MPS Newsletter - Week 3, Term 3 - 5 August

Principal's Report

Education Week

What a fantastic week we have had celebrating Education Week- "Creating Futures- Changing Lives." We celebrate all types of learning that occurs at all levels across our education system and we have a shared responsibility in helping to shape the lives and create the future of today’s learners.

Mudgee PS has celebrated in a number of different ways, showcasing a variety of learning and extraordinary talent in our school. It was great to see so many families join their children in the classrooms for Open Day and to stay on for the Concert, on Wednesday. We hope you enjoyed working with your children in the classroom and experiencing some of the activities. It was great to be able to once again invite parents onsite to share the extra curricular talents and class based learning going on at MPS.  I am sure the singing, monologues, very emotional speeches and violin performing was enjoyed by all. More images of this wonderful day can be found on facebook; Facebook

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100 Days of Kindergarten

Kindergarten kicked off Education Week with a celebration of achieving 100 days of primary schooling. It was a very special day with the students dressed in costume. A very big thank you to the Kinder teachers who organised the special activities, 100 cupcakes and lots of fun on Monday. Further images can be found on this facebook link; Facebook

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CLC Art Show

The Cudgegong Learning Community (CLC) showcased some extraordinary talent with the opening of the Art Show on Tuesday at the Mudgee Arts Precinct. Our amazing Layla in 5/6L performed at the opening singing the Miley Cyrus song "The Climb." Several schools from our local area displayed their artworks including photography, lino prints, ceramics and sculptures. I hope many parents have had the opportunity to visit the show this week. The students have enjoyed their time to visit and see the local talent. Thank you to Mrs Shearman for her efforts in the organisation and display of the art. Click on the link below to preview some of MPS finest Art works!

Spelling Bees

Also on Tuesday, some of our Stage 2 and Stage 3 students competed in the annual Spelling Bees. Congratulations to Caitlin Fazakarley and Lilah Rayner, the winner and runner up in Stage 2. Congratulations also goes to our Stage 3 winner Freddy Stevens and equal runners up, Sam Walker and Charlotte Dodd. Freddy and Caitlin will continue on to the Regional Spelling Bee later in the term.

Jeans For Genes

The students enjoyed wearing their jeans to school today to support the Childrens Medical Research Institute. The SRC reported that over $530.00 in financial donations was raised for the charity, along with the sale of 109 Yoyos = $545.00. Well done and thank you to everyone that contributed to this great cause.

Jolly Gym

Our Jolly Gym has started for children commencing kindergarten in 2023. If you have not joined up as yet, it's not too late! Please phone the office to register for either a Tuesday or Thursday afternoon 2pm- 3pm. Images below from the first couple of weeks of fun at Jolly Gym. 

MPS OFFICE PHONE: 6372 2036 

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Out of Hours School Care

The new OOSH building is almost completed in the back playground. We are hoping that it will be open for out of hours care later this term. There is no definite starting date yet but we will keep you informed of this as soon as we know. The contractors providing the care have opened registrations, please follow the links in the information pack below.

Visitors from Finland

As you may remember, last Monday we had visitors from Finland - a principal and an education director, partnered with some principals from Sydney. They visited Mudgee PS because they wanted to see a regional school in NSW. It was so lovely to share our school with them and celebrate the amazing things we do day in day out. We visited STEM lessons, robotics lessons, NAIDOC Collaboartive work in Kindergarten, Learning Support, a visit to the Wellbeing Hub, Yarning Circle and many conversations with students and staff. A comment was made when leaving which I really believe is what many people believe when they visit Mudgee PS "What a wonderful school you have. When you visit schools sometimes you just get a feel that you're in a great place. Your students and staff were so lovely".

Our special visitors also shared a video about their area of schools which you can view below.

https://www.kangasala.fi/kaupunki-ja-paatoksenteko/briefly-in-english/education-and-leisure/education/

NAIDOC Day Celebrations

A big Thank you to Woolworths and Amy from the Mudgee Store for their most generous donations of food, utensils and serviettes for our NAIDOC BBQ. We really appreciate the help given to make our BBQ a success. The below presentation is a snippet of our MPS NAIDOC Week celebrations.

Thank you everyone for your continued support, 

Mr Carters
Principal

Principal and Deputy Principal Awards

Congratulations to the following students who have received a Principal and/or Deputy Principal Award. 

Students of the Weeks

Congratulations to these students who have been recognised as "Student of the Week". Please join us in ackowledging their efforts and contribution.

Term 3 - WEEK 2

 INFANTS    KS - Alex Ramsland / KF - Zara Richards / KC - Harmony Riley / KL - Amelia Williams / 1B - Lachie Buckman / 1T - Travis Berry / 1N - Chayse Kovacic / 1S - Hazel Memorey / 2ND - / 2GM - Henry Marchant / 2R - / LS - Levon Van Reason

PRIMARY    2/3S - / 3D - Indi Nixon-Shaw / 3M - Addissyn Caligari / 3/4L - Ashley Dunford / 4A - Quade Singer / 4W - Seoul Smith / 5/6B - Rusty Wood / 5/6E - Charlie French / 5/6H - Angus Scales / 5/6J - / 5/6L - Zayne Meah-Reynolds / 5/6MC - Jacob Clay / SM - Kayshia Carpenter / TT - / LL - Jack Knobbs / JC - Shakira Bateman / MW - Ryan Platt

Term 3 - WEEK 3

 INFANTS    KS - Archie Ibrahim / KF - Zerina Powell / KC - Broughton Pitsis-Ingram / KL - Asta Blake / 1B - / 1T - Tiyce Kelle-Browne / 1N - Brax Drewe / 1S - Phoenix Freeman / 2/3S - Hudson  Reisinger / 2ND - Lucas Harrison / 2GM - Charlotte Rayner / 2R - Malakye King / LS - Raiden Blunt

PRIMARY    2/3S - Sophie Macdonald / 3D - William Walker / 3M - Mason Bozanich / 3/4L - / 4A - Lyra Johnson-Barnett / 4W - Levi Fenney / 5/6B - Amelia Stimson / 5/6E - Jasper Doyle / 5/6H - Matilda Beekman / 5/6J - Ella Lapsley Harris / 5/6L - Lucas Deville  / 5/6MC - Jessica Hargraves / SM - William Morris Belpitt / TT - / LL - / JC - / MW -

Library News

PRC - The Premiers Reading Challenge is in its final weeks! August 19th is the last day to have your books logged online. I have been adding names to the PRC Tree as students finish as it is looking great! Well done to those students. 

Book Club - Last week students brought home Issue 5 brochures. All online and cash orders are due Monday, August 8th. No late orders can be accepted sorry. 

Book Fair - THE MOST EXCITING TIME OF YEAR IN THE LIBRARY!! To coincide with Book Week; Book Fair is coming up in Week 6, August 22nd to 26th. Students will be purchasing Book Fair items during their usual Library times. PARENTS are welcome to come into the Library to purchase books on SELECTED DAYS ONLY. 

Parents are welcome to come in: Monday 22nd Aug from 9 am until 10 am, Wednesday 24th Aug from 9 am until 3 pm, and Friday 26th Aug from 2 pm until 3 pm. 

There will be a Book Week dress-up day during that week, on a day to be confirmed. The theme this year is 'Dreaming with Eyes Open'. Students are encouraged to dress up as a favourite book character or something along the lines of the theme. 

Happy Reading! 

Mrs Siobhan Vitnell (Teacher Librarian)

Class Corner - 3/4L

Class 3/4L thoroughly enjoyed opening it’s doors to parents and carers for Education Week on Wednesday. Parents, carers and students had fun as they moved between various activity stations reading, weaving, studying countries, playing maths games, beading and computers.

Mrs Liz Liddle & Mrs Liesel Meers (Classroom Teacher)

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Class Corner - SM

SM have had a fantastic and busy start to the term. Week One saw our year 6 students head to Canberra on their excursion. A wonderful time was had by all. In Week Two we celebrated NAIDOC week with a third place in the Deadly Door Design, with our personalised and meaningful design. We made some damper and enjoyed it hot with some honey and golden syrup. Week Three has seen us celebrate Education Week with open day, a visit to the Arts Precinct and Jeans for Genes Day.

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Meet the Staff - Mrs Donna Redding

Hi my name is Donna Redding and around the school the wonderful children of Mudgee Public School call me Miss Donna. I am so excited to be the new Student Wellbeing Support Officer. I have lived in Mudgee for 11.5 years, originally from Sydney. A few more years till I am a local apparently!  I have a varied background which I hope will bring some support to MPS, I have worked in other schools as a chaplain and SLSO, various roles in community work, aged care and international development. 

I believe the overall wellbeing of students is super important and want to make sure children feel valued, supported, safe and enjoy their time at MPS which in turn will hopefully support them to flourish into the best version of themselves.

For terms 3 & 4, I will be around Tuesdays-Thursdays on the playground at recess and lunch time; facilitating various group programs, based around resilience, regulating emotion, developing the skills for strong friendships, mindfulness, coping skills and various core values that are important for life and learning. 

I am always happy to stop for a chat, encourage and check in on our amazing MPS students. 

So if you see me around, I am always happy to have a chat. 

Mrs Donna Redding (Student Wellbeing Support Officer)

Year 6 Canberra Excursion

In week one, students and staff travelled to Canberra for the four-day year 6 excursion.  They left early Tuesday morning along with Mr Baddock, Mrs O’Brien, Mrs Vitnell and Mrs Martyn. Once at Canberra they visited the National Capital Exhibition, National Gallery of Australia and the National Botanic Gardens. They donned their school uniform on Wednesday for a massive day of touring. They explored the National Arboretum, the War Memorial, Mount Ainslie and Parliament House. In the evening, there was thunderous applause when it was announced that Laser Tag was the surprise activity of the night. Day three had everyone up bright and early, ready to hit the slopes. Luckily the weather held off and they had a spectacular day at Perisher. The excursion concluded on day four with another big day. They went to the Museum of Australian Democracy, the National Zoo and Aquarium, Embassy Tour and Questacon. Students had a once in a lifetime experience. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to explore, learn and discover new and exciting places.

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 families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributed funding of $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion.

Below: A word from some Yr 6 students and more images from the excursion can be found on Facebook

John Drewe - SM

My favourite place in Canberra was Parliament House because I got to see the Lego display of Parliament house. I liked Questacon because there were lots of activities to participate in.  

Kayshia Carpenter - SM

I liked visiting the War Memorial. It was interesting how the eternal flame came out of the water. We also saw the tomb of the unknown soldier and the red poppies were placed in the wall next to people's names who had died in the war. I also loved playing in the snow.

 Scott Stanford - 5/6H

We travelled to the Botanical Gardens and straight away into the rainforest mist spraying us like crazy until I couldn't see my friend standing next to me. We also saw different environments such as deserts and the Australian Outback.

Charlie Robertson - 5/6H

The first most exciting thing I liked was the Botanical Gardens and how we got to see different animals and plants and learn about them. The second thing was Questacon and how we could try different experiments and see cool objects.

Odin Anderson - 5/6E

My favourite activity on the excursion was Laser Tag. I loved it because my team beat all the others in the first round. The bus trips were great fun because even though they were long, I got to spend time with my friends. Hanging out with my mates at night was fun as well.

Charlie Blackman - 5/6E

I really like the snow day because the students got to have a bit of freedom and fun. I loved the embassy tour. I really enjoyed seeing the different styles of buildings representing a whole lot of different cultures.

Mia McAllister - 5/6L

My favourite part about Canberra was the snow. I loved rolling down the hill and throwing snowballs at people. It was the first time I have seen and played with snow and I loved it. The snow was very slippery. I kept on seeing a lot of people fall. It was kind of funny and I hope to see the snow again.

Grace Milson-Hamer - 5/6B

On my trip to Canberra my favourite thing was Lazer Tag because I could team up with my friends and a win a game together. It was lots of fun! I learnt that there is such a thing as a Dinosaur Tree at the botanical gardens. It was also cool to see all the amazing paintings and sculptures at the National Art Museum. 

Mrs Stephanie Martyn (Yr6 Canberra Coordinator)

From the Office

Have your contact details or student medical requirements changed?

It is important that the school has the correct student contact information for families, especially emergency contacts, in case of an emergency and parents cannot be reached, and correct email addresses for Newsletter items and important notices.  

If your child has a medical condition or requires the school to assist in administration of medication then the school requests that you provide any medical plans and necessary documentation as noted by the doctor. Medication must be provided in a clearly labelled container showing student name, medication type, dosage required, and expiry date.

Running late to school or leaving school early?

It is important that when a student arrives late, or needs to leave early, parents need to present to the front office and explain their child's absence. Parents who assist as a visitor within classrooms must sign in at the front office before proceeding to the classroom.

If you have any questions please contact Your Friendly Office Ladies! 

SCHOOL OFFICE PHONE: 6372 2036

Latest Term 3 Covid-Smart Measures

I want to give you an overview of how we are continuing to ensure our school remains COVID-safe throughout this term.

As we continue to prioritise student and staff learning and wellbeing while at school, our layered COVID-smart measures will continue for Term 3. These ‘baseline measures’ are aligned to the NSW Government’s general community settings and include:

• staying home and getting tested if unwell, and only attending school when symptom free

• strongly encouraging mask-wearing for all staff and students, particularly in the first 4 weeks of term

• rapid antigen testing for symptomatic students and staff, and close contacts attending school to learn and work

•  strongly encouraging COVID-19 vaccinations for students, staff and their families, including a booster shot (when eligible)
  

• strongly encouraging students, staff and their families to get a flu vaccination

• strict requirements for close contacts attending school

• good hygiene practices

• maximising natural ventilation

• boosted cleaning during the day, with particular attention given to high touch surface areas

• responding to local COVID-19 conditions when necessary, by working with the department’s Health, Safety and Staff Wellbeing team.

Continuing these baseline COVID-smart measures allows us to prioritise student and staff wellbeing while giving our learners a consistent and productive learning environment this term.

What's New in Term 3?

As winter continues, our COVID-smart measures have been updated in consultation with NSW Health to provide appropriate protection to our school community.

• Vaccinations: The department has updated its policy regarding COVID-19 vaccination for employees following an independent risk assessment of school (and corporate) settings and consultation with unions and relevant stakeholders. While vaccination will is no longer be a requirement for our staff from 1 August 2022, it is pleasing to see that a recent survey highlighted that more than 99% of the department’s active school-based workforce have had at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. We will continue to strongly encourage all our staff to keep up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations as a way of protecting themselves, students, and our school community.

• Boosted day cleaning. The department has made a slight change to its cleaning process. Cleaning of school sites will now be more concentrated during the day, with an increase in cleaning in school hours, and a subsequent reduction out of hours. Boosted day cleaning will continue to focus on high-touch areas and other hard surfaces, door handles, lockers, light switches and handrails in stairways and movement areas

What's New in Term 3?

• Masks. Masks are an effective way of minimising the transmission of respiratory viruses and infections, and protecting our community, especially those who are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 and flu. We strongly encourage all students and staff wear a mask for the first 4 weeks of Term 3, particularly in indoor settings or when distancing is not possible. The latest NSW Health advice also recommends wearing a mask for people who have recovered from COVID-19 and recently completed their 7-day isolation period for an additional 3 days (from days 8 to 10 after receiving a positive COVID-19 result). Additionally, as outlined in the below section on close contacts, mask wearing is mandatory for staff and high school students returning to school as close contacts for 5 school days and strongly recommended for primary school students returning to school as close contacts for 5 school days. Students or staff identified as close contacts who are unable to wear a mask will be supported to learn or work remotely.

• Rapid antigen tests (RATs). The department will send another round of RATs to our school early this term, which we will provide to you in the form of 1 multipack of 5 RAT kits per student. These RATs can be used as required for symptomatic testing, such as if your child is displaying even mild symptoms. Beyond this provision, if you require additional RATs let the school know that you need more and we will try and assist. Additionally, our school will be maintaining a reserve stock of RATs onsite to support symptomatic testing in the event of an outbreak in our school community. Please also remember that positive RAT results must be registered with ServiceNSW, and students who test positive to COVID-19 must not attend school until their isolation period ends and they are symptom free.

• Close contacts in the mainstream: Students identified as close contacts remain able to attend school providing they are symptom free, notify the school and return a negative COVID-19 test result daily for 5 consecutive school days. Primary students, while not required, are strongly encouraged to wear a mask for 5 consecutive school days (except when eating/drinking or exercising). Please note that students identified as close contacts are still unable to attend overnight excursions, including camps. Visitors identified as close contacts who are engaging directly with students are required to return a negative COVID-19 test result before attending our school and wear a mask.

• Close contacts in the Support Unit: The rules regarding close contacts in SSPs, support units/classes and students using assisted transport programs remain unchanged. Students in these settings are not allowed to attend school as close contacts, and will continue to be supported to learn remotely. Additionally, visitors identified as close contacts are not allowed to engage directly with students in these settings.
• Responding to our local situation. We will continue to liaise with NSW Health and the department’s Health, Safety and Staff Wellbeing Case Management team to ensure our COVID-smart settings keep up with the latest developments. If local conditions require it, this may mean reintroducing temporary additional COVID-smart measures to act as a ‘circuit breaker’, including:
  • mandating mask wearing for all staff and students in Year 7 and above (high school settings)
  • mandating mask wearing for all staff (primary school settings)
  • postponing or limiting non-essential activities like excursions, indoor assemblies and visitors to the school
  • directing cohorts to learn remotely for short periods of time.

• Maximising natural ventilation. The department has reviewed environmental differences across NSW as part of their winter ventilation planning to ensure that local climatic conditions at each school are considered. The department will continue to provide local guidance to schools, including advice on maximising natural ventilation while balancing thermal comfort and the use of indoor and outdoor learning areas for school activities to support schools to adapt to local climate conditions throughout the winter months.

This information is sent on behalf of the NSW Department of Education

P&C

The P&C Uniform Shop will be open every

THURSDAY  Term 3 , 2PM- 4PM.

Shop online at
www.quickcliq.com.au

Email: mudgeepublicschool-uniform@pandcaffiliate.org.au

Community Messages

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