Dear Families

Every school day matters and it is most important that your child starts the year right by making every school day count.

Making sure your child goes to school every day gives them every chance to learn and connect with their friends and teachers.

The most common thing we hear from students, of all ages, is that school is where they can:

• spend time with their friends
• take part in new experiences
• find their interests and develop their passions
• learn

We ask our families to talk to their child about school.  Open up a conversation with your child about what’s happening at school. It will help you to better support their learning and confidence. If you show an interest in school, they’ll know that getting an education is important and valued. 

We ask our families to celebrate the milestones. Big and small! Celebrate milestones such as making it through the day or week or term of school. 

We ask our families to set a up a time to talk to your child’s teacher if you’re struggling to get your child to school.  Please talk to us about your situation. We’ll support you, in whatever way we can. Help is always available.

School is where bright lives and positive futures start! Let's work in partnership to make every day count.

Sharon

Last Friday our 3-4 students welcomed Ryley Sanders from the Western Bulldogs AFL Club to MHPS. He talked to the group and answered lots of very insightful questions. Ryley has a special connection to Mowbray as he is the nephew of Mrs Partridge, and we thank her for inviting him along.

Thank you so much for coming Ryley! There are definitely more Bulldog supporters at Mowbray now! Can you find Ryley in the photo?

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

Launching into Learning groups start tomorrow!

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 below 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

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 has been sent home 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. 

If your letter has been misplaced please ask your child's class teacher for a replacement.

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. 

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 was sent home with your child last week.

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

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. 

2025 NAPLAN testing will be held from Wednesday 12 March to Monday 24 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.

World Hearing Week (3 - 9 March), is a time to raise awareness about hearing health and the importance of protecting our ears. This year’s theme is "Changing Mindsets: Empower Yourself to Make Ear and Hearing Care a Reality for All." It’s a great reminder for us all, about how we can take small steps every day to care for our hearing and prevent future hearing loss for ourselves and our children.

How You Can Protect Your Hearing:

• Keep the volume down: When listening to music or watching TV, make sure the volume is low enough so you can still hear someone speaking to you from one metre away.
• Take breaks from headphones: If you use headphones or earphones, limit use to one hour at a time, then take a break to rest your ears.
• Use noise-cancelling headphones: If you can, try using headphones that block out outside noise, so you don’t have to turn up the volume as much.
• Wear ear protection: If you're in a noisy place, consider wearing earplugs or earmuffs to protect your hearing.
• Take breaks at loud events: At loud events like concerts or sports games, remember to stand away from speakers and take breaks to protect your ears.

Free Hearing Assessments at School

If you are worried about your child’s hearing, free hearing checks are available with School Health Nurse, Pia. Please feel free to speak with your child’s teacher or call the school office for more information on how to book a check.

Let’s all take the time this week to think about how we can protect our hearing – it’s one of our most valuable senses!

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.