Dear Macgregor Community

It is hard to believe we are at the end of what has been a very positive and productive Term 1.  Although this term is slightly longer than usual, these last ten weeks have flown by and we are already busy planning for Term 2 (first day back is Tuesday 30 April). I hope you all enjoyed the Easter break and spent some quality time connecting with your families. Please read on to hear more about initiatives and events happening in and around the school.

School Board News

I would like to congratulate Duncan Beard (current Board Chair) and Tanya Price (staff representative) on their reappointments to the school Board. Thank you to all Board members (past and present) for working collaboratively with the P&C, staff, school leadership and students to keep steering our school in the right direction.

PBL Mystery Target Achieved

Congratulations to all of our students for achieving their ‘Mystery Target’ of 4127 W@M Tokens! This fabulous accomplishment has triggered a whole school reward! To celebrate, next week will be “Choose Your Own Adventure - Move or Movie Week''. At some stage throughout the week, students will choose between two simultaneous run activities, either a Movie or some extra PE and outdoor games. Well done to all of our school community for being such Safe, Respectful, Responsible Learners!

2024 SL@M

This year our SL@M (Student Leadership and Macgregor) team have a specific goal to work towards. This goal relates to our whole school focus. We have been exploring how to create an environment where all people feel included and safe. We want students, families and staff to feel a sense of belonging and connection to our school.

With this in mind SL@M Reps were tasked with talking to their class about how we make this a reality, what we could run, what we could focus on and what would make an impact/improvement. They came back with many ideas, but we narrowed things down to the following three priority areas.

An Environmental Group – having shared purpose and showing pride in our school builds community

• Clean up rubbish - promote care for our environment

• Expand the green team

• Invite Land Care in and see if we can work on projects to raise awareness – creating authentic connections with people outside our immediate environment.

An Events Group – celebrating together builds inclusion and a sense of belonging

• Special people day - invite a special person in to see what we are learning

• Whole school team building activities - events across year levels

• Cultural events – celebrating our diversity as a community.

A Fundraising and Grants Group – all fundraising would go towards running free events so everyone can be included regardless of what they can afford. Anything remaining would go towards equipment for the playground/improvements to the playground.

• Schedule fundraising events

• Look for grants and apply for them.

Stay tuned for updates on what our Student Leadership group plans to achieve this year.

The Right to Disconnect

Earlier this term we sent home an email to promote the Education Directorate’s direction for supporting sustainable workloads for our staff. We are very lucky here at Macgregor to have a wonderful parent community who respect and value our teachers, however, the messaging does provide clear guidelines and ensures consistent expectations across our system. A couple of parents have reached out to express that sometimes they may be required to send an email/Seesaw post outside of core working hours due to their work arrangements. This is absolutely fine, as our teachers will respond within their working hours and recommended timeframes.

I look forward to seeing you in and around the school next week and (when they arrive) enjoy the school holidays.

Bye for now,

Chris Shaddock

Principal

• Monday 29 April 2024 Term 2  Pupil Free Day 

• Monday 22 July 2024 Term 3

• Monday 14 October 2024 Term 4

Upcoming events 

• Cross Country - Monday 8 April 

• Year 5 camp note overdue

• Year 6 camp notes due - Monday 8 April

Spotlight on Staff - Lisa Kunkel

Spotlight on Learning 

Macgregor Girls' Chess Team

On Thursday of this week our Macgregor Girls’ Chess Team travelled to Gold Creek Primary School in Nicholls to compete in the ACT finals of the ACT Primary Schools Girls’ Chess Championships.  The event was very well attended with nearly 120 participants from a number of schools across the Public, Private and Catholic education sectors.  With the growth in numbers since COVID, there is talk that next year’s event will need to be held in two regions culminating in an ACT Final.  This is great news for girls’ chess.

Our girls were fairly inexperienced at these competitions but acquitted themselves admirably with every player getting points towards our totals.  More importantly, they were the absolute epitome of W@M values.  They made friends from other schools, kept their area clean and tidy and showed fair play and sporting behaviour throughout the day.  As the supervising teacher, I can say I was very proud of them.  Best of all, they all had a great time.

On a side note, I’d like to thank the parents who rallied together to compensate for some confusion and misunderstanding around the venue for this event (teacher error).  I am humbled by the Macgregor spirit.

Clive Beecham

2024 SL@M

This year our SL@M (Student Leadership and Macgregor) team have a specific goal to work towards. This goal relates to our whole school focus. We have been exploring how to create an environment where all people feel included and safe. We want students, families and staff to feel a sense of belonging and connection to our school.

With this in mind SL@M Reps were tasked with talking to their class about how we make this a reality, what we could run, what we could focus on and what would make an impact/improvement. They came back with many ideas, but we narrowed things down to the following three priority areas.

An Environmental Group – having shared purpose and showing pride in our school builds community

• Clean up rubbish - promote care for our environment

• Expand green team

• Invite Land Care in and see if we can work on projects to raise awareness – creating authentic connections with people outside our immediate environment.

An Events Group – celebrating together builds inclusion and a sense of belonging

• Special people day - invite a special person in to see what we are learning

• Whole school team building activities - events across year levels

• Cultural events – celebrating our diversity as a community.

A Fundraising and Grants Group – all fundraising would go towards running free events so everyone can be included regardless of what they can afford. Anything remaining would go towards equipment for the playground/improvements to the playground.

• Schedule fundraising events

• Look for grants and apply for them.

So stay tuned for updates on what our Student Leadership group achieve this year.

Jodie Rowell, Deputy Principal 

Celebrating Sustainable Success: Making a Difference, One Step at a Time! 

Greetings, Macgregor Primary School community! It's with immense pride and excitement that we share the incredible progress we've made through our Sustainable Schools Program initiatives. Spearheaded by our dedicated SSP Officer, Corey, we've achieved remarkable milestones since the beginning of the year that truly underscore our commitment to sustainability.

With joy, we announce a significant reduction in our power consumption, tallying an impressive 13,677 kilowatt-hours (kWh) saved. That's equivalent to powering two houses for an entire year! Furthermore, our collective efforts have led to a substantial decrease in carbon emissions, amounting to a remarkable 14 tonnes of CO2-equivalent. To put it in perspective, this reduction is akin to removing nine petrol-powered cars off the road annually.

These statistics are not just numbers; they're a testament to the positive impact we're making on our environment. Each action we take, no matter how small, contributes to a greener, more sustainable future for generations to come. Let's continue to embrace sustainability in all aspects of our school community, knowing that together, we can achieve even greater heights. Here's to our ongoing journey towards a brighter, more eco-conscious tomorrow! 🌿🌟

Exploring Sustainable Transportation: Your Voice Matters! 

Attention, Macgregor Primary School families! We're embarking on an exciting journey to better understand how our community travels to school. By participating in our upcoming transport survey, you'll play a crucial role in helping us gather valuable insights into commuting habits and transportation preferences.

This survey isn't just about data collection; it's about empowering our community to make informed decisions that benefit both our environment and our well-being. Understanding how we travel to school enables us to assess our collective impact and explore opportunities for promoting sustainable transportation options.

Your input will also inform our efforts to organize walk and ride days, encouraging alternative modes of transportation that reduce carbon emissions and promote

healthy, active lifestyles. Together, we can make a difference by choosing greener, more sustainable ways to commute.

TRANSPORT SURVEY or https://forms.gle/Er4GFMT81hduQgaF6

PLEASE fill in the attached transport survey and join us in shaping a more sustainable future for xxx Primary School! Your voice matters in this journey towards a greener, healthier tomorrow 

Children on Leave

If your child is away for any reason please contact the front office by sending an email to macgregorps.info@act.edu.au or phone 02 61421600. If you have access to parent portal you can also submit your child's leave through the system. Please do not message the teacher directly on Seesaw.  Thank you 

Family Contact Details  

It is important that the school maintain an accurate and up to date record of family/carers email, home addresses and telephone numbers for all children. Please notify the school immediately with changes to your contact details by sending an email to macgregorps.info@ed.act.edu.au, or phone 61421600. 

Community Information 

Coffee and Chat Mornings

Working Bee - 20 April 2024

Holiday Happenings

Canberra Raiders - Maccas Masterclass Holiday Clinic

ACT Children and Young People Commissioner Rights in ACTion! March Newsletter

The March 2024 Rights in ACTion newsletter is about exploring children and young people’s rights and wellbeing. This month’s newsletter celebrates the launch of ‘Your rights, in your words’ resources. These resources have been created to help young people understand their human rights. In the newsletter there is an animation, book and poster which can also be found online at Children & Young People – Your rights, in your words!

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