IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO EDUCATE A CHILD

Collective Efficacy – It takes a community to educate a child is the Metropolitan Region’s vision. I wondered around our school last week with this in mind and noticed the following activities outside of the normal classroom happenings:

• Teachers in their role as sports coaches educating children about sportsmanship and team work
• YOSHC staff educating children on social skills like turn taking and resolving conflict
• Parents educating their children on how to enter and exit the school safely, appropriate ways to play with siblings and how to gain an adult’s attention in respectful ways
• Families helping to educate each other’s’ children about how to play before and after school, within the school guidelines
• The Green team educating children about how to live in a more environmentally friendly way
• Garden Club educating children about plants, compost and recycling
• Older and younger children teaching each other how to work in the technology space, using our robots, drones etc
• Tuckshop people educating children about what they could purchase.
• Office staff educating children on turn taking, manners and walking safely up and down stairs
• Staff educating children on how to play safely before school, including not to run on the paved areas!
• Volunteer scientists inspiring a love of all things Science by educating children about their field of expertise or interest
• Children teaching each other as they problem solve in nature play areas
• Adults modelling how to greet other people and show empathy
• Chappy Jenny has been teaching children how to get along during her weekly art classes.
• Year 6 Peer Mediators helping educate younger children on how to resolve conflict

We have a strong community at Yeronga SS, where everyone is invested in trying to help our children be the best they can be. The new air conditioning that is a result of an enormous community effort will help our children learn all day every day of the school year. The volunteers, consisting of parents, grandparents and members of the wider community, who help out inside and outside our school classrooms make an enormous contribution to better outcomes for our children. Thank you all for the many ways that you are educating yours and other people’s children in the way you conduct yourself in and around our school.

READY READERS

The Ready Reading program aims to improve literacy for children in Queensland through training parents and community members to support children’s reading. If you know of someone who would benefit from volunteering in their local school I encourage you to point them in the direction of the ready reading website below. We would welcome ready reading volunteers to support many students.

https://www.volunteeringqld.org.au/volunteers/ready-reading

PROMPT PAYMENTS

There are many opportunities offered to our students as part of our rich educational program, including excursions, incursions and sports gala days. As our school grows it is becoming more difficult for us to accommodate following up with those parents who do not make prompt payments. Last week the school office had to follow up with over thirty families who did not return their payment or permission slips. This is unsustainable. Failure to pay or return permission forms can leave teachers in a challenging position. Please alleviate this by registering for Q Parents and promptly paying your invoices. We appreciate your support to help us make the best use of our limited office resources.

CYBERSAFETY WORKSHOP

The Department of Education's Cybersafety and Reputation Management team (CSRM) advises, investigates and supports schools to manage online behaviours and digital reputation issues. Within this scope, the team draws on their  diverse experience, including police investigation, policy, social media marketing, and recruitment, to deliver up-to-date informative sessions about positive social media use.

We are offering parents a workshop on cybersafety, trending platforms, online dos and don’ts, and useful settings, delivered by the CSRM. The session will begin at 6:30pm in the school hall on Tuesday 3 September. The session goes for about 45 minutes, and will allow parents to ask questions throughout.

Please pre-register your intention to attend here: http://ems.gs/3wfq0kccrZg.  This session is open to all parents from our community and neighbouring communities.

You can read more about the department’s cybersafety program and resources on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/QEDCybersafetyAdvice/

WE ARE WINNERS

Congratulations to our Senior Girls soccer team who represented Met West at the SEQ Cup Soccer finals last Friday. The team won the title, winning all three games, with the final being a particularly tough context.  This team took out the Junior Girls title at the SEQ Cup final in 2018. They are a positive, cohesive and skilled team, working together to actively encourage and support each other to be the best they can. Thank you to Ms Alex McShane for an outstanding coaching feat. The incredible sportsmanship demonstrated by the team is a credit to your coaching and leadership.

The Senior Boys and Junior Boys missed Met West representation for the SEQ Cup by one game each, with the Junior Boys just missing out after playing one man down. The boys should be very proud of the stellar effort they delivered under challenging circumstances.  Mr Curness is their inspirational and skilled coach who is definitely hungry for success for his teams.  I sense that our Junior boys may well be at the SEQ cup next year.

STUDENT ENROLMENTS – 2020

To ensure we are able to plan successfully for next year and to try to avoid the necessity to renegotiate classes after Day 8, it is important for us to have accurate information regarding student enrolments for 2020. Please advise class teachers or the school office if your children will not be returning for 2020. We understand that plans may change between now and the beginning of next year, however families who know they are leaving can help us plan for a successful 2020. Thank you for your help.

CLASS ALLOCATIONS - 2020

Prep interviews for 2020 will begin shortly. If you or someone you know is yet to enrol, please do so ASAP. If you have any information of an educational nature you would like us to consider, please write to Mrs Paynter by Friday 11 October.  Any requests received after this date may not be able to be considered.

PARKING- PLEASE RESPECT OUR NEIGHBOURS

The school and our neighbours work together to help keep our students and the school safe. Please show respect to our neighbours by not parking across driveways. This not only causes unnecessary tension but also models poor behaviour to your children. Brisbane City Council regularly patrol around our school. Taking a few minutes to park respectfully can avoid unwanted consequences.

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Thank you to all our parents for your enthusiastic participation in our `speed dating’ nights over the last few weeks. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and we plan to continue this process next year. Please do let us know if you have a hearing concern so we can vary arrangements of where an interview takes place if necessary.

BYOiPad

Last week we offered opportunities for our Year 1 parents to learn more about the BYOD program. This is the third year that we have offered the opportunity for our parents to partner with us to create more seamless access to technology throughout the school day. During these sessions we had a few teachers share the way they are using the devices for learning. Mr Newby also shared some of his practice at the P&C Meeting. If you are a Year 1 parent who was unable to attend last week, please approach Deb Cowie in the resource centre as she would be happy to assist. Please do not hesitate to talk to me as I move around the school if you have any questions that you would like answered.

The next session on Tuesday 10 September, will provide information on hardware, app requirements and purchasing options. We will be seeking Expressions of Interest to be a part of this program by the end of the first week of Term 4.

The BYOD iPad program is not compulsory. The number of classrooms with one to one iPad environment is dependent on how many families choose to participate. The school can provide up to 20 devices for in school use to families who object philosophically, economically or logistically to the purchase of the iPads.  Less than the 80% participation rate means that we will have some classrooms that operate in a one to one environment and some that won’t. We will provide information at the beginning of Term 4 regarding participation rates.

Thank you for your support and understanding as we partner with you to create optimal, balanced learning opportunities for your children.

Debbie Spanner
Principal