18 May 2023

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

2023

From the Principal

Have you seen the wonderful changes to our outdoor environment taking place over the past weeks? It is very exciting to see our school transforming in such a positive way.

Our Kinder students were delighted to have the Stage 1 playground upgrade completed and opened last Wednesday. Our students delighted in a range of creative and nature play experiences inspired by their new environment. Thank you to our Kinder families and staff for accommodating the landscapers and changes to access while the works have been undertaken. I have included a selection of photos but please feel free to come and have a look for yourself.

Kinder children loving their new space

Our buildings look vastly different with their new coat of paint and so far the weather has been very kind to us. This week the team of painters move to the administration building and you will notice that our signage has been removed, we look forward to replacing this signage with a new refreshed look. However, in the meantime if you see anyone new or visitors to our site looking lost, please direct them to our office.

Mr Woods and our Hands on Learning Team have also been working hard to help improve our physical environment, I would like thank them for their effort in cleaning garden beds, replacing plants and re-barking these gardens.

I’m very excited to see our school improvements continue over the coming months. We know that having a high quality, well presented school environment contributes to feeling a sense of pride and connection to our school community. It is really important that we look after our school, particularly on weekend and afterschool if it is used outside of school hours. I ask that everyone in our community keeps a close eye on our school and if you know or hear of anyone not using our school in a respectful way, please contact the police or report to our school via the office.

Our School Priority - Focus on Attendance

You may notice from our previous newsletters that one of our school targets this year is to increase student attendance. Over the past few weeks our staff have been working together to identify and develop strategies to increase and support students who are ‘at risk’ for attendance, this means that their current attendance rate is below 85%.

Some of the measures we are implementing to support families and students with attendance are:

• Notifying parents/carers via a phone call and letter when a student has unexplained or unauthorised days of absence that reach 5 days, 10 days and 15 days.
• When a student reaches 15 days, I will make contact with you to have a meeting to work together to implement some strategies and a plan to support regular attendance.
• Continuing our process with sending text messages to parents/carers at 9:10am each morning and following up directly with a phone call if no response is received.
• Asking that students sign in at the kiosk if arrival is past 9am.

Help make sure your child goes to school, every day:

Going to school every day gives your child every chance to learn and grow, and connect with their mates and teachers. It’s where bright futures start and where they’ll benefit the most.

Tips to help get your child to school:

• Create a routine.
  So everyone knows their tasks in the morning.
• Give yourself enough time.
  Having a bit of time around morning tasks can make a big difference to your child’s feelings towards school.
• Be on time, every day. Monday to Friday.
  They say it takes two months for our brains to create a new habit. So just take it a day at a time.
• Schedule appointments and trips outside of school hours.
  This way your child will stay engaged in their learning, and won’t miss out on important schoolwork.
• Get a good night’s sleep.
  It’s amazing what a good sleep can do to help your child learn and stay engaged with school.
• Set some technology boundaries.
  We are all familiar with endlessly scrolling on a device, only to feel exhausted and unmotivated! Maybe try a family tech agreement to help limit screen time.

Visit from Devonport City Council Mayor, Alison Jarman.

Yesterday Mayor Jarman visited our school and I was excited to share our improvement journey with her.

It was a great opportunity to discuss the important work that we are doing at our school and the work we are involved in with our group of Devonport Schools (The Devonport Collective) related to improving Oral Language and outcomes in our Early Years through early intervention and working with families to engage in education.

Thank you to our new School Association parent representatives who have nominated to from part of our committee this year. Our parent members are:

Chairperson – Carolyn Milnes
Deputy Chair – Kristy Rattray
Treasurer – Fiona Smith
Committee Members – Alice Marshall, Helen Stonehouse, Kirsty Thorp

Last week we held our AGM and held a general meeting. We are currently working through a ballot process to nominate our staff representatives on the committee. I look forward to working with this group throughout the year. The School Association plays a vital role in representing a wide range of voices, ideas and opinions from within our school community. If you have any ideas you would like to contribute, please make contact with a parent representative or make contact with me at school or via email hillcrest.primary@decyp.tas.gov.au

Finally, I would like to remind you that our mid-term assembly will be held next Friday 26 May, at 9:15am, we welcome families and school community members to attend.

In partnership,

Georgia

Walk to School Day – This Friday

Pre-Kinder

We are very excited to announce that from next Monday 22nd May we are commencing our Pre-Kinder sessions.

Pre-Kinder is a parent involved session open to children eligible for kindergarten in 2024. The pre-Kinder program supports children to successfully transition from home into the education environment. We encourage parents to be involved with your child's education, prior to starting school. Although attendance is not compulsory, sessions will support children to become familiar with the school environment, routines and structure.

Pre-Kinder sessions will run each Monday starting in Term 2 from l:30-2:45pm in the LiL Room and we request that younger siblings do not attend sessions if possible. For Term 2, Mrs Robyn Barr will be running these sessions.

Each week there will be special activities available with the emphasis on encouraging children to complete tasks independently, with your guidance and support. These activities involve things like fine motor, sensory, creativity, numeracy and literacy skills.

Pre-Kinder is a wonderful opportunity for you and your child to make new friends, become familiar and comfortable with the kindergarten environment and to support your child in the activities and learning opportunities. Please encourage your child to try a variety of learning activities and remember it takes time for them to become comfortable and confident in a new environment.

Hillcrest Cross Country

We look forward to seeing our families join us at our Cross Country event next Thursday 25 May 2023.

ORDER OF EVENTS

CLOTHING

Students are encouraged to wear their house colour, school house colour polos are available for purchase at the front office or via the QKR app. If you are unsure of your child’s house colour, contact their teacher or the office. Please make sure students have a warm jacket and running shoes. We ask that students do not wear zinc cream.

SPECTATORS

Families are welcome to attend and watch from the designated spectator area (up on the bank).

We ask that spectators sign in using the sheets provided on clipboards as they enter the school. Very limited seating will be available so please feel free to bring your own camp chair. There are limited toilet facilities and no food/drink facilities available for spectators.

SUPERVISION

To ensure the safety of everyone competing, students will be sitting in supervised class groups in a designated area with their class teachers. Students will only attend the Cross Country session that they are competing in (K-2 or 3-6).

PARTICIPATION

Our Cross Country is all about having a go and trying our personal best. All students are expected to participate unless there is a medical reason or injury. Students who are unable to participate are requested to bring a note so they can be included in the cross country in the most suitable way. Students in Years 3-6 will be selected, based on their performance, to represent Hillcrest Primary at the North West Primary School Cross County event held in Ulverstone later this term.

FOOD & DRINK

The canteen will be operating as normal. Otherwise, students are to bring their usual packed lunch. Please ensure your child brings a water bottle.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Parents are welcome to take photos of their own children, but we request you DO NOT post photos of other people’s children on social media platforms.

Hands on Learning Market

What’s Happening in 3-4 Wotherspoon

This term in HASS we are learning about Celebrations and Commemorations. We have talked about what these terms mean and discussed some days that we celebrate and commemorate in Australia, such as Australia Day, Anzac Day and the recent Coronation of King Charles.

Here is some of our work.

Student Council Updates – Term 2

The Student Council members would like to announce that our non-uniform day last term raised over $215 which is to be donated to the charity ‘ASPECT’ – Autism Spectrum Australia.

Thank you to everyone who supported this cause

5¢ Coin Challenge

In 2022 we collected 11,788 5c coins and we aim to be bigger and better in this year’s challenge. So start collecting your 5¢ pieces and let’s see which class can collect the most!

Let’s set a new record!

Fundraising Committee

Sunrise Bakery Pie Drive

Pie order forms will be sent home with students next week. We have a great selection to choose from, so take this opportunity to stock up! Please collect orders from family and friends and return the form with money to the school office in a sealed envelope by Friday, 16 June.

More forms are available at the school office if you need them. The delivery date will be Wednesday, 28 June

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

Fundraising Thank you’s

A big thankyou to everyone who supported our fundraising by generously donating to our Mothers’ Day stall. This year our stall raised over $700! What an amazing effort! Thank you to Alice Marshall and Tania Frost for their help on sale day.

Congratulations to Ella in 5/6P who was our Mother’s Day Stall lucky draw winner!

Also a big thankyou to our parents and students who supported this year’s Easter Raffle by selling and buying tickets, making it once again a great event raising $782. Well done everyone!

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

Tuckerbox Tips

Snacks should be thought of as a ‘mini-meal’ and made from everyday foods. Try these snacks for after school:

• Fresh or stewed fruit topped with yoghurt or custard
• Fruit smoothie: blend soft fruit (eg kiwi, banana, strawberries) with milk and yoghurt
• Breakfast cereal and milk
• English muffin, crumpet or toast with spread
• Fruit toast
• Small serve baked beans or spaghetti on toast
• Weetbix or Vitabrits with sliced banana, honey or peanut butter
• Celery sticks filled with peanut butter, cheese or sultanas.

Lyn Aherne – Canteen Supervisor

Move Well Eat Well

Family Food Swaps

There are plenty of ways to introduce lots of simple family food swaps. Try these:

SWAP white bread for wholegrain varieties.
SWAP big bowls for small bowls when eating occasional treats like ice cream.
SWAP high-sugar, low fibre breakfast cereals for one that is high in grains and fibre.
SWAP a fruit bar for fresh fruit.
SWAP butter for low-fat margarine.
SWAP frying foods for steaming & grilling.
SWAP sweetened fizzy drink for plain soda water or a glass of water.
SWAP high-salt canned food, stock, sauces & biscuits for lower-salt varieties.

MWEW Team

Devonport Junior Soccer Club

THANK YOU! Devonport Junior Soccer Club for donating 10 brand new soccer balls to our school this week.

Devonport Junior Soccer Club
Canteen Roster for Hillcrest

This Saturday is Hillcrest's turn to volunteer in the Soccer Canteen. Parents, please nominate one helper from each team to volunteer for 1/2 hour each this weekend. Nomination for can be found in the school office.

Mr Forward

Netball Roster Updates

Devonport Tennis

Taekwondo

Junior Travel Assistance Program