SCHOOL NEWSLETTER Week 9, Term 1 2023
Principal's Report
School Tour for parents interested in enrolling students in future years
Our school tour last Friday, was fabulous! It was so nice to show case our school. Our next tour is on again next Friday 31 March at 10am. I do encourage parents to attend.
Kindergarten enrolments for 2024 are now open. Please head to our website to start the process. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the front office.
P&C AGM: Our P&C AGM took place last Monday and was very well represented with approximately 25 members. I have never been to a P&C AGM at any school where not only were all positions filled, but 4 general executive committee members were added and we even had elections for some positions.
Congratulations to the following people:
- President: Ian Tilmouth
- Vice-Presidents: Myff Clarke and Liz Channon
- Treasurer: Emma Smith
- Secretary: Chloe Smith
- General Executive Members: Marni Cross, Peter Kinnaird, Kirsty Crowe and Erinn Llewelyn
A big thank you to our outgoing executive members. I would like to make particular note of Karen Schrover who stood down from the presidency role. Karen has been such a wonderful person to work with in this role. She is a huge advocate for our school and for your children. Karen always has everyone's best interest in mind and in my opinion leaves the presidency position with the P&C in the best possible place it could be to move forward. I would also like to thank Feliecty Waugh who has finished up as treasurer. Felicity did a remarkable job organising systems and processes to ensure we were well on top of the game with all things finance and record keeping. Like Karen, Felicity leaves this treasurer position in a significantly strong place and I know the incoming treasurer will appreciate all her work. Carol Williams has also stood down as Vice-President after years of service. Carol always had the best interest of the kids and the school in mind. We appreciate all of the contributions these ladies have made - Thank you!
Harmony Day: On Tuesday we had a lovely day celebrating Harmony Day. Our focus was on everyone belonging and celebrating all the different cultures that make Australia the lucky country it is. Well done, Mudgee PS!!
Parent Teacher Interviews: are scheduled for Wednesday 5 April. Teachers will also make themselves available at times that week or the week before. Like the last few years, bookings will be made online. Click here if you have not yet made a booking: https://mudgeeps.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/7
Cross Country: Our Cross Country carnival will take place in the last week of school. This time around, it will be a K-6 event. The carnival will start around 10am and finish about 12:30pm. Our Kindergarten and Year 1 students won't walk down until closer to 11am.
Students are welcome to wear house colours or sports uniform, joggers and a hat. They should also pack a normal recess, lunch and water, as well as apply sunscreen.
Unsure which House colour to wear? - the list below should help, but please check with your child's classroom teacher if you are uncertain.
Douro - Red / Denison - Green / Gladstone - Yellow / Perry - Blue /
PBL Assembly: Our Term 1 PBL Assembly will take place next Friday 31 March commencing at 11:45am. Parents of award recipients should receive an invitation today.
Changes to Stage 3 Teaching and Relieving Assistant Principal: As some people may be aware, Mrs O'Brien has been on and off with leave this term, and will be continuing this leave throughout Term 2. Miss Lucinda Hopkins has been working closely with 6J this year and has committed to teaching the class in this time. Mr Stephen Smith will relieve as Assistant Principal, Stage 3, whilst Mrs O’Brien is on leave. Mrs O'Brien can't wait to return later in the year!
Wishing you all a fabulous fortnight. Remember to take care and value time with family and friends.
John Carters
Principal
Dates for the Diary
- 27 March - Netball Trials Zone - Glen Willow -2pm -4pm
- 27 March - Big Crunch Week - Healthy Canteens
- 28 March - Western Touch
- 28 March - Evacuation Practice
- 29 March - Girls Cricket @ Walkers Oval
- 30 March - Western Girls Rugby 7s Trials
- 31 March - School Tour - 10.00am
- 31 March - PBL Assembly 11.45am
- 31 March - Western Boys/Girls Hockey Trials
- 31 March - Year 6 - 7 High School Applications Due
- 3 April - School Cross Country 10am - 1pm @ Walkers Oval
- 4 April - KC Red Hill Excursion
- 5 April - Parent Teacher Interviews https://mudgeeps.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/7
- 5 April - KL & KF Red Hill Excursion
- 6 April - Easter Hat Parade - 12pm - 1pm
- 6 April - Thrilling Thursday
- 6 April - Last day of Term 1
- 7 April - GOOD FRIDAY - Happy Easter & Holidays begin
- 24 April - SDD - School Development Day
- 25 April - ANZAC DAY - ANZAC March - Meet at 10am
- 26 April - TERM 2 STARTS - Students return
- 26 April - School ANZAC Service
- 27 April - Peachey/Richardson Shield (Bathurst) Rugby League Gala Day
- 28 April - Western Rugby Union Trials (Dubbo)
Principal Awards
Congratulations to the following students on receiving a Principal award over the past fortnight.
Principal's Awards
1N - Hamish Bungate, Amity Barrington, Elsie Sharpe, Summer Hill / 1S - Rosie O'Regan, Lincoln Heppel, Hudson Minards / 2GP - Georgia Moylan, Isla Munn, Annabelle Anderson, Ayla Baker3L - Emrie Field, Addison McDonell x2, Tylor West, Ieshia Dunford, Denver Stokes, Abigail Williams, Sophie Dale, Dana New / 4/5A - Seoul Smith, Ava Kelly, Tenacity Brown, Elarah Mogg, Lottie Harvey, Georgia Chase, Bonnie Thomson / 5B - Cooper Lecke, Tom O'Brien / 5/6H - Larni Taylor, Sophie Brentnall, Bonnie Scicluna, Jarrah Roberts / Kandice Conroy, Ruby Lumsden, Mackenzie Jackson, Taylah McMahon / 6J - Ruby O'Brien, Ebony Crowe / 5/6T - Ziggy Gordon, Freddy Stevens / OL - Lilly Hill / SM - Ryan Platt, Jack Knobbs / AB - Angelo Musitano
Deputy Principal's Awards
OL - Busta McAuliffe / 2E - Billie Clarkson / 5/6H Talon McKay
Students of the Week
"Listen to and follow adult instructions."
Term 1 - WEEK 8
INFANTS KC - Hallie Campbell / KF - Nixon Wood / KL - / 1N - Hamish Bungate / 1RD - Kyron Palmer / 1S - Jayce Flack / 1/2SR - Asta Blake / 2E - Tom Lawler / 2GP - Chase Oakenfull / 2M - Nicholas Cumberland / AB - / AL -
PRIMARY 3D - Ava McDonell / 3L - Alli Smith / 3S - Hannah Pye / 4H - Tory Oakenfull / 4W - Oliver Scales / 4/5A - Isobel Stott / 5B - Claudia Robertson / 5/6H - Jasper Dyke / 5/6T - Ayla Coupe / 6J - Rusty Woods / 6S - Kyran Dennis / JC - Brodie Speechley / LL - Mason Evans / MW - April Powell / OL - Ross Edwards / SM - David Drewe
"Try your personal best."
Term 1 - WEEK 9
INFANTS KC - / KF - Bailey Spurr / KL - / 1N - Summer Hill / 1RD - Lillie-Mae Haaring / 1S - / 1/2SR - Lyla West / 2E - Cas Purser Howser / 2GP - / 2M - Dimity Thomson / AB - Angelo Musitano / AL -
PRIMARY 3D - Kyesha Riley / 3L - Tylor West / 3S - Angus Blackman / 4H - Rocco Berry / 4W - Marcie Grosse / 4/5A - Zeke Langton / 5B - Scarlet Pendlebury / 5/6H - Harper Stevens / 5/6T - Oscar Clay / 6J - Levi Miles / 6S - Amelia Northey / JC - / LL - Makayla Buckman / MW - Ciannon Crew / OL - Bug Clarke / SM - David Drewe
SRC News
The SRC have started collating Easter Egg raffle tickets which were sent home with the eldest student in each family. A note was included to explain that Tuesday 4th April is the last day students can return their raffle tickets and money. It is also the last day for Easter Egg donations. Students from K-6 are encouraged to bring in Easter Egg donations. They can bring them to their classroom in the morning and their teacher will choose students to take them to the office. The raffle draw will take place at the Infants Easter Hat Parade on Thursday 6th April. We will contact prize winners if not in attendance. Please make sure those who purchase your tickets write their first and last name as well as their contact number.
All Stewart House donation envelopes need to be returned to school by Tuesday 4th April. The donations will then be forwarded onto Stewart House and the amount raised announced.
Thank you,
Mrs Julie Tito,
(SRC Coordinator)
Embedding Sustainability at Mudgee PS - Waste Pilot Program
We are excited to share with you that our school is participating in a pilot looking at how to embed sustainability into schools. In 2022, the Department of Education launched Our Commitment to Sustainability. This pilot will help inform the first goal of embedding sustainability into school practice. As one of twenty schools participating in the pilot, we have the opportunity of shaping the overall sustainability program that will be rolled out across the state in 2024.
Over the next 12 weeks, we will be working through a series of activities focused on waste and litter reduction and using an online tool to capture and track our progress and achievements.
So far we have trained our lead teacher/s and students driving the initiative with the support of DoE’s environmental education centres staff.
We will be doing a school waste and litter audit which will demonstrate what we could be recycling that currently goes into landfill. We will then develop a Waste Reduction Action Plan which will help us increase our recycling and decrease our waste. As part of this, we will be installing new bin infrastructure across the whole school.
Why WASTE?
The impact of reducing litter and waste are immediately obvious.
As part of the NSW Government’s Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041, targets of “80% average recovery rate from all waste streams by 2030 have been introduced and the amount of organic waste sent to landfill by 2030 needs to be halved. Under this, schools are subject to mandatory waste separation practices from 2025.
So there is no time like the present to act now and get on the front foot!
We will have access to DoE environmental education teacher support for our school on this journey and new teaching and learning materials and staff training that have all been adapted to the NSW Curriculum, enhancing the teaching and learning experiences at our school.
Ultimately, the sustainability program will look at more than just waste. A similar program that has been running in Victoria, has saved more than $41 million on bills, planted 5,271,038 trees, saved more than 118,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, diverted 194,000 cubic metres of waste from landfill and saved 1,884,783 kilolitres of water.
From the Environmantal Team & Waste Audit held 22 March 2023;
On Wednesday the 22nd of March 2023, it was our first environmental group day. We sorted garbage bags, which were from the classrooms, the office and the playground. We sorted them into groups- General waste, organics, soft plastics, return and earn, paper and cardboard. Then we completed a litter audit by going in groups and we had a section of the school. We picked up rubbish in infants and primary even the front of the school. We even found garbage in gardens. - by Stella Clayton and Holly Freestone
On Wednesday 22/3/23 we went into the primary hall and did an audit of all the rubbish around our school. An audit is when we lay all the rubbish on a table and we sorted it out into different categories. The different categories were General waste, organics, soft plastics, return and earn, paper and cardboard. Then after that we went into the playground and we tried to pick up most of the rubbish. - by Myah Stott, Claire Darlington and Lilly Wilkes.
If you would like to be involved please contact Miss Nikki Evans on 6372 2036 or Nicole.evans26@det.nsw.edu.au
Office News
SCHOOL VISITOR CHECK-IN and PICKING UP YOUR CHILD EARLY
ALL VISITORS (parents/carers, volunteers and contractors including cleaners) must use School Visitor Check-in to comply with school sign-in procedures. When needing to pick your child up early from school please come to the office and sign them out in the “Student Early Leavers” register. A printed early slip will be provided, and you can then collect your child from their classroom.
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST 2024 HIGH SCHOOL – YR 6 INTO YR 7
A letter went home with each Year 6 student this week outlining the process for students going into Year 7 in 2024. An online expression of interest will need to be completed for each student by 31st March 2024. Here are the following links:
https://year7.enrol.education.nsw.gov.au/?schoolCode=2656
If no placement is required at a local Government High School, please use the following link to submit your NO PLACEMENT REQUIRED:
https://year7.enrol.education.nsw.gov.au/no-placement/?schoolCode=2656
If you are unable to submit your expression of interest online, a paper copy can be collected from the school office.
CHANGE OF DETAILS
Staff at Mudgee Public School need to stay connected with our families and it is of the utmost importance that parents/carers inform the office of any changes in a student’s details. This includes address, phone numbers, email addresses, emergency contacts and parental responsibility, including any Court Orders which may have been put into place. Please allow us to stay informed by forwarding any changes as soon as possible.
CHANGE OF AFTERNOON ARRANGEMENTS
If the home time arrangements change for your child, it would be very much appreciated if a phone call, to the office, could be made by 2pm. This enables us, to ensure that, the message will get to your child before the afternoon bell time.
Your Friendly Office Staff
"We're here to help!"
Library News
Book Club - Issue 2 orders were put in today, thank you to everyone who has supported the school Library with their purchases. All orders should be back in the next week or so.
PRC - The Premiers Reading Challenge is in full swing! This is a challenge that all students across the state have an opportunity to participate in. Students in K-2 have brought home a purple sheet to begin writing the books down that you have read. Once you have read the required books, and filled out the sheet, you can return the sheet to me in the Library. All books are specially marked in the Library to make it as easy as possible to participate. K-2 students need to read 30 books with red PRC stickers on the front. Years 3-4 need to read 20 books with green PRC stickers on the front, and Years 5-6 need to read 20 books with purple PRC stickers on the front. Years 3-4 and 5-6 students are logging their books straight online in Library time, but if you want a purple sheet to keep track, please come and see me in the Library. More information can be found at https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html
Students will need to know their computer login details to log the books online themselves.
Overdue Books - There are a lot of overdue books across the school at the moment. Please make sure you return all books on time so that others can enjoy our fabulous resources!
Happy Reading!
Mrs Vitnell - Teacher / Librarian
Class Corner - 3S
3S have been studying the book, 'Tuesday' by David Wiesner. Through an in-depth study of this wordless picture book, students have been invited to explore how visual narratives are constructed. They have engaged in discussions about the setting, events, characters and themes expressed within the book. For a whole-class writing task, students jointly constructed a News Report about an event that may have taken place in the book. They then independently wrote their own.
Students have also been loving their weekly Science lessons with Mrs Pretty. They have been grouping living things according to observable features. Students enjoyed using laptops and iPads to research particular animals. They selected an animal, researched its scientific name and recorded its features.
Class Teacher - Mrs Teegan Sheedy
Class Corner - LL
Class LL have had a fantastic start to 2023, learning new classroom routines and making friends. Our class motto is 'In LL we all get what WE need'. We have students across all years from Year 3 - Year 6.
Students complete daily activities surrounding the Zones of Regulation. This is a powerful program that helps students develop awareness of their feelings, energy and alertness levels. We are creating our 'toolboxes' full of strategies to manage our different Zones. This is so we can manage our day and work towards our individual goals including completing schoolwork, joining mainstream classes for sport or managing our big feelings. We have used photography and role play to identify the feelings and emotions in our self and in others. We have some fantastic actors amongst the group !
The class continues to show their skills in the kitchen, and we have a group of budding chefs among them. Each Thursday students work together to follow a recipe, prepare ingredients, cook a meal and enjoy lunch together. They take turns in cleaning up each week - the least favourite step in the process! These lessons allow us to combine a number of learning activities including reading, writing, measurement, number and life skills.
In English we have been learning to identify nouns and verbs in texts we read and using these in our writing to label images. In Maths students have been focusing on whole number and have started to investigate 2D shapes and time. In History lessons students have been sharing personal history and exploring where they live and belong. In ICT lessons we have developed block coding skills and using Google Draw for design. One of our favourite things is joining with Ms Liddle and 3L each Friday for Sport. We love running around and having time with our mainstream mates.
Class Teachers - Mrs Gregory & Ms Altimira
Opportunity Classes - Yr 5 & 6 Entry 2024
What are opportunity classes?
Opportunity classes located in government primary schools cater for academically gifted Year 5 and Year 6 students with high potential. These classes help students to learn by grouping them with students of similar ability, using specialised teaching methods and educational materials at the appropriate level.
The Selective Education Unit administers the opportunity class placement process.
Parents normally apply when students are in Year 4. Students who are placed then attend the opportunity class full time in Years 5 and 6 at the primary school with an opportunity class. It is a two-year placement program. In the majority of cases, students who accept a place in an opportunity class will leave their current school to attend the school with an opportunity class.
There is no provision to apply for Year 6 placement only.
There are 77 primary schools with opportunity classes across NSW.
- See a list of NSW primary schools with opportunity classes.
- Go to the map of opportunity classesExternal link to find a school nearby.
Parents of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are encouraged to consider applying for selective and opportunity class placement For further information and support parents can speak with their principal or contact their local Aboriginal Education and Wellbeing Advisor.
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
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
