4 June 2020

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

June

July

From the Principal

Dear Families,

Welcome back! What a joy it has been to watch students reconnect with their friends and staff as we welcomed everyone back. Our school is certainly buzzing with excitement as we spend time reconnecting in each class group and, also, within the wider school community with the new ways of working together as we continue our learning journey.

Families have done an awesome job in supporting ‘learning at home’ and we appreciate all these efforts. This will certainly help us in assessing your child/ren’s progress and inform our next steps. It has been great to hear how families and teachers have worked together in partnership during this time, and the plans emerging to ensure we continue to build on these partnerships provide the best possible experiences for our children. I hope you find some time to pause and reflect (over an extra-long cuppa) on our collective effort and achievement over the past few months.

I want to thank you also for your ongoing support in keeping our school site as safe as we can by ensuring that students who are unwell do not attend school. We continue to follow Stop, Drop and Go procedures at the beginning of the day and Collect and Go in the afternoon, and ask that adults do not gather around our school, in or around school grounds, car park entrances or outside classrooms. To avoid non-essential visits to our school, please keep in contact with us via phone, email or Seesaw. Once again, thank you for helping us keep everyone safe.

Being part of the Hillcrest Primary School community

The first week of winter brings chillier mornings. We encourage students to dress in clothing that is suitable for the weather. If you require any items of winter uniform, we have plenty for sale, including second-hand items. Some second-hand items may be cash only; however, for the majority cash or card are both accepted. Please call the office for more information. Please follow the physical distancing guidelines any time you call into the school office to purchase uniform.

Wearing school uniforms is the easiest way to feel part of the Hillcrest Primary School community. Here at Hillcrest we are committed to ensuring we are all in uniform every day. Wearing school uniform is just not about how we look – it is our first experience in developing an understanding of belonging to our school community and understanding social expectations.

The Hillcrest Primary School Dress Code and Uniform Policy states that all children wear either the everyday uniform or sports uniform.

The Everyday Uniform consists of the following items available from the office or department stores:

• Girls - School summer dress or winter skirt or navy trousers
• Boys - Grey school shorts or trousers
• Gold polo shirt with school logo
• Royal blue V-neck windcheater with logo
• White or grey socks
• Black shoes or boots - The footwear to accompany the Everyday Uniform must be black enclosed shoes.
• Royal blue bucket hat for Terms 1 and 4.
• School jacket with logo (optional)

The Sport Uniform for Physical Education consists of the following items available from the office or department stores:

• Gold polo shirt with school logo
• Royal blue pleated skirt or royal/navy shorts
• Royal blue V-neck windcheater with logo
• White socks/Grey socks
• Sandshoes or runners - The footwear to accompany the Sport Uniform must be suitable (non-marking) sports shoes.
• Royal blue bucket hat.

The Hillcrest Primary School Association, in consultation with the school community, will review the uniform list from time to time and add and take out items as necessary. This information will be shared in the newsletter.

School Association AGM

The Hillcrest Primary School Association is a group of parents, school staff and members of the broader community. The primary role of this group is to support staff with the development of directions and values of the school, through communication and by providing feedback on policy and priorities. It is a great opportunity to work together for the benefit of all children who attend our school.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the Association is to be held on Thursday, 11 June commencing at 7 pm. All school community members are invited to attend, even if you are not interested in joining the committee.

This year due to social distancing restrictions the meeting will be held online using Microsoft Teams. Teams is a simple video conferencing platform, allowing attendees to meet from remote locations. You’ll just need an internet connection and a device (phone, tablet or computer) with a camera.

If you would like to attend, please phone the school office to let them know by Friday, 5 June to register your interest. You will then be emailed a link with instructions prior to the meeting.

Susan Barnard - Principal

New School Health Nurse

Hi, my name is Leah and I am your school’s new Health Nurse. I will be working each Tuesday at Hillcrest Primary. The role of the Primary School Nurse is to provide health education and health promotion to students and the school community. Along with health assessments for kindergarten students, I will be engaging all grades in lessons and group activities surrounding health and wellbeing. Some of these lessons will include education on nutrition, personal hygiene, oral care, sun safety, growth and development and mindfulness.

Vision and hearing screens for all primary students are also available on request if there is a specific concern. Consent forms must be signed by a parent/guardian prior to all assessments, including kindergarten health assessments.

My office door will be open to parents for a chat on a Tuesday morning between 8:45 and 9am. Please feel free to visit or contact me via the school office on a Tuesday if you have any concerns or questions regarding your child’s health or the role of the School Nurse. Alternatively, you may email at your convenience: leah.furley@education.tas.gov.au

I am very excited to be joining the school and getting to know your child/ren and I look forward to a positive rest of the year!

Kind Regards,
Nurse Leah J

A Time to Every Purpose

Here is an example of a daily rhythm:

It can be found at:

Road Safety

Tuckerbox Tips

To make sandwiches more interesting, vary the breads and fillings. Try some of the following ideas:

• Use different types of breads. Try wholemeal, high fibre white, sourdough, pita, bagels or wraps
• Try crackers and crispbreads for a change
• Add different vegetables in different ways: grated carrot, finely sliced cucumber, celery and different types of lettuce
• Use different protein fillings instead of ham and chicken. Try roast beef, sliced turkey and sliced egg
• Add different flavours. Try mustard, small amounts of Vegemite, mayonnaise, chutney and hummus. You can also add herbs and spices such as chopped parsley, chives or curry powder. Don’t add salt!

Lyn Aherne – Canteen Supervisor

Move Well Eat Well

Swap Screens for Active Play After School

Now that we’re back at school, and with some ‘stay home’ isolating restrictions still applying, take advantage of any good weather and swap screens for active play after school. Swap screens for:

• Building a cubby, castle or fort in the backyard
• Backyard cricket, basketball or frisbee
• Chalk drawing on the driveway or path
• Visiting a park or walking the dog
• Dancing to music or making up a dance routine
• Hallway bowling with a soft ball and plastic bottles
• Obstacle course using cushions, blankets and boxes