14 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL REPORT

PRIVATE PROVIDERS/ NDIS PROVIDERS

We are often approached by parents requesting permission for private therapy providers/ NDIS providers to have access to schools. Please be aware that there is no automatic right to access schools and parents are required to make a request in writing to the Principal. As the Principal of this school it is my duty to ensure there is minimal impact on our core business of teaching and learning. I am very conscious of the extra workload granting access puts on my staff, including monitoring insurance cover and blue cards. I will consider each request on a case by case basis, taking in to account the following:

• Their duty of care to the safety and well-being of all students and their privacy
• The impact on student learning
• The benefit to the student
• The impact on other students and their learning
• Workplace health and safety
• The good management and running of the school.

I am actively encouraging you to respect the role of schools as education institutions and not therapy centres. Think carefully about whether school really is the most appropriate space for therapy to take place and consider all alternatives before making your request.

HOME LEARNING PROGRAM

Home Learning at Yeronga State School will consist of four parts:

1. Reading
2. Mathematics
3. Curiosity projects
4. Specialist subject tasks (5 minutes Spanish daily practice/ Music Collaboration project)

The first two components are compulsory and consist of 10-15 minutes of practice nightly. The third component is an elective from Year 2-5 and is key to our home learning approach.

1. READ READ READ
   Every children in our school is expected to read daily. Fluent readers who have good comprehension skills are more successful at school. Families who model a love of reading foster positive reading habits therefore every child should spend 10-15 minutes reading every day. In Prep this may take the form of parents reading good quality picture books from the school library and asking questions about the story and pictures. The children from Prep – Year 2 who are learning to read, are provided with Home Readers and it is important that your child read these each night. It is appropriate and even desirable for children to have multiple readings of a text so it is not essential to change the home reader every day. You can let the teacher know that you are planning to read it again. If you have a child who is a finding this daily practice onerous, please discuss with your class teacher so they can suggest some strategies that might help.
   Older children who are reading to learn, should be encouraged to read a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts, including poetry. Continuing the practice of a book before bed and talking about some of the topics that arise is a great way of staying connected to your child and incidentally discussing values and beliefs. If your older child is not a keen reader, I encourage you to see Ms Hage or Mrs Cowie, our school librarians, who could suggest some great series that tend to motivate our most reluctant readers.
   Please refer to the school home learning policy for other ideas to help your child with reading.
2. CURIOUS AND RISK TAKING MATHEMATICIANS
   Home learning tasks for Mathematics complements and reinforces classroom learning while developing sound study habits and time management skills. Home learning is an extension of the classroom and therefore focuses on developing student’s proficiency in mathematics, specifically students understanding, fluency, problem solving and reasoning. 10-15 minutes per night is the maximum expectation.
3. CURIOSITY PROJECTS
   Curiosity projects are an opportunity for children to choose to investigate one or more suggestions provided by their class teacher during each term, which will support and deepen their understanding of subject content and skills. Students in Year 2-5 can choose whether or not to complete a project and also choose how they will share their learnings with the rest of the class, at a time negotiated with their class teacher. Parents are encouraged to discuss their children’s plans with them and are welcome to help (not take over!) if they want to.
4. SPANISH/ MUSIC/ PHYSICAL EDUCATION PRACTICE
   Five minutes daily can make all the difference to fluency in these subject areas. The specialist teachers will give your children information or resources to access to help them practice. I encourage you to get in the habit of doing so to ensure your children get the most out of their language, music and sport programs.

Celebrating Past Student Leaders

I was delighted to attend the Yeronga State High School Induction ceremony this year and give a badge to Jackson Boyd, passed Yeronga State School Vice- Captain as Yeronga State High School Captain. I have also heard along the grapevine that ex-Yeronga State School students are school captains at 5 other High schools:

Indooroopilly State School Captain
Corinda State School Captains
Cavendish Road State School Captain

We are incredibly proud of our Senior Leadership program and feel that this may contribute in some way to our past students doing so well leadership wise in secondary school.

Debbie Spanner
Principal

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL REPORT

DEPUTY PRINCIPALS

What a fabulous fortnight we have had at Yeronga State School! Classrooms were full of children learning and being curious, our first Year 3-6 Assembly was a great occasion and our new Prep students and their families joined in the fun at the Prep Welcome BBQ.

Active School Travel - Let’s get active!

Yeronga State School has been selected as one of 18 new schools joining Brisbane City Council’s Active School Travel (AST) program in 2019.

We look forward to working with the following 17 schools in 2019:

• Acacia Ridge State School
• Brookfield State School
• Cannon Hill Anglican College
• Christ the King Primary School, Graceville
• Darra State School
• Grand Avenue State School, Forest Lake
• Islamic College of Brisbane, Karawatha
• Junction Park State School, Annerley
• Newmarket State School
• Sacred Heart Primary School, Sandgate
• Serviceton South State School, Inala
• Sherwood State School
• St Ambrose’s Primary School, Newmarket
• St Anthony’s Primary School, Kedron
• St Kieran’s Primary School, Brighton
• Stretton State College
• Wooloowin State School

Active School Travel promotes clean and green, active and healthy school travel modes such as walking, cycling, scootering, carpooling and public transport. Over the next three years, our school will receive a range of free resources, tools, incursions from Council to enable active travel to and from school.

By choosing to actively travel to school, at least one day a week on our active travel day (Wednesday), we can reduce traffic congestion at the school gate, improve our students’ road safety awareness, create a cleaner environment, and improve our health and fitness! Or if you have to drive, park the car away from the school and actively travel the rest of the way.

This year we will launch our Active School Travel with a special presentation at the junior assembly on Thursday 7th March at 1:45pm. Our first Active School Travel event will be coincide with National Ride or Walk to School day – Friday 22nd March – more details to come as we get closer.

As part of the Active School Travel program, students participate in their weekly active travel day – Wednesday – beginning Wednesday 13th March. Each Wednesday, students who actively travel get their passports stamped. When students reach target trips in their passport, they are eligible for an Active School Travel reward. There are lots of great rewards for your children – highlighters, bouncy balls, etc.

We strongly encourage you to be part of this great initiative to change our school environment and culture – we are still looking for parent helpers, so if you would like to join us please email Tracy Freeman tfree19@eq.edu.au

Student Council

Each year the students in Years 3 - 6 have the opportunity to vote for a class representative to join the student council. This election process took place last week and the successful representatives will presented with their badges as part of the forthcoming leadership induction ceremony.

Ms Masselos and Mrs Paynter are eager to work closely with this year’s Student Council Representatives to enable this group to provide a voice for the students of Yeronga State School. These students will also be invited to be part of the Halogen Young Leader’s Day, held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday 1st March. This is an exciting leadership opportunity for our students to hear from a variety of high profile speakers and develop their future leadership potential.

Bridge Builders

Bridge Builders is the school’s conflict resolution and peer mediation program. This program is used in every class and in the playground. The aim of the program is to teach students the nature of conflict, behaviour is a choice, how to respond to conflict, how to manage emotions, how to work out conflict and the role of others in conflict.

Each classroom has the Bridge Builders posters displayed for students and staff to refer to. The Bridge Builder strategies are taught to students through classroom lessons and are reinforced during weekly assemblies. The Peer mediators also help our junior students to remember the strategies during lunch breaks.

The Bridge Builders Peer Mediators are a selected group of Year 6 students who are rostered to be in the junior playground during lunch breaks to assist junior students to care for others and resolve conflict with each other in the playground. The program helps in developing responsible learners who have ownership for their problem solving and focusses on positive relationships.

Assembly

Assemblies have started for the year. These are a wonderful opportunity for parents and the school community to come together and hear about the happenings in our school.

This year we will continue to operate our weekly assembly as two groups:

Juniors (Prep – Year 2) – Thursday 1.45pm (even weeks)
Seniors (Year 3 – Year 6) – Thursday 1.45pm (odd weeks)

Parent Information Evenings

During Week 4 and 5 we will be holding parent information sessions to provide an opportunity for parents to find out year level specific information for the year ahead. Details are as follows:

• Junior School (Prep- Year 2) 6pm Wednesday 13 February. Session to start at 6pm in the Hall, followed by ‘break out’ sessions in classrooms from 6.30-7.30pm.
• Senior School (Yr 3-6) 6pm Wednesday 20 February. Session to start at 6pm in the Hall, followed by ‘break out’ sessions in classrooms from 6.30-7.30pm.

Parent Information Evenings are a perfect opportunity to build relationships with your child’s teacher and hear information about the year ahead. Topics to be discussed include school priorities, Curiosity and Powerful Learning, communication between parents and teachers, home learning, year level curriculum, BYOD (Year 2 & 3), leadership opportunities (Year 5 and 6), camps and excursion information, assessment, reporting and NAPLAN information (Year 3 and 5).

Before and After School Arrangements

All students who are not attending Yeronga Outside School Hours Care (YOSHC) should aim to arrive after 8:30am. If students arrive between 8:15am – 8:30am they need to sit under C Block to read or talk quietly. If you have a child that is enrolled in Prep, they need to be signed in by a parent/ caregiver or by YOSHC. No students should be in the school grounds before 8:15am. Parents who need to drop students at school before 8:15am need to enrol in YOSHC. It is a great safety concern to have children who are unsupervised in the school grounds. YOSHC is open every morning from 7am.

If you have a child that is enrolled in Prep, they need to be signed in by a parent/ caregiver or by YOSHC staff every morning.

After school all 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.

We understand that family life often involves unexpected changes to routines. We appreciate the efforts our families make to manage their schedule to work within these times and thank you for your understanding around this very important safety matter.

Help keep our children safe

For your child’s safety please ensure that students only enter the school grounds via the pedestrian gates (not the through any of the car parks). Cars are not to park in the school grounds. Street parking is available for parents. We also have a 2 minute – Stop, Kiss and Go area on Park Road.

The safety of our students is our priority, as these spaces have continual vehicle movement it is imperative that no student, even with and adult, walk through these areas. We thank you for your assistance in keeping our school a safe place to learn, grow and have fun.

Upcoming Events

We would love to see you at our upcoming events at the start of this term.

They include:

• Student Leader Induction Ceremony: Thursday 21 February 9am
• Senior Cross Country: Monday 18 February

Kate Paynter and Tracy Freeman

Physical Education

Cross Country Training

Cross Country Training has begun with the climax being the School Cross Country on 18 February. Sessions will be on Mondays from 7:45 to 8:15 and Tuesdays from 3:15 to 3:45 with Mr Bateman and Fridays 7:45 to 8:15 with Mr Sutherland. These sessions are run free of charge.

A wise man said; “a run a day”. Not only has this maxim filled our trophy cabinets with district cross country trophies, but it has also meant that children wanting to participate in other sports had the baseline fitness that made those other sports easier. Following that maxim meant that coaches could concentrate much more on skills.

Gala Days

Gala Days are well and truly on the horizon. Options include Boys and Girls Football (What used to be called Soccer), Rugby League and Girls Softball and Teeball. The dates for these very important days are, weather permitting, 8 March, 22 March and 31 May. Children need to start thinking seriously about which of these sports they would like to commit to as they will be required to attend 3 Gala Days and training for those gala days.

Swimming

Swimming will begin in week 4 and finish in week 9. However it will only be offered to year 1 and 2 students due to Athletics Commitments for years 3 to 6. Students will need goggles, a rashie, togs, towel, sturdy bag, spare underwear & Flip Flops (thongs). These sessions provide high quality swimming instruction across the school. We will be implementing these lessons, in conjunction with the staff of Yeronga Park Pool. This means the instructors will take the lessons for all children from Year 1 to 2 to enhance childrens’ competence in Aquatics. Not only are these children being given expert stroke correction in small ability specific groups, but also water safety knowledge and skills. These lessons will cost $7.50 per lesson.

Thanks again to Yeronga Park Pool for its continued support. They not only discount our lessons, but also give us our carnivals and various play days free of charge.

Athletics Carnival

The Yeronga State School Athletics Carnival has been brought forward one term from our usual June date to 25 March. This date is a direct impact of National Athletics being held in Darwin.

As with all of these events we would like to extend an invitation to all parents to attend this carnival. Additionally we would very much appreciate some help in officiating on the day. Last year we had a very healthy contingent of parents assisting which made the carnival a very smooth operation. If you can spare some time it would be most appreciated.

Athletics Selection Trials (Years 3 to 6)

These will commence next Friday and the following schedule informs students and parents what will be happening in each of the following weeks. These trials are held to select the finalists and relay teams from each House for our Senior Athletics Carnival.

Senior Cross Country Day 18 February (Reserve Day: Thurs 28 February)

This year the date for our cross country has been brought forward due to the impact of National Athletics being held in Darwin. As we have had to move our cross country date into February we have had to add extra safeguards for the impacts of heat.

As well as having drinking water on course we have included a reserve day. This date is noted above. If we deem the heat predicted on the set date to make it unsafe for our students to run then we will postpone our cross country to the reserve day. Unfortunately we will not be able to make a decision until we are very close to the set date due to the fickleness of the weather. If our reserve day also proves to be unsuitable then we will look at a selection trial involving only those wishing to attend the District Cross Country with our School Cross being delayed until the weather becomes more Autumnal.

All children will be expected, unless medically unable, to participate in the Cross Country. The children who are 8 years old will run a smaller course inside the school grounds. The children who age from 9 to 12 years will be given the option of running a long course (outside the school grounds) or a short course (within the school grounds). Those who opt for the short course will be identified by a fluorescent vest they must wear. The difference between the course options is that the long course option allows children to qualify for the Yeronga State School team for the Eastern Taipans District Cross Country and compete to be Age Champion.

Please remember that the team for the Eastern Taipans District Cross Country will not be settled for a week or more after the Yeronga State School Cross Country as we may have a number of children absent on the day and our policy is to allow those either absent due to illness or higher representative honours the opportunity to challenge for a place in teams at a later date.

ORDER OF EVENTS FROM 9.00 am

1. Boys Born 2007
2. Girls Born 2007
3. Boys Born 2008
4. Girls Born 2008
5. Boys Born 2009
6. Girls Born 2009
7. Boys Born 2010
8. Girls Born 2010
9. Boys Born 2011
10. Girls Born 2011

Absence From Cross Country

If you know that you will be absent from the Cross Country day and are keen to have a time recorded please see Mr Bateman so that this may be done before the 18th of February. If you are ill on the day you will need to collect a form from Mr Bateman to have a time recorded after the event to be considered for District Selection. We will be using the times of the top 8 in the 10, 11 and 12 year events for comparisons

Cross Country Day Helpers

If you would like to volunteer time to help either as a check point attendant or a finish line official your help would be most appreciated. It is always great to have extra pairs of eyes and ears available. We have been blessed, for many years, with wonderful volunteers like Ruth Bennett. Thank you Ruth for so many great years of selfless service.

Yeronga State School (YSS) District Trial Selection Policy Special Consideration (Years 3 to 6)

The representative pathway for school sport is for children from 10 to 12 years of age. Yeronga is part of a very strong district which consists of 28 schools from Yeronga State School to the Calamvale area. In contact and skill team sports those aged 11 and 12 need to possess the advantages of size and speed, as well as skill on most occasions. Selectors will choose those with the skill and the resilience to compete at a higher level. Remember that selectors give up their time for these trials meaning that it is important for us to send only those ready to compete at a higher level. Very seldom is it appropriate to send students for experience. An indicator of readiness for participation at a higher level would be being among the best 3 or 4 players in most games for your club under 12 teams.

In order to be selected to attend a District Trial children should make themselves known to me (Mr Bateman) for either a selection trial with the appropriate teacher or so that they may be given the appropriate forms. Remember that children must give at least two weeks notice that they wish to attend a district trial to allow for a school selection trial to be held in the event of a great deal of interest being shown in a particular sport.

Important Sporting Dates

YSS Athletics Trials: 15/02/2019, 22/02/2019 & 15/03/2019
District Swimming Trial: 13 February
YSS Senior Cross Country: 18 February (Reserve Day: 28 February)
District Boys Touch Trial: 25 February & 7 March
District Golf: 25 February
Boys and Girls District Basketball Trials: 26 February
Regional Swimming Trial: 27 February
District Girls Touch Trial: 28 February
District 10-12 Years Netball Trials: 7 March
Gala Day One: 8 March
District Hockey: 11 March
YSS (8-12 years) 1500m: 13 March (1:45 – 3:00)
District Boys AFL Trials: 18 March
YSS (8-12 years) Discus Day: 19 March
Regional Basketball Trial: 19 March
District Rugby League Trials: 19 & 21 March
YSS (8-12 years) 800m: 20 March (1:45 – 3:00)
District Boys AFL Trials: 20 March
Gala Day Two: 22 March
YSS (8-12 Years) Senior Athletics: 25 March
Regional Hockey Trial: 2 April
Regional Netball Trial: 2 April
Regional Girls AFL: 3 April
District Cross Country: 4 April

District Swimming

Congratulations to all the students who made the district swimming team – (Boys: Hayden C, Liam C, Will G, George H, Charlie V, Cameron W) (Girls: Ellyana A, Eadie B, Georgie B, Georgiia M, Matilda S.) They will not be going to Regionals on the 27th February, we wish them all the best.

Cameron Bateman

Chappy News

Valentine’s Day…

It’s the date on the calendar that you might embrace, or it could make you cringe. Whatever emotion it might stir, it is a great reminder to tell your loved ones, that you really do, well, love them. And it doesn’t just have to be our significant other, but we can also acknowledge the important little people in our lives. Michelle Dougan, from Barnados Children’s Services UK says that, “Love makes a strong foundation for life – a child who feels loved and valued will grow up with emotional resilience. Unconditional love gives a child confidence for the challenges ahead. When you create a secure base and firm bond, you’re building a foundation for their emotional and mental wellbeing into adulthood.”

It’s easy to express our love for our family by doing things – cooking, driving them around, organising weekends, helping with homework, and other parenting energy zappers. Actually saying, “I love you” to your children regularly and sincerely, is also important for their development. A recent study by Melbourne therapist, Joanne Goulding found that 80% of adults felt like their parents didn’t really love them when they were a child. She says that “their love might have been buried under feelings of overwhelm, exhaustion, loneliness, and worry.”

So when was the last time you spoke those three little words, “I love you”? Is it an important part of your every day? Just as doing things for our family is important, extending words of encouragement and love can not only make your child’s day, but change their future.

Chappy Pancakes…

Come and enjoy a pancake breakfast from 7:30-8:30am on Tuesday 26 February. It is a yum way to start the day, and you will meet other families in our school community. $2 Pancakes $1 Juice, Tea & Coffee. Funds raised from this event will be used towards the food program for families in need.

Coming up this term….

26/2 Chappy Pancakes
21/3 Harmony Day Assembly
29/3 “Sub and drink deal” Lunch

Other dates to remember…

26/7 Chappy’s Movie Night
26-27/10 Camp at School with Dad

Blessings,
Jennifer Bennett

P & C REPORT

EASTER RAFFLE

The P&C are in need of a wonderful volunteer who would like to co-ordinate the Easter Raffle. The raffle is a major fundraiser for our school were all profit goes straight back to improving facilities for our community. The raffle will be drawn in the last week Term 1 so it’s very important that work starts on this project now.

The co-ordinator’s job oversees the running of the raffle with full support from the P&C Finance Officer. If your passion is chocolate and gift wrapping then this gig is for you. For more information or to put up your hand to help email Ruth ruthbennett4105@gmail.com

Rocklea BUNNINGS BBQ and CAKE STALL THIS SATURDAY 16th

Thanks to all who have nominated sometime this coming Saturday to flip some snags and sell some cake at the Bunnings BBQ and cake stall. This is a great way to raise funds for the school. There are a few more slots to fill, so jump online to sign up and donate a bit of your time. If you are busy, that's ok, maybe whip up your favourite sweet recipe instead, we are taking cake donations to sell at the cake stall. Fudges, muffins, cakes, tarts, you name it, if you can bake it, we can sell it. Drop off times are Friday 15th at the tuckshop 8:00am - 9:30am and again at 2:45 - 3:30pm. We will have packaging and stickers to indicate allergens at these times, or if you wish to collect packaging earlier, please contact Juliet on 0417177199.

IT'S FETE!!

The 2019 Fete is taking shape and it's looking exciting! Mark Saturday the 25th May in your calendars and get set for some busy fun as we band together to create a great day out for the whole family and raise some much needed funds for our amazing school. There will be a lot of activity and communication in the lead up to the big day. To keep you updated and informed, stay on top of it all by liking our fete facebook page and keep an eye on your inbox for messages from your parent rep and the fete newsletter. There will be plenty of opportunities to help out, but if you are feeling like you want to get involved, feel free to reach out, yssfete@gmail.com

FETE LEVY and DONATIONS

In previous years, we leaned pretty heavily on the school community to donate various items to assist with the running of the fete. To keep things simple this year, rather than making multiple requests for various donations (chocolates/drinks/wine etc), all we are asking is for an optional fete levy to help us acquire some of the items needed to create a fantastic event. This is a small amount of $10 per family and saves a lot of hassles all round, so please jump onto flexischools and show your support. Of course we are always looking to re-purpose pots for plant stalls and pre-loved clothes and books for the vintage stalls, so look out for opportunities to clear out some of your junk and make it someone else's treasure! Or if your family runs a business and has something cool to donate to use towards prizes for the raffle or cent auction, we would love to hear from you at yssfete@gmail.com.

Fete News:

The fete committee is gearing up for an awesome fete this year. We are currently seeking sponsors and we need your help to spread the word amongst our local community or your affiliated organisations.

This is great opportunity to get involved, gain exposure and support our school.

P&C AGM:

At the 2019 AGM on Tuesday, 19 February, several P&C Executive team members will be stepping down from the committee to make way for new parent representatives. Please let us know if you would like to join the team - we'd love to hear from you. In accordance with the P&Cs QLD Constitution, all nominations for executive positions should be received in writing prior to the AGM, via the P&C Executive Officer Nomination Form.

The 2019 AGM will be followed by our first general meeting of the year.

Please contact us if you are interested in taking on a more active role in the P&C but would like more information around roles and responsibilities, at yerongasspandc@gmail.com.

P&C Memberships:

2018 memberships will lapse at the AGM. We've made it easy for you to join the P&C or renew your membership via our online 2019 Membership form (ideally before 19 February). There is no obligation to attend meetings. Membership numbers help us with grant applications and allows us to keep you updated with copies of monthly minutes.

Just One Thing:

One of the things that makes Yeronga State School such a great place is our active and friendly school community. Our school is as strong as everyone’s contribution and the Yeronga SS P&C aims to provide a range of opportunities for you to enjoy connecting with your school community. We invite every Yeronga SS family to nominate to do ‘Just One Thing’ during the school year to assist the P&C to make a big contribution to our kids and school, via our Just One Thing survey. It only takes a couple of minutes to click on your 'One Thing'. We will then contact you to help out when required.

Senior Cross Country Snow Cones:

The P&C are selling $2 snow cones at the Senior Cross Country on Monday 18th February. Volunteers are required to help set up, serve and pack up so our Grade 3-6 students can enjoy a well earned snow cone after running the Cross Country. If anyone is able to help for an hour or two between 8.30am and 11.30am please sign up here

Easter Raffle:

Information will be coming home in the next couple of weeks about the Easter Raffle 2019. This is always a really popular event in the school calendar and a great fundraiser. If you’re interested in being involved and helping please contact us at yerongasspandc@gmail.com.

pandc@yerongass.eq.edu.au

Jo Thompson

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.

Office Reminders

How to download the SZapp

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.

Dogs on School Grounds

A reminder that dogs are to be on a leash if brought in to the schools grounds. It would also be greatly appreciated if you could use bins outside the school grounds to deposit any droppings that you pick up. Placing these in the empty bins within the school grounds can create a health issue. Your support is appreciated.

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 Donna at dmarr26@eq.edu.au for a personal invitation.

Donna Marriott

MUSIC

WHAT’S GOING ON IN MUSIC?

Over the next few weeks, I would like to take the opportunity to show you what a few year levels have been working on in classroom music.

YEAR 1

Students in Year 1 have been working on their ability to sing alternating phrases of songs with another person (a call and response song structure). Students are learning how to maintain their own part and how to sing in tune with their partner. Specific songs that have helped with learning these skills have included, ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’, ‘Doggie, Doggie’ and ‘Baa, Baa, Black Sheep’. We have also been exploring phrase structures in songs with the use of a parachute where we alternate our parachute actions for each phrase of the song. The parachute has been a huge hit, especially for songs like ‘Ring-a-Ring-a-Rosie’ and ‘Bounce High, Bounce Low’.

YEAR 3

Year 3 have jumped into music head-first this year making a quick start on their ‘Music Battles’ unit. It has been pleasing to see so many students keen and ready to learn with their new recorders as they undertake the ‘Recorder Karate’ challenge. All students who attended their lesson this week learnt the white belt song, ‘Busy B’ and they will be given the opportunity to earn their white belt next week if they can play the song fluently keeping their left hand at the top of the recorder and, if they use tonguing to separate the crotchet ‘ta’ notes. Year 3 students have been reminded that the recorder program in is an excellent opportunity to show that they are good candidates for the Instrumental Music program next year. This can be demonstrated through the development of a strong home practise regime and by showing that they can remember to bring their recorder and music to school each Tuesday.

YEAR 4

Year 4 students have spent the first few weeks of music this year brushing up on their rhythm skills. They have achieved this by experimenting with, creating and playing 4-beat rhythmic patterns using the noodle notes and by participating in the Rhythm Wars game. Students have also worked together to derive how the class rules can be set to known, simple-time rhythms. This has been good practise for their first assessment piece; a composition task where they write a song about a place in Australia and set the words to known simple-time rhythms and notes.

Finally, it has been pleasing to see such a huge turn-out of students to both the Stella Voce and Cosmio Singers rehearsals. Thank you also to all Stella Voce members for the quick return of your Singfest forms. If your child did not receive a Singfest Expression of Interest form and they are a Stella Voce member, please email me at leeas0@eq.edu.au for another form.

Yours in Music,
Lauren Easey

BYOD - iPads

There are many benefits to using iPads in schools.

Preparing for the future The world today’s students are growing up in is becoming increasingly tech-addicted. We use our mobile devices all the time for just about everything these days. Today’s students will likely be using mobile devices in their future careers, so why not teach them with the tools they will be working with in the future. It provides opportunity for teaching respectful/appropriate use of mobile devices which they will be using as adults and future professionals.

Collaboration is easier With iPad technology in the classroom, students can easily collaborate on projects and even with students from other schools. Collaboration is key to engagement in today’s classrooms.

Learning beyond the classroom walls Students spend countless hours outside the classroom on their mobile devices. So why not use that to your advantage. Let them use these devices as engaging learning tools in the classroom. Then, they can easily bring their homework, educational games, projects, books, etc. and everything they need to continue learning outside the classroom can be accessed with a swipe of the finger.

Personalized instruction iPads provide the opportunity for personalized education. Teachers can use media to meet different learning needs. Then all students can learn and excel at their own pace.

Learning is more interactive Having iPads allows student to use their own technology in the classroom to make learning more fun and interactive than ever before. Students can interact with students and experts in other countries, create a digital scavenger hunt, take virtual field trips, the possibilities are endless and kids love it!

Increased Engagement Students these days live for technology. So it only makes sense to utilize their love for technology in the classroom to keep them engaged.

Student and Teacher swap roles Using changes the entire teaching model. With the technology they are using, students can have more authority over their own learning. They can pose questions and do research instead of just listening to a lecture.

eBooks In the real world, things and information are constantly changing. By the time most textbooks reach the classroom, parts of them are already outdated. Using iPads allows students’ access to the most updated information available through ebooks/digital textbooks. We use Worldbook online. Many digital textbooks also offer interactive aspects as well. Plus, students can easily tote them around and access them whenever they choose.

Year 2 and Year 3

BYOD is off to a great start in 2019, with all Year two and Year three students set up with ipads and connected to the EQ wifi. Thank you to those parents who have provided their children with iPads as this has enabled every child in these two year levels to access an iPad at school.

We are often asked, “why can’t the students not in year two and three bring their iPads”. Many factors influence this decision, including network infrastructure, professional development for teachers and the support of parents. The most dominant factor is the network infrastructure within the school. For every ipad to be effective, each class needs to have a wireless access point (WAP) within each classroom. The network wiring needs to be able to support a WAP in each classroom. Our school is scheduled for an upgrade in 2019 and until this happens the number of WAP’s within the school restricts us from having a BYOD program across the school.

Using iPads within the classroom is not about the latest hardware or the flashiest apps. Effective pedagogy underpins effective teaching and learning. Yeronga uses Curiosity and Powerful learning as its pedagogical framework. Our teachers undergo a rigorous professional development program where they receive coaching in Writing, Inquiry and Digital pedagogy to enable them to deliver high quality learning experiences for every child. Making sure our teachers feel confident to engage in BYOD program is important work. The children in Year 3 have come into the year level with more experience in one-to-one environments then our teachers. The professional learning programs teachers engage in help them to feel confident in providing valuable learning opportunities for their class.

The parent support for the BYOD program is valued and this support allows us to provide additional resources such as access to 3D printers, drones, robots etc. Yeronga State School is an inclusive school and we ensure that that resources are available for those that cannot participate in the BYOD program. The support that many parents give to the BYOD program allows their children to share the learning that happens each day more readily. This is one of the many benefits of children having their own iPads. We understand the desire for parents to see their other children being able to participate in BYOD too. For Year 4-6 we have a MOD program, where children are allowed to bring an electronic device to school when their teachers believe it is necessary. A MOD agreement has to be signed first. I will share more about this program next time.

Debbie Cowie

SPANISH

Junior Spanish program Prep – Year 3 and 3/4 multi-age class.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome past and new families to Yeronga State School.

Me llamo Señora Andrea Bueno, I am the Spanish Teacher for Prep to Year 3 and also teaching the multi-age 3/4 class. This is my second year at Yeronga. I look forward in continuing to share our learning in future newsletters throughout the year to watch our students shine and support them in becoming global language learners.

Dear Prep parents/carers

Yeronga will be participating and trialling the ELLA F-2 program. The ELLA F-2 program will give students a great opportunity to expose them not just in learning a language but also cultural competence. ELLA is a digital, play-based program that includes a series of interactive applications (apps), aimed at making language learning engaging and interesting for children in early years of schooling. Stay tuned, as I will be sharing more information as we get closer in launching the program.

Gracias Señora Bueno

Spanish School’s Creed:

Senior Spanish program Years: four to six classes

Buenos días a toda la comunidad de Yeronga! Yo soy Yanirza Rodriguez Cardenas, I am the senior Spanish Teacher for Years 4 to 6. I am very pleased to start working at Yeronga State School, after more than 10 years of experience teaching languages, social science and business, at different primary, secondary and university institutions in Brisbane.

I am now an active part of this community and thus, would like to let you know that I am totally committed to support and enhance your son and/or daughter’s school care and instruction. Also, I would like to make of this a very positive experience for the life long educational journey that they had just started.

Further, I would greatly appreciate your assistance in order to persuade your son/daughter of a school active and positive participation in order to take advantage of this valuable opportunity of learning Spanish as a second language, when attending this delightful and pioneering YSS.

If you have concerns regarding the Spanish language learning process of your son/daughter, please contact me via email at yxrod0@eq.edu.au

Finally, students from YSS would participate on MLTQ language competitions later this year. The competitions are currently being organised; therefore, I would offer more details on that at the beginning of next semester!

With kind regards
Señora Rodríguez

SCHOOL BANKING

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

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