Dear YSS Community,

This newsletter entry will be my last and Mrs Eunice Webb returns as Principal at the start of Term 4. Thank you for welcoming me into your school this term. I have absolutely loved my time at YSS. Your children are curious learners and the work they do inside and outside the classroom is quality learning, because the teaching in this school is quality.

All the very best and have a lovely safe break after our final week of learning next week.

Student Code of Conduct

This term we have been working on the revision of the Student Code of Conduct, which will be published on the school website on the last day of term, in preparation for Term 4 and beyond. The process for the revision included feedback from staff and students, and parents/carers via the P&C. The revised Student Code of Conduct builds upon the previous iteration and recognises that YSS already has high expectations of student behaviour and engagement. The revision introduces the learning asset of ‘contributor’ and in time we will be going through the following matrix with students to explicitly reinforce our community’s high expectations of the learning behaviours.

Gratitude

Over the last few weeks, our teachers have been sharing how they are receiving emails of gratitude from parents and carers, for sharing what’s been happening in classrooms with parents/carers. We recognise our students are quite tired towards the end of term and teachers have made a special effort to recognise student effort and their respectful behaviours. It is great to hear of the email exchanges between parents/carers and teachers in working together to support student learning. Thank you!

Regards

Perry

Australia’s Biggest Child Safety Lesson

This week, students at YSS joined thousands around the nation as we engaged in Australia's Biggest Child Safety Lesson.

This years lesson focussed on consent!

Communication is key to giving and getting consent. This safety lesson provided a platform for conversations about consent. Students learnt how to recognise, react and report and practice strategies they can use when they need to give or refuse consent.

You can watch the lower primary and upper primary videos on the Daniel Morcombe Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@DanielMorcombeFound/videos

Student Leadership 2024

It’s that time of year again, where we start our student leadership journey for 2024. Its very exciting, and we love seeing the students buzzing with excitement as they prepare for their final year of primary school.

Senior Shirts

This year, we are introducing a new step in the leadership process, where the students are invited to design their own senior shirts! We’ve not done this before at Yeronga State School, so it’s an exciting time.

This, the year 5 students met with Miss Clare and Miss Kirk for our first provocation session around this project. We have hopefully sparked their interest and curiosity in designing a senior shirt that resembles our core values at YSS!

Next term, the senior shirt project will continue with the students putting forward their design for a vote. The term 4 HASS unit focuses on democracy and voting, so this provides a great opportunity to experience voting first hand. All year 5 students will have an opportunity to vote for their preferred senior shirt, and the one with the most votes will be made into the senior shirt for 2024. We’re looking forward to seeing some great designs! We aim to have the design ready by November.

Leadership Position Nomination Process

Next week, the year 5 students will meet with Miss Kirk for our first orientation session for the nomination process for student leadership positions for 2024. This session will focus around the big picture of student leadership, and we will hear from staff and our current captains about what makes a good leader at YSS.

There’s lots to look forward to in the student leadership space!

Next week we will be hosting our very first “Where the Wild Things Are” Bookfair. This is a great opportunity for you to stock up on really quality books as presents for Christmas or Birthdays. Please see the flier for information.

Library_Yeronga_SS_E_flyer_UPDATED.pdf

Library_Yeronga_SS_E_flyer_UPDATED _pdf 806.45 KB

Classroom Music News

Prep students have been busy learning about the beat, fast and slow and loud and soft music this term. Students have been finding different places that they can hear the beat and creating their very own body percussion beat composition and performing it for the class.

Year 1 have been busy creating their own rhythmic composition with paddle pop sticks and performing it for their classmates.

Year 2 have been working on turning their stick rhythms into actual notes and compositing their very first piece of “real” music.

Well done to all students in the Junior school. Your compositions are excellent and a lot of fun to listen to.

Marimba Ensemble

This term we have introduced a new ensemble into the already busy program here at YSS with the creation of the YSS Marimba Ensemble. This newly formed group is open to current year 5 students who come together and practice on a Thursday first break with Mrs Truce and Mr Grodetki. They have been making fantastic progress and are looking forward to their first public performance in the near future.

Instrumental Music News

Instrumental Music Recruitment

The school's recent Instrumental Music Information Evening was well attended by many year 2 and 3 families. Thanks to the school strings captains and parents for their assistance on the night. Students currently in year 2 can apply for the strings program by following this link: https://forms.office.com/r/PwdW31yz6f Students currently in year 3 (who are not already in the strings program) can apply for the band program by following this link: https://forms.office.com/r/a8WeFvsZw7 The Instrumental Music Handbook can be downloaded from the school's Music Activities webpage https://yerongass.eq.edu.au/extra-curricular/music-activities by clicking on the link on the right hand side of the page. The closing date for applications is the end of this term on Friday September 15.

Students who have applied for strings or band program will then have testing in week 2 or 3 of term 4 to determine their physical suitability to play one of the instruments on offer.

Chamber Strings YSHS Workshop

On Thursday August 24 the Chamber Strings students visited Yeronga State High School to participate in an intensive extension workshop with the high school's strings students. The workshop was lead by experienced and vibrant guest musician Clare Cooney from Camerata- Queensland's Chamber Orchestra. The students formed a combined string ensemble withe high school students and rehearsed two pieces which they then performed at the Yeronga State High School Performing Arts evening the following week.

Southside Senior Music Workshop

28 Year six strings and band students from Yeronga are this week participating in a three-day senior music workshop at Chandler Theatre. The students are combining with other strings and band students from the region to form four large concert bands and string orchestras. The three days will be filled with rehearsals, small group tutorials and choral singing and will culminate in a concert on the third day. At the concert the students will perform three challenging ensemble pieces and three choral works all learnt from scratch while on the workshop.

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 Tuesdays, from 3:15 to 3:45 and Wednesdays from 7:45 to 8:15 with Mr Bateman. Mr Sutherland is now 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, oval.

Regional Athletics Round up

Congratulations to those who have qualified to compete at States for the Regional Team. Of our 21 participants 4 qualified for the next step; the Qld State Schools Athletics Championships. As you can appreciate the standard at regionals is very high and, as usual for this time of year, injuries and illness play a part. Therefore the four people who qualified do need to be especially commended for this great achievement. Our successful qualifiers for the regional team are; Lachlan G, Phoenix L, Mollie W and Tom G. For these people the training cycle begins again as they strive to take the next step to Qld selection on the representative pathway.

Ball Games Lessons

Students have been working very hard over the last 5 weeks to hone their ballgames skills. It is always an interesting time of year and not just due to the build up toward the fun and spectacle the event provides. Traditional ball games present unique challenges to all students. There are three broad areas of focus for all students that increase in complexity with age; Teamwork, Keeping the Ball in Motion and Following the rules.

Students have had to put their own interests to one side as they strive to be great team mates. It’s not enough to throw or roll a ball as hard as possible. In order for a team to succeed there must be consideration of the abilities, likes and dislikes of all to keep all team members positive. Debbie Downers are discouraged and Penelope Positives are encouraged and encouraging if an error is made and when the team needs urging.

No matter which game is being played the ball should be in motion as much as possible. This means different things in the different games. In tunnel ball and under over watching the ball and intervening to prevent slowing is the order of the day. In take and put speed to the ball to collect and place as well as on the return to the team is the requirement. In Leaderball rapid passing and running around a short team and leader. Finally Captainball is the most complicated as the ball can only be passed so quickly allowing others to catch.The key is a quick catch and release, not a bat. Also this game requires quick transitions between captains where the ball is in hand as the last person moves to captain position and releases the ball to the former captain.

Following the rules sounds simple, but often, in the heat of the moment it is difficult. In tunnel ball and under over players have to be arms length apart and be running up the right side of the team from the back to join on the front while not pushing the front person backwards. In take and put the ball must be placed carefully in the second of the team’s hoops and the next player’s had must be tagged before they can leave the team area to take their turn. In Leaderball both the team and the leader must be run around before the ball is returned to the leader. In Captainball teams must have their feet behind the line and the captain must remain in the circle. All team members must be passed to by every captain. Every game finishes with a process. Except for take and put, where the team all sit down together, every game finishes when the leader crosses the finish line.

It is amazing to look at the improvement in skill level over the whole school from week one to week 5 of this unit and then think of the transferrable skills taught. Some of them include footwork, balance, touch, improved hand eye coordination and reflexes, improved acceleration and improved duration of concentration.

Ball Games

This important school event will occur on the 11^th of September. Please do come along to enjoy the colour, creativity and sporting prowess on show during our only class based sporting event. I’ve included the program below for your convenience.

Ball Games Program

9:00: Prep to Year 2

Year Two Mixed Heat One & Two

Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put

Year One Mixed Heat One & Two

Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put

Year Two Mixed Heat Three

Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put

Year One Mixed Heat Three

Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put

All Prep Mixed Heat (Approximately 10:30)

Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put