Newsletter - 28 August 2024
- Acting Principal's Highlights
- Student Voice
- Class Spotlight - Kinder
- Staff Spotlight - Rory Campbell
- Grade 6 Canberra Trip
- Young Archies Update
- Ongoing Teacher Professional Learning to Support our Young Inquirers!
- Winter Sports Carnival Recap - Mr West
- Premier's Reading Challenge
- Father's and Special Person's Day!
- "Feathers" - Terrapin Puppet Theatre
- Student Medication at School
- Upcoming Events
- Applications for STAS - Closing Friday
- Afterschool Safety and Duty of Care
- Save the Date - Movie Night!
- Celebration of Learning
- Student Achievements!
- Reading at Home
- From our School Nurse
- Recipe of the Week!
- Hobart Youth Futsal Spring Competition
Acting Principal's Highlights
Dear Families,
It’s hard to believe that we are already halfway through Term 3! As you are aware, Catherine is away on long service leave until Term 4 and I will be filling in as Acting Principal while she is away.
Our school has so many things to be proud of, and our students top this list. Mick, Janelle and I had the pleasure of taking our Grade 6 students to Canberra last week and we came away feeling incredibly proud of them and the way they demonstrated our school values and assets ‘in the real world’. In fact, Scotty our bus driver, said we were the best group he had ever had!
Despite a very early morning flight that left us weary, the students were engaged and attentive when we headed straight to The Royal Australian Mint, then to The Arboretum and The Australian Institute of Sport. It didn’t stop there, as the following day we had a guided walk of ANZAC Parade, a visit to Parliament House and then to the Electoral Education Centre. We were lucky enough to be joined by Andrew Wilkie who managed to organise for us to sit in the public gallery during question time. Question time was a real eye opener for the students, where they had the opportunity to witness The Speaker chastising the politicians for their poor behaviour. Apparently, The Speaker’s sister is a teacher, and he had asked her for some tips! Two more jam packed days of learning and fun left us all ready to be home in our own beds again.
Amongst all the learning, there were lots of opportunities to get to know each other in a more relaxed environment, a big part of why we choose to take the students away.
A huge thank you to Mick for all his time organising the paperwork and Janelle for organising the medical side of things. Thank you also to our Grade 6 families who have helped to fundraise and to make the camp a possibility.
I look forward to catching up with you over the next five weeks whilst Catherine is away.
Kind regards
Rachel Viney
Acting Principal
Student Voice
Hello this is the School Execs with an update on what’s been going on around here!
As you may have noticed, us Grade 6's have been off to Canberra on a trip to learn about democracy and have fun. We have been away for 4 days leaving the Grade 5's in charge for the rest of the week. Also, something else the Terrapin Puppet show was on Tuesday which was very fun and exciting.
It's time to get your books ready as it's our Book Week Parade next week so we hope you're up and about for it!
That’s all thanks!!
2024 School Executive
Class Spotlight - Kinder
Kindergarten students have been really engaged whilst exploring changes in the world around them as part of our Inquiry:
“What changes in this place?”
Our regular visits to the frog pond have inspired many observations and wonderings about frogs, how they grow and their habitat. Here are some examples of the fun we have been having on our bush and classroom adventures!
Staff Spotlight - Rory Campbell
What is your role at Mount Nelson Primary School?
I teach Indonesian language & culture to grades 2-6.
What days do you work at Mount Nelson PS?
I work Mondays at Mount Nelson and the rest of the week elsewhere.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Play guitar, teach my baby daughter drums, go surfing or bushwalking, hang out with friends and family.
Do you have any pets?
We have a cat called Mimi.
Where is your favourite place to travel to?
Indonesia of course! I also loved Ireland, Spain and Hawaii.
What is the best part about your job?
I love hearing students giggle at funny sounding words and also hearing them pronounce new words accurately.
I'm not a native speaker of Indonesian, so I'm always learning something new, like when A'tillah asked me how to say 'mushroom.' I had to look it up. It's 'jamur!'
If you weren’t in the job that you’re in now, what job would you be doing?
It would be pretty cool to write children's books or be a YouTuber like my cousin! (Bondi Treasure Hunter)
What is your favourite meal?
I love Mexican food!
Grade 6 Canberra Trip
What an amazing trip to Canberra for our Grade 6 students.
By taking in the sites of Parliament House, National Gallery, War Memorial and Electoral Education Centre students connected real life experiences to enrich their classroom learning.
The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist schools and families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government contributed funding of $300 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. This reduced the total figure that parents paid for the cost of our camp, and we would like to acknowledge their contribution.
Below is a list of sites we visited:
- Royal Australian Mint
- National Arboretum
- Australian Institute of Sport
- ANZAC Parade- Parliament House
- Electoral Education Centre
- Canberra Indoor Rock Climbing
- Australian War Memorial
- Questacon
- National Gallery
- National Capital Exhibition Centre
- Mount Stromlo observatory
- Museum of Australian Democracy
Thank you to all the parents who contributed their time and efforts to assist in getting to Canberra. This camp would not be possible without the sausage sizzles, cake stalls and raffles that parents have given their time to organise. Rachel, Janelle, and Mick would also like to thank the kids for their fantastic behaviour whilst in Canberra. They represented the school in such an amazing way, embodying our values of Care, Respect, Adaptability, Achievement and being Team Players.
"On the grade 6 camp we had a bus driver called Scott. Scott would play music for us on the bus that we would sing too. Songs like party in the USA, Hall of Fame, Sweet Caroline, California girls and more. Over time we agreed and adding more songs to the playlist.
We sung all the way to Questacon and then enjoyed all the cool scientist experiments like the earthquake house. The earthquake house is an interpretation of an actual earthquake happening in a home and a forced lighting.
There also was a huge slide that starts with you starting vertical holding a pole with your feet dangling on the slide. You let go of the pole and slide down."
Lola
Grade 6 Student
We asked our Grade 6's to describe their Canberra Trip in 4 words... Here are the results!
While the Grade 6's were away...
While the Grade 6's were away in Canberra, we got to take over their role of doing Daily PE which as leaders of the school they do. It was really interesting to try it and do the things the Grade 6's do because I’ve never done it before, and they do it to us, so I wonder how it feels. I found it fun leading the daily PE because it is better than doing it and you get to be in charge. I loved doing daily PE and our class was fun to work with because they weren’t older, and they wouldn’t talk back as well as my group!
It is cool being in an only year 5 class because it is small, and we had a lot more opportunities like doing art sitting at the tables and that felt great to have that privilege and to be the leader of the school for a week while the year sixes were in Canberra for their Grade 6 trip.
Eliza
Grade 5 Student
Young Archies Update
We have exciting news about the Young Archies Awards!
The exhibition is open, and all portraits are on display at UTas’s School of Creative Arts and Media, Hunter Street, Hobart until Friday, 6 December. Families may like to take their children to look at the display.
A big congratulations to Tommy Paynter who has received the DECYP Secretary’s Award for his wonderful self-portrait. There was a record number of entries this year, with 646 portraits received from 63 schools, well done to all students involved.
Ongoing Teacher Professional Learning to Support our Young Inquirers!
The teachers at Mount Nelson Primary School are once again looking forward to welcoming David Gilkes, Educational Inquiry Consultant, to support professional learning for all our teachers.
So, what did we learn from his last visit, and how will this support the learning and growth of our students?
It can be very easy for teachers to get bogged down in content. Many people believe this is exactly what we should be doing! As inquiry teachers, content is and always has been important. However, what we want to work on is extending our students' thinking. To do that, we have really been focussing on analysing student learning through the lens of thinking instead of content.
The Prep curriculum states that students need to observe external features of plants and animals and describe ways they can be grouped based on these features. After analysing and discussing a sample of pond water, these are the big questions these little people have asked! As you can see, this clearly extends far beyond the scope of the curriculum!
The grade 3 curriculum states that students compare characteristics of living and non-living things and examine the differences between the life cycles of plants and animals. 2/3B have taken this information to a new level of thinking and understanding by unpacking how they can be the agents of change for a better future. Once again, this extends far beyond the expectations of the curriculum. We look forward to sharing the next instalment of our learning with you after David’s next visit in week 8.
Do you want to know more? Come and talk to your class teacher.
Winter Sports Carnival Recap - Mr West
On Tuesday, 20 August, five Grade 5 students participated in the SPSSA Winter Sports Carnival.
Eliza and Bronte participated in the AFLW carnival participating in the Robins team, Luke participated and won the Tennis Carnival and Kai and Peter participated in the Soccer Carnival.
Our students all demonstrated the school values fantastically well and should be congratulated on their participation.
Premier's Reading Challenge
Students have now completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge for 2024.
It’s been great to see the range of books that have been read and enjoyed as part of this challenge!
Congratulations to all those who took on the challenge.
The students pictured here have done an incredible job reading and persisting with their reading to complete the Premiers Reading Challenge!
We know that reading is a vital skill for learning and life.
By supporting your child’s reading development with activities and challenges such as the PRC and reading at home, you will be helping them to achieve success in all learning areas of school.
At Mount Nelson Primary School reading at home is an important element of our whole school approach to the teaching of reading. Every teacher is a teacher of reading and can help support your child to develop their reading fluency, confidence and skills.
Father's and Special Person's Day!
"Feathers" - Terrapin Puppet Theatre
On Tuesday, 27 August, our Kinder to Grade 6 students were enchanted by Terrapin Puppet Theatre’s performance of “Feathers”. This clever show tells the story of Feathers a ferret, and his quest for belonging. Our students were captivated by the imaginative storytelling and intricate puppetry, while exploring the important topics of friendship and identity!
Student Medication at School
It is a Department for Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) requirement that all medications to be taken by students during the school day are to be passed into the office.
Prescribed medications require a signed doctor/pharmacist as well as signed parent permission form.
Prescribed medication must be in the original packaging prepared by a pharmacist stating name of medication and dosage, so that staff know what they are administering.
Non-prescribed medication requires a parent/guardian permission form stating name of medication and dosage.
Please see link to medication forms.
Administration-of-Medication-Authorisation-Forms.pdf (sharepoint.com)
Parents/guardians/carers must ensure that the completed form is supplied to the school at least annually, or earlier if circumstances change.
The school must not administer medication to the student if there is no valid form.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Upcoming Events
Applications for STAS - Closing Friday
Applications for 2024 Student Assistance Scheme (STAS) close this Saturday, 31 August.
Applications can be submitted online through this link:
Financial assistance for school costs - Department for Education, Children and Young People (decyp.tas.gov.au)
or by phoning 1800 827 055.
If you have an outstanding account and think you may be eligible for STAS, please submit your application before 31 August 2024.
Afterschool Safety and Duty of Care
Please be advised that the school's duty of care concludes at 3.10 pm. We kindly request that students are collected promptly by this time to ensure their safety.
A teacher is always on duty in a fluro vest in the top carpark from 3 - 3.10 pm.
If you have a meeting point in the playground and are unable to arrive at the designated meeting point by 3 pm, please contact the office and we will ask your child to wait with the duty teacher at the top carpark until you arrive. This is a standard practice to ensure the child's safety and supervision until they can be reunited with their parent or guardian. As you would understand we need to know who has duty for care of our students at all times.
To ensure the safety of our students, after 3 pm, students may only engage in activities on the ovals and school grounds if accompanied by a parent or carer. Staff are unable to supervise children in these areas beyond this time.
Please be reminded that there is no supervision provided before 8.30 am, and children should not arrive at school before this time. If you need to drop your child off before 8.30 am, please contact Lady Gowrie for Before School Care. Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the safety and well-being of all students.
Save the Date - Movie Night!
Celebration of Learning
Our next Celebration Assemblies will be held...
- next Monday, 2 September (Group A) at 2.15 pm
- Tuesday 10 September (Group B) at 2.15 pm
Student Achievements!
Best of luck to Chelsea in 5/6AH as she will be performing with the children’s chorus at the Theatre Royal this weekend (singing in Italian!), in Opera Australia’s national tour performing, Puccini’s ‘La Bohème’.
This is an amazing achievement for Chelsea, she has worked super hard in memorising the song, which was written in 1895, so the language is super tricky!
We can't wait to hear all about it Chels! 🎭🎤🎶
If your child has been selected to be part of a representative team, has won a prize in performing arts, has a part in a major stage production or any other significant achievement outside of school, let us know via the webform below so that we can share the news and celebrate the achievement in our school newsletter.
Let's Celebrate!!
Reading at Home
From our School Nurse
Dear Families,
There is some new research coming out discussing the relationship between screen time and the increased incidents of students with a vision concern called myopia (simply meaning long distance is blurry). Below are several journal articles that discuss this. Should you wish to have a hard copy of the journal articles, please come and as me and I will provide you with one (you can ring via the school office or ask your classroom teacher).
Journal Article 1: https://mountnelsonps.schoolzineplus.com/_file/media/2389/visual_activity_before_and_after_onset_of_myopia.pdf
Journal Article 2:
https://mountnelsonps.schoolzineplus.com/_file/media/2390/time_spent_outdoors_associated_with_risk_of_myopia_as_an_adult.pdf
There is also further information available from the Raising Children’s Network here: Short-sightedness or myopia: kids & teens | Raising Children Network.
Kind regards
Laura
School Health Nurse
Recipe of the Week!
Hobart Youth Futsal Spring Competition
Click the link below to sign up! 🥅⚽
https://www.jotform.com/form/221872136575864
