29 March 2018

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

March

April

From the Principal

Recently we had a visit from Jesse Brennan, Children’s University Tasmania representative, who spoke with our Grade 3 students about this exciting new opportunity. Hillcrest Primary School has become a member of Children’s University, starting with our school’s Grade 3s in 2018!

Children’s University aims to raise students’ aspirations, boost achievement and foster a love of learning. It is child led, meaning children choose the activities they would like to participate in, and participation occurs on a voluntary basis. Grade 3 families are invited to a Children’s University information session at school today, Thursday March 29th, at 2.45 pm in the school library. Please RSVP to the office if you wish to find out more.

As we move into the Easter break, I wish to thank the community for the settled start we have had to the year. I wish everyone a great break and will catch up with you after Easter. Don’t eat too many chocolate eggs!

Jerome Pape - Principal

Hilly Kids Are Friendly Kids

Our HKFK focus for this week has been ‘Listening’? Our focus topics for next week will be ‘Being Punctual’ and the week after will be ‘Being Helpful’ and ‘Give Way’.

Being Punctual

There are many important social skills we need to think about in the Hilly Kids program but perhaps there are none more relevant than punctuality. Being punctual simply means being on time. And unfortunately there are too many times when we are not as punctual as necessary.

Being on time is important. At school it is important to be on time, ready and organised to begin learning whether it be at the beginning of the day or after lunch and recess. Being on time shows that you are courteous and aware of the needs of those around you by not making them wait for you to arrive.

Children who are late for school or late for classes during school often miss important information and this can leave them feeling left out for the whole of the lesson as well as disrupting classmates and teachers. If you are late for class it is hard to settle down and concentrate.

It is everyone’s responsibility to be on time – mums, dads, kids and teachers. So, make a special effort next week and throughout the year.

Being Helpful

Almost every day at school there are ways to be helpful. In the classroom we can help our friends and our teachers. Outside in the playground we can help children from other classrooms and especially some of the younger children at our school.

There are all sorts of ways to help others at our school;

• you can help people carry things,
• help others pack up,
• help them get equipment,
• help them find things.

You can help your teacher by keeping your desk and room tidy, by being on time and by listening carefully. And of course there are plenty of things you can do to help at home as well.

See if you can think of something useful to do at home that will help Mum and Dad this week.

Good luck and good helping!

Give Way

With our school getting bigger and busier we really must practise the skill to give way. Give way at school is very much like give way on the roads. We wait first and then allow others to pass before we go. We need to give way to people coming out of doorways. Step back, perhaps even hold the door open for them. Be sensible though, if someone is carrying something heavy, then let them pass. In the playground giving way might mean letting some children continue their game, or retrieve their ball before you move into an area or play your game.

Our Hilly Kid of the Week for “What is bullying?” was Delana from 3-4T and for “Playing together/Taking turns” was Mayson from 4-5K. Congratulations, Delana and Mayson!

Well done to our other class representatives:

23rd March Assembly Awards

Prep/1D

Bentley for the excitement and enthusiasm you share with your friends when working with numbers.

Max for the positive attitude you bring along to our guided reading sessions. I have been so amazed at how fast you are learning new things.

Prep /1P

Taylor for always trying your best at all tasks. You have shown such huge improvements, particularly in reading and writing. Thank you for always being a fantastic listener and a helpful student. Keep up the fantastic work, Taylor.

Jackson for having the confidence to complete your writing independently. You surprised yourself with what you could achieve without my support and you were super proud with a huge smile on your face! I encourage you to keep up the terrific writing. Well done!

1/2B

Maya for your persistence during investigation time. You have been thinking about the work we have done during our Science unit. You have considered what a guinea pig will need to survive and feel safe and built a fantastic enclosure for your guinea pigs.

Holly for using your imagination when discussing your ideas for the dramatic centre. I think this will make a wonderful story for you to write during creative writing time.

2/3P

Jazmyne, what an outstanding effort at settling into Team Peace. You are fast becoming a true Hilly Kid, and I am super excited to get to watch you grow and learn throughout our year together.

Peter for your clever use of patterns to work out solutions to problems. You just keep surprising me with your fabulous effort towards so many tasks in class. What a great start to the year! Well done.

3/4BT

Cooper for displaying good leadership qualities in the classroom towards your class members. You are also willing to help out in all situations.

Bianca for always listening attentively and following classroom instructions quickly. You are a happy person who enjoys working with all of your classmates.

4/5K

Seth for taking on the challenges of Grade 4 with gusto and really giving your all to every task. You are a fine role model for your peers. Thanks for being a part of The Kelly Gang in 2018.

Colby, you have started this year in fine form! You are motivated to learn, and give your best to every learning task. You are setting a great example to your peers with your positive attitude. Thanks for being a part of The Kelly Gang in 2018.

5/6F

Ethan for your tireless contribution in helping establish our winter veggie patch. Ethan, you have given up many recess and lunchtimes to weed, water, tidy and move soil. Thank you, Ethan - great effort all round.

Chaz for your effort in all Spelling tasks that involve demonstrating good understanding and usage of weekly list words by writing compound and complex sentences to explain their meanings. Brilliant, Chaz.

5/6HB

Matilda, we are thrilled to see you take responsibility for being the best learner you can be every single school day. Reading your work, and working in clinic groups alongside you, in all subjects, is an absolute pleasure.

Chelsea, we are so proud of you for working so hard at learning to ride a bike. No matter how many times you fell, you persevered and mastered this skill, wearing your bruises as badges of victory.

NWPSSA Athletics

Congratulations to all students who represented our school at the NWPSSA Twilight Athletic Carnival last week. It was a wonderful effort by all the runners to perform so well. The following students received Coastal Champions ribbons; Mayson (1st in Grade 4 Boys 75m and 3rd in Grade 4 Boys 100m) and Caiden Johns-Allen (1st in Grade 6 Boys 75m). Both boys will now represent the NWPSSA at the PSST Launceston Statewide Athletic Carnival.

David Carter – PE Teacher

Let’s Ride Cycling Program

David Carter – PE Teacher

Netball

Alexis and Mataya had the great opportunity of being a part of a Devon Net Set Go team participating in a round robin competition as part of the Tasmanian Invitational Netball Series (TNIS). The girls went through a selection process and were selected out of about 20 local girls. The team wore blue arm bands in memory of Piper.

This round robin was played on Tuesday, March 27th at the Silverdome before the Northern Ireland v Wales practice match, in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games. The girls played 4 x10min games before Wales defeated Northern Ireland, 54-37.

Soccer News

Please remember to pay your soccer registration, either online as per the instruction sheet handed out last week, or at the school office. For insurance reasons DJSI will not let children play until they have paid. There will be more information sent home soon.

David Carter – PE Teacher

Coles Sports for Schools – Final Week!

This is the last week for collecting the Coles sports for Schools vouchers for our school. If you have any at home please make sure you bring them in to school by Friday, April 6th as we have a deadline for sending them in. The last day vouchers will be given out will be Easter Sunday, April 1st and it is DOUBLE VOUCHERS until then!

Easter Raffle

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 fundraising event! The raffle was drawn on Tuesday. Congratulations to the winners:

1st – Sarita
2nd – Chaz
3rd – Clayton R

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

Let’s Ride with 5/6 Fenn

Every Thursday for the past 5 weeks the grade 6 students have been doing the Let’s Ride Program with Shellie. We learned how to balance, emergency brake, indicate and give way.

Last week the grade 6 students went to the Sheffield bike park for the end of the program, where we did an obstacle course and went on a bike track to test what we knew about road signs. Anya from the institute of Sport came and talked to us about competitive riding. At the end we were awarded our bike licences and had a picture taken with Anya.

We would like to thank Shellie for all her help and guidance and Mr Carter for organising the event.

We would also like to thank Derrico Cycles for the donation of 12 x GIANT mountain bikes and helmets, which were loaned to students in Grade 6 who didn’t have a bike, so they could participate.

Hannah, Jasmine and Autumn - 5/6Fenn.

Launching into Learning

We have been having so much fun at Launching into Learning! Through play, we have been developing many important skills such as problem solving, making friends, taking turns, fine and gross motor development and oral language. LIL is on from 9:00 – 11:00 on Tuesday and Friday morning and 1:30 until 2:30 in the GP hall for Play Gym. We would love to see you!

Tuckerbox Tips

Add breads and cereals to your child’s lunch. Try the following ideas:

• Rice, pasta or noodle salads
• Pita pockets or mountain bread wraps
• Rice crackers, corn thins or wholemeal crispbreads
• Use different types of bread – wholemeal, wholegrain, rye, bagels, Turkish bread or English muffins

Lyn Aherne - Coordinator

Move Well Eat Well

Making better takeaway choices

Takeaway food can cost a lot and is often high in fat and salt and low in fibre and vitamins. Having takeaway food sometimes is ok but try to buy healthier choices.

• Pizza - have more vegetable toppings , eg pineapple, capsicum, mushroom & tomato
• Sandwiches - choose salad sandwiches & rolls with ham, roast beef, chicken, egg or cheese. Try different types of bread, eg mountain bread, grain, wholemeal, bagels, etc.
• Chicken - choose bbq chicken, remove the skin and have it with bread & salad instead of chips
• Fish - have grilled fish with rice, bread & salad rather than chips
• Italian - choose tomato-based dishes. Try ones with different ingredients & a variety of vegetables
• Hot potatoes - try vegetable toppings such as beans & salads. Limit sour cream, cheese, butter & bacon.

MWEW Team

News From Our School Nurse

No-Fail Stovetop Popcorn

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil such as coconut or peanut
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
Some salt to flavor popcorn when finished.

Instructions:

Place oil and 3 kernels in a large, heavy pot. Cover tightly and place over medium heat.

When you hear one of the kernels pop, pour in the rest of the kernels and cover.

When popping slows way down, remove from heat and carefully pour into bowl. (I use the lid as a shield when pouring in case more kernels pop on their way out!) Sprinkle with a little salt.

Kerry Jewell – School Health Nurse

Easter Events

Let’s Talk About Allergies