Dear Parents,

Writers’ Festival – 3:30pm – 5:45pm – Thursday 7th September

With just one day to go, the students and teachers are in full swing preparing to host you all tomorrow for the writers’ festival. We’re showcasing our amazing student writing for you all and welcome you to come and see what our students have been working so hard on this term. We look forward to seeing you there.

Farewell Olivia Desormeaux – MPS Inclusion Leader

I would like to congratulate Olivia Desormeaux for her recent appointment at Melton Specialist School. As a result of this appointment Olivia will be leaving Macedon Primary School at the end of term three. Olivia has been instrumental in improving our processes, supporting teacher professional development, and embedding the principles of disability inclusion in our school over the last two years. I wish her all the very best and thank her for her commitment to improving our schools work in this important area.

Karren Baker and I will be sharing the disability inclusion role for term four in 2023, which includes all the student support group meetings. I will be contacting families who usually receive a student support group meeting each term next week to make arrangements for the term four meetings.

Parent Opinion Survey – Closes Friday 8th of September

You will have received your unique link to the parent opinion survey via email recently. The survey is open until the 8th of September. Currently we have 18% of parents who have filled in the survey. Your insights support us to drive positive change for your child's education and those who come after you. Thank you in advance.

Working Bee Success

Thank you to all the parents from Bourke and Curtin House for coming down on Saturday morning for the working bee. We had a fantastic turn out in spectacular weather and achieved a lot. We planted out and mulched the front garden beds, removed ivy and blackberries and fixed the4 football and soccer nets around the oval. It has made such a difference to the front of the school and just in time for this lovely spring weather.

A special thanks to Anthony who arrived early and brought his earth moving equipment which made light work of removing the old garden bed soil and replacing it with compost. Thanks must also go to Charley Leader and Carla Dodd were also very supportive in the planning and preparation of this event.

We are holding our next working bee for families of Hume and Mitchell House students in term four on the 28th of October. This will be to help prepare the school for the fete on the 12th of November.

School photos next Tuesday the 12th

A reminder that school photos are next Tuesday the 12th of October. All orders are now online with the exception of family photos (envelopes available at the office). If you have not received an email from MSP Photography, please contact them directly on 53335577 or email ballarat@msp.com.au

Hot Potato Band incursion - 13th October

We are please to advise that The Hot Potato Band will be performing at our school on Friday the 13th of October.

The Hot Potato Band are a 11-piece brass band (that perform and present an) incredibly unique live show. The Hot Potato Band have become one of the most celebrated stage performing bands in Australia. From large scale festivals to intimate venues, they have successfully captured the energy and interaction of their performances and perfectly integrate this into their on-stage show... Combining world influences such as ska, blues, afro-Cuban, pop, reggae and folk with an Australian edge may classify the band as 'multi-genre', however, the constant joy they bring (results in audiences being totally inspired and uplifted to listen and make music) (QMF)

School Workshop/concerts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmfvbB5M234Live

Performance Showreel: https://youtu.be/1xCoRgxFZu0

The cost for this excursion is $12.00 per student, more details are on XUNO.

OSHC – Support

We are seeking expressions of interest from casual staff to support our after-school hours care team in term four 2023 and the 2024 school year. We are planning to bolster the team numbers to provide care to our students in outside school hours care. If you know of anyone in the area who is seeking casual work and has an interest in working with children, please encourage them to email the school macedon.ps@education.vic.gov.au . The service operates between 7:00am and 9:00am in the morning and 3:30pm and 6:30pm in the evening. University students studying teaching or early childhood education as well as diploma educated individuals looking to move into the caring sector would be great candidates, but if you feel someone else with a caring and student-centred disposition would be interested, please encourage them to get in touch with the school.

Kind regards and Sampai jumpa (until next time),

Matt

Middle Gully Update