3 July 2018

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

July

August

From the Principal

It is hard to believe we are at the end of another term! Many things have been achieved and I wish to thank everyone for their support and hard work. It was great to see so many families attend 3 way conferences last week. These meetings are important for families, students and teachers to sit down and discuss progress and needs for the future. Thanks to everyone for a smooth and positive week.

The first day of Term 3, July 23rd, is a Professional Learning Day. Students do not attend on this day. Primary teachers will be undertaking professional learning - Building Literacy in the Primary Years and Beyond, and Early Childhood teachers will be working further on the Refocus Teaching and Learning in the Early Years Research Project. Students begin Term 3 on Tuesday, 24th July.

We have some staffing changes moving into term 3.

Nina Eberhardt will be taking Maternity Leave for the rest of 2018. We look forward to the safe arrival of the newest member of the Eberhardt family. I want to thank Nina for her fantastic support of our students and their families at Hillcrest over a number of years. Nina has had a big impact on Hillcrest as she was instrumental in introducing the Walker Learning Approach to our school. All the best Nina. We appreciate your time with us. Hannah Alexander will be taking on the Launching into Learning role and Rosie Baker will be taking on the LIFT role.

Vina Bonner will be taking Long Service Leave in term 3. We wish Vina all the best for a well-deserved break. Michael Purton will be working with grade 3/4, in her absence. Welcome Michael!

Brearne Banks has recently been confirmed as our Kindergarten Teacher Assistant, as Linda Ellis has retired. We welcome Brearne as a permanent member of our staff and wish her all the best in the role.

Finally, Kristy Petts will be heading overseas after a short time working with us. Safe travels, Kristy!

I look forward to catching up with the community, after the break. Have a safe and happy holiday everyone.

Jerome Pape - Principal

Hilly Kids Are Friendly Kids

Our HKFK focus for this week has been ‘Leadership’. Our focus topics for the first two weeks of term 3 will be ‘Sharing’ and ‘Group Decision Making’.

Sharing

If you want people to share with you then you should share with them. It makes you feel good and them feel good too. People like to play with others who share. It doubles the fun. Playing football by yourself is not as good as with others.

Things to share: your toys, your games, your football, your time, your love and your feelings.

Great ways to share a toy:

• Share with someone who will enjoy it
• Look after it
• Take turns with the toy
• If there’s a problem work it out together
• Give it back at the end of the game to the owner
• Have fun together

Life is lonely all by yourself so share it with someone!

Group Decision Making

Why learn this skill

There are all sorts of ways to make a decision in a group. Negotiating, suggesting and persuading are skills that help us make decisions in a group, but sometimes there are some other things we can try.

What you can try:

• A majority vote
• A decision by a leader
• Take it in turns
• Go with the person who feels most strongly

What you should avoid:

• Asking just one or two people. Instead, ask everyone.
• Don’t see it as losing if your idea is not accepted.

Our Hilly Kid of the Week for ‘Rights’ was Saxon from 5-6HB and for ‘Consequences’ Sommer from P-1P. Congratulations, Saxon and Sommer! Well done to our other class representatives.

End of Term Assembly - TOMORROW

Everyone is invited to our End of Term assembly at 2pm TOMORROW in the GP Hall. Please arrive in time to be seated before the start of the assembly.

Lost Property Basket

Thank you to those who have collected some items out of our lost property basket; however, it is still overflowing with various items such as drink bottles, jackets, jumpers, etc. Please check the basket if your child is missing anything. Ask at the office if it is something small as we keep those items here. All items not claimed by the end of the term will be either donated to an op shop, or put into our second-hand uniform collection.

Lift News

NAIDOC Week

In weeks 8 and 9 we were lucky enough to have Aboriginal Cultural Worker Adele Calma-Wigg come in to school to run two workshops to acknowledge NAIDOC week. The students and their families who attended had a wonderful time learning how to weave necklaces and bracelets out of flax leaves and adding decorations such as shells, wool and ribbon. We are very grateful to Adele for coming along and we hope to run some more workshops next term – details to come!

Lift Games

Today the Early Childhood students will come home with a snakes and ladders game – made up of the Oxford Words at the level they are currently reading. We hope you can enjoy playing the game over the school holidays and beyond!

For family members who do not have their Working With Vulnerable People card – Please come to the library and use our facilities to do this and I will be there to support you. Remember if you wish to attend class excursions with your children, you are required to have one. The library is open to parents on a Wednesday morning from 8:30 until 9:30, or a time before or after school on a different day can be easily arranged.

Nina Eberhardt - LIFT Coordinator

Sunrise Bakery Pie Drive

Our pie drive was a great success again this year. Thank you to all who went out of your way to get orders and contributed to this wonderful fundraising effort. A huge thankyou to the bunch of volunteers – Jackie & Kim Langmaid & Sophie, Michelle McGuire, Julie Porter, Fiona Smith & Charlie, Naomi Ralph, Mrs Hillier and Mrs Jones – who did an awesome job of packing the orders.

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

eSmart

Tuckerbox Tips

LIFT Lunchboxes

The Lift Team recently held an afternoon with families cooking lunch box snacks. They whipped up some brilliant healthy snack recipes that would be great for lunchboxes, too. They had so much fun they’re sharing their recipes! Maybe you can try them, too, and make them for your lunchbox favourites.

Lyn Aherne – Canteen Supervisor

Move Well Eat Well

Nature Play: so much to explore! Take up the ‘Winter Challenge” with your family during the school holidays:

• Make a bird feeder & put it in a tree
• Go on a picnic with a thermos of soup
• Visit the beach & collect shells
• Make leaf boats & float them in a creek or puddle
• Go rock collecting
• Sketch a tree without leaves
• Search for birds’ nests
• Go for a walk in the rain

MWEW Team

4-5 Kelly

We have been learning about summarising …not only how we can do it effectively, but also how often we actually do use that skill! Three main points to consider when doing a summary:

1. Make it shorter than the original information.
2. Use your own words.
3. Include the main ideas only.

4/5 K have been writing reviews of their favourite books to show some of their summarising skills.

Chaplain’s Chat

Over the past term, at lunch time art and craft sessions the children have enjoyed making many projects, including working with air dry and doing marble paintings. We are fortunate to have some new Lego and games that the children can now play with as well.

On Monday afternoons the Hilly Kids rewards winners have enjoyed some special fun sessions in the art and craft terrapin. The children are offered a variety of art and craft projects as well as having the opportunity to play with new Lego and new games. This is a special time for those children who are our wonderful Hilly Kid’s winners. It reinforces the positive choices that they have made at school during the previous week.

Our breakfast club continues to be provided with a number of products that are delivered free of charge by our Devonport Chaplaincy volunteers, who work in partnership with Secondbite. From July onwards, Secondbite will be known as Loaves and Fishes Tasmania, a new initiative that has been developed by Devonport Chaplaincy.

Loaves and Fishes Tasmania will operate from a new purpose built kitchen attached to the new homeless facility behind the TAFE college. Loaves and Fishes will take produce not able to be sold by retailers and turn this excess food into sauces, jams and other products to be sold locally. Loaves and Fishes will also take surplus produce from local farmers and suppliers and turn this into meals for emergency food relief. Please visit our Facebook page and our website for more information.

Please feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance to your child or your family in any way. You will find me at school on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Wishing you and your family a happy and safe holiday.

Alison Hillier - School Chaplain

Brixhibition Lego Exhibition

Hockey – Basic Skills Session

Free Family Movie Night