20 May 2021

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

2021

From the Principal

Grades 3 and 5 students have now completed NAPLAN testing, with the Numeracy test happening yesterday. I wish to thank everyone involved in delivering NAPLAN at Hillcrest this year, it went very smoothly. Students in grades 3 and 5 will receive NAPLAN reports later in the year.

School Uniform

It has been great to see so many students wearing their uniform with pride around the school. We have been having a focus on students being in correct uniform. We appreciate your support in ensuring that your child arrives each day in uniform, ready to learn. A copy of the uniform policy is attached below.

Illness

Thanks to those families who have been following Department of Health guidelines regarding their child staying home when sick. We appreciate you letting us know, via phone or text, if your child is unwell and will be away from school. It is important that, if your child is not sick, they attend school every day. Missing just one day per week adds up to 8 weeks of school missed each year -that’s nearly a whole term of learning! Let’s all work together to keep our students in school and learning.

Jerome Pape - Principal

Hilly Kids Are Friendly Kids

Teamwork

Our current Hilly Kids focus topic is Negotiating. Our next focus topic for term 2 will be Teamwork.

Teamwork is very important at our school and used in many ways. Teamwork is all about working with others to produce a team result. It is about communicating well, actively listening and being responsible and honest. It is about using your talents and interests with others to achieve something together. It’s important to encourage everyone in the group to do their best. Everyone contributes to a team’s success!

Students practice their teamwork skills in many ways. Some play sport, others are a member of a group such as the school choir and some simply work with others in the classroom. Sport is a great way to develop a child’s understanding about the importance of working and playing together as a member of a team. Whether you win, lose or draw, the important part of being in a team is doing your best for the other players and coaches while trying to achieve team goals. It is a great feeling to know you’ve done your best in whatever you do!

Our Hilly Kid for the ‘Goal Setting’ topic was Aaliyah from P-1P, and our Aussie of the Month for April was Gabi from 4-5P. Congratulations Aaliyah and Gabi!

Well done to our other class representatives:

Fundraising Thankyou

A big thankyou to everyone who supported our fundraising by generously donating to our Mothers’ Day stall. This year our stall raised over $770! What an amazing effort!

Thank you also to Jackie Langmaid, Shaun Bolton, Fiona Smith, Michelle McGuire, Janelle Hays, Suzanne Gadsby and Alana Walker for their help on sale day.

Congratulations to Keisha who was our Mother’s Day Stall lucky draw winner!

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

Dress Up Day – Wednesday May 26th

On Wednesday, May 26th students can come to school dressed up as what they want to be when they grow up. Please bring a gold coin donation to go towards getting some new books for our library.

Student Councillors

5¢ Coin Challenge

We will be running our 5₵ Coin Challenge again in Term 2. Classes will collect 5₵ coins and have fun with activities such as weighing the coins to estimate the value and laying them out to measure how long their coin lines can get.

In 2019 we collected 17,923 5₵ coins and we aim to be bigger and better in this year’s challenge. So, start collecting those pesky little coins and bring them along and launch this challenge! Let’s see which class can top the coin pile!

Fundraising Committee

Sunrise Bakery Pie Drive

Pie order forms were sent home with students earlier this week. We have a great selection to choose from, so take this opportunity to stock up for the school holidays! Please get orders from family and friends and return the form WITH the money to the school office in a sealed envelope by Friday, June 11th.

More forms are available at the school office if you need them. The delivery date will be Wednesday, June 23rd.

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

2021 School Fair

We’ve set the date for our next fair! It will be held on Saturday, 16th October 2021. Preparations have begun and, at this stage, we would really appreciate your assistance in the coming months in the following ways:

• Can you sew, knit, bead, make cards or jewellery or assist with donations for the craft stall? Get creative or finish those UFOs (unfinished objects)!

• Calling all green thumbs to get potting, striking and sowing…. or can you pickle, pot or preserve sauces, jams, etc?
• As you clean out the cupboards over the holidays, keep us in mind for donations (in very good condition) of books, jigsaw puzzles and children’s books, games and puzzles.

The Fair Committee

4-5 Peace

4/5 Peace have had a very busy start to the term.

We have welcomed and farewelled Mrs Banfield, our second year University student, on her three-week placement. In this time, she taught us about managing money and introduced us to ‘Teenage Boss’ where we began exploring budgeting for the family groceries. We really enjoyed the game ‘Mathopoly’ that she introduced us to, where we had to work collaboratively

For the first time in a long time we were also able to reflect on ANZAC day, and what it means to us. During this time we discovered the meaning of the Last Post, the purpose of rosemary and poppies, and listened to a book based on actual experiences of the War Dairies of Alice Ross-King, ‘Anzac Girl’ by Kate Simpson.

We also had an Anzac Biscuit Cook-off between three teams. We have included the winning recipes (yes, two recipes tied).

Tuckerbox Tips

Top Alternative to Chips

Chips and crisps are made from potatoes, but prepared by cooking in oil. They are high in fat and salt and best eaten occasionally. Try some of the following alternatives to chips in your child’s lunchbox:

• Nibble mix with plain popcorn, dried fruit and breakfast cereal
• Rice cakes, corn thins or rice crackers
• Wholemeal or multigrain crispbreads, eg Ryvita or Vita-Weats
• Mini toasts or grissini sticks
• Homemade pita chips - cut pita bread into triangles, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake in a moderate oven until crispy
• Pikelets or scones
• Fruit or vegetable muffins
• Fruit bun or fruit bread
• Freeze dried apple segments

Lyn Aherne – Canteen Supervisor

Move Well Eat Well

Children who are encouraged and supported in their game playing will gain skills they can use for the rest of their lives and will be more inclined to stick with healthy sporting and lifestyle activities as they grow older.

• Support your children’s choice of activities. Some kids go for organised sports such as netball and basketball. Other children prefer less structured activities like bike riding.
• Give gifts that encourage activities. For birthdays and Christmas give bats, Frisbees, bikes, skateboards and skipping ropes. Make it easy for your children to stay active.
• Lock up the car and leave it at home for short journeys, like trips to the shops. Take a bike ride, go rollerblading or walk there instead!

MWEW Team