Dear Parents and Families,

The Fun Fair proved to be a joyous and thrilling occasion for our families and students. How wonderful it was to come together on our school grounds on such a beautiful day. It is events such as this, that for those behind the scenes planning and preparing for months to ensure a safe and positive community event are not thanked enough. Congratulations to our wonderful small team of PandC Executive and Members especially Richard and Neville who from the outset were committed to an event that was family friendly and achievable for busy families and volunteers.

It was a poignant Sorry Day ceremony last Friday leading us into Reconciliation Week. This year our focus was to experience first-hand a culturally enriching experience through dance and storytelling as well as reflective and rightfully respectful of this important occasion in the school calendar.

One of the great joys of being a school principal is seeing children develop their passions and talents. The athletics season is upon us and with that, opportunities for those students who excel in this area, an opportunity to shine. Whilst it is not all about the ribbons, it is important children have the exposure to opportunity and coaching. Each principal over the years has left their mark and contribution to each of these pathways as champions of the cause. I must acknowledge my old colleague John Johnson one of Yeronga State Schools longest servicing Principals for the culture of sporting excellence well established at our school. We have excellent PE and Sport teachers in Mr Bateman and Mr Curness and a passionate schools officer in Mr Sutherland who maintains the oval like his own back yard. I hope to see many of our parents at the upcoming athletics days.

Other opportunities for talent pathways exist through the performing and visual arts at Yeronga State School an area we continue to develop with support from our expert teachers and PandC. Similarly, I look forward to seeing the performances of our students and catching up with families at Big Sing and Big Play this week and next. A sincere thankyou to Ms Eastgate, Mr Grodecki and Ms Truce for your passion and dedication.

With the ongoing presence of COVID-19 in the community and commencement of Flu season please be mindful of the following reminders;

Influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial viruses, can result in significant disruption to families and schools. There are things you can do to help protect yourself and your children:

• Get vaccinated is the most effective way to prevent children and adults from getting flu, becoming seriously ill with flu or passing it on to others.
• Stay at home when sick – see the Timeout brochure
• Practice good hand hygiene wash hands regularly with soap and water or use alcohol-based cleanser
• Practice good respiratory hygiene cough or sneeze into a tissue or your arm, throw tissues away and clean hands
• Clean surfaces regularly
• Ensure good ventilation.

Have a wonderful week,

Eunice

We are progressing towards the half way mark of the year and our children are all progressing so well.  We look forward to sharing with you their progress in the reports at the end of the term.  In the meantime, we will continue to learn, grow and experience real world learning in our school environment. 

Upcoming Events

We have a busy calendar before the end of term, please see the items below:      

• Bookfair (from 30 May – 6 June)
• QLD AFL Schools Competition (1 June)
• Winter Big Sing (June 1)
• Winter Big Play (June 8)
• Senior Athletics Yrs 4-6 (June 13)
• School Photos (June 15 & 16)
• Southside Beginners Strings Workshop (June 15)
• Junior Athletics Carnival P&Yr 1, Year 2& Year 3 (June 20)
• Under 8’s Morning (June 21)
• Reports emailed home (June 21)
• Junior String Workshop (June 22 & 23)
• Last Day of Term (June 23)

Kiss ‘n’ Go Zones

On Park Rd, there is a designated zone which is the Kiss ‘n’ Go Zone.  This zone is where parents are required to stay for 2 mins only and not get out of the car, but rather just drop off or collect their children.

We request that children move to the front of the Kiss ‘n’ Go Zone and parents drive up to the children where possible.  On occasion, there have been parents crossing the solid line to do a u turn, which has resulted in a near miss incident.

Please respect our children’s safety and use these zones lawfully. The Brisbane City Council have indicated that they will be patrolling during pick up and drop off times to enforce these and will issue parking fines. 

If you do need to walk your child to class, the space in front of T Block is available for 1 Hour parking between school hours. 

RWI Prep – Year 1 Parent Information Session

A huge thank you to parents who attend the RWI Parent Information Session this Wednesday afternoon.  Our reading leaders for Prep and Year 1 – Ms Wheeldon and Mrs Lindsay engaged parents in learning more about the program and what our children learn at school.  There were also some tips on how the parents could help their young readers at home.

Thank you Ms Wheeldon and Mrs Lindsay

Year 5 Philosophy Lessons

This term, a pilot group of year 5 students have had the opportunity to engage in Philosophy Lessons in collaboration with Yeronga State High School.  A philosophy teacher for YSHS, Holly Haswell-Smith teaches year 11 and 12 philosophy and offered to lead some philosophy lessons with a small group of year 5 students. Philosophy fits nicely into our inquiry approach to teaching and the topic of the sessions linked well to our concept curriculum of cause and effect this term. 

Philosophy and Reason addresses all the 21^st century skills. The main one being critical reasoning. Through Philosophy and Reason, we develop skills around questioning, reasoning, building an argument, identifying logical fallacies and addressing cognitive bias. We do this through political, ethical, religious and scientific discussions. The Philosophy classroom is a dialectic classroom and requires students to actively participate with the teacher acting as facilitator and guide.

Later in the term, this group of students will represent Yeronga State School in the Philosothon, where they will use the skills of philosophy and reason and compete against other schools.  Good luck Yeronga!

We are hopeful that this partnership with YSHS continues into the future.

Under 8’s Day

Prep – Year 2 parents are encouraged to join their children to celebrate being under 8.  The theme for this year is ‘PLAY - You, me and our communities’. The children will start the day off in their classrooms and then at head out to the lower school areas to participate in engaging learning activities.  Due to the amount of activities that we are providing we have decided to extend the session until 11am!!

It is such a lovely way to stay connected with the community, so the more parents that attend the better.

Please look in your inbox for the Under 8 invoice that will come soon with the fee of $5 – this payment assists in the resources we use on the day. Thank you to the parents who have paid the voluntary payment for this event – it all helps to make the morning one the children will truly remember!!

100 Days of Prep

Dear Prep Families,

 It has been an outstanding 6 months of Prep so far and we are looking to start Term 3 off in an exciting way!

Three years ago we started a new tradition at YSS!!

It was celebrating our children reaching the magic mark of being Prep students for 100 days.  This year we are choosing to celebrate 100 Days of Prep and 100 Days of Learning on Wednesday 12 July.

On Wednesday 12 July, your child is encouraged to dress in what they think it would look like to be 100 years old – walking sticks, glasses, hairnets, outfits, etc or come dressed in something that represents 100. During the day the children will engage in activities that relate to the number 100.  It really is a joyous occasion and there will be cake, so if you do not wish your child to have a slice of cake please let your class teacher know.

We look forward to seeing some very old children on Wednesday 12 July 

Junior Assembly

We love to have parents attend our assembly – not only do you get to hear the important messages regarding learning but you also get to see our children performing!!

Please see the below performance timetable for the remainder of the term:

Tracy Freeman & Stef Kirk
Deputy Principals 

Winter Music Showcase Concerts

The music department has been a hive of activity the past few weeks with rehearsals in preparation for our Winter Music Showcase concerts. The Winter Big Sing on Thursday June 1 featured performances from the school's Junior Choir, Senior Choir and Chamber Choir. Coming up next, the Winter Big Play on Thursday June 8 at 6pm at the Yeronga State High School hall will feature the Junior Band, Senior Band, Stradivari Junior Strings, Brandenburg Senior Strings and Chamber Strings. With hundreds of students involved across all the music ensembles and choirs, it’s a delight to be able to present the impressive music talent that we have at Yeronga at these concerts. A big thanks to the many parents who volunteered to help for the two concerts to keep things running smoothly!

Congratulations to Andrew A on receiving his Grade 3 AMEB Cello certificate. This is a challenging exam, and he received an outstanding result!

Courtney Truce, Tamsyn Eastgate and Alex Grodecki

Classroom Music and Choir Teacher, Instrumental Strings Teacher and Instrumental Band Teacher

Junior School Sports Day 2023

The classes from Prep to Year 3 will participate in the Junior School Sports Day on Tuesday 20^th June. Please use the timetable as a guide (please note times may vary). The students will participate in their class groups. This carnival is based on participation, development and fun.

Junior Sports Day Timetable (Please note these times are just a guide).

Year 2 and Year 3

9:05am Meet at main school oval (covered sheds at top of the oval).

*2/3BW students will join their buddy classes

Prep and Year 1

11:50am Meet at main school oval (covered sheds at top of the oval).

Senior Athletics Carnival 

Week 9 – Tuesday 13^th June

1500m races will be held this Friday 2 June starting at 1:50pm

800m Races will be held next Friday 9 June starting at 1:50pm

Event order:

12 year old boys and girls

9 year old boys and girls

10 year old boys and girls

11 year old boys and girls