From the Principal's Desk

Week 7

This week our PAX word of the week is Upstander.  We have been focusing on making sure we are upstanders.  An upstander is someone who chooses to support a person who is being abused or harmed. 

How to Be an Upstander

There are multiple safe ways to intervene when you witness mistreatment or discrimination:

• Direct Intervention: If it is safe, firmly and calmly call out the behavior or tell the person to stop.
• Distraction: Defuse the moment by interrupting the situation—such as asking the target for help, changing the subject, or disrupting the person being mean.
• Support: Reach out to the targeted individual privately to check in, offer support, and let them know they are not alone.

Spelling Bee

Yesterday we held our stage 2 and stage 3 MGPS Spelling Bee finals.  All students were amazing and can be congratulated on their persistence and resilience.  Well done to Xanthe and Sebastian who were our champions and will progress to the Regional final.

Tree Troff

Dr Heidi who visited the Tree Troff group on Friday and shared with us her wealth of knowledge of tracking and image tagging animals.  Our Tree Troff team are now excited to be a potential pilot school for the software program that Dr Heidi introduced us to.  The program will make tracking and collecting data on all the animals that visit our tree troff a lot easier!

Gymnastics

Last week we kicked off our 2026 Gymnastics program.  We had lots of fun rolling, climbing and balancing!

Debating

On Wednesday, students from Martin’s Gully had an exciting opportunity to visit BenVenue PS for a dynamic debating workshop.  They engaged in interactive session designed to develop skills in argumentation, critical thinking and public speaking.  It was a fantastic day filled with learning, teamwork and building confidence.  We are proud of our students for their enthusiasm and commitment to expanding their debating ideas. 

Multicultural Speaking

Stage 2 and 3 delivered their speeches for the Multicultural Public Competition last week, and they were outstanding.  Congratulations to all the students who dedicated time to writing, practicing and presenting their speeches.  Special congratulations to Jaimie and Henry from Stage 2, and Nicholas and Billie from Stage 3, who will be representing Martin’s Gully at the Armidale final on June 16th at Drummond Public School.

Upcoming Athletics Carnival for students age 8yrs and up

This year our Athletics carnival for students turning 8 and up will be held at Harris Park on Friday 19 June starting at 9:15am. Students will be bused to and from the fields. The program will be as follows. The high jump will be completed at school the following week at our K-6 athletics and novelty day also outlined below.

Order of events:

• 1500m Finals (Junior boys, Junior girls, 11 years Boys, 11 Years Girls, Senior Boys, Senior Girls)
• 100m Heats (Age Race)
• 200m Finals (Junior boys, Junior girls, 11 years Boys, 11 Years Girls, Senior Boys, Senior Girls)
• 800m Finals (Junior boys, Junior girls, 11 years Boys, 11 Years Girls, Senior Boys, Senior Girls)
• 100M Finals (Age Race)
• Top 8 compete in Discus, Shot Put, Long Jump.

There will be no stop for recess and lunch, students eat between events and whilst they are watching fellow students compete. 

Friday 26 June

There will be no Assembly on this day. We will begin the day at 9:30am for the Opening Ceremony in the hall. Magpies will complete their assembly item for the opening ceremony.

Students will wear house colours and compete in their houses. The day will run as follows

5 year Boys

5 year Girls

6 year Boys

6 Year Girls

7 Year Boys

7 Year Girls

During this time Mrs Bull will be completing the jump off for the high jump starting with:

Junior Boys

Junior Girls

11 Year Boys

11 Year Girls

Senior Boys

Senior Girls

Novelty races for all students will run throughout the day, finishing at lunch time. 

Parents are welcome to come to both days.

WELLBEING- PAX VISIONS

For the next few weeks we will be sharing the PAX visions students created for different spaces in our school. This week it is the PAX vision for our assemblies. 

PAX Vision - ASSEMBLY

Have a lovely week!

Peta Deiderick