ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Milgate Primary School would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land of the Wurundjeri People and we would like to pay our respects to the elders, both past and present. Staff, students and the school community understand that we thrive, learn and live on Wurundjeri Country and we stand with all cultures united as one.

OUR VISION

To provide a dynamic, inclusive learning environment that challenges students to become inquirers, thinkers and caring young people who are able to interact in the global society with respect and intercultural understanding

OUR MISSION

To empower students to ensure they will succeed as responsible global citizens and independent self-learners within today’s rapidly changing world.

REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE

On Monday, our Year 3 students showcased their understanding and respect for Remembrance Day by leading a moving service for the entire school over the loudspeaker. In recent weeks, they have been learning about the significance of this day in the classroom, exploring stories of courage, sacrifice, and the history behind the observance. With thoughtful preparation, the students crafted readings and reflections that they shared with all students, teachers, and staff, allowing everyone to take part in honouring those who have served and continue to serve in the armed forces. Through this experience, the Year 3 students not only practised their public speaking and leadership skills but also helped to foster a sense of gratitude and unity across our school, reminding us all of the importance of remembrance.

YEAR 5 | AUTHOR VISIT - MARK WILSON

Last Thursday, Year 5 students participated in an incursion with author and illustrator Mark Wilson. He shared his inspiration for his books and demonstrated that ideas don’t have to be big, they can come from tiny, little things. His main message for the students is that ‘your first draft is your worst draft’ and encourages them to get inspiration from talking to people around them, looking at pictures, dreams, and passions. Students had the opportunity to step through drawing a turtle in small steps. In week 6, the Year 5 students begin their last writing unit for the term, an author study on Mark Wilson and we look forward to further unpacking his texts and experimenting with his advice!

YEAR 5 | LEADERSHIP SPEECHES

This week, Year 5 students aspiring to become school leaders presented their speeches to teachers and leadership. Over the past few weeks, these students participated in a lunchtime Speech Club, where they explored what makes an impactful presentation. Guided by a set of success criteria, they worked diligently to craft and refine their speeches.

In Year 6, we proudly have a total of 32 student leaders, including:

6 School Leaders
16 House Leaders
6 Wellbeing Leaders
4 Cultural Leaders

We are incredibly proud of all our Year 5 students who stepped up and expressed interest in becoming leaders for 2025. The successful candidates will be announced in the coming weeks.

What do you want to achieve as a student leader at Milgate next year?

Be Caring

What qualities do you have that will show you care for the community at the school?

Be a

Learner

How will you use your position as a leader to find out what other students would like to improve about Milgate?

Be Safe

How could you make Milgate a more inclusive school so that everyone feels happy and safe?

YEAR 6 | EXHIBITION

The Year 6 Exhibition was a fantastic showcase of our students’ hard work, creativity, and commitment to taking action and solving real-world problems! Each group tackled meaningful issues, exploring solutions with impressive insight and determination. Families, friends, and staff were thrilled to see the depth of learning and the student agency that shone through every project. Thank you to our dedicated Year 6 teachers for guiding students throughout this journey and to everyone who attended to celebrate this milestone with our students. What a wonderful way to wrap up the Primary Years Programme!

PRACTICING LOCKDOWNS AND EVACUATIONS AT SCHOOL

Last week, we conducted our scheduled lockdown drill, and this week, we followed up with a planned evacuation exercise. These practices are held regularly as part of our commitment to safety and preparedness, ensuring that all students, staff, and visitors are familiar with our emergency procedures. Each drill is designed to help us evaluate and refine our response plans, allowing us to make any necessary adjustments to improve effectiveness. By practising these protocols consistently, we can build confidence and resilience in our school community so that everyone knows what to do in an emergency and feels secure knowing we are well-prepared to handle various situations.

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE DAY

On November 4th, all teachers participated in a professional practice day, dedicated to collaborative assessment and planning. Throughout the day, teachers met to review and moderate student work, prepare reports, and engage in meaningful discussions about student progress. Additionally, we used this time to begin planning our 2025 STEM program, aiming to build an engaging and innovative curriculum for the upcoming year. This focused day of collaboration allowed us to align our efforts and set the foundation for exciting new learning opportunities in 2025.

TEACHER PRESENCE

Milgate would like to support some of our teachers who have chosen to register with Teacher Presence again this year.

For those new to Milgate, Teacher Presence is an organisation that provides an alternative to the traditional end-of-year gift-giving.

It allows a teacher to nominate one of three charities supported by this organisation.

Families would then have the opportunity to donate to their teacher’s chosen charity, in place of the optional present they may have otherwise purchased.

Whilst our staff are very grateful for the gifts some families have chosen to give them historically, they’re also excited and inspired by the concept of giving to those less fortunate.

If you’re interested, we would encourage you to check the website to see if your child’s teacher has registered.

https://www.teacherpresence.org/

Please note that participation is completely voluntary, so you may or may not find your teacher’s name on the list – we just wanted to make you aware that some of our staff are choosing to be involved.

MILGATE ENVIRONMENTAL TEAM

(Julie and Claire 6CW)

We will be talking about sustainability and how you can help. This week, we will be focussing on preventing deforestation. One way to stop deforestation is to reduce, reuse and recycle.

“Recycling” involves:

Recycling cans
Recycling paper
Recycling glass bottles.

“Reusing” involves reusing items for different purposes. Some things that can be reused are:

Scrap paper
Old books
Clothing
Plasting bags
Wrapping paper

“Reducing” involves limiting the use of some everyday items, including:

Using both sides of a piece of paper
Not using products with palm oil
Limiting the use of non-eco-friendly products

You may ask, “why palm oil?” Palm oil comes from trees, which people need to cut down to extract the oil from them. These trees are from forests, which are home to endangered orangutans.

These are only some ways to help. If you know other ways to stop deforestation, such as spreading awareness, talk to others and ask them to take action against deforestation.

That’s it for this week, and we hope you learnt some ways to stop deforestation.

2025 ART CALENDARS | CLOSING SUNDAY

The Art Calendars event will close THIS SUNDAY and after that time no more orders can be taken. Please process on Compass before Sunday night if you would like to order a calendar.

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