Our Community Walk - Gilmour Park

Last week, the Preps ventured out of the school grounds and down to a local park. 

They walked responsibly, ensuring that they held their partners hand and stayed in the line.

Once we arrived, the students sat down on the grass and focused on their senses. They wrote down information about what they could see, smell and hear. Lastly, they wrote down questions that they had about the park.

One of the Prep students then directed us to a plaque, which was able to answer many of the students questions, such as: when was the park made, who made the park, what is the park called?

Once the students finished writing, they got to explore and have fun on the playground.

Swimming Volunteers

Next week, the Preps will begin their swimming lessons and we still require volunteers to help us walk the students to the pool. 

Parents are required to have a working with children check and will need to make arrangements for siblings to be looked after during the walks.

All students have been allocated to a session, so if you would like to help out during your child's lesson then please ask a teacher and we can let you know which session they are in.

We require parents for the following sessions:

	Mon 1st		Tues 2nd	Wed 3rd	Thurs 4th	Friday 5th
Group 1 1.00-1.40pm	2 parents needed		1 parent needed	2 parents needed	2 parents needed	2 parents needed
Group 1.40-2.20pm	1 parent needed	Full		2 parents needed	1 parent needed	1 parent needed

	Mon 8th		Tues 9th	Wed 10th	Thurs 11th	Fri 12th
Group 1 1.00-1.40pm	2 parents needed		1 parent needed	2 parents needed	2 parents needed	2 parents needed
Group 2 1.40-2.20pm		1 parent needed	Full	2 parents needed	1 parent needed	Full

Parents will need to arrive 25 minutes prior to the times listed above (i.e. 12.35 or 1.15).

 Thank you,

The Prep Team

Library Books

Dear Parents & Caregivers,

Today, the Preps have borrowed one book from our library and this is because all books need to be returned by next Monday, the 1st of December. 

Can everyone please ensure that all library bags are put into their child's school bag this weekend, any books not returned by Monday will be marked as late returns.

Thank you,

The Prep Team

Bollywood Dancing

Today, the students at MPS dressed up in Indian colours and clothing to celebrate and consolidate all of the learning that we have done this semester in Asian Studies. The Grade 1 & 2 students put together an amazing Indian themed assembly that included their own Bollywood music video and at the end of the assembly, all of the students, parents and teachers danced together to the song. See below!

Indian Prep Parade

Bollywood Dancing

Swimming Volunteers

ATTENTION PARENTS

Swimming begins Monday 1st December and goes for two weeks, ending Friday 12th December. The Prep students attend swimming everyday during this period.

The Prep times for swimming are going to be:

Group 1: 1.00-1.40pm

Group 2: 1.40-2.20pm.

Due to the fact that they are going to be in 2 different groups: we require 2 volunteers for each group everyday to walk students to and from swimming. Working with Children Check is required and no siblings.  Assistance is not required in the change rooms.

The groups have not been allocated as yet, but if you could please let us know if you are available to volunteer on a particular day (or several) and which time slot suits you, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

The Prep Team

Cooking Curry with the Preps

This semester, the Preps have been learning about India. One of the things that we have been discussing is Indian food and this week we made a yummy curry and ate some pappadums. All of the students tried our curry and many came back for seconds. Below you will find some pictures of this experience and also the recipe we used (just incase you would like to use it at home), that was provided to us by one of the Prep parents (thank you). Many of the Preps have told us that they have now had curry at home and we would love for parents to post their recipe below so we can discuss the different ingredients used.

Mild Veggie Curry: 

                ½ cup  Potato (diced to ~ 1cm)

                ½ cup Butternut pumpkin (diced to ~ 1cm)

                ¼ cup Tomato (chopped)

                ¼ cup Onion (chopped)

                1Tbsp Light Olive oil

                1 tsp cumin (seeds ground)

                1 tsp coriander (seeds ground)

                Fresh Thyme

                Fresh Bay leaves

                Fresh Curry leaves

Put olive oil, cumin and coriander in pot and heat.

When spices start “bubbling’ quickly add all the veggies, thyme, bay leaves, curry leaves and mix

Add ~1/2 cup of water, bring to boil and turn stove to low.

Cook for ~20 minutes or until veggies are tender and have the desired consistency of the sauce

Salt to taste.

Serve with pappadums and/or rice

Serves: 3 children

Prep Diwali Photos

Thank you to all of the families who sent photos through last night and today. 

We are so pleased that the Preps were able to share their knowledge about Diwali with their loved ones.

Prep Assembly: Sun Smart

On Monday, the 27th of October, the Preps will be running the school assembly. 

They will be introducing speakers, discussing what it means to be sun smart and singing a lovely tune.

Hope to see you there,

The Prep Team

The Festival of Lights - Diwali

This Semester, the Preps have been learning about India. Late last term we made candle holders in preparation for celebrating Diwali.

Today, we will be celebrating Diwali, as it falls on this date for 2014.  It is the Hindu New Year and is either a 3-day or 5-day holiday depending on where you come from.

It is a very exciting and colourful holiday. Homes are cleaned to welcome the New Year and windows are opened so that the Hindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, can enter. It is believed that she cannot enter a house which is not lit up, so every household burns special Diwali clay lamps (diyas) to light the way for the goddess, which is why the holiday is also known as the Festival of Lights.

The Preps will be taking home their candles and candle holders tonight, we are hoping that families will light their candle and if possible take a picture and either email or give us a copy to put onto the blog.

The Prep Team

Parent Helpers

As the end of the year approaches and students reading abilities are improving, we are hoping to ensure that students are heard reading everyday. Please remember to fill in the Parent Helper Roster in advance to assist us with achieving this goal.

Looking forward to seeing you in the mornings.

Kind regards,

The Prep Team

Circle Time

Dear Parents,

This term we will be introducing Circle Time, which will replace Show and Tell. Circle Time focuses on students sharing experience, achievements, likes and dislikes. Therefore, students will not be required to bring objects from home.

We are looking forward to giving the students the opportunity to provide feedback about their time at school, as well as further improving their speaking and listening skills.

The Prep Team

Sports Day Team Photos

On the last day of Term 3, the students were asked to dress up in their favourite sporting team colours. Below, we have some photos of the Preps in footy colours, passionately supporting their teams!

Team Photos

Essendon

Collingwood  aka The Mighty Magpies

Carlton

 Sydney

 Western Bulldogs

 Richmond

 Hawks

 Fremantle 

 North Melbourne

 St Kilda