7 June 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Message

At Mullaloo Heights there are always plenty of reasons to smile, but last week there were more than usual. I was invited to spend some time with our Year 6 students who were on camp at Fairbridge Village. Now this is a picturesque spot and extremely tranquil, but this is not what made me smile. Rather, it was our students. Of course, as a teacher, it’s always pleasing to spend time with students on camp. It’s great to see them having fun and interacting with their friends in a more relaxed setting, away from the demands of the classroom. But with this group, it really was a delight. Their behaviour and manners were impeccable. Particularly impressive was the way in which they treated one another. The students were asked to do some pretty adventurous stuff over the three days– edging along sky high ropes, abseiling and giant rope swings, to give a few examples. As you can imagine, this required many to take a step out of their comfort zone. When they did, their class mates were supportive and encouraging, showing genuine pleasure in each individual’s achievement. All in all, they were a true embodiment of our school values and perfect ambassadors for our school. It was really special to witness. I also want to make a special mention of the teachers who organised this excursion and gave up their time to stay overnight. Mrs Booth, Miss Cole and Mr Adlam spent many hours preparing for this event and their hard work ensured the camp was fun and ran smoothly. Thank you!

Talking of perfect ambassadors, it isn’t just our students who have fitted this description recently. Our reputation for high quality teaching and learning seems to be spreading as we were recently asked to talk about our approach to teaching literacy at a number of professional development courses at the Institute of Professional learning. Kim Chrimes and I showcased our approach to teaching literacy at Mullaloo Heights and the work our students are producing as a result of this. Participants were suitably impressed and Kim has been invited to a couple of schools to do more specific professional learning on reading. It was a lovely opportunity to talk about our school and, in particular, our wonderful students and hardworking teachers. Add to this the recent visit to Kindy by the BBC, who filmed our Kindy children in action and teachers in action as part of an episode of ‘Wanted Down Under’ focusing on one of our families. It is not often we get to bang our own drum, but on these occasions, we relished the opportunity. Note that the episode featuring us will be shown sometime next year and the producers will send us the link so that we can catch it. Watch this space.

Caroline Booth

Dates to remember

Reading Club

Merit Certificates

Embracing the Challenges at Fairbridge Camp

Here is a snapshot of the absolutely incredible 3 day, 2 night camp to Fairbridge Village in Pinjarra that the Year Sixes participated in last week. Some events included: a low ropes course, bike hike, archery, canoeing, abseiling, high ropes course, making damper around a campfire, giant swing and the flying fox! Students conducted themselves very maturely and used impeccable Mullaloo Heights behaviour and manners during their stay. What fantastic memories these students will take away from this experience!

Having fun at Fairbridge

Room 6 Assembly

The students in Room 6 entertained all those who attended the assembly with a captivating play performance of ‘Crunch the Crocodile’ followed by a song. Dressed in bright themed costumes, they had the audience totally engaged while they performed on the stage that was beautifully decorated by Mrs Davidson and her team of helpers. Great work by all involved.

Being entertained by Room 6

Aussie of the Month

Lakshi is a reliable and conscientious class member. She often encourages those around her and displays the qualities of kindness in her interactions with both students and teachers.

Congratulations, Lakshi.

Aussie of the Month for May is Lakshi.

Parent Information

Woolworths Earn & Learn

Triple P Seminar Series - Kindy to Year 5

Getting Results - By Professor Matt Sanders

It’s natural to want your child to do well at school and some parents use a reward such as money to encourage their children to get better grades. I’ve often heard of parents offering their child money for every “A” on their end of term report card.

One of the problems with giving children financial incentives for good end-of-term grades is that the reward comes too long after the effort is made.

Rather than waiting till the end of term, it’s much more effective to set up a system of rewards which are brief and frequent and which encourage positive daily habits. These daily habits then build towards an eventual outcome, such as a good homework and study routine.

However, you can encourage children to build good study and homework habits without having to resort to offering money.

Why not try a reward such as spending time with your child doing an activity they really like? Or you could offer a special treat you know they’ll enjoy. The object is to encourage good routines by giving extra attention and praise or small frequent rewards when they are doing the right thing.

When kids are struggling that little bit of extra attention can encourage them into new patterns of behaviour – and they may end up getting that A after all!

Making Friends - By Professor Matt Sanders

For many children, starting school is an exciting time – new classes, new faces and hopefully, new friends to be made.

Having good friends is important to a child’s self-esteem but, unfortunately, children do not always know how to look after friends. You can lend a hand by helping your child develop good social skills. Talk to your child about being a good friend and encourage your child to practice skills such as:

• Looking at and listening when someone is speaking to them, such as a friend telling them a story
• Taking turns in games and activities
• Asking what others might like to do rather than assuming that other children will always want to follow
• Thinking about others people’s feelings. “I wonder how Tom is feeling now. How do you think you would feel if that happened to you?”
• Helping others
• Being friendly and welcoming to a new child in class.

To help your child make friends, and so your child can practice being a good “host”, you may like to invite another child to your home for a play. Be prepared to contact the parents to organise this if your child is too shy to ask.

Please express your interest in attending a whole day Seminar Series in Term 3 Week 2- Thursday 1st August 2019 9am-2:30pm, in the Science/Art room – Morning tea and lunch provided. Contact Mullaloo Heights PS on (08)6206 2100

Professor Matt Sanders is founder of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program®. For more information, go to the link below

Parent Reminders

Enrolments for 2020

We are now accepting Enrolments for the 2020 school year.

Who needs to enrol?

You need to apply to enrol your children in public school for 2020 if they are:

• starting Kindergarten – 4 years old by 30 June 2020
• starting Pre-primary, the first year of compulsory school – 5 years old by 30 June 2020
• changing schools.

Applications for enrolment in a public school for 2020 close on Friday, 26 July 2019.

Enrolment documents for Mullaloo Heights PS are available to download from the school website at the link below or alternatively they can be collected from the school office.

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