Newsletter - 11 April
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Principal's Highlights
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Before/After School Hours - Duty of Care
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School Levy Payments - OVERDUE
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Class Spotlight - 1/2BC
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Launching into Learning
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Grade 6 Canberra Trip
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Safe Play with Sticks - Prep
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What Matters? Writing Challenge
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Interschool Chess Tournament
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4/5/6S & 4M Excursion to SLC
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Prep-1FT STEM Challenge
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Mother's Day Stall - Save the Date
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From the School Association
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School Calendar
Principal's Highlights
Dear Families
We have had a very successful term at our busy school.
Our students have had the opportunity to participate and engage in so many different things at Mount Nelson over the last term!
Our Year 5/6 classes started with a team-building excursion to Molesworth as part of their learning about leadership and fostering a sense of belonging and community
We have had such an exciting and engaging start to the year for our Launching into learning families. It has been so wonderful to meet our littlest learners and their families, and we look forward to another great term of discovery and fun in Term 2. Be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page, as well as our new brochure to keep you up to date with what is happening each week. Please let your neighbours and friends know about the Launching into Learning program at our school.
Our Prep and Gr 1 students have been busily engaging in PAT tests for early literacy and numeracy skills. Our Grade 3s and 5s have also participated in NAPLAN testing in term 1. Our children have demonstrated perseverance and courage to complete the tests and we are so proud of them. The purpose of PAT and NAPLAN testing is to determine areas of need for each child to focus on in Term 2.
Our K-2 and Year 3-6 Athletics Carnivals. Congratulations to all students who participated; showed courage and growth and worked as a team to support their respective houses.
Last Wednesday our Athletics representatives headed to the Domain on a very cool day to compete against 8 other schools in the division D Interschool Athletics Carnival. We were so proud of the team work along with individual achievements that led to our school coming 4th in this new division.
We have begun our Daily Fitness Program for Kindergarten to Year 5 students which is led by our Year 6 Daily Fitness leaders.
Bush Kinder as started for our early year classes and they are having lots of fun.
Thanks to our wonderful School Executive for organising a successful Easter Raffle. We raised over $1600 towards our Grade 6 camp.
Thank you to all our parents who helped out at our Election Day Stall. We have had a wonderful start to our fundraising this year. We received great feedback from community members about our cakes and sold out by 1pm.
We have begun our Literacy Support Program with the support of teacher Julie Ransley and our staff and teacher aides. This targeted program aims to give all students at Mount Nelson Primary targeted explicit teaching time and support to develop their vital literacy skills for reading and also writing. The targeted small groups mean that children have the opportunity to learn at the level appropriate for them. Classes across the school are also providing regular, planned reading to support the development of reading skills such as inferring questioning, finding key information in a text and identifying information across the text. Children are building strong vocabulary knowledge as they read and understand a range of text types and respond to texts in many ways.
Harmony Day - led by Christie Speight. We celebrated our diversity with a focus on the connections we have with each other.
Over the past couple of weeks, Rachel and class teachers have invited parents to meet to discuss student learning plans. Thank you to those families who have taken the time to come in to discuss your child and their learning.
We have a few staff changes for term 2
We welcome:
- Abbey Clark who will be teaching PE whilst Declan West is on Leave
- Mrs Anne Ling who will be working with staff and primary students leading our work in Critical Literacy and taking enrichment groups.
- Mr Bruno Brayovic - who will be teaching Grade 2/3 Gould whilst Ms. Rebecca Gould is on Leave for the first two weeks.
Celebration of learning
I would like to thank our families for your kindness and understanding that you have shown to staff throughout this term. Unfortunately, we have had a lot of teachers away because of COVID-19 this term and as a consequence have had to postpone our Celebration of Learning Assembly mid-term. So, we had two this week!
A regular feature of our Prep or Kinder to Year 6 Assemblies are our Celebration of Learning Awards. Teachers acknowledge the efforts and learning of students connected to either our school values of care, respect, team players, adaptable, achieving or our school capabilities Self-Manger, Thinker, Researcher, Contributor, Communicator and Collaborator. Congratulations to all who were awarded certificates this term!
As I am writing this we are heading into the holidays. We hope that all of our families have a restful, safe and rejuvenating, fun Holiday Break.
Catherine Grace
Principal
Before/After School Hours - Duty of Care
Mount Nelson Primary School staff have duty of care from 8.30 am with school finishing at 3.00 pm.
Mount Nelson Primary School's hours are 8.30 am through to 3.00 pm. It is important that parents/carers do not bring children to school before school hours because there is no supervision of students at that time. Prior to 8.30 is also an important preparation time for our teachers. Similarly, it is important parents/carers either collect their children at the end of the school day, arrange for them to catch the bus home or make other collection arrangements so students are not left unsupervised at the end of the school day.
Unsupervised students may engage in dangerous play or put themselves in dangerous locations. Parents/carers are responsible for their child outside school hours unless they have accessed school based child care during these times.
School Levy Payments - OVERDUE
Thank you to parents who have paid levies and to those who are making regular payments. Levies are now overdue. If you are experiencing difficulties with making payments, please contact Sandy to discuss a payment plan. Payments can be made weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
Sandy Fenton
Acting School Business Manager
Class Spotlight - 1/2BC
This year, 1/2B have been working with their buddy class 5/6AH to create short stories with a twist. Each group was given 10 minutes to create their version of a short story, taking turns saying the next word in the sentence. Each pair focused on listening carefully to their partner and thinking about what word would fit best to make sense. This allowed our classes to work with the learning assets of self-manager and communicator.
Here are a few of their stories:
Launching into Learning
We have had such an exciting and engaging start to the year for our Launching into Learning families.
It has been so wonderful to meet our littlest learners and their families and we look forward to another great term of discovery and fun in Term 2.
Be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page, as well as our new brochure to keep you up to date with what is happening each week.
Please let your neighbours and friends know about the Launching into Learning program at our school.
Grade 6 Canberra Trip
Thank you to parents who are paying, or have already paid, for their child's Grade 6 Canberra Trip.
Next instalment of $450 is due Friday 12 April with final instalment of $200 to be made Friday 10 May.
Payment details can be found on the invoice. If you require a copy of the invoice or are experiencing difficulties making these payments, please contact Sandy our School Business Manager.
Safe Play with Sticks - Prep
The Preps shared in assembly how they have been inquiring into safe play with sticks in our bush school.
What Matters? Writing Challenge
What Matters is a fantastic extension writing challenge that we offer our students at Mound Nelson Primary.
Our wonderful Grade 5/6 teachers have offered this to all our students in grade 5/6 as an enrichment activity. It focuses on planning, drafting and publishing an imaginative, informative and persuasive text and developing use of language to convey ideas.
Our students have also drawn on our Mount Nelson Primary assets of collaboration, thinking, research, self-management and communication. We aim to give students the opportunity to examine and express their point of view on contemporary social, political cultural and environmental issues and think creatively about them.
Students chose an issue of significance that they wrote about with passion and conviction.
Sapling
A sapling takes the earth.
Grows strong, leaves reaching upwards.
Freed of rooted bound, it sighs, content.
But it is not a tree.
Not yet.
Time passes.
The sapling bears a single fruit.
Greets the spring,
Singing proudly to the world.
It is not a sapling any more.
But not a tree.
Not yet.
Years speed by.
The sapling ages and weathers.
Stretches, spreads, taller than it ever was.
And sapling roars triumph.
For it is not a sapling anymore.
No more waiting.
HERE I AM!
The world rushes past.
Sapling watched as its friends were felled.
Now nothing but gnarled stumps remain.
Sapling knows that it is next.
For carried by mycelia is a message.
Now all sapling can do is hope.
Hope that it is not too late.
Not yet.
Adelin
Grade 5 Student
Interschool Chess Tournament
Congratulations to our Mount Nelson Primary School team who competed at an Interschool Chess Tournament this week.
Students demonstrated our school values with Respectful gameplay, and showed they are Team Players by encouraging each other throughout the day.
Thank you to the parents who came along and supported our team.
Kyler was also fortunate to have the opportunity to play a game against a world-renowned Chess Grand Master who is currently visiting Tasmania.
Our team were successful at both an individual and team level:
- Kyler scored the most points across all Primary-level participants
- Adelin was recognised as the most improved player across all games
- Overall, our School Team was ranked second, a significant achievement and a credit to everyone on the team
Congratulations Henry, Adelin, Ruben, Luke, Kyler, Lucas, Owen, Hugo, Siu.
4/5/6S & 4M Excursion to SLC
On the lovely day, Wednesday 10th of April, 4/5/6S and 4M walked up to the Sustainability Learning Centre having no idea how much fun was going to be had…
When we arrived at the Sustainability Centre, we split into our class groups, and our class went to the incredible loose parts play area around the back of the building, where Christie read us a book that was called Rosie Revere, the engineer. The book taught us to never give up, and also that failure is the first step to success! Afterward, Christie told us that we could do WHATEVER we wanted to with the loose parts that there were. Some of the things were: pipes, shovels, buckets, old pots, and water from a tap. Everybody enjoyed themselves and made some REALLY cool things, like collecting coloured sea glass in a cubby, digging holes, and transferring water through pipes, and making motes.
It was devastating when we had to destroy our creations, but worth it, because what we did after was great! We went to have recess with 4M and then went to the Hobart College to watch the Hobart College bands. There were lots of different genres and styles of music, and I enjoyed most of them. My favourite was the last song which was “Son of a preacher man” played by the Hobart College house band. I think that was quite a few other people enjoyed that one too. Our school started clapping to the music(Waimea Heights was also there).
After that, we walked back down thinking about what fun we had just had!
Alvina
4/5/6S Student
On Wednesday we walked up to the Sustainability centre with 4M, we left at about five past 9:00. When we got to the Sustainability centre, we sat down on logs outside of the centre. About five minutes after we got there a person called Louisa came and showed us where to go. She walked us through to our tarp which was next to the parking lot then she left. We all sat down on the tarp except for the people who have jack jumper allergies. Then we read a story about a girl who wanted to be an inventor, but her inventions kept going wrong, so she gave up. But when her oldest grandma came she got hope and they built a cheese helicopter that flew. After that we were allowed to build stuff out of loose materials. Me and Louis built and camouflaged cubby out of a box, crates, a pipe and some sticks. After we had a play around, we went into the Hobart college to watch some bands play. My favourite was a person who played a piano! After all the music was over, we walked back to school and had lunch.
Kai
4/5/6S Student
On 10/4/24 4/5/6S and 4M went to the Sustainability Centre. Around 9 O’clock we walked up to the Sustainability Centre when we got there, we (4/5/6S) went to do loose parts, while 4M went to do something else. One of our guides, Louisa, brought us to loose parts and Christie read us the book ‘Rosie Revere’. Loose parts consisted of big cardboard boxes, plastic pipes and shovels. After an hour we had recess, after recess we walked up to the Hobart College and watched some performances, all the people that performed were so talented! Sadly, the concert came to end and we had to walk back to school.
Emily
4/5/6S Student
Prep-1FT STEM Challenge
Mother's Day Stall - Save the Date
From the School Association
MNPS Association AGM
All parents and carers are invited to attend the School Association AGM, Thursday 2 May, 7pm. We will meet in the School staffroom, and an online option will be available for those who cannot attend in person. Please let us know if you'll be joining us at the AGM by registering via Qkr!
It's not too late to nominate for the Association Committee
All parents and carers are encouraged to consider nominating for the School Association Committee. This is just one of the myriad of ways you can contribute to the life of the school. Express your interest in nominating here
Sports thank you!
The Association wish to express our thanks to volunteers Karrie, Jaymie, Cam, Steph, and Emma for pulling together this year's netball and soccer seasons for our kids. Thank you also to all the volunteer coaches and managers in our community. It's great to see our students loving playing with their friends and representing Mount Nelson.
Canteen thank you!
We'd also like to extend our thanks to Sarah and Lihini for the successful return of our school canteen over the past few weeks. Your efforts to provide nutritious recess and lunch options are welcomed by students, and perhaps even more so by parents who once again have the option of a day off from packing lunches.
If you'd like to help out in the canteen on Wednesday or Friday mornings please complete the volunteer form on Qkr! No cooking required.
Canteen will be on Friday in Term 2, Week 1!
A reminder to any parents of kids in 5-6D and 5-6AH who made orders for their kids this week, that due to the excursion yesterday, they will be carried over to week 1 next term.