Please find below important dates and school events for Term 1 2022.

This term Rooms T1, T2, G1 and G2 have been lucky enough to have Henny Penny Chickens deliver 4 chicks and 12 eggs to our school. Over 2 weeks we watched the chicks hatch, grow, and begin to change into adult chickens.

The students kept a daily diary to record their observations and thoughts. At the end of the 2 weeks, some of the students engaged in the STEM design process, which involved designing and making their own chicken coop. Students listened to peer feedback and made modifications to their initial ideas.

Here is what we learnt...    

“They are really wet when they get out of the egg because of all the stuff inside the egg” – Stella G1

‘When the chicks hatched, they were breathing really fast and were very tired”- Isabel G2

We had 2 different breeds of chicks. The Lohmans were brown and the Leghorns were yellow as chicks and they will turn white” – Ashleigh T1

“They have to peck to get out of their shell” – Elsie T2

We also observed some funny chick happenings ...

“One chick sat on another chick and pooped on its back. Another one nudged it off with its beak” – Cameron and Mara T1

 “They would run up to the camera when we were watching them on the whiteboard” – Maya T2

“It looked like one chick was dancing, moving its head up and down” – Christian G1

 “They poop a lot” – G2   

This year our Swimming Carnival will be held on Wednesday 16^th March at the Burnside Swimming Centre. Students will be participating in a variety of events including freestyle, breast stroke, and noodle races.

They will be competing in their house colours and earning points for every event they participate in. Extra points are awarded to the team who are cheering the loudest and showing great team spirit.

Which team will get the most points? Devonshire, Dunks, Mellor or Selth.

A copy of the program is attached for your information. 

On Monday 21^st March we will celebrate Harmony Day and encourage students to come to school wearing their traditional cultural dress or the colour orange. Classes will work together on a variety of activities to develop respect, understanding and empathy for each other’s cultural backgrounds through the Harmony Week theme of Everyone Belongs.

We will begin the day with an assembly on Monday morning, commencing with a Welcome to Country by local Aboriginal Elder, Aunty Elaine Magias. Aunty Elaine will also speak to the children about Country and what it means. During the day, students will contribute to the creation of a whole school diversity tree which we look forward to sharing with you.

We thank our English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) teachers Laura and Lauren for organising resources and activities for Harmony Day.

It has been a different start to the school year, but in spite of this our students have settled in well and are enjoying being with their friends and teachers.

I am another trusted adult for students to talk to at school. In my role, I provide support for members of the school community – students, staff and families. Some of this involves checking in with students who might be finding things difficult at school or at home or referring families to support networks. If you would like to find out more about my role, I can be contacted through the front office or by email julie.ascherellis43@schools.sa.edu.au. I am at school all day Monday to Thursday and from 12:30 pm on Friday.

Some of the services I provide are help with social skills, making friends and other friendship issues. I help students understand their emotions, such as feeling worried, sad, angry or scared and teach them strategies to self-regulate. These services are in addition to the classroom curriculum provided by teachers.

At present I’m introducing Kimochis (toys with feelings) to the Reception classes.  There are eight Kimochi characters each with their own characteristics, feelings and their own story.  For example Bug is shy and is afraid of change. He learns to put his “Brave feeling” in front of his “Scared feeling” so he can grow his wings and learn to be a beautiful butterfly.  The students think of times when they have been scared and who helped them. We then brainstorm ideas about how we can encourage Bug to be brave. The aim of this program is to help students understand and recognise their feelings and learn strategies to regulate when big hard to have feelings occur. In addition, they learn strategies to help build friendships, use kind words and recognise how others are feeling by looking at their faces and body language.

I use a range of other social skills programs to deliver age appropriate lessons where required. I work with students, individually, in small groups or as a whole class and work alongside staff to offer support in the classroom.  I model inclusivity and getting along with others as well as taking turns and using friendly body language.

If you have concerns about your child/children please contact their classroom teacher in the first instance.

It does take a village to bring up a child, in this period of uncertainty these outside supports are even more important. We are here to help.

Julie 

Parent-Teacher interviews will be held face to face in Week 9 & 10 – beginning Monday 28^th March. This year we are again using the School Interviews, online booking system.

Parent-Teacher interviews provide families with an opportunity to meet with class teachers to discuss important aspects of your child/ren’s learning. Teachers will discuss learning goals, class routines and skills students have demonstrated in the classroom.

Notes will be sent home early next week with further information and the online booking code.

We look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child/ren’s progress so far this year.

This year our School Photos will be taken by Crackerjack Studios on the 22nd and 23rd March 2022. If there are any unexpected changes due to COVID the dates will be postponed in accordance with regulations. Please note the sibling pack is separate and must be ordered for your children to be on the photographer's list.

Photos will be delivered to the school when completed and sent home with your child. If you order ONLINE you DO NOT need an envelope. You will need to fill out 1 form for your child/children and another for your sibling photos. Please click on the link to the Photographer's page to order your photos. http://crackerjackstudios.com.au/mitcham-primary-school-photos-2022

We are back into another school year. Welcome to our new families and we hope you and your children have settled into the Mitcham PS way of life! I would like to give you a little information about the canteen.

We offer a wide variety of menu options, including specific dietary requirements, such as gluten free and vegetarian, which follow the recommended Right Bite guidelines. Ordering recess/lunch is done through the Qkr app with orders closing for the day at 9.15am.  A reminder that you will need to put the correct classroom number in for each student to ensure that lunches are sent to the correct classroom. We are open Monday to Friday from 8.30 to 2pm. We welcome volunteers! If you would like to help, come and see myself, Ann or Kerry and we will steer you in the right direction. Please don’t hesitate to contact us!
We look forward to feeding your children!
Anita Viskic
Canteen manager

Help wanted in the library. Would you like to join our friendly volunteers? 

 We have an awesome team of volunteers who help with our book covering but are looking for some more helpers please. 

After school sport will be available to students in years 2 - 6 for terms 2 and 3. The sports available are: Basketball, Netball, Soccer, AFL Football and Chess. 

After School Sport Registration forms will be distributed to classrooms and are also available from the front office, or can be emailed by request. They need to be returned to the front office by Wednesday 16th March 2022.

Please note that the Chess class is capped at 20 students only and will be determined in order of receipt of registration forms.

Payment is not required at time of submitting your sport registration form as invoices will be issued to students, once teams have been decided.

Coaches and team managers are required (a valid Working with Children check - WWCC and Responding to Risks of Harm, Abuse and Neglect - RRHAN training is required). If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me via email at michelle.gabrisch115@schools.sa.edu.au or on 8271 2227 during office hours. 

Michelle Gabrisch - SPORTS CO-ORDINATOR