SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Week 3, Term 1 2024

Principal's Report

We continue to have had the most wonderful start to the year. I am so incredibly proud of the positive attitude displayed by our students and indeed all stakeholders. Student behaviour has been exceptional, and the general attitude towards learning has been highly commendable. This attitude towards learning extends to our teachers who are all navigating their way through a new English and Mathematics Syllabus. Years K-2 dipped their toes in last year and are on a path of applying their learnings from last year in their units of work, whilst Years 3- 6 teachers are having their first go at implementing the new syllabus in their classrooms. Stay tuned in future newsletters to find out the direction classrooms are taking in relation to applying the new syllabus into quality lessons for our students.

Swimming Carnival - I would like to congratulate all students for their efforts at the swimming carnival. It was fantastic to have a carnival that included all students from Year 2-6, (rather than just competitors) focussing on the NSW PSSA mantra of PARTICIPATION. So many kids doing what they thought impossible. We just loved seeing that feeling of pride & achievement. Wonderful school and community spirit. Thanks to all who came along and to our staff for organising such a splendid carnival. 

All students who have qualified for Zone should have received their permission note and returned that to Mrs Vitnell. If you haven't done so yet, please do so ASAP. Best of luck to all our Zone competitors who will be heading to Gulgong Swimming Pool next Wednesday afternoon at 4pm. More images (15) Facebook

Investiture Assembly 

We are just finalising our Class SRC Representatives, along with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander SRC Rep  and will notify all families via a letter if their child will be presented with a leadership badge at our Investiture Assembly which is scheduled for Tuesday 27 February at 9:30am. 

See below photos of our fabulous House Captains for 2024.

Eco Warriors - Environmental Education Team

We are also working through establishing our new Eco Warriors team. The team was a huge success last year and we are keen to build on it in 2024. The Eco Team will be inducted at an upcoming primary assembly.

HPGE Focus Group: We are excited to extend an invitation to you to be a valuable part of a high-potential gifted education focus group. Key Stakeholder involvement will be with staff critical to this work and parental involvement in this initiative is crucial to ensuring the success and enrichment of our students in their academic journey. Of course, we will also be capturing the voice of our learners. 
At Mudgee Public School, we are committed to providing an inclusive and stimulating learning environment that caters to the diverse needs of all students. To achieve this goal, we are taking proactive steps to enhance our HPGE initiatives to best serve the unique needs of high-potential students. By joining the focus group, you will have the opportunity to contribute your insights and expertise to shape the development of our gifted education strategies. Your perspective as a parent is invaluable in understanding the individual needs of our students and tailoring our approach to meet those needs effectively.

If you are at all interested, please respond via this google form by Friday 23 February. https://forms.gle/s33NmKRgtasTfWGe9

Depending on the number of parents interested, we will look at the best model and dates, etc for this group to meet. If we have a large number of parents interested, and in order to make the group discussion productive, we may not be able to have everyone in the room at once. However we will definitely find a way to make sure those interested in their voice being heard get the opportunity to do so. Please note, parents do not have to be from the 5/6T enrichment class. In fact, having a diverse parent representation will see us bring more unique perspectives that enriches our understanding of the diverse needs of high-potential and gifted students. 

Canteen Helpers: Helping in the canteen is one of the best ways you can support our school P&C. Volunteering ensures we can keep our food prices down and makes ordering from our healthy canteen affordable for all families. Below is a guide per year group as to when we may call on volunteers this term. If you can spare a little time, or alot of time, your support would be greatly appreciated. Please reach out to Tracey (Canteen Manager) on any school day or phone the office. 

Our NEW Term 1 Summer menu can be downloaded here!

Kindergarten 2024: It is always the most special time of the year welcoming a new cohort of Kindergarten students and their families through the gates. If you didn't see it on Facebook, take a look online at Kindergarten 2023's first day of big school. Today, Kindergarten are celebrating the first of their colour days - RED DAY - and enjoyed a visit from the Fire Truck! See below some images of Kindergarten's first couple of weeks at BIG SCHOOL!!!

Upcoming Events: See below the infographic which tries to map out all the events over the next 3 weeks. Other dates coming up beyond this are:

- School Photos -Monday 11 March

- Yarn and Cuppa: Wednesday 13 March

- P&C AGM: Monday 25 March

Have a great week ahead!

John Carters

Principal

Principal's Awards

Congratulations to the following students on receiving a Principal Award or Deputy Principal Awards in the past fortnight.

Meet The Staff

Below are our wonderful Stage Teachers!

NAPLAN 2024

This term, your child will undertake NAPLAN assessmentExternal link. NAPLAN provides schools with valuable information about your child’s learning progress in literacy and numeracy. NAPLAN is only one way we assess student learning in years 3, 5, 7 and 9.

NAPLAN will take place from Wednesday 13 March to Monday 25 March in 2024.

Your child's teacher is getting students ready for NAPLAN and will provide appropriate support and guidance. Students will become familiar with the types of questions in the tests and the online testing platform that we use. In addition to school preparation, I want to share with you some information on how you can further support your child for NAPLAN.

Preparation for NAPLAN

Students are not expected to study for NAPLAN and do not need excessive preparation or the use of services by coaching providers. You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is a part of their school program. If you or your child/children would like to know more about the NAPLAN online platform you can go to the public demonstration siteExternal link and do some practice tests and past NAPLAN papersExternal link are also available online.

Participation in NAPLAN

Adjustments are available for students who have diverse functional abilities and needs. On a case-by-case basis, reasonable adjustments for individual students can be made so they can complete NAPLAN. Speak to your child’s teacher to discuss the adjustments available. For more information read the Guide for schools to assist students with disability to access NAPLAN (PDF 96 KB)External link.

Assessment tips

You can support your child by reminding them to simply do their best. You can also encourage:

• a healthy diet
• drinking lots of water
• limiting caffeine (students in year 7 and 9 only)
• getting enough sleep
• exercise and relaxation time

These along with arriving at school on time ready to sit the test will help prepare our school to bring their best on the day.

Student Wellbeing

At Mudgee Public School the wellbeing of all students is very much of high importance to us. We are fortunate to have some key staff working specifically in this area.

As part of our school-wide wellbeing initiative, throughout the year, each class will be participating in 5 x 30-minute social and emotional learning lessons (once/week over 5 consecutive weeks) to empower students to build their own awareness and self-regulation. These lessons aim to support an increase in self-control, empathy, optimism, as well as academic goals. The structured lessons combine social and emotional learning with academic learning by teaching students about brain science and developing skills and strategies to be able to support their own emotions and even, possibly support their peers.

This term classes  1RD, 4O, 5HM &  SUGREEN will be participating in these lessons.

Office News - 2024 Sentral Finance for Payments & more

SENTRAL FOR PARENTS PORTAL & APP

Download a better communication experience today and discover features from every angle!

Mudgee Public School are excited to announce our NEW Sentral for Parents Portal & App. You’ll discover numerous features, all of which have been developed to help you stay connected and informed.

At the end of Term 3, 2023, a parent letter was sent home that included a 'Access Key' for signing in to the Sentral for Parents Portal & App. More information is included within the letter, however, if you have any questions or new at the school and require support please contact the school office.

There are many functions that the 'Sentral for Parents' Portal & App will enable families to access but for now you can;

• Make payments directly for school excursions & incursions
• Explain past and upcoming student absences
  
• Receive notification messages from the school
  

Discover the possibilities, download the app today:
Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sentral.mobile
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/ro/app/sentral-for-parents/id1238744022?mt=8

CHANGE OF STUDENT DETAILS - IMPORTANT

It is important that the school have correct student contact details incase of an emergency, including residential address, parent/carer email, phone numbers and any additional emergency contacts. If you wish to check your student details, or wish to make any changes, please phone the office for assistance.

School Office ph - 6372 2036

Your Friendly Office Staff  - "We're here to help!"

Library News

Welcome back! 

Borrowing - Kindergarten will begin borrowing next Tuesday, so please remember to pack a Library bag so they can bring home some books. 

Book Club - Issue 1 brochures were sent home last week. All online orders and cash orders are due back next Monday 19^th February. No late orders can be accepted, sorry. 

Premiers Reading Challenge - the PRC will begin in a couple of weeks. This is something that we will be talking about in the Library, and in future newsletters. Watch this space! 

Happy Reading! 

Mrs Vitnell (Teacher / Librarian)

Students of the Week - PBL

PCYC After School Care

Parent/carers wishing to access the PCYC After School Care provided at Mudgee Public School, please visit the website for further information https://pcycoosh.org.au/

or  click on the link below to enrol; 

 https://prodadmin.myxplor.com/enrollment_v2/centre/FAMWLCTVxjaH4QZ12435694231iENg

Schoolzine App - Stay Connected

Have you followed us on Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/MudgeePublicSchool

Twitter? https://mobile.twitter.com/mudgeeps or @MudgeePS

Have you downloaded the Schoolzine App to receive all our newsletters directly? https://www.schoolzine.com/szapp-installation

Community Notices

2024 School Bus Passes - Information for Parents & Carers

Is your child eligible for free bus travel to and from school?

All Ogden’s Coaches bus passes will be distributed to eligible students via mail early next year for most bus routes in Gulgong and Mudgee (except Botobolar and Cudgegong which is serviced by Booth’s Bus Service).  If your child is enrolled in a local school, please note the following:

• Students going into Kindergarten, Year 3 and Year 7 must apply for a new pass.
• If you have moved address or schools you must ‘update existing details’
• If you are unsure whether or not your child has a current bus pass, please contact our office on 6372  
• To travel on our bus service, students MUST present their bus pass to the Driver morning and afternoon. If they are ineligible or do not have a pass they can pay a fare or by purchasing a book of 10 tickets, a Term Pass or Annual Pass from our office.

Apply for student bus passes & update details via our website ogdenscoaches.com.au

Select ‘Schools’ tab in top header then select either ‘Apply for a New Pass’ or ‘Update Existing Details’.  Fill in the application form for each child and you will be notified of eligibility via email from Transport NSW.

DENTO RYU KARATE

Traditional non-contact Karate 6pm - 7pm Tuesday & Thursday 

Mudgee Public School Hall  $3.50 per lesson - Ages 5yrs over 

For further information contact: Harvey Mb 0427 435 930

⚽️ Are you a junior looking to play football in 2024?
Ages groups:
Under 8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15 and 16’s.

Games will be played under Bathurst District Football Association every Saturday in a “home and away” competition format with weekly team training sessions in Mudgee, with C license coaches.

Please email your expression of interest or any questions to the clubs director :

admin@gulgonglionsfc.football

Please include your contact details, child’s name and DOB.