18 June 2020

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

July

From the Principal

Hello! It is the middle of June and winter is well and truly upon us. I hope you are adapting to the change in temperature. As we near our fourth week of learning@school I would like to take this opportunity to thank our community for your ongoing support as we continue to navigate the world of stop, drop and go. Our learners, both big and small, have risen to the challenge and, as a result, are confidently and capably making their way to the classroom each morning.

Looking at the positives - confident capable learners walking themselves into school and independently getting ready and steady for learning.

• Students have risen to the challenge of Stop, Drop and Go (adapting quickly to this change).
• Students have enjoyed being greeted by a staff member and having a quick chat as they make their way to the classroom.
• Children have shown growth and independence.
• Those children who were a little hesitant (and had some tears) are now showing their ability to adapt and bounce back.
• Self- confidence! Wow!

Our Values Focus for the remainder of the term: Respect

During the remainder of 2020 we will continue to have a specific focus on our values. For the rest of this term we are focusing on the value of Respect.

Respect: Establishing relationships with respect for ourselves, others, the past and the environment. At Hillcrest Primary School we respect school and property, our environment, people and opinions.

What our students have to say about Respect at Hillcrest Primary School:

“I am kind to others,” Charlie 1/2 N
“Making safe choices and taking care of you,” Amelia 2/3P
“Respecting people’s things,” Luke P/1 F
“Considering the effect on the work,” Maddison2/3 P
“Picking up rubbish,” Oscar P/1F
“Sharing with others,” Kyiesha 1/2 N

Thumbs Up Card for Respect

We are very proud of our ‘Thumbs Up Card’ recipients for showing RESPECT this fortnight. We have seen many of our children respecting each other by respecting our gardens and learning spaces respecting each other’s emotions and respecting others’ opinions.

Mid-Year Reporting for Prep to Year 10

In response to the unusual school situation of 2020 that has included Learning at Home, there have been changes to the regular reporting processes.

The normal requirement to report A-E has been removed and the timeline to communicate with parents/carers is extended. In line with guidelines from the Department of Education, mid-year communication will provide an insight into your child’s progress so far this year in the key learning areas of English and Mathematics.

The communication will indicate your child’s progress against the standard expected for their year level and shall include areas for future focus. It will also include a focus on your child’s general wellbeing at school. Parents/carers will receive this written communication in the final week of term.

For this year, across Tasmania, reports will look a little different. What does this mean for us at Hillcrest Primary School? Families and carers will receive a printed report on Thursday, July 2nd.

If you would like more information about Mid-Year Reporting, please see the Department of Education fact sheet.

School Association AGM

On Thursday, June 11th, our School Association held their AGM via Teams. We were very impressed by the efforts of our community members to attend in a virtual forum, and we certainly appreciated not going out in the cold.

Our AGM was a great opportunity to discuss the successes of 2019, including some wonderful fundraising events, progress in Mathletics and Reading Eggs and we also had a discussion about the learning at home experience. We also discussed future planning for fundraising for 2020.

We farewelled Sion Reid and sincerely thanked him for his contributions to our School Association, with particular mention of his ‘Spooky Room’ efforts at our previous fair.

We are excited to announce our newly elected members including Kylie Lunson, Jackie Langmaid, Michelle McGuire, Fiona Smith, Megan Butler, Lyn Aherne, Naomi Archer and Jaime-Lea Duff. Well done to all of those who were re-elected and a big thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to ensuring that we (in partnership) continue to provide the very best educational experience for our students at Hillcrest Primary School.

The committee members are excited about the year ahead and encourages all community members to come along to our meetings to share their voice and ideas and to contribute to our school improvement. The next School Association meeting will be held on Thursday, August 6th at 7pm.

Minor Excursion Permissions

At the beginning of the year all parents/carers had the opportunity to give permission for their child to participate in minor excursions without the requirement to sign a permission form for every excursion. Minor excursions include visits on foot or by vehicular transport to places of educational value within the local community that last for less than one day. A similar consent process was used for aquatic activities.

With the changes associated with the COVID-19 pandemic we are providing the opportunity for parents and carers to change their preference that was provided at the start of the year for both minor excursions and aquatic activities.

The school will ensure that relevant safety and health precautions will be implemented, including COVID-19 requirement, during the course of the excursion and aquatic activities. All other excursions, including those with inherent risk, will require you to sign a separate consent form prior to the excursion, as is currently the case.

If we have any minor excursions this year, parents will be given the opportunity to change permission preferences on the information note that is sent home. If you do not return the slip attached to the information note, then the current permission arrangements will remain in place.

Susan Barnard - Principal

Library Bags

Since our return to school, our school librarian has noticed that many students have not been bringing their library bags to school. Please remember that students cannot take their library books home if they do not have a library bag at school.

Hilly Kids are Friendly Kids

Our current HKFK focus topic is Respecting Opinions. Our next focus topic will be Negotiating.

Negotiating

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 must 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.

2021 Kindergarten

Kindertgarten Expression of Interest

We are now taking names for 2021. If you would like to enroll your child at Hillcrest Primary for Kindergarten in 2021, please notify the school office on 6424 5211 or contact our early years teachers Carol Miller, Jess Bellchambers or Jaime-Lea Duff.

If you know of families in our area with a child turning 4 by January 1, 2021 please encourage them to enquire about enrolling in Kinder for next year. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Jaime-Lea Duff – AST

About Me – Personal Development

Last week students in grades 3-6 took home a note about the Personal Development program being run this year on Monday June 29, Tuesday June 30 and Thursday July 2.

Various personal development topics will be discussed, including body systems, body parts, the reproductive system, personal safety, etc.

If families would like to know more information regarding the program, the presenter, Anne Saunders, is happy to phone you or answer your questions by email before the sessions begin. If you would like Anne to contact you, please phone the school office on 6424 5211 before Friday, June 26th and leave your contact details.

Sporting News

Soccer

Please remember to let the office staff know by this Friday, June 19th if your child intends to play in the upcoming short soccer roster.

Basketball

If your child was registered to play basketball, please check your emails for one regarding the recommencement of the primary basketball rosters. You will need to respond to the email by Friday, June 26th. If you have any queries, please contact Jan at the DBC on 6424 2440.

Lift News

Thank you to everyone who has completed the online LIFT Survey that was posted out on SeeSaw recently. The information collected is really valuable in helping us with our planning for the best outcomes for you child/ren.

How can we include maths in our reading?

Click on the youtube link below to go to a wonderful book written by Dr. Seuss, Ten Apples Up On Top. This book is a great way to include maths while reading. Please take the time to sit with your child/ren to enjoy the story as it is being read.

Once you’ve finished, why not watch it again? Books can be enjoyed many times over.

What maths can you notice in the book? One example is counting the number of apples. You can also explore the way the numbers are used in the story, counting up and down by ones, for example. You can also talk about numbers using the concept of odd and even numbers, for example.

What other examples of maths can you find in the book? Share them with your child/ren and class teacher via SeeSaw.

Reminder

Families who do not have their Working with Vulnerable People registration are reminded that now might be a good time to apply so that, once classroom help and excursions re-start, you have the required document to allow to take part. Please use the link below and contact me via the school office should you need some support completing the online application.

Rosemarie Baker - LIFT Coordinator

Japanese @ HPS

All students in grades P-6 have a Japanese lesson once a fortnight. It’s a really short lesson, only 30 minutes, but we try to pack in as much as possible in that time!

So, what do we do in our lessons? Well, you might see us singing songs, watching YouTube clips, playing games, making things, reading, writing or speaking Japanese.

Students in Kindergarten have access to some iPad apps that give them an introduction to the Japanese language without a language teacher needing to be present.

Students in Prep and Gr 1 are able to take part in an Australia-wide Japanese language iPad app trial. They can access seven apps anytime in class when there are no Japanese lessons. Students need to have signed parental/carer permission to take part. Only those students who have returned the consent form are able to use the apps. If you haven’t returned a form yet or don’t have one, please let your class teacher know so that we can give you a form.

Students in the early childhood grades are currently learning how to say colours and numbers. Primary students are learning the names of various body parts. Our upper primary students are learning how to talk about and describe the weather.

Why not learn Japanese with your child/ren? Click on a link below to watch a short video together. Have fun!

Rosemarie Baker - Japanese teacher

Tuckerbox Tips

Snacks should be thought of as a ‘mini-meal’ and made from everyday foods. Try these snacks for after school:

• Fresh or stewed fruit topped with yoghurt or custard
• Fruit smoothie: blend soft fruit (eg kiwi, banana, strawberries) with milk and yoghurt
• Breakfast cereal and milk
• English muffin, crumpet or toast with spread
• Fruit toast
• Small serve baked beans or spaghetti on toast
• Weetbix or Vitabrits with sliced banana, honey or peanut butter
• Celery sticks filled with peanut butter, cheese or sultanas.

Lyn Aherne - Canteen Supervisor

Move Well Eat Well

Family Food Swaps

There are plenty of ways to introduce lots of simple family food swaps. Try these:

SWAP white bread for wholegrain varieties.
SWAP big bowls for small bowls when eating occasional treats like ice cream.
SWAP high-sugar, low fibre breakfast cereals for one that is high in grains and fibre.
SWAP a fruit bar for fresh fruit.
SWAP butter for low-fat margarine.
SWAP frying foods for steaming & grilling.
SWAP sweetened fizzy drink for plain soda water or a glass of water.
SWAP high-salt canned food, stock, sauces & biscuits for lower-salt varieties.

MWEW Team

Student Banking

Message from Commonwealth Bank

The health, safety and wellbeing of our communities and our people remains our highest priority. Due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding coronavirus, the School Banking program will remain on hold. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you informed with any updates including how we will be managing Dollarmite tokens for students.

Age Appropriate Chores