Parents are invited to attend the Annual general Meeting of the School Council. The AGM will begin
at 7:00pm on Tuesday, 30th of April. The Annual Report will be presented at this time. The AGM will be
followed by the first meeting of the newly elected 2019 School Council. The Annual Report will be
available to everyone on the school website the next day.
Christian Holdsworth
On behalf of the Mount View PS community I would like to acknowledge the great work of Christian
Holdsworth in his time at Mount View. Beginning as a teacher-in-training, Christian completed his
fourth year of study with a number of placements at Mount View. Following the achievement of his
teaching qualifications, Christian was appointed as a Physical Education teacher in 2004. He
continued in this role for an extended period where he became an integral and highly effective
member of the PE Team. In this role he provided an exemplary learning program for students from
Prep to Year 6. While he instilled fundamental motor skills, gymnastic, athletic, outdoor education,
ball and games skills to all students, he also enabled talented students to reach and succeed at
representative levels. Throughout this time Christian also built his professional skills and knowledge
before achieving the position of Assistant Principal 1 at Mount Waverley North PS four years ago.
Since his return to Mount View PS he has been promoted to Assistant Principal 2 (2017) and most
recently, Principal 4 at Croydon Hills PS. We thank Christian for his contribution to Mount View and
wish him every happiness and success in leading his new school.
Staff News
Dear Mount View Families,
I am beyond thrilled to be stepping into the role of Acting Assistant Principal at Mount View
Primary School for the remainder of 2019. After 27 years of teaching children in a classroom
environment, I am grateful for the opportunity to apply my expertise, knowledge and enthusiasm
as I take on this new role. I also look forward to broadening my working relationships with staff,
parents and the wider school community during this time.
My history as an educator, and continual desire to extend myself professionally has seen me travel the world and
experience teaching in other countries, including seven years in Israel. I am proud of my educational accomplishments,
obtaining my Bachelor or Education, Masters of Education-Bilingualism (EAL) and Masters of Education-Administration
of International Schools. These degrees have allowed me to grow professionally and apply my understanding in order
to further enhance student engagement, wellbeing and outcomes at a number of schools throughout my career.
When I first arrived at Mount View Primary School, I was impressed by the attentiveness, level of experience and
genuine care shown by the Teachers of the Deaf, and a team of outstanding classroom teachers, specialist teachers and
educational support officers who genuinely care for the students.
By working alongside Glenn Butler and Bianca Gatherum, we look to support our educators so that every child is
provided with relevant and effective learning opportunities that cater to their individual learning needs. A parent should
feel confident that their child has a teacher who advocates for them and will support them to reach their full potential.
If you were to ask me, on a personal level, what I am most proud of in my life, I love being a mother and I am
exceptionally proud of my four beautiful children; Maya, Shyli, Jordan and Nathan. If you see me around the school,
please come and say hello. But as height is not a strength of mine it is easy to miss me. It is more likely that you will
No. 4~ March 15, 2019
Page 4.
hear me before you see me so just look out for some curly brown hair accompanied by a loud voice and our introduction
has already begun.
Yours Sincerely
School Security Issue – Parents
The established school security protocol requires all parents to come to the Office to collect children
who have to leave school for appointments. Most parents follow this rule and are working with the
school to maintain sound student safety practices. Some parents, however, are proceeding straight
to classrooms. This is not acceptable. Parents must go to the Office and the staff members there will
call the teacher so that the child can meet the parent at the Office. In this way, everyone responsible
for the safety of the child is fully aware of what is happening.
Traffic Safety
The ever present issue of student safety and traffic around the school requires close examination.
School data is collected around the mode of transport to and from Mount View PS. The table below
shows the number and percentage of students who travel to school on foot, by bike and by car. It
is great to see that 585 students walk to school with an average distance of 100 metres. We should
be concerned the 488 students are regularly driven to school but the average distance is a mere
410 metres. I strongly encourage the Mount View community to consider this and work together
towards changing practices. It is clear that many families could make the change from car to
walking. The benefits in students’ health and fitness would be immediate. Walking to school allows
children to build independence and a stronger sense of capability while also allowing them the
opportunity to chat with their friends on the way to and from school. The overall reduction in traffic
around the school would minimize the congestion and our collective concern around road manners
and driver behavior.
Student Transport Mode to School
Mode
Average distance
(km)
Maximum distance
(km)
Number of students
Percent
Bicycle 0 0 2 0.18%
Driven 0.41 18 488 44.48%
Unknown 0.1 1.2 22 2.01% Walking 0.1 5 585 53.33%
No. 4~ March 15, 2019
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For 2019, UNSW has implemented some changes to their Global assessment tools, designed to meet the needs of the changing education landscape and to accelerate student’s growth to higher levels of achievement.
Mount View will continue to give students the opportunity to participate in the ICAS assessments (Reimagined for 2019). These will recognise academic excellence and reward student success through the achievement of medals and certificates.
There are a couple of noteworthy changes to these tests, one being that they will move online in 2019. All students in Year 3 – 6 will be using school or owned devices to complete these assessments. Please note: Year 3& 4 Writing – paper based. Another development is student results will be received within 4- 6 days (Year 3 & 4 writing 4-5 weeks).
More information visit www.unsw.global/icas
All students in Years 3 – 6 are strongly encouraged to participate in the four core areas of English, Mathematics, Spelling and Writing, with Digital Technologies and Science being optional competitions. Please note these dates in your calendars. A compass payment for ICAS will be sent to parents over the next few weeks.
The Department of Education and Training (DET) or Mount View Primary School does not endorse the products or services of any private advertiser.
No responsibility is accepted by the DET or Mount View Primary School Council for accuracy of information contained in advertisements or claims made by them.
