Mount Macedon Primary Newsletter

Tuesday 9th August 2022

Hello everyone,

How quickly the weeks are flying by! I was told today that it’s only 22 more days to Spring. The Jonquils at the front of the school and the patches of blue sky we’ve had over the last couple of days have also reminded us of this.

Although we have had quite a few student absences, we have remained almost COVID free this week (a couple of recovering cases). We have mostly colds at the moment, and I am grateful to everyone for being vigilant about keeping sick children at home. Staffing wise, we have been up and down, needing to employ a range of Casual Relief Teachers (CRTs) and undertaking some teaching myself (my favourite job). As always, even when they are sick, the staff have comprehensive planners which are left at the school. This means that educational progress continues.

In the Week 20th – 26th August, it is Book Week. The theme this year is “Dreaming with Eyes Open”.

You all know that I love a good pyjama day BUT this year we are going to ask the students to come to school dressed as what they dream to be/ or of, when they grow up. Our Book Week dress up day this year will be held on Friday 26th August, and we will hold a school parade at the assembly at 3pm on that day.

Could I please remind you all that tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday 10th August) we are having an Open Afternoon from 2.30 – 3.30pm? We would love you to come into the classrooms and see what the children are doing as part of the Primary Years Program. Next week we have our PYP Evaluation and parents are invited to come to a short meeting on Monday 15th August from 8.45 – 9.15am to share their thoughts with the evaluation team. Given that parents have not been able to access the school much over the last couple of years, we thought it would be a good idea to show you PYP learning in action. Please come along, even if you can’t make the Monday morning meeting. The children are always excited to have you come in to see what they do.

I am currently doing a lot of school tours for parents who are interested in coming to our school. The school is capped at 125 students, so before I can take any families from beyond the Mount Macedon school boundary, I need to be sure that all eligible local students have enrolled. If you have a child starting at the school next year, please contact the office to pick up an enrolment form.

No news yet on the change of parking conditions at the front of the school. I will let you know as soon as it happens.

If you have not yet seen our new garden area, please take a stroll down to the playground to have a look. It is fantastic. This was the vision of Jane Honey and Andrew Quinn and they have brought it to fruition over the last year. To see it develop from a sketch on a piece of paper to the area that it is now is wonderful. Thanks to both of them (and their helpers). The garden has added a lovely new dimension to the school.

I’d just like to finish with my thoughts as I write this. The school this term seems much more settled and happier than it has for a long time. There is more of a sense of optimism and purpose, and educational outcomes are consistently improving for all students. Parents are now engaged in daily activities happening at the school and that is adding a lovely dimension to programs that are being delivered. The moments of joy are returning!! I hope that you are all feeling the same. 

Have a lovely week.

Kind Regards,

Trish

We have a new date for our second parent session on how best to support child emotional and social development - Wednesday 31st August at 7.30 pm. We would really like this to be guided by you, so if you are interested please let us know what areas you would like covered in the registration link below. There will be space for open Q&As in the live chat. 

Who is Dr. Billy Garvey?

Billy is a developmental paediatrician with over 18 years experience working with children in a number of settings. His clinical and research interests include child development and mental health, multidisciplinary collaboration, improving health literacy and promoting community engagement to support all families. Billy holds clinical, advocacy and research roles in government and not-for-profit organisations at a national, state and local level. He is currently undertaking a PhD piloting a model to support child emotional and behavioural development in primary schools and is a Churchill Fellow exploring how social media can be used to support parenting. He is also the co-founder of the Pop Culture Parenting podcast which aims to support child development and wellbeing using evidence in a meaningful, fun and realistic way. 

Who is Jennifer Dix?

Jennifer is a Clinical Psychologist who has worked for several years in community welfare, specialising in working with children, adolescents and adults who have experienced trauma or are caring for others with a history of trauma. Jennifer has experience in adult inpatient care and community mental health, as well as in facilitating children’s therapeutic groups and parenting workshops. She is particularly passionate about empowering adolescents and young adults to develop the tools necessary to reach their potential. 

Expression of interest link:

https://forms.gle/UpkAZFcFVsQFFAZ47

When? 

Wednesday, 31st August 2022

7:30 PM

Where?

Event address for attendees:

https://eduvic.webex.com/eduvic/onstage/g.php?MTID=ecd5529393ea1c073b7d37513272b436a

Event number:              2651 204 6927

Event password:           EjSmMUvT742

At Mount Macedon Primary we engage with resources from The Victoria Inclusion Agency to drive best practice in teaching and learning that creates an inclusive education environment for all our students. Here are a few resources  which we use in our classrooms that can be carried across to home. 

Hello everyone.

Last week Aaron Jex, who is a parasitologist (someone who studies parasites) came into our school to teach the Grade 5 / 6 class, sharing what lurks in ponds, yeast and in our environment around us. We saw microscopic worms, critters and organisms under his microscope. It can magnify up to 1000x bigger than the actual object or thing you are studying. 

We all went to Stanley Park to collect water, moss and other samples of various things, walking around the park and studying things we would usually just ignore. There are special silicon dollops that have been invented which act like a microscope. They can be placed on the camera of an iPhone or iPad and it magnifies the camera so that you can take photos of objects up close and magnified. We were taking photos of leaves, flowers and many other everyday things. If you were lucky, a portion of your sample would be magnified under the microscope that magnifies up to 1000x.

In inquiry we are learning about scientific discoveries, and writing an information report on a discovery of our choice. Watching a real scientist do what they do was pretty cool. 

We were all interested, and excited by our science lesson. It expanded our knowledge, understanding, and spiralled lots of thoughts and ideas in our heads. It also got us really interested in our topics. It also spiked our interest in the whole world that is around us that we can’t see with our own eyes. 

Eliza

 This week our Foundation students took part in our "Bush Kids" program where they get to suit up in their wet weather and protective gear in order to explore our natural surrounds. It is a chance for our youngest students to take a break from the classroom and explore our environment, becoming familiar with the flora and fauna in our local area. They got to go for a walk, built towers in the sand pit and played on an obstacle course in the playground. One of the activities they usually get up to is lying on their backs and cloud watching, but unfortunately ( or fortunately ) the weather was picture perfect, with blue skies and no clouds in sight, so we think they will save that activity for next time!

One of our Grade 2 students Liam, is calling upon our help to recycle our old mobile phones to help protect wild Gorillas. As part of the Grade 2 Inquiry into Rubbish and Looking After Animals, Liam is instigating action and calling on our community for help. Please read Liam's message below. Liam has set up a collection box for your old and used mobile phones at the school office. What a fantastic project and a great way to raise awareness and interest in this important world issue.

Every year we have a visit from Western Water, who offer a great program to help educate our children about the importance water in our community. The educational presentations focus on the importance of water for our health and well being, as well as the importance of water saving and conservation. Today, the Foundation students learnt about the water cycle, evaporation, precipitation and condensation. The Grade 2's  focused on different ways in which they can conserve water, one of our most precious resources. They discussed the ways students use water at home, and how they can try to save the water that they use. From the photos below, it looks like they all had a great time learning and interacting with presenter Leanne from Western Water.

Last Friday 5th August was Principal's Day, and we wanted to take a moment to say thankyou and show our appreciation for our wonderful Principal Trish Hyland, for all of the work that she does for our school. Trish shows incredible dedication and commitment to our students and our school every day. She works tirelessly and with great integrity to ensure that our students are getting the best possible opportunities and environment to learn. She has amazing compassion and kindness, not only for our students but also for their families, and for our staff. Her enthusiasm and optimism in a challenging few years has been admirable, and has been a key factor in fostering such a resilient and strong school community. Thank you Trish, we hope you enjoyed the morning tea and flowers in celebration of Principal's Day.

Help Wanted!  Ever been interested in joining the Theatre but didn't know where to start? Come and help us Front of House! Meet new people, get a feel for the theatre and be a part of an amazing show without having to jump on stage! We're looking for helpers for all shows to help usher and do tea and coffee service at interval. Please contact Shelly on 0417 514 797 or shellyjandrews@gmail.com, Or find me at school pickup! I'm the one trying to hold Bruno the Brown Lab 😊 

Thanks!!

Wednesday 10th August - MMPS Open Afternoon 2.30pm to 3.30pm

Monday 15th - Wednesday 17th August - IB PYP Evaluation

Friday 19th August - District Athletics

Friday 26th August - Book Week Dress Up Day

Monday 5th - Thursday 8th September - School Production

Thursday 8th Sept - Division Athletics

Saturday 12th November - MMPS School Fete

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