News From Mr Smith
Dear School Community Members,
Manifold Heights Primary School is a Great Place to Be!
Our Grade 6 students and teachers are currently enjoying their camp at Cave Hill Creek, and I have just spoken with Mrs Geary, who shared some wonderful stories about their experiences so far.
I was overwhelmed with pride hearing about the fun, joy and happiness our Grade 6 students are experiencing. Highlights have included bike riding, canoeing, ropes courses and, of course, the opportunity to strengthen friendships and enjoy time together in the cabins.
For me, one of the greatest highlights has been hearing about the manner, respect and sense of adventure demonstrated by our students and staff. Tim, the Camp Coordinator, sought Mrs Geary out to congratulate our school on the behaviour and maturity of our students, as well as the care, attention to detail and sense of fun demonstrated by our staff.
This is a wonderful reflection of the culture we strive to create at Mano, and I would like to sincerely thank all six staff members attending the camp, along with our parent volunteers, for providing such a wonderful program of activities and experiences for our Grade 6 students.
Manifold Heights Primary School is a great place to be!
School Values – Responsible Ronnie:
As we continue to work on embedding and nurturing our school values into ‘life’ at Mano, I encourage families to continue the promotion of our values at home. Responsibility is being dependable, making good choices, and taking accountability for your actions. A responsible person looks out for the well-being of others and understands we all have a part to play in making our school a better place. Our students will continue to learn, through explicit lessons and role playing, about ‘responsibility’ and how being responsible will enhance and enrich their life. We look forward to the support of our community in promoting our values.
National Week of Action against Bullying – Small Acts, Big Impact:
Next week is the National Week of Action Against Bullying and Violence, Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative for schools. The week provides an important opportunity to connect with students, staff and our broader school community to promote practical ways we can prevent bullying and create safe, supportive environments for all.
Our Student Representatives, led by Mrs Forsyth, have planned multiple activities across the week, and we encourage students to come to school with a splash of purple on Thursday, 20th August to acknowledge this important event.
The 2026 theme, ‘Small Acts, Big Impact’, highlights the important role that school, family and community connections play in creating environments where every student can belong, feel accepted and be respected.
Research shows that strong school connections and positive relationships can help prevent bullying. When students feel a strong sense of belonging and connectedness at school, they are more likely to enjoy school, trust and respect their teachers, and care about and support others.
At Mano, our Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) program plays an important role in developing these connections and promoting inclusiveness, respect and a strong sense of community for all students.
I would also like to share a wonderful example from last week of one of our students demonstrating the importance of being an active bystander. When a group of older students made an inappropriate comment towards a Prep student, one of our Grade 2 students stood up for the Prep student and reminded the others that we don’t treat people that way. This was a fantastic example of a small act with a big impact and demonstrates the courage our students can show in supporting one another.
Thank you to our Student Representatives and Mrs Forsyth for their leadership in promoting this important week and its key message across our school.
Book Week – week of Tuesday, 25th August:
The anticipation is building as we prepare for Book Week. Many fabulous activities have been planned to continue to develop the love of reading and books. Our traditional Book Week dress up day will be on Tuesday, 25th August. All families are invited to the parade which will commence at 9:15am. Students are encouraged to come to school on this day dressed as their favourite ‘book’ character. Further details regarding the parade and the other events are included in this edition of the newsletter and have been sent via SeeSaw.
Sunsmart Hats:
It is that time of the year when we need to ‘dust’ off the Mano Sunsmart Hat. All students are required to wear their Sunsmart Mano hat from Monday 17th August during all outside activities. This is part of the ‘Student Dress Code’ and ‘Sun Smart’ policies of our school. Students will be required to play in a designated shaded area if they don’t have their Sunsmart hat. Please locate your child’s Sunsmart Hat and send along to school from Monday.
Parent/Guardian Opinion Survey:
WE WANT OUR FAMILIES TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!
We are aiming for 100 Mano families to participate in the survey.
Our school is conducting a survey to find out what our parents and guardians think of our school. The Parent/Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. We encourage all families to participate in this survey. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. All families are invited to participate in the survey.
The Parent/Guardian Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday, 17th August to Friday, 18th September.
The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. Please contact the office if you would like more information.
Thank you for supporting our school and have a great week.
Christian Smith