Term 1 Week 3 2022
- Principal's News by Tracy Egan
- Team Mango We All Belong!
- Prep News by Melinda White
- Year 1 News by Kylie Vaughan
- Year 2 News by Ellaine Warner
- Year 3 News by Michelle Alcorn
- Year 4 News by Ben Mills
- Year 5 and Year 6 News by Martin Winney
- Curriculum News by Suzette Holm
- Sporting News by Nick Hills, Tyson Newell, Connie Richards and Michelle Hodges
- Community News
Welcome Back
What a fantastic start to the 2022 school year! Despite the delayed start, the students have quickly settled into routines and are building positive connections with their teachers and class mates. We have over 1500 students enrolled and it is wonderful to see our school values of respect, teamwork, innovation, commitment and excellence on display right from the beginning of the year.
Special thanks to the parents and carers who have done a wonderful job partnering with teachers to settle students. A very special welcome to the many new students and families who have joined our school community. We certainly hope your association with our school is a long and happy one.
I am looking forward to working in partnership with families to achieve great outcomes for all students in 2022.
Staying COVID Safe Together
Thanks to all families who have been working hard to follow the procedures to minimise the spread of COVID. It is inevitable that we will have positive cases in our school community. I give you my assurance that I will contact the year level involved when there are cases. If your child has a positive case in their class, it does NOT mean they are a close contact. It means you should monitor your child for symptoms and, if they show any symptoms, you should arrange for them to be tested.
If your child tests positive, please let the school know as soon as possible so we can inform other families of a positive case.Calling for a School Council Representative
As an Independent Public School, we have a School Council made up of the Principal, P&C President and an equal number of parent and staff representatives.
The role of a School Council is to:
- Monitor the school's strategic direction;
- Approve plans and policies of the school of a strategic nature, including the annual estimate of revenue and expenditure for the school;
- Monitor the implementation of the plans, policies and other relevant documents; and
- Advise the Principal about strategic matters.
It is time to elect a new parent rep that can commit to the role for the next two years. This involves meeting four times a year to monitor the school's strategic direction. These meetings are usually held before the P&C from 5.15pm – 6.15pm once per term.
If you are interested in nominating please note the following timelines.
Wednesday 9 March 2022- Nominations close
If there is more than one nomination, a voting process will be held at the P & C Meeting on 14 March. Please refer below for further information and the nomination form.
Have a wonderful week
Tracy Egan
Principal
tegan4@eq.edu.au
Welcome to Team Mango – We all Belong! We have a new look, streamlined newsletter section for you. In this section we will celebrate the diversity and inclusion of all students in our school and how we explicitly teach and design processes to ensure all students can succeed. This week, we introduce you to our 2022 Inclusive Learning Teachers working across the school. Our team members are:
Prep – Kara Rufford
Year 1 – Elissa Chambers
Year 2 – Jordan Olsen
Year 3 – Lauren O’Connor
Year 4 – Kerrie-Ann Wood
Year 5 – Pam Penrose
Year 6 – Shannon White and Tamara Wills
All of our team members have taught at Mango Hill State School in various roles. As well as working incredibly closely collaborating, planning, co-teaching and supporting students within their respective year levels, the team meet with me, Ellaine Warner, for our Inclusive Learning Team PLC once every two weeks where we ensure we are striving to embed consistent best practice in inclusion.
Focus of the Week
The Care Class focus that will be delivered this Friday, is Getting back to school and before and after school routines . This focus will continue in classrooms throughout the following week.
We use the Four Cares to help us care for self, others, learning and the school environment. In particular, students will review: how to follow Mango Hill State School before and after school routines.
Mornings
- Lining up quietly in designated areas
- Waiting patiently and quietly, in designated areas till the bell goes
Afternoons
- Walking safely out to the Lookout area
- If attending Helping Hands, walk safely to the meeting point.
- If collecting younger siblings, walking straight to their pickup area
Everyone
- Walking bikes or scooters in and out of the school grounds.
- Wearing your hat to and from school.
- Listen to the Teachers when using the Lookout area. Staying seated on the seats at Lookout.
- Hopping off your bike or scooter to cross at the crossings.
- When the bell rings, move straight to class to unpack and get ready for learning.
- Following instructions from all Teachers and Crossing Supervisors.
We have a new email address for Parents to communicate student absences. Simply email studentabsence@mangohillss.eq.edu.au
And include the following information – Child’s name, class, reason for absence, date of absence and length of absence.
Examples include:
- Fred Jones 2A sick Mon 7 Feb all day
- Mary Jones 4T appointment Tues 8 Feb morning only will return to school after appointment.
- Jane Jones 6P Family Funeral Wed 9 and Thurs 10 will return Fri 11.
What a Wonderful Start
We’ve settled well and we are making friends and learning routines.
At break times we are rotating around all the different places we can play in our class teams so we can learn the rules and see what’s on offer! The water troughs and home corner spaces are popular. We also love all the undercovered area with the construction materials too.
This smooth start would not be possible without our wonderful Prep parents. Thank you for investing time and energy to support your child to manage the transition to Big School and to thrive. There is a lot of communication to be across - thank you for taking the time to read all the details. It helps your child when home and school are on the same page.
Top Tips for Week 1...
*If you don’t have a spare hat, consider getting one. Our little ones misplace things and it’s great to have a spare on hand while you search for the original! Don't forget to label each hat with your child's name and class.
*Early to bed each night! Physical activity each afternoon after school will help them to process the big emotions around such a big transition
*Open ended questions are your friend. How was your day? Good. Or... Tell me about something you played today. I played in the sandpit and we made a big castle.
*Limit the screen time. Short amounts of screen time, balanced with outdoors activities.
Have a lovely week
Melinda White
Deputy Principal - Prep
mwhit37@eq.edu.au
Welcome to Year 1!
It was so lovely to see so many smiling faces back in classrooms and in the playground on Monday.
This week we have been:
- getting to know one another through games and activities including our class Greeting Circles in the mornings
- learning new classroom and playground routines
- revisiting the Four Cares and establishing our classroom rules
- starting to work towards our Team Mango – We All Belong
- diving into our new units of work to see what we already know and what our next steps are
- enjoying our first specialist lessons with our Italian, STEM, PE and Arts teachers
- exploring the new play spaces and clubs on offer at lunchtime.
Highlights from our students
- Gwenyneth said, ‘I’ve loved seeing my friends and playing in the sandpit.’
- Amelia said, ‘I was so happy to meet my new teacher.’
- Ali said, ‘I liked playing in the playground.’
- Neil said, ‘I love learning. I liked drawing and writing.’
- River C. said, ‘I liked meeting my friends and learning about each other.’
Some reminders for everyone at drop off time
- Please consider using the Stop, Drop and Go in the morning. The children are really developing their confidence with drop off. Your child may be ready to independently walk themselves in and unpack at their classroom. What a great way to foster your child’s independence!
- Children in 1F, 1J, 1D and 1H need to meet their teachers in the Junior Undercover Area at 8:15am. Please do not enter the top of the Early Years building before this time.
- Children in 1O, 1L, 1P, 1S, 1W and 1C should meet their teacher at the classroom between 8.15-8.30am.
Some reminders for everyone at pick up time
- Please ensure you have communicated with your child’s classroom teacher about how they will be getting home each day so we can help your child move to where they need to be.
- Children will be walked by a staff member to the Look Out Zone at the front of the school at 2.30pm for easy pick up.
- Parents/carers wanting to collect their children from in the school should meet the class teachers in the Piazza at 2:30pm
- Children waiting for sibling pick up will be supervised in the Piazza until 3:00pm
- Helping Hands will collect children from the Piazza also.
Year 1 Learn to Swim Program
Our Year 1 students will be involved in a Learn to Swim program from the 28 February. A note will be sent home today with all details including costs, times and dates. We want all students to participate in this program so they learn swimming skills to keep them safe. If you are under financial hardship, please don’t hesitate to contact the office to arrange a payment plan.
Have a lovely week
Kylie Vaughan
Deputy Principal- Year 1
kvaug3@eq.edu.au
Welcome, Year 2 families!
We especially welcome all of our Year 2 families who are new to Mango Hill State School this year. We look forward to getting to know you. The classroom teachers in Year 2 and I are so excited to be spending the year ahead with your children. We are ably supported by Ms Jordan Olsen, our Inclusive Learning Teacher for Year 2, and Ms Anna Allen, Ms Rayne Krslovic and Ms Belinda Brown our wonderful teacher aides.
Thank you for the preparation and support you have so clearly provided to your children. Everyone has returned to school ready to learn and ready to be an awesome part of their class community. The learning has begun in Year 2 and it is a pleasure to see each child so engaged!
For an overview about this term’s learning, please see the class newsletter sent by your class teacher. Each week, you will also receive a brief email from your child’s class teacher setting out some key news from the week and highlighting some key reminders for the week ahead.
Please remember that your child’s class teacher is your key contact person this year. Across Week 10 of this term, and Weeks 1-2 of Term 2 each teacher will be offering a parent teacher meeting time to the parents of children in their class. If you wish to meet with your child’s class teacher in the meantime, please send your class teacher an email so that you can make a time that suits you both.
Check out the photos below from across our classrooms!
Have a great week
Ellaine Warner
Deputy Principal- Year 2
ewarn23@eq.edu.au
Welcome back Year 3 families
It was so lovely to see the smiling faces of our Year 3 students as they returned to school this week. Visiting classrooms this week it has been such a celebration to see everyone return to school ready to learn and I am super excited to be spending another year with our Year 3 Team Mango families.
Morning Routines
Now that we are big Year 3 students our morning routines are looking a little bit different. When we arrive to school we now start our day at the Piazza which is a bit of a change to our transition from home to school. This is an area where we can meet up with friends anytime after 8am and play a quiet game of handball, talk with friends or read a book. The Piazza is supervised by teacher aides daily who will be there to help us if we get stuck. If you could remind your child in the morning as they are getting back into their morning routine to be sure they have their hat on before they leave the house or get out of the car and head straight to the Piazza on arrival, it would help greatly a smooth transition to start their day. We very much value your support.
In the Classroom
This week teachers have been busily working with their class to unpack the purpose of their upcoming units of work and to check in to see what studnets already know. Our Year 3 learners didn’t hold back and with a smile showed their teachers their very best work. We can not wait to see how much they grow this year!
Have a great week
Michelle Alcorn
Deputy Principal- Year 3
malco14@eq.edu.au
Year 4 News
Welcome back to school everyone! It has been wonderful having all of our students return to school this week after an unusual start to the year. Welcome especially to our new families. We have many new students who have joined our Year 4 cohort for 2022 and I look forward to getting to know them all throughout the year. I have the privilege of being the sector leader for this cohort for a 2nd year now and I can’t wait to see the continued growth of this group of students.
Across the Year 4 classrooms during the first few days our teachers and students have been working hard at building a positive classroom culture, setting high expectations and beginning their learning. This term, our schoolwide theme is all about ‘Team Mango’. I am so proud of the way our Year 4 classes are representing Team Mango to start the year.
In specialist lessons this year, our classes are working as a team to achieve a score out of 10 in each lesson. It was great to hear so many 9/10 and 10/10 scores across the cohort during their first lessons. They have set the bar high and I know they will continue to do so.
Our lunchtimes will look a little different for Year 4 this year, as they now play in the Middle Years and Senior areas. Students in Year 4 will continue to have access to the piazza, but now also can play in the Middle Years Undercover area, the Senior Playground and the Senior Oval. There has been a lot of excitement about these new play areas and being a part of the senior school.
Looking forward to the year ahead!
Have a super week
Ben Mills
Deputy Principal – Year 3
bxmil3@eq.edu.au
Welcome Back Year 5 and 6
It has been wonderful to welcome our Year 5 and 6 students back to school this week. I have loved working with students as they develop new connections with their peers. I had the pleasure of being in classrooms as they tackled their pre-tests which gave a great indication of what our students are great at and their next best learning move. I am really looking forward to celebrating the success of our teams throughout the year.
Have a good week
Martin Winney
Deputy Principal – Year 5 & 6
mwinn7@eq.edu.au
Term 1 Learning
We are excited that learning has already begun this year. In English students will be reading fairy tales, picture books and novels as they prepare to write their own recounts, persuasive letters and short stories. In Maths students have begun exploring numbers and patterns with hands-on materials as well as beginning to calculate and solve a range of problems. This term students in Years 3 to 6 will also begin their new Science units and all students will begin work on their Visual Arts units. Further information can be found in the Term 1 Curriculum Overview or by contacting Class and Specialist teachers. We look forward to a term full of learning!
Borrowing from the Hub
It has been very exciting this week to see lots of students eager to borrow. Don’t forget that it is a great idea to have a library bag to ‘care for the environment’ including caring for our precious books. The library bag can be a special Mango Hill one purchased from the uniform shop or any other kind of cloth or plastic bag.
All students are welcome to borrow one book at a time and can return this weekly to choose another book. For those students on AR, they may borrow 2 books at a time.
As well as Class and AR borrowing times, students are also welcome to visit the Hub before school (from 8.15am) or after school (until 3pm). We also have lunch time clubs for visiting and borrowing: Monday for Year 3 Club; Tuesday for Years 4, 5, 6 Club; Wednesday for 1, 2, 3 borrowing; Thursday for 4, 5, 6 borrowing; Friday for Years 1 and 2 Club. We look forward to seeing everyone soon!
Accelerated Reader (AR)
Our 2022 AR database is up and ready to go. Students who were already on AR should begin where they finished at the end of 2021. For example, if they had completed 3.7 they should start the year at 3.8. For students new to AR, Class teachers will organise for a STAR test to identify the beginning levels. This will happen in the next week or so as we get everything ready for AR.
AR is a great way for students to read books at their specific reading level while also building their comprehension abilities as they complete the quizzes after each book. Don’t forget that to pass, students need to achieve 85% or more and should always use the books to help them locate the answers to the comprehension questions. AR is also a great way to build resilience – sometimes we have to choose books that are slightly thicker than we would like and sometimes we have to read about subjects that we don’t yet know anything about… but practice and persistence will help with both these things. Perhaps you and your children could set some AR goals for the term ahead… How many quizzes might you complete? How many books could you read? How many thick books might you read?
Happy reading
Suzette Holm
shol0@eq.edu.au
Physical Education News
Hello to those families returning for 2022 and welcome to those who are joining the Mango Hill school community. Mr Tyson Newell, and Mr Nick Hills are back teaching PE and are very much looking forward to getting back to business in Term 1. We would also like to welcome our two new members who will be teaching PE at MHSS, Miss Connie Richards and Miss Michelle Hodges. An exciting time having 4 PE staff members in 2022!
We have many events in Term 1 for students so we wanted you to be aware of everything that will be occurring. Attached is the Term 1 MHSS PE Calendar. It has all the important dates for all MHSS events, as well as Pine Rivers and Metropolitan North Representative Events. If you have any questions regarding these events please do not hesitate to contact any of the PE team via phone/email or you are welcome to pop into our office, which is located on the first floor of M Block (closest building to the oval).
Pine Rivers District Sporting Trials (10-12yr Old’s)
Pine Rivers District School Sport offers 10-12 Year old students the opportunity to compete at Metropolitan North trials and carnivals, with the possibility of selection into teams competing at State events. Students must be nominated by their school in order to attend a district trial or carnival.
Students who express an interest to trial can collect forms from our PE office. They will be given the Pine Rivers District forms and the relevant trial information. Completed district forms are to be returned to the PE office by the due date. Once the forms are collated, students will be nominated for the trial. Forms are then handed back to students and must then be taken to the coach/manager at the District Trials. Students will NOT be allowed to trial if district forms are not handed in completed. Unless specifically organised by the school, it is the parents’ responsibility to transport students to and from district trials.
Most Pine Rivers District trials are limited to students turning 11 or 12 years of age and who are considered at a high level in the sport e.g. Div. 1 or A Grade. Cross Country, Athletics and Swimming trials however are open for students turning 10, 11 and 12 years of age. Sports that students are able to trial for include;
- AFL
- Basketball
- Cricket
- Football (Soccer)
- Golf
- Hockey
- Netball
- Rugby League
- Rugby Union
- Softball
- Squash
- Tennis
- Touch
- Triathlon
Mango Hill can nominate up to three students for each district sport trial. If more than three students wish to be nominated Mango Hill will select the three best candidates for the trial. The selection of these students may be either based on past performances/current club form or through a selection trial at school.
If you are interested in your child trialling for Pine Rivers District more information can be obtained from the Mango Hill State School newsletter, with regular trial updates listed. You may also obtain trial information from the Pine Rivers District School Sport Website https://prdss1012yr.teamapp.com/?_webpage=v1 or Mr Nick Hills - nhill96@eq.edu.au
MHSS Cross Country (Year Prep-6)
All students from Years Prep to 6 will be competing in the 2022 MHSS Cross Country Race. This is completed in the morning and or middle session of school with students competing in a long-distance race with their age group peers. More information regarding the Cross Country will be available later in the term. Dates are:
- Year Prep-2: Wednesday Week 10 - 30 March
- Year 3-6: Thursday Week 10 - 31 March
Interschool Sport (Year 5-6)
All Year 5 and 6 students will get the chance to participate in the Pine Rivers Interschool Sport, which was formally known as “Gala Days”. This will be structured slightly differently than Gala Days with students competing in Terms 2 and 3 only, with the competition running for 6 days (3 days each term). Students compete against teams from other schools for Interschool Sport. They will vote for which sport they would like to play and can train at school during our lunch clubs. The Interschool Sports for 2022 are;
- Netball
- League Tag Boys
- League Tag Girls
- Speed Soccer
- Outdoor Cricket
- AFL
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Dodgeball
Sporting Schools (Year Prep-6)
The Sporting Schools program will once again be running in 2022. Sporting Schools is a national initiative, run by the Australian Sports Commission, which aims to help children foster a lifelong interest in sport, gain a healthier mind and body, have fun and learn sport activities and games skills in a safe environment. The Sporting Schools program is open to all Mango Hill students from Prep-Year 6. Each term Mango Hill will host coaching sessions at school for the chosen sports. At this stage Mango Hill will attempt to host two sports each term, one for students in Prep-Year 2 (up to 20 students) and another for students in Year 3-6 (up to 20 students). These sessions usually run afterschool from 3.00pm-4.00pm. More information will be available in the school newsletter shortly.
Mr Hills & Mr Newell, Miss Richards and Miss Hodges
Physical Education Teachers
nhill96@eq.edu.au
tnewe20@eq.edu.au
