28 June 2018

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL REPORT

The End of the Term is Nigh…

As Week 11 rolls around, it is timely to reflect on the many and varied achievements of our first six months of the 2018 school year.

A few highlights to note from Semester One include:

• Happy students as can be seen on a daily basis in our classrooms!
• Feedback from parents indicating appreciation for the commitment of our staff to their children.
• Significant staff and student learning in the focus area of writing, through Teachers participating in a Book Study on ‘The Six Traits of Writing’, which has flowed over to some amazing improvements in the writing that can be seen in our classrooms.
• Team work across our many school teams (i.e. Year Levels, Teacher Aides, Cleaners and Grounds, Inclusion, Strategic, School Improvement, Administration, Year Level Coordinators). This enables our school staff to feel supported, within a structured framework and is a strong feature of building positive relationships amongst our teams at YSS.
• Clarity around our school vision and improvement agenda, through processes led by our Strategic Improvement Team.
• A great range on incursions, excursions, sport events and camps. Thank you to the staff who have organised these experiences, which significantly benefit our students.

At Yeronga State School we are the ‘champions’ that our students need each and every day to succeed. One of the greatest challenges we face as educators is to raise self-esteem, as well as the academic achievements of our students. It is important to note the difference that school staff make in the lives of their students and we continually emphasise the point that ‘there is no significant learning, without significant relationships’.

At this stage of the year I wish to publicly acknowledge and thank our dedicated staff, for the time and energy that has been devoted to student learning over the previous six months. The ‘human connection’ that they so willingly give each day is greatly valued by the Yeronga State School community.

Thank you also to our devoted parents, who continually provide backing for us and act as ‘champions’ for the children of YSS. We are fortunate to have parents who are so actively engaged in progressing the learning and development of our children, within such a close and supportive community network.

I sincerely hope that all of our Yeronga State School families can enjoy some quality family time over the school holidays.

Junior and Senior Music Showcase

I spent an enjoyable evening on Friday 15 June at the Yeronga State School Junior and Senior Music Showcase. It was an exceptional night of entertainment with a range of performances by our Choirs, Strings groups and Bands. We certainly have a lot of musical talent at Yeronga State School and we are lucky to be supported by a number of outstanding Music Teachers. Congratulations to all of the students who took part and thank you to Lauren Easey, Tamsyn Eastgate, Alex Grodecki and Robyn Rosewarne for the time and dedication they have committed to supporting these students in their musical journey. Thank you also to Paul Sutherland for his assistance with transporting and setting up stands, instruments etc.

Report Cards

It has been my pleasure to read many of the students’ report cards for Semester One and see the wonderful achievements of many students, both academic and otherwise. It is particularly pleasing to note that our students are working hard to continuously achieve their output and achieve the best they possibly can. This has been enabled by the regular and focused feedback that is provided to the students by our teaching staff. After your receive the Semester One report card via email (by Thursday 28 June), it would be a good opportunity to take the time to help your child to reflect upon the results they achieved and set some goals for Semester Two. Parent /Teacher interviews will be held during Week 4 and 5 in Term Three, which will be timely for discussing your child’s progress with their teacher.

NAIDOC WEEK 2018 is fast approaching!

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. This year’s NAIDOC week (8-15 July) includes the theme: "Because of Her, We Can!" and acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's contribution to both the Indigenous and broader community.

To acknowledge this contribution and celebrate NAIDOC week, our school will be integrating learning activities into classrooms and assemblies during Term Three. We would also like to invite you to view the recently completed Indigenous art mural and native garden near at the Administration block (beside the tennis courts). The artwork has been completed by talented local Indigenous artist – Kimba Fatiaki, while the native garden has been completed by local Indigenous landscaper/gardener – Helen Hynd. We are proud of this great work connecting our school with the local community.

NAIDOC week is also a great opportunity to participate in other activities in your local community during school holidays, such as Kids craft club at Fairfield Gardens

For more info on NAIDOC week and other events, visit the link below.

MOD Programme- Year 5 and 6

During Term Three we are planning to implement an optional MOD (My Own Device) Programme for the students in Year 5 and 6. The purpose of the MOD programme is to provide more access to ICT devices by allowing students who currently have an iPad device to be able to bring their devices into school and access digital technology more frequently within the classroom.

During Term Three the curriculum demands for Year 5 and 6, in line with our Inquiry approach, will require a more significant use of Digital technology. By allowing students to bring in their own device students will be able to manage their own research, data and presentations on the one device.

It is important to note that this is an optional programme and there is no expectation that parents buy a new device. The overall aim of inviting students to bring in iPad devices, at times when the teacher requests it due to curriculum need, is to enable students to have a seamless transition between their home learning and school learning. The difference to note between a MOD (My Own Device) programme and a BYOD (Bring your Own Device) programmes is that BYOD involves the use of a student’s own device every-day and MOD involves bringing and using the device only when required.

Attached are two documents for your perusal - ‘MOD Policy and Procedure’ and ‘YSS MOD Participation Form and Agreement’. These forms will be sent out by email to parents of students in Year 5 and 6 during Week One of Term Three. Parents will then be able to indicate if their child will be participating in the MOD programme during Semester Two.

If you have any queries about how this programme will work, please make contact with Mrs Debbie Cowie (dcowi11@eq.edu.au)

Date Claimer- BYOD 2019 Parent Information Session One

Please note that we will holding the first of our Parent Information Sessions for the parents of students currently in Year One, in preparation for participation in the BYOD programme for 2019. There will be two sessions held in the Resource Centre at the following times:

Tuesday 24 July: 9.15 am and 6.15pm (repeat session)

Assembly- Term Three

During Term Three we will be implementing a change to our school Assembly. Please note the following details:

Senior Assembly - Odd weeks (Wk 1,3,5,7,9) on Thursday at 1.45pm in the Hall
Junior Assembly - Even weeks (Wk 2,4,6,8,10) on Thursday at 1.45pm in the Hall

The focus of our first Senior Assembly (Week 1) and first Junior Assembly (Week 2) will be on recognising and acknowledging NAIDOC Week. We look forward to celebrating and sharing in line with the NAIDOC Week theme for 2018: "Because of Her, We Can!" which acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women's contributions. We hope that you can join us on Assembly.

Student Resource Scheme

Planning has started for the 2019 Student Resource Scheme and we would like to give parents/guardians the opportunity to provide feedback. Please follow the link below to answer our short survey and help us plan for next year.

Acting Principal- Term Three

I am pleased to inform you all that we have been advised of Debbie Spanner’s replacement for Term Three. Her name is Carmel Herbert. Carmel’s substantive position is as the Deputy Principal at Gumdale State School.

Carmel will visit us here at Yeronga this Friday 29 June and she is looking forward to working closely with the Yeronga State School Community. Please see below some information that Carmel has shared with us as an introduction.

“I started my leadership journey working as a Head of Curriculum and have always led with a strong focus on improving teaching and learning. I have been invited to work on regional curriculum projects and have developed a strong Early Learning Cluster at Gumdale State School. I have worked as a Deputy Principal in a number of schools and have been in the role at Gumdale State School since 2012. I have had experience working as Principal in Band 8 and Band 10 schools with my most recent experience being at Gumdale in Term One this year.

Throughout my career I have never lost my love of working with students and their families. I set high expectations for myself, my staff and my students. I am a visible leader and enjoy working with students and teachers.

I see collaboration and building strong relationships as my key strengths. I look forward to getting to know and becoming part of the Yeronga community as I work with the leadership team to continue moving in the direction set by Ms Debbie Spanner”.

I am sure you will all join me in welcoming Carmel to our school community in Term Three.

My sincere thanks to you all for your support whilst I have been in the Acting Principal role during the end of Term Two. I have really valued the support received during this time of change and uncertainty. We have an amazing community here at YSS!

Donation

We had a visit this week from Kristy Noble at McGrath Estate Agents Annerley, to present us with a generous donation of $500. This donation was made possible through the commission from the sale of a house from one of our school families.

We are most appreciative of this generous donation and the money will go towards purchasing classroom furniture.

Kate Paynter
Acting Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL REPORT

Lost Property

As the term draws to a close lost property will once again be cleared. This is due to take place on the last day of the term, where unclaimed items are donated to charity. Please check the lost property boxes located under the stairway in the administration block in the upper school and under L Block (Year 1) in the junior school for any clothing or belongings your child may have lost. Please ensure all your child's belongings are clearly marked with his/her full name (not initials) and class and they are only taking items from the lost property box that belong to them.

Behaviour Celebrations

This week those children who have achieved an A, B or C rating for the term in regards to their behaviour standards participated in the term’s behaviour celebrations. This will be a time for students across the year levels to be recognised for consistently meeting the Yeronga State School expectations of doing your best, being responsible, being respectful and being safe. It was wonderful the high level of behaviour across our school indicated by the participation levels in this wonderful celebration. These celebrations also provided teachers with the opportunity to reflect with students on their behaviour goals for the term and plan new goals for the term ahead.

Report Cards

Your child’s report card was e-mailed home this week. Many parents on receiving their child’s report card for the first time are unsure of how to read it. All parents of children enrolled in a Queensland State School receive the same formatted report card twice a year.

The academic and effort achievement use the following five (5) point scale to indicate a child’s cumulative achievement in a semester.

• Prep Applying, Making Connections, Working With, Exploring, Becoming Aware
• Years 1-2 Very High, High, Satisfactory, Developing, Support Required
• Years 3 -6 A, B, C, D, E

Most of us who attended school in generations past are familiar with the A-E scale. However, the 5 point scale has some subtle differences these days and that when we see a “Working With, Satisfactory or C” on our child’s report card it means something a little different to what it used to on our own report cards.

In the past the achievement scale used a “Bell Curve” distribution, which means that a small group of top students in the class got an “A”, the next group got a “B”, the majority of the class were given a “C” and so on until the whole class represented a distribution from A-E. This means that it was harder to get an “A” in a school filled with academic students and easier to get one in a school with less academic students.

The new system works on “benchmarks of achievement” or “criteria” such that, what constitutes an “A”, “B”, “C” etc is predetermined. Any student who shows evidence of meeting that level deserves that grade.

This is where we consider the difference in what a “Working With, Satisfactory or C” really means:

• A “Working With, Satisfactory or C” no longer means that the student is simply in the middle of the class, it means that the student has met the criteria for a learner at the appropriate age level.
• A “Working With, Satisfactory or C” means that:
• A student is doing everything required at their Year Level
• A student’s academic development is exactly where it needs to be – they are ON TARGET or AT YEAR LEVEL STANDARD

It is also important to note that not every aspect of every Learning Area (English, maths, science etc.) is assessed and reported on each semester or term. This means that the result students receive on their end of semester report is indicative of the content that has been taught and assessed during that semester, and not necessarily indicative of the entire Learning Area content. This means that a student’s results may vary from semester to semester, because they are being assessed and reported on different aspects of the curriculum for that Learning Area.

As with all communication to parents we strive to review what is being communicated to ensure it is the most up to date information. If you have any concerns about your child’s progress please see your child’s teacher as soon as possible.

Marie Robertson and Jane Leishman (Acting Deputy Principal)

P & C REPORT

pandc@yerongass.eq.edu.au

Building Fund Appeal

We are getting tantalisingly close to our $10000 target for the Building Fund Appeal. We would love to get there by June 30th. If you haven't donated yet, please consider doing it this week. It's really easy and will only take a couple of minutes either via our Givenow or direct deposit facilities. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

P&C Meeting

Our next P&C meeting will be held on Tuesday 17th July at 7pm in the Resource Centre. We have lots to cover and term 3 is going to be busy!! So, please feel free to come along and catch up on what's been happening at YSS. Please note, it's the first week back at school.

Bunnings Craft Activities

YSS P&C have been given the opportunity to run a regular Bunnings BBQ fundraiser in return for running a child's craft/ DIY activity. If there are any crafty parents in our community who would be interested in this, please contact us for further details at yerongasspandc@gmail.com

Jo Thompson

MONEY MATTERS

The following invoices are now due. Please use BPoint or QParents to finalise these amounts as soon as possible.

Nicki Allardyce

FROM THE OFFICE

2019 Enrolments

We are starting the enrolment process for 2019 and ask all current families who will have a new child starting next year, to complete an enrolment form ASAP. Enrolment forms are available here, our website or from the school office.

Once the enrolment form is completed, please deliver to the office together with a copy of Birth Certificate. If you are aware of any families looking to start at Yeronga State School next year, please direct them to the office for further information.

Lost Property

The piles of lost property are growing. Please remind your children to have a look in the lost property for any belongings they have misplaced. Junior lost property is located underneath the Year 1 building (in the middle) and Senior Lost Property is located under the stairs in Admin Block.

STUDENT COUNCIL & ECDP

Yeerongpilly ECDP & YSS Student Council Cupcake Fundraiser

A big thank you to the students of YSS for making this cupcake fundraiser such a big success, we sold out of cupcakes! Apologies to students that missed out on a cupcake. Your support exceeded our expectations! We raised $700 to purchase resources for our ECDP to create Maths Prop Boxes. This is amazing and we are all very appreciative for the support of the student council members for helping us achieve this.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

BYOD Year 2 2018

Thank you to the Year 2 parents who have supported us with the 2018 BYOD programme. At this time we need to evaluate how the programme is running from a parent’s point of view. We will be sending a survey link out to year two parents in Week 1 of Term 3. This data will inform us of actions that we need to undertake for the rest of the year and into 2019.

My Own Device

I have had enquiries from parents who are not in Year 2 for information about their home ipads. I am happy to field these queries, however, as I tell most people I don’t have all the answers but am really good at research. We have an online Facebook forum where we can post information and questions. This forum is designed for parents and teachers to be able to resolve minor issues and answer questions about ipads and their use. You are invited to join the Facebook Group. To join please search YSS BYOD and request access.

Deborah Cowie

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Regional Golf Success

Congratulations to Harvey P on a great achievement in being selected in the Regional Golf Team. It’s a big achievement and I know that his Dad is very proud.

District Cricket

Congratulations to Harvey P and Harry C on being selected to attend the district cricket trial. Best of luck boys and don’t forget to ask Mum and Dad for some net time in the holidays.

Athletics Training

Athletics training will continue on Monday afternoons (3:15 to 3:45) and Thursday mornings (8 to 8:30) until the District Athletics Carnivals.

Senior Athletics Day

Congratulations Evans

The points finished at Evans 1082, Kendall 927, Lawson 971 and Paterson 909. It was close and fought in the best of spirits.

Age Champions

Congratulations to the following people on outstanding efforts across all of the events;

8 Years: Deborah A – B & Mitchell B
9 Years: Willow H & Jayden R
10 Years: Juliet W & Ben C
11 Years: Hayley R & Liam C
12 Years: Lucinda M & Nicholaus P

Record Breakers

Congratulations to Margaret G, who broke her sister’s record in the 12 years girls 800m, and Joshua S who broke a 15 year old record in the 10 years boys discus. Well done

A huge thank you to all of the parents who came to spectate and help officiate. There is much to do for an athletics carnival and the many hands did make the work lighter. Farewell to one our great contributors; Ruth Bennett. Ruth has been a great contributor for many years and her positivity and competence will be much missed.

I would like to thank our wonderful teachers also for the amazing amount of work they carry out at Athletics Carnivals without complaining. They really are a versatile and exceptionally forgiving group of teachers. Special thanks also to Mrs Paynter and Mrs Triggell for coming in early to set up.

I would like to also mention the wonderful work of Mr Sutherland. He does so much about the school and always helps with the preparation for this carnival including coaching the children that he would be incredibly difficult to replace should we ever have to.

Finally a massive thank you to our students who were wonderful throughout the carnival. It is a long day and their behaviour and willingness to follow directions was exemplary.

Junior Athletics Day

A huge thank you to our staff for their amazing efforts. It was a very smooth carnival with many smiling faces. The result is a tribute to the professionalism of our staff. A special congratulations to Mr Sutherland for, as usual, going above and beyond in the preparations for this carnival. Special thanks also to Mrs Paynter and Mrs Kemp for coming in early to set up.

Thanks to our parent body for their attendance and fantastic support. It was lovely to watch and to listen to.

Finally thank you to our children for incredible efforts and fantastic listening to your teachers. You made the day run very smoothly for everyone.

Semester Two Gala Days (10 to 12 Years Students)

It is important that children begin thinking about their gala day options for semester 2. These will include: AFL (for boys and girls), Cricket (for boys and girls), Netball (for girls) & Touch (for boys and girls).

Important Sporting Dates (District and Regional Dates for 10 to 12 Year Olds Only)

Boys 10 – 12 District Cricket 17 July

District Athletics July 31 & August 2

Girls AFL District Paper Nominations 7 August

Girls AFL Regional Trial 21 August

Girls Cricket District Paper Nominations 22 August

Regional Athletics August 28 & 29

Boys 10 – 12 Regional Cricket September 3 & 4

Girls 10 – 12 Regional Cricket September 5

Cameron Bateman

Green Team News

Beauty Products Recycling Program

Don’t forget, we have begun collecting beauty product packaging again. Each item recycled will raise cash for our school! Please bring your empty beauty packaging to the Resource Centre and place them in the recycling box.

The products accepted include skin care, hair care and cosmetics packaging. For a detailed list and examples, please view the attached flyer.

Plastic Bag Ban

With the plastic bag ban coming into place in just a few days, don’t forget to take your reusable bags to the shops. If you always forget them, keep them in your car. Worst case, you can walk your trolley out to the car and repack it there. Otherwise, set up a reminder for yourself in some way.

Plastic Free July

If you’re a dab hand at remembering your reusable bags, why not think about another single use item you can stop using for Plastic Free July. Bring your own keep cup to the coffee shop, carry your own water bottle instead of buying one and ask for ‘no straw’ when you order a drink. All these small things add up to make a big difference if we all do them!

Year 5 Currumbin Valley Camp

Earlier this term our Year 5 students enjoyed three days at the Currumbin Valley Outdoor and Environmental Education Centre. We were extremely pleased and proud to receive the following feedback from the camp organisers:

“Big congrats from all of our staff to your school program encouraging student directed learning. It was a pleasure to watch the first camp with the way students took on roles in leadership, planning and implementation. Your staff have certainly made a difference to your students compared to other groups we see – well done team.”

This is a wonderful testament to these Yeronga State School students, along with their parents and teachers. As a school we are able to reflect on this feedback as an indication that our Year Five students are benefitting from the Inquiry style of learning and are able to exhibit the ‘Learner Assets’ they have been taught through transfer into unfamiliar environments and scenarios. These students are well on the path to being successful learners who can communicate, collaborate, think, research and self-manage.

CHAPPY’S-CHAT

People Matter…

I’ve often written about the importance of connecting with other people, and how healthy it is for us to have friendships and to ultimately build a “circle of support”. But how do we do that? Here are some tips I’ve learnt…

• Be friendly – smile, look interested, give eye contact
• Share some of your story, and ask about theirs, finding common ground
• Recognise and respect differences
• Follow up – send a thank you, remember their important dates, ask about how things went, help when needed
• Be organised – book in some friend time in advance

The coming holidays gives us a great opportunity to connect with others and to schedule in some interactions with other families. Invite a family over for afternoon tea, or organise a visit to the park, or a trip to the movies.

Also make time to build adult relationships. Invite a colleague for coffee, find a gym buddy, join a team sport. Look for opportunities to meet, interact, and have some fun.

Most importantly, look after your extended family. Our family will journey with us throughout our whole lives, and we can often take them for granted. So make regular phone-calls, celebrate special events with them, do birthday cards, and if necessary apologise and move on where there are hurts.

So with this quick reminder about connecting with people, what have you got coming up that will help you build friendships? Are you connecting with other families to help your children find friends? Are you looking after your own needs for relationship and companionship? How can you better engage with your extended family so that they know they are loved? It’s a challenge for us all. Enjoy your winter holiday!

Upcoming events…

3/8 Chappy’s Movie Night (screening Oddball)
21/9 Chappy Pancakes
27-28/10 Camp at School with Dad

Blessings,

Chappy Jenny

SCHOOL BANKING

Remember to bank every Thursday to earn some great prizes.

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