our school council. This year I would like to thank Cameron Howlett (President for the past 4 years), Rachel Jex and Katrina Monaghan for their dedication and commitment to the school, as school councillors. It has been an absolute pleasure working with them. Their focus has always been on ensuring the best outcomes for all the children in the school. I have included information about nominating to be a school councillor in this newsletter.

At our last school council meeting, it was requested that I make available to parents a paper copy of the school newsletter. I understand that different people read and learn in different ways, and I am happy to do this if it improves the communication in the school. Given our commitment to sustainability and the fact that there is a paper shortage at the moment (a large paper mill closed down) the paper newsletter will consist of our important dates calendar, my report home and any FOS News only. We will not be printing photographs etc. If you would like the paper version of the newsletter, could you please advise your teacher via SeeSaw or drop into the office and let them know? It will be given to your child to bring home each week.

This morning we had nit checks by Nurse Amy and I’m very happy to let you know that the school is currently entirely nit free.

Could I please remind you all that if students need to cross the road to get to your car, that you need to pick them up at the crossing and walk them through the car park? This is to ensure that they are safely walking through an environment that is busy with traffic moving through it. Please be vigilant as your drive through the car park.

Tomorrow is a busy day for the school. We have our Athletics Day at Dixon Field in Gisborne. You are all so welcome to come along and join in the fun. After school at 5.30pm -7.30pm we have the Welcome BBQ at the school. Please come along – it is always a lovely night.

On March 15th our grades 3 and 5 students will be undertaking the annual NAPLAN testing program. They will do a series of tests in Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation and Numeracy, over several days. We work hard to ensure that the children feel supported and not stressed. Grade 3 parents will receive an information sheet in the next week, as this is the first time that your child will be doing NAPLAN. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Bike Education has started at the school for our Grade 4 students. John Ewels (a past principal of the school) is the instructor. All students are learning road rule, bike safety and maintenance. On Friday 24th March they will ride their bicycles to Macedon Primary School and back to practice what they have learnt. On Friday 31st March all Grade 4, 5 and 6 students will be offered the opportunity to ride from Maribyrnong to Williamstown and back (approx. 26km). On this day we need plenty of parent helpers (even if you don’t have a child in those year levels). If you are interested, please let us know. A note will be coming home with all students involved.

Hopefully I will see you at the Welcome BBQ tomorrow night.

Kind Regards,

Trish

A school council plays a vital part in the running and success of a school. School councils have governance over areas such as Strategic Planning, Finances (including fundraising), Buildings and Grounds and Marketing. It is the role of a school councillor to be informed and represent the views of the parent body. We have three positions vacant on the SC this year.

Please consider nominating (self-nominating) or nominating someone else for the role (the person you are nominating will need to agree and sign the nomination form).

The nomination period will be open until Monday 6th March at 4pm and nomination forms were sent home in a previous post or are available at the front office. I now call for nominations for the three vacant parent member seats. 

The parent electorate includes each parent of a student at the school, except those who are Department employees engaged in work at, and for, the school. A parent of a student at the school, who is a department employee but does not work at or for the school is included in the parent electorate. These parents are recognised on council as ‘Department employee parents’.

‘Parent’ includes a guardian or person who is liable to maintain or has the actual custody of a student of the school.

A person is ineligible for election or co-option to the school council if the person:

•    is or has been insolvent under administration within the last three years. Note: Insolvent under administration includes a person who is an undischarged bankrupt

•    is of unsound mind

•    has been found guilty or convicted of an indictable offence or an offence that would be an indictable offence if it had been committed in Victoria

•    is a registrable offender within the meaning of the Sex Offenders Registration Act 2004

•    is subject to any medical condition that makes them unable to fulfil the role of a council member

•    ceases to be eligible for election or co-option to their membership category.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Trish

Hello everybody , what an exciting week we are going to have!

Last Friday it was announced that Kulin House (green) won the Swimming Sports! This is great news for anyone in green house but I’m sure that gold house will rise to the occasion on Friday which is our…..

Athletics! On Friday this week we will have our Athletics carnival at Dixon Field in Gisborne. Come and see your kids compete and cheer them on!

Last week we had District Swimming. Those who won first or second in a 50 metre race at our swimming carnival went ahead to District, two of our swimmers are heading to the next step: Division! Andrew and Pearl from Grade 4 are going to Division and Sybil is going as the back up. Good luck!

Those who like gardening get ready because the Gardening Club is starting up again. It will be run by Jane Honey at lunch time on Wednesdays. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and come along!  

The welcome BBQ will be on Friday (March the 3rd) this week after school. Don’t forget this is a chance to get to know some new people, So come along and enjoy yourself.

Harriet

I have been a teacher for 38 years, and have taught Japanese for the last nine of those. I am delighted to be teaching at such a lovely school as Mt. Macedon Primary where the focus for term 1 has been on Family and Self. Students have learnt basic greetings, and have practised the custom of bowing. They have learnt how to follow instructions in Japanese, and to tell about themselves, their age, their friends, their school, their teacher, their hobbies and interests. They are being introduced to the Japanese Hiragana alphabet, and the Kanji number system, and will continue to use these throughout their Japanese learning. This week, the focus will be on the Japanese names for family members. All students will learn how to understand and say simple sentences to describe their families in Japanese. The cultural aspect of Japanese will see them making a house using the Japanese art of paper folding; origami. The focus for next term will be food, comparing Japanese and Australian food, customs and etiquette. The students will learn how to say, “I like this,” and “I don’t like that,” and to describe foods. Below are some photos of the students practising their comprehension, letter and number skills.

Ms Morrice

By Mirra, Ivy and Sofia (Grade 4)

Last Friday the Grade Fours had Bike Education. Mr Ewels was the teacher and has been teaching it for the past many years. Bike education is for the safety of children when riding bikes. Before the Grade Fours started riding, they talked about the safety of their bikes. When they had finished, they went to the basketball court and started practising safe riding. One of their favourite things to do was a game called, ‘Last person standing’ which was where they rode around the court. The space on the court got smaller and smaller until the last person was the only one. Another thing was where they had to ride beside each other and try not to fall and crash. When we have practised a little more, we are going to do the Macedon Bike Ride, which is where we ride down Waterfalls Road and go to Tony Clark. We go to Macedon Primary School and then the hard bit is to ride up Waterfalls Road! We are also going to do the Williamstown Bike Ride, and in the middle we get pizza for lunch!

Last week, I came to the conclusion that sadly, I wasn't the most important person in the world, but the students at MMPS were, so, students worked on ways to make digital versions of themselves they could share with the world.

In Grade 1/2, we talked about staying safe online and about creating digital avatars of ourselves we could use instead of sharing photos (and for some reason, the students found it very funny to give my avatar a bald head... I am still getting nightmares about that one...) 

In Grade 3/4 students built upon the block coding skills they learnt last year and turned themselves into videogame characters they could code and move around the screen... or in the case of Banjo, turn himself into a tank because, well, he could.

Mr Garcia

Our new outdoor reading area is now complete! We also have a little enclosed library to store some books, and will purchase some outdoor cushions to decorate the area so that the children can grab a book, find a comfy spot and start reading! Take a look below, it looks great.

Our veggie garden is looking fantastic, the students have been so enthusiastic and diligent in tending to the garden to ensure that all of the vegetables are watered and flourish, especially over the last few weeks of warm weather. Take a look below at how bountiful it is looking so far. We have already harvested many veggies, including zucchini, cherry tomatoes, leeks and kale. Today, the students were excited to plant some broccoli sprouts, and we were very excited when our first cherry tomato was harvested (see pic). Well done everyone!

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 in our new outdoor reading area were two of our students wearing their hats!

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.

The Ranges Music Network is very excited to be bigger and better at Mount Macedon Primary this year!  We have some exciting term-based performance and project activities planned in addition to our Group and Individual programs.

We'd also like 2023 to be the year of the bands -- with Classic Rock Band and Drum Squad taking the stage from 3:40-4:20pm after school each Wednesday.  If you are interested in learning an instrument while playing in the band or building on the technique and musicality you're developing in your group and individual lesson we'd love to have you.

Visit https://rangesmusic.net/mmps/ to learn more and get started.  

THE 39 STEPS 

Directed by John Rowland (Too Many Crooks & The Wrong Box)

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Fruity melodrama and you have the intriguing, thrilling, riotous and unmissable comedy. The show hurtles a notorious fugitive and a spellbound blonde from a London music hall north by northwest to Scotland’s most remote highlands. Will they save Britain from a den of devious spies? A cast of six actors plays over 25 characters in this fast-paced tale of an ordinary man on an extraordinarily entertaining adventure. The 39 Steps contains every single legendary scene from the award-winning movie — including the chase on the Flying Scotsman, the escape on the Forth Bridge, the bi-plane crash and the sensational death-defying finale in the London Palladium.

Gisborne - Steam Park, 10 Webb Crescent

Spectacular 90 Minute Show

Dates:

Friday 10th March 7pm                      Friday 17th March 7pm

Saturday 11th March 2pm & 7pm     Saturday 18th March 2pm & 7pm

Sunday 12th March 2 pm                   Sunday 19th March 2pm

Monday 13th March 2pm

Adults $35.00 each, Children - $25.00 each (ages 3-14) (Ringside extra $5.00 each)

Ticket office opens one hour before each show. PH : 0477 874 784 www.eroniscircus.com

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