Dear Parents and Carers

Congratulations to all the students who nominated for leadership positions for 2021. Stepping forward takes courage. To date, the School Captain and Vice-Captain positions and all House Captain and Vice-Captain positions have been completed. Well done to all candidates who presented their speeches and were interviewed for the positions. Not everyone can get a position but everyone is a leader in their own right. Congratulations to:

SCHOOL CAPTAINS

HOUSE CAPTAINS

The positions for Bell, ICT, Active School travel and Environmental captains will be later this week. Good luck.

Quadrennial School Review and Student Code of Conduct

This week, the two strategic documents were ratified at the P&C meeting. The QSR sets the direction for the next four years. Each year, the school writes an annual implementation plan that is derived from the four-year strategic plan.

The Student Code of Conduct has been reviewed and aligned to any changes in legislation. Most of the document is pre-populated and consistent across the state. The sections that are unique to Yeronga have been reviewed based on what was working and the feedback during the QSR consultation process. Both documents will be uploaded to the school website.

COVID updates for the End of Year Celebrations 

Michelle D’Netto

YEAR 4 CAMP 

Monday the Year 4 students will be heading out to Camp. Wednesday a reminder email was sent to all Year 4 families with reminders about what to pack, medication that's needed and where to meet. 

We know the students will love camp and look forward to hearing all about their adventures.

SWIMMING PERMISSION 

There are a few more swimming events approaching over the next few weeks. An email will be going home to all parents with details about the Swimming Carnival and the Behaviour Celebration swim. 

Please keep an eye out for that and provide permission through the link on the email. 

Please remember that without permission your student will not be able to attend the swimming events. 

Due end of year time pressures the office will not be doing follow up emails or parent phone calls. NO PERMISSION = NO SWIM.

Admin Team

Athletics Trial Information

Running Club

Running club has re-commenced this term, Mondays and Tuesdays 3:15 – 3:45,  but only students whose parents can collect or deliver them, in person or through YOSHC, should attend. This condition is necessary to ensure the safety of the children. Mr Sutherland has also re-commenced his sessions. They are held on Friday mornings from 7:45 to 8:15. Don’t forget that the afternoon sessions, in particular, are subject to temperature maximums. High and uncomfortable temperatures and humidity will result in cancellation.

Swimming Carnivals

I’m sure most know that the most pervasive factor in organising any event this year and into the foreseeable future is signified by the five letters COVID. Once again, as a measure to ensure continuing public health, we have to alter our usual practices. Unfortunately neither the school nor the Yeronga Park Pool complex can allow parental spectators to attend these events.

Swimming Carnival Schedules

Senior Swimming Carnival

Please remember that the times below are offered only as a guide

The event order will be 9:00 - 50m Freestyle Events, 25m Freestyle Events, Kickboard on front, 10:00 - 50m Breaststroke Events, 25m Breaststroke Events,11:00 Lunch, 11:30 -Yeronga Swimming Gift:  (Boys/Girls Open Freestyle Race (ten fastest times swum in 50m heats for boys and girls)) 11:50 - 50m Backstroke Events 25m Backstroke Events, Kickboard on back,  12:30 50m Butterfly Events 25m Butterfly Events, 1:15 - Freestyle Relay,1:40 – Second Break, 2:00 Presentation.

Junior Swimming Carnival

Classes (1T, 1W & 1FM)

9am: 25m & 12.5m Freestyle boys and girls

9:10am 12.5m Independent kickboard on front boys and girls

9:20am 12.5m Assisted kickboard on front boys and girls

9:30am 25m & 12.5m  Backstroke boys and girls

9:40am 12.5m Independent kickboard on back /noodle boys and girls

9:50am 12.5m Assisted kickboard on back /noodle boys and girls

Classes (1C & 1P)

10am: 25m & 12.5m  Freestyle boys and girls

10:10am 12.5m Independent kickboard on front boys and girls

10:20am 12.5m assisted kickboard on front boys and girls

10:30am 25m & 12.5m  Backstroke boys and girls

10:40am 12.5m Independent kickboard on back /noodle boys and girls

10:50am 12.5m Assisted kickboard on back /noodle boys and girls

Please note that 1T, 1W and 1FM students need to be earlier than usual to school due to roll being called at 8:30am and events beginning at 9.

Classes (2BH, 2M, 2W, 2P & 2P)

11:45pm: 25m & 12.5m  Freestyle boys and girls

12:00pm 12.5m Independent kickboard on front boys and girls

12:10pm 12.5m Assisted kickboard on front boys and girls

12:15pm 25m & 12.5m  Backstroke boys and girls

12:30pm 12.5m Independent kickboard on back boys and girls

12:40pm 12.5m Assisted kickboard on back boys and girls

12:45pm 25m & 12.5m  Breaststroke boys and girls

1:00pm 12.5m Independent noodle boys and girls

1:10pm 12.5m assisted noodle boys and girls

Representative Sport Dates Release (Important)

As part of the “road map” out of COVID representative sport dates have now been released. Please do look below if your child is interested in any of the sports listed.

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.

Rebel Sport Community Givebacks

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.

Important Sporting Dates 2020

- YSS Senior Swimming Carnival 1 December

- YSS Junior Swimming Carnival 3 December

- Prep Behaviour Celebration 8 December

- Year One Behaviour Celebration 7 December

- Year Two Behaviour Celebration 7 December

- Year Three to Six Behaviour Celebration – 9 December
 

Cameron Bateman

Sports Teacher

Green Team News

NUDE FOOD DAY WINNERS!!

Some exciting facts about Nude Food Day:

• In our Pre-audit (on an ordinary day), over ¼ of all students brought a Nude Food lunch
• On Nude Food Day, 503 students brought a Nude Food lunch, that’s no rubbish at all!!
• On Nude Food Day, the amount of rubbish brought to school was reduced by 2/3
• In four years of Nude Food Days, this year surveyed the highest number of students but resulted in the lowest number of pieces of rubbish!

Thank you for supporting our Nude Food Day! We hope you found it easy and fun to do and that you continue to send your children to school with Nude Food!

Senior School Winners

Class 3IW, with only 7 pieces of rubbish for the whole class! Super job!

Individual prizes

Alexander (grade 5)

Lizzie (grade 6)

Tasmyn (grade 4)

Junior School Winners

Prep 3, with only 3 pieces of rubbish for the whole class! Amazing commitment!

Individual prizes

Yididiya (grade 1)

Lyla (Prep)

Eliana (grade 1)

Our New Australian Native Stingless Bee Hive

Thanks to the very generous Kandel family from Prep, the school now has our first beautiful Australian Native Bee Hive. These bees do not sting, although they can give you a little bite if you disturb their hive. The hive is located in a tree between the hall and the library, a nice shady spot for the bees and a great spot for teachers and students to observe and appreciate the bees. While European honey bees are important, our Australian native bees are critically important to the pollination of our native plants and trees and are an essential part of our fragile ecosystems.

Please show your children the hive and explain how they are important and to take good care of them by only looking with their eyes and not touching. 

For more information about Australian Native Bees, see https://sugarbag.net/faq.

Last week was NAIDOC, the National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Celebration. The 2020 theme was Always Was, Always Will Be, to remind us that Indigenous peoples have cared for this continent for millenia. Students across YSS participated in a number of NAIDOC-related activities, including learning a Yuggara song and dressing in the Aboriginal colours of red, white and black at last week’s free dress day. Funds will be donated to SEED, the Indigenous Youth Climate Network. Seedmob.org.au. The School also launched its new Acknowledgement of Country in NAIDOC week that was written in collaboration with the students.

YSS has also begun a wonderful partnership with Yeronga State High School. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their families were invited by YHSH to attend a BBQ in the park between our two schools to celebrate Indigenous cultures.

Yerongpan descendant Elder Uncle Desmond Sandy opened the celebration by giving a traditional Welcome to Country.  This was followed by the Yuggara Chepara Dancers led by his daughter Deborah Sandy. The dancers welcomed all by sharing traditional songlines and an interactive head, shoulders, knees and toes teaching us some Yuggara language in the process. It was a beautiful afternoon and YSS and Kalari look forward to working with YSHS into the future.

Yuggara word of the week

Mara – hand – to remind us that we all need to give each other a helping hand.

What is Kalari?

Kalari means ‘message stick’ in Yuggara language and is name of the YSS Indigenous Working Group.

Kalari aims to increase the acknowledgement and celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history at YSS, through an inclusion of Indigenous perspectives and in line with the YSS school values.

Kalari is made up of Indigenous and non-Indigenous volunteer parents and anyone can join! For more information or to get involved about contact Aren Healy at mamaaren101@gmail.com.