LOCKDOWNS

Our school regularly practices lockdowns and evacuations to help our children be prepared in case of an emergency. We are very good at classroom lockdowns so early next week we are going to practice a lunch time lockdown so children know what to do if there was an emergency when outdoors. Our staff will debrief with the children afterwards. We usually talk about examples of a lockdown being facilitated by a strange dog on the premises or a person having a heart attack and needing medical attention etc so they understand it is not only linked to worst case scenarios. If your child seems particularly concerned about lockdowns or evacuations, please let the class teacher know so we can help you reassure them. If you need any further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Deputy Principal.

Senior Leader Application process

Each year we begin the senior leader application process in Term 4, to determine which of our Year 5 cohort will become a senior leader for 2020. From this pool, applicants for formal school positions such as School Captains, House Captains, Music Captains, Active School travel Captain, Resource Captain, ICT Captain, Bell Captains etc are selected. Eligibility for senior leadership position is determined by a student gaining endorsement from a variety of teachers for their application. Behaviour records for the last year are also considered.

Our students understand the level of responsibility and commitment required when holding a leadership position at Yeronga State School. Prep Buddies, Class helpers and Sports Room rosters are just three examples of activities senior leaders may be involved in. Formal positions come with additional responsibilities. Parents have to approve a child’s application to indicate you and they understand the commitment they are making.

Please see the Student Leadership booklet on the school website for role description responsibilities and process for selection. The timeline is captured on the final page of this booklet.  Forms for Senior Leadership application were distributed yesterday and are due in by 2:30pm Monday 4 November.

SCHOOL CAMPS, OUTDOOR LEARNING and NATURE PLAY

Learning opportunities in different contexts allow children to practice transferring skills to new environments. It was delightful to see our children using the Learner Assets of Self Manager, Researcher, Communicator, Collaborator and Thinkers at the Year 5 camp as they wrestled with some challenging dramatic simulations. The feedback from the camp facilitators indicated that our children were collaborating, creatively problem solving and thinking critically in more sophisticated ways than many other groups they work with. This is such a great endorsement for the inquiry approach that we adopt to allow our children to practice these `soft skills’. There is an Outdoor Learning Day on 7 November that many teachers are registering for although our teachers are continually looking for opportunities to take the learning outdoors.

Nature play is also a wonderful opportunity for our children to practice learning assets outdoors. The photos below capture some of our Year 1 children creating a museum in the Year 1  Nature Play area. I wonder what they were talking about!

STUDENT RESOURCE SCHEME

Thank you to the many families who have registered for the student resource scheme this year. Involvement in the student resource scheme gives staff greater flexibility to cover resources they may require for the student-led inquiry units. Students can then acquire resources without asking for contributions from home throughout the year.   If you missed the cut off for registering for the Student Resource Scheme, please e-mail admin or collect a hard copy from the office. They must be completed by 3pm this Monday 28 October to ensure resources are available from the local supplier for Day 1 2020.

Debbie Spanner
Principal

Term Four is in full swing, now with a strong focus on teaching and learning, as well as our swimming lessons which are up and running. The weather is changing and it is timely to remember to be prepared for the warmer months by ensuring that students always have their school hat and full water bottle every day.

Our staff enjoyed a comprehensive day of professional development on the Pupil Free Day with a focus on team building, Curiosity and Powerful Learning ‘Theories of Action’, Mathematics curriculum planning and the Essential Skills for Classroom Management.

It’s been a hectic two weeks to start of the term with Year One Big Bang Science, The Year Two Excursion, Year Five Camp, Year Six Big Bang, Year Six visit to the Stephens RSL, a visit from Yeronga C & K Kindy and Gala Day Three.

Year Five Camp

A big shout out to the fabulous Year Five students, as well as the staff who gave their time to attend the highly successful Year 5 Camp- Ms Masselos (organiser extraordinaire!), Mr Curness, Mrs Spanner, Mrs Paynter, Mrs McGuire and Mr Landbeck. Our students certainly represented all the Learner Assets of Yeronga State School well and we felt so proud of them.

Academic Awards

We look forward to celebrating the achievements of our students during the last week of Term Four.

The dates for the Awards Ceremonies for 2019 have been set as follows:

Thursday 12 December

9.00am: Year Five and Six

9.45am: Year Three and Four

Friday 13 December

9.00am: Year One and Two

See below details of the criteria for Awards (as set when the criteria for Yeronga State School Awards were reviewed in 2018).

Effort Awards

Citizenship Award – Walker Award (named after Mrs Carla Walker)

Reading Support- The Reading Centre

Did you know that the Reading Centre provides a Reading disorders service for educators and parents of students who are at risk for or experiencing difficulties learning to read? The centre provides professional learning workshops and webinars. To register, go to https://ahrc.eq.edu.au/services/workshops.

Educators and parents can also access an advisory service for advice, information and support on reading disorders, including dyslexia. Contact the Reading Centre at reading.centre@qed.qld.gov.au or phone 07 3328 6950.

World Teacher’s Day

On Friday 25 October we will take the time to recognise the amazing contribution that our Teachers make to the lives of their students. The United Nations' (UN) World Teachers' Day celebrates the role teachers play in providing quality education at all levels, which has in turn enabled children and adults of all ages to learn to take part in and contribute to their local community and global society.

A morning tea will be held on Friday to recognise our fabulous teachers. We thank them for their tireless efforts in educating and inspiring the students of Yeronga State School. A thank you also to the families who have provided morning tea for them.

We look ahead to a fun filled few weeks ahead including Chappy Camping with Dad, Year Five and Six Life Education visit and the Prep Orientation morning (Thursday 7 November 9-11am).

Enjoy the next two weeks of term!

Active School Travel

Active School Travel has been going well – it would be lovely to see more children joining the cycling and walking trains. Our teachers really enjoy the time they get to spend with the children actively walking to school – so please join us next Wednesday for double points in the AST passport

Kate Paynter and Tracy Freeman

Deputy Principals

This is a great opportunity to celebrate the contribution of YSS teachers in supporting our kids to reach their full potential. Thank you in advance for celebrating the amazing job our teachers do at Yeronga State School.

P&C website launched

The goal is for website to be a useful resource for our whole school community. In addition to up-to-date contact information, Tuckshop and Uniform Shop ordering information and price lists, the site shows available extracurricular activities (including days, times and provider contact information), and profiles the range of ways the P&C supports the school and our various activities throughout the year. This is your one-stop-shop for all things P&C and your feedback is welcome. Please email yerongasspandc@gmail.com with suggestions for improvement. We'd also love to hear from you if you can help with SEO (search engine optimisation) so the site comes up in online searches.

The P&C heartily congratulates the Yeronga State School Green Team on their well-deserved win in the Brisbane City Council's Clean Schools Awards, announced by Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner last Thursday evening, 17 October. A big THANK YOU to the team's mentor, Nicole Deayton, and all members and our whole school community for supporting the team's participation in the awards through your votes.

Help us WIN new seating for the grade 1 playground - Grillex competition

Please help our grade 1 kids to win new 'Grillex' seating to make their new playground area more comfortable and appealing, and to encourage kids and families to connect - entries close 5:00pm on 29 November. 

It only takes a couple of minutes to enter and the more entries submitted for YSS the better our chances of winning. Just head to https://www.grillex.com.au/win, click 'enter now', and follow the prompts to submit your entry - enter your contact details and 100 words about how you'd like to help our school to win. You're welcome to copy and paste the below wording into your entry, or edit, amend and be as creative as you like!

Our grade 1 kids need new Grillex seating around their playground to facilitate community building between children and families. The space is open and exposed around the playground where parents wait for their kids to finish school. There is one buddy bench in the area for children to show they would like to play with others. Extra seating will enable more children to meet and will support community building between parents and children through offering a more comfortable place for parents to connect and supervise their children before and after school. Please Grillex help us to enhance these important connections for our children and community.    

There are two ways we can all boost YSS's chances of being the lucky winner:

1. Grillex recommends getting together some creative students to design our outdoor make-over, and sending their design/s with a photo of space we wish make-over to win@grillex.com.au - attached are some photos of the playground for inspiration.
   
   
2. Let other people from our school know about the competition. Each person can enter once, so please share this competition to your YSS friends and family to boost the chance of our school being selected as the winner. Let's all put our entries in at https://grillex.com.au/win!
   
   
   

Hamish Townsend and Kym Mansfield

Yeronga State School P&C Co-Presidents
ysspandcpresident@gmail.com

Have your details changed?

It is imperative that the office has up-to-date information for parents and emergency contacts.  Trying to find current phone numbers may lead to delays in students receiving medication or care that is needed.  Ideally one emergency contact should be a neighbour or family friend.  The office also issues important messages via email, as well as classroom notices, invoices and online permission forms.

Please take a moment to ensure your details are correct.  Parent email address and mobile number, and student address can be updated directly through QParents.  If you need to make any changes to or add an emergency contact, please email the office at admin@yerongass.eq.edu.au ensuring student name and class is included.

Permissions:

Thank you to all the families who diligently complete the online permissions to allow their students to attend excursions and incursions that the school organises. It really assists the office in ensuring we can get as many students to attend as possible. 

The next incursion will be for Year 5 & 6 Life Ed Van 'Talk About It' Session. If you have not yet given permission please do so via the link below.

5C – Hamish Curness               5L – Nick Landbeck              5/6W – Rachel Wise

5M – Kalomira  Masselos          6A – Alex McShane               6M – Kate Middleton                     

6Q – John Quirk

Upcoming Events

On 1 November 2019 year 6 students will be participating in a graffiti awareness workshop. This program is provided free of charge by Brisbane City Council, Queensland Police and Warner Youth Education.  

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher.

Swimming has Commenced

Swimming lessons are being held at the times stated in the permission note. Please remember to refer to the equipment list on the permission note so that your children have everything they need for their lessons. Children should have a complete change of clothes, swimming togs including a rashie for lessons, goggles (essential), towel, sunscreen, bathing cap (essential), deodorant (for older students) and flip flops or thongs (much preferred). Rashies are not required for races at carnivals, but students should cover up when not racing.

Swimming Carnivals

Preparations are beginning for these very important events on the Yeronga State School Calendar. Students need to be thinking, from the commencement of lessons, exactly which events they would like to compete in as once the program is written there will be very little time for changes. If children wish to withdraw from events that they can swim they will need parental permission. A form will be uploaded to the school web page for this purpose. Please remember that as the carnival will be held in the 25m pool at Yeronga Park there should be little concern over the completion of 50m events.

On a lighter note the big question is; who can end Lawson’s 8 year dominance in swimming? Can Kendall, who are winless this year? Can Evans, who won the Athletics? Could Paterson, who are yet to chalk up a win this year? Only time will tell who will be the winner of our swimming trophy.

Rebel Sport Community Kickbacks

Just a quick note to publicise our involvement with this scheme and how it works. For some time now Yeronga State School has been part of the above mentioned scheme. The scheme gives the school credit for purchases of equipment at Rebel as anyone who purchases equipment nominates Yeronga State School as the recipient of Community Kickbacks. I have purchased cricket equipment, Footballs and Netballs with this credit. It is an easy way to contribute resources to our school especially if you enjoy spending time and money in sports stores like myself.

Gala Days

The remaining date in Term 4 is 18 October. Children should be continuing to train to maintain their skills and teamwork.

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 Senior Swimming Carnival: 26 November

YSS Junior Swimming Carnival: 3 December

Gala Day 3 Junior Boys AFL Yeronga Blue and Yellow

The two teams played at Calamvale Leopards AFL club. Both Yeronga teams played well on a warm day against some tough opposition. The boys worked hard and displayed great teamwork, friendship and sportsmanship throughout the day. Well done boys!

Coaches: Mr Henry and Ms Leishman

Softball – Senior Boys B

The Senior Boys B team toiled long and hard on a hot day at Indians on our final Gala Day. After closing out the final round with a close win against Warrigal A’s the B’s finished a creditable fourth on the table. This meant we were drawn firstly against Runcorn Heights in a very close game where scoring was at a premium. After four innings there was only 1 run between the teams with Yeronga unlucky to be on the wrong side of the ledger. The B’s were then up against the A’s in a game that was played in great spirit with the A’s proving their superiority with bat and ball despite the B’s best efforts. The boys should be especially proud of their efforts in the last game where they played Runcorn Heights again. They were out on their feet but they never stopped trying. Shout-outs to Owais and Chase who kept pitching despite doing it tough, Ben who did his best all day as catcher, and some great fielding from Jackson and rest of the gang.

Gala Day Touch Football

Congratulations to all the Touch Football players and coaches on a super season. The improvement in all teams was very evident on Gala Day 3 and some entertaining football was played. The Senior Boys after a tight 3-2 semi-final win went on to claim the premiership. The Senior Girls who had several Junior Girls in their team scored several late tries against Sunnybank to win the Senior Girls division. The Junior Girls combined the A and B teams with a number of players on camp and still managed to dig deep and win the premiership. The Junior Boys A team was undefeated and the B team also finished second in their division.  A big thank you to our coaches Mr Sutherland, Mrs Southwell and Mr Curness.

Results:

Senior Boys A Division Premiers: Yeronga State School

Senior Girls A Division Premiers: Yeronga State School

Junior Boys A Division Premiers: Yeronga State School

Junior Girls A Division Premiers: Yeronga State School

Junior Boys C Division Runners Up: Yeronga State School

Gala day 3 junior boys softball

Gala day 3 finished with another round of smashing wins for the junior boys teams The improvement of skills both individually and as a co ordinated team was astounding. Precision throwing and catching from the whole team made it so hard for the opposition to make any runs home and the power behind that softball bat made many a home run. Well done to everyone for a great season of fun, focus and fabulous fielding. The biggest three cheers must go, however, to our wonderful coach Otis, who generously gave up so much of his time to coach our boys in such a friendly and professional manner. We are all so grateful for his experience and the Yeronga junior boys team gained so much from his expert coaching.

Well done to everyone! 

Cameron Bateman
Sports Teacher

Frontline Dinner Appeal Dinner

On Monday night, a group from YSS attended a fundraising dinner for Chaplaincy.  Dylan Alcott OAM was the guest speaker, and gave an inspiring message encouraging us to think differently about disability, and to embrace our own life challenges that could limit our thinking and expectations in life.  Dylan, in his address said that if there was a magic pill that he could take to give him back use of his legs, he wouldn’t want it.  He loves his life, and all the great things that he has happening, despite having a disability.  He decided as a 14 year old, after a year of sitting on the couch and being miserable, that he was never going to let his disability get in the way of the things he wanted to do.  He decided to not be scared of his disability but to embrace it in everything he did. 

Since then, Dylan has won gold for Australia in wheelchair basketball at the 2008 Paralympics and a gold in tennis in the 2016 Paralympics.  In July he won Wimbledon’s first ever men’s quad wheelchair singles title, and now hold four Grand Slam singles titles.  This is as well as being named 2016 Australian Paralympian of the Year, and receiving a Logie Award earlier this year.  What an inspirational person who knows about overcoming diversity!

Donations please

As you clean out this year’s school supplies, please consider donating to my “giving cupboard”.  I have supplies of used uniforms and shoes in good condition, as well as unused books and stationery.  I regularly access these supplies to help students that are in need or turn up to school unprepared.  At the moment, swimming supplies are particularly low, including swimmers, towels, caps, and goggles. As part of providing this kind of support across the school, I’ve just restocked the office’s supply of underwear, which is accessed mostly when there is a toileting accident or when undies get lost during swimming lessons.  By the way, once they are used, I don’t want them back!

Donations can be brought over to my room, or dropped off at the school office.  Financial donations would also be gratefully accepted towards the growing welfare needs of the community.

Coming Up

Pop-up Christmas Gift Market Stall is coming

19/11  Sub and Drink Deal lunch

Blessings,

Jennifer Bennett

jenniferb@chappy.org.au

THE BIG SING AND BIG PLAY

As you may be aware, our annual Big Sing and Big Play concerts are quickly approaching. The details for these concerts are as follows:

Date:

Big Sing – Friday, 22 November 2019

Big Play – Friday, 29 November 2019

Who is involved:

Big Sing – All members of the Cosmio Singers (Year 2-3 Junior Choir), Stella Voce (Year 4 – 6 Senior Choir)

Big Play – All members of the Brandenburg Strings, Stradivari Strings, Chamber Strings, Junior Band and Senior Band

Venue:

The Hall at Yeronga State High School

Time:

Performers are to arrive by 5:30pm for a 6:00pm start

What to wear:

Full formal school uniform

Cost:

Nil, although, we will be taking gold coin donations at the door if you choose to donate (which go toward the costs of running the program)

These concerts are a fun and fantastic way to showcase the musical talent from each of our ensembles. It is also the time when we hand out numerous awards to recognise the achievements of some of our hard-working and talented musicians. Therefore, it is expected that all members of every ensemble attend their allocated concert.

To make the transition time between performances more exciting this year, I am hoping to play a photographic collage of the music events throughout the year. Therefore, if you have any photos from any of the music performances this year (i.e. assemblies, the Fete, the Combined Showcase, Singfest, Band Camp, ANZAC Day, Choral Honours Camp etc.) that you would like to share, I would be so grateful if you could email these to me at leeas0@eq.edu.au by Friday, November 1.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

2020 Recruitment

Thank you to all of the Year 2 and 3 students and parents/guardians who have keenly progressed through the 2020 Instrumental Music Recruitment process. By now, students who attended the Information Night and are still happy to be considered for next year’s program should have returned their consent forms for physical testing. This physical testing will take place in Weeks 4 and 5 by Mrs Rosewarne, Mr Alex Grodecki and Ms Tamsyn Eastgate. It is anticipated that letters of acceptance into the 2020 program will be sent home by Friday, November 15.

MusicFest

Last Saturday all the students in the school's strings program represented the school at the MusicFest schools ensembles competition at Coorparoo Secondary College. Both the Junior and Senior string ensembles performed and both ensembles were awarded Silver trophies which will now be proudly displayed at the music block.

The ensembles played confidently and were well-prepared from the months of rehearsals and home practise leading up to these performances. The adjudicator gave helpful feedback on the performances and praised the students’ rhythmic awareness, stage presence and tonal quality. Special mention goes to the confident leadership demonstrated by the Brandenburg Senior Ensemble leader, Milly, and to Darcy, who capably stepped up to take on the role of lead cello at the last minute when our lead cellist became sick. We're also grateful to parent Ysolt Clark for her assistance backstage with the junior ensemble.

CONGRATULATIONS

A huge congratulations to Gabrielle F in Year 2 for completing her ANZCA Preliminary Grade piano exam where she received First Class Honours with a score of 98/100. This is a tremendous effort and her examiner remarked that she has “a very bright musical future ahead”.

If your child is also completing music exams externally, please let me know how they are going because I love to hear about these wonderful achievements.

Yours in Music,
Lauren Easey