FROM OUR PRINCIPAL MRS SMITH

Wow, Summer has certainly arrived with such a very warm week. As we head into December and towards the end of the year there are still lots of events happening in the school.  Please keep checking in on our calendar on the website or via the newsletter or Szapp as it is updated as soon as we are made aware of events.  The last week of term is certainly a busy week for Grade 6 with something on every day. 

End of Year Assembly:  Mark Tuesday 14^th December in your calendar for our whole school presentation and celebration assembly.  We will again be outside on the oval so hoping for a fine day.  The assembly starts at 11 am and the oval will be open from 10.30 am to set yourself up ready.  We will have 2 areas marked out, the front area will be for families who are happy to sit on the grass or have bought along a picnic blanket.  Behind this area will be where families, who have bought along their own folding chairs, can set up.  Please do not arrive before 10.30 am as our students will be out at recess and we will be doing final checks of our speaker set up to make sure you have the best experience.  During this assembly we will present our 2021 Grade 6 leavers who will perform their leavers song.  We will also present our Grade 6 awards and all classes have a fantastic musical item to share. 

Congratulations!

Wednesday afternoon I had the privilege of attending a 25 years of state service awards ceremony where both Kylee McCausland and Trish MacGregor were recognised.  Congratulations and thanks for your 25 years of service and looking forward to many more for both of you.

MPS Athletics Carnival:  Next Wednesday, 8^th December, starting at 11:00 am, is our Kinder to Grade 6 Athletics Carnival.  This is our first carnival where students will sit in their house groups and cheer on their teammates.  All students are encouraged to wear a top in their house colour.  Families are welcome to attend and cheer on their children and we will have our benches out for you to sit on.  This athletics carnival is all about participation and enjoying the physical activity with short races and fun events.

Christmas Raffle:  Thank you to all families who supported our free dress day on Tuesday and sent along an item to add to our Christmas Hamper raffle.  Raffle tickets also went home on Tuesday and there are plenty of spare books available at the office.  As soon as we have the Hampers bundled up we will post photos to show just how amazing the prizes are. 

We are currently finalising our class structures for 2022.  Enrolment numbers significantly affect our staffing allocation so if you know of any students who may be enrolling or leaving next year please let the office or myself know.    

We have 3 staffing changes for 2022.  Mrs Louise Wiseman has been successful in winning a promoted position at Bellerive PS, Ms Jen Fearn has accepted a position at Friends and Mrs Deb Moores is finishing because our numbers have reduced.  We all thank each of them for their commitment to all at Molesworth and for their dedication to each student in their class.  Replacements for Mrs Wiseman and Ms Fearn will hopefully be finalised before the end of the year and this information will be shared in the last week when students move to their classes for 2022 to be introduced to their class and their teacher.   Thank you to families that have sent in emails with relevant information regarding their child’s class placement for next year. 

If you have been into the office area this week you will see some significant alterations underway that should be completed within the week.  We are removing a wall to give the office staff better access to first aid facilities to better care for students when unwell or needing first aid.  We have also altered the front counter to make for better access for both Mrs Baker and Ms Dillon.  We are also finalising all the outside updates and we are all very much looking forward to having all of our yard access back.

This week I have a meeting with DoE facilities services to discuss the old metal bridge across the drain space.  This bridge was built many years ago and unfortunately does not meet any safety standards and will need to be blocked off or removed as it is not able to be repaired. The corner area of the footpath, where we continue to have erosion issues, will be levelled and have a drain put in to make sure it is a safe way to come from the carpark to our school.  This work is to begin next week. 

Survival doesn’t start when you get lost.

This Term students in 2-3 have been exploring their keen interest with caves during our investigations in our dramatic play area. After reading and thinking about the inside of caves, students began to raise important concerns about the safety when entering and moving in different types of caves.

Being a school situated in wilderness with many students living in rural areas we decided to focus on ways we can be prepared for scenarios that might happen when we are outdoors or bush walking.

On Wednesday 27^th of October, we had the opportunity to adventure to the nearby bushland and investigate different survival techniques and organisational skills necessary with Molesworth Environment Centre.

We discovered that preparation means to ‘make ready before’ and we need to think carefully about risks or dangers that might occur before going on bushwalks, camping trips or even swimming in a nearby river or dam at home.

After building wooden hut structures, sampling some edible bush berries and grasses, and cooking our own damper, students designed their own survival kits.

A huge thank you to our fabulous Trish MacGregor from the Environment Centre for the organisation of such a valuable, practical, and fun-filled day. Of course, we couldn’t have done it without the amazing parent-helpers– thank you to Leif Plunkett (Wren’s Dad) and Josh Watson (Ava’s Dad) for tagging along.

calendar_Dec_2021.pdf

flyer_xmas_party_2021.pdf

Eligible students can receive free travel to and from school with Tasmanian bus services. To see if you are eligible, to apply for a student bus pass for free travel, or renew your expired free travel entitlement:

visit https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/public_transport/student_travel/student_bus_pass_for_free_travel

Existing students with free travel expiring in 2021 will be sent a renewal reminder in November 2021.

Students who apply for a free travel bus pass between 22 November 2021 and 5 January 2022 should receive their bus pass before the start of the 2022 school year. Applications received after 5 January 2022 may take up to 4 weeks to process.

Students who currently have an expiring free student bus pass and will be travelling on Metro or Tassielink in 2022, should not throw away their current card. If eligible for free travel in 2022, thisentitlement will be applied to their existing card – they will not receive a new card.

TELL ME MORE!

For more information on student fares and free travel, visit https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/public_transport/student_travel/student_bus_pass_for_free_travel

or call 1300 135 513.