Term 1 Week 9 2025

From the Principal

Week 8 Newsletter Wrap-Up

Hasn't the start of Term 1 flown by! With just two weeks to go, we are already 25% of the way through the school year. Time certainly moves quickly when our school is buzzing with learning, events, and community involvement.

The past few weeks have been eventful, and I’d like to sincerely thank our families for their patience and understanding during Cyclone Alfred. A special thank you to our staff for their calm and professional approach in preparing our students and welcoming them back to school. Despite the disruptions, it has been fantastic to see students actively engaged in their learning and enjoying the many opportunities our school provides.

Upcoming Events

Cross Country
We had a fantastic Cross Country Carnival on Friday, 21st March. A huge thank you to Mr. Price for his outstanding organisation of this event. We now look forward to the Small Schools Cross Country, which will be held on Tuesday, 1st April at Mapleton SS. Parents are warmly invited to attend and cheer on our students.

Small Schools Volleyball
Our Year 3, 4, 5, and 6 students will be taking part in the Small Schools Volleyball Competition at Montville on Friday, 28th March. We wish them the best of luck as they showcase their teamwork and skills!

P&C Trivia Night
A massive thank you to our incredible P&C team for hosting a fantastic Trivia Night fundraiser on Friday night. The hall was filled with energy, laughter, and nearly 100 enthusiastic participants. Your time, dedication, and commitment to our school do not go unnoticed. A special thanks to Chris and the team for making it all happen.

P&C AGM
The P&C Annual General Meeting (AGM) is scheduled for Thursday, 24th April. There are a number of formal and informal positions available, and we encourage anyone interested in supporting our school to reach out to either Chris or myself. The P&C plays a vital role in enhancing school life for our students, and we greatly appreciate their ongoing support.

Green Rollers – Lawn Bowls Program
We are thrilled to announce that during Weeks 8, 9, and 10, our Year 4, 5, and 6 students will partner with the Mapleton Bowls Club for a ‘Come and Try’ lawn bowls program. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to engage with the community and enjoy an intergenerational sporting experience. Permission notes have been sent home—please return them to your child’s teacher.

Free Dress Day – Wednesday, 2nd April
The Student Council, with the help of Chappy Vicki, will be running a Free Dress Day with a ‘garden theme’ to raise funds for seedlings for the school garden. A big thank you to our P&C for all the work they have done in preparing this area for our students and the community.

Parent-Teacher Interviews – Tuesday, 25th March
Just a reminder that Parent Teacher interviews are tomorrow.

NAPLAN Success

Our students did a fantastic job in NAPLAN, putting in great effort and demonstrating their learning progress. We are incredibly proud of their hard work and perseverance. As a reminder, NAPLAN reports for parents are typically available in Term 3.

Facilities Update

Unfortunately, the aftermath of Cyclone Alfred has caused delays in the work on K Block. However, we are happy to announce that the Department has recommenced work on the building. We appreciate everyone’s patience and will keep you updated on progress.

Looking Ahead

As we approach the Easter break, I want to thank our students, families, and staff for a fantastic start to the year. I hope everyone enjoys a safe and restful holiday, filled with fun and relaxation.

A reminder that Term 2 will commence on Tuesday, 22nd April. Shortly after our return, we will proudly march as a school on Friday, 25th April for ANZAC Day. More details will be shared closer to the date.

Thank you all for your continued support. Have a great break with your family and friends,

Warm regards,

Aaron Willis
Principal

Mapleton State School

Curriculum Corner

Year 1 News

In our Design Technology Unit we are learning about puppets – check out our finger puppet characters we created this week.

We have been learning to use different materials to design a range of different puppet and perform our puppet theatre shows.

Louise Bentley

Year 1 Teacher

Year 2 News

It is all happening in Year 2!  Students had a fabulous time dressing up for their futuristic photo shoot.  Their effort and excitement were sky high.  The next stage was removing the backgrounds (in the lab), experiment with ‘effects & lighting’, add their image to a background and next students will add sound.  Please enjoy the ‘this far’ montage. I’m sure you will agree their creativity is ‘out of this world’.

In English we have had been practicing giving a spoken opinion of a well-known character from a story, outlining specific character traits.  Here are some impressive lines featuring new vocabulary.

Tilly (Story)

Tilly is disappointed, sad and worried.  She was shocked when she found her treasures were trapped under the new carpet.  Tilly tried and tried hard to rip the carpet up so she could get her treasures.

By Samson

Crumbs (Story)

I saw the character sit on the stairs positioned like a story weary bird.  The illustrator showed his expression was sad.  I think he felt isolated and all alone.  I understand how he felt.  His head was bowed.  It reflected he was frustrated and lonely.  I think he felt like he should give up asking for help, because he was just ignored.

By Myella

Crumbs (Story)

When the Man reached into his pocket to an empty bag to share his crumbs with the one-legged bird it symbolised kindness, this moment reflects what a great sharer the Man is, even though he has nothing.

By Iah

Year 3 News

Oh my, almost through term 1!

We have completed our maths mapping assessment.

We used the iPads to create a ‘Top View’ perspective of our classroom and provided directions to three areas of our classroom. Here is an example:

Maths groups

We are thankful to have Miss Renee join us for maths groups.

Some of our activities have included:

• Go Fish Add to 10
• Rolling dice to practise our number facts and turn arounds.

English

The students have completed their Speaking assessment drafts for English and have been provided with feedback for them to understand what they need to work on to improve.  We will be recording these on our iPads so we can share them with you.

Thank you for having your child ready to learn each day.

Fiona and Sarah

Cross Country Results

Overall winners of the Cross Country were EAGLES.

Points        EAGLES - 143       KANGAROOS - 116       SHARKS - 110

AGE CHAMPIONS

  9yrs Ebony G & Joshua B      Ebony got a new record of 10:40:16 broke it by 2 secs.

10yrs Ada C & Cruz A

11yrs Solitaire B & River R

12yrs Arielle T & Reo A

School Notices

Community Notices