Newsletter - 27 September

Acting Principal's Highlights

Dear Families,

It’s really hard to believe that we are already at the end of the term again. This term, our students have participated in a wide range of experiences and opportunities, including our Whole School Inquiry around the concept of ‘Change’, Book Week, Sports Carnivals, the Mini Musical and Movie Night!  A big thank you to all our staff who have supported these opportunities and given time to write risk management plans, pick up extra duties or stayed after school to ensure their success.

I would like to acknowledge all the hard-working volunteers who supported the School Association to host the Quiz and Curry night.  It takes a team of people and many hours to organise an event like this and it doesn’t go unnoticed. It was a fun night, with wonderful food and a great range of items for the silent auction.  They raised over $10,000 to go towards upgrades in our playground, what a fantastic achievement!

Thank you also to those families who were able to join us for our Inquiry Open Morning. Our teachers have been working with David Gilkes this year to reboot our Whole School Inquiry focus and it was so exciting to listen to the students explain their thinking, dive deeply into important questions and share their knowledge in a wide range of ways.  Chantal Fox has led our Whole School Inquiry with enthusiasm and passion so a big thank you to Chantal as well.

This week it was a pleasure to watch our upper primary students perform in the Mini Musical, ‘Hamlin’s Rats’. One of my favourite parts of the musical was watching some of our quieter students shine when given the opportunity to perform on stage.  Thank you to Sarah Tollner for the time and energy she put in to ensure that it was a success.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday, and we look forward to seeing you back for Term 4!
I am signing off now as Acting Principal as Catherine Grace is set to return as Principal for Term 4. I will be returning back to my usual role as AST, Support Teacher and Safeguarding Lead. It has been a pleasure working with you all, and I thank you for your support during my time in this role.

Kind regards

Rachel Viney
Acting Principal

Calendar

Last day of Term 3 will be this Friday, 27 September 2024
First day of Term 4 will be Monday, 14 October 2024

Student Voice

Hello, it’s the School Execs here with an update on what’s been going on lately.

First up, we had our annual Swimming Carnival on Wednesday. Our 3 houses went head-to-head at the Clarence Swimming Pool and Bass came away with the win! Well done to everyone who participated.

Also, something else this week, the Mini Musical was on! Half the school saw them on Monday and the other half on Tuesday, well done to everyone involved.  It was a fantastic performance. 

For this week on canteen, Pasta Bolognaise will be on the menu - hope you’re hungry!

And after this week it’s the school holidays!

That’s all from us bye.

Class Spotlight - 1/2B

In 1/2B, we have been Inquiring,
‘Does the meaning of the word change when we add prefixes and suffixes to a base word?'

"As a whole class, we have decided that prefixes and suffixes change the meaning of the word a bit such as change to changing (happening now) and changed (it already has changed)."
Delilah

"They change the meaning of the word when we add prefixes and suffixes to help make words in the past, present or future."
Nate

"Suffixes and prefixes change the meaning just a little bit. For example, change can have +ing added to make changing and change means something will be different and changing means that something will be different right now."
Poppy

Staff Spotlight - Grace Coleman

Hello! I’m Grace and I have recently started at Mount Nelson Primary School and will be here every Thursday.

I have worked as a School Social Worker for almost 3 years, with students from Kinder to Grade 12.

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, crocheting, and swimming. I play Underwater Hockey and Netball, and I have a black cat called Pippin.

I look forward to working with the staff, students, and families at Mount Nelson Primary and hope to meet some of you soon!

What is a School Social Worker?

School Social Workers help students get the support they need to do well in school. They work with students, teachers, families, and the community to make sure everyone is helping young people succeed.

This may include talking to students and families to help with problems before they get too big, offering counselling, and working with individuals or groups of students.

School Social Workers can help in emergencies or when a crisis happens, and can talk with students, parents, and teachers to make sure everyone is working together. School social workers can also connect you with other people in the community who can help, and sometimes provide things like uniforms if needed.

Referrals can be made through teachers, or Senior Staff.

Mini Musical - Hamlin's Rat's

On the 23^rd and the 24^th of September, students who are in Year 5/6, and are in the choir, performed the Mini Musical! It went super well as we did not have a lot of time to practice, I really enjoyed performing it and I played the mayor. I am very thankful to those who made the time to come and watch. I want to give a special thank you to Kim, who played the piano and a special thank you to Sarah Tollner, who we could not do this musical without. We hope anyone who watched the musical enjoyed it and had an enjoyable time. I really enjoyed acting as I do love acting on stage, I also like singing but I think that singing is a little bit more embarrassing.

Delilah from 1/2B enjoyed “The part when they said they weren’t going to pay off,” (pay the pied piper) and the part where “They said they were going to pay the man.”

Joe from 4M liked how “The puppets knew when to say their lines and knowing when to say their lines,” he also enjoyed “The parts where we had solo singing parts.”

By Ivy D

School Intentions 2025

Our school is well underway with planning for 2025. 

We encourage families within our school catchment area and out-of-area who intend to join us in 2025, to contact the school office mount.nelson.primary@decyp.tas.gov.au or fill in the form below.

Please note, all out-of-area families will still be required to complete the Expression of Interest Out-of-Area application form and are not guaranteed a place at Mount Nelson Primary.

If your child is not in grade 6 and your child will not be continuing with us next year - please let us know for our future planning by contacting the school office or filling in the form below. 

Class Placements 2025

Early in Term 4, we will begin considering class placements. Students will get an opportunity to have a voice around the friends they would like to be with for 2025 and teachers will use their knowledge to determine the best placement based on academic, wellbeing and social needs.

Decisions are made by our staff with a child centred approach, ensuring students are placed in the most appropriate class based on their individual needs as well as taking into consideration the students' voice. 

Once the classes have been established and staff confirmed for our school for 2025, teachers will be allocated to classes. Please do not request specific teachers as the makeup of our teaching staff is still unknown.

If you have any information specific to your child’s learning outcomes that you feel needs taking into consideration for 2025, please complete the form below. 

Reading at Home

This term our students have been busy reading and sharing books at school and at home.

Many classes have set challenges for reading at home engaging the whole family including the pets in reading and enjoying all kinds of books and texts.

As parents and carers, you are a vital part of making reading happen at home. Families and carers are the champions in our children’s literacy journeys, and it all begins with the simple yet powerful acts of talking, reading, and singing with our babies, toddlers and young children.

From the very first bedtime story to the exciting and challenging pages they explore in school, your encouragement is the magic that fuels their learning. When you read side by side, you’re not just sharing words; you’re creating unforgettable moments, building connections that inspire curiosity, imagination and confidence!

At Mount Nelson Primary School, we wholeheartedly believe in the power of community. Together, we’re committed to empowering teachers, families, and carers alike to ensure that every young Tasmanian has the skills and support to read with ease and enthusiasm.

As the holidays approach consider spending some time with your child reading for a purpose. You could try using a new recipe or building a model of something following instructions. Has your child got a respected sports person, creator or someone they admire? Look out for an autobiography to find out more about them. There are lots of children friendly autobiographies or you could read an autobiography together. Consider buying or borrowing online, a magazine. There are a whole range of magazines covering many interests. If you aren’t a member of the Tasmanian State Library, the holidays could be a great time to join. Then go online and become an online member. There are many magazines for children plus a wealth of fantastic novels and non-fiction books to borrow.

Marg and Julie

Swimming Carnival

On Wednesday, 25 of September, the Year 3’s to 6’s went to the Swimming Carnival. When we got there it was really hot inside, like it always is, but we cooled down once we got in the chilly pool! It was a shock for the first race!

We spilt up into our houses and got organized, then our first race was up. The grade six boys started with the 25m freestyle, and we quickly worked through the schedule, with everyone getting involved in the whole grade wading race!

We were very impressed to see older and younger students encouraging each other, swimming their hardest and showing some team spirit. We felt very supported by the strong parent presence, and would like the thank in particular, Mary and Aleks who volunteered their time for the whole day, and helped judge and score every single race.

We ended the carnival with the House Relays, which were organised by the House Captains. They are aways a highlight of the day!

It was a great day, and we are happy to say (some of us) that BASS was the victorious House, with 410 points. Topping off a great year for Bass, with wins in athletics and cross country.

We would also like to thank Mr West for organising our carnival, we know that there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to make this happen!

Hats in Term 4!

As we are a Sun-Smart School, all students are required to wear a sun-safe hat during Terms 1 and 4 (no caps).

Please ensure that your child has a named, sun-safe hat at school every day. 

Hats are available on Qkr! for $10

Thank you!

From the School Association

We are thrilled to share the success of our recent Quiz & Curry Night! Thanks to your incredible support and enthusiasm, there was not only an amazing atmosphere on the night, but we also achieved our fundraising goal, raising over $10,000.

This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the generous contribution from over 60 individuals and businesses who sponsored or donated to help support our school. The generosity was particularly felt from those within our school community who contributed and/or helped to facilitate donations:

A big thanks to Adam and Jane Watson, Karrie Malan, Ewan Maskrey, Dr Jo Green, Meg Webb MLC, Teagan Russell, Nick Carter, Kate Farrell, AJ and Kimberley Whitehead, Kristy Sullivan, Peter Walker, Leonie McCrossen and Tegan O’Shea.

Another big hit on the night was the curries! Huge thank you to our cooks, for the donation of ingredients, their time and culinary creativity. From Rogan Josh to Rendang we had 12 different home-cooked delicious curries. Thank you, Jackie Cosentino, Gulum Sunamak, Adam Treverrow, Rachel Viney, Kristy Sullivan, Sarah Elliott, Justine Shaw, Teagan Russell and our joint best curry winners as voted on the night, Lihini Weragoda and Ian O’Shea. And a huge thanks to Mount Nelson Signal Station for donating cooked rice & papadums for 100 people.

Next is those who on the night we would have been lost without, our amazing volunteers, thank you to Jaymie Barwick and Cat Airey for manning the bar all night and helping judge our best dressed competition and to Amelia Fowler, Karrie Malan and Rachel Viney for serving up 70+ bowls of curry!

For set up & clean up thanks to, Ian Foster, Lihini Weragoda, Simon McCrossen, Karrie Malan, Gulum Sunamak, Marita Young, Julie Preston, Teagan Russel, Hannah Challis and anyone else we have forgotten to name. 

Another incredibly important and valuable group to thank is the school staff, particularly Liz the cleaner and Sandy and Lucy in the office, without their ongoing support and assistance we could not have made the event the success that it was.

Our playground raffle drawn on the night was a big success with all the winners having received their prizes.

Finally, the Association would like to thank Tegan O’Shea, Justine Shaw and Leonie McCrossen for stepping up to put on an amazing event for our school community and championing this playground fundraising initiative.

Lisa Ford - Supporting Children with Friendships

Many of you have taken up the opportunity to listen to Lisa Ford at Mount Nelson Primary over the last few years.

Here are some tips from Lisa about how we can support our children when they ask for your support with their friendships.

Pre-Kinder & LiL in Term 4

It’s been a really successful term as we welcomed our Kinders for 2025 into the school.

Pre-Kinder will be on offer again in Term 4 so if you haven’t come along yet, and you’re looking to enrol your kinder child for 2025, stop by and have a play!

We are welcoming out of area enquiries. 

LiL Calendar - Term 4

Early Pick Up/Drop Offs

Please remember the following if you need to pick up your children early or drop them off late:

• We ask that adults must sign their child in/out at the administration area so we are aware who is in the school in the event of an emergency. 
• Our lovely Office Staff will take your child to their classroom, if needed, in order to reduce interruptions in class.  Please do not walk your child to the classroom and then sign them in at the office.
• Please let us know if you require your child for an early pick up and our Office Staff will call the classroom when you arrive. This enables you to sign them out when you leave. 

Let's Talk

Have you seen the Tasmanian Government website, 'Let's Talk'?

It has some great resources about why talking with your children is so important. This website includes articles on the different 'Ages and Stages' as well as 'Tips for getting your kids to talk' and 'Screentime'. 

Talking with 6-8 year olds - Let's Talk

Talking to 9-12 year olds - Let's Talk

Tips for getting your kids talking - Let's Talk

Kids and screens - Let's Talk

Term 3 Spelling Inquiries

This term all our classes have been involved in a large Spelling Inquiry.

Teachers have been using Pre-assessment tasks to identify common learning needs of students and then planning an inquiry sequence where students are encouraged to develop their word consciousness through exploring phonological (sound), orthographic (visual)and morphological (meaning) relationships in words.

Our students are required to be curious, active learners and develop their thinking and noticing of patterns in words and make connections between words.

“Working collaboratively and taking responsibility for one’s learning are key components of a word - conscious classroom where students enrich, interweave and expand their own understanding through listening to and reflecting on the understandings of others.” (Chris Topfer 2020)

This looks different in every classroom, but the thinking and processes build on the knowledge and skills gained in every year group as concepts are taught, explored and revisited over time.

Spring Nature Play Ideas

Term 4 Chess

Community Noticeboard

stem_next

Taroona High School is excited to announce that stem_next is back for its fifth year in 2024!

stem_next is a science fair showcasing STEM Teaching and Learning in public education, from Taroona High’s feeder primary schools right through to its colleges. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) exhibits from UTAS and local industries, are also on display. stem_next aims to develop student awareness and mastery of Science and Technology. stem_next is fun, hands on, educational and inspirational! There will be food vans, prizes and so much more!

Come along on Thursday 21November 4:00pm - 7:00pm @ Taroona High School and explore the STEM world!