19 July 2018

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL REPORT

I feel very fortunate to be able to spend some time at Yeronga State School and am looking forward to being part of the this welcoming community for Term 3. I have spent the first few days of this week visiting classes and orientating my way around this beautiful school. With so many leafy green spots to visit in the grounds it is easy to forget that we are so close to the city.

Already I can tell that this is a happy school with a committed team working together to make sure every student is given the opportunity to reach his or her potential. There are many great programs running in this school that ensure the students have a wide range of opportunities to engage in rich learning.

NAIDOC Week

Over the next two weeks students at Yeronga will be involved in activities that celebrate the rich history, culture and achievements of our First Nations People. Both our senior and junior parades will be acknowledging NAIDOC week with special presentations.

The theme of NAIDOC week this year is Because of her, we can!

"As leaders, trailblazers, politicians, activists and social change advocates, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women fought and continue to fight, for justice, equal rights, access to education, employment and to maintain and celebrate our culture, language, music and art. They are our mothers, our elders, our grandmothers, our aunties, our sisters and our daughters. For at least 65,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have carried our dreaming stories, songlines, languages and knowledge that have kept our culture strong and enriched us as the oldest continuing culture on the planet. Their achievements, their voice, their unwavering passion give us strength and have empowered past generations and paved the way for generations to come. Because of her, we can!" - NAIDOC 2018

Year 4 Camp

Next week our Year 4 students are off to camp. Hopefully the weather will be a little bit warmer! I am sure they will have a wonderful time and come back with great stories and special memories.

BYOD 2019 Parent Information Sessions

I encourage Year One parents to come along to the BYOD information sessions offered next Tuesday. There will be a 9:15am session and a repeat of this session at 6:15pm. The information presented in these sessions will give parents clarity around this program being implemented in Year 2 2019.

Carmel Herbert
Acting Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL REPORT

Welcome back to another fabulous term at Yeronga State School, many exciting things are planned for this term. Keep an eye out for your child’s class newsletter over the next few weeks, which will provide details about any forthcoming events for their class.

School Disco

Thank you to those families who were able to support the Student Council Disco held in the last week of Term 2. We had some wonderful interpretations of the fantasy theme with outstanding costumes! Our students had lots of fun and the night was a tremendous success.

Supervision of Students Before and After School

Last term we had a report from a local business owner that their car, which was park on school road, had twice receive damage from mud and rocks. It is suspected these items have been thrown at the car from within the school grounds. We have had a report witnessing students throwing items over the fence after school. These students were required to be spoken to by a staff member and were not under the direct supervision of their parent/carer.

A reminder that students need to be collected by parents/carers at 3pm. Students remaining at school after 3pm must be with a teacher (e.g. sports training), their parent or attending YOSHC. Parents who are later than 3:15pm collecting their children, will need to collect them from the school office. Please note that the school office closes at 3:30pm. All student and parents who are not part of the YOSHC program need to have left the school grounds no later than 4pm. It would be much appreciated if you could be extra vigilant when supervising your children before and after school.

NAIDOC Week 2018

NAIDOC Week celebrations have been held across Australia 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) included 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 the first two weeks of the term. 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.

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

Assembly Term Three

During Term Three we will be implementing a change to our school Assembly, including a new start time of 1:45pm. 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.

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.

Permission forms for this program have been emailed home.

Kate Paynter and Marie Robertson

P & C REPORT

pandc@yerongass.eq.edu.au

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.

Extracurricular Activities

Do you know the P&C coordinates a number of extracurricular activities that families can access? This includes Art Classes, Guitar Lessons, Chess Club and Coding Club. We are also looking to offer piano lessons soon. If you are interested in any of these, please find contact details on the flyer below. Dates, times and costs are subject to change depending on interest.

Jo Thompson

MONEY MATTERS

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

QParents

QParents is an online portal that provides parents with a snapshot of information surfaced from OneSchool about their child and allows them to:

• View attendance details, report cards, invoices and a history of payments
• Provide reasons for unexplained absences and to notify the school of future absences
• View and pay school invoices online
• Update student details including residential and
• Postal address as well as medical conditions

Please contact Nicki at nalla6@eq.edu.au for a personal invitation.

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.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Parent Teacher interviews will be held during week 4 and 5 and an e-mail will be sent this week advising you of how to book. The Parent Teacher Interviews in Term 3 is future focussed and are about clarifying your child’s learning goals for Semester 2 and discussing strategies for supporting students’ learning, based on how your child is progressing this year. We prefer not to use this time to revisit report cards so if you have anything about report cards you wish to clarify, I encourage you to do this beforehand.

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.

School Opinion Survey

The annual School Opinion Surveys will be conducted 30 July to 24 August 2018. All families, school staff and a random sample of students will be invited to participate. We encourage you to take this opportunity to have your say about what this school does well, and how this school can improve.

Life Education Van

There will be an information session for parents held on Wednesday 1 August at 1:45 pm in the Life Education Van, which will be located next to Admin block. Please email admin@yerongass.eq.edu.au if you would like to attend.

MASTER PLANNING

Planning For Our Future

Together with the Department of Education we have been working on the development of a new master plan for the school. It is aimed to be a master plan to help us plan for the school’s future, but also embrace new opportunities in the world of education and the broader community.

Our priority is to ensure that the master planning process is an inclusive process based on school-wide community engagement to ensure you have your say about what’s important to you, your children and our community.

We want to hear your ideas about both education related issues as well as the opportunities for our school’s site. We are asking everyone to complete the survey by 5pm Thursday 26 July 2018.

To respond to the master planning surveys please click on the below link that is relevant to you:

• Students survey
• Parents survey

We thank you in advance of your involvement in our school's future planning process.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Best Wishes for Qld Golf

Congratulations to Harvey P on a great achievement in being selected in the Regional Golf Team. Harvey has earned the right to compete in Kingaroy at the Qld State Golf Championships. Best of luck to Harvey for this and don’t forget to pack warm clothes. The winds can sweep across those plains

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 Carnival.

District Athletics Team

Congratulations and best wishes to our District Athletics Aspirants. May they achieve as many PB’s as possible. Our District aspirants are:

Gala Days (10 to 12 Years Students)

It is now very important for children to think about their gala day options for semester 2. These will include: AFL, Cricket, Touch for boys and girls; and Netball for girls.

District Representative Sport Opportunities

Students turning 10 – 12 years old in 2018 are able to nominate to attend Eastern Taipan District sporting trials. Athletes who compete at district trials must have a high level of ability in their chosen sport.

If your child is interested in participating in a selection trial, contact Mr Bateman a month before the trials. Dates can be found on the Eastern Taipan District website and below. District Convenors expect each school to only nominate students who have exhibited a very high level of ability in that sport. Whilst your child may be at the highest level at club sport, this is no guarantee they will be selected to try-out for District Team. Our school has 2 sports convenors who understand the standard required and for this reason we only send children who demonstrate that high level of ability.

Qualification for Track and Field, Swimming and Cross Country district trials are finalised after the school carnivals.

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

Cameron Bateman

CHAPPY’S-CHAT

Chappy’s Family Night Out …

Join me in two weeks time (Friday 3 August) for a family night out screening the Australian movie ”Oddball” with Shane Jacobsen, Sarah Snook and Deborah Mailman. It is the true story of a chicken farmer ‘Swampy’ Marsh as he defies the odds and teaches his dog how to protect a small colony of penguins. No-one in the community has faith in Swampy or Oddball, so Swampy must go it alone. The movie highlights his strength and determination, his unflinching belief in Oddball, and his dog’s intelligence. It also demonstrates the value of unconditional family support and love.

This great family night out is only 2 weeks away. Check out the flyer attached to this newsletter for all the details or pick one up at the payment boxes. Please register quickly to avoid any disappointment. $6 per person includes entry, a ticket for the lucky door prizes, one sausage sizzle and a drink. You are welcome to wear your comfy clothes (onesies, pajamas, tracky-daks) and bring bean bags, cushions, and camping chairs.

After watching this movie together as a family, you might like to have conversations around some of the values and issues reinforced in the movie:

• Being willing to take risks and sacrifice things to make a positive change in the world
• Sticking by your family and friends
• Wildlife extinction and conservation
• Local politics and community relationships

Upcoming Events…

Blessings
Jennifer Bennett

ACTIVE SCHOOL TRAVEL

Don’t forget every Wednesday is Active School Travel Day at Yeronga State School

Walk, ride your scooter or bike, catch public transport (even if it’s just one stop) or carpool by grabbing a lift with another family.

It’s all about creating healthier, more active students and parents, greater road safety awareness among students and families, and safer streets and reduced traffic congestion at the school gate.

Every child should have an Active School Travel Passport which is stamped each time they actively travel.

Passports can be stamped in the Senior School (under the Grade 3 building) and in the Junior School (outside the Grade 1 building). When children accumulate enough stamps they get a great reward.

SCHOOL BANKING

Remember, to bank every Thursday to earn some great prizes.

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Over the school holidays Mitchell for Year 3 competed in the 2018 Queensland State Junior Road Championships held in Townsville. He won all three of his races and is the Under 9 State Champion in the Road Race, the Criterium and the Individual Time Trial.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Holland Park State High School

Confident Kids Program

Diversity in Education

The Smith Family Saver Plus Program

ACTivate Children’s Club (after school club)

Come and get healthy and active, meet new friends and develop a new skill each week. Using balls, hoops, parachutes, tunnels, jumping sacks, puppets, storybooks, costumes and music, participants will explore all the different ways their growing bodies can move. These sessions will ACTivate the children and their caregivers and have a focus on creativity and fun in a safe, relaxed and energetic environment.

Please note that this workshop is FREE.

There will be two sessions running simultaneously at the workshops – one for children from three to four years of age, and one for children from five to 10 years of age. Children register just once for the full eight week program.

Every Monday from 23 July 2018
3.30pm to 4.30pm
Majestic Park, Coorparoo

Bookings are essential and can be made by visiting the link below:

Greater Brisbane Junior Tennis Fixtures

Greater Brisbane Junior Tennis (GBJT) offers juniors up to and including year 12 tennis fixtures on a Saturday afternoon at the Queensland Tennis Centre and the University of Queensland during school terms. For more information, please visit our web site at the link below or phone Mrs Peta Davis, Secretary on 3374 0516.

School Calendar

Choose how to add this event to your calendar:

Apple Calendar iPhone, iPad, Mac - Download .ics file

Outlook Desktop Outlook - Download .ics file

Android Calendar Android devices - Download .ics file

Other Calendar Google Calendar, Yahoo, etc. - Download .ics file

Download Event