Principal s chat THIS WEEK AT M.P.S. UPCOMING EVENTS. Newsletter no 17 June 26th, Wednesday 27th June Pizza fundraiser orders due.

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1 Newsletter no 17 June 26th, 2018 Principal s chat Hi everyone, We are in the last week of term 2 and everyone is ready for a well-deserved break. Reports and portfolios went home yesterday and I m hoping you have all had some time to read the reports and celebrate the work your child has completed over the last semester. The portfolios will need to be returned to school at the beginning of term 3, so that more work samples can be added for the remainder of the year. You are welcome to take the semester 1 school report out of the portfolio so you have this throughout the year. We will be holding Parent Teacher interviews in term 3 to discuss student reports and set goals for the rest of the year. If you have any questions and would like to meet sooner, please organise a meeting time with your child s teacher. In the portfolio you would have seen an attendance sheet for your child. Congratulations to these students on 100% attendance in Term 2: Esther, Isla, Jack J, Florence, Henry, Dulcie and Arlen. I would particularly like to congratulate Tom S for 100% attendance in both Term 1 and Term 2. This is a great effort! Last week we had our Parent Forum for the review which is being conducted next term. This is one way to gain feedback from you about how the school is going and what we need to improve on in the future. Thank you to those who participated in this, whether it be in the forum or via the questions sent home. Some of the questions were based on the results of the Parent Opinion Survey in Here is some of the feedback: What are the highlights of the school? - Staff really know the children - Interesting and varied things happening at the school - Welcome Picnic at the beginning of the year - Supporting children s learning where there are gaps - Leadership programs for the senior levels - Sporting opportunities learning different skills for a variety of sports - Students getting recognition for great behaviour - Fundraising activities - Art/Performing Arts programs have a variety of experiences - The way the children treat each other no exclusion of younger students etc. - Japanese being offered for parents THIS WEEK AT M.P.S. Wednesday 27th June Pizza fundraiser orders due Thursday 28th June Travel Expo Gr 5/6, 9am -10am Friday 29th June NO CASUAL CLOTHES, school uniform required Fresh Fruit Friday Pizza fundraiser Assembly, 2.15pm with students singing Last day term 2, 2.30pm dismissal Monday 16th July First day term 3 UPCOMING EVENTS Friday 3rd August Japanese Day Wednesday 8th August Finance sub committee meeting Friday 17th August Athletics Carnival Wednesday 22nd August School Council Friday 31st August Bloke s Breakfast Thurs 13th Sept Grade 1 camp experience day Thurs 13th-Friday 14th Sept Grade 2 camp Thursday 25th October School Concert Saturday 3rd November Market Day fundraiser Thursday 8th November Prep late night stay/gr 1 sleepover Please note change of date

2 What are some areas for improvement? - Spelling program in upper years - More play in younger years - More project based learning to engage children in learning - More communication with parents about behaviour issues - Wellbeing officer would benefit the school - Involving community members in projects - Making sure students are taking responsibility for their learning - Consistency with homework expectations How could we prepare your child for the next stage of schooling? - Setting consistent expectations with homework - Have A day in the life of a year 7 for the upper grades - Improve links with the secondary college and kindergarten - Ensure students are responsible and organised with completing work, filling in diaries etc. - Finding out what expectations are at secondary school - Making sure the students are engaged and inspired when they leave primary school How could we challenge or support your child more in their learning? - Build up their ownership of learning - Blend real life experiences into their learning - Give parents some information on strategies for homework - More student choice, interest based learning - Happy with how our children are being challenged this semester - Making sure the teacher has high expectations and pushes students where they see an interest What are some things we can do to decrease inappropriate behaviour and/or bullying? - Clearly define what bullying is - Emotional Intelligence education - Making sure all students know the expected behaviours at the beginning of school - The school is already rewarding positive behaviour - Let students tell their side of the problem before a consequence is put in place - Talk to the students about what they see happening in the yard These are only some of the responses and ideas discussed over the last week. Thank you again for your input in this process. I am also currently discussing the data from the Student Opinion Survey with small groups of students. It is great to hear what they think and also give them some ownership over the data. Have a great holiday and we will see you again in term 3. Thanks, Reminders Alisa Pizza orders and money for Friday s lunch are due back TOMORROW. NO late orders will be accepted. Our usual Friday Fundraiser will NOT take place this week due to the pizza fundraiser..

3 Permission notes/payment to be returned: - Division netball payment (selected Gr 5/6 students) is due by Birthdays Tarkyn Friday 29th June. - Castlemaine Secondary College Experience Day permission forms (Gr 5/6) are due by Wednesday 18th July. - Preparation for Puberty permission form and payment (Gr 5/ 6) is due by Wednesday 18th July. The uniform shop has been restocked so please see Debra if you need to purchase any uniform for your child. Fresh Fruit Friday volunteers this week are Katie McEachran and Katie s Mum. All Jump rope for Heart sponsorship forms and money are due back at the office by Friday 29th June if you did not utilise the online fundraising tool. Principal s Awards Rex, Chloe, Amabel and Scarlett Rex: for helping construct a flat pack shelf for the resource room Chloe, Amabel and Scarlett: for helping to set up for Grandparent s Day School behaviour awards Can you help? We need to compile a new Fresh Fruit Friday roster for term 3 and 4. A pink note requesting volunteers was sent home last week. Please return the note by this Thursday 28th June so that a new roster can be compiled in time for term 3. Be Brave L to R: Jazmin, Bailey, Georgia and Jack Community Connections 3/4 Hospital visit: Artists of the week Hamish and Tom

4 What s happening in the classroom? Library reminder: ALL library books must be returned to school TOMORROW for end of term processing.

5 Extra curricular catch up Hot Shots Tennis: Henry and Digby both won a tennis racquet for hitting a tennis ball through the basketball ring. Harder than you think! Jump rope for heart: A big thank you to those who came along to enjoy our Jump Off Day for Jump Rope for Heart yesterday. The children had a great time showing off their skipping skills and it was great to see a couple of parents picking up a skipping rope and joining in the fun! Our school raised an incredible $ which is a fantastic effort for a school our size. Thank you to everyone who supported our fundraising efforts and a special well done to our top 3 fundraisers: Arlen $304 (he has added to his online total overnight!). Stella M $184 Patrick $151 (Patrick also added to his total). The prizes from Jump Rope for Heart will not arrive until mid way through term 3. We will send prizes home as soon as they arrive! Well done to everyone who participated!

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7 What s happening in our community?

8 School Holiday Electronics Workshops in July. School holiday electronics workshops for kids are being offered by members of Bendigo Amateur Radio and Electronics Club. Workshops will be held in Castlemaine on July 4th and 5th, and at Longlea on July 11th and 12th, with the aim of providing skills and enthusiasm to the next generation of engineers. There will be two workshops. Workshop 1 will be for beginners, seven years and over, where they will learn about electrical circuits and make a solar grasshopper to take home! In workshop 2, for 10 years and over, participants will learn how to solder and make a crazy cricket or frog to take home! There will also be a third workshop for those that have been before. Costs range from $25.00 for the beginners workshops, to $55.00 for the advanced workshops. To secure a spot for your child and to find out more details, phone Ross on Free leadership training in school holidays Students interested in building skills in leadership, communication and decision making are invited to come along and participate in a day of training during the upcoming school holidays. The free workshop is for people aged 12 to 25 years and coordinated in conjunction with Mount Alexander Shire Council s Youth Advisory Group. The training helps young people to develop the skills and confidence to create a positive change in their community. Participants will learn what to consider when planning a community campaign or project, along with the skills to achieve it. Training will be held on Wednesday 4 July from 10am to 3.30pm at Mondo Lounge, 30 Templeton Street, Castlemaine. Lunch is provided. To register contact Shannon Lacy, Council s Youth Development Officer, on or youth@mountalexander.vic.gov.au by Friday 29 June. Maldon Neighbourhood Centre Winter Newsletter available now Visit to download and find out the latest news and Term 3 program.