3 November 2016

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

November

December

From the Principal

The term is flying by, with students continuing to be happy and engaged in their learning. It is timely to remind families that attending school every day is really important. Remember – missing school = missing out! If your child is absent just one day of school each week during primary school (Prep-Year 6) they will have missed nearly a year and half of schooling by the end of their primary school years!

As detailed in the last newsletter, if parents have particular requests regarding class placements, please make an appointment prior to Friday 18th November. We try and meet requests where possible, but a range of factors contribute to how classes are structured.

Keep an eye out for a range of opportunities being offered at the school through our LIFT program. The school has made some great links with LINC (no pun intended) and we have a range of activities coming up. Please contact the office for further information.

Hilly Kids Are Friendly Kids

Our Hilly Kids focus topic for this week was Being Assertive. The topics for Weeks 5 & 6 will be Being Resilient & Respecting Differences.

Being Resilient

What is resilience?

Resilience is the ability to cope with changes and challenges and to bounce back during difficult times. It is about:

• Dealing with hard times and still holding your head up;
• Giving things a go and trying your best;
• Being strong on the inside;
• Being able to cope with what life throws at you;
• Standing up for yourself.

Why is resilience important?

Resilience is important because we cannot control everything that happens to us in life, therefore we need to teach our children skills to become resilient to bounce back from the challenges and hard times that will happen. The more resilient our children are, the easier it will be for them to get back on track.

How can we help our children learn to be more resilient?

• We can help by listening and talking with our children when they have challenges.
• We can help them put things into perspective.
• We can help them to break the challenges down into manageable parts.
• We can help them set realistic goals to get back on track.
• We can support them in positive ways.

Respecting Differences

There are many things we have in common and share at Hillcrest PS. But there are many ways in which we differ. Some of us like football, while others prefer netball. Some like maths, others prefer reading books. Some people like to listen to CDs, others like to play on the computer. Some like the Western Bulldogs and some go for the Bombers. Some of us are tall, some of us are short. Some are strong and some are fast. In some way or another we are all different and that makes us all the more interesting. It would be pretty boring if everyone went around doing exactly the same thing – we would all be like robots. Thankfully we are not robots, we are human and we are all different. Even in the same family we are different from our brothers and sisters. Rather than worrying about these differences we need to accept and respect them, and also to celebrate them. It is good that we are all different from each other and are all special and unique.

Our HKFK student of the week for Being Positive was Shyann Godden from 3-4P and for Give Way was Chelsea Brooks from 3-4D. Congratulations, Shyann and Chelsea!

Well done to our other class representatives for Being Positive!

Well done to our other class representatives for Give Way!

Athletics Carnival – November 24th

Our school Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday, November 24th – weather permitting! All parents and community members are welcome to attend to view the running and novelty events. A program will be available from the office in the coming weeks.

2017 School Fair

We've set the date for our next fair! It will be Friday, March 3, 2017. Preparations have begun and, at this stage, we would really appreciate your assistance in the coming months, if possible, in the following ways:

• Can you sew, knit, bead, make cards or jewellery or assist with donations for the craft stall? Get creative or finish those UFOs (unfinished objects)!
• Calling all green thumbs to get potting, striking and sowing….or can you pickle, pot or preserve sauces, jams, etc?
• As you clean out the cupboards over the holidays, keep us in mind for donations to our second-hand book stall. We will also need children's games, jigsaws, puzzles & DVDs in good condition.

Fair Committee

Walk-a-thon

What a brilliant effort on a beautiful day!! Well done everyone who participated in the walkathon! Don't forget to keep collecting your sponsorship money and get the forms back to the school office by Friday, November 11th to go into the draw to win a prize pack. There will be one prize for an early childhood student and one for a primary student.

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

Day for Daniel

On October 28th our students participated in 'Day for Daniel'. Students were invited to wear red and make a donation to support 'Day for Daniel'. We raised over $140 for the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.

Prue Bezemer – AST

Hillcrest Tuckerbox

You may be asked to bring a plate of food for a special school event. Try to include everyday foods, such as fruit, vegetables, dairy foods, breads & cereals and meat & meat alternatives (eg eggs). Try some of the following ideas:

• A fruit plate, eg sliced melon, grapes, watermelon, strawberries or oranges
• Wholemeal crackers, vegetable sticks & dip, eg hommus or salsa
• Fruit or vegetable pikelets, scones and mini muffins
• Fruit bread or fruit buns cut into bite-sized fingers
• Mini vegetable fritters

Lyn Aherne – Canteen

Move Well Eat Well

Gardening with Kids

Through gardening children learn responsibility, self-confidence, creativity, co-operation, reasoning and discovery! It's also a great way to get outside and active with children. Gardening doesn't have to be expensive and, in the long run, can save you money on your shopping bills, provide wonderful, healthy fresh produce and keep you and the kids fit and active.

• You can create your own biodegradable pots from newspaper or cardboard tubes. Plant them straight into the earth and the 'container' will compost into the ground
• Make little propagation houses from clear plastic punnets with lids or plant protectors from plastic milk containers
• Use unusual or quirky containers: tea pots, old boots, wheelbarrows, etc
• Re-use the sandpit box and convert it to a garden bed if your child has grown out of it
• Old baths, packing cases and tyres of all sizes can all be used to create easy access raised beds.

MWEW Team

Lift

This Thursday, November 3rd, Devonport LINC representatives will be in our school library from 3Pm - 4pm with a session on how to borrow e-books, magazines and audio books from the LINC without having to leave home! Children must be accompanied by an adult.

If you have any ideas on how we can support your family in literacy and numeracy learning at home please don't hesitate to contact me or one of our parents on our LIFT working party: Meg Magupa, Andrew Best or Eloise Forth.

Contact me via email ann-maree.mulcaster@education.tas.gov.au or pop in and see me in the library.

Ann-Maree Mulcaster

Term 4 in P-1Bellchambers

What a fantastic start we have had in Term 4! Everyone has come back with a happy, positive attitude. We have been working hard and learning a lot.

This term we have been investigating the way famous artists paint in different styles. So far we have explored Van Gogh and Dali.

The children have noticed the small brush strokes that Van Gogh used to create figures, scenery and flowers.

The children did a wonderful job creating their own Van Gogh and Dali pieces of work. We found Dali's surrealist pieces of art very interesting and discussed the importance of using your imagination when creating a piece of art work.

In science we have been learning about the different ways objects can move.

We have enjoyed lots of hands on experiences including a very funny dancing game!

Walk-a-thon Fun! With 1-2Peace

Monday, October 24th our class participated in the annual school Walk-a-thon. We were extra excited that we had the chance to raise money for something for our school at the same time as keeping fit and healthy. We practised being safe by being great listeners when we were given instructions, this included sticking to the footpaths and giving way to cars when crossing the roads and driveways. We have to admit the highlight was definitely receiving an icy pole and fruit platter at the end as it was a warm day.

Mem Fox Ticket Competition

Congratulations Mel Lowery who was the winner of two tickets to Mem Fox's book launch "Ducks Away".

Latrobe & Districts Softball Association

"Four bases, Three Strikes, Two Teams, One Winner."

Panthers, Bears & Legends invite new players to join our teams! It's a great opportunity to make new friends, get fit and play with the whole family. We have players both new and experienced and cater for all fitness levels! All players welcome from aged 8 to 99! All coaches have completed Working with Children checks.

Juniors: 7-13yrs, Adults: 13+
Where - Picton Grange Softball Ground, Gilbert St (behind the Latrobe Football Grandstands).
Time - Games kick off at 11am!
What to bring - sandshoes, hat, drink, friends
Cost: FREE for your first 3 sessions!

ALL EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED, NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

For more information phone Dale 0487 258 393 or Shelley 0439 361 804

Whistle in the Wind Auditions

Loritz Circus