EVENTS 

School-wide Positive Behaviour

Whole School Events 

Whole school events build school pride and connectedness, and bring us together as a community.  We are thrilled about the line-up of our whole school events for Term 1, and we hope you will feel the same!  Although they are in March, we know how important it is to have plenty of notice, so here is a brief outline:

The Fathering Project - Wednesday 13th March at 4.15pm to 5.15pm

Our parent representative for this exciting new event is Vince Scarfo, School Council President.  Vince will provide further information soon about the event that will take place at Mackellar on Wednesday 13th March at 4.15pm to 5.15pm.  Students from prep to grade 6 will have an opportunity to invite their dad or fatherly figure to an afterschool event and sausage sizzle at school.  Rodney Eade from The Fathering Project and AFL will be a guest speaker.   So... to all dads or fatherly figures to our students, jot this one down on your calendar for sure!

Kaboom - Wednesday 13th March 

Kaboom is a morning of fun-filled, rotational activities on the oval.  The highly engaging and inclusive activities promote connectedness and friendships. Students wear their House colours to school for the day.  Parents are most welcome to attend, and if parents/carers or grandparents would like to volunteer to assist with the events, please contact Tanya Lindsay-Clark via reception.  The event takes place shortly after 9.00am.  House teams and colours will be confirmed to all students and families.  

Harmony Day Parade - Monday 18th March

Mackellar will have a Harmony Day Parade at assembly on Monday 18th March.  For this parade, we are requesting that students wear orange or cultural dress to school for the day.  Although students don't actually share food, they may bring a cultural lunch to eat themselves that they can speak to their class about (however bringing a cultural lunch to eat is entirely optional).

Further information will be shared about all events at assemblies, in our next newsletter edition, as well as via XUNO.

Acknowledging Positive Behaviour

Buzz Awards: 

Buzz awards are given to students who have been noticed by staff demonstrating our school values during recess or lunchtime.  Being acknowledged for positive behaviour is exciting for our students, and staff at our school want them to know just how much their positive behaviour is appreciated for making a difference to our community.

Upon receiving their Buzz Award card, students place it in a barrel at the office. Every week at assembly, four student cards are drawn from the barrel and announced.  Each student spins the values wheel and is awarded a prize, such as an additional social, art or physical activity, or more time for their favourite learning activity, for example.

Acknowledging positive behaviour within classrooms is also something that we have commenced, where students are given Buzz Awards by their teachers.  When students accumulate ten Buzz Awards, they spin the classroom wheel for a reward.  All rewards are negotiated between students and teachers.

Attendance Cup

Each week, the class with the highest level of attendance for the previous week, is awarded Mackellar’s Attendance Cup with a certificate. 

Promoting and acknowledging attendance is important.  There is a strong correlation between attendance, students’ general mental health and wellbeing, social connectedness to others and the community, and student learning outcomes. 

Unless a student is unwell, regular school attendance teaches children to ‘show up’ in life, even when they may not feel like it sometimes. This is one of the many ways that resilience is learnt and built from childhood.  If you have any concerns about your child being reluctant to attend school at any stage, please let us know.  

Kind Regards,

Tanya Lindsay-Clark