Newsletter Term 1 Week 9 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Parents, Carers, and Students,

Talofa Lava,

I want to take a moment to sincerely thank you for your patience, support, and resilience in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The past few weeks have been challenging, and I truly appreciate your understanding as we navigated the impact of the storm together.

Due to the number of damaged trees and fallen branches across both campuses, our reopening was delayed beyond the initial closure. While we have been able to welcome students back to learning, several playgrounds remain closed as we work through necessary repairs. Please be assured that the safety and wellbeing of our students remains our highest priority, and we are working hard to restore all areas as soon as possible.

On a brighter note, it was fantastic to see the return of Inter-school sports last Friday! Our students played with great determination, pride, and integrity, representing Mabel Park with excellence. Inter-school sports will continue in Week 9 before a short break in Week 10, and we are excited that the program will return for the first eight weeks of Term 2.

I would like to congratulate Sarah Williamson on being appointed as Acting Deputy Principal at Waterford West SS until the end of term. Her Head of Department – Student Services role on Middle Campus is being filled by Mrs Radmila Dela Pena. Recruitment processes for our permanent Business Manager and Head of Special Education Services roles are currently underway and I look forward to announcing the successful applicants in the coming weeks.

Thank you once again for your patience and ongoing support. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the school office.

Kind regards,

Masina Taule’alo
Principal

Student Services at Mabel

It’s hard to believe that we are almost through Term 1! The weeks have flown by, and we are so proud of the learning and achievements happening across our school. As we move towards the end of the term, we want to remind families about the importance of attendance. Every day counts, and consistent attendance helps ensure students are well prepared for upcoming assessments and activities. Research shows that students who have good patterns of attendance are more likely to achieve at school. If students aren’t at school, they are missing valuable lessons.  It is critical that student attendance remains a priority to support the teaching and learning that is taking place. We encourage everyone in the school community to promote regular school attendance. Learning starts at 8:40am every day.

It is important you keep us updated with any changed contact details such as email address, mobile numbers, change of address and emergency contact details with the office so we have the most relevant details on our system for your child/ren.

If you have any used uniforms, in good condition, that your family no longer needs, please feel free to drop them into the office.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

Each fortnight, a particular focus area that aligns with our school values of TRUST, COURAGE and REPSECT is presented to all classes. Every day, students can earn Gotchas for displaying the school values.

How can you help your child with PBL?

Ask your child what the PBL fortnightly focus is. You can positively reinforce and talk about the lessons and remind your child of the core values in which we are focusing. We hope that all families take the opportunity to reinforce these elements at home.

Sun Safety

By ensuring your child/ren wears a hat during outdoor activities at school, you’re not just protecting them in the present, but you’re also instilling a lifelong awareness and habit of sun protection.

Road Safety

How to cross safely instructions

• Walk on a footpath or grass verge rather than the road.
• When walking on the footpath, an adult should be between the road and child (to keep them as far away as possible from the traffic).
• Children should hold an adult’s hand when walking near roads or when crossing.
• Use the Stop, Look, Listen, Think method before crossing the road.
• Cross at pedestrian crossings such as traffic lights or zebra crossings where possible and always wait for drivers to come to a complete stop before crossing the road.
• If there is no crossing, cross on a straight part of the road with a clear view of traffic in both directions.
• Always walk sensibly across the road.
• Take out any headphones and put down devices. Keep attention on the road.

Teresa Radicke, Sarah Williamson and Karen Gardyne
Head of Department Student Services