Dear Families,

I wish you all a peaceful and rejuvenating break with your family and friends when it comes around next Thursday afternoon. Leading up to the Easter period is a holy period of observance for Christians across the world. One which considers the act of sacrifice and redemption commemorated through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The role of Easter Eggs and Bunny Rabbits can seem a curious manifestation coinciding with the most holy period for Christians. We also know that since pre-historic times people have celebrated the equinoxes and solstices as sacred times. In the northern hemisphere this celebration of spring has many cultural observances and it has been noted that bunnies and eggs are connected with fertility and renewal associated with the seasonal shift from hibernation to rejuvenation. As we come out of a sweltering summer in South East Queensland, I am thinking in Australia, we are celebrating the cooler drier weather of Autumn and the reprieve it brings. Whatever the period means to you, please enjoy happy memory making with the children. Childhood is short.

This coming Monday we celebrate Harmony Day with our parade of nations ceremony. This celebration is a long-standing tradition at Yeronga State School where every nation represented in our school community is acknowledged. This year the ceremony will take place in our outdoor amphitheatre. Please look out for correspondence via Schoolzine regarding the event. We are one and we are many at Yeronga State School.

The 2024 NAPLAN (National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy) testing period for year 3 and 5 students is now completed. Student Reports are expected to be available in Term 3. I wish to acknowledge the considerable preparation and delivery of the testing period by Liz Kemp our Head of Curriculum and thank all staff involved. The NAPLAN school and student reports are a valued piece of information contributing to future school planning priorities and individual student progress support plans.

In 2023 Schools were invited to apply for recurrent funding of a Chaplain or Student Wellbeing Officer. Our school community elected to engage a Student Wellbeing Officer instead of a School Chaplain following a period of consultation. I am pleased to inform the community that Jabiru Community Services have been identified as our preferred employing authority for supplying a Student Welfare Worker and are currently in the process of identifying a suitable person for our school. It is our hope our new Student Wellbeing Officer will commence at the start of next term. I will provide more information when the service model is completed and how students may access this valuable support.

It was a pleasure to participate in the first general meeting for the year with our new PandC Executive on Tuesday evening. I was encouraged by the enthusiasm of members and the meeting and optimism and ambition for our school. The past weekend of Trivia Night combined with the Council Election Polling Booth at the school was a successful fundraiser and community connection opportunity demonstrative of the expertise of our PandC. Thank you to all.

Our Quadriennial School Review will take place over Week 5 of Term 2 (14, 15&16 May). The school reviewers will be here for 3 days and will aim to talk with every staff member and as many students and families as possible. School reviews consider a school’s performance against the 9 domains of the School Improvement Tool. The School Improvement Tool recognises the critical roles that principals and their leadership teams play in school communities, and provides a clear road map for improving every school and every student’s results. The tool does not describe everything that effective schools do, but focuses on those practices that are most directly related to school-wide improvement and better outcomes for students. The tool will inform our school reviewer recommendations for the school community when designing the 2025-2028 School Strategic Plan.

I look forward to seeing all back here at school on the 15 April for the start of a great Term 2.

Eunice

ANZAC Day Ceremony

Every year, YSS holds a special ANZAC Day ceremony.  This year, like many years before, will include class wreath laying, and instrumental music by the Band and Strings Ensemble.  The special significance of Honour Ave plays a part in our ceremony. Since 1924 the students at the school have brought along small individual bouquets which they take out to Honour Ave and place around the trees which were planted by the community after WW1 to remember the 97 men and women who came from the area and who lost their lives during the war.

All school community members are invited to join us for the ANZAC Day ceremony on Wednesday 24^th April at 9am on the main oval.   We encourage all students to bring a small posie of flowers in sustainable wrapping to lay around the trees on Honour Avenue during the ceremony.

The traditional ANZAC Day March on the 25^th April will assembly on Park Rd from 6:30am.

Staff Spotlight

Yeronga State School Staff and Students

warmly invite you to join us

in celebrating our cultural diversity at

A Taste of Harmony Assembly and Picnic

Date:      Monday 25 March 2024

Time:     9:30 am – 10:45am

Venue:   Yeronga State School Outdoor Amphitheatre.

If it is raining this event will proceed in the Hall and undercover eating areas

Bring:    Food from your culture to share with your class

Wear:    Cultural dress or make your country’s flag and pin it to your uniform

Contact:  Sally Ainsworth EAL/D Teacher sains1@eq.edu.au

Running Club

Running club will continue until the end of the year unless the weather makes it impossible to run safely or public health restrictions return. Sessions will be held on Mondays, from 3:15 to 3:45 and Wednesdays from 7:45 to 8:15 with Mr Bateman. Mr Sutherland will be holding his sessions on Fridays from 7:45 to 8:15. Remember that all of these sessions will occur on the main, or years 3-6. Parents are most welcome to participate

Congratulations

Congratulations to our;

District Rugby League representatives; Cooper W and Lucas M.

Regional AFL Representatives; Mollie W, Ted H and Abraham C.

Football Goals

Please remember, that although these goals are metal, they are not built to be climbed upon. Please do not climb on them as you will be endangering yourself, damaging the goals and be the unhappy recipient of a white slip.

Yeronga State School (YSS) District Trial Selection (Years 4 to 6)

The representative pathway for school sport is for students aged 10 to 12 years. Yeronga is part of a very strong district which consists of 28 schools (Eastern Taipans District).

In most sports we are encouraged to send only 2 students from the school that demonstrate a very high level of ability. The majority of these teams are under 12 teams. A good guide for this is:

• A representative club player
• A top performer in your sport outside of school
• Playing in higher age groups
• Consistently demonstrating outstanding performances in interschool sport fixtures and training sessions in the highest division.

In order to be considered to attend a District Trial students should make themselves known to either (Mr Bateman or Mr Curness) at least 2 weeks prior to the trials.

Important Sporting Dates Term 1 & 2, 2024

22 March 2024 – Yeronga State School Senior and Junior School Cross Countries

23 April 2024 – Eastern Taipans District Rugby Union Trials

24 April 2024 – Eastern Taipans District Cross Country

26 April 2024 – Gala Day 2

7 May 2024 – Eastern Taipans District Boys & Girls Football

7 May 2024 – Eastern Taipans District Rugby Union

10 May 2024 – Gala Day 3

14 May 2024 – Eastern Taipans District Boys Football

17 May 2024 – Eastern Taipans District Boys & Girls Softtball

17 May 2024 – Gala Day Reserve Day

31 May 2024 – Eastern Taipans District Girls Football 11 & 12 Years Rugby League

YSS Easter Raffle

Don't miss your chance to grab some tickets in the P&C Easter raffle! The raffle winners will be drawn on Thursday the 28th of March, and the prizes will be delivered to the winners in their classrooms on the same day.

Please enter your child's class (e.g. Prep 1 or 3C) after their name when purchasing tickets to ensure prizes can get to the lucky winners (or email ysspc.raffle@gmail.com with your name and classroom details).

We are also accepting donations of Easter related items (eggs, craft etc) until Wednesday the 27th of March. These will be collected from classrooms by the fabulous senior students. We are hoping to have around 200 prizes again this year thanks to the generosity of the school community!

Buy tickets here: https://www.raffletix.com.au/?ref=k7nss

RISE Sport Term 2 registration is now open!  Please sign up via the portal to register.

Jabiru Newsletter: