Dear parents,

Referendum Information Session

This morning all students were engaged in an information session about the democratic process behind the upcoming referendum. Chenoah, parent of Micah and Anja, came in and presented an interactive session covering the democratic process behind the vote on the 14th of October.

Chenoah brought her own copy of the Australian Constitution to show the students and shared interesting information. Did you know that the constitution was developed by four lawyers in 1901, it has only been changed 8 times since it was developed and that a referendum is the only way to change the constitution? She covered how a representative democracy works, who can vote in a referendum and discussed some of the reasons that people give for children not being allowed to vote. Chenoah ran a mock referendum about changing one of our school values from “creativity” to “charity” which all students voted in and discussed arguments for and against a “yes’ and “no” vote. She discussed concepts of not being able change your vote once it was cast, and respectful disagreement being a cornerstone of our democracy. Chenoah also touched on doing research and the best ways to find reliable information and some of the pitfalls of using the internet and ways to avoid them.

This was an apolitical look at the process rather than a discussion about the arguments for and against in the upcoming Voice to parliament referendum. The Voice to parliament referendum vote will be a significant moment for Australia and provides a fantastic opportunity to encourage your children to be engaged citizens. This Behind the News clip about the referendum is from earlier this year and could give you an opportunity to open up a discuss with your children about the Voice to parliament vote. https://www.abc.net.au/btn/classroom/voice-to-parliament/101951140his

I would like to thank Chenoah for her support and informative session with the students.

Gisborne Community Care Food Bank – October Donation Drive

We are encouraging families to donate food to the donation baskets at the front office to support the Gisborne Community Care Food Bank for the month of October. Some helpful items for donations include canned baked beans and canned spaghetti, clothes washing powder or liquid, vegemite, peanut butter and jam, toiletries, jars of pasta sauces and supplies for hot drinks like tea and coffee and long-life milk. The Food Bank already have plenty of pasta and weetbix so please avoid these if possible. Wally from the Food Bank will be coming to talk to the students next week at assembly.

Working Bee – Saturday - 28th October 9am-11am – Hume and Mitchell House Families

The school council is committed to enhancing our community connections this year and we have re-formed our building and grounds team and will be hosting a working bee in term four. The next working-bee will be held on Saturday the 28th of October between 9am and 11am with a morning tea provided at 11am.

We’re planning to fill the sand pits, weed and mulch garden beds, paint the front entrance fence, remove gorse from Middle Gully and remove the spider webs on the front of the school. This will tidy up the school in readiness for the fete on the 12th of September.

We are inviting the families of children in Hume and Mitchell House to come and help us this term.

School Fete

Please put the school fete in your diary for Sunday the 12th of November. It will be a fun filled day for all the students and families. We will be putting a call out for parent helpers in coming weeks, so please keep an eye on the newsletter and I encourage you to volunteer some time to support our school. The more helpers we get with preparation and on the day, the easier things will run. Please contact the school if you able to help the committee in preparations.

Kind regards and Sampai jumpa (until next time),

Matt

Middle Gully/Landcare