27 September 2018

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

September

October

From the Principal

Thanks to everyone who helped organise the school socials – students enjoy the opportunity to gather in a social situation to dance and play. Well done to our student councillors who organised the event. Thanks also go to Gaye Kelly and staff who helped supervise. Funds raised will go to support farmers affected by drought conditions on the mainland.

As a SunSmart school, students are required to wear hats when the UV rating is 3 or above. We have had a few days of UV 3 or above, so students have been asked to wear their hats outside between the hours of 10.00 – 2.00 pm. As always, term 4 will be a hat term – remember – no hat no play.

It is always great to celebrate student success and I wish to congratulate Myha and Tyla who competed in the Judo Tasmania Bridgewater Open on the weekend. Myha won a Gold and Tyla won a bronze at the event. Myha will now go on to the Tasmanian state championships for girls 9-11. All the best, Myha! Well done to both children; we are proud of your achievements.

A big thank you goes to Lee, Jess and the crew at SeaFM, who have again supported Hillcrest Primary School with the Koinz 4 Kidz fundraising campaign. Thank you to all in the community who donated to this worthwhile cause. The school will use these funds to help support our Breakfast Club, ensuring all students have a healthy start to their day.

I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. I look forward to catching up with you all on our return to school on Monday, 15th October.

Jerome Pape - Principal

Remember Your Hats! No Hat No Play

We would like to remind you that from the start of Term 4, Monday, October 15, all students and staff MUST wear a sun-safe hat when outside at recess and lunchtime. Students who do not have a school hat will be restricted to staying in a designated shade area at these times. Cap style hats are not acceptable; it must be a hat with a brim all the way around. School hats are available in the school office for $7.

Hilly Kids Are Friendly Kids

Our HKFK focus for this week has been ‘Good Winners/Good Losers’. Our focus topics for the first two weeks of Term 4 will be ‘Using Appropriate Language’ and ‘Body Language’.

Using Appropriate Language

The words we choose to say are often determined by the environment we are in and the people to whom we are talking. Good communicators understand that we need to choose language that is appropriate to various situations. If you are speaking to your elderly aunt you will probably choose language different from that chosen to speak to your friend. If you met the Prime Minister it might be different from meeting your cousin. Similarly, the language we would choose at a football match is likely to be different to that used in a church. Being able to work out what language is appropriate in a range of circumstances is important. We need to be aware of the needs of those around us and communicate in the best possible way.

Body Language

We can communicate most of what we feel and think through speech but that is not the only way. Body language is also a very powerful way of communicating. How we stand, how we look at others, how we show them we are listening, the look on our face, often says more than hundreds of words.

In classrooms next week we will consider the different ways you can use your body language to communicate.

• How do you show someone that you are listening?
• How do you show people you are friendly?
• What types of body language are negative?
• What can we learn from other people’s body language?

Think how you use your body language and practise those types of things that encourage friendly behaviour.

Our Hilly Kid of the Week for ‘Being Resilient/Who Can Help Me? Was Shataya from 1-2B and for ‘Suggesting & Persuading’ was, Lawi from P-1P. Congratulations, Shataya & Lawi! Well done to our other class representatives.

Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

Operation Christmas Child is turning out to be a great success again this year. Thank you to everyone who took the time to donate articles for the boxes. We have also had generous donations of knitted beanies and toys, which has allowed each class to make a selection for their boxes. All donations of items need to in to school by tomorrow, Friday, September 28th. We will be finishing the project, ready for the boxes to be delivered to the drop off point next month.

Lyn Aherne & Alison Hillier - Coordinators

Toy Catalogue Fundraiser

One of our educational suppliers has developed a fundraising initiative which gives you the opportunity to purchase quality toys and gifts at competitive prices and, at the same time, provides a fundraising program which will enable us to purchase much needed educational materials. Catalogues were sent home earlier this week with the eldest in the family.

Simply choose the toys and gifts you wish to purchase from the catalogues, complete the order form and, along with your cheque, money order or completed credit card details, return it to the school office by Friday, October 26th.

You may also order and pay online. There are even more toys available online. Just make your selection, nominate Hillcrest Primary School for the fundraising voucher, finalise your payment and they’ll deliver direct to you. It’s a great way to get some Christmas shopping done early!

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

Walkathon

Walktober is Australia’s walking month, so our annual walk-a-thon will be held early in Term 4. A sponsorship form for students will be sent home in week 1. This is a whole school walking event that encourages our Hilly Kids to lead active lives. Walking is an easy habit to develop and is a great way to get some exercise!

MWEW Team

HPSA Family Market

On Saturday, September 15th, the Hillcrest Primary School Association held a Family Market in our school GP Hall. We had an amazing array of stall holders and consultants that made for a spectacular display that filled the hall with colour, noise and wonderful aromas! Although the weather let us down and stayed cold, wet and windy most of the day, we had a steady stream of people to sample, shop, try & buy and enjoy cake, coffee, sausages and hamburgers.

The winners of the lucky door prizes were: 1st Sharon Smith, 2nd Damon, 3rd Narelle and 4th Scott Murray.

The winner of the cheese hamper raffle was Michelle. All the proceeds of the raffle, amounting to $150, are going to Chaz’s and Kai’s Shave for Camp Quality.

A huge thankyou goes out to our volunteers, staff and student councillors who helped out on the day. An even bigger thankyou goes to Banjo’s Latrobe, Bob Morris Meats in East Devonport and Coles Ulverstone for their generous donations.

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

Lift News

Keiro no Hi

It was lovely to see so many children share their Japanese lessons on Monday, 17th September with a special person for ‘Keiro no Hi’, a public holiday in Japan to celebrate the mature aged members of society. Thank you to everyone who was able to come.

Activity Pack

On Friday, 28th September each child in our Early Childhood classes will bring home an activity pack. This does not need to be returned to school. Please ask your child/ren about the pack and join in with them when they do the challenges or games. Have some fun talking and playing together! Share the things your child/ren do with their class teacher via SeeSaw. Teachers always look forward to hearing about their students’ learning.

Literacy and numeracy is all around us, not only in books. Vehicle number plates, road signs, speed limits, shopping catalogues, recipes, game instructions, clocks, phones … where else can you see and use numbers or words? Why not help your child/ren record (with words or pictures) where and when they see or use them during the holiday break? Ask your child/ren to bring those records to school to share with their class when term 4 starts.

Upcoming events for Term 4:

Planning is underway for a Tag reading workshop, a barbecue and STEM challenge at school, a meeting to investigate the new library in Devonport and the chance to learn more about the Devonport Community House. Detailed information and dates will be provided early in term 4.

Please remember ….

The library is open every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, both before and after school, for home reader borrowing. Don’t forget to borrow a game to play together, too!

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 child/ren, 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.

Rosemarie Baker - LIFT Coordinator

P-1 Parker

In Prep/1 Parker we have been learning about ourselves as a learner. We have been learning about learning assets and how these can help us to understand ourselves as learners. The learning assets include terminology such as: researchers, thinkers, collaborators, self-managers and communicators. Throughout the day, students have been reflecting on how they see themselves as a learner using the learning assets vocabulary. Below are some examples of students reflecting on themselves as a learner:

“I saw myself as a thinker because I was thinking about how I could cut my sandwich into two equal parts.”

“I saw myself as a communicator because I was sharing my ideas with Charlie and I was also listening to his ideas too”.

“I saw myself as a researcher because I had many wonders about space. I used the iPad to find out how many planets there are, and the colours of each one.

Tuckerbox Tips

Fresh fruit and vegetables are better than juice drinks. Too much juice can provide too many natural sugars, which can lead to a range of problems such as tooth decay, weight gain or a poor appetite for food. If you do offer your child fruit juice, use 100% juice and dilute it with water and limit it to one small glass a day. Soft drinks, cordial, sports drinks and fruit juice drinks are not needed as they are full of sugar and offer little else in terms of nutrition.

Fresh fruit and vegetables are better options to:

• Help with skill development, such as peeling and chewing
• Teach about different food textures, colours and tastes
• Add variety to the overall diet
• Provide an easy, healthy and filling snack
• Supply fibre

Lyn Aherne – Canteen Supervisor

Move Well Eat Well

Nature Play

So much to explore! Take up the “Spring Challenge” with your family during the school holidays!

• Plant herbs or vegetables
• Pick a bunch of flowers
• Build a cubby or fort
• Dig for worms
• Ride your bike in a bush area
• Go on a bug hunt
• Create a fairy or mini creatures garden
• Identify at least 3 birds outdoors

MWEW Team

Coles Sports for Schools - Thank you!

Throughout the early stages of this year parents had been collecting vouchers for the Coles School Sport program. At Hillcrest we amassed an amazing 34,000 points.

Thanks to your support in raising these rewards points we have been able to get 10 NEW soccer balls, 15 NEW playballs, 15 NEW AFL footballs, 10 NEW netballs, 10 foam dodge balls, some tennis balls and a soccer goalie top.

Below are some photos of our Sports Leaders modelling some of our new pieces of equipment.

David Carter – PE Teacher

Six-a-side

Well done to all our teams who played in the Six-A-Side competition recently. They proudly represented Hillcrest. A special mention is needed for two players, Bella and Melanie, who collected Runners Up pennants for the girls division. Both these players successfully combined with the Port Sorell girls’ team to achieve this award.

NWPSSA Sports

Congratulations to the following students who were selected to represent the NWPSSA Devon teams to play at the Launceston Exchange on September 19th. Well done! Soccer: Chaz, Jye, Jonty & Caiden; Hockey: Noah, Ryan & Harry; and Netball: Lily & Aneeka.

David Carter – PE Teacher

Get Into Hockey

E Devonport School Holiday Program

DCC School Holiday Program

Junior Motocross Championships