Principal's Message

Remote Learning 5.0

To be in our 5th Lock Down and having to move to Remote Learning again is very frustrating and challenging. We are hopeful that we will be back on Wednesday to onsite learning.

Even so we are putting in plans to cover all bases.

As explained in my letter last week Friday was a light day with Choice Boards and Check Ins. This week sees us move into our small focus groups in English and Maths across the school and additional learning tasks around Well-being and Guided Inquiry, which include the Choice Board too.

If we continue with Remote Learning past Wednesday... for this week we will make Friday our Specialists day. All classroom teachers will use the day to plan for the following week but will post a Check- In through Seesaw/Google Classroom. 

Specialist teachers will publish a Choice Board of learning tasks for each year level. As Specialist teachers are providing supervision for students onsite they will not be able to provide feedback on these tasks, but students may upload their responses.

We have a number of students onsite that meet the criteria of where both parents and/or carers are authorised workers who cannot work from home and students who are experiencing vulnerability, including, children in out-of-home care and children deemed vulnerable by a government agency. If you require onsite supervision under the above categories for your child/children please email the school.

A Message from School Council

All of us at School Council are thinking of the school community at this time as we (once again!) navigate lockdown. We recognise that lockdown presents different challenges for all families and staff depending on their particular circumstances as we all juggle work, education, family and other personal commitments. In our house, lockdown has meant: meals thrown together more chaotically than usual; children recruited to fold washing (also somewhat chaotically!); increased screen time; and work Zoom meetings interrupted by occasional barking (the dog) and crying (the children, but possibly also me!). We’re all doing life under one roof in all its messy, glorious complexity and it is a proper rollercoaster. 

If we’ve learned anything from previous lockdowns, it’s the important of connection. Whether you’re posting to the MPRPS Parents and Friends page, sending a SMS to a friend, setting up a Zoom between your child and a classmate or talking to a neighbour over the fence – do what you can to stay in touch. We need other people more than we’re prepared to admit and your contact could mean the world to someone else. 

I’m sharing a photo of our weekend “Chocolate Cake Challenge”. I’ll post the results to the MPRPS Facebook page. If you do something similar with your family, perhaps join us there and share your before and after photos too. 

Rebecca Smith

School Council President

Important Dates

Please keep a close eye on our events/dates page as we try to juggle the lock down and any remaining restrictions.

3 Way Conferences

Booking for conferences open tomorrow and close on Friday. At this stage the conferences will move to being Parent/Teacher Interviews instead of the 3 Way Conference with student in attendance. They will be conducted via phone or video conference, at the time parents select. 

Aussie of the Month

It was Mr Shaw and my privilege to present Olivia form 1/2G with the Aussie of the Month award for June. Olivia is a kind and caring student who demonstrates ongoing commitment to all areas of her learning. She is a creative and enthusiastic member of her class and collaborates well with her peers. Olivia undertakes any role given to her with responsibility and integrity, often taking the time to help shelve books and tidy up during class library sessions. She consistently shows respect and kindness to others and is highly regarded by peers as both a friend and role model. Olivia listens attentively and offers thoughtful and creative responses during class discussions. She is an avid writer, often developing detailed stories and illustrations and seeking feedback to improve on her writing skills.

Olivia enjoys sharing her sense of humour and encouraging others when working as part of a team. A great example of this was throughout the Junior School Production when she diligently learned her lines and performed with enthusiasm in the role as a detective. Olivia demonstrates the school value of lifelong learning both in and out of the classroom as seen in her participation in Gymnastics and Swimming. She a valued member of the Inquiry Centre and consistently show all of the MPRPS school values. Congratulations Olivia.

Parent Helpers

We had just started our PMP, Reading and Kinder Stay and Play parent helper programs even with masks and check-ins. At this stage these will be on hold for next week and staff will be in contact with arrangements for when we return to onsite learning.

Parents and Friends

Thank you to Flip for organising our P&F meeting last week and to all present thankyou for taking time to attend our meeting. I'm not sure when we will be able to have another, but to meet and catch up with parents and put some plans in place for the term was really valuable.

BYOD Ipad Program 2022

Each year we partner with Edunet to provide an alternative option for purchasing an Ipad for students. There is no requirement to use the Edunet Parent portal but they do offer payment plans and insurance for devices. They are also able to give delivery timelines, which can be helpful. 

Our parent information session will be held in October for parents of 2022 Year 3 students.

Log in details and information for parents can be found below 

URL: https://mpr.technologyportal.com.au  

Access Code: MPRPS2022

School and Kinder Tours

Again we have had to cancel our tours and reschedule for later in the term.