11 April 2019

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

April

From the Principal

Attached to the newsletter is some information regarding the upcoming NAPLAN testing for 2019. All students in grade 3 and 5 will be participating. NAPLAN will be going online this year, apart from grade 3 writing, which will still be paper based. If you have any questions regarding NAPLAN, please talk with your child’s teacher or contact the office.

While Mrs Bezemer is on long service leave for Terms 2 & 3, Miss Duff will be taking on the AST role. We would like to welcome Miss Shannon Fraser, who has been doing an excellent job teaching on Miss Duff’s P-1 class. Miss Fraser will remain on P-1D for the period of Mrs Bezemer’s leave.

A reminder that our School Association Committee AGM will be held tonight in the staffroom at 7pm. I invite all community members to come along. Please let the office know if you have anyone that you wish to nominate for the committee. I hope to see you there!

Teachers will be moderating student work samples tomorrow, 12th April. This is a good opportunity for staff to meet with other teachers in Devonport schools to ensure consistency of assessment. Students do not attend on this day.

As we come to the end of first term, I want to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday. I look forward to catching up in the new term.

Jerome Pape - Principal

End of Term Assembly @ 1:45pm

Our end of term assembly will be held today, Thursday April 11th, at 1:45 pm in the school GP Hall. The Student Council will be hosting and 2/3P and 3/4BT will be sharing their work. End of Term Class Awards will also be presented. Everyone is welcome.

Hilly Kids Are Friendly Kids

Using Appropriate Language

Our current fortnightly Hilly Kids focus has been ‘Taking Turns’. Our topic for the first two weeks of term two will be ‘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.

When we are at school, we always use appropriate language. School language does not include swearing or abusive language. We have a zero tolerance regarding inappropriate language – with consequences for those who do not use appropriate language.

Our Hilly Kid for the ‘Taking Turns’ topic was Luke from P-1P and our Aussie of the Month for March was Terleah from P-1D. Congratulations, Luke and Terleah!

Well done to our other class representatives:

Entertainment Book

The 2019/2020 Entertainment Book has been launched and was sent home with students last week. The book is a local restaurant and activity guide which provides hundreds of vouchers with up to 50% off and 2-for-1 offers for restaurants, cafes, attractions, activities, retailers and hotel accommodation. There are pages and pages of offers to enjoy all year long and great discounts for car hire, theme park entry and hotel accommodation right across Australia! There are lots of new cafes and restaurants included this year.

Please consider purchasing the book as there are great savings to be made and you will be supporting the School Association’s fundraising efforts. If you get it now, it will be just in time to make great savings on some fun family activities and outings to keep the kids occupied during the school holidays!

Our school receives $13 for every book sold. You can pay for your book or order more at the link below or you can come into the school office and we will sort it all for you! We have spare books in the office if you would like to purchase an extra one or two for family and friends. They make a great gift!

If you do not wish to purchase the Entertainment Book, please return it to the school office as soon as possible. If it is not returned we will assume that you are purchasing your copy and will be expecting payment.

Lyn Aherne - Fundraising

News from the School Health Nurse

Head Lice - is a catchy subject!

Head lice are universally reviled, despite the medical view that they are little more than a nuisance. There are few things more frustrating than trying to get rid of head lice. Ask any parent who spent hours painstakingly combing through their child’s hair— only to see them start scratching their head a few days later.

How do you catch head lice?

You must have direct head-to-head contact for head lice to move from one person to another. Lice can't jump or fly – they don't have wings. Instead, they crawl along strands of hair from one head to another. This is one of the reasons why lice are most common among primary school children — they often put their heads together while playing, cuddling, or doing group work. Recent reports suggest that taking selfies could help to spread head lice around the schoolyard.

Head lice love being on the hair, and love being in that warm, humid environment. Take the time to make sure your children's hair is pulled back nice and tight when they're going to school. That's probably one of the best ways you can stop your child from picking up head lice in the first place.

Head lice don't have a preference when it comes to clean or dirty hair – they'll get on anyone's hair if they get the chance. We find that you can get head lice on almost every type of hair imaginable – thick, thin, long, short, clean, dirty – it really doesn't make a difference.

Having particularly thick or long hair might increase your chances of picking up head lice, simply because you have more available hair.

The presence of head lice in no way indicates poor hygiene habits or an unclean living environment. Sometimes you can just be at the wrong place at the wrong time and your child picks it up.

What's the best way to treat head lice?

There are generally two different approaches to treating head lice. The first is over-the-counter chemical treatments (or lice shampoos) which you can buy at a supermarket or pharmacy. These contain either an insecticide or some sort of plant-derived product, and can be effective at killing head lice.

It's important to apply the chemical treatment as directed to ensure it's effective; however, people should not overuse insecticides, as head lice populations can become increasingly resistant to them.

That's probably one of the reasons why the conditioner-and-comb method is so effective … because head lice won't be resistant to that.

That brings us to the second approach: what experts call the conditioner-and-comb method.

That involves rubbing a cheap, pale-colored conditioner through your child's hair. This stuns the lice, immobilising them. Then, using a specially designed lice comb, you systematically comb through your child's hair to remove the lice and try to remove any nits you can see stuck to the hair shaft, using your fingernail if necessary.

While the initial treatments will kill or remove the adult head lice, neither are 100 per cent effective at killing and removing head lice eggs – also known as nits. The key with both treatments is regular checking of your child’s head. Any leftover eggs will hatch within a week, so you should always repeat the full treatment after seven days to stop the newly hatched lice from laying a new batch of nits.

Why not set aside Sunday nights, put on your child's favorite DVD, and carefully work through their hair. The secret to this is getting cooperation from your child to sit still long enough so you can systematically comb through their hair.

We have to be mindful that some urban myths and home remedies for removing head lice can expose children to possible irritating substances … chemicals that may not be necessarily registered for use on children's heads. I recommend the conditioner-and-comb method or an over-the-counter product. The secret ingredient really is patience and persistence.

Can you have head lice and not know it?

Sadly, yes. It's possible that there are head lice in someone's hair for quite a while and it's never really noticed. So, if you see something crawling, say something. Or at least don't put your head close by.

Head lice info:

How to remove head lice with conditioner:

Kerry Jewell – School Health Nurse

Lift News

Take-home packs will be once again sent home with all children in kindergarten and early childhood classes. Please take the time to look at the activities and talk with your child about them. Have fun!

The school holiday break gives us lots of chances to read to and with our children. For example, why not read some recipes and do some cooking together, read through shopping catalogues together and create shopping lists or pop down to the library in town to borrow or read some books. The following link will take you to the library’s page detailing free story-time sessions:

Games Afternoon

Parents/carers and children are invited to come to our library on Wednesday, 1st May straight after school for a fun time playing some of the boxed games or puzzles that we have. Enjoy a coffee or tea and a snack while having some fun together! Borrow a game to take home as you leave. Looking forward to seeing you there! Time: 2:45 – 3:45pm Where: Hillcrest School Library

Reminder

The library is open every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday both before and after school for home reader borrowing and changing.

Families who do not have their Working With Vulnerable People registration – You are welcome to come to the library and use our facilities to apply for this and I will be there to support you should you need help. Remember: if you wish to attend a class excursion with your child/ren or participate in parent help or coaching in any way, you are required to have one.

Rosemarie Baker - LIFT Coordinator

5/6 Fenn

This week in Writing, the class worked on ways to make an introduction paragraph more persuasive. They were trying to persuade people that a particular vegetable is the best. They combined this with some convincing facts about their vegetable.

We experimented things called ‘persuasive devices’ such as:

• Rhetorical questions – questions that make you think about the topic but don’t need an answer,
• ‘Groups of Three’ words that say something about the topic
• Alliteration – words that begin with the same first letter to enhance the text

We hope you will be persuaded.

From 5/6 Fenn

Mother’s Day Stall

Our Mother’s Day stall will be early in Term 2, on Wednesday, May 8th. The purpose of the stall is to give each child an opportunity to buy a small gift for their mother or a special person for Mother’s Day. It is also a School Association fundraising event.

Parents are asked to buy or make a small gift to the value of $3 and send it to school by Monday, May 6th. Your child will place the present in the box in the classroom and tick their name on the list on the box. Every child who donates to the stall will go into the draw to win a gift for mum. PLEASE DO NOT WRAP GIFTS.

On the day of the stall please send your child to school with $3 to purchase a gift for Mum. If you do not want your child to participate, please tell him/her beforehand and also mention it to the class teacher. Donations of wrapping paper are also appreciated as the children are given paper to wrap their gifts.

Please leave your name at the school office if you can help out on the stall between 9-10am on that day.

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 – Cohen B
2nd – Katie Twiss
3rd – Lucas R

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

HPSA Family Market

On Saturday, March 30th, the Hillcrest Primary School Association held a Family Market in our school GP Hall. We had an amazing array of stall holders and consultants who made for a spectacular display that filled the hall with colour, noise and wonderful aromas!

It was a beautiful, sunny autumn day and people were encouraged to come along and be tempted by coffee, sausages and hamburgers and to sample, shop and try and buy from our stall holders.

The winner of the cheese hamper was Michelle and the winners of our lucky door prizes were:

1st – Rebecca Kubiak
2nd – Hannah
3rd – Joe Taylor

A huge thankyou goes out to our volunteers and staff who helped out on the day and also to Bob Morris Gourmet Meats in East Devonport for their generous donations.

HPS Fundraising Committee

Parent and Family Forums

Parents and families are invited to attend a forum to provide information about and discuss Educational Adjustments.

From 2020, there will be a new approach in Department of Education schools to assisting students with disability to access, participate and engage in quality educational programs.

Forums are scheduled for Term 2. Light refreshments will be provided.

See details of locations and timing and how to register at: REGISTER HERE

For paper based newsletters please use the full web address to register:

Tuckerbox Tips

Children have small stomachs and need snacks between meals to help meet their growth and energy needs. This makes recess an important part of the day’s food, not just something extra or a ‘treat’. Use foods from the five food groups (breads & cereals, fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat & meat alternatives) to pack healthy lunchbox snacks.

Try some of the following ideas:

• Small bag of plain popcorn, dried fruit & breakfast cereal
• A piece of fresh fruit in season
• Rice crackers or wholemeal crackers with cheese
• Fruit bun or fruit bread
• Tub of low fat yoghurt
• Container with cheese cubes & vegetable sticks

Lyn Aherne - Coordinator

Move Well Eat Well

Nature Play

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

• Collect different types of leaves
• Paint and decorate pine cones and acorns
• Splash in a puddle and make mud pies
• Collect some bugs in a clear container and draw them
• Visit a park you have never been to
• Plant bulbs or some winter veggies
• Dig for dinosaur bones

MWEW Team

Wonders of Numbers Maths Club