21 December 2022

Newsletter Articles

Dates to Remember

December 2022

2023

Term Dates for Students- 2023

From the Principal

This will be my final newsletter as Acting Principal at Hillcrest Primary school, this ten weeks certainly has flown by. There have been many highlights over this period our sports carnival, readers cup and hands on learning program are just somethings I have witnessed this term making a difference for our young people. The resilience our school community has shown over the last week continues to amaze me and this time has shown me what a tight knit community the Hillcrest Primary School community is. To our students you continue to achieve so many things and show that true Hilly Kid spirit. I would like to finish my time here at Hillcrest by paying my respect to the resilience of the Hillcrest staff, broader community, and most of all our students. I wish you all a very merry Christmas and Safe Holiday period and very productive 2023.

As previously advised, we will have a few staff changes going into 2023.

Vina Bonner, Matthew Hortle, Kimberley Parker and Emma Sterta will be leaving us at the end of this year, to take up a positions at other local schools. These teachers have made a valuable contribution to our school over the years, and we wish them the very best in their new roles.

It is also a sad goodbye to our grade 6 students and families that are leaving at the end of this year. I wish you all the best for your futures and look forward to hearing about the great things happening for you.

Teaching Staff for Term 1, 2023

Launching into Learning – Jane Lewis
Kindergarten – Jane Lewis
Prep/1 – Abbie Bonney
Prep/1 – Naomi Lawes
1/2 – Charlotte Shephard
1/2 – Chelsea Sims
3/4 – Sheldon Parker
3/4– Sarah Wotherspoon
5/6 – Gaye Kelly
5/6 – Janmaree Peace
HPE – Davis Forward
Arts – Sarah Brooke
Digital Technology – Kate Brooke
AST – Adam Lane
AST– Jaime-Lea Ackerley
Quality Teaching Coach and AST – Naomi Archer

Matthew Jago – Acting Principal

Message from our New Principal

Hello, Hillcrest Primary School Community. I am delighted to be joining your school in 2023 as your Principal. I have already visited both during the school day and after school to meet students and staff, it is a beautiful environment and I look forward to even further improvements over the following year. I have felt extremely welcome on my visits. I have most recently been the Principal of Sprent Primary for three years and look forward to a drive along the coast rather than in the country each day. I live locally with my husband, two sons and our very spoilt labradoodle dog!

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the entire team at Hillcrest who have so capably led the school over the past 12 months, and in particular, Matthew Jago and Jeff Triffitt who have enabled a very smooth handover of the leadership requirements of Hillcrest PS. Although we will be seeing some more of Mr Triffitt in a part time capacity next year, I thank them for their leadership.

I invite and encourage you to come and introduce yourself to me, I have an open door policy and welcome communication between school and families at any time. I am looking forward to meeting all of our students, families, staff and extended school community at the start of 2023.

Kind regards,
Georgia

Grade 3-4 Excursion

On Monday December 5th, 2022, Miss Bonner’s and Mr Hortle/Sharman’s,3 /4 classes went on an excursion around the centre of Devonport comparing old buildings to what they look like today. Then we visited the Bass Strait Maritime Centre

Grade 3-4 Excursion

Book Collection Days

Student Council 2022

This week our Student Leaders had their last meeting for 2022. We celebrated and reflected on our year’s achievements. We are so incredibly proud of the Respect, Courage, Growth and Aspiration these leaders have not only personally developed, but also the way they have supported these values across our school.

We are excited to see where these children venture to next and expect they will continue to develop the skills of being positive role models and citizens. Congratulations to a wonderful bunch of kids!

Early Years

This year we have welcomed many new faces to the Launching into Learning programs. Both adults and children have developed friendships and skills in the space that these sessions have offered.

The pre- kinder sessions were particularly successful and have prepared our 2023 kindergarten students with a focus on social skills, oral literacy and fine motor development.

I look forward to welcoming you back in 2023

Jane Lewis – LiL & Kinder Teacher

Christmas Raffle Winners

Thank you to all the families that participated in our raffle and the wonderful supporters who donated the prizes. What a fantastic effort! Congratulations to the lucky winners:

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

HPSA Fundraising Report

The Hillcrest Primary School Association has had another great year of fundraising. The fundraising enables us to provide valuable resources for classrooms, fund programs for students and upgrade the playgrounds and equipment. Along the way we get our families and school community together, organise, participate, share, communicate and, most of all, have fun!

A big thank you for the amazing effort by everyone who volunteered, donated, manned a stall and came along to support our School events.

I would like to thank everyone who donated items for our fundraising, bought and sold raffle tickets, took orders for the Pie Drive, packed all those pies and ordered calendars.

Lyn Aherne – Fundraising

Reminders

Newsletter 2023

If you no longer wish to receive newsletters from us in 2023, please let the school office staff know either by emailing hillcrest.primary@decyp.tas.gov.au . If you subscribe to the Schoolzine emailed newsletter, you can unsubscribe online.

If you would like to see all the photos etc in our newsletter in lovely colour in 2022, please subscribe from the link below. You will be emailed a link every fortnight at 10am on a Thursday.

If you would like a paper copy, please notify the school office when you come in to collect your child’s books on Book Collection Day, Wednesday Feb 1st 2023.

Book Collection 2023

The school office will close at 3:30pm on Thursday, December 21st, 2022, and re-open on Monday, January 30th, 2023. Please do not come in to collect books or buy uniforms, etc until book collection day.

Book collection/levy payments and uniform sales will take place on Wednesday February 1st 2023, ONLY from 12:00 noon -6:00pm in the school office. Please remember to bring your orange levy sheet with you on the day.

Allow enough time to check and update the validation forms which will be handed out on the day. You can pay your levies and uniform by Qkr or EFTPOS.

Second-hand Uniform

If you have any good quality second-hand uniform items that you won’t be needing, please consider donating them to the school. We can only accept logo’d items that have been washed, ironed and preferably on a hanger.

School Car Parks

Please remember that families are not to use the staff car parks for dropping off and collecting children. Please Park in Lawrence Drive. Please DO NOT park in the layby as that is a ‘No Standing’ zone.

RWVP

Remember, you must have a current Registration for Working with Vulnerable People card to do any parent help at all at the school. The holiday break could be just the time to register via the link below. Remember to add ‘Department of Children, Education and Young People’ as an employer (even though you are only getting a volunteer card) and choose Hillcrest Primary School from the drop-down list.

Remember: if you wish to attend a class excursion with your child/ren or help in the class in any way, you are required to have this card.

Enjoy your holidays and see you in 2023!

The School Office

Grade 6 Major Awards

These awards are a recognition of excellence for the 2022 year. However, through their primary years, these students have consistently displayed persistence, hard work, respect, responsibility, and resilience. It is because of these attributes that they have received the highest accolades in our school.

• Encouragement Award: Jazmyne
• Kindness Award: Joshua
• Hilly Kids Award: Shataya
• Sports Awards: Melanie and Joshua
• Arts Achievement Award: Lucas
• Mathematics Achievement Award: Maya
• English Achievement Award: Alicia
• The Minister’s Respectful Student Award: Lily
• Principal’s Award for Contribution to the School: Inika
• Exemplary Academic Achievement Award: Alicia

Outstanding Achievement Class Awards

Perpetual Awards 2022

This year we introduced 6 new award in honour of our children impacted by the 2021 Tragedy. The award recipients for 2022 were:

• Personal Growth Award in memory of Jalailah Jones: Brody
• Personal Growth Award in memory of Jye Sheehan: Jazmyne
• Personal Growth Award in memory of Zane Mellor: Ruby
• Quiet Achiever Award sponsored by The Bridger Family: Tamyin
• Respect Award in memory of Addison Stewart: Maddison
• Respect Award in memory of Chace Harrison: Heath
• School Service Award in memory of Peter Dodt: Alicia

Certificates of Appreciation 2022

The following students have been reliable helpers in our school for the 2022 school year and have received Certificates of Appreciation:

Student Council 2023

Students from grades 3-6, and staff recently participated in the election of the 2023 HPS Student Council. Each student participated in a process involving nominations and speeches to their peers.

On behalf of the school community, we would like to congratulate the 2023 Student Councillors that were selected for our team in 2023. This Team will be officially announced and recognised early in Term 1.

Jaime-Lea Ackerley - Coordinator

Sports Leaders 2023

Congratulations to the Hillcrest Sports Leaders for 2023 who, I am sure, will do a fantastic job next year leading us all through the Daily PE programs!

These members were selected last week and will be officially announced and recognised early in Term 1

Davis Forward – HPE Teacher