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Welcome to the Staff Memo

Virtue of the Week:

TOLERANCE
Monday 21 November -  Let's Decode @ MHPS
Tuesday 22 November - 

Wednesday 23 November2023 Kindy-Pre-Primary Orientation  |  Champion Schools Cup B/Ball (Selected Yr 6)
Thursday 24 November - Y6 Churchlands Orientation  |  School Tour
Friday 25 November - Assembly - Rm 14 and Rm 47  |  Y6 Bob Hawke Orientation

CELEBRATIONS AND THANK YOUS

  • Thank you to everyone who made Reece feel welcome during his Mount Hawthorn PS visit last week. He felt welcomed by all and is looking forward to joining us next year. 
  • Congratulations to Tom Norman who has been offered a position at Exmouth District High School for 2023. We expect he’ll be popular with requests for a house swap over the school holidays!
  • Thank you to the PP staff who gave up their DOTT relief on Friday when we were short of relief teachers. We will pay you back.
  • Congratulazioni to Mrs Williams for putting on a fantastic assembly item with her Room 40 students on Friday. The parents loved it!
  • Well done to all teachers who are working through reports at the moment, it’s always a busy time of the year!
  • Thank you to Reece, Marjorie, Kylie, Jaiyden, Leilani, Anita, Katelyn, Mel C, Cailie, Perisse, Bree who came along to the parent information session last Wednesday. The parents were very impressed with your dedication and your insights were appreciated. 
  • Thanks to Brett, Anne W, Marjorie and Kerry attending last week’s finance committee meeting.
  • Thank you to Rebecca, Lee, Sarah K, Kylie, Catherine, Bree, Caili and Mel C who gave up their Saturday to attend the Science of Teaching and Learning Australia (SoTLA) conference at ECU, you guys are incredible!


PRINCIPALS PEN

I’m pleased to report that last week’s parent information sessions went extremely well. I’ve always subscribed to the theory that sharing builds trust, so as the still-relatively-new-guy it’s nice to hear that parents have told us they appreciated the detail and transparency. One of the biggest items for discussion was around the school’s direction towards iPads as a consistent and common device. The feedback from the majority of parents is that they thought this is a great idea! The other big ticket item was the discussion around class structures, particularly with the high projected Year 4 numbers. I shared the numbers in the same way I did with you all at the Week 5 staff meeting and followed it up with the question, “If you were me, what would you do?” Unsurprisingly, there were strong views for both sides of the “to split or not split” argument, with most people understandably taking the position they felt would be advantageous for their own child/ren’s class size. I’m keen to garner more views on this issue before I make a decision, so I will send out 2 short surveys this week: one to parents of next year’s Year 4s and 5s and another to our Year 4-6 teachers. If you fall outside of these groups and would like to share your position on the issue, please send me an email or stop by for a chat. 

Saturday’s SoTLA conference was sensational! To find out more, be sure to pick the brains of one of our crew who attended (they’re listed in the thank yous above). It’s a really exciting time in education right now, and to be in a room of 250 people who are all advocates for effective, evidence-based teaching was inspiring. 

So if you are a podcast listener, have I got one for you! Emily Hanford is an American journalist who has spent the last few years reporting on how kids are taught to read in the US. She’s done so great work challenging the premise of why so many teachers believed that the three-cueing system, Reading Recovery and levelled readers (eg: Fountas and Pinnell) are so widespread, despite the total lack of evidence behind their use. I encourage you to listen to Emily’s six-part podcast, Sold a Story. Not only is it gobsmacking in it’s content, you’ll also appreciate Emily’s expert storytelling ability to weave it into a coherent and factual account of the reading wars. If you do have a listen, please let me know what you think!

Good luck finishing off your reports, everyone! Have a great week



- Leon


COMPASS CORNER


The biggest feedback from parents about Compass from the Parent Information night is that Newsfeed items are disappearing too quickly.

If you are unaware, all Compass newsfeed items (whole school and classroom) need an expiry date. It defaults to expire a week from the time you are posting. So if you are posting something that you feel parents would want to look back on, try setting the expiry to the 16th of December (Last day of the Term).



Any questions, feel free to contact me

- Jaiyden

CLASS SOLVER

Just a reminder that your class solver needs to be completed by tomorrow (Tuesday 22nd). There are still a number of classes who have not completed.

Thank you - Cailie

SWPBS TRACKING SHEETS

Please hand in the Tracking Sheets to Julie Banting by Week 9.

Thank you - Louise

DIBELS SCORING BOOKLET

I have almost finished entering the school data from the DIBELS assessments. If you have any students doing catch up tests this week, please hand their filled scoring booklets to me in the front office.  


YR 5 & 6 - NATIONAL SCHOOL OPINION SURVEY - STUDENTS
To the Year 5 and 6 Teachers, we will be sending you the link to the survey for our Year 5 and 6 students to complete this week. Please keep an eye on your emails. Cailie will be coming around to your classrooms to speak to the students.


Thanks - Jaiyden

GRADUATION VIDEO

Tuesday afternoon, Damian Caraher will be filming at Braithewaite and on school grounds for the graduation video. He may ask staff (especially those that have taught this cohort) to go in the video. It would be greatly appreciated if you participate if he asks you.
 

GRADUATION CEREMONY:

If you would like to attend the Graduation Ceremony, please email me at emma.french@education.wa.edu.au to request a ticket.
 

Year 6 Graduation Ceremony 
Monday December 12
7.00-8.30pm
Taryn Fiebig Concert Hall, Churchlands Senior High School

 

Thanks - Emma French

REPLACEMENT BADGES

If anyone needs replacement badges for next year, please contact me.


STAFF ROOM CUTLERY

If you have any staff room cutlery hiding in your classrooms, could you please return it when you can.

 

Thanks - Leilani

FAREWELL DRINKS

Don't forget drinks next Monday in the Staff Room for those staff members leaving our school. Snacks and some drinks will be provided. Anything from the drinks fridge will need to be paid for.

Thank you - Julie B

CHRISTMAS PARTY LUNCH - WINNERS

Congratulations to

  • Tracey Denham
  • Josie Kiddle
  • Jeff Thompson
  • Donna Leibowitz
 
Thank you to everyone that paid their Amenities this year, amenities pay for people's retirement, leaving, baby shower, birthday, congratulations and condolences gifts. It's a small part of our school community, but a really thoughtful one- So thank you to the staff that continue to help make this possible. 

If you would still like to contribute: 

Amenities account: 
$30 for full time teachers $20 for Part time teachers.

MHPS Social Club 
Bsb: 633000
Acc: 198457831

*** Please note this is different then the drinks fridge account.
 

STAFF CHRISTMAS PARTY DETAILS

16th December from 12:30 at the Sandbar. The results from my survey have indicated we will be opting for the 2 course option, they have lowered the price for us to $54.

Please confirm you are joining us by paying for your meal ahead of time: 

$54 to:
MHPS Social Club 
Bsb: 633000
Acc: 189457922

Please make sure your name is on your transfer with "XMAS PARTY" in the description. I need confirmed numbers and payment before the end of week 9: 9th December.
 

Thank you - Emma Ravensdale

ADMIN 
Monday  - Leon, Jen, Cailie
Tuesday -  Leon, Jen, Cailie
Wednesday - Leon, Bree (Kindy AM), Cailie
Thursday - Leon, Cherrie, Cailie, 
Friday - Leon, Bree, Cailie, 
Copyright © 2022 Mount Hawthorn Primary School, All rights reserved.


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