By the end of this week almost all of our Prep - Year 6 students will have completed Department of Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) required assessments in Reading and Maths. These assessments indicate student achievement, and growth from October 2023 to October 2024.

Student results from these assessments provide another data set for teachers to consider when determining end of year ratings for Maths and English. Results also highlight concepts which require re-teaching, reviewing, revising or revisiting.

Whilst we do not provide families with an assessment report, parents and carers are welcome to make contact with their child's class teacher to discuss results. We are so proud of the way our students apply themselves to the assessment tasks and do their very best.

In Term 4, most Prep to Year 6 students will receive an End of Year Summative Report containing ratings against the Australian Curriculum using the 9 point scale. 

Prep students will be assessed in English, Mathematics and Science. 

Year 1 to Year 6 students will be assessed in English, Mathematics, Science, and Humanities and Social Sciences. 

Some students who are not assessed against the Australian Curriculum will be assessed against their learning plan goals.  

In line with DECYP policy, Prep to Year 6 reports will not contain any written comments.

Kindergarten students will receive a portfolio of work samples.

Last Friday, we braved the wind and the showery conditions to compete in the 2024 LSSSA Swimming Carnival at the Riverside Aquatic Centre. This is the first LSSSA Swimming Carnival we have participated in for many many years.

We are so proud of our 17 students who attended. They showed respect, courage and were very supportive of each other.

Congratulations to the following students who placed in their event:

Josh Leighton - HPE Teacher

Well done to our Junior Boys and Junior Girls Basketball teams on their wonderful performance on the weekend. Our players improved in every game, and displayed excellent teamwork and sportsmanship. We are so proud of you all! 

Congratulations to our Junior Girls who played in Division 3. They played so well as a team, always passing to someone in the best spot to score and their defense was outstanding. A fabulous game against LCGS was the highlight of the weekend. Well done girls!

Congratulations to our Junior Boys team who played in Division 2. There was some seriously tough competition but they never gave up and we came away with one win. The boys played for each other, listened carefully to instructions and displayed courage when things got challenging.  Well done boys!

Thank you very much to Priscilla for your commitment to the Junior Boys Team and for the encouraging way you coached.  Thank you also to our parents who supported the tournament, and thank you to the many staff who came along and cheered loudly for our teams.

Sharon

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

We are beginning to plan the number of classes and staffing required for 2025. To do this well and with accuracy, we need to be confident about our enrolments. If you know that your child/children won’t be returning to Mowbray Heights next year, please contact the office staff to complete the available form or email your child's class teacher. Under the Education Act it is the responsibility of parents to notify the school in writing when their child is leaving to attend another school. 

In the last two weeks of November we will begin working on class placements for next year. Placing children in classes is always carefully considered and many things are taken into account, including the educational needs of students, gender, friendships and work habits. We also consider parent and carer knowledge, as they often have important information to share with us about their child which can be very helpful.  

If you would like to communicate information that will support your child’s placement in 2025 you are welcome to make a time to meet with me, contact me via phone 63261892, or email me at sharon.symes@decyp.tas.gov.au. It is important that you communicate with me and not discuss individual needs with class teachers. In a school as big as ours, it is important to keep track of the information.

The information you give me will be taken into account, along with the significant knowledge our staff has of your child. We commit a great deal of thought and time into arranging classes. Once we start placing over 500 students in classes, it is difficult to make changes, as so many factors will have been considered which affect not only your child, but also the other students in their new class. It is essential to know that requests for a particular teacher will not be considered. The opportunity to provide information supporting class placements closes on Thursday 14 November.  

Sharon

Thank you very much to all who have gained sponsorships and donations for our school. This is the final reminder to return all outstanding money raised and the form. So far P&C have banked $3602.90! This is a fantastic achievement.

From Tuesday 12 November to Friday 29 November, Pre-Kindergarten children are able to attend Early Start sessions without parents. This is a wonderful opportunity for the children to practise separating from family and to develop some independence in the school setting.

There will be a Teacher and Teacher Assistants to supervise and support your child during this transition. The staff enjoy this valuable time to get to know your child and make stronger connections with them. We would expect that children attend on their regular Pre-Kindergarten day and time.

It is a legal requirement that parents remain at school while your child attends Early Start. During this time parents will have an opportunity to move to another location in the school grounds and have a tea or coffee with other parents and staff. I will share information with you about enrolment, uniforms and the Kindergarten Program. You will have about 10 minutes to settle your child into the program before each parent session begins.

Our LiL staff are happy to answer any questions.

On Thursday 14 November, all Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 students will have the opportunity to experience Braveheart's personal safety education program - Ditto's Keep Safe Adventure Show. The show is age appropriate and will provide them with personal safety tools and strategies, while supporting positive self-esteem and resilience building. An information sheet was sent home with all students last week.

Jasmine Bird - AST Early Childhood

Family Planning Tasmania will be visiting our school from 18 November through to the 22 November to provide The Growing Up Program – a relationships, sexuality and protective behaviours program.

The Growing Up Program (GUP) is Tasmania’s leading relationships, sexuality and protective behaviours’ program for students from Kindergarten through to Year 6. 

It is facilitated by an experienced team of Family Planning Tasmania educators, and is age and developmentally appropriate, sequential, and evidence-based. 

The program is aligned to the: 

• Australian Curriculum 
• Early Years Learning Framework 
• Respectful Relationships Teaching and Learning Package 

GUP reflects the latest in sexual and reproductive health research, and aims to maximise learning outcomes, and increase positive communication between parents  and carers and their child/children. 

Growing Up educators will encourage children to talk to their families and other trusted adults and consider their own family’s beliefs and values. 

Family Planning Tasmania recommends that students be provided with relationships, sexuality and protective behaviours education each year. 

By clicking on the below link, parents and carers will be able to access information to their child/children’s program. https://fpt.org.au/programs/parents-carers/the-growing-up-program-gup-parents-carers/

Our School Association is really keen to build connections with families and a sense of community. Families are invited to join our School Association Committee members for a meal on Thursday 21 November at 6:00 pm at the Mowbray Hotel.  Children are welcome.

Please RSVP to Priscilla on 0418 146 703 as soon as possible to ensure the reservation numbers can be provided to the venue.

We look forward to meeting you!

School Association Committee 

Lockdown is the response strategy for incidents that pose a threat to the safety of our students and staff.  These incidents can happen without warning, are fast moving and can have devastating consequences.  These incidents however, are extremely rare in Australia.  All DECYP sites are required to maintain a site-specific Lockdown Plan and Lockdown drills must be completed at least annually.

Our Lockdown drill will be held on Wednesday 27 November in the morning.  To prepare our students for the drill they will have been read a social story multiple times which describes the actions we need to take.  Our students will be told that the Lockdown drill is a practice and that there is not a real threat. The Lockdown drill will go for approximately 5 minutes.

Our Kindergarten classes are on an excursion on Wednesday 27 November which means they will not participate in the drill.

If you would like a copy of the social story which is presented in PowerPoint please email Claire Chalmers  (claire.chalmers@decyp.tas.gov.au) or Julia Ayers (julia.ayers@decyp.tas.gov.au).

On Wednesday 27 November Kinder A, B and C will be going on an excursion to the City Park. The children will be involved in a range of wellbeing activities at the park including a play in the playground, music, visiting the sensory garden and conservatory and observing the ducks and monkeys.

The children will need to bring a packed morning tea, lunch and a drink bottle. There will be no lunch orders available on this day.

The bus will be departing school at 9:30 am and returning to school by 1:45 pm.

The children will need to wear school uniform and sunscreen.

Please ask your child’s teacher if you have any questions. We are looking forward to a wonderful day in the park.

Rebecca Saunders, Natasha Gibbons and Danielle Evans - Kindergarten Teachers                                                            

We are very much looking forward to joining our Year 6 students at the Leavers' Dinner. This evening is a wonderful occasion, celebrating learning, friendships and all that makes their time at MHPS memorable.

When: Monday 9 December 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Venue: UTAS Stadium Function Centre, Invermay Road

Cost: $35.00

Professional photos: An option available for families costing $36.00 

Payment for the dinner and optional professional photos can be made at the school office by cash or card. All payments are required by Friday 29 November.

Each year our Year 6 students have the option of wearing a Leavers' Polo Top. This is a long standing and special tradition.  Leavers Polo Tops are available for purchase at a cost of $40.00 each for Short Sleeve and $45.00 for Long Sleeve. If you would like your child to have this opportunity please complete the 2025 Year 6 Leavers Polo Top order form which will come home with our Year 5 students this week. There will be one order placed for the year. The expected delivery date for polo tops is early Term One, 2025.  

Please return the Order Form and payment to the School Office by Wednesday 11 December 2024.

There are 5 Size 10 2024 Leavers' Polos still available for purchase.  The tops are $35.00 and can be purchased at the school office.

The current supplier of our school dress will now only fill an order of a minimum of 30 dresses per size. We offer a full range of sizes, which means we could have hundreds of school dresses in the Uniform Cupboard. Our Uniform Co-ordinator has spoken to another supplier who is happy to fill order amounts in the quantities we require, however, the dress is slightly different. The cost of the new dress is the same as our current dress.

We do not expect families to buy the new dress until it suits them and we are happy for our students to wear either dress.

To speed up the transition to the new dress we are offering the current style dress at a discounted price of $30.

In showing the dress to families, the feedback so far has been extremely positive. Please feel free to provide any feedback you have to the Admin Team.

We are now accepting Kindergarten enrolments for next year.  To be eligible for Kindergarten in 2025, children need to be 4 on or before the 1st January 2025.  When enrolling in a Tasmanian Government school for the first time, evidence must be provided in relation to student identity, the parent/guardian identity, student residential address and student immunisation. 

Evidence is required in relation to student identity which may include one of the following:

• Australian Birth Certificate
• Current Australian or foreign passport and visa

Evidence is required in relation to parent or legal guardian identity which may include one of the following:

• Birth Certificate
• Current Australian Drivers Licence
• Current Australian passport or foreign passport and visa 

Evidence is required in relation to residential address which may include one of the following:

• Birth Certificate
• Current Australian Drivers Licence
• Current Australian passport or foreign passport and visa 

Evidence is required in relation to immunisation which may include one of the following:

• The child's Health Record Book (Blue Book)
• A printout from the Medicare - Australian Immunisation Register

Kindergarten at Mowbray Heights Primary School is a three full day program. Please phone the office or drop in to register your child’s name and begin the enrolment process. 

If you have completed an enrolment form for Launching into Learning your intention to enrol your child, if in our intake area, is already known and underway.

Please note: We are not able to accept Expressions of Interest for an Out of Area Enrolment as we are at capacity.

Sharon

Term Dates

Professional Learning Days