Mount Macedon Primary Newsletter

Tuesday 18th October 2022

Hello Everyone,

I hope that you have all weathered the storms and are travelling well. I know of a couple of families who had flood damage, and our thoughts are with you as you organise clean ups etc. Please contact me if we can help you in any way.

Here at school, we managed well. I did get to spend a day in gumboots sweeping away water from our outdoor learning area (which I quite enjoyed) but we were all safe and dry inside. We got to use our new generator for the first time; and when the power went out, we were able to continue as normal – even able to access the internet. It was terrific to know that this investment in our school makes a difference when it is needed. We talked about it at assembly on Friday and remembered the work that Adam Damen put into ensuring that we could stay warm and safe. We will always be grateful to him for the wonderful work he did in helping me choose the right generator for our situation.

Term four is the time of year when I start preparing for the next year. You will know that we are returning to the five-class structure (that is what we are funded for), as this year’s six classes was a result of some savings I had made in staffing over the years. I felt that smaller classes would help us to address any wellbeing issues caused by the last difficult couple of years. It has been lovely having the smaller classes, and I understand that parents want this to continue, but sadly it is not financially viable for the school.

I promised that I would share with you the numbers for next year, so that you could clearly see why I am making the class structures the way that they are. If you have any other suggestions for making these numbers into 5 classes, please let me know.

Grade                    Current enrolled number of children

F                                              15

1                                              17

2                                              24

3                                              22

4                                              18

5                                              8

6                                              11

 The 5-class structure that I am considering for 2023 is: -

F/1

1/2

2/3

3/4

5/6

As I have said to you in the past, this can be a difficult job, and I know that some people have already contacted me regarding concerns about classes next year. Please know that I will always try my best to do the best for each child in the school. We are a small school and mixed class groupings are inevitable. The teachers here are highly skilled at managing groups of children from different year levels in the same room and the priority for placing children is always based on friendship grouping first. I will not be taking “requests” from parents about grade placings next year, as we know your child well and will be placing them using that knowledge.

This week, parents of students from grades 3-6 will be receiving a notice about the Preparation for Puberty course that the school will be running. In the past this course has been delivered without cost, by the school nurse, but late last term I was informed that the program would no longer be available. We have sourced a reputable company to be deliver the program, but we now have to pay for it, so for the first time, there will be a cost of $20 per student. There will be two separate programs offered, each relevant to the age of your child. More information about the program will be in a note sent home. The children will be asked to come home and ask you questions or share what they have learnt with you. This can be a lovely opportunity to share your family values and perspective with your child. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Fete is fast approaching. Please, please, read all of the information about the fete that is in this newsletter. We are currently accepting second hand toys and books, as well as lemons and donations for the hampers, homemade preserves etc. There are now sign-up sheets for work on stalls. These are on the whiteboard at the entrance to the school.

Please remember that Monday 31st October is a Pupil Free Day at school as all staff will be undertaking Level 2 First Aid training.

I hope that you all 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/

Hello Everyone,

The fete is coming up, a fun event for the students and the community alike. There are different stalls and events run by the community and a few stalls run by students too. 

The school is busy bringing out things that haven’t been used for four years. We are all preparing by putting up posters. You may even have noticed the notice boards out the front of the school advertising the event. Everyone is excited and preparing because it’s only in around four weeks. 

There will be rides, lemonade, fairy floss, music, Devonshire tea, books, toys, face paint and a lot of other fun activities to enjoy. It will be on the 12th of November from 10am-4pm. We are all getting ready and excited for the Fete to go ahead.

Eliza

Last week the students spent some of their play time inside due to the wet weather and rain. One of our students Mirra, from Grade 3 decided to practise her creative writing skills and wrote a beautiful poem (below) about our school and our teachers. What an inspirational poem Mirra, great work!

Last Tuesday the Grades 3 & 4/5 classes had an incursion from Western Water.

We talked about water sustainability and pollution, and did some water quality tests on some local creek water. The tests we did were a pH test, a turbidity test which looked at how clear the water was, a visual test and a Phosphorus test. It was fun being a Citizen Scientist for the session! 

Western Water Visit

By Pasco, Grade 5

On 11th of October Shannon from Western Water came to our school to teach us about water.                                   

Shannon talked about all of the pollution. It was surprising how big the great Pacific garbage patch is. It's as big as South Australia. 

The pollution damages the polar ice caps and sea life.

We talked about citizen science. We tested water from Jacksons Creek in Gisborne. The students who tested phosphorus were Moser, Andy, Henry and Cienna. The PH people were Curtis Ava and Grace and lucky last is the turbidity testing students who were Pasco, Harry, Lachie and Wil. 

We also learned about sustainable practice with composting, cleaning and recycling.

Have a look at some great photos below!

Last Art lesson the students focused on painting technique, patterns and colour (primary, secondary and tertiary colours, warm and cool colours and colour schemes) to create a painting. This week we used that painting to create Cut Up Art, focusing on cutting technique, shape, space and line. Have a look below at some of our students work - they look amazing!

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 on the grounds were some of our students wearing their hats today.

Just a reminder to order your Bug Booge video link in QKR! if you haven't already. It will be sent out as a link to your email address, once the editing process has been completed, so please ensure we have your most recent and up to date details. Please contact the school office if you need to make any updates.

Thank you.

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

Thursday 27th October - District Orienteering

Monday 31st October - Pupil Free Day

Tuesday 1st November - Cup Day 

Friday 4th November - Foundation 2023 Transition Day 1 9am - 10am

Saturday 12th November - MMPS School Fete

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

Thursday 17th November - Prep Dinner and Sleepover

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

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

Monday 5th December - Professional Practice Day -no students at school

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

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

Wednesday 14th December - Hanging Rock Picnic

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.