Newsletter - 23 October

Principal's Highlights

Dear Families

I hope you all enjoyed a refreshing and delightful break! It is wonderful to be back for an exciting and busy Term 4 - the year is truly flying by!

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Rachel Viney for stepping in during the last few weeks of Term 3, with invaluable support from Marg, Georgie, Sandy and our amazing staff.

I have just returned from an amazing eight-week journey across Europe, where each day brought new adventures. I stepped outside my comfort zone - whether it was finding my way through the bustling streets of Barcelona, engaging with friendly locals in rural Portuguese towns, or practicing my French.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was the importance of adaptability; plans often changed, and embracing the unexpected led to some of the most rewarding experiences.

Connecting with others was a highlight of my trip. Hearing stories from fellow travellers and locals reinforced the value of empathy and understanding, both in life and within our school community.

One of the aspects that makes us special is our focus on School Values and our Learning Assets. I will be sending home the “Learner Assets” chart this week as an attachment, which outlines the skills we are developing in all students from Kinder to Year 6, across all subjects, including our specialist areas. The Learner Assets represent how successful learners operate both at school and in life. I encourage you to use the chart to discuss these ideas at home.

As we embark on this term, I encourage everyone to embrace new experiences and push your boundaries. Step out of your comfort zones, take on new challenges, and cherish the connections you make along the way.

We are all in this together, and I am excited to see what we can accomplish!

It is great to be back, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you all.

Warm regards

Catherine Grace
Principal

Student Free Day

Friday, 25 October (the day after Show Day) is a Student Free Day for all government primary and high schools.  Our staff will be continuing with whole school planning for 2025. 

Term Overview

Special thanks to Lucy and Sandy in the office for collating our key dates for this term in this newsletter.

The information provided is as up to date as possible at the time of distribution and will provide you with an overview of the term. Due to unforeseen circumstances, there may be a change required but we will do our very best to inform you of any change well ahead of time.

School Association

The Mount Nelson Primary School Association plays a crucial role in our school community. The recent Quiz Night showcased the strong support and spirit that our school enjoys. I've heard it was a fantastic evening! Be sure to mark your calendars for the upcoming meeting dates: 

• Wednesday 30 October 2024 at 2 pm
• Thursday 28 November 2024 at 6.30 pm

All are welcome!

Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT)

In the next few weeks, our students will begin their Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT). These assessments are designed to measure and track growth in reading and mathematics, providing valuable insights into each student’s progress in literacy and numeracy. They also help our teachers tailor their planning to meet individual student needs. We celebrate every step of growth and have established yearly targets for our children. Additionally, the results will inform students’ end-of-year ratings according to the Australian Curriculum Engagement. Above all, our primary focus remains on our most important asset: our children.

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 by next Wednesday, 30 October 2024. 

Due to the class numbers in some year groups, there will be a mixture of straight and composite classes.

We will be entering data at the end of this week and so meeting this deadline will ensure you have a voice.  We hope to have classes sorted very soon so the important business of transition of information between teachers can begin.

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.

Every School Day Matters

Welcome back to Term 4 – we hope you had a great break!

This term we have lots of exciting plans, including some fun excursions!

School is the best place for our kids, it’s a chance to be around friends, learn new things, grow and have fun. 

Sometimes the final stretch of the year can be challenging for regular school attendance. Here are some tips to make everyday count:

• Create a routine.
• Allow enough time in the morning.
• Be on time, every day.
• Plan appointments and trips outside school hours.
• Get a good night’s sleep.
• Set some technology boundaries.

For more information, visit the Anything can happen website.

If you’re having trouble getting your child to school, please talk to us. We’re here to help.

Student Voice

Hi, it’s the school execs, here’s what’s going on around the school these last two weeks. This Wednesday the Jack Jumpers came to visit us, and we played game against them. We really jumped at the opportunity to play against them. We also hope everyone had a great first 2 weeks of school.

Next, we hope everybody is wearing their hats because it is nearly summer, and we don’t want anybody to get burnt. Because we especially don’t want anyone getting skin cancer.

We hope everyone that went to gymnastics had an amazing time learning cool and fun tricks to show your friends and family. And the upper primary was very jealous.

And we all hope that everyone has a safe and fun extra-long weekend.

2024 School Executives

Class Spotlight - 5/6D

5/6D have begun inquiring into the question “How are we all connected?”, We have begun to share our thinking about how Australia, as a Nation, is connected to other regions of the world. The first relationship we have explored is “Trade”.

Students shared their first thinking and prior knowledge about “Why do we Trade?”

• We trade to get resources we don’t have – Isla
• Trade builds the economy – Kyler
• We trade to make relationships better with other countries, so if we get in trouble, they can help us. – Yandi
• We trade to get food, oil and other necessities / resources that we might need imported or exported out of country. – Elijah
• Governments trade for lots of different reasons, one of them being information. – Bronte
• You can trade for trust, or to build friendship – Joe F

Our next step, was to analyse this graph, showing Australia’s trading relationships with the UK, the USA and Asia. We made the following noticing’s and wonderings!

• Why did we trade with the UK mostly in 1915, but it changed to Asia in 1950? – Joe F
• Trade with Asia has gone up 60%, and trade with the UK has gone down 57% - Yandi
• I noticed that there is a spike in trade with the USA in the 1940’s – 1950’s - Amber
• The UK and USA overlap in the 1970’s – Hamish
• I noticed that trade with the UK and Asia is like a reflection. – India
• I noticed that Asis has gradually become our largest trading partner. – Eliza

What do you notice and wonder?

Staff Spotlight - Sandy Fenton

Hi! My name is Sandy Fenton, and I am currently acting School Business Manager.

I joined the lovely team at Mount Nelson Primary school almost a year ago now - time sure flies when you’re having fun! I have previously worked at Taroona High School and Springfield Gardens Primary School. I really enjoy interacting with our students, families and the wider school community and supporting our teachers to make a difference. I have been with the department for 9 years, previously working at Hobart Airport and Corporate Express (now Winc).

I enjoy cooking, crocheting, going away camping, catching up with friends and love hanging out with my family. I have two gorgeous girls - a hairdresser and a chef and we also have dog Roxy, a cat Mabel and a dozen chooks!

I’m a passionate fan of the Hawthorn Football Club (keeping the students informed of their position on the ladder during the year) and love supporting the Jack Jumpers basketball club. I loved playing sport in my earlier years - netball, basketball, softball and volleyball.

I have done a bit of travelling in my early years through Europe and America but a visit to Canada and Antarctica on my bucket list… One day!

Handfish Conservation Project - IMAS visit

On Wednesday, 16 October, 4/5/6S and 4M were visited by Dr Jemina Stuart-Smith from the Handfish Conservation Project at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS)

Jemina came in to talk to us about the Handfish, who are endangered. Jemina visited our classes because we had raised over $400 last term to help protect the Handfish as part of our Inquiry question: “How can we help to protect local native threatened and endangered species?”

She showed us a 3D printed Red Handfish so we could have a look at their size. She told us about their eggs and the animals who are taking their home. They are being threatened by sea urchins and plastic. Jemina told us about where they dive and look for the Handfish and she showed us a PowerPoint about how everything works. 

Isla and Emily, 4/5/6S Students

GymSports

What a fantastic opportunity for our Prep to Grade 2 students at the Kingborough Gymnastics Centre! We were swinging, jumping, hopping and cartwheeling and most of all, having a lot of fun!

A big thank you to Mr West for organising these sessions for our students.

JackJumpers Visit!

A huge thank you to the Tasmania Jack Jumpers for visiting our school today! The students had an absolute blast learning new basketball tricks and getting up close with some very tall players!

We’re sure the students will be bouncing around with excitement and practicing their new skills for days to come! 

From The School Association

Term 4 Committee Meetings 

Please join us at our Term 4 committee meetings in the school staffroom: 

• Wednesday 30 October 2 pm 
• Thursday 28 November 6.30 pm

All are welcome! 

Christmas Cards

This year Christmas cards will be done a little differently. This change is so we can get the cards out to you earlier. Individualised Christmas cards can be created by your child and printed packs of your child's card can be purchased on Qkr - these make a great Christmas gift!

Blank cards went home with all children at the end of last term along with instructions and tips for helping your child create their card design. 

Please make sure to get your completed cards to the school office and order in via Qkr! no later than 10 am Monday 4 November to ensure we meet our print and delivery deadline.

Canteen Needs You!

We are seeking expressions of interest from our school community for a new canteen coordinator! Work with our wonderful existing canteen volunteers, with flexibility to make the role your own. Please get in touch with us to express your interest or find out more mnpsassociation@gmail.com

School Communication Methods

Book Fair - Next Week!

Mount Nelson Primary School Library and the Hobart Bookshop are happy to provide you with the ability to purchase 
a new children’s book and at the same time, raise funds for our School Library! A portion of the sale from each book 
will go back to the Library so that they are able to expand their collection with new books.

Our Book Fair will be available in the Library after school on the following dates:

• Wednesday, 30 October between 2:30 - 3:30pm
• Thursday, 31 October from 8:30 - 9:30am and in the afternoon from 2:30 - 3:30 pm

If you would like to support the Library but can’t make it to the book sale, then you are welcome to purchase a book 
online from the Hobart Bookshop using the instructions below. The books will be delivered to the school and given to 
your student. Books for Adults can also be chosen using the online ordering and will also count towards the Library 
fundraising!

End of Year Celebration Assembly

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!

Volunteering at Mount Nelson Primary School

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!

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