Term 4 Week 6 November 16, 2016

WHALER NO 18

Website: www.mosman-p.schools.nsw.edu.au Phone: 9969 9325

Email: mosman-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Fax: 9968 1324

Dates to Remember

Follow this link to the yearly calendar: www.mosman-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/calendar

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Repeat item: Parent input is sought as part of our annual review and for 2017 planning purposes. All parents are encouraged to complete this short survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2016MosmanParentSurvey on aspects of school life related to communication, student wellbeing, and learning. The survey is open until NOVEMBER 30 and your time is much appreciated.

End of year concerts will be held in weeks 9 & 10 – make sure you save the dates to see your kids treading the boards:

- Kindergarten – Wednesday December 14 @ 9.10

- Year 1 - Wednesday December 14 @ 10.10

- Year 2 - Wednesday December 14 @ 12.10

- Year 3 - Tuesday December 13 @ 9.30

- Year 4 - Tuesday December 13 @ 12.10

- Senior School Musical – Tuesdays December 6 & Wednesday December 7 @ 6.00pm – tickets now on sale:

https://www.trybooking.com/NLXQ

The Lions Club of Bondi has sent some complimentary tickets to the World Festival of Magic – “the longest running,

continually touring magic show in the world!”. If you’re interested in catching the show on Monday December 19, there

are tickets for shows at 11.00am, 1.30pm & 4.00pm – just ask one of the office staff.

Remembrance Day Assembly We would like to thank Mosman High School student Allan Matheson and his teacher Mr Todd Hardy for coming down from the high school so that we could have such a wonderful live performance of “The Last Post” and “The Rouse” on the trumpet. Allan is a member of the Northern Sydney Arts Alive Band as well as representing his school band program. All of our students showed the utmost respect for the occasion and the teachers were very impressed by the silent, reverent behaviour. Thank you to all students.

Smith Family Christmas Appeal at MPS Each year Mosman Public School excels in providing wonderful gifts for the Smith Family

Christmas Appeal. Once again, we ask students and parents to support this appeal. Gift tags are

available in the office foyer, which are to be attached to gift bags.

Just a reminder that all gifts and books should be new and not second-hand.

Presents should not be wrapped, as the Smith Family needs to check their age suitability. We

suggest you send them in a large gift bag no bigger than a school backpack.

Gifts can be placed under the school Christmas tree in the office foyer. Gifts need to be in by

Wednesday December 14 for delivery to the Smith Family. Thank you for your help and

support.

Are you an Auditor? – the P&C would love to hear from you to check over the books. Contact Laylecarlos@yahoo.co.uk

Steve Connelly - Principal

REMEMBRANCE DAY at Mosman Public School We commemorated Remembrance Day at MPS on Friday, November 11. On this historic occasion we honoured and remembered with pride, all those Australians who served our nation in wars, conflicts or peacekeeping duties. Thank you to our school leaders: School Captain - Zac (poetry reading for 3-6 students)

School Captain - Maggie (poetry reading for K-2 students)

Vice Captain - Isaac raised the flag from half-mast

A special thanks to:

Angus C who read a descriptive piece of writing at the 3-6 commemorative assembly

Allan Matheson from Mosman High School who played The Last Post and The Rouse

Thank you to the teachers who coordinated this event.

CELEBRATING SUPERB WRITERS at Mosman Public School Throughout the year MPS has had a focus on improved writing outcomes. This writing sample is a snippet of ‘Colour Poetry’ completed in Year 3, on the use of literary devices such as simile, metaphor and personification.

Kerry McConaghy – R/Deputy Principal

STUDENT HAPPENINGS

The World’s Greatest Shave Mr Connelly and a number of Year 6 students will be taking part in this year’s The World’s Greatest Shave to raise awareness and funds for cancer research. The event will be held on Wednesday November 23 (week 7) Everyone will be able to wear MUFTI on the day and are asked to bring a dollar coin donation. The link to DONATE is provided on The School Website and Class Edmodo pages.

CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS

Music News There is a lot of excitement as students walk into the music room at Mosman Public School this week. Thanks to the work and persistence of the wonderful parents of the P&C, we now have 32 guitars in child appropriate sizes so that all students have the chance to learn the basics on guitar. In 2017, students in Year 1 and Year 2 will continue to learn musical notation and performance using the recorder. If your child does not have a recorder to practice at home they will need to have one ready for next year [Christmas stocking filler]. A recorder from a music store will cost around $10. Year 3 and Year 4 will have a focus on learning guitar using both chords and classical style melodies. Having a guitar to practice on would be an advantage, but not a necessity, for these students. Either a ½ or ¾ size guitar would be suitable at a cost of around $70. Senior School students will also have some lessons with the guitars now that they are available.

Schools Spectacular Our Spectacular Choir have taken on the challenge of learning to sing in Germanic Latin for the opening segment of this year’s Schools Spectacular. This is the first year for this amazing concert at Olympic Park in the Qudos Arena. Next week the choir will have 4 very long days of rehearsing and performing at the biggest school concert in Australia with 5,500 students from across NSW. If you have never seen this concert before I would highly recommend trying to get tickets. There may be a few still available through Ticketek.

Kindergarten 2017 orientation performances Thank you to the Amadeus Band, conducted by Kate Ney and coordinated by Cherelle Martin; and the Cello Ensemble; conducted by Sophie Clark and coordinated by Catherine Speechly for the wonderful performances that were so well-presented to our visiting parents and new 2017 Kindergarten students. All of the students wore their uniforms with pride and showed the highest level of focus and professionalism regardless of the chatting and movement of their audience. These groups are a credit to their conductors and directors and represent the respectful, responsible learning that takes place at Mosman Public School.

Upcoming Instrumental Evening Thursday evening in week 9 of every term is an opportunity to enjoy the fabulous music created by all of our instrumental ensembles. This term we expect an amazing concert. All of our ensembles have come a long way musically in a very short time. With a very large number of students coming in next year we expect further growth and performance opportunities for our musical students. The final performance for this year will be following closely after the senior musicale and will showcase the amazing talents of our ensemble students. Tickets will not be required, however a donation towards musical scores and instruments with always be welcome. Even if your child is not a member of an ensemble, you are all welcome to come along and enjoy the amazing music of our school.

P&C NEWS P&C Meeting – AGM 2016 Our final P&C meeting for the year and our AGM will be held next Thursday November 24 at 9.15am in the new demountable. All welcome.

Canteen News Canteen Fundraiser – Christmas Goodies The Mosman Public School P&C has sourced some wonderful Christmas goodies to be sold, with the profits from sales going to refurbishing the canteen. Order forms went home last week and we have spare copies at the canteen. Don’t forget to get your order in by Thursday November 17. Canteen Volunteers always required please help out if you can. Add your name to the roster at the Canteen

Mini-Mos Positions Vacant 2017 Information Morning

8.45 - 9.20am Friday November 18 - Mosman Public School Demountable Mini-Mos Fun Run and Fair is the Number 1 fundraiser for Mosman Public School. The profits from the Run and Fair provide the bulk of the money raised by the P&C each year. Some of our wonderful 2016 team are moving on, so some positions have become vacant. Handovers, spreadsheets and telephone numbers are documented.

The positions are: Mini-Mos Event Co-ordinator At the heart of the Mini-Mos team, the Event Coordinator organises the fortnightly then weekly meetings. Ensuring the team checks off its tasks on time and that communication between the Mini-Mos Team, the Fair Team and the teaching staff is core to this role. Communications & Marketing Co-ordinator As part of the communications team, the Communications & Marketing Co-ordinator coordinates and writes the information distributed to the school families via digital and traditional media. The role also manages the Mini-Mos Website. This includes marketing the website and driving traffic to it through free and paid advertising sites, updating its content relevance and designing its style. Fair Co-ordinator The Fair Co-ordinator role can be a person or a group of people. The Fair Co-ordinator(s) role is to provide a variety of profitable activities, food choices and market stalls. They work closely with the Volunteer Co-ordinator to make sure all activities have volunteers rostered. Please join us at the Mini-Mos 2017 Information Morning on Friday November 18 in the library at 8.45 - 9.20am to hear more about these and other roles, including the Kindy Mini-Mos Co-ordinator and the Volunteer Co-ordinator. We need your help!

Artfest 2016 Thanks to everyone who helped make Artfest 2016 such a success and congratulations to all our successful bidders. The P&C would like to especially thank Carolina, Mimi, Jo and Belinda for all their hard work. We would also like to thank the office ladies for all their help. Orders have now closed for individual artworks and we will confirm a collection date for these soon. If you are a parent of a child in 4S or Senior Tonga don’t forget to purchase your very own limited edition print of the Ken Done artworks created by your child’s class. Please contact laylecarlos@yahoo.co.uk for further information. Year 6 Farewell Dinner Dance Monday December 12 2016 6:00pm - 9:00pm at Mosman Public School Hall

Help and support from parents of Year 5 needed leading up to and on the day. Please email rachelle.gibson@ausfilm.com.au or call 0402 046 895 to register your interest.

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment. P&C Committee 2016

COMMUNITY NEWS Neighbourhood BASC – Home based carers near your school

Neighbourhood BASC is a new before and after school care initiative now available to Mosman Public School.

Neighbourhood BASC helps schools build a local network of government approved, home based carers to provide before and after school care to students.

Neighbourhood BASC can assist Mosman Public in finding carer candidates from within the school's parent community, support these candidates through the government (DoE) approval process and once approved, will connect them with families who are either waitlisted for MOOSH or would simply prefer a home care setting for

their child.

The government approval process for carers can take up to 3 months so now is a great time to get started.

For more information please visit www.beforeandafterschool.com.au or email enquiries@beforeand afterschool.com.au

1. Appreciate the value of play: it is a child's work. Play is critical to all aspects of a child's development, but is often overlooked as a valuable tool. Play can prevent discipline problems, offers a natural way for children to learn, and is essential in the formation of a positive relationship between parent and child.

2. Talk with and listen to your child. It's important to make eye contact and use gentle touch when communicating with your child. Give clear and consistent instructions -- but not too many at once. Remember the importance of non-verbal communication, and be sure to hold a child for comfort or to share smiles and hugs.

3. Build your child's brain and body. Provide healthful meals and snacks and model good eating habits. Encourage exercise by being active with your child and limiting time in front of the television or playing video games. Support your child's efforts in school and provide opportunities to learn and explore by visiting the library, museums, zoos and other places of interest.

4. Be your child's first source of information. Encouraging your children to ask questions now, makes it easier for them to ask questions when they are older. By answering questions from your child with honesty and openness, you can create a relationship of mutual trust and respect that can prevent your child from developing unsafe habits or taking unnecessary risks.

5. Learn how children develop and know your unique child. When it comes to your child, the real expert is you, the parent. Know all areas of your child's development -- physical, intellectual, social, emotional and moral -- and remember there is nothing to be ashamed of if your child needs special help to progress at his or her own best rate.

6. Cherish your child's individuality. Support your child's interests and talents. Try to spend time alone with each of your children every day. Praise your children's differences and avoid comparing them or asking why they can't be like someone else.

7. Set your household up for success -- make it work for the whole family. Model and teach good safety habits and establish routines. Discuss and enforce family rules that work for your household -- for example, putting toys away after play.

8. Take care of yourself. If you are tired, ill or just worn out, you cannot be an effective parent. Eat healthfully, get enough sleep, take occasional breaks from parenting if possible, and enlist the support of family, friends and neighbours when things seem overwhelming.

9. Make time for family activities. A sense of belonging is enhanced when families take time to engage in common activities such as having meals together and sharing tasks and responsibilities. Use family time to discuss need and feelings, to solve problems and promote cooperation.

10. Teach your child right from wrong. A child's understanding of right and wrong develops slowly, from within. Actively teach your children a code of moral conduct and lay the groundwork for them to develop their own moral guide.

Lifeline Northern Beaches Giant Book Fair: November 18-20 2016 NEW Venue: St Augustine’s College Sydney Federal Parade Brookvale Dates/Times: Friday November 18 4pm -- 9pm Saturday November 19 9am -- 5pm Sunday November 20 9am -- 2pm

Please note we accept Visa & Mastercard and also have EFTPOS facility available (Entry by gold coin donation very much appreciated) At the Book Fair there will be thousands of good quality books, at bargain prices, in many categories, including a wide range of children's books suited to all ages. For the enthusiast/collector we have a large number of award winning and collectible books. In addition to all the books we also have a wide selection of puzzles, jig saws, games, CD, DVDs, vinyls, etc so there’s something for everyone! With Christmas just around the corner it’s also a great time to stock up on some bargains for a loved one or the stocking All funds raised support the activities of Lifeline Northern Beaches which, in addition to the crisis line (13 11 14) with a focus on suicide prevention, provides a lot of other services to our community, including 24 hour counselling, bereavement support, anger management and problem gambling to name but a few. Your support for our Book Fairs goes a long way in generating the funds required to continue providing these services to our community. See you there! `

Parenting Courses including sessions regarding childhood anxiety, resilience, positive & emotionally intelligent parenting, transition to high school and more:

Chatswood Community Health Centre: 57 Hercules Street Chatswood. Phone: 9887 5830 or go to

http://www.nslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/Services/CAP for more information including current course

descriptions and Term brochure.

Naremburn Family Care Centre: 40 Merrenburn Avenue Naremburn. Phone: 8425 8700 or

http://www.centacarebrokenbay.org.au/locations/naremburn-family-centre

Brookvale Family Centre, Unit 9B, 44 Wattle Road, Brookvale. Phone: 8968 5100