Dear Parents and Carers

It has been wonderful to connect through our parent teacher meetings. Once again our school community has demonstrated how much we value working together in partnership. At MHPS we all commit to ensuring our students are known, safe, well and learning. 

If we weren't able to connect this time, your child's Prep - Year 6 Progress Report will be mailed to you on Friday.

There will be two other scheduled opportunites this year to meet in person, one with your child in attendance and one without. Please know however, that all parents and carers are welcome to make contact with your child's teacher at anytime throughout the year.

Relationships matter in our school, the building and the maintaining.

Kind regards 

Sharon

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

The National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is held in March. NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students in Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

The assessment provides parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests.  NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school's assessment and reporting process, and it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance.

NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

NAPLAN is an online assessment (except for Year 3 writing which is a paper based assessment). NAPLAN Online provides a better and more precise assessment. The assessments feature a tailored test design where the questions a student receives will depend on their answers to previous questions. 

2024 NAPLAN testing will be held from Wednesday 13 March to Monday 25 March.

Individual student performance in NAPLAN is shown on a national achievement scale for each test. The performance of individual students can be compared to the average performance of all students in Australia. Parents will receive their child's individual report.

Thank you for supporting your child’s participation in this important national initiative.  All we ask is they simply do their best.

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

Harmony Week is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, from the oldest continuous culture of our first Australians to the cultures of our newest arrivals from around the world. Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a core set of Australian values.  

At MHPS our cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths and is at the heart of who we are. During Harmony Week our students will be focussing on learning experiences which support the Harmony Week theme Everyone Belongs and celebrating our diversity.

As is tradition at MHPS on the Wednesday in Harmony Week, we invite everyone to wear either cultural clothing, clothing that is significant to you and your family, or the colour orange.  Traditionally orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect.

As it is School Photo Day on Wedneday 20 March our special clothing day will be on Wednesday 27 March.

Happy Harmony Week!

The Buzz will be starting a new group of beginners in Term 2.

What is The Buzz?

• The Buzz is a beginner brass band facilitated by volunteer members of the City Of Launceston RSL Band.
• Instruments on offer are cornet, trombone, trombone mini and euphonium. All learner instruments are made of plastic and are ideal for children.
• The Buzz lessons are weekly on a Thursday afternoon from 3:10 pm - 4:00 pm. Lessons take place in the school PAC. Students will need to be collected from the PAC at 4:00 pm.
• There is no charge for lessons, instrument hire or book hire. We do expect that all students will take care of borrowed instruments and books and be responsible for bringing them to school on Thursdays.

Learning any musical instrument is a challenge and requires patience, persistence, a positive attitude and plenty of practice.  Learning a brass instrument has the added challenge of producing a sound (a buzz).  Students who join The Buzz need to be prepared to practise at home in order to make progress on their instrument.

If your child is interested in joining The Buzz they can see Mrs Partridge for more information. You can also email Mrs Partridge at cherie.partridge@decyp.tas.gov.au if you have any queries.

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 has been sent home with your child.

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

Launching into Learning groups have started!

We would love to re-connect with our families and welcome new ones with children from birth to 4 years.

Why come to Launching into Learning?

• Play and learn alongside your child
• Meet other families
• Get to know the school staff
• Get ready for school

Programs include Kindy Gym, Pre-kinder, Playgroup (0-4) and Baby Playgroup. See the information attached for times and details.

Please talk to a member of the LiL team or the school office if you would like some more information about our programs.

Lisa Probert, Danielle Evans and Kelsey Campbell

The Qkr! Team have advised that the Android phone issue has now been resolved and parents/users can now download the App from the Google Play Store.

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.