We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people, the traditional owners of the land Mickleham Primary School is on, and pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging and to any Koorie people joining us today.
We would like to acknowledge the children of the past, present and future who have grown up, learnt and played with friends on this land.
We would like to acknowledge our country and nature, including: trees, grasses, flowers, birds and insects. Our Bluestone building represents our community’s past and we are the future.
Acknowledgement of Diversity
We acknowledge and respect the differences between us. We understand we all come from different cultures, and we have different opinions and needs. We are all equals and cooperate as we play a role in our school community.
The above statements were written by our children and staff through our Koorie Action Group and Diversity Leaders.
Welcome to our second Newsletter. We are hoping you find them informative and engaging. Please use the translation feature on our website if you need to access text in a different language. Anything that is not an attachment will be translated into your chosen language. Information in today’s message is really very important so please use the translation feature.
Education Week this year is May 19th – 23rd however, we have our Grade 5/6 Camp to Phillip Island during this week. At Mickleham PS, we are celebrating Education Week May 26th – 30th. This year’s theme is ‘Celebration of Cultures’ highlighting the diversity of our communities and the importance of every child feeling safe and welcome at school. We are thrilled about this because our Mickleham PS theme for this year is ‘Celebrating Diversity’.
We have worked very hard over the past few years to create engaging, calm and orderly learning environments, where every child is encouraged and nurtured to be the best version of themselves possible. We have a strong commitment to our school values and our matrix, celebrating Respect, Independence, Cooperation and Honesty (RICH). Our children know that whilst addressing their learning needs, we also recognise the highly social role schools play. It is a safe place for children to learn about themselves as people, to stretch boundaries, take responsibility, take safe risks and make mistakes.
When thinking about the definition of culture – values and beliefs, norms, symbols, language, and rituals, they are at the core of everything we do. Whilst, as a school, we address all these elements, we also teach and value the right of individuals within our community to have and express their own beliefs and celebrate their family history and uniqueness.
Our staff and School Council have come up with an exciting plan to involve our whole school community and engage our children in a truly fun experience. We are very pleased to share the details below.
TWILIGHT SCHOOL
On Wednesday, May 28th we will be moving our school day so that the children will end their school day in the dark! We are inviting parents to attend and participate in the last session of the day.
These are the important details about this day:
The children will arrive at school at 12:30pm and follow roughly the same schedule as they do for every other day
They will have their two outside breaks – the last one ending just as it is getting dark outside
We will be offering a Special Late Lunch to celebrate our day (details to follow)
We will be selling glo bands for the children to wear during the second break and last session
The last session of the day will involve activities that parents will be asked to join in with their child/ren. We will be doing these activities in house groups so parents with more than one child can work with all of them and not disappoint any of their children
School will be dismissed at 6:30pm
We will use three sides of the school for parking on this evening – parents can park in the old drive-through area and we will open a gate for access
TheirCare will be offering a longer before school session, rather than a before and after school care program for the day, for parents who need to work
We know this is quite different; our teachers will prepare children for the change in structure by talking about the day over the next few weeks. We hope you will get excited about this fun day and come along to engage in the activities we plan for you and your child/ren.
LOST PROPERTY
Please be sure to name every item of clothing your child wears to school – it is the best way to make sure their clothes come back to them when they put them down in some of the strange places we find them!
If your child brings home an item that is not theirs, please send it back to school so it goes home with the right child.
We do our best to connect children with their clothes but a quick trip to their bag locker, playground or classroom might be needed to find any missing items.
PREP ENROLMENTS 2026
We are now accepting Prep enrolments for 2026. Please come to the Office for a form or download one from our website. Parents are asked to submit enrolment forms by Friday July 25th to assist with our planning for next year.
We have a very busy few weeks ahead – Sausage Sizzle this Saturday, Mother’s Day Stall next Thursday – May 9th, Grade 3/4 Camp May 14th – 16th, Grade 5/6 Camp May 20th – 23rd, Twilight School May 28th. A busy learning month of May!
At our April School Council Meeting, Office Bearers were elected for this year. Many thanks to the following people who have taken on additional roles. Sub-committees meet on-line the week before the School Council.
Our 2025 MPS School Council Executive is made up of the following people:
Kim Milton -School Council President
Amanda Tull-Boyle – Vice President
Vee Barwari – Co-Treasurer
Yasemin Maranzano – Co-Treasurer
School Council Sub-Committee Membership:
Finance:
Kim, Vee, Yasemin, Gail, Julie
FISO (Framework for Improving Student Outcomes):
Kim, Vee, Kacey, Amanda, Amer, Yasemin, Christine, Dani, Kylie, Julie
Community & Fundraising:
Kim, Vee, Amanda, Kacey, Samantha, Yasemin, Christine, Josh, Julie
Thank you for everyone’s contribution to Jump Rope for Heart last term. Together, we smashed our fundraising goal reaching a grand total of $5,774. Students logged a total of 82 hours of skipping and skipped together with teachers and parents during our Jump Off Day. Thank you to these students who raised money for the Heart Foundation and became heart heroes.
Rohaan
Zaria
Tilly
Domenic
Peter
Meryem
Alexis
Kelly
Dante
Aria
Jensen
Matthew
Oakley
Evia
Maame
Kobie
Presley
Ryder
Shubhkarman
Savannah
Mackenzie
Harper
Oliver
EASTER BONNET PARADE
Fantastic Effort by students and families this year – especially on the first day back to term.
Please see the photo below of our winners for their innovative and creative designs.
ANZAC DAY
Student Leaders did a great job taking us through our Anzac Assembly. Students prepared wonderful wreaths, families sent in beautiful flowers to lay at the monument and the whole school community showed our respect for this important memorial event.
PREMIER READING CHALLENGE 2025
Premier’s Reading Challenge 2025
We’re excited to be taking part in this year’s Premier’s Reading Challenge! The Challenge encourages students to develop a love of reading by exploring a wide range of books.
Over the next few months students will read a range of texts, discover new authors, and celebrate their achievements. This is a fantastic way to support your child’s learning at home and encourage a love of learning.
Everyone who completes the Challenge will receive a certificate signed by the Premier. It’s a wonderful opportunity to build confidence, strengthen literacy skills, and foster a lifelong love of books. Happy reading!
In the ever-changing space that is Cyberspace it is important that as families we are familiar with ways to keep our students safe whilst using their devices. These devices include but aren’t limited to iPads, computers, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, smart watches etc. Even when using child friendly apps such as Messenger for Kids it is still important that we have strong guidelines and expectations around the use of these programs. As these devices and apps advance, so do our students. We have had instances where students have figured out how to impersonate other students on these apps or find their way around firewalls that are blocking websites. As always there are countless positive uses for technology however to ensure that it is used effectively it is important that we are aware of the issues we could run into.
Please see attached an article written by Professor Donna Cross outlining 10 steps to ensure we are all being cyber safe.
Please note that RICH awards will go in our next newsletter. There is a surprise planned for the students at the next assembly.
Attendance Award Lunch
Last term, we celebrated students who had amazing attendance for Term One. Collectively, we had 66 students who had a 98% attendance rate or higher. Well done to these students who were invited to a hot chip lunch.
“We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day. If students miss school regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of school. There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind and can affect their educational outcomes. Each missed day is associated with progressively lower achievement in Reading, Writing and Mathematics.”
Days absent each term
0-3
This is within the normal range. A child with this attendance rate is able to take full advantage of the teaching and learning opportunities to them.
4-5
This attendance rate is below average. A child with this attendance rate could miss over one year of learning between prep and year 10.
6-10
This is a poor attendance rate. A child with this attendance rate could miss out on up to two years of learning between prep and year 10.
10+
This is a very poor attendance rate. A child with this attendance rate could miss over two and a half years of learning between prep and year 10.
Last Wednesday and Thursday our 3/4 students attended Ecolinc. We are very fortunate that Ecolinc is a free excursion, with the costs of the buses also covered for our students. Students spent their time conducting experiments and working in cooperative groups. Highlights of the days included students using their problem-solving skills to design a filtration system to clean water and look closely at worms under a microscope. All of our students represented our school with pride, and we received a lot of positive feedback from the staff at Ecolinc. Later this year other year levels will have an opportunity to attend and complete different hands-on challenges with their peers.
THE SPECIALIST SPOTLIGHT
We’re thrilled to kick off the new term and look forward to all the exciting learning experiences planned across our specialist curriculum areas.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Our Cross-Country Event will be happening on Friday during House Meetings. The Senior students have been learning how to pace themselves by jogging, not running fast, keeping their bodies upright and relaxed, and walking when they need to. Those students in the top 8 of the age groups 9, 10, 11/12 will be asked to represent MPS next Friday at the DISTRICT CROSS COUNTRY. We are also focussing on the skills in Netball, Soccer and AFL for interschool sport this term.
The junior students will be cheering for the seniors in Friday’s event. In PE, they are learning to tie shoelaces! Please help work with your child in this as this is a crucial skill to learn. If not shoelaces, children will need to tie up trackies this term to keep them up; perhaps ribbons for Mother’s Day gifts; or knots to hold things together in ART, STEM, PE and LIFE – tying things together is an essential skill. During our sessions, we also watched this little video: Shoelaces for Kids
This term we are also focusing on teamwork. From building shoe towers, to riding noodle ponies. Learning to kick soccer balls to playing Fruit Salad safely. We discussed what to say to our team-mates to be positive and encouraging to each other. We experience losing and winning and we learn how to be sportsmanlike either way.
VISUAL ART
This term in the Visual Art Studio grade prep will be learning about a couple of famous artists, Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian and creating artworks inspired by them. This will involve students learning about, and practicing some of the elements of art, especially line, shape and colour. Activities will be designed to give students the opportunity to practice their fine motor skills, especially the use of scissors.
The grade 1/2 students would like to share their mixed media self-portraits from last term. They worked on their drawing, painting and collage skills to create a self-portrait that not only showed what they look like but included a collage of images to represent their personality. Can you find your picture?
We would like to share the grade 3/4 artwork from last term. Students created a portrait using fruit and vegetables that was inspired by the work of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, a Renaissance artist. As you can see from the attached photograph the art studio has been transformed into a bright, bold gallery space. This term grade 3/4 will be creating a landscape using paint. Watch this space for their artistic outcomes!
In the Art Studio this term, the grade 5/6 students will be working on an artwork inspired by Bernadette Twomey, an Australian artist, who specialises in abstract botanical art. They will be learning about, and using their knowledge of, the elements of art; line, colour, space, texture and form in the creation of this work.
To all of our students, let your imaginations run wild and be CREATIVE!
STEM
In STEM this term, students will be learning about how to stay safe online and what it means to be a digital citizen in our ever-changing world. Students in Grades 1 and 2 will explore a range of picture storybooks to help them understand how to stay safe online, protect their personal information, and find a trusted adult if something worries them. Students in Grades 3 to 6 will build their understanding of the important role they play online and how their actions create a digital footprint in cyberspace.
How Can You Help at Home?
One of the best ways to support your child’s safe use of digital technology is by having regular conversations about your family’s rules and expectations. Setting clear, positive guidelines together can make a big difference.
For helpful tips and resources, the eSafety website offers fantastic advice for parents. You can explore it here:https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
The Mickleham Primary School canteen operates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Lunch orders must be placed through Compass by 9.30am.
HOT FOOD
Party Pie $1.50
Hot Dog $4.00
Party Sausage Roll $1.50
Chicken tenders (Pack of 3) $4.50
Dino Nuggets (pack of 3) $2.50
Nachos- Small $2.00
Nachos- Large $3.50
Burgers, Rolls and Toasties
Rolls– Choose from:
Salad $4.00
Ham and Salad $4.50
Fillings options: Lettuce, Tomato, Cucumber, Carrot, Cheese, Mayonnaise and Tzatziki
Burger– Choose from:
Veggie $4.50
Chicken $4.50
Beef$4.50
Fillings options: Lettuce, Tomato, Cheese, Mayonnaise and Tzatziki
Toasted Sandwiches– Choose from:
Cheese $2.50
Cheese and Tomato $3.00
Ham and Cheese $3.00
Ham, Cheese and Tomato $3.50
Noodles
Beef Noodles $2.50
GlutenFree Chicken Noodles $2.50
Vegetarian Noodles $2.50
Chicken Noodles $2.50
Beverages
Big M Strawberry Milk $2.50
Big M Chocolate Milk $2.50
Just Juice Apple Juice $2.00
Just Juice Orange Juice $2.00
Frozen treats
Slushie– Choose from: Grape, Strawberry and Raspberry$2.00
Zooper Dooper $0.50
Winter treats
Chocolate Chip Cookie $0.50
Hot Chocolate $2.00
There will also be a limited amount of hot food available for sale over the counter during break times.
We would welcome the assistance of any parent who is able to give up an hour or two, especially on Fridays. Please call the school and leave a message for Ange.
