30 August 2018

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL REPORT

Collaboration and Professional Learning

Collaboration is a learning asset that we encourage our students and teachers to use regularly. We provide opportunities for our teachers to be involved in active professional learning that involves working together within and across schools to deepen our understanding and continually reflect upon and find ways to improve our practice. A number of our teachers this week visited Eatons Hill State School to look at the use of iPads in their classrooms. Over the next weeks we will have teachers visit Graceville and Indooroopilly State Schools to see how these schools use inquiry in their classrooms. We have also been releasing our teachers to work in teams to plan English and Science units. We are continually working to ensure the curriculum delivered at Yeronga and the learning experiences provided to students are high quality and engaging.

Sporting Success

Yeronga had two teams compete in the soccer state championships last Friday. Hamish Curness and Alex McShane were both extremely proud of the effort and behaviour their teams displayed. Special congratulations to Alex and her girls` team who were overall winners taking out the trophy and title.

Last Friday also saw the first of our Gala Days for this Semester. We had excellent reports about the organisation of the day and the behaviour of the Yeronga students.

Trivia Night

Last Friday night the school hall was transformed into tables of trivia teams decked out in 90s style costumes and dancing to hits of the 90s. Well done to all involved in the organisation of the night and especially to Rachel MacKenzie and Simon Lake the main organisers and hosts on the evening. I sat on a table for the first round of questions and was no great asset but had lots of fun. I am told a great night was had by all and am sorry I missed the amazing dancing.

Fun Run and Fathers` Day

We are all gearing up for the Fun Run this Friday morning. It should be another great event and we look forward to seeing lots of our parents and carers joining the students on the morning.

Our prep classes will be treating Dads to some special time with the children on Friday morning. Finishing up in time for fathers to join their little ones in the Fun Run.

We wish all Yeronga Dads, Grandads and important male role models a wonderful Father`s Day this Sunday. A time when we remember all those important people who guide and support us as we navigate the wonders and challenges of our lives.

Carmel Herbert
Acting Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL REPORT

Week Six and Seven have flown by as we have been involved in a range of bonus experiences here at Yeronga State School including the fabulous Prep Excursion to see the ever-elusive Bunyip at Toohey Forest, Year One Fire Service Visit, Fire Drill practice, Gala Day, Met West Cup Soccer Finals (girls and boys) and Prep Information sessions. We are certainly looking forward to lots of frivolity at the ‘Fun Run’ on Friday!

Arbor Day

Our thanks go to the Brisbane City Council for their generous donation of 50 native trees to recognise Arbor Day (10 October). Brisbane schools were fortunate to be able to claim 50 free plants from Brisbane City Council for Arbor Day. The trees have been delivered to our school and Mr Sutherland has been busy finding places for them to be planted around our beautiful school. The following information comes from the Brisbane City Council website:

Five ways urban trees contribute to the health of our environment and community:

• Trees combat climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide, removing and storing carbon and releasing oxygen back into the air.
• Trees cool the streets and city by shading our homes and streets and breaking up urban 'heat islands' by releasing water vapour into the air through their leaves.
• Trees provide oxygen and clean the air by absorbing odours and pollutant gases and filtering particulates out of the air by trapping them on leaves and bark.
• Trees save water by providing shade which slows water evaporation and increasing atmospheric moisture through transpiration.
• Trees help prevent soil erosion on hillsides and creek banks by slowing run-off and holding soil in place.
• By planting shade trees today, future generations will continue to enjoy a clean, green and sustainable Brisbane.

Learning Assets

At Yeronga State School we want our students to leave our school being literate, numerate and curious. We are doing this by consciously engaging our children in inquiring into how they learn. We are using Kath Murdoch’s “The Power of Inquiry’ to guide us in developing skills and dispositions that act as important assets to our learners. The term ‘assets’ is used to describe the skill sets that are required of students when they inquire into the world around them. The assets are ‘We are Thinkers, We are Collaborators, We are Self-managers, We are Researchers and We are Communicators’.

‘The greatest assets we can help build in young learners are the ability to think deeply and creatively, to communicate effectively in a wide range of ways, to research critically and efficiently, to collaborate with others and to manage all this with initiative, confidence and independence’. Kath Murdock 2012

The focus over the next two weeks in classrooms and assemblies will be on how to be an effective Communicator. Children will look at the skills required to be an effective communicator.

Indigenous Literacy Foundation - you can make a difference!

Did you know that only 25% of Indigenous students in very remote areas are at the minimum reading standard, compared to 90% of non-Indigenous students? The Yeronga State School Student Council would like to raise funds to improve these literacy rates by holding a Great Book Swap.

The idea is to swap a favourite book in exchange for another, and give a gold coin donation. This money will then be donated to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation to buy age and subject appropriate books for remote communities. Wednesday 5 September is Indigenous Literacy Day.

So, on Wednesday 5 September, please:

1. Bring your book (preloved but in good condition) to the table outside the Library, which will be set up from 8-8.30am, 11.15-11.45am & 1.25-1.45pm.
2. Swap your book
3. Donate your gold coin

Have a fabulous week!

Kate Paynter and Tracy Freeman

P & C REPORT

pandc@yerongass.eq.edu.au

Fun Run

Friday 31 August is the school fun run. All the kids have been working hard towards their fundraising goals. It's not too late to get the last donations in to help towards air conditioning the school. There are some great prizes and every $1 donated to a student’s profile automatically enters them into winning the $30,000 family holiday.

We’ve set our money due back date as 7 September, so please make sure you’ve returned all your money to P&C Payment Boxes in Grade 1 Building, L Block and Admin Block lower level by then.

How to order your prize

Between 7 September and 14 September simply visit the link below and create/log into your Profile Page. Then click on the ‘ORDER PRIZES’ button and follow the prompts.

If you have any questions, please contact the School Fun-Run team on 1800 FUN RUN and they will gladly assist!

RACQ Staffroom for Improvement

RACQ wants to reward Queensland’s teachers for all their hard work! Show your appreciation by writing a thank you note to a member of your teaching community. Every thank you note places your school in the draw to win a $20,000 staffroom makeover. Thank you notes can be written by everyone!

Also, two runner-up prizes of a $1,000 eftpos gift card are up for grabs and the school with the most entries will receive a $1,000 eftpos gift card. So, let’s get everyone saying ‘thank you’ to our amazing teachers. Terms and conditions apply.

Visit the link below to enter.

Trivia Night 2018

Huge thanks to Rachel and Simon for running a truly spectacular trivia night. They did a fabulous job and it really was a night to be remembered! Also thanks to everyone else behind the scenes who helped out and made it happen. There were some amazing costumes and themes and it was wonderful to see such enthusiasm and community spirit. If you're interested in seeing what it was all about, keep an eye on the P&C Facebook page and there should be some great photos and video footage available there very soon!

Free Dress Day

The first free Dress Day to raise funds for the fete will occur on Friday 14th September. Children will be able to wear free dress in exchange for a gold coin donation. More info will go out via parent reps nearer to the time.

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

Magpie Nesting Season

It’s magpie nesting season! Please be aware of swooping magpies that have nested in the school grounds over the coming weeks.

Procedure For Late Arrivals

Our school rolls are marked by the classroom teachers by 9:00am daily. If your child is not at school by this time, it is highly likely you will receive an SMS indicating that your child is absent. Your child’s safety is our first priority and therefore any unexplained absences receive our immediate attention. If you receive an SMS, please contact us immediately so we can follow up your child’s whereabouts as quickly as possible. I encourage you to `assume the best’ if you know your child is at school.

All late arrivals (after 9am), from Prep through to Year 6 students, must report to the Senior school office for a ‘late’ slip before going to their classrooms. The school office logs the arrival and you will receive a slip to take to the class teacher. It is important to note that even 5 minutes late each day means your child is missing nearly half an hour of schooling a week. That quickly adds up over the course of a year. Late arrival also disrupts the teaching and learning of all students so please help by being on time.

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.

RESOURCE CENTRE

Book Week – Find your treasure

Monday 3 September – Friday 7 September we will be celebrating book week. The Children’s Book council of Australia have shortlisted books in various categories. These will be on display in the library. We will vote for the book that will achieve the Yeronga Best Book Award. For more information on the short listed books click on the link below.

We will have 3 competitions:

• A Writers Competition
• An Illustrators Competition
• A Design Competition

Closing date for entries will be the last day of term 3 - 21 September.

Writers Competition – Find your treasure!

So what will you write about?

You could use the Children’s Book Week theme from this year – “Find your treasure” – as a starting point. Think about some favourite books you love to read and see if you can create something similar.

For those of you writing picture story books, have a look at the Scholastic Story Starter. (Be sure to get Mum and Dad’s okay to use the computer).

For Groups 2-4, have a look at Andy Griffith’s Once Upon A Slime for some tips on writing or check out this YouTube video of him speaking with a school group about how to write. Ask your teacher for some ideas.

Be creative! Your imagination is a unique and wonderful thing – so put it to good use!

Entry Guidelines:

• Entries may be in picture story, short story or eBook (PDF or Book Creator) formats.
• Primary level short stories must not exceed 2 pages/1000 words.
• Only entries within the word limits will be read, so practice your editing skills!
• In all groups, limits of one individual entry and one collaborative entry per person.
• Hard copy entries can be dropped in our competition box in the library. Soft copies can be emailed to Mrs Cowie dcowi11@eq.edu.au or airdropped to her ipad.

Illustrators Competition

Create an illustration of a story. This could be part of the writing competition or it can be a different illustration. Entries need to either be on an A4 sheet or a PDF of an A4 Sheet. All illustrations need to be original.

Design Competition

• Help us design our own Yeronga Best Book Winner Award.
• This will be in the form of a sticker which can be stuck onto the winning book.
• Be creative and get ideas from the CBCA book winner stickers.

There will be prizes for each of these categories:

Lower Primary - Prep and Year 1; Middle Primary - Years 2-4; Upper Primary - Years 5 and 6

Marshmallow and Milo Morning

We will invite parents and students to come to the library before school to read together and enjoy a milo while they read.

Guest readers

We will have guest readers reading to students during lunch time.

Deborah Cowie

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

SEQ Cup Girls Football

Last Friday the junior girls’ football team travelled to Ipswich to compete in the SEQ Cup finals. The girls were undefeated in their two pool matches, beating West End SS 2-1 and Hercules Road SS 2-0 to secure a spot in the final. After a long wait, the girls played St. Thomas More in the final. The match remained scoreless at half time and then St. Thomas scored a goal early in the second half. The girls played with passion, spirit and determination and fought back to win 3-2 in the last few minutes of the match. Their success was a result of hard work and personal dedication to training and practice. Congratulations to all players on a phenomenal improvement in skill and understanding of the game throughout the year. Thank you to all parents and supporters for their encouragement throughout the season and special thanks to spectators who stayed to watch the final.

SEQ Cup Boys Football

The Junior Boys football (soccer) team competed in the SEQ finals last Friday at Ipswich. In game one the boys dominated West End State School and created plenty of great opportunities but unfortunately couldn’t find the back of the net. West End on one of their rare visits to our goal mouth managed to score the only goal of the game. To the boys credit they bounced back against Elanora State School and had a 4 -0 win. With West End beating Elanora 2 -0 in the final pool match our journey for 2018 came to an end. I’d like to congratulate all the players on a fantastic season and thank you to all the supporters who have encouraged the team on their journey.

Good Luck to our Girls Cricketers

Mia G and Olivia C will trial for selection in the Met West Girls Cricket Team on 12 September. We wish them all the best in their bid for selection. They are very good 11 year old candidates who also have the advantage of having another attempt next year.

Athletics Training

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

District Athletics Team

Congratulations to our District Athletics Team who competed at Regional Athletics Carnival at Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was great to see our students show grit and determination in their events and a high level of sportsmanship during the day.

A very special congratulations to Margaret who has made it into the Eastern Taipans team for 800m and 1500m and to Josh who has made it for Discus. Both of these students will now compete in State Competition in Cairns in October.

Ball Games 2018

Please do make some time to attend our ball games carnivals this year. They are uniquely enjoyable events, played in great spirit, that pit class against class for sporting and fashion supremacy.

Ball Games Program 11 September 2018

9.20: Prep to Year 2

Year Two Mixed Heat One - Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put
Year One Mixed Heat One - Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put
Year Two Mixed Heat Two - Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put
Year One Mixed Heat Two - Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put
Year Two Mixed Heat Three - Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put
Year One Mixed Heat Three - Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put
All Prep Mixed Heat (Approximately 10:30)
Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put

Years 3 to 6: 11:45: Years 3-6

Year 3 Mixed Heat One - Tunnel Ball, Leader Ball & Captain Ball
Year 4 Mixed Heat One - Tunnel Ball, Leader Ball & Captain Ball
Year 5 Mixed Heat One - Tunnel Ball, Leader Ball & Captain Ball
Year 6 Mixed Heat One - Tunnel Ball, Leader Ball & Captain Ball
Year 3 Mixed Heat Two - Tunnel Ball, Leader Ball & Captain Ball
Year 4 Mixed Heat Two - Tunnel Ball, Leader Ball & Captain Ball
Year 5 Mixed Heat Two - Tunnel Ball, Leader Ball & Captain Ball
Year 6 Mixed Heat Two - Tunnel Ball, Leader Ball & Captain Ball
Year 3 Mixed Heat Three - Tunnel Ball, Leader Ball & Captain Ball
Year 4 Mixed Heat Three - Tunnel Ball, Leader Ball & Captain Ball
Year 5 Mixed Heat Three - Tunnel Ball, Leader Ball & Captain Ball
Year 6 Mixed Heat Three - Tunnel Ball, Leader Ball & Captain Ball

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

Boys 10 – 12 Regional Cricket September 3 & 4
Gala Day 2 – 7 September
Girls 10 – 12 Regional Cricket September 12
YSS Ball Games (Years P – 6) – 11 September
Gala Day 3 – 19 October
Gala Day Reserve Day – November 2

Cameron Bateman

GREEN TEAM

Nude Food Day 2018

That's right...Nude Food Day is back for 2018. Lock Tuesday 16th October into your diaries and start planning and practising for your totally 'nude' lunch!

What is Nude Food? Nude Food is simply food that is not wrapped in foil, plastic or commercial packaging. The best type of nude food consists mainly of fresh food, so that it is healthy and nutritious PLUS environmentally friendly. Promoting Nude Food empowers students to make conscious choices about what they eat and encourages them to think about their impact on the environment (and their health). You might be amazed with how enthused your child can become on this...

There'll be prizes for the class with the least amount of rubbish, a prize draw for those with no rubbish at all, beeswax wrap workshop, a new bottle top artwork and lots more!

FROM THE CLASSROOM

Year 4

I just wanted to let you all know that in week 8 as part of our HASS unit on sustainability the Year Four students will be conducting a rubbish audit similar to the one on ‘The War On Waste’. During the eating time there will be various bins for student’s rubbish - plastic bottles, soft plastic, paper and food scraps. We are attempting to raise awareness of the need to be more diverse with our school recycling practices. Throughout the week we will be photographing and collecting all the different types of rubbish in order to analyse the data. We will have our Year Four ‘Waste Warriors’ assisting by directing students to the correct bins, cleaning out the plastics and bagging it all up. We will be presenting our findings at assembly in Week 1 Term 4.

Year 4 teachers

Prep Toohey Forest Excursion

Last week, our Prep students visited Toohey Forest Education Centre on the search of a Bunyip. The day included a bush walk, meeting a few native animals and doing some craft activities. A wonderful time was had by all, but unfortunately no Bunyip was found. Maybe our students next year will be able to find one…

CHAPPY’S-CHAT

96FIVE School Excursion

Mark this special date in your diary. On the last day of this term (Friday 21 September), the radio station 96FIVE will be doing a live radio broadcast for their breakfast program on our school oval. It will be a morning to wake up early for with Chappy pancakes, sausage sizzle, jumping castle, sporting games, coffee cart and loads more. Our staff will be interviewed live on air, and our senior choir will also be performing. I’m very excited about this event!

Qld Father of the Year Colouring Competition

Congratulations to this year’s winners of the colouring competition for our school. I have entered them into the state-wide competition and hope they will also be successful at that level.

Junior School winner – Shawn 1P
Senior School winner – Jaimie 4CH

Frontline Chaplaincy Appeal Dinner

This year’s event is being held on Monday October 15 at the Royal International Convention Centre, Bowen Hills with Anna Meares OAM as the keynote speaker, and jazz band SCAT as the night’s entertainment. If you are interested in joining with me at our school table, please email me to secure your place.

Upcoming events…

21 September - 96Five School Excursion
27-28 October - Camp at School with Dad
27 November - Sub and Drink Deal

Blessings,
Chappy Jenny

SCHOOL BANKING

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

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Well done Sam!

On Sunday 26 August, Sam from Year 3 ran the Bridge to Brisbane in memory of his brother, Archie. Together with his family and friends, Sam braved the weather and ran the entire 10km and has raised over $7000 for Brainchild Foundation.

Congratulations Willow

Willow from Year 4, at 9 years of age was part of the Qld team this year for trampolining and tumbling gymnastics. As one of the youngest athletes on the team, she competed at Nationals in Melbourne in May. Willow competed against all of Australia and New Zealand, receiving a 2nd over all in trampoline, a 3rd in tumbling, and a 3rd in synchronized trampoline for under 11’s. She also made the finals for double mini trampoline.

On the 17th - 19th of this month she also competed at states on the Gold Coast. Becoming State Champion for level 4 in trampoline! Also receiving 1st place with her partner in synchronized trampoline. And making finals in her other 2 events.

She is looking forward to National Clubs at the end of this month which are held on the Gold Coast this year!

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Yeronga Park Kindy Fete

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