12 September 2019

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

September

October

From the Principal

NAPLAN

As you would be aware, NAPLAN reports have been sent home to those students who sat the tests in year 3 and 5. A covering letter explaining the report was also sent home with students. As always, if you have any questions regarding NAPLAN, please talk with your child’s teacher.

Survey

A reminder that the School Satisfaction Survey closes tomorrow, 13th September. If you need support to complete the survey online, please don’t hesitate to contact the office. We really appreciate the feedback provided by the surveys, so please take the time to complete them. Thanks to those families who have already taken the opportunity to provide feedback.

No Hat No Play

As we move into Spring weather, it is timely to remind students to bring their hats to school. As per our SunSmart Policy, students need to wear hats when the UV is at 3 or above. We have already had some lunch breaks where this has occurred and students have been asked to wear their hats. If you have any questions, or need to source a new hat, please contact the school office.

Jerome Pape – Principal

School Satisfaction Survey by Sept 13th

Recently the Annual School Satisfaction Surveys for parents were sent home. The surveys are being conducted during August and September 2019 across Tasmanian government schools.

The surveys provide an opportunity for parents to give important feedback on what the school does well and where we can improve. Questions cover a range of topics about our school. All responses are secure and anonymous.

We encourage you to complete the survey by tomorrow, September 13th, to give our school a clear direction for future programs and services for students.

Please contact the office if you wish to use a school computer to complete the survey.

Hilly Kids Are Friendly Kids

Our current fortnightly Hilly Kids focus is “Teamwork”. Our focus topic for the next two weeks will be “Negotiating”.

Negotiating - Why learn this skill?

If you want someone to do something for you or to give you permission to do something, the best way to get what you want is to negotiate. Negotiation involves trying to get what you want by first working out what the other person wants and trying to give it to them. This way is called a “win-win” way of negotiation because both people get something they want. It is different from a “win-lose” approach where someone gets what they want and the other person doesn’t get anything.

Negotiating needs to be planned and each side has to complete their side of the bargain. For example: you may want a ride to footy training so you negotiate with mum to give you a ride and in return you will put the rubbish out. If you do not keep your part of the bargain, you won’t be trusted the next time and the relationship suffers.

Remember: You are more likely to get what you want and keep friends if the other person gets something too

Do:

• Decide what you want
• Think about what the other person might want in return(eg they might want to be sure that something they lend you will be looked after)
• Pick a good time to ask
• Use a friendly voice
• If you can’t work out what they want in return, ask them directly
• If the other person won’t agree with what you want, accept that. You won’t always get what you want.
• Keep your side of the bargain.

Don’t:

• Don’t ask at an inconvenient time (eg when the other person is busy or talking to someone else)
• Don’t use a grizzly, whingeing voice
• Don’t threaten, sulk, insult or get angry if you don’t get what you want.

Our Hilly Kid for “Doing Your Best” was Lucas from 3-4BT and our Aussie of the Month for August was Zoey from P-1F. Congratulations, Lucas and Zoey and well done to our other class representatives.

2-3 Peace

What did our read-aloud book ‘The Wild Robot’ have us doing this term?

• Laughing out loud…
• Tearing up…
• Shouting for more…
• Re-reading the end!

By far, our favourite read-aloud this year, ‘The Wild Robot’ is full of beautiful descriptions, amazing animals and wonder. We have become so familiar with Roz and her friends that we decided to practise summarising the main idea and points of the whole book, or just a few of our favourite chapters.

We are super excited to be checking in on our favourite robot by starting the sequel ‘The Wild Robot Escapes’ this week.

The Wild Robot: a summary by Shataya

Roz is a robot who wanted friends when she arrived on the island. She wanted to fit in. She tried but the animals thought that she was a monster. So, she said that she wasn’t a monster and showed the animals by learning lots about them. Then they became friends because she saved them and in the end they saved her.

The Wild Robot: a summary by Tahj

Roz was a robot that found herself on an island. She wanted to fit in but the animals thought she was a monster. So, she learnt their languages, she told and showed them that she is a friendly robot and now they are friends.

The Wild Robot: a summary of a couple of chapters by Brody

A wild robot called Roz wanted her son, Brightbill, back after he flew away for winter. Roz tried to survive the winter by helping the other animals. Brightbill returned and surprised all the other animals with his new role in the flock.

The Wild Robot: a summary by Alice

Rozzum Unit 7134, also known as Roz the Wild Robot, had one thing on her mind. She wanted friends and to be accepted. But when she tried to meet and greet with them they thought she was a monster! So she had to use her computer brain to be more like them and work towards becoming friends.

The Wild Robot: a summary by Inika

Roz the robot wanted to fit in with the animals on the island, but they thought she was a giant monster. So she had to learn the animal language. She did this by listening to all the animals and covering herself in camo. Then the animals got a surprise; not only did they become friends but they became family.

Sketches

The following sketches are inspired by a quote from the novel: “Brightbill had been Roz’s son from the moment she picked up his egg. She saved him from certain death, and then he saved her.”

2020 Kindergarten Enrolments

We are now taking enrolments for Kindergarten in 2020. If you would like to enrol your child, please collect an enrolment form from Miss Miller, Mrs Bellchambers or the school office.

Also, if you know of someone in our area with a child turning 4 by January 1, 2020, please let them know that enrolments are now open.

Lift News

Storytime in the Library

This continues on the Thursday of every even week in the afternoon straight after school in the library. See you there!

Classroom Helper Survey

Please take a moment to complete the following survey about classroom helpers:

School Holiday Family Challenge

Following on from the fantastic marble runs families made and brought in to school at the start of this term, another family challenge is planned. This time it involves using your imagination and knowledge to create a diorama – a kind of 3D scene or picture. Keep an eye out for the information sheet coming home with your children in the next week or two.

Registration for Working with Vulnerable People

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

Rosemarie Baker - LIFT Coordinator

Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

Starting this week and continuing until the end of term, students at Hillcrest will be supporting the Operation Christmas Child Program by providing appropriate gifts for children around the world who are victims of war, poverty, famine or disease. Last year Tasmanians filled 17,892 boxes, which were delivered to Cambodia. This year Operation Christmas child is aiming to fill even more Tasmanian boxes! Please help your child’s class fill a shoebox. Check with their teacher regarding the age and gender of the child that the class shoebox is for.

There is a display in the school library with ideas of what you can send along for the shoeboxes. We ask that students donate one or more of the following gift ideas:

• Something to wear: T shirt, shorts, underwear, a cap, beanie, sandals, etc
• Something to love: teddy bear, doll, soft toy, etc
• Something for school: exercise book, pencil case, pens, pencils, colouring pencils, sharpener, eraser, chalk, etc
• Something to play with: tennis ball, cars, skipping rope, marbles, musical instrument, yoyo, slinky, finger puppets, etc (no battery operated items please)
• Something for personal hygiene: soap, facewasher, toothbrush, hairbrush, comb, hairclips, scrunchies, etc.
• Something special: carry bag, sunglasses, necklace, craft kits, stickers, etc.

It is very important that you NOT include: any food or lollies, toothpaste, shampoo, glass, bubbles, plasticine, batteries, playdough, damaged or used items, mirrors, china, war-related toys including anything with camouflage print, anything that will leak or melt, any gambling related items including cards, dice, play money and dominoes, or anything of a religious, racial or political nature.

If you would like to find out more about Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child, please check out their website:

If you would like to make something for the shoeboxes, there are a lot of craft, knitting and sewing ideas at the following link:

We are also on the hunt for empty shoe boxes in good condition as well, if you have any sitting around at home!

Lyn Aherne & Alison Hillier - Coordinators

Happy Hilly Hockey Kids

Bookweek Activities

5₵ Coin Challenge

Keep bringing your coins in, piling them up and we’ll see which class can collect the most! Our grand total for last year was 12,180 5¢ coins!! Let’s top last year’s total of 12,180 coins and set a new record!

Walkathon

What a brilliant effort on a beautiful day!! Well done to everyone who participated in the Walkathon! Don’t forget to keep collecting your sponsorship money and get the forms back to the school by Friday, September 20th to go into the draw to win a prize pack. There will be one prize for an early childhood student and one for a primary student.

HPS Fundraising Committee

Tuckerbox Tips

Lunchboxes for Less

Packing a healthy lunchbox for school doesn’t need to be expensive. Try these tips:

• Buy fruit and vegetables in season for the best value for money
• Buy in bulk – tinned fruit, dried fruit, yoghurt and crackers are cheaper if you buy them in bulk, rather than single serve portions. Simply put the amount your child will eat into re-useable plastic containers
• Keep ‘occasional’ foods, such as muesli bars, biscuits, chips and chocolate to a minimum. These foods are expensive. For example: apples in season cost about $4 per kilo whereas fruit straps cost about $35 per kilo!

Lyn Aherne – Canteen Supervisor

Move Well Eat Well

Kids get a lot of grief for spending too much time in front of the TV or computer, but we adults aren’t much better! Make a family agreement to:

• Limit screen time for everyone
• Turn the TV off after the program has finished
• Resolve to watch one less TV program a week
• Play music or stories on a CD instead
• Make meal time your family time and turn off the TV!

MWEW Team

Father’s Day Stall

Thanks to the wonderful efforts and generous donations from parents and students over $740 was raised from our Father’s Day Stall this year. What an amazing effort!

A big Thankyou to Jackie Langmaid, Janelle Hays, Caroline Welsh, Rhonda Welsh, Mrs Hillier and Mrs Jones for their help on sale day.

Congratulations to Hudson from P-1P, the lucky winner of our Father’s Day Stall draw.

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

From the School Health Nurse

Please find below an article which might be of interest to you, by Michael Grose, author and founder of Parenting Ideas. It discusses why it is so important to instil self-sufficiency in our children.

Kerry Jewell – School Health Nurse

Bus Services Changes Feedback

DBC Basketball October Camps

YFCC October Holiday Activities

Auslan Level 2 Classes

Wing’s Wildlife Park

School Holidays - Deadly and Dangerous Discovery Day