Macquarie Memo Issue 30 2023

News from the Principal

I cannot believe that we are at the end of the year; to say it has been a wonderful year is an understatement. I would just like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful Macquarie parents, staff, students, and community for making me feel so welcomed and supported in my first year here. I feel extremely grateful to have joined the Macquarie community and am very much looking forward to a wonderful year of learning in 2024.

It has been incredible to watch the students of Macquarie grow this year. The knowledge they have gained, the confidence they have found and the friendships that have formed this year are a credit to them as learners and to our wonderful teachers.

I would like to thank our P&C for their efforts and achievements this year. The time that they have given this year to raise funds and support our students to have special events and experiences has been amazing, we are truly fortunate to have you all supporting our students.

I would also like to thank the School Board for their time and efforts. The dedication our board has in delivering educational outcomes and supporting our students to have the best schooling experiences has been second to none. I thank each of you for your hard work and support this year.

At the end of last week, we sent out our class lists for 2024. We appreciate that some students and families will be anxious about classes for next year however, rest assured much time and thought has gone into providing your child with the best learning environment. We are always open to feedback and concerns so please let us know if you have any and these will be taken into consideration. We do encourage you to support your child in building their resilience and give them a few weeks next year to settle in. 

Last week we held our Arts Festival, it was a great success. Thank you to all the teachers and LSA's for their hard work and talents organising artworks and items. A huge thank you to Cynan for all his hard work organising the Arts Festival, to Mary for organising the Goodberry’s, to Steph for her flyer designs, to Sean for running the BBQ and his helpers, and to Jess and Karrina for doing the art sales. A big thank you to Michael Hatswell for supplying the sound system, and big thank you to Matt White and Lauren Johnston for organising the supplies for the sausage sizzle. Thank you to families for helping pack up after the event. It was a great community event and  wonderful to see everyone there.

 Congratulations to our Year 6 students on a wonderful farewell assembly on Tuesday and a fabulous last week of primary school. We wish you all the best in your high school endeavours! A big thank you to Lauren P, Jenelle, Laura, Nicole, Emma, Mariam as well as the front office team (Jess, Nikki and Karrina) for all their hard work. I'd also like to thank Fleur, Christie and the P&C for their efforts in organising the Year 6 dinner and disco.  

Our attempt to administer the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) this term as planned has been unsuccessful.  There have been numerous challenges getting student data uploadedto the portal.  This will now be completed with students in years 2 - 6 at the start of next year.  

I hope you all have a very well deserved restful and rejuvenating break and get to spend time with family and friends over Christmas. We are looking forward to seeing our Preschool and Kindergarten students on the 30 January and our students in years’ 1-6 on the 31January. Have a wonderful Christmas break and a very happy New Year.

Kind regards

Kristy

Attached is a picture of class locations for next year, as you can see our classes are named with our teachers initials.

2023 P&C wrap-up and call for volunteers

The P&C have had a successful year raising funds and hosting events on behalf of Macquarie Primary School. In 2023 the P&C raised over $14,000 in profit through various activities such as the Colour Run Fun Day; Bunnings BBQ, cherry and mango drive; Referendum BBQ and cake stall; and Mother’s and Father’s Day stalls. These funds were used to purchase 270 books for the library; two trikes for the preschool; contribute to transportation to Limelight (an inter-school music event); a new BBQ; and support SRC initiatives to install a new netball/basketball hoop and new plants for the Adventure Playground.

A further $23,000 was awarded through successful grant applications. These included an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reconciliation Grant to help Indigenous students and families strengthen their connection to Country and the School (to be rolled out in 2024); and a Mary McKillop Foundation Grant to fund the purchase of robotic kits and holding community ‘Coffee and Coding’ sessions.

The P&C also hosted a number of social and operational events throughout the year. These included a community welcome BBQ; Friday morning Breakfast Club; canteen; uniform shop; school disco; year 5/6 farewell; and four working bees.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help make these activities a success. We would love to have even more people helping us out in 2024 – it only has to be for one event! Please email coms.macquariepandc@gmail.com and be part of the P&C community next year.

Breakfast Club

Breakfast club will not be operating this Friday, but we look forward to seeing you all next year on Friday mornings!

Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop is closed for 2023, however online orders can be placed now on www.flexischools.com.au for collection from Monday 29 January 2024. 

At the start of 2024 the P&C Uniform Shop will be open for order collection and purchases: 

Monday 29 January 2:30pm – 4pm 

Tuesday 1 February 8:30am – 9:30am  

Wednesday 31 February 2:45 - 3:30pm

Friday 2 February 8:30 - 9:30am

Any orders not collected in this week will be sent home with students.

Regular shop hours will resume from 5 February (Mon & Fri 8:45am-9:15am; and Wed 3pm-3:30pm).

Library News

I wanted to take this last chance to say goodbye to our beautiful children and lovely families of Macquarie School. I have absolutely loved being here for the last 5 years – it has been a pleasure to get to know your children and I will miss all the library visits and book chats we have had. My final message to you is the same one I will be taking to the students and families at my new school – please keep reading every day with your children. It will bring them (and you) joy and I believe it is the single most important thing you can do for them as they grow and learn.

Pamela Gaukroger

I’m Elena from SchoolHolidays.com.au, where we help families with kids make the most of their school holidays.

We’ve put together a free, detailed guide packed with exciting school holiday activities for kids of all ages in your area.

It would be really valuable for students and their families to have access to this helpful, free resource to help them discover enriching camps, free activities and Christmas events.

Here’s the link to the guide: https://schoolholidays.com.au/blog/canberra-things-to-do-with-family

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to me directly at elena@schoolholidays.com.au

Wishing you a fantastic school holiday ahead!

Notes / Reminders

All notes are available on our school website.

Contact Details