Dear School Community Members,

We have a number of exciting events coming up!

Next week we will celebrate our Preps 100th day at school – an annual event to recognise and applaud the achievements of our Prep Learning Community. We also have a number of students participating in the District Athletics Championships next Wednesday. The following week we have our bi-annual Concert, and our Grade 6’s will venture off to Cave Hill Creek for their camp. Further into the term, we will celebrate Book Week where students will participate in a range of exciting activities to continue developing their thirst for literacy.

Please keep an ‘eye’ on our calendar in the newsletter each week.

School Values - Respect: Our embedded school values, Respectful Rocky, Responsible Ronnie and Safe Sally, will continue to be a major focus throughout this term. This focus will include our ‘Student of the Week’ awards aligned to our values, our values displayed around the school, and a commitment from staff to model and engage students in regular discussions and activities relating to our values.

Respect is to treat others with consideration, fairness and understanding. At Mano, this extends to others property and the environment. One of our student leaders recently defined ‘respect’ so eloquently when she said, “Respect means to take responsibility for each other and to speak and interact with others in a considerate way. Respect is also about being honest, reliable and trustworthy.” This description is a great guide for us all.

We thank our families for continuing to model our school values.

Parent Resources: From time to time, families seek support, advice and guidance on multiple aspects of their child’s development. This includes, “how can I help my child write better” or “how much screen time should I allow my child?” While there is a vast array of resources available, the ‘Generation Next’ website is full of information and support on a range of topics. Some of the most recent ‘stories’ include:

Is it OK to let my child watch the same show over and over again?
Why are my kids good around other people and then badly behave with me?
Internet safety for young people
Is your child ‘overscheduled’?

For families interested, the website is:

www.generationnext.com.au

Celebration – Prep students 100th Day of School: Congratulations to our 68 Prep students who next Wednesday will celebrate their 100th Day of School. The transition to school by these students has been fantastic and we would like to recognise the students, parents, teachers and their buddies as we celebrate with them. The Prep students are going to have a dress up day with lots of hands on activities to do with the number 100 and we look forward to seeing those smiling faces enjoy their 100th day!

Annual Implementation Plan 2024 - Wellbeing: The wellbeing of our students is of the highest priority. Whilst our data reinforces the success of our wellbeing programs and approach at Mano, throughout 2024, we will continue to embed our whole school approach to health and wellbeing through aligning the School Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) framework, Respectful Relationships and Berry Street. Led by Mrs Forsyth and the Wellbeing School Improvement Team, we will continue to implement our Wellbeing Model. This has included professional learning sessions for staff, along with conducting ‘Wellbeing Conferences’ with some year levels. Another major aspect of this work is each student engaging in our Social and Emotional Learning curriculum. A huge shout out to Mrs Forsyth for her leadership, commitment and passion in this space.

Mano Trivia Night – Saturday, 3rd August: The excitement is building as we edge closer to our annual Trivia night. Thank you to our families and staff members who have purchased a ticket – a great night is ahead. As communicated throughout the year, the funds raised from our Trivia night will be allocated to our ‘School Grounds Improvement’ program. Again, a huge shout out to our Parents and Friends Committee for their dedication, passion and organisation of our Trivia night. We wish all participants well on Saturday night!

School Council: Our School Council met again on Monday night where key agenda items included:

Our 2024 NAPLAN results were tabled and discussed
School Council discussed the ‘enrolment pressure’ we have here at Mano (over capacity)
School Council acknowledged the feedback from some families regarding the ticketing arrangements for our Concert
Mano Trivia night – School Council were informed of final arrangements for our Trivia Night
School Council were provided an update on the progress of our Annual Implementation Plan (school improvement plan)

Each of our School Councillors are deeply committed and invested in our school. Please contact them if you have any feedback or concerns (details available from our school website).

Thank you for supporting our school and have a great week.

Christian Smith