18 August 2023

Dates to Remember

August

From the Principal

Another fantastic fortnight at Hillcrest! We have an incredible team of staff work tirelessly to support and grow the social, emotional and academic development of our students. I would like to thank our staff for their contribution and acknowledge they can only do this in partnership with our families to ensure our Hilly Kids are set up with success for their future. Thank you to families for the vital role you play!

Parents play a vital role in their child's learning journey. By staying involved and engaged, parents create a supportive environment where learning can thrive. Regular conversations about school, listening to and reading with your child, and attending school events show children that education matters. When parents show interest, students feel motivated and valued, leading to better academic performance and a stronger sense of self-confidence.

Thank you to our 26 families who responded to our ‘Communicating Learning Progress with Families’ survey, this information provides valuable information and helps us plan how we can enhance our processes further. It was pleasing to have an equal representation across all year levels. I have summarised the feedback below:

• Overall, the feedback about the report and 3-Way conference was a positive experience.
• The vast majority of respondents stated they are very happy with the process this year.
• Some responses indicated they would like more opportunities to attend a conference as it was so great to see their child’s progress.
• Topics that were discussed include, learning progress, attendance, wellbeing and ways to support learning at home.
• Many responses enjoyed discussing learning with their child and teacher together.
• Most responses (19) indicated the length of time was adequate

This term as part of our continuing partnership with families we will be offering a new initiative at Hillcrest Primary, these are ‘Student-led Conferences’

Student-led conferences let students take charge of their learning. They share their progress, strengths, and goals with parents, turning students into teachers for a moment. This boosts their responsibility and communication skills, while parents get insights into their child's growth. It's an exciting way of involving parents and building students' confidence to share their thinking and learning.

Please save the date! Student-led conferences will be held on Thursday 14 September, more information and how to book will be released soon.

Well done to our Year 5/6’s!

Last Tuesday our Year 5/6 Students represented our school exceptionally at the North West Primary School Sports Day, demonstrating our Hilly Kid Values throughout the day at a number of venues in the community. Thank you to Mr Forward, Mr Lane, Mrs Prebble and Miss Pardoe for the considerable amount of preparation and organisation it takes to enable our students to participate in 6 different venues and sports. Our appreciation to all staff who accompanied our students for the day.

Swimming and Water Safety

Our annual Swimming and Water Safety Program for our school commences in NEXT week, for 10 school days.
This is compulsory for all students in Years 3-5 in all Tasmanian schools, this year we will be including all Year 3-6 students. We are required to provide detailed information and records to the department (including medical certificates) if students do not participate or miss sessions in this compulsory program.

Our new mural!

Over the past couple of weeks I have been working with our student voice group in conjunction with artist ‘Melski’ for the design of some art works that reflect our school environment. We are very excited to be transforming two wall spaces in our school with vibrant murals. This weekend Mel will be installing the beginning stages of the mural in preparation for painting next week. Each class (all students and staff) will have an opportunity to paint the mural. We will be inviting families to paint too – please keep an eye on SeeSaw for the times available (weather dependent).

Our next assembly will be held next Friday 25 August at 9am (please note adjusted time due to swimming). This will be a very brief assembly with only class sharing (1/2Sh and 3/4P) and students awards due to our timetable changes for swimming.
We welcome families and friends to join us!

In partnership,
Georgia

National Science Week

This week was National Science week. This year’s theme was Innovation: Powering Future Industries.

This week was 2023 National Science Week with the theme is Innovation: Powering Future Industries.  To celebrate National Science week, we held open classroom science sessions across the week. It was wonderful to see so many families come along and engage in learning with students.

Jordan Lynd – AST

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Robotman Visit

Last Thursday & Friday our Prep to grade 6 students had the opportunity to participate in a robotics session with ‘Robot man.’ Prep/1 classes explored cubelets, 1/2 classes used Dash robots to follow paths and play soccer. Grades 3-6 were able to develop their block coding skills using Spike prime. Students showed great problem-solving skills as they worked to complete activities using their robots.  ‘Robotman’ was a huge success!

Jordan Lynd – AST

2023 School Satisfaction Survey

2023 School Satisfaction Surveys are COMING!

Every year the Department for Education and Young People conducts School Satisfaction Surveys to find out what your child(ren)'s school does well and where it may improve.

The survey will be open from Monday 28 August until Friday 22 September 2023 and should take about 5 minutes to complete. Find out more via the link below:

National Day Against Bullying

On Friday, this week it is National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence. This year’s theme is ‘Growing Connections’ and promotes the strong links and social connection in our school communities as effective ways to address and combat bullying.

I am extremely proud of what we have achieved together as a school community to make everyone feel included and safe.

Bullying and violence has a big impact across the community, and we all have a right to feel and be safe. 

Today, may be a good day for you to have a conversation with your children about bullying and violence at school and ask them if they feel safe and supported or have experienced or observed bullying in anyway.

As a school, we will continue to address themes of bullying and violence and teaching students how to recognise risk to their own or someone else’s safety. 

This is more than a school issue.  It is an issue for our entire community, and we all have an important role to play. We are stronger when we work together.

To find out more about National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence, visit the Bullying No Way website.  I have also attached a fact sheet with some helpful information.

If this letter had raised any concerns for you or your child, I encourage you to seek advice and support from one of the following organisations:

• Beyond Blue – call 1300 224 636 or visit the Beyond Blue website.
• 1800 Respect – call 1800 737 732 or visit the 1800 Respect website.
• Lifeline – call 13 11 14 or visit the Lifeline website.
• Kids Helpline – call 1800 551 800 or visit the Kids Helpline website.
• Headspace – call 03) 6231 2927 or visit the headspace website.

I am always available to talk and if you would like to speak to me about this on an individual basis, please get in touch.

Georgia

Hilly Kids Are Friendly Kids

Our current Hilly Kids focus topic is Use Your Voice. Our next focus topic for term 3 will be Good Winners Good Losers.

Good Winners Good Losers

Winning is great fun, but we should remember that we need to win in a way that keeps our friends and promotes others’ respect for us.  Celebrate our successes but do it in a way that does not offend or hurt others.

At all times play fairly.  Give others a go and stick to the spirit of the rules.  In the end the game should be fun for all, win, lose or draw.

Do

• Keep smiles and celebrations low-key.
• Comment on good players but do not overdo it.
• Always try hard even if you are losing.
• Thank others for the game.
• Encourage your team members and give everyone a go.
• Respect your opposition and all their hard work.

Don’t

• Boast about your ability or victory.
• Comment on how far behind the others are.
• Point out where the others are going wrong.
• Act happy about others’ mistakes, e.g., don’t clap or laugh at poor shots.
• Cheat or manipulate others.

Our Hilly Kid for the topic ‘responsibility’ was Mikayla in 3/4P Congratulations Mikayla.

Well done to our other class representatives:

Grade 6 Transition to High School

Grade 6 Transition to High School – 2024

This term, there will be an opportunity for all Grade 6 students to participate in transition activities, getting them ready to head off to high school in 2024. 

Wednesday 30 August - all Grade 6 students will attend a RHS Challenge Day at the Devonport Rec Centre.
Friday 8 December – Orientation Day at RHS for grade 6 students.

(All Gr 6 students will attend these days, regardless of which High School they will attend.)

Reece High School Family Information Night

For parents of students starting Grade 7 in 2024:

Thursday 17 August - Parent Information Evening at Reece High School (6:00pm to 7:30pm)

There will be further information regarding taster days for students during Term 4. As we receive this information we will share with our families.

Ann-Maree Mulcaster

2023 CBCA Book Week 21-25 August

The theme of this year’s Children’s Book Council of Australia is Read Grow & Inspire. Children next will be guessing each staff members favourite book in the library.  We hope you are looking forward to participating in the Dress Up Parade.

Book Week Parade

Our parade will take place on Tuesday 22 August. Get creative designing your costumes.

Naomi Archer – Quality Teaching Coach

5/6 Sports Day

Last Tuesday, Hillcrest Primary School took part in the Grade 5/6 Sports Day.

The Grade 5/6 Sports Day is a day dedicated to pushing students out of their comfort zone and to get them to try new activities. The students chose from Cricket, Hockey, Tennis, Netball, Basketball and King of the Court Volleyball.

We asked a few students how their day went.

We started off the day by sitting down and going through the Game  roster with our team coordinator. We then all listened to the host including other schools about how the day was going to roll, we then all watched the first game of the day Boys Hillcrest vs Boys east Ulverstone. When they finished, all  the schools separated into their groups and coordinated courts. There were two half courts and one full court each team played about 5 games. The games lasted for 25 minutes and when you did have a break (which means you weren’t playing) we sat down and had something to nibble on while watching other teams play. We had an awesome day and wish we could go back thank you Ulverstone recreation centre for having us.

By Amelia and Grace

Hayley - says in Volleyball they played some 'Mini Games' and, 'King of the Court'.
Ava - enjoyed Netball. She and the team lost to the West Ulverstone team before getting used to the game.
Dakoda - played Basketball. Their team versed half court against Ulverstone. By the end, the female team won 4 out of 5 games.
Lawi - and his team started the day with hockey skills, before playing against, DCS and Spreyton. After winning 5/5 games against DCS it was time for their 10 minute break. Only then to come back and continue to beat their opponents.
Hunta and Heath - played Tennis. A lot of the time it was focusing on 'trapping and catching' the ball. The team did everything in pairs and they played 2v2 based games. The games were done in sections and the schools were split into groups. They versed Andrews Creek, Ulverstone, Devonport, and DCS.
Jackson - was in Cricket. He said that him and the crew lost a game, before they came out on top and continued to win two more games! 

By Scarlett

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What’s Been Happening in Kinder

Last Wednesday our Kinder students were lucky enough to have a visit from some members of the Tas Fire Service.

Our students learnt about what to do if there is a fire and what fire fighters need to wear to protect themselves in a blaze. They were also very excited to have a look at the fire engine and to see all the equipment inside the truck. The best part was left for last – everyone had a turn at squirting the hose!

Thank you TSF!

Student Representative Council Message

Thank you for the amazing support with Pyjama Day raising over $200 for the Pyjama Foundation.

It was amazing to see everyone so comfortable and warm in their PJs. The Pyjama Foundation provide foster children with an education, life skills and build their confidence.

This week we had Robotman come to our school. He showed all of our classes his amazing robots and we all learnt how to work motors and do some coding with Lego.

We have some busy weeks coming up. Science Week is next week and we hope parents/carers can come and join their child for some family science.

We also have Book Week the week after so get started on your costumes because the parade is on Tuesday the 22nd August.

From the SRC team Cooper and Tahj

School Health Nurse News

Keeping Well Over Winter

These colder months are still with us and are a time we’re more likely to catch viral infections (colds, influenza or COVID19).  Did you know that children can get between 5 and 10 colds a year, while adults can get 2 to 4 colds each year this is such an important time to take extra care of ourselves and our families. 

Keeping our immune systems strong can help prevent catching colds and the flu. So, what can we do to help our immune system?  Here are some suggestions:

Healthy Diet: Eating a varied, nutritious diet is a great way to help our bodies stay well. Remember to include 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit. Broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower are great winter vegetables, and oranges, mandarins, and kiwi fruit are in season over winter. These are all great natural sources of vitamin C!

Exercise: This can be admittedly harder during the winter months but is important to maintain our activity as best as we can! Get outside whenever you can (rug up well if it’s cold!) Be creative with indoor exercise – borrow exercise DVDs from your local library and try something new. Dance-offs are fun – get a little bit silly, get your heart rate up, and prepare to laugh a lot!  See if the kids have any new, original ideas for indoor exercise!

Managing stress: Find time to do activities you love and that helps you to relax. Try mindfulness meditations – Smiling Mind is a great app that has lots of meditations/mindfulness ideas to help reduce stress and worries, relax your mind, and improve your resilience.

Sleep: Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, as lack of sleep can affect our immune systems.  Sticking to a regular sleep routine—even on weekends—maintains the timing of the body's internal clock and can help you fall asleep and wake up more easily.

Keep warm: Wear layers of clothing. (We all know how easy it is to get caught out in Tasmania!)  Keep curtains drawn and doors closed to block draughts. Have regular hot drinks and at least one hot meal a day. This is especially important for people with heart or respiratory problems such as asthma.

Hand washing: This is something that is so important to do, and to continue to teach our children to do. Hand washing is one of the BEST and EASIEST ways to avoid becoming sick.

Keep well, and stay warm!

Fathers’ Day Stall

The Fathers’ Day Stall will be held on Tuesday, 29 August.  The purpose of the stall is to give each child an opportunity to buy a small gift for Fathers’ Day.  It is also a School Association fundraising event.

Parents are asked to buy or make a small gift to the value of $3 and send it to school by Monday, 28 August.  Please do not wrap gifts. Your child will put the present in a box in the classroom and tick their name on the list on the box.  Every child who donates to the stall will go into a draw to win a gift for Fathers’ Day.

On the day of the stall please send your child to school with $3 to purchase a gift.  If you do not want your child to participate, please tell him/her beforehand.

Donations of wrapping paper are also needed.  Offers of assistance to help run the stall on the Tuesday from 9-10:30am would be most welcome.  Please leave your name at the school office if you can help on the day.

Fundraising Committee

Tuckerbox Tips

What are ‘everyday’ foods?

Food from the five food groups are called ‘everyday’ foods.

The five food groups include:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Grain foods
• Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, beans
• Milk, yoghurt, cheese

What are ‘sometimes’ foods and drinks?

‘Sometimes’ foods don’t fit into the five food groups.

These foods and drinks are not a good source of nutrition. They are high in saturated fats, sugar and salt and should only be eaten ‘sometimes’ and in small amounts.

Examples of ‘sometimes’ foods and drinks include:

• Chocolate
• Lollies
• Sweet biscuits
• Fried foods
• Fast foods
• Takeaway food
• Cakes & ice-cream
• Soft drinks
• Cordial
• Sports and energy drinks.

 Lyn Aherne – Canteen Supervisor

Move Well Eat Well

Rainy day activities with kids

Check out some of these great ideas for rainy day activities:

• Make a fort/cubby with blankets and pillows, and have an indoor picnic
• Play balloon volleyball or balloon ping pong with bats out of paper plates
• Get cooking in the kitchen e.g., mini pizzas, muffins, pikelets
• Get crafty - make and decorate paper aero planes and have a race
• Indoor treasure or scavenger hunt
• Pop on some wet weather gear and get outdoors

MWEW Team 

Little Athletics Come & Try

Psychology Caffe Children’s Support Group

Childhood Anxiety Study