Principal's Report
Dear Families
It's been a sensational week at Macedon Primary School.
Cross Country
What an incredible and valuable event! A short hike to the oval, through beautiful bush and the school's pine forest, was a terrific start to the day. It was very impressive to see the whole school heading off with great enthusiasm, bags on backs, smiles on faces.
A few of the many highlights included:
-spirited participation by all students, with those not running enthusiastically helping out with the running of the events
-the Foundation students in their first school sports event, ably supported by their buddies
-fierce competition on the track followed by genuine acknowledgement and humility
-students, not so keen on running, making the most of the day and enjoying a stroll through the bush.
A sincere thank you to David for his organisation and management of this event, to the parents who helped out and those that came along to support the students, and to our teachers and support staff who took on various roles throughout the day.
The photos below capture some of the magic and spirit of the day.
Forest School - Welcome Ginny
We are delighted to let the school community know that Ginny Tulloch will be taking on the Forest School role from the start of term two. Ginny brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this unique program.
Growing up near Cradle Mountain in Tasmania set Ginny on a path of exploration in the great outdoors. Involvement in Scouts (Australia and overseas), environmental science studies, off-grid living, leadership of school garden and sustainability programs, and interest in permaculture, sustainable land management, and Indigenous culture show the range of experiences and skills Ginny has to draw on to support the students at Macedon Primary School.
Ginny will continue to teach art to all classes. We will now focus on recruitment of a teacher to cover the Indonesian classes Ginny currently takes. Despite three recruitment cycles in 2023, the school was not able to find a teacher for Indonesian. We hope to secure someone before the end of term, however this may not be possible. Contingency plans are being developed and we will keep you up to date if things change.
Introducing 'Forest School Ginny"!
Assembly
As you know, we have been working on audience etiquette in assemblies to assist the student leaders who facilitate most aspects, and to support our student participation.
The School Captains spoke to me about the AUSLAN clap and we received feedback from parents in relation to this as well. In response, we've returned to clapping.
Last Friday the students were amazing. Every class came in quietly, the School Captains did not need to regain attention throughout the whole assembly and the exit was completed extremely well. It was so good that the students were given an extra 10 minutes for morning recess on Monday. I've since found out that the Junior School Councillors, who greet each class at the door, were suggesting that great behaviour might result in a Zooper-Dooper! it just might!
Student Initiative - RCH Good Friday Appeal
Macedon Primary School has been part of a student voice project through the Quaglia Institute. A group of staff will be attending another session with Quaglia today and the work led by this group to date is evident across the school.
One of our House Captains, Levi, has initiated school involvement in the Good Friday Appeal. Levi's goal is to raise $500 for the Royal Children's Hospital. Here is the link for donations -
https://fundraise.goodfridayappeal.com.au/fundraisers/macedonprimaryschool/gfa
Clubs
Clubs commenced this week, much to the delight of students. We have:
-Craft Club with Mrs Tulloch
-Boogie with Baz
-Lego Club monitored by volunteer parents
-Wellbeing with Sue
-Tech Club with Mrs McLeod and Mr B
-Netball Club monitored by volunteer parents.
Karren, Barry and Sue have done an incredible job to get these clubs up and running. If you've got an interest or skill you'd like to share with the students, please contact the school. We can tailor a group for you (age, number, day, time, number of weeks...)
Kind regards
Cathie