Welcome to 2023
Principal's Welcome
Welcome to the start of another school year! I am excited to welcome all students back tomorrow, Tuesday 31 January, and I am confident that together we will make this a successful and productive year for our students.
As the principal of this school, I am honoured to be leading such outstanding staff, parents and most importantly students. I believe that every child has the potential to achieve, and it is our job to provide them with the resources and support they need to do so. By working together as a team, we can ensure that every student at our school receives the very best education and is prepared for success in the future.
I want to remind you that our school is a place where everyone is welcome and where we strive to create a culture of mutual respect and understanding. I believe that this is the key to creating a truly inclusive and equitable school environment.
I am excited to see the amazing things that we will accomplish together this year. Let's work together to make this the best school year yet. Thank you for your continued support and I can't wait to see everyone tomorrow.
John Carters
Principal
First Day
As mentioned above, tomorrow, Tuesday 31 January, we welcome our students Years 1 – 6 back to school. In the morning, students will be moving to their new playground area and will move to their assembly area when the bell rings to go to class. Our Year 3 students, who are now primary students, will line up under the Primary COLA. From there, students will move into their anticipated classes for 2023. We say anticipated, as until we see which families may have moved on or moved into the Mudgee Public School catchment over the holidays, we won't know our exact class numbers or teacher entitlement.
Kindergarten students will join us for their first official day on Friday 3 February, after their Best Start Assessments take place over the next 3 school days. All their information around starting and finishing times, along with Pick-Ups and Drop Offs, has been sent in a letter before Christmas and will be communicated again with Students/Parents when they arrive to complete their Best Start Assessment. If you are a Kindergarten parent and missed this information, please contact the front office.
New Classes
The first few weeks of school is an exciting and nervous time for all children. Every effort has been made to take all factors into consideration when forming classes. With around 600 students at our school, making new friends and socialising is a crucial life skill and one which can often only be developed with experience. When forming classes, careful consideration was given to input from staff and families as well as student learning styles and indeed their friendships. Classrooms have been balanced academically and socially. Our class lists are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each grade level. Moving students is difficult without causing imbalances and inequities. Whilst we have made efforts to transition students to their new class, it is expected that some will have trepidations about their new settings. I ask that you give all children time to settle into class and develop their own respectful relationships before raising any concerns about 2023. Of course, if you believe that concern can’t wait we ask you to contact your child’s teacher, or the relevant Assistant Principal for that stage. A full list of classes and relevant executive is below.
New Staff
You may notice some new names in the list above. This includes a few additions to our staff. We are delighted to welcome Mrs Kylie Duffy (Acting Deputy Principal Support Unit); Mr Grant Hough (Relieving Assistant Principal Stage 2); Ms Lucy Roberts (Year 1), Mrs Alice Barnett (Year 5) and Ms Michelle Prater (Year 2). I will introduce these staff members more in coming weeks but for now, please welcome them to Mudgee Public.
Changes to Buses
As many of you are aware, there are some changes to Bus Services this year. To help give an overview of the changes, Ogdens have provided some materials which are attached which may be of some use. In addition to this all of the new services are now live and published on the Ogdens website, which can be accessed on the link below. This gives times and routes of all services.
PBL Awards
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is a whole school program that actively promotes positive behaviour. It enables students to develop a clear understanding of required expectations, become responsible for their own behaviour and work together to create a positive, productive and harmonious learning community. Our school-wide expectations are represented with a bee mascot: Bee Safe, Bee Respectful, Bee Responsible and Bee an Active Learner.
Below is a copy of our school awards system and what students need to collect and hand in to achieve different awards. There is one minor change from previous years in that to receive a Book Award, students can use both Deputy Principal and Principal Awards. In the past, this has only been principal awards. We hope this chart is of use to you and we will share this with you regularly throughout the year.
Meet the Teacher - Save the Date
Our "Meet the Teacher" Afternoon/ Evening will take place next Wednesday 8 February. Times will be communicated later in the week, but for now, "Save the Date".
Stationary Supplies
This year, once again, we will be providing the majority of stationery for our students so there is no need to go and buy a whole heap of extra supplies. Students in Years 1-6 may like their own pencil case with the basics in it, eg pencils, rubber, sharpener, textas etc (and pens Year 4-6) but all of that will also be provided. Other than that, there may be some small supplies requested by classroom teachers in the early weeks. Kindergarten students do not need to bring anything – just their smiling selves.
Stay Connected
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Twitter? https://mobile.twitter.com/mudgeeps or @MudgeePS
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