29 November 2019

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

The End is in Sight

The end of the school year is fast approaching and the school has a very ‘busy’ feel to it as students and teachers finish off the year’s programs. Many students are already talking about their holiday break and the Year 6s are sharing their nervous excitement as they prepare to move onto high school and a new phase of their educational journey. I would like to remind all students that school rules and expectations are in place right up until the final day of school.

As this will be our last newsletter for 2019, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Parents/Carers for your continual support not only of myself but the school as a whole. The number of you that give your time so generously truly represents the strong and productive relationships we have formed.

Students, staff and parents working together is a key ingredient to enhancing student outcomes and creating a great place in which to learn. Thank you for your support in making this a reality at Musgrave Hill State School.

Staffing and Classes for 2020

One of the biggest challenges each year is the construction and organisation of classes for the following year. To help us be as accurate as possible and minimise any changes at the start of next year please let the office know if you are moving next year and not returning to Musgrave Hill in 2020.

NOTIFICATION OF EXTENDED HOLIDAYS AT THE START OF 2020 - School resumes on Tuesday, 28 January 2020. If your child will not be returning to school until after this date, due to extended holiday, please advise the office. Extended absence forms are available from the school office.

The staffing and class formation process continues right through until the first few weeks of next year. Preparation and planning is designed to limit any changes and adjustments to classes on Day 8 of next year.

As per previous years, a letter will be sent home to parents advising of their child’s new class and location. Please note teachers will not be allocated to a class on the information letter sent home to parents. On the first day of school, students can go straight to their new classrooms as there will be no Meet and Greet that day. There will be ample staff available on the first morning to assist student and parents locate new classrooms and answer any questions you may have.

Report Cards-: ‘C’ is Something to Celebrate!

Both learners and teachers are currently completing their final term of work together. On Wednesday 11th December week 10 you will be emailed your child’s report card for Semester Two 2019. Reports are written with a 5-point scale (A-E). Achieving a ‘C’ on this scale means a child is ON TARGET for their age level and is definitely something that needs to be celebrated. Achieving above a ‘C’ is awarded to learners who show that they are independently working beyond the criteria required for their year level. One of our School values is Excellence and we encourage all students to strive to achieve to their potential.

For some students, regardless of their level of achievement, their rating is a result of them applying themselves and working extremely hard. When this is the case, these students should feel proud of their efforts and be congratulated. I encourage parents to pay particular attention to the effort grades for each subject and support their children to continually try their hardest at school.

If you have queries about your child’s report card, please contact your current class teacher/s.

Uniforms 2020

Just a final reminder as of January 2020, the new Musgrave Hill State School uniform will be the only uniform allowed. Full black shoes are also a requirement of our Dress Code Policy.

New Navy Standard School Uniform

Standard Uniform:

• Navy blue shorts or skorts (available at tuckshop or at leading retailers).
• Musgrave Hill navy, green and yellow panel polo shirt, with “Musgrave Hill State School” emblem embroidered on the collar (available at tuckshop).
• Black shoes and white socks.

Winter Uniform:

As above plus the following options:

• Navy blue tracksuit pants and navy blue jumper (available at leading retailers).
• Navy blue tights can be worn under shorts or skorts.
• Musgrave Hill State School jacket (Available at tuckshop).

Year 6 Graduation

On Wednesday the 11th December we will be farewelling our year 6 students in a very special graduation ceremony held this year at Southport High School due to the increased number of students graduating this year. I am sure it will be an amazing and enjoyable night for all. We wish them all the best and we are confident that Musgrave Hill State School has provided a solid foundation from which they can build their dreams on.

Christmas Concert

Musgrave will be holding our traditional Christmas Concert on Thursday 5th December. It would be great to see as many families there as possible. The concert is from 3.30pm to 5.30pm, so hopefully, it will not be too hot and no storms predicted for that evening.

Return Date for 2020

Please note that the school year will start on the Tuesday 28th January 2020. I wish you all a safe and relaxing holiday.

Julie-Anne McGuinness - Principal

ASSEMBLY AWARDS

Monday 18/11/19

Monday 25/11/19

STUDENT RESOURCE SCHEME 2020

2020 Student Resource Scheme forms were sent home last Monday, please return them as soon as possible and thank you to those parents who have returned them. We require a form for every child in the school whether you choose to participate or not.

If you have misplaced your form, you can download the Student Resource Form below.

TUCKSHOP NEWS

I hope you all enjoyed our Sushi Day. Hopefully next year we will be offering this at least once per term. We are getting closer to the end of the year so we may not have all of our usual menu available. Please note that there will always be vegemite, jam and honey sandwiches available as well as fruit.

Tuckshop will be closed on Thursday 5th December due to the Prep transition day, however we will be open for little lunch and big lunch offering vegemite, jam and honey sandwiches, fruit, ice blocks, chips and drinks.

Due to such a hot summer we are finding our ice blocks are melting very fast. We will no longer be placing them in with the lunch orders and ask that the children come to the tuckshop after they have eaten their food to collect their ice blocks.

In the last Newsletter we included some healthy ideas for summer lunch boxes, here are a few ideas for some healthy dips to add to your lunch boxes. They are not only easy to make but are super delicious!!!!! These are also a great chance to get some extra veggies into little tummies.

Avocado Dip

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of sliced avocado
½ cup of coriander leaves
¼ cup of lime juice
1/3 cup of Sour Cream
¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
¼ teaspoon of ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Place avocado, coriander leaves, lime juice, sour cream, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a food processor and mix until smooth. If you do like it a bit more

chunky, simply mash your avocado with a fork and mix the remaining ingredients in with a spoon.

Salsa

Ingredients:

1/3 cup of finely chopped green capsicum
1/3 cup of finely chopped red capsicum
1/3 cup of finely chopped cucumber
2½ cups of chopped tomatoes (sweet ones are best)
1/3 cup of finely chopped red onion
4 large garlic cloves minced
½ bunch of coriander chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl.

Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Hommus

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas – drained with liquid reserved
1/3 cup of chickpea liquid
½ cup of tahini
¼ cup of olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
2 x garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of cumin
½ teaspoon of salt

Instructions:

Add all the ingredients to your processor and blend on high until smooth.

The longer you blend the smoother it will be. You can add more chickpea

liquid if you find it gets too thick.

Uniform News

Just a friendly reminder that the Uniform Shop will be closed from 12.00pm on the 5th December 2019. We will reopen in 2020 on Wednesday 22nd January from 9am until 1pm and Thursday 23rd January from 1pm until 5pm. We are currently very low on stock and unfortunately our big shipment has been held up at sea and will not arrive until the 15th December. If you would like to pre order your items please come and see myself or Rach in the tuckshop, this will allow you to come in on 22nd or 23rd January to pick up your packed order.

Don’t forget we have awesome starter kits available on line. They are as follows:

Starter Kit #1 - $100.00 = 2 x Polos, 1 x Shorts or 1 x Skort and 2 x Hats

Starter Kit #2 - $200.00 = 3 x Polos, 2 x Shorts or 2 x Skorts, 1 x Jacket and 2 x Hats

Sally and Rachele – Tuckshop and Uniform Convenors

CHRISTMAS CONCERT

SCHOOL BUS

As of the start of Term 1 – 2020, the Surfside PM school buses will display a new school number which will be different to the AM and current PM school numbers. We advise all students and parents to check the Surfside School website for updates before Term 1 – 2020

A WORD FROM OUR GUIDANCE OFFICER

Building Resilience through Giving

One of the key factors in teaching our children to be resilient (to bounce back in times of hardship) comes through:

‘Developing responsibility, compassion and social awareness by providing opportunities where you child can contribute or give back to others.’

‘Raising Resilient Children’ by R.Brooks and S. Goldstein

We are all social beings. No matter how hard we might try to seek isolation, or how high the fences we build, our lives are shared by others – family, friends and community.

Children learn from an early age about the `act of giving’ through watching their parents give to them or others. Unfortunately though, our children may not learn that they have the capability of giving to others and that life isn’t just about receiving. Such thinking creates selfishness and the idea that `I’ am the only important person.

When you educate children regarding giving, you teach them about caring for others, compassion, responsibility for those less fortunate. You also will teach that ‘everyone’ is important and we all have a responsibility to protect others in our community and world.

Most kids can readily relate to other children who are hurting. With Christmas upon us soon and while your child is preparing their lists of ‘what I want for Christmas’, now is the time to prepare a list of ‘ways we can give to others’. Here are some ideas:

• Ask a child to choose an item of clothing or a toy that he or she no longer uses, to donate to children that have few clothes and perhaps no toys at all.
• When you do your weekly grocery shopping, ask each of your children to pick out an item or two to donate to the local food charity, or Christmas charity.
• Get your child to make gifts for friends rather than expecting mum to purchase a gift – there are many ideas at this time of year.
• As children get a little older, they can begin giving a small percentage of allowance or savings to charity.
• Look for a charity started by children, and share the information with your children. If you also make ‘giving’ a priority children will learn to give cheerfully.
• Sponsor a child in a poor country.
• If you can't give financially you and your kids can still offer your time. You may even want to start a fundraiser, and donate the proceeds to a favourite local charity. There are many fundraising opportunities and your child's class might even want to participate.

No matter how large or small the effort, instilling a sense of charity will teach children to care about others and the importance of giving something back to the community.

Joy Wheeler – Guidance Officer

CLASSROOM CAPERS – 5 MAROON

This term, 70 adventurous Year 5 students and 5 terrified teachers dressed up in colonial costumes, and set off to see if they could strike it rich. They fought off a bushranger before arriving in the town where they had to build shelter and buy supplies before trying their hands at panning for gold. The day was a huge success for some, who returned with their pockets bulging with wealth, but was less happy for those who’d been forced to spend time in gaol, while the others mined and made their fortunes.

Mr Larkin – Classroom Teacher

PREP 2020 – STARTING SCHOOL

A WORD FROM OUR CHAPLAIN

A BIG thank you to our mentors who work with our MHSS students in the KidsKonnect mentoring program!

Chappy’s Challenge

Total amount raised for Chappy’s Challenge was $2,184.50

Winning classes were:

1st – 1 Jade
2nd – Prep Orange
3rd – Prep Silver

Thank you all so much for your support, we really are a little school with a great, big heart.

If you would like to donate to our Chaplaincy Fund, you can do so by following the link below and it is tax deductible.

Breakfast Club Volunteers

THANK YOU TO THE WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS WHO COME EVERY THURSDAY AND FEED OUR MHSS STUDENTS!!

We welcome them back in 2020 and appreciate their commitment and support!!

COMMUNITY NEWS

“This is a service provided when space permits. The school acts solely as a messenger and is not actually recommending any activities advertised”

Football Gold Coast – Sign Up Days

Football Gold Coast is a not-for-profit organization. We are holding FREE Come & Try days across the Gold Coast and Northern NSW region.

Phoenix Netball – Sign Up Day

UPCOMING EVENTS