Newsletter Term 4 Week 1 2024

Principal's Message

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Students

Talofa Lava,

Welcome back! I hope that all our families had a refreshing and relaxing break. As we dive into Term 4, we have many exciting events and milestones to look forward to.

One of the highlights will be celebrating our school's 50th Anniversary, which is being held on Friday 1^st November. It’s a momentous occasion that we are eager to share with our entire school community. In addition to this, our swimming block will begin soon, helping students stay safe and build their water confidence as the weather warms up.

For our Year 6 students, this term holds particular significance as they prepare for their Graduation. It’s a time for them to reflect on their primary school journey and look ahead to the exciting new chapter of secondary school.

Academically, students will be working diligently to complete their final units of work for the year, with report cards set to go home at the end of the term. A reminder that this term is a rare eleven-week term, with the last day of school for the year being Friday, 13th December.

Let's make Term 4 a fantastic one filled with growth, achievements, and celebrations!

Kind regards,

Masina Taule’alo
Principal

Junior Campus Deputy Principal

Prep English

This term in Prep, the children are diving into the wonderful world of reading! They are learning to read, explore, and respond to stories, discovering the joy that comes from books.

Students will listen to familiar imaginative stories and practice retelling them through their own writing, fostering creativity and comprehension skills. Additionally, they will read short texts and engage in discussions about the characters, plot, and events. This will also encourage them to make connections between the stories and their own experiences, enriching their understanding and enjoyment of reading.

We are thrilled to see their progress and enthusiasm as they complete their last term of Prep!

Year 1 English

This term in Year 1, our students are embarking on an exciting project that combines creativity and technology! They will learn to create a digital multimodal procedure that incorporates text, speech, and pictures to effectively inform an audience.

The fun task at hand? Designing a truly disgusting sandwich that no seagull would dare to eat! This project will help students demonstrate their reading accuracy, fluency, and understanding of procedural texts, all while engaging their imaginations.

We look forward to seeing student use their creative minds to develop their digital skills and explore the world of procedures!

Year 2 English

This term in Year 2, our students are embarking on an exciting journey into the realm of storytelling! They will learn to create an additional event for a familiar narrative, specifically The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson. Each student will create their own imaginative event to alter the story and will include pictures that enhance their writing.

Additionally, students will practice reading aloud and engaging with comprehension questions. This will focus on both literal understanding and inferred meanings, helping them to deepen their connection with the text.

We are excited to see their creativity flourish as they explore these storytelling skills!

Year 3 English

They will read about different towns and cities in Australia, answering questions to show their understanding. Along the way, they will learn to recognize the purpose and audience of texts, identify literal meaning of the texts, and explain inferred meanings.

Students will also explore how informative texts are structured, focusing on important language features like topic-specific vocabulary. They’ll discover how visual elements, such as diagrams and maps, enhance meaning.

In a fun project, students will imagine their family is moving to Hobart and create an information report about what life is like there. They’ll gather information from various online sources to prepare their writing and create engaging multimodal texts.

We can't wait to see their curiosity and creativity shine!

Year 4 English

This term in Year 4, our students will focus on recognising and analysing persuasive techniques. They will use this knowledge to design, create, and present a persuasive multimodal package aimed at kids.

As part of this exciting project, students will design a breakfast cereal package. They will incorporate persuasive language features such as exaggeration, alliteration and repetition and creative vocabulary, along with visual elements like fonts and images, to make their packages appealing.

We are excited to see their creativity and persuasive skills flourish this term!

Alexis Bell

Middle Campus Deputy Principal

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our students and families back to school for what is shaping up to be an amazing final term for 2024. This term will see a number of key events occurring including Year 6 celebration day, graduation and of course our Year 5’s will be busy practising and presenting leadership speeches.

Attendance-Every Day Counts

With such a busy term ahead of us, it is vital that we continue to reinforce our high expectations for student attendance and we welcome your support in this matter. Currently, all of our Middle Campus cohorts are well below our school target of 95% attendance (for Term 4) but together I know we can improve this. If you are having trouble getting your children to school on a regular basis, please don’t hesitate to contact their teacher, Head of Department Student Services or the Middle Campus Deputy Principal so we can put additional positive strategies in place to support their attendance. Let’s work together to ensure our students are accessing every available opportunity provided to them at school.

Learning

There is lots of great learning happening in our classrooms already.  However, research shows that having a clear understanding about why we are learning something is just as important as learning the concept itself. This is called our Learning Intent. When we understand why we are learning a new concept it adds a layer of meaning and purpose, and this directly impacts our understanding and retention of the new learning. As I visit classrooms this term, I will be asking questions about their learning  and I challenge you to do the same at home. When you ask your children what they learnt at school today, dig a little deeper and ask them the purpose behind their learning.

Up to date information

Did you move in the holidays, has your family situation changed, or have your contact details changed?  Please ensure your contact details are up-to-date with the school.  Contact the office on 3386 5333, to change your details.

In times of emergency, we need up-to-date contact information for parents and carers as well as emergency contacts. The school also sends out important information via various channels such as email, and sms.  The correct contact information for students is vital.

I look forward to an amazing term celebrating the wonderful achievements of all of our students in years 5 and 6.

Sonya Wright

Teaching and Learning at Mabel

Welcome back!

We hope you found time over the holidays to chat, laugh and play with your children.

In Prep to Year 10, schools are required to deliver health and wellbeing education, including respectful relationships education, through the provision of the Australian Curriculum and a whole-school approach to learning and wellbeing. This is to be delivered in an age-appropriate manner.

We are in the process of developing a whole-school approach to respectful relationship education. This includes parent and community engagement.

The Respectful Relationship Education Hub has information and resources for parents and carers about Respectful Relationship Education. We will be sharing more information through this newsletter.

Yours in curriculum,

Maree Martin
Head of Department Curriculum

Respectful Relationships Education is a primary prevention approach that aims to stop violence before it starts, by changing people's attitudes about respect and equality. It involves teaching students how to:

Student Services at Mabel

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

Each week, 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.

 Our PBL Focus for Week 1 is: We show TRUST by following all school routines, policies and procedures.

Our PBL Focus for Week 2 is: We show RESPECT by following playground expectations and Tuckshop expectations and routines.

For the safety of our students, all playground equipment is out of bounds before and after school. Students are to sit in their designated area before school.

Bikes and scooters are to be walked throughout school grounds.

Attendance

It has been fantastic to see so many students Here, Every day, Ready and On time.

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.

Learning starts at 8:40am every day. As part of our school policy, you are required to notify the school on the same day that your child is away and let the school know the reason for their absence. If we do not hear from you on the day your child is away, the school will send a text notification in the morning. It is important you keep us updated with any new home address, mobile number and email addresses. As a parent, your obligation is to reply to the text notification with your child’s name, class and reason for absence.

If your child is unwell and cannot come to school, please notify the school of your child's absence by:

• Ringing the school – 07 33865333
• Replying to the SMS sent by the school
• Writing a note explaining the absence

Unexplained Absence Letters have been sent out this week.  Please return as soon as possible to your campus office.

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