19th March 2025

Principal’s message

Term 1 Date Claimers

MDSS P-2 Update

Preps Shine in Their First Parade at MDSS!

Our Prep students had a fantastic experience at their very first parade at MDSS! It was wonderful to see their excitement and enthusiasm as they participated in this important school event. We are incredibly proud of how they demonstrated their respectful audience skills, showing great listening and engagement throughout. They are off to a fantastic start to their schooling journey!

The whole school parade focused on our Morty Bee Awards, which celebrate students who consistently demonstrate our 3 Be’s:
🐝 Be Safe – Making responsible choices to keep themselves and others safe.
🐝 Be Respectful – Showing kindness, patience, and good manners.
🐝 Be a Learner – Actively participating and striving to do their best.

Alongside these values, we also reinforce our Golden Rules, which help create a positive and supportive learning environment:

✔ First time, every time – Following instructions promptly.
✔ Hands and feet to self – Respecting personal space and ensuring everyone feels safe.

Each class teacher had the special task of selecting a student who showcased these values, making them a role model for their peers. Well done to all recipients of the Morty Bee Awards—your hard work and positive attitude are truly appreciated!

A Special Thanks to Our School Captains!

A big thank you to our School Captains—Payton, Sienna, Louie, and Ashton—for doing a fantastic job assisting with the parade. Their leadership and support in running the event helped make it a smooth and successful experience for everyone. We are so proud of the way they are embracing their leadership roles and setting a positive example for the entire school.

Back to Routine After Cyclone Alfred

With Cyclone Alfred now behind us, it’s time for students to settle back into regular school routines. We know that disruptions can be challenging, but we appreciate the resilience and flexibility of our school community. Teachers are working hard to ensure students get back into the flow of learning, and we encourage families to support this by maintaining consistent attendance, routines, and engagement with school activities.

Thank You for Supporting Stop, Drop & Go

A huge thank you to our parents and caregivers for using the Stop, Drop, and Go system. This process helps to ensure a safe and efficient drop-off and pick-up experience for all families.

We are excited to see how the new seating area has further streamlined this process, making transitions smoother for students. We truly appreciate your patience and cooperation as we continue fine-tuning our procedures. Your support in following the guidelines helps keep traffic moving and ensures student safety.

Attendance Matters!

Regular attendance is a key factor in student success. At MDSS, we strongly encourage all students to attend school every day unless they are unwell. Every day counts—consistent attendance helps students stay connected, engaged, and on track with their learning.

🏆 Congratulations to our Attendance Winners!
This week, we celebrate the classes with the highest attendance rates:
🎉 Best Junior Class: 1B – A fantastic effort from our youngest learners!
🎉 Best Senior Class: 6B – Well done for setting a great example for the whole school!

A huge congratulations to both classes for their dedication to being at school, ready to learn. Let’s all keep up the great attendance efforts!

BUZZ Tickets & Barrel Draw Winners!

At MDSS, we love celebrating positive behaviour choices! Our BUZZ tickets system rewards students from Prep to Year 6 for demonstrating our school values. Each BUZZ ticket earned goes into our Barrel Draw, giving students a chance to win special prizes at parade.

🎉 Congratulations to our lucky prize winners this week! 🎉
Your efforts in being safe, respectful, and engaged learners do not go unnoticed. Keep up the fantastic work—every BUZZ ticket counts!

Swimming for Years 2-4

A reminder for our Years 2-4 students and families—swimming lessons will commence on the 24^th March – 28^th March 2025. Please ensure your child brings the following items on their swimming day:
✅ Swimming cap
✅ Togs
✅ Googles or rashie if needed
✅ Towel
✅ Large dry shirt worn over the togs on the bus

Swimming is an important part of our school’s curriculum, helping students develop confidence and essential water safety skills. For more details, please refer to the letter sent home on 5th February 2025.

Let’s Keep Up the Great Work!

With so many exciting things happening at MDSS, it’s fantastic to see our students embracing learning, respect, and responsibility. Let’s continue working together to create a safe, supportive, and positive school environment where everyone can thrive.

Thank you to our students, staff, and families for your ongoing support and commitment to making MDSS an outstanding place for learning!

Stephen Carmody
P-2 Deputy Principal

Messages from Mrs Newlands – Yr 3-6 Deputy

We are over half way in the term and it has been wonderful to see the progress students are making in their learning.

All students in Years 3-6 are learning about Narratives and it’s been a joy to see students enjoying their whole class texts and writing their own narratives.

At MDSS, we have a focus on student’s learning Number Facts so they can efficiently solve mathematics problems. It’s great to see students so engaged in their math lessons!

Take a look at some of the great learning that happens every day at MDSS 😊

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NAPLAN

Thank you to all the families who helped their child be ready for NAPLAN – a good night slept and with a good breakfast. All students have done so well. They have had a growth mindset and given their very best efforts. A big thank you to Mr Gamble for making sure everything ran so smoothly.

Harmony Week

This week is Harmony Week and students have been engaged in many activities. Each classroom door has been decorated with the cultures that are represented in each class and students have been learning about the importance of valuing our diverse and multicultural community.

Don’t forget that Friday is wearing orange or cultural dress. No gold coin needed.

Sports

Interschool Sport starts next week. As it was cancelled on Friday, it was a great chance for the teams to get out and practise together.

Thank you to the students who represents MDSS at the Rugby League Districts Trials. Congrats to Manaia, Amari and Dayzan for being picked for the team. 

A reminder that year 2,3 and 4 have swimming next week.

Cross Country is on Tuesday Week 10. All families are welcome to come and watch. We also have Subway on this day and parents are welcome to order. Forms are at the office for parents and student forms will be sent home.

Hive News

Class teachers, HIVE staff and our Deputies work closely with families. For our students who receive substantial and extensive supports to regulate and focus at school, working together is important. The most effective plans are the ones where home and school have similar messaging, goals and follow up.  Being calm and focused at school begins with routines at home. With daily routines, children are better able to follow directions, cope with corrections, and handle not always having things a certain way.  If you would like to discuss how home and school can work closely together, come see us at the HIVE. Moreton Downs SS has access to external support options to work with us (including working with private therapists) so we can make a difference with students and their learning journey. 

Respectful Relationship Education

Each fortnight students are engaging in Respectful Relationships Education (RRE) lessons. Please see below a link to a flyer which contains information about Respectful Relationships Education Frequently Asked Questions for parents.