Dear Families

We are so pleased to invite parents and carers to come into school for a Parent and Carer Teacher Meeting.  This opportunity is extended to all families with children from Kindergarten to Year 6.

This first Parent and Carer Teacher Meeting for the year provides a great opportunity to connect, talk about how your child has settled into school and set goals for the remainder of the year. Parent and Carer Teacher Meetings are also a time when you are most welcome to share information about your child and ask any questions. Communication is a two way process where information is shared and involves listening to and learning from each other.  

Prep - Year 6 teachers will provide families with a Progress Report, indicating an assessment of your child's learning behaviours and social skills.

A letter is coming home today with the details you need to know. Please read the information carefully and return the form with your preferences for times and dates for your meeting as soon as possible. Meeting times have already been scheduled for EAL families requiring an interpreter. We invite you to record in the 2025 Parent Teacher Agenda section, specific information that you would like to discuss about your child.

Parent and Carer Teacher Meetings are a very important part of our Reporting to Parents schedule and we encourage all families to attend. Childcare is available for school age children in the PAC.

Kindergarten - Year 6 Parent Teacher Meetings are held over two weeks, beginning Tuesday 11 March. 

I look forward to welcoming you.

Sharon

Last Thursday, the primary classes had the privilege of listening to a group of twelve 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.

Sharon

Congratulations to Abel, Ainsley, Charlie and Mason on being elected by their peers for the SRC Executive!

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 Pathologists are Kate Barnett (Tuesday odd weeks and every Thursday) and Vivienne Vien (Wednesday). Their 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 (Tuesday). 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. 

The Home Reading program for students in Prep - Year 4 will begin next week. Your child will bring home a book to share with someone in the family. 

Beginner readers will bring home books that are written using some commonly used words (heart words) and letters that students have learnt at school so they can practise decoding (sounding out).

Confident readers will bring home books on topics that interest them. 

Home Readers will come home in a waterproof pocket/bag with a log book to record the titles read. Students can change their Home Reader each day in their classroom. Please talk with your child’s class teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

Jasmine Bird and Zoe Galloway - ASTs

Breakfast Club for all students will begin 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!

All schools and colleges must develop and implement a sun protection policy. The Department for Education, Children and Young People recommends that all schools and colleges join the National School SunSmart Program to assist in the development of their policy. 

Over-exposure to UV (ultraviolet) rays causes sunburn, skin damage and increased risk of skin cancer. Inappropriate sun exposure in the first 18 years of life contributes significantly to the lifetime risk of developing skin cancer. 

Schools play a significant role in reducing the lifetime risk of skin cancer. Our sun protection policy has been developed to ensure that all students, staff and the school community are protected from skin damage caused by harmful UV radiation from the sun. 

Sun protection is required when UV levels are 3 and above. In Tasmania, the UV is 3 and above usually from September to April. Therefore, schools need to implement sun protection measures from the beginning of the school year until the end of April and again from the beginning of September until the end of the school year. Implementing sun protection measures throughout Terms 1 and 4 only is insufficient to protect against UV rays risks.

At MHPS we encourage the following combination of sun protection measures from September to April, when average peak UV levels in Tasmania reach 3 and above:

• Sun-safe clothing
  
• Sunscreen
• Sun-safe hats
• Shade 
• Sunglasses

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 24 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 Friday 28 February, the Year 5 and Year 6 students will be going on an excursion to Hobart. The bus will depart school at 7:00 am and will return by approximately 8:15 pm. As the bus will leave school at 7:00 am, it is vital that students are at school by 6:45 am. Students will be visiting ZooDoo at Richmond, the Hobart Royal Botanical Gardens and walking around Battery Point.

5-6 Teachers

We are looking forward to our Year 3 - Year 6 Athletic Carnival on Wednesday, 5 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.

Year 5-6 students can place a lunch order on the day, however 3-4 students will need to bring their own lunch.

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 5 (March 6 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

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 (e.g. policy) 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 5 March, 2025. If there are multiple nominations, an election will be held on Monday 10 March.

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 20 March at 7:00 pm in the Boardroom.

Priscilla Chilcott - Chairperson

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 2025 application forms are available for new enrolments, or for families who have not applied for, or been in receipt of STAS in 2024. 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 2024 have been sent correspondence regarding STAS 2025 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.