Last Friday, the primary classes had the privilege of listening to a group of eighteen Year Six students confidently speak about why they wanted to be elected to the SRC Executive. All Year 3-6 students listened respectfully to the speeches and voted for their top two.

The candidates spoke about the leadership qualities and communication skills they would demonstrate if elected, shared their ideas for making Mowbray Heights Primary School even better, and described the caring and respectful behaviours they would model on a daily basis. Hard working, listening, friendliness, inclusiveness and fun featured highly in their speeches.

When listening to these students speak with such passion and confidence, I had an overwhelming sense of pride, knowing that each and every one of them would make an excellent President, Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer. 

To the families of all these students - congratulations!  Your children were not only a credit to themselves and the school, but most importantly to you, their families.

The Executive will be announced at the Year 3 - 6 Assembly on Thursday.

Sharon

The School Association is made up of the parents, staff and community members of a school. The School Association is an important part of the school, working with the Principal to achieve shared outcomes for learners and for the whole school community. 

The School Association Committee is an elected group of members that work together for the benefit of the school. The Committee manages and conducts the affairs of the School Association and performs administrative and decision-making tasks on behalf of the School Association. The Committee is made up of parents, staff and community members. 

Parent participation on our Committee is highly valued. We currently have two vacant parent member positions. The term of office is two years. Nomination Forms are available at the school office. Nomination Forms are to be returned to Tina Todman (School Business Manager) by 3:00 pm on Wednesday 20 March, 2024. If there are multiple nominations, an election will be held on Wednesday 27 March.

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 4 April at 7:00 pm in the Boardroom.

Priscilla Chilcott
Chairperson

Congratulations to the following students who received awards at our last assembly.

Breakfast Club for all students began on Monday. Breakfast Club is open from 8:30 am - 8:50 am every day. There is no cost to students and we are able to provide Weet-bix, toast, and a cup of milk or water. We are extremely appreciative of the Year 12 students from Launceston Church Grammar School who volunteer their time to prepare and serve breakfast to our students. All welcome!

Every Kindergarten child at Mowbray Heights Primary School can have a Kinder Health Check (KHC) with the School Health Nurse. The health check includes vision and hearing screening, height and weight measurements, and an oral health check.

The KHC form will be sent home with your child in week 4 (the week beginning 26 February).

If you would like your child to have the KHC, please complete the form and return it to the Admin team or your child’s teacher as soon as possible. If you do not want your child to have the KHC, tick the box on page 2, add your child’s details and return the form.

Pia Armstrong - Primary School Health Nurse pia.armstrong@decyp.tas.gov.au

On Thursday 29 February, 5-6 classes will travel to Greens Beach, making stops on the way at Brady’s Lookout and Supply River Mill. 

Students need to wear school uniform on the day, including their sports shoes. Thongs can be taken to wear on the beach.  School hats will be given out before we leave and sunscreen will be applied regularly throughout the day.  If your child is sensitive to the sunscreen provided by the school, please make sure you provide an alternative.

We will not be swimming. However, students will be allowed to paddle and feel the water on their feet.  A small towel and a spare pair of shorts and socks will be helpful. 

Students need to bring food and water for our breaks throughout the day.

Buses will leave promptly at 8:00 am so students need to be at school no later than 7:50 am. We will return before 3:00 pm.

Cindy Wright on behalf of the 5/6 Team

We are looking forward to our Year 3 - Year 6 Athletic Carnival on Wednesday, 6 March. We are excited to welcome parents and family members to the event!

The Year 5-6 Carnival will start at 9:30 am and finish at 12:00 pm.

The Year 3-4 Carnival will start at 12:10 pm and finish at 2:45 pm.

A Canteen service isn't available at St Leonards. Students will need to bring along plenty of food and water for sustenance and hydration.

Please ensure that your child has suitable footwear for physical activity. Students are expected to wear their black school shorts and are allowed to wear a tshirt in their school House Colours if they wish. Face paint, hair dye and coloured fingernails are not permitted.

House captains and vice captains will remain at St Leonards in the afternoon to assist the Year 3-4 students during their carnival.

Where: St Leonards Athletic Centre

When: Wednesday, March 6 (March 7 is the Rain Day)

House Colours: Beatty – Blue, Cadorna – White, Jellico – Yellow

We hope you can come along and support this event!

Josh Leighton HPE Teacher

Our school community is so fortunate to have the knowledge and skills of some very professional and caring people, who do their utmost to support the needs of students, families and staff.  They are known as our Support Services Team. At MHPS we have a School Psychologist, a Speech and Language Pathologist, a Social Worker, a Chaplain and a School Nurse.  Referrals to these services can be made through your child’s teacher or a member of the Leadership Team.

Our School Psychologist is Allison Maloney (Monday and Wednesday). Her main role in our school is to undertake educational assessments, diagnose learning disabilities, offer information about interventions and programs, and provide counselling for individuals and families on a range of mental health, emotional and family issues.

Our Speech and Language Pathologist is Kate Barnett (Tuesday and Wednesday in Term 1 and Term 3). Her main role is to diagnose and report on communication and language disorders, develop and implement treatment for students, and work with families and staff on intervention strategies. 

Our Social Worker is Mel Petterwood (Monday, Tuesday and every second Wednesday). Mel’s primary aim is to increase the capacity of school communities in supporting students for whom access, participation and achievement may be adversely affected by a range of social issues. 

Our School Chaplain is Stephen Avery (Wednesday). His role is
to provide pastoral, spiritual and emotional support for all members of our school community.  

Our School Nurse is Pia Armstrong (Thursday). She is available to assist you with advice, guidance and support with your child’s development, behaviour, diet and nutrition, toileting, sleep, vision and hearing. (Please see article below for further information).

Hello Mowbray Heights Primary School families, my name is Pia and I am your new School Health Nurse. I am at school every Thursday and am available to support families with any health-related concerns. This includes advice and referrals regarding concerns such as bedwetting, hygiene, nutrition, sleep and more.

I am also available to check student’s hearing and vision. I can be contacted through the school office.

This time of the year it’s important to keep the SunSmart message in mind. For best protection families should follow the Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide steps. This provides protection against skin damaging UV rays even on cloudy days.

Here at Mowbray Heights Primary School we are a Cancer Council SunSmart School, this means we have strategies and polices in place to ensure all parents, staff and the school community are protected from skin damage caused by harmful UV radiation from the sun.

I look forward to working with the Mowbray Heights School community.

Our School Canteen is managed by Mrs Angela Griffiths. It is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for snacks and lunch orders. Lunch orders can be made in the classroom before school or on the Qkr! app, and snacks can be purchased directly from the canteen. If families place an order using the Qkr! app, the order needs to made by 9:00 am. The Canteen Menu is available on our School app. 

Please go to the app and change your child's class name to ensure that lunches go to the correct classroom.

Our Uniform Cupboard is coordinated by Mrs Jenny Broad.  The Cupboard is open every Monday from 8:30 am to 9:30 am. Order forms may be collected from the school office at any time. You can also order items using our Qkr! app. Instructions for downloading and registering for Qkr! are below.

Invoices will be sent home to families who have not been approved for STAS in the next couple of weeks.  This composite levy covers almost everything, including learning materials, resources, equipment, excursions and performances.  It does not cover specialised activities such as the Leavers’ Dinner, cost of school photo or any other optional activity.

Families are able to choose between a single payment of the levy or they may take advantage of a range of payment options. You are most welcome to discuss your needs with Ms Tina Todman our School Business Manager (6326 1892).

The Student Assistance Scheme provides assistance for low income families towards the cost of levies. STAS is provided to the school rather than paid directly to families. STAS 2024 application forms are available for new enrolments, or for families who have not applied for, or been in receipt of STAS in 2023. Please note, being the holder of a Centrelink Health Care Card does not automatically mean that a family will be approved for STAS. Families who were approved and received STAS in 2023 have been sent correspondence regarding STAS 2024 directly from the Department for Education, Children and Young People. STAS application forms can be downloaded from the Department's website at www.decyp.tas.gov.au or collected from our school office.