7 July 2022

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

July

August

From the Principal

It is great to see so many families attending 3-way conferences over the last two weeks. Class teachers appreciate the opportunity to share your child’s progress so far this year, as well as discuss the future focus for your child’s learning. If you ever have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s progress, please feel free to speak with your child’s teacher.

We pride ourselves on our communication with families and hence we have many opportunities including the seesaw app and Facebook to ensure parents and the community are kept up to date with the latest news. We are also open to suggestions on how we can make our communications better, so happy to hear these as well.

As we come to the end of term, we need to say some farewells. Thanks go to the following staff, who have supported the school this year. Lisa Grundy is moving to Miandetta Primary School to work on an upper primary class. Richard Collins is moving to Spreyton Primary School, working on an early childhood class. Mandy Lillico has been providing Admin support during our recovery phase and Rachel Pollett leaves us as a long term Kinder staff member. I wish everyone all the best for their future endeavours.

Some new staff will be joining us in Term 3. Bronte Watson, Georgie Duggan, Kate Brook, Heather Lehman and Lisa Berger will be supporting classes in various recovery and school improvement roles throughout the school. Welcome to Hillcrest Primary School community and thank you to the Department of Education for supporting the school in this regard.

It has come to my attention that some families are not using the Crossing Guard when they are available, both before and after school. Please help us to support your children in learning the right way to cross the road. Modelling the correct use of the Pedestrian Crossing and utilising the Crossing Guard as parents and carers is a great way to keep everyone safe!

It is always a pleasure to share positive news

New facilities on the way

The Department of Education has committed an estimated $1 million for a range of improvements around our school. These works will include new outdoor learning facilities, landscaping, painting, and courts resurfacing and repainting. These works will commence from Term 3 2022 and continue throughout the year, with the courts resurfacing to be undertaken over the summer school holidays period.

This is exciting news for our students and staff, as some of these facilities are original when the school was built in 1983, and the works will ensure we continue to provide the best possible facilities for our learners for the next 40 years and beyond.

Also,

• There is a great Art Display in the Hall, it’s worth a look!! Attached are some photos of the display if you don’t get a chance to view it. Thank you to Rachael Langmaid and some of our grade 6 students that helped with this display.
• Thanks to the great work from our teachers and teacher assistants, our letters and sounds data and our PAT testing data has shown some great improvements, particularly this year. We are really proud of this work and continues to demonstrate the high-quality teaching and learning that is occurring at our school.
• Our staff continue to ensure that individual student needs are catered for, and we have now completed our termly updates for our learning plans. This takes a lot of time but yet again demonstrates the care and compassion we have for each of our students to ensure they reach their maximum potential.
• Currently we are conducting the Hillcrest Primary School fundraising raffle. Books are available from the front office for those parents and community members who wish to sell them- no pressure or expectation that parents do this, though. All proceeds from the raffle will go to the School Association who will then decide on how the funds will be spent. I would like to sincerely thank Maddie Penton for the time she spent on organising the prizes for the raffle and to the businesses that have donated (their names appear on the raffle book). Please continue to support these businesses who in turn have supported the school in its fundraising.

Don’t forget that the first day of Term 3, Monday, 25th July is a Professional Learning Day for staff. Staff will be working on the Australian Curriculum and planning together. New staff will spend some time completing an induction workshop. School resumes on Tuesday 26th July, for students.

Personally, I couldn’t be prouder of the work that is going on in the school at the present time. The contribution from all members of staff has been fantastic to ensure that we are reaching our targets in our school improvement plan. I’m also so proud of the work that the students are doing and the way in which they are living our school and DoE values of Respect, Courage, Aspiration and Growth. It seems we are “all rowing in the same direction” which continues to give our school strength in tackling the challenges that lay ahead of us going forward. To the parents and the community, we are working hard to continue positive partnerships with you so that the school continues to thrive for the rest of this year, next year and many years to come. To everyone keep talking positively about the school and share the great news stories at every opportunity.

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday and see you all in Term 3!

Every School Day Counts!

Getting kids to school isn’t always easy. But being at school is the best place for our kids.

If your child is unwell, they need to stay home. But if your child is well enough to attend school, they should be at school. Every day, Monday to Friday.

Reality of missing school

Data shows us that regular school attendance is one of the best things a child can do to set them up for success. But if they don’t attend, things get harder for them.

Let’s do the maths:

• If your child misses even just one day a fortnight, that adds up to 20 days of the school year. That’s the same as missing four whole weeks of school!
• If they miss one day a week, that doubles to eight weeks of school they’ll never get back.
• Over the course of their childhood, that equals two and a half years of vital education they’ll never receive…

We mean it, every school day counts. It all adds up.

Bright futures begin at school

The data also tells us something else: the better a child’s attendance rate, the better off they’ll be. Their future will be filled with more opportunities.

School is where they learn and grow alongside their friends, and where they benefit the most. Going to school not only promotes academic success, but also helps build important social skills, relationships and confidence.

Good attendance habits in primary school lead to good attendance habits in high school. This will help expand your child’s options even further as they grow older.

Watch this video to see the benefits of going to school.

It’s ok if you need help

If you’re struggling to get your child to school, help is available. Please talk to us at school about your situation. We’ll support you, in whatever way we can.

If you need support translating or interpreting this information, contact the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.

Pre-Kinder 2022

Hillcrest Primary School will be commencing our Pre-Kinder in Term 3 and Term 4.

Pre-Kinder is a parent involved session open to children eligible for kindergarten in 2023. The pre-kinder program supports children to successfully transition from home into the education environment. We encourage parents to be involved with your child’s education, prior to starting school. Although attendance is not compulsory, sessions will support children to become familiar with the school environment, routines, and structure.

Pre-Kinder sessions will run each Monday and Friday afternoon (1:30-2:30pm) in the kindergarten complex commencing on Monday, 8th August.

Children will only be required to attend one of these sessions a week. We request that younger siblings do not attend sessions.

Each week there will be special activities available with the emphasis on encouraging children to complete tasks independently, with your guidance and support. These activities involve things like fine motor, sensory, creativity, numeracy, and literacy skills.

Pre-Kinder is a wonderful opportunity for you and your child to make new friends, to become familiar and comfortable with the kindergarten environment and to support your child in the activities and learning opportunities. Please encourage your child to try a variety of learning activities and remember it takes time for them to become comfortable and confident in a new environment.

We will finish each session with a story and some mat time songs, and we will encourage your child to sit on the mat and join in with these activities and songs to help develop valuable listening skills. This is a very important part of the program, preparing your child for the expectations of kindergarten.

It is not an expectation for your child to be able to write their name prior to starting kindergarten. However, it is great if they can, so if your child is keen to try at home, we will provide them with a name practice chart so that you can ensure they are forming their letters correctly. At the beginning of each session, there will be an opportunity for your child to practise writing their name.

Kindergarten enrolment forms and information packs will be available during the term, and we encourage early completion of enrolment forms to secure a kindergarten position.

We look forward to working with you and your child over the remainder of the year. Please come and talk to us if you have any concerns/questions about your child starting school next year.

Regards,
Jane Lewis
Kindergarten Teacher

Kindergarten 2023

Inter-School Cross Country

Alicia represented our school by participating in the 2022 Tasmanian Primary All Schools Cross Country at Symmons Plains last week. A fantastic effort. Well done, Alicia!

Hands On Learning Team

This week we planted out our Herb Garden. A big thank you to Bunnings for donating the herbs, lemon tree, and soil. We look forward to using fresh herbs in our cooking.

Hilly Kids Are Friendly Kids

Our current Hilly Kids focus topic is Consequences. Our first focus topic for term 3 will be Responsibility.

Responsibility

It is a big responsibility growing and learning. Those who take on the responsibility for their learning, having a positive attitude, showing leadership and ownership over their choices and actions, give themselves the best chance to succeed. There are many admired qualities in responsible people, especially having a positive mindset about who is in control. At times, our children feel that the adults around them are responsible for their ability to succeed; however, it is important that we empower our children to take charge of their opportunities and make every chance and everyday count. When we take responsibility for our actions, including being a leader, a learner and a having a positive attitude, we can find ways to succeed every day.

Our Hilly Kid for the ‘Doing Your Best’ topic was Oscar from 3/4B. Congratulations, Oscar!

Well done to our other class representatives:

School Photos

School photos are on Tuesday, 9 August. Order forms were sent home with all students on Monday.

• Please ensure that you return your photo envelopes to the school, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT ORDERING PHOTOS.
• DO NOT LOSE the envelopes as each one has that child’s unique barcode on it which is needed on photo day!

Kinder Children

Kinder children will have their photos taken in the FIRST time slot so they should come in the morning at 8:55am sharp. If you are late, you may not make the class group photo. Please ask either Mrs Sterta or Miss Lewis if you have any questions about this arrangement.

Sibling Photos

Please collect an envelope from the school office if you would like a sibling photo. These can be ordered with cash in the envelope returned to school or online with card or Paypal. All children in the sibling photo must attend this school.

Late Fee

There may be a late fee for all orders received after photo day. Photos will not be printed for any orders received without payment until payment is received. The school does not deal with any late orders. They must be directed to MSP Photography.

General Information

• Complete the information on all envelopes and return to school ASAP when you have paid online or with payment enclosed before photo day. Please return the envelopes even if you are not ordering photos.
• Please ask at the office if you require a duplicate envelope for the second parent or a sibling photo envelope.
• Do not seal envelopes inside each other - you can pay for all your children in one envelope or by online ordering; however, each child needs to have their own separate envelope on photo day. If you wish to order photos, tick the required box on each child’s envelope, even if the payment is in another envelope.
• Please enclose correct money as NO change will be given. The school office will NOT make change. Only cash is accepted in the envelopes – no cheques. Credit cards can only be used for online order payments. Make sure you tear the order form at the perforation and then seal the envelope if enclosing money.
• All children will have their photo taken on the day, whether parents intend to purchase any or not, so all students need to wear full school uniform, including a school jumper. Teachers will encourage students to comb their hair and ensure their clothing is neat.
• There is a very generous discount on all orders placed online that total over $110. This discount is ONLY available for online orders and cannot be claimed AFTER photo day.
• Students will still need to return their envelope even if you place your order online.

REMEMBER: ALL ENVELOPES MUST BE RETURNED TO SCHOOL BEFORE PHOTO DAY, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT ORDERING PHOTOS!

Tuckerbox Tips

Check your ingredients!

Need some help working out if a food product is a good choice? Look at the ingredient list. The ingredient list can tell you if a food is high in a nutrient, e.g., sugar or fat. Ingredients are listed from most to least in quantity. If you are trying to limit your intake of fat, sugar, or salt, look for the other names or descriptions of these ingredients as listed in the table below.

Lyn Aherne – Canteen Supervisor

Move Well Eat Well

Nature Play

So much to explore! Take up the ‘Winter Challenge’ with your family during the school holidays:

• Make a bird feeder & put it in a tree
• Go on a picnic with a thermos of soup
• Visit the beach & collect shells
• Make leaf boats & float them in a creek or puddle
• Go rock collecting
• Sketch a tree without leaves
• Search for birds’ nests
• Go for a walk in the rain

MWEW Team

Devon Netball Clinics

Toast for Kids Charity Gala