SCHOOL NEWSLETTER - Week 6, Term 1 2025
Principal's Message
Green Day Fundraiser for Evie: Last Friday, our school community came together for a Green Day fundraiser to support Evie, our brave Year 6 student battling leukemia. We are thrilled to announce that we raised an incredible $5,991! This amazing effort was student-led, showcasing the compassion and determination of our students. A special thank you to our staff for their contribution to the staff raffle, which raised $1,700. We are grateful to our wonderful business partners, students, staff, and parents for their generous support.
Zone Swimming Championships: Congratulations to our talented swimmers who participated in the Zone Swimming Championships last week! We are proud of each of you for your dedication and performance. A big thank you to Mrs. Walsh and Mrs. Marshall for their outstanding work as team managers, and to the officials who helped make the event a success. We wish our 18 students the best of luck as they head to the Western Championships! Special thanks to Mrs. Marshall and Mrs. Vitnell for their preparation of our swimmers, and to Ms. Prater for acting as a Western official. Our Western swimmers include Annabelle, Jimmy, Georgia, Will, Jacob, Matthew, Nina, Louis, Dakota, Alfie, Indie, Tom, Vienna, Jonathan, Indie, Paige, Max, Nelly, Charlie, Bonnie, Felix, Zachary.
Hot off the Press!
Nina Crowe has swum her heart out in the 8years 50m freestyle at Western Swimming in Dubbo today! Her hard work, dedication and training all paid off, coming away today’s WINNER 
Well done Nina, your school is so proud of you!
Around the Table: "Building Relationships through Conversations"
We would like to thank everyone who participated in our "Around the Table: Building Relationships through Conversations" sessions this week. It was a fantastic opportunity for parents, students, and teachers to come together, share insights, and build stronger connections and relationships within our school community. We are delighted to report that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive! Many found the sessions enjoyable and beneficial, highlighting the importance of including all voices in our discussions.
A special thank you to Jemma from the canteen for her excellent catering, which added to the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the sessions. We encourage everyone to continue providing feedback as it helps us improve and create an inclusive environment for all. Your input is invaluable in shaping the future of our school community. Thank you once again for giving up your time to be part of this important initiative.
NAPLAN: NAPLAN assessments for Year 3 and Year 5 students will begin next Wednesday, 13 March. This year, all assessments will again be conducted online. We encourage our students to do their best while also ensuring they remain relaxed during this period. Therefore, we recognise the importance of a supportive environment is essential, which is why we will try to ensure that assessments will be completed during morning sessions when students are typically more alert and focused. The testing window will remain open for two weeks, allowing for flexibility in scheduling. You don't need to do anything extra to prepare. Relax and do your best.
Student Leadership Induction: We are excited to announce that the Student Leadership Induction Assembly will take place next Tuesday, 11 March at 9:45 AM. Following the assembly, there will be morning tea to celebrate our student leaders. Students have found out which leadership portfolio they are in, which is an exciting development! We are looking forward to celebrating their achievements and getting into the work of our student portfolios. See below which students will be working in the different portfolios.
Life Education: Next week, we are excited to host Healthy Harold and the Life Education program, which offers a range of age-appropriate modules for our K-2 students, including some support classes. These modules are aligned with the Australian and state-based Curriculum across the Health and Physical Education Learning Area and General Capabilities. Life Education is designed to inspire and empower students by providing them with knowledge, skills, and strategies related to physical health, safety, and social and emotional wellbeing. The interactive learning experiences are sure to engage and motivate our students. We are pleased to inform you that the school is fully subsidising this program, ensuring that all students can participate without any cost to families.
P&C AGM Announcement: We are excited to announce that the P&C AGM will be taking place on Monday, 17 March! All positions will be declared vacant, and we encourage everyone to attend. Pizzas will be provided, making it a fun and inclusive event!
Positions available for nomination include President, Vice-Presidents (2), Secretary, Treasurer, General Committee, and Out of Area Enrolment Panel Representatives. Please note that you don’t have to take on a position to participate—everyone is welcome! This is a great opportunity to hear about all the fantastic things happening in our school. If you are interested in nominating for a position, please write to accounts@mpspandc.com
Stop, Drop and Go Zone: I was greeted by the rangers from council yesterday who informed me that there will be an increased presence before and after school focusing particularly on our Stop, Drop and Go Zone, which in my opinion is becoming very, very unsafe. I am glad they are working on this as I am regularly seeing behaviour from our drivers that is not conducive to everyone arriving at school or arriving at home in a safe manner.
If you used our Stop, Drop and Go Zone on Monday afternoon this week you may have noticed the presence of some staff from the Midwestern Regional Council.
As you know, we communicate with you regularly about the importance of using this drop off and pick up zone appropriately. The flow of traffic works most effectively for everyone when all those accessing the zone abide by the traffic regulations. This includes adhering to the 2 minute limit on stopping.
Staff from the council will continue to be a regular presence in our afternoon pick up zone in order to ensure we are all using the system as is intended. I understand this may be frustrating for some families, however, in the long run, we are confident it will result in a more streamlined pick-up process for everyone.
Please be aware:
· Cars should not be parked in the Stop Drop and Go Zone until children are ready to be collected at the end of the day. This means that arriving at 3pm and waiting in the queue until your child arrives 15mins later is not an option. Our advice to all families is to wait until 3:15pm or later to enter the pickup zone. That allows time for students to leave classrooms and make their way to the front of the school.
· If you are waiting for your child for 2 mins or more, you will need to lap around and join the queue again.
· If your child requires some support getting into and out of the car, staff are available to assist, or you may want to consider the option of parking elsewhere and walking to meet them at the gate instead.
· Please note - The fine for stopping in this zone for more than 2 minutes is $227 and the driver incurs 2 demerit points.
Finally, a personal message from me on drop off - please do not randomly stop out the front of the school to drop your children off. This includes in the bus bays and before the bus bay. This makes it unsafe for others.
School Photos Reminder: A friendly reminder that school photos will be taking place on Monday morning! Please ensure that students are dressed in their full summer uniform and looking fabulous for their pictures. Don’t forget to bring back the photo envelope that was sent home.
Have a great weekend, and week ahead. My thoughts are with those up north and I extend my thoughts to those who have family in Northern NSW and QLD. May all stay safe and their school communities rally around each other if needed.
Mr Carters
Principal
Principal's Awards
Congratulations to the following students that have received a principal or deputy principal award over the past fortnight.
CHAMELEON - Joey Sharp DAINTREE - Elizabeth Rayner, Victoria Stimson, Narah O'Brien, Madelyn Baskerville, Emelin Delph, Tessa Crowther HOLLOWS - Charlie McKenzie, Lukas Schrover, Arkie Gordon, Olivia Carter BRADFIELD - Will Cole x2 PINK - Jasper Grievson
Attendance Spotlight
At Mudgee Public School, we know that every day counts when it comes to learning! 
That’s why we are committed to actively supporting all students in attending school each day, engaging in learning, and thriving in their education. We have a range of attendance initiatives in place for staff, students, and our school community to work together to keep our attendance rates strong 
And what a flying start we’ve had! Our Week 4 attendance rate is at 91.1% – above our 90% target! 
An incredible effort, with five grades hitting 90% or above in their attendance rates! 
However, we did have 43 unexplained absences last week. Let’s aim for zero!
If your child is away, please:
Email or message their classroom teacher via Class Dojo
Call the front office
Use the Sentral Parents App
Quick reminder – Sentral will send an alert if your child is absent, so be sure to jump in and explain their absence. If a student is away for 3 or more days, their teacher will check in with families.
Attendance is vital for learning and success! Let’s keep up the momentum and work together to ensure our students are at school every day they are well and able! 
In VERY EXCITING NEWS, We have SIX grades with unexplained absences below 10, this is excellent!
Congratulations to YEAR 1 AND 3 with the lowest unexplained absences, with only 2 Congratulations to Year 3 with the highest attendance rate, on 95%
Remember, if you are not here, you are missing out.
Students of the Week
Term 1
INFANTS - Week 5
| KOALAS | George Clarke | CHAMELEONS | Hudson O'Kay |
| ECHIDNAS | Abel Couchi | QUOKKAS | April Smith |
| BILBIES | Koen Munn | MEERKATS | Noah Iliffe |
| ROSELLAS | Frankie Perring | MAGPIES | Bella Cole |
| PURPLE | Tyrell Marshall | ORANGE | |
| PINK | YELLOW |
INFANTS - Week 6
| KOALAS | Katerina Darlington | CHAMELEONS | Jeremy Johnston-Blewitt |
| ECHIDNAS | Pasis Sterland | QUOKKAS | |
| BILBIES | Jesse Crowe | MEERKATS | Zane Moynahan |
| ROSELLAS | Liam Roberts | MAGPIES | Jeremy Smith |
| PURPLE | Oliver Marshall | ORANGE | |
| PINK | YELLOW |
PRIMARY - Week 5
| ORANGE | Jayden Hall | PINK | |
| YELLOW | Lillie-Mae Haaring | RED | Bug Clarke |
| GREEN | April Powell | BLUE | Jaiden Vella |
| DONNELLYVILLE | Hamish Bungate | YAMBA | Mavis Johnston-Blewitt |
| SOFALA | River King | BERRY | Sophie Chalmers |
| DAINTREE | Shelby Mott | BRADFIELD | Rhianna Del Rosario |
| FREEMAN | Akira Venning | HOLLOWS | Lukas Schrover |
| LAVER | Braxton Robinson | NAMATJIRA | Wesley Curtis |
PRIMARY Week - 6
| ORANGE | Atticus Brown | PINK | |
| YELLOW | Jaxon Turner | RED | Lachie Buckman |
| GREEN | BLUE | Abigail Leonard | |
| DONNELLYVILLE | Oliver Marchant | YAMBA | Dylan Campbell |
| SOFALA | Castien Howson-Purser | BERRY | Daniel Beekman |
| DAINTREE | Leigh Clapham | BRADFIELD | Matthew Crowe |
| FREEMAN | Scarlett Tracey | HOLLOWS | Dakota Hogan |
| LAVER | Eli Herbert | NAMATJIRA | Tory Oakenfull |
PBL Focus Week 5 - "Keep hands, feet and objects to yourself"
PBL Focus Week 6 -"Be Collaborative"
School and Community Charter - Collaborative. Respectful. Communication.
The School Community Charter outlines the responsibilities of parents, carers, educators and school staff in NSW public schools to ensure our learning environments are collaborative, supportive and cohesive. I'm sure everyone would agree that the best education happens when students, parents and schools work together.
Parents and carers can expect:
- to be welcomed into our schools to work in partnership to promote student learning
- communication from teaching staff will be timely, polite, informative and solutions focused
- professional relationships with school staff will be based on transparency, honesty and mutual respect
- to be treated fairly. Tolerance and understanding are promoted as we respect diversity.
Our staff will find a time to talk to you when they can give you their full attention. Please remember that while our staff are in class or dealing with other matters, they may not be available to answer your questions immediately.
Our schools and communities will make sure that written communication is appropriate, fair and easy to read. We encourage you to use email and social media appropriately to connect with your school and stay up-to-date with events in the school community.
In all workplaces, people have the right to feel respected. Unacceptable and offensive behaviour has no place in our school communities.
To ensure the safety and wellbeing of students, staff and the community in our schools, steps will be taken to address unacceptable behaviour. This may include restricting contact with the school community or, in more serious cases, referral to NSW Police.
Unacceptable behaviour in our schools
Unacceptable behaviour may include but is not limited to:
- Aggressive or intimidating actions, such as violence, threatening gestures or physical proximity.
- Aggressive or intimidating language, including the use of obscenities, making sexist, racist or derogatory comments, or using a rude tone.
- Treating members of the school community differently due to aspects such as their religion or disability.
- Inappropriate and time-wasting communication.
Support Unit Spotlight
Dubbo Athletics Come and Try Day
What a fantastic day of running, jumping and throwing our way through all of the different Athletics activities. Congratulations to our students on their enthusiasm and sportsmanship. An extra special thanks to the superstar staff behind the scenes who organised a lot to make the day such a success!
Kindergarten Corner
Kindergarten Green Day! 
Last Friday, our Kindergarten students had a fantastic time celebrating Green Day! We learned all about recycling and even had a go at making our own recycled paper. It was a hands-on experience that helped us understand how we can take care of our planet. For Crunch & Sip, we enjoyed delicious fresh cucumbers and avocado dip—green is good for us! 
A big thank you to everyone who helped make the day special. What a great way to learn about sustainability while having fun! 
Community Notices
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
Mudgee District Hockey Association - 2025 AGM
7th of April 2025 at 7pm
Held at the Oriental Hotel Mudgee
All positions will be declared vacant!
The AGM is a great opportunity for everyone who cares about the sport to step up, share their ideas, and take part in shaping what happens next.
If you're passionate about keeping hockey alive in Mudgee, attending this meeting will be key—whether it's through voting, contributing ideas, or even taking on one of the vacant positions. Hopefully, there will be strong support to ensure the future of the sport in the area!
If you are planning on attending it would be great if you could indicate your attendance by reply email.
kind regards
MDHA
