28 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

From the Principal

It was great to see so many families at the Big Breakfast, last week. We all enjoyed a selection of cereals, toast, fruit and pancakes. Thanks to everyone who helped out on the day. Thanks also go to Rosie Baker, our LIFT coordinator, who organised this LIFT event.

Our first School Association Committee meeting will be happening on Thursday, 14th March at 7pm in the staffroom. If you are interested in finding out what we do and would like to find out more about the committee, please feel free to come along. Hope to see you there!

As you are no doubt aware, we are continuing to be involved in Children’s University. This year, we are opening up the program to all students who are aged 7 or above. An information session is being held next week; more information is attached. Please RSVP if you would like to attend.

Families of children age 7 or above at Hillcrest Primary School are invited to a Children’s University information session, presented by Jesse Brennan (UTAS). The details are as follows;

Date & Time: Wednesday 6th March at 2.45 pm
Location: Hillcrest Primary School Library
RSVP – Please register your interest with the office

Jerome Pape - Principal

Hilly Kids Are Friendly Kids

Respecting the Environment

Our next focus topic will be Respecting the Environment. It takes only a few minutes every day to make a positive impact on the environment at school, so what can we do to make a difference?

We live in such a wonderful neighbourhood and state with many great natural features just a short walk or drive from our school: beaches, parks, reserves and wonderful bush areas with birdlife. We need to look after and be responsible for all these great places and show them the respect they deserve, not just for their own sake but because they are important to so many people and will continue to be for many years to come.

Remember to always treat our environment with respect. This can be done in many ways:

• Never leave rubbish around
• Be sensitive to the environment and animals. It is their home we are visiting
• Don’t damage or destroy plants or any features of the natural environment
• Ride, walk or run on pathways

Respecting and caring for the environment will mean it will be there for everyone to appreciate and enjoy for many years.

Reduce, reuse, recycle is another way to show respect for the environment. There are so many actions that can make a difference!

Our Hilly Kid for ‘Good Manners’ was Hayley from 1-2N. Congratulations, Hayley!

Well done to our other class representatives:

Timber Scraps

Some of our classes are always using timber scraps for their tinkering tables and we are looking for a source of these scraps. Any size will do as our groundsman can cut up pieces if they are too big but we don’t want to buy good timber just to cut it up! Please contact the school office if you are able to help.

Whooping Cough Info

As there have been confirmed cases of whooping cough on the northwest coast, we have attached some relevant information.

Soccer & ‘Ticket to Play’ Information

Parents will soon be receiving information around registering their child to play soccer this year. Once again DJSI has set up an online system for players to be registered. The State Government has also established a new initiative to encourage more Tasmanian school aged children to engage in sporting opportunities. The ‘Ticket to Play’ offer allows eligible soccer players to have their registration paid for by a voucher system. To be eligible for a voucher applicants must be:

• Living in Tasmania
• Aged between 5 and 17 years old at the time of application; and
• Listed on a valid Centrelink Health Care or Pensioner Concession card (either their own or their parent’s, guardian’s or carer’s) or be in Out of Home Care

To apply for a voucher so that your child’s soccer registration fees are waived, go to the link below.

The system will assess your child’s eligibility and, if approved, will automatically send you a unique code via email that you will need to show at the school office at the time of registration.

David Carter – HPE Teacher

Fundraising News

At our final meeting for 2018 the fundraising committee, with the support of the Hillcrest Primary School Association, decided to move the biennial fair, traditionally held in March, to Saturday, October 26th, 2019. We voted to hold the Fair later in the year to take away some of the pressure surrounding the start of the school year and the volume of other major local events. The change to a Saturday will give us more time and volunteers to transform the school grounds into a fabulous fair venue! We will keep you informed as the date draws closer, but, meanwhile….

We are again organising our Family Market to be held on Saturday, March 30th in the school GP Hall from 10am to 2pm. We will be hosting an amazing array of handcrafted and unique goods and consultant stalls. There will also be a sausage sizzle, great coffee, face-painting, glitter tattoos, an Easter raffle and lucky dips. So, come along for a great day, choose a stunning gift for mum for Mothers’ Day, pick up some yummy Easter treats, have a sausage and support our fundraising event! Entry will be by gold coin donation.

HPS Fundraising Committee

Hillcrest Tuckerbox

Fruit is a good source of vitamins and fibre and is full of energy for active children. It is important children eat a rainbow of different coloured fruits every day. To increase fruit in lunch boxes try these tips:

• Fruit salad - easy to eat bite-sized pieces of watermelon, grapes, kiwi, oranges, rockmelon, pineapple,
• Fruit added to mini muffins, scones & pikelets,
• Fruit bread or fruit buns cut into bite-sized fingers,
• Fruit in custard or yoghurt,
• Tinned fruit in natural juice as an alternative to fresh,
• Nibble pack with dried fruit, vegetable sticks & cheese cubes.

Lyn Aherne – Canteen Supervisor

Move Well Eat Well

How to Care for Water Bottles

When water bottles are not cleaned and stored properly they can get smelly, slimy or mouldy. To prevent this from happening:

• Fill water bottles with fresh water only;
• Tip unused water out at the end of the day;
• Wash water bottles thoroughly with soapy water - the warmer the water the better;
• Store empty water bottles with the lid off;
• If extra cleaning is needed the following agents can be used: a sanitiser such as Milton or baby bottle sanitiser, vinegar or baking soda. Bleach is not recommended as it is not safe to consume and leaves an odour;
• Water bottles can deteriorate over time - regular replacement is recommended (at a minimum at the start of the year).

MWEW Committee

Packing a Healthy Lunchbox

** While nuts, dairy, eggs or celery are a nutritious inclusion, it is recommended that you consult your school regarding anaphylactic or any allergy policies.

Did you know that children will consume more than a third of their daily food intake while at school? Packing them healthy lunches is critical for their everyday health and it will also help them to concentrate and learn.

4 Parts to a Healthy Lunchbox

1. Main item - sandwich/wrap/roll, pasta with vegetables, soup, frittata or sushi.
2. Fruit or vegetable snack - whole fruit, cut up veggie sticks, canned fruit in natural juice, or a small salad.
3. Second snack - yoghurt, grainy crackers with cheese, plain popcorn, a slice of raisin bread, a wholemeal fruit muffin, a boiled egg or a can of tuna.
4. Something to drink - a bottle of tap water is best, and plain UHT milk can be great too.

Lunchbox Inspiration

Mix and match from the following lunchbox combinations to provide healthy lunches your child will be excited to eat.

Lunchbox 1

• Fruit in season
• Boiled egg
• Vegetables with natural yoghurt
• Pita bread, filled with salad vegetables or tabouli and lean rissoles
• Water

Lunchbox 2

• Wholemeal pikelets
• Frozen UHT reduced fat milk 125mL
• Vegetarian pizza or a sandwich
• Vegetable pack
• Fruit salad
• Reduced fat yoghurt

Lunchbox 3

• Fruit in season
• Egg, lettuce, tomato, cheese multigrain sandwich
• Vegetable sticks
• Slice of fruit bread
• Dried fruit and nuts**
• Frozen UHT reduced fat milk 125mL

Lunchbox 4

• Fruit in season
• Bread roll filled with vegetables, cheese and a slice of lean roast beef
• Reduced fat yoghurt
• Grapes
• Water

When children eat well they behave better. They are also able to concentrate for longer. Packing a healthy school lunchbox will help them to learn and be happy at school.

7 Steps to a Healthy Lunch Box

1. Make time to prepare. Write a shopping list to make sure fresh fruit and vegetables, milk and yoghurt, bread and crackers are available
2. Shop wise and save money. Buy seasonal fruit and vegetables to ensure good quality and value for money.
3. Make your own snacks. Build snack packs from fresh ingredients bought in bulk.
4. Look after the environment. Put sandwiches and other items in reusable containers instead of plastic.
5. Choose a mix from the 5 food groups - grains, fruit, vegetables, dairy and proteins.
6. Include a bottle of water. No need for sweetened drinks such as juice, cordial or soft drink
7. Keep it cool. In warm weather freeze a water bottle or put a small ice pack in the lunchbox.

(Content used with permission from Nutrition Australia as part of Healthy Lunchbox Week)

And….a Few More Ideas!

Even though there are plenty of people out there making incredible lunches with bento boxes or cookie cutters or egg molds, I’d say you don’t need fancy equipment or funny ideas. If your goal is just to get a healthy meal into your kids while they are away at school, you just need a few quality minutes of planning, shopping, and prep time. Of course you can get more creative if you want to, but if you don’t, we’ve got a simple, no-brainer plan for those weeks when you just don’t have enough mental energy to get into the whole creative lunch thing.

Sample shopping list:

• Selection of 3-4 relatively sturdy fruits (grapes, apples, melon, strawberries, bananas)
• Selection of 3-4 relatively sturdy vegetables (carrots, celery, lettuce, cherry tomatoes)
• A block of cheddar cheese
• Good-quality whole wheat bread/tortillas/pita bread
• Eggs
• Turkey, chicken, and/or ham for sandwiches
• Hummus (you can buy it, even though we think homemade is better and pretty darned easy)
• Selection of 2-3 healthy crunchy snacks (veggie chips, whole-wheat pretzels, popcorn, whole-grain crackers)
• Yogurt
• Nut butter (if your school allows it) or sunflower butter
• Couscous or other grains for making a hearty salad

Weekend prep jobs:

Cube fruits and cheeses. Cut carrots and celery into sticks. Cut bread/tortillas into cubes or strips. Hard-boil the eggs or cook the eggs and veggies into a frittata. Make a salad with couscous and chopped veggies.

Now you’re ready to put it all together. Keep in mind that this plan isn’t fixed in stone; the idea is to have a bunch of pre-prepped items ready to grab and pack. Hint: For each day, pick a main course, a fruit and/or veggie selection, and a crunchy snack.

Sample Menus:

Day 1: Pita squares, hummus, fruit, veggie sticks, cheese, olives

Day 2: Turkey kebab sandwich (turkey skewered on a straw or stick with squares or cubes of bread, cheese, lettuce, cherry tomato), fruit, veggie chips

Day 3: Frittata squares, fruit, whole wheat pretzels

Day 4: Confetti couscous salad, hard-boiled egg, yogurt, crackers, fruit and veggies

Day 5: PB & J (or sunflower butter and jelly) cut into cubes, fruit, veggie sticks, popcorn

Lazy ham, spinach and cheese quiche

Serves: 6 Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 200g spinach
• 230g shortcrust pastry circle
• 150g ricotta
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 100g mature Cheddar, grated
• 1tsp thyme leaves, chopped
• 90g cooked ham, torn

Instructions

Heat the oven to 190°C. Put the spinach into a colander and pour boiling water over to wilt. Run under cold water, then use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Unroll the pastry circle and transfer to a lined baking tray.

Beat the ricotta and eggs until smooth, then add the Cheddar, thyme, ham and wilted spinach. Season and pour into the centre of the pastry circle. Fold the edges of the pastry over the filling. Brush with a little milk, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until set, puffed up slightly and golden

Kerry Jewell – School Health Nurse

Healthy Bowels

This week I have decided to discuss the embarrassing subject of …. “The Just Right Poo!”

First up – did you know there is a more efficient way for your child to sit on the toilet that allows for better emptying of their bowel motion? I bet you found that interesting….yes their knees need to be higher than their hip, with their feet resting on something firm.

This YouTube clip shows the Bristol Bowel Chart that we use in medicine. This goes through the different types of bowel motions and if your bowel motion is not just right what you can do about it.

The most common problem is when the child or adult has not drunk enough water and is constipated. So, here is some information on the importance of drinking water. What I recommend is tap water. It is cheap and, honestly, the best health drink for you and everyone in the family.

Avoid sweet drinks - Tap water is suitable for all ages

Children who regularly consume sweet drinks such as cordial, soft drink and fruit juice are at an increased risk of tooth decay as they contain large quantities of sugar. Did you know that a 600ml bottle of soft drink can contain up to 16 teaspoons of sugar? Sweet drinks are also high in energy (kilojoules) and offer very little nutrition. Regular intake of sweet drinks can contribute to a range of problems including:

• Tooth decay and erosion
• Excess weight gain
• Reduced appetite which may lead to fussy/picky eating
• Changes in bowel habits.
• Increase risk of chronic health issues like heart disease & lung disease and it also affects the brain as well as mention nutrition, self-image and emotional issues.

Tips to reduce sweet drinks!

• Encourage all family members to drink tap water with meals and snacks. Role modelling is important to encourage children to develop healthy habits.
• Carry a water bottle and get one for everyone in the family so you don't have to buy a drink if you're thirsty.
• Before you go out, remind everyone to refill their bottles with tap water. If they’re thirsty, encourage them to drink some water first.
• Give your child their own water bottle to take along to day care or kindergarten so they can refill with water throughout the day.
• Avoid buying sweet drinks.
• Offer plain milk without flavourings. Avoid adding flavourings and toppings with added sugar to plain milk as the added sugars can lead to tooth decay.
• When other people look after your child, ask them to give your child plain milk or tap water rather than sugar sweetened drinks.
• If your family is finding it hard to kick the sweet drink habit, try watering down sweet drinks gradually over a few days to help make the swap to water easier. You can also reduce the number of sweet drinks per day and offer watered down drinks until you can stop them. Children may be upset at first but will get used to it if you continue.

Remember, it’s never too late to start reducing sweet drinks!

Toast for Kids Charity Gala

This year’s Toast for Kids Charity Gala, an event which raises funds for school Breakfast Clubs and the Books for Babies program, will be held on Saturday, March 30th at Providore Place starting at 6:30pm. Tickets are $67.50 or Table of Ten $650, which includes Bendigo Bank Welcome drinks, food, live music by The Tear Aways, a silent auction and a balloon raffle.

Tickets are available at the paranaple arts centre ticket box. Phone: 6420 2900. Why not get a group of friends together and have a great night out, knowing that you are supporting these two great causes?!

Jewellery, Gem & Mineral Fair

Fairy Godmothers March Market