18 November 2021

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

November

December

From the Principal

Readers Cup

It is always great to share good news with the community. A huge congratulations to our Readers Cup team, who won both the quiz and overall trophy for the Devonport Readers Cup. The team performed very well and were praised by the organisers for their excellent preparation for the event. Well done to Inika, Lily, Veronica, Chloe, Jehanne and Milana, who represented Hillcrest beautifully. Thanks to the organisers of the event with sponsorship by Steve Martin. A big thankyou also goes to Naomi Archer, for supporting the girls in their preparations and supervising them on the day. We are very proud!

Classes 2022

As mentioned in our last newsletter, if parents have a particular request regarding their child for 2022, please contact the office to make an appointment. We try and meet requests where possible, but a range of factors contribute to how classes are structured. We will soon be making decisions regarding classes so if you do have a request, please make an appointment to see me prior to Wednesday, 24th November.

Kinder 2022

If families are aware of any children in our area who will be turning 4 by the 1st of January 2022, please encourage them to enquire about enrolling in our Kinder for next year. We are planning our Kinder provision now, so your support is appreciated!

Jerome Pape – Principal

Hilly Kids Are Friendly Kids

Our current Hilly Kids focus topic is Including Others. Our next focus topic for term 4 will be Sharing.

Sharing

If you want people to share with you then you should share with them. It makes you feel good and them feel good too.

People like to play with others who share. It doubles the fun. Playing football by yourself is not as much fun as playing with others.

Things to share: your toys, your games, your football, your time, your love and your feelings.

Great ways to share a toy:

• Share with someone who will enjoy it
• Look after it
• Take turns with the toy
• If there’s a problem, work it out together
• Give it back at the end of the game to the owner
• Have fun together

Life is lonely all by yourself, so share it with someone!

Our Hilly Kid for the ‘Consequences’ topic was Andy from 4-5P and our Aussie of the Month for October was Coby from 3/4HB. Congratulations, Myha and Coby!

Well done to our other class representatives:

School Athletics Carnival

Our Athletics Carnival will be held tomorrow, November 19th – weather permitting. Students need to pack an extra drink and must wear appropriate clothes and shoes for running. No singlet tops or crop tops, please. Don’t forget to wear your TEAMS colours! BLUE GUM – Blue, BANKSIA – Red and WATTLE – Green. If you don’t know your child’s TEAMS colour, please ask their teacher.

Family members are welcome to attend and a reminder that you MUST follow the COVID protocols set out below. A program is provided below, or you can get a copy on the day.

If it rains, the sausage sizzle will still go ahead.

Jayden Wicks – PE Teacher

DoE Protocol (COVID-19) for spectators

All spectators are required to follow protocols below:

• You are required to enter the carnival via the entry on Lawrence Drive nearest the oval, through the Entry Station. Parking will be accessible on Lawrence Drive and side streets only.
• At the Entry Station, all spectators are required to sign in using the QR code.
• Spectators are required to sit on the bank on the western side of the oval, at the base of the play equipment. Seating will be provided, and you will be required to sit in the designated seating, which will be appropriately distanced. Students will be seated in the centre of the oval.

Jaime-Lea Duff – AST

Grade 1-2 Swimming & Water Safety

The Grade 1-2 Swimming Program, to be held at the Nixon St Primary School pool, begins on Monday, November 22nd. Please make sure you return your orange aquatic consent and major excursion/medical forms to the office as soon as possible or your child may be unable to attend. Classroom teachers will distribute swimming caps at the pool. Please chat with your child’s classroom teacher if you have any questions.

Jaime-Lea Duff – AST

Student Assistance Scheme (STAS)

The Department of Education offers a Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) for families that are eligible. Parents/Carers who have a current concession card, as listed below, can apply for dependent students for assistance under this scheme:

Service Australia Centrelink Health Care Card, Centrelink Low Income Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card or Department of Veteran Affairs – Pensioner Concession Card.

To assist with processing applications for new applicants, an online form is available. The online form can be completed here:

Please note that, if you are already receiving student assistance, you do not need to complete a form.

Once a validated form is completed, the Department of Education will confirm the outcome of your application in writing. This process takes approximately 14 days.

If the online option is not possible for you, please enquire at the school office for a paper copy.

2022 Devonport Readers Cup

What an achievement!

Last Friday Veronica, Inika, Jehanne, Chloe, Lily and Milana competed in the Devonport Readers Cup with 10 other primary schools. The girls finished 1st in the quiz section and 2nd in the creative component which meant they WON overall. The girls have worked hard for many weeks and should be so proud of their performance last week. They have been extremely dedicated in their preparation for the competition and it was rewarding to see the hard work pay off.

Thank you to Mrs Kelly and Mr Fenn for allowing the girls to meet regularly. Thank you to Mr Woods for transporting the props and thank you to Mrs Mulcaster for allowing us to use her car.

Naomi Archer - AST

Remembrance Day

On the November 11th our Student Leaders hosted a Remembrance Day Service for our school. It was nice to be able to come together on the official Remembrance Day to reflect those who have died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts. We had a minute silence where students showed their respects and were able to reflect on what Remembrance Day means to them. The student leaders did a wonderful job at running the service and spoke respectfully. It has been wonderful to see their growth over the year in their public speaking skills and confidence in becoming active citizens in our community.

Celebration Tea Towels

We have sold over half of our Celebration Tea Towels already so don’t miss out! The tea towels were printed to mark Hillcrest’s 40th birthday and every child and staff member in the school drew their portrait to be printed on it. Once we sell out, that is it...there are no more! Call in to the school office and get yours soon!

Grade 6 News

Grade 6 Orientation Day & Enrolment forms

All Grade 6 students attending Reece High School and Devonport High School in 2022 will be attending a full day of transition on Tuesday, November 30th. Students will have received a letter detailing Reece High School’s outline for the day.

Students must make their own way to Reece High by 8:45am and home again (finishing at 2:50pm).

Please ensure that enrolment forms are in ASAP. They can be handed in to our school office or to Reece High School.

Grade 6 Big Day Out

Students in Grade 6 will celebrate the end of their primary school years with a BIG DAY OUT on Tuesday, December 14th. They will be visiting several local venues. A notice with more detailed information will be sent home soon.

Grade 6 Celebration Assembly

This year our Celebration Assembly will be limited, with only Grade 6 students and their families being invited to attend this assembly. An invitation will be sent home in the coming weeks. This special assembly will be held on the last Wednesday of term, December 15th, at 11am.

Ann-Maree Mulcaster - AST

4-5Peace

4/5 Peace’s Science Inquiry unit answering the BIG question:

How do behavioural and structural features of living things support survival?

Tuning into our inquiry identified that the class had a common understanding of the needs of organisms for survival, development, and reproduction. But we were left wondering about evolution vs adaptation…

We began finding out about specific adaptations during our reciprocal reading times. Then we gathered and recorded information using a collaborative approach by coming together as ‘experts’ in one organism to share with the group, to then actively listen to other class-mates as their contributed their findings for the other organisms. This brought about some deep thinking and resulted in building a meaningful resource that demonstrated the difference between structural and behavioural adaptations. Did you know:

…that a structural feature on a kangaroo is their strong hind legs that help them to cover long distances quickly. A behavioural feature, to support one baby’s growth, as they can be mothering up to three, is that they can put another baby on pause until things are perfect to start their growing again - Ryan and Lyra.

This led us towards exploring the effect colour has on the survival of organisms in different habitats. Through an active science experiment using coloured toothpicks, we were able to test our prediction that organisms with the colours of brown and green had a better chance at survival in three different areas of our grounds: gravel, grass, and leaf litter. See our photos attached for how this was done.

During Mathematics time, we communicated our findings through working out the percentage rate of survival. Our findings were as follows:

Survival Percentages Rates

This inquiry has us tuning into the assets of Thinking and Communicating. Here are some reflective thoughts we have made after each lesson:

“In a grassy plain, being red will not be good because there’s technically no red in that environment. But, if you’re green or brown, you will be ok and blend into the environment.” – Dieter

“The whole class thought the easiest colour to find was red and the hardest colour would be green. But brown had the highest survival rate overall.” – Josh

“I have enjoyed how we have been learning about structural and behavioural features so far.” - Ryan

Christmas Raffle

Remember to sell your raffle tickets and return the books with the money in a sealed envelope to the school office by Friday, December 3rd. The raffle will be drawn on Thursday, December 9th. There are extra books available from the school office. Please return books with money before requesting new ones.

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

2022 Calendar

Have you ordered your calendar(s) yet? All families were sent home an order form for a 2022 calendar featuring your child’s artwork. They would make great Christmas gifts for family members! To order, please fill out the form and return it to the school office ASAP. Calendars will not be printed until they are paid for.

Fundraising Committee

Tuckerbox Tips

Consider the following snack ideas for your child’s end of year/Christmas school party:

• Fruit kebabs using green and red fruits (kiwi, green apples, grapes, strawberries, watermelon)
• Vegie kebabs using green and red vegies (cherry tomatoes, snow peas, cucumber, radishes)
• Yoghurt cups topped with berries
• Mini pizza muffins (on English muffins) with green and red vegies and a sprinkle of cheese
• Dips, biscuits and sliced vegie platter – arrange these to make a snowman, Christmas tree or reindeer face!

Lyn Aherne – Canteen Supervisor

Move Well Eat Well

Gardening with Kids

Through gardening children learn responsibility, self-confidence, creativity, co-operation, reasoning and discovery! It’s also a great way to get outside and active with children. Gardening doesn’t have to be expensive and, in the long run, can save you money on your shopping bills, provide wonderful, healthy fresh produce and keep you, and the kids, fit and active.

• You can create your own biodegradable pots from newspaper or cardboard tubes. Plant them straight into the earth and the ‘container’ will compost into the ground
• Make little propagation houses from clear plastic punnets with lids or plant protectors from plastic milk containers
• Use unusual or quirky containers: tea pots, old boots, wheelbarrows, etc
• Re-use the sandpit box and convert it to a garden bed if your child has grown out of it
• Old baths, packing cases and tyres of all sizes can all be used to create easy access raised beds.

MWEW Team

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