Thursday 7th September

As we are nearing the end of term we have many of our students and staff being significantly impacted with illness. We have been required to adjust and have been needing to combine classes. This has been communicated to impacted classes.

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the staff at school who have ensured continuity for our students. We have been fortunate to be able to utilise our preservice teachers who have been fantastic and taking on more than is required for their placements to assist our teaching and learning.

With some warmth returning and the days are getting brighter I hope we can have everyone feeling back to normal in time for the term break. A reminder that we finish next Friday, September 15 at 2:30pm

Yesterday was Early Childhood Educator day. It was a good excuse to give Monica and Jacinta a morning beverage and some sustenance to get them through the day!

Student Voice

Last week we had a great game of hide and seek. Staff did the hiding and the students did the seeking. Some staff may have needed a reminder of our out of bounds areas!! This came about from our student voice team requesting extra ‘Fab Friday’ time. This was negotiated to include some school pride (rubbish pick up) beforehand to earn this. It was a bit of fun and organised by our Year 6 students.

Tomorrow our Year 6 students will be conducting some art activities for all students and we are looking to include some more fun for all our students next term.

Chess

On Tuesday we had 9 students represent MCPS at a Chess Tournament. These students were from Year 1-6 and have been enjoying being part of our weekly Chess Club on a Thursday during first break. Thanks to Rosie for coordinating this and providing this opportunity.

Parent Opinion Survey

Thanks to those of community who have completed this. We have had an 18% completion rate so far. The survey is available to complete until tomorrow. Please check your Compass news feed. It has been pinned to the top!

Swimming

Information is on Compass and needs to be actioned so we can plan accordingly.

We had noticed a clash with upcoming Camps next term so we have added some other days. Lessons are happening on the following days:

Thursday October 5, 12, 19 and 26

Thursday November 2 and 16

Tuesday November 21 and 28

If you are not wanting your child to participate in this event, please decline the event online as soon as possible. This helps us with planning groups and staff supervision. Students not participating are still required at school. Please complete the survey for each child participating in the swimming program. Thanks to those that have. Survey Link

School Values

This year we have been working as a school to revisit our values to complement our guidelines of do your best, help others succeed and respect our environment. Staff, students and school council have decided upon the following:

At Menzies Creek we strive to maintain a strong sense of community through the following values:

Respect – to understand, consider and have regard for the rights of others
Persistence – in working hard to overcome challenges
Kindness – by showing understanding and care to others
Gratitude – by being thankful for what we have and get to experience

We will be making these a focus in Care Groups as part of our social and emotional relational learning. When awarding student of the week awards we will be having a highlighted focus – this fortnight is on persistence.

Do you like to garden?

We have some parents in our community who are wanting to do some weeding before the end of the school day when the weather improves. If this sounds like something you would like to do please contact the office. It will provide a chance to catch up with other parents and help the school!

We are working with Bunnings in Fountain Gate to have a native planting day next Thursday for the students which should be good for our gardens and the environment.

Take care,

Dale McInerney

Plot to Pot