Walker Learning Projects – Years 5 & 6 Last week students in Years 5 & 6 put together an expo to showcase their learning in science this term to the rest of the school. Throughout the term students drew on their curiosity, questioning, research and summative skills to create individual projects about Earth and space. It was impressive to see the students share their knowledge and understanding in creative ways. Well done Years 5 & 6!

Drama Workshops This week students will be participating in drama workshops facilitated by Sydney Performance Academy. The workshops are designed to bring together some of the elements of drama explored

in creative arts lessons with Mrs Molloy and Mrs Robertson this term including the use of voice, dialogue, body language and action to bring characters to life. Students in Years 3 & 4 today had a great time sharing their performance skills!

Parent, Teacher & Student 3-Way Interviews Thank you to all the parents and carers who were able to attend our first 3-way interviews last week, and thank you to our teachers and students for their preparation towards them. It was wonderful to have so many familiar faces back onsite for these interviews, with some parents reflecting that it had been almost a year since they had seen each other! A reminder of the important role our school grounds play in building a community.

We received some great feedback about our new format of involving the children as an active member of the interview from parents, teachers and students alike. To further enhance our reporting processes, feedback on our Parent/Teacher Interviews would be greatly appreciated. Please complete the short survey at the following link: https://forms.gle/kvv4eL4UorCFs6WQ8

MHPS Spirit Cup This year we have introduced a ‘Spirit Cup’ encouraging our students to work as a team in class to demonstrate good work habits. Congratulations to 1/2J and 3D for showing great organization and keeping their learning environment clean! Who will win this week?!

Uniform – Term 2 Please note that given the interchangeable weather during April, students will be able to wear EITHER summer or winter uniform for the first 2 weeks of Term 2.

Wishing all our families a safe and restful holiday break.

Laura Barry Principal

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Harmony Week – Everyone Belongs

Harmony Week celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity. It is about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. MHPS is celebrating Harmony Day on Thursday 1 April. Students are asked to wear a touch of orange and bring in a gold coin to donate. The school will be donating the money collected to the Australian Red Cross NSW Floods

Appeal. This donation goes towards providing humanitarian support to people and communities in New South Wales who were adversely affected by the March 2021 floods.

2021 Stewart House Donation Drive

Envelopes for the 2021 Stewart House Donation Drive have been sent home with your child(ren). Don’t forget to complete entry details on the back of the envelope to be eligible for the $4,000 holiday /gift voucher. Your donations support the 1700 children who attend Stewart House each year from public schools across NSW and the ACT. Deadline to return envelopes to the front office is Friday 28 May.

MindQuest 2021 - Glenwood High School Saturday & Sunday 22 & 23 May 2021

On Saturday 22 & Sunday 23 May 2021 the NSW Talent Enrichment Weekend MindQuest will be held for primary students from Years 1-6 at Glenwood HS. These include gifted and high potential students, gifted underachievers and students with above average ability with a special interest. They will have an opportunity to participate in over 37 exciting, fast paced courses in the two day program. They include courses in chemistry, earth sciences, 3D printing, lego robotics, art and much, much more. Most of these highly successful courses have been run in the past and students' evaluations suggest that they have been challenged and enriched by the experience. The cost of the weekend is $210 (including GST).

We have copies of the brochure available at the school office or you can contact Shelagh Poray on 02 4959 7148 for a brochure. Remember the closing date is Friday 23 April 2021.

eSafety webinar for parents

This webinar will look at how parents and carers can set up devices and apps to help keep young people safer online. Audience Parents and carers of children aged 4-13

The webinar will cover:

• The benefits and limitations of parental controls • How to set up iOS and Android devices for safety • How to set up popular games and apps like YouTube and Roblox for safety • Using family tech agreements and other parenting strategies to manage online risks • How eSafety can help when things go wrong

The webinar will include practical tips, demonstrations and advice for parents and carers to help keep young people safer online. REGISTER NOW! Carole Jaye

Deputy Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

National Young Leaders Day

Last Thursday the leaders and Ms Hesketh went to the National Young Leaders Day at Darling Harbour. We listened to some very inspirational speakers talking about their careers such as Lachie Smart, who is the youngest person to fly solo around the world. He shared with us that persistence is the key to everything. Anastasia Woolmer, who has the best memory in Australia and can memorise a page of numbers by studying them for what seemed like only a brief moment. She shared with us that hard work will always pay off. After she delivered her speech one of the children in the audience asked her to repeat the numbers again which

she did without fault, it was pretty amazing. Jimmy Rees was there who you probably all know as Jimmy Giggle from Giggle and Hoot. Jimmy highlighted you should do what you want to do. The final speaker for the day was David Campbell who you may know from his work with Channel 9. He had a very powerful message which was anything is possible. It was such a fantastic experience. Thank you Mrs Barry for arranging it for us. Charlotte S

GRIP Student leadership

On the 23rd of March the MHPS sports leaders went on an amazing excursion that taught them all about leadership. The company running it was ‘GRIP”, GRIP stands for Generosity, Responsibility, Integrity & People. The conference provided activities that got the students up on their feet and actively participating. There were many schools participating in this amazing event. The sports captains were all entertained and all learned a lot about leadership - when and how to use it. Our kind sports teacher, Miss Outred, gave her day to the sports captains and helped them throughout the day. Overall the day was a success and everyone got a lot out of it.

Claudia G

OUT AND ABOUT

Skyworks Incursion

Stage 3 has been researching wonder questions based on the topic ‘Earth and Space’. Our teachers wanted to give us some inspiration and organised the exciting Skyworks incursion.

To start off the session, we went through a short tunnel into a big inflatable dome. When the lights turned off, the night sky and some constellations were projected onto the walls and we learnt about when some constellations would appear, blood moons and about planets and stars. We took so much away from the experience and hope that we can enjoy more, unique learning opportunities in the future.

In the end, we think everyone enjoyed the Skyworks day and learnt some things that greatly benefitted our projects. Thank you to all the teachers and others who organised the event, Stage 3 really appreciated it. Tilly B and Malaika C

We have house badges for sale in the office. They cost $8.00 each. Please pay by cash at the office with exact change or pay online via the website selecting payment type ‘Other’ and writing the house name in the description. We will then deliver the badge to your child’s classroom. Students can wear the badges on both their school and sports uniform. They are not compulsory.

MHPS Strings have been very busy this term, learning new pieces and building on their skills and are looking forward to performing on Harmony Day in Week 10.

Senior Strings have been provided with the repertoire for Festival of Instrumental Music (FOIM) which is a Dept of Education led event that showcases musical talent from NSW Public Schools, fingers crossed this can go ahead this year.

HOUSE BADGES

BAND NEWS

We are also excited to announce that we are planning to run some new sessions in Term 3 for children wanting to try out a string instrument for the first time. It will run for 8 weeks on Wednesday lunchtime and is being organised by our wonderful conductor, Michael O’Dea. More details to follow next term. If your child is interested please do get in touch.

Strings Program - Middle Harbour Public School (nsw.gov.au)

Rachel Boden

Kids Cottage Extra-Curricular Programs for Term 2!

Kids Cottage has two Extra Curricular programs lined up for Term 2 2021 for your child/ren to get involved with. They will both be an 8-week program commencing week 2 at a cost of $8 per session, totalling $64 for the entire program. We are offering if your child/ren would like to try out the program a taster class where you will only be charged the one off $8 for the first session to see if your child/ren

enjoy it. If they do, we will then book them in for the remaining 7 weeks of the program. Kids Cottage is pleased to announce that the NSW Waratah’s will be back joining Kids Cottage during Term 2 to run a 1-hour program each Thursday morning from 7:30am commencing week 2. They will be teaching the children the core basic skills of rugby involving catching and passing, attack and defence along with team building exercises. We have also lined up an 8-week Hip Hop style Dance program on Tuesday afternoons that will commence week 2 of Term 2 for ages K-Yr 6. These will again be one-hour sessions from 4pm- 5pm where the children will build on their knowledge and skills of dance developing their rhythmic abilities whilst having so much fun! If you would like to book your child/ren in for either one of our programs (or both!) please contact Kids Cottage via email. Our email address is info@kidscottagemiddleharbour.com

A reminder that the school canteen is once again open 5 days a week for lunch orders and snacks! Exact change is preferred, however orders via credit card can be made over the phone between 8:30-9:30am. Please contact the canteen on 9904 1005. We have a wonderful school canteen and your ongoing support for it through the purchase of school lunches is greatly appreciated.

THE KIDS COTTAGE - NEWS

CANTEEN NEWS

Book Fair – MHPS + Dymocks Neutral Bay

The Grandfriend’s Day Book Fair has been a long-standing tradition at Middle Harbour PS and a successful way for the school to acquire library and classroom resources through generous donations. In leiu of this event, we are asking for our families to help in the following ways:

1. Visit Dymock’s in Neutral Bay from the 1-23 April 2021 and purchase items to donate to the school from a designated MHPS section. Students will have a donation sticker placed in the purchased book and be the first person to borrow the item

OR 2. Complete the form below and return to the school office. We will use your donation to choose a

book/resource on your behalf. Students will have a donation sticker placed in the purchased book and be the first person to borrow the item.

We thank you for your generosity and support. Please get in touch should you have any queries. Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) 2021 It is that time of the year again, the Premier’s Reading Challenge has begun! What does this mean for your child? Kindy – Yr 2: We use our library sessions to complete the reading of 25 PRC books, we will log these and your child will receive a certificate at the end of the year. Yr 3-6: We use our library lessons to promote the challenge and assist students in the selection of PRC books but it is up to the students to complete the reading of 15 PRC books and 5 free choice books in their own time (20 book in total). To log books, search whether a book is part of the challenge and for more information, please visit https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/studentExperience.html#/ and log on with your child’s student ID (e.g. log on: john.smith1 password: 3S - should be the students class name). If you have any further queries, please visit us in the library or email us via the school office.

Sarah Rosenberg and Sarah Merrick (Teacher Librarians)

APRIL T1 – Wk 10 – Thursday 1 Harmony Day T1 Wk 10 – Thursday 1 Last day of Term 1 T2 Wk 1 – Tuesday 20 First day of Term 2 for students T2 Wk 1 – Thursday 22 3-6 Cross Country T2 Wk 1 – Friday Apr 23 K-2 Cross Country T2 Wk 2 – Friday 30 Road Safety Day T2 Wk 2 – Friday 30 Stage 1 Barangaroo Excursion Red indicates the event has changed or been added since previous newsletter

LIBRARY NEWS

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

WILLOUGHBY GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL

A Leader in Girls Education

OPEN NIGHT Please join us online to meet our principal,

teachers and students and discover opportunities for your daughter

https://willoughbg-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/ news/2021/3/virtual-open-night.html

Principal: Ms Elizabeth Diprose Mowbray Road, Willoughby NSW 2068 Phone: 9958 4141 Email: willoughbg-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Tips for Staying on Track

(02) 9887 5886

Child Development

A child’s stage of development plays a big role in their

behaviour and ability to regulate and understand their

emotions. There are a number of important things to

know about children’s development.

Brain growth and thinking abilities are a result of

children's age and stage of maturity. Because of their

developmental stage, children tend to be more self-

focused and have trouble understanding more

abstract concepts such as time and permanence of

events.

Sometimes as parents it can feel as if a child is being

manipulative, however they are simply expressing

their emotional and physical needs in a way that has

worked for them in the past — sometimes this can

occur in very vocal or annoying ways!

Young children in particular aren’t at a developmental

stage where they have the understanding that they

can make others feel or do certain things. They tend to

learn in more of a cause and effect manner (e.g.

associating crying at the end of a play-date due to

disappointment about it ending, rather than a

premeditated manipulative intent to stay longer).

Children at this stage of

development require:

Consistency - especially

between different

parents/carers

Clear boundaries and

family rules - such as

using kind words,

keeping hands and feet

to ourselves

Routines - so that they

can predict what will

happen at different

times

Stability - a calm,

predictable and safe

environment

Activities to try at Home

Activity: Create a Daily Schedule

Developing Family Rules

Children thrive on routines; they help them feel safe, secure, and happy. Consider

building a flexible daily schedule to help your family’s day run more smoothly!

Remember, children need a balance of routine and free play.

Use paddle pop sticks to write fun activities your child can do. Put them in a jar or cup

and your child can pick a stick and do that activity. You can include things such as ball

games, Lego towers, card games, and puzzles (or even housework!)

Children are more likely to stick to a routine if they’re involved in developing the

schedule.

Create a routine schedule and customise it to your child’s age and

needs. You can find more information at:

https://raisingchildren.net.au/grown-ups/family-life/routines-

rituals-relationships/family-routines

Sit down as a family and come up with some family rules together! Family rules help everyone in the family get along better.

Good family rules are positive, specific, and easy to understand.

Make rules about things like physical behaviour, safety, manners, routines, and respect.

Rules will need to change as children get older and your family situation changes.

MIDDLE HARBOUR PUBLIC SCHOOL 8 Hale Road, Mosman NSW 2088

Phone: (02) 9953 6232 Fax: (02) 9904 1443 Email: middleharb-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Website: https://middleharb-p.schools.nsw.gov.au ABN: 70 220 290 239

Principal: Laura Barry

Book Fair 2021 – Donations Form Thank you for your support! Please only complete this form if you would like us to purchase items on

your behalf. Please complete clearly in pen and return to the school office by:

Grandfriend/Family Details (Donor)

You are not visiting Dymock’s

Neutral Bay to select items to

donate and would like us to do

this on our behalf. Please tick

Donor First Name: Donor Last Name:

Contact phone number:

Email address:

Payment Options (please tick)

Online Payment System Receipt no: ______________________ Date Paid ____/____/_____ ● Please go to the Middle Harbour Public School website https://middleharb-

p.schools.nsw.gov.au/ Select ‘Make a Payment’. Follow the prompts and on the ‘Payment Items’ screen enter ‘Payment Type Other’ and in the ‘Description’ write ‘Book Donation’. Follow the prompts to complete the transaction.

● Please write the receipt number and date paid above.

Cash at the office (please have exact amount as we do not have change)

Cheque (payable to Middle Harbour Public School) at the office

Student #1

Student Full Name

Class Name (e.g. KJ, 3T)

To help us purchase an item that will appeal to the student, please list likes/dislikes/interests/reading

ability:

Student #2 (any additional students can be listed overleaf)

Student Full Name

Class Name (e.g. KJ, 3T)

To help us purchase an item that will appeal to the student, please list likes/dislikes/interests/reading

ability: