12 October 2016

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL

Welcome to Term 4

Welcome back to Term 4 and welcome to our new students and their families. This term is an exciting term for our students, with many year levels starting some benchmarks of their school journey. Prep students are preparing to join Year 1 and move out of their foundation year of study. Year 2 are preparing to join the middle phase of schooling. Year 5 students will be considering student leadership and entering their final year of primary schooling. Year 6 students are preparing to join High School in 2017. Pre prep students are joining us shortly as they commence their Get Set for Prep programme as they enter their first phase of schooling.

Pupil Free Day

On Monday 17 October all state schools in Queensland will be having a pupil free day. This is the only day during the year that a pupil free day occurs.

2016 class requests

Parents are invited to submit written requests for consideration for their child’s class placement in 2017. We are not able to accept requests for particular teachers, but every effort will be made to accommodate reasonable requests, but no guarantee can be made. Please submit your requests to the office by Friday 28 October.

Office Refurbishment

Over the holidays Stage 1 of the office refurbishment was completed. For many years there has been a plan to modernise and improve the efficiency of the office. We are very proud to say that Stage 1 has now been completed. The pictures below document the progress.

Dojo Awards

Congratulations to all our students who have received their Bronze Dojo Badge, our target is that every student will achieve this award before the end of the year, a special congratulations to all those students who have received their Gold Dojo Badge.

Attendance

Term 4 has started with students working hard and enjoying their final term of 2016.

Attendance is still a major focus of the school. Attendance is an indicator of success at school. This includes being on time for the commencement of every school day and remaining until the end of the day. Our times are 9.00 am to 3.00 pm. If your child is sick and unable to attend school please phone the office to explain the absence.

If you are unsure of your child’s current attendance rate please do not hesitate to contact your class teacher via Dojo, by email, or in person to find out. Our target is 95% attendance. Students who attain 95% or greater attendance are acknowledged every term 49% of students achieved this target in Term 3 and our goal for Term 4 is 75%.

Congratulations to the 114 students who achieved 100% attendance in Term 3.

Congratulations also to the 261 students who achieved at least 95% attendance in Term 3.

Behaviour

Term Focus

Term 4 Week 2 and Week 3 Focus

Prep 2017

Important Dates:

Get Set for Prep (children will attend 5 sessions)

Thursday 20 & 27 October and Thursday 3, 10 & 17 November

Parents who have been accepted into Prep at Worongary State School should have received the invitation via email office@worongaryss.eq.edu.au for their child to attend Get Set for Prep. If you have not, please check your Junk Mail before contacting the school.

Triple P Parenting Discussion

Worongary State School, in association with Little Explorers, is inviting interested parents to attend a parent discussion group.

TOPIC: Dealing with Disobedience
DATE: Tuesday 18 October
TIME: 5:00pm – 7:00pm
VENUE: Little Explorers, 61 Explorers Way, Worongary
BOOKING: Please register at least 48 hours prior by going to www.triplep-parenting.net.
Go to ‘get started’
Go to ‘Triple P course 0-12’
Go to ‘Discussion Groups’ to find the list of events

If you are having difficulties registering, please contact the school.

Our next Triple P Parenting session will be held on Tuesday 15 November 5:30 – 7:00pm in the school hall. The topic for this session is Raising Resilient Children. Please look out for more information closer to the date.

Junior Parade

Due to the Public Holiday on Monday last week, and a Pupil Free Day on Monday of next week, the juniors would not be having an assembly until Week 5. This is a long time for our littlies to wait for their Learning Vine and Dojo awards. We are therefore holding a Junior Assembly on Tuesday 18 October at 2:15pm. This will run as a normal assembly and all parents are welcome.

Speaking Up Finals

Speaking up finals will be taking place at Nerang State High School tonight. We would like to take this opportunity to once again congratulate our winners who will be participating tonight;

Jaemee P 4 Green
Stavros R 5/6 White
Zoe S 6 Yellow

Year 6 Parent Volunteers Needed – Year 6 Leaving Ceremony Committee

Every year a committee is formed to organise the decorations for the Year 6 Leaving Ceremony and to decide on the Year 6 cake to celebrate our students transitioning to High School. If you are a Year 6 parent who is interested in being a part of this committee can you please email office@worongaryss.eq.edu.au to register your interest in joining the committee. The first meeting will take place at the school on Friday 14 October at 8:15am.

Life Education Sessions - Year 6

In the week beginning 21 November the school will be offering Sexual Health and Relationships Education for our Year 6 students. Each class will attend three sessions. The information here aims to help you understand the content of this session. The school recognises that you are the primary educator of your child on issues surrounding their sexuality, however we believe we can work together to help children stay safe by encouraging healthy attitudes. The TALK ABOUT IT program by Life Education includes information on puberty incorporating physical growth and emotional changes, relationships and the concept of self. It is designed to help students understand and cope with this important phase of development.

The program is designed to assist young people develop a positive attitude towards their own sexuality and provides them with information on how to look after themselves during this stage of their development. The lesson/s being conducted will focus on the physical, social and emotional changes experienced during puberty and helping students understand and cope with this important phase of development. We are fortunate to have a very experienced educator from Life Education conducting the sessions which have been tailored to the needs of our school and students.

If you would like further information please read the attached brochure or contact Liz Ham at Life Education directly on (07) 55720166 or 0448 013 855. There is a great resource available for parents online called Talk Soon, Talk Often you may like to read. If you do not want your child to attend these sessions please contact Regan Walsh.

GUIDANCE OFFICER

Mental Health is a positive state of wellbeing used to describe emotional and social wellness. It involves feeling positive about ourselves, the people and events in our lives, and being able to live life to our fullest capacity.

The World Health Organization defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.”

Our mental health influences everything we do:

• How we think, feel and behave
• The way we relate to other people
• The way we respond to the challenges of everyday life; and
• How we cope with events such as changing jobs, having a baby, raising a child, relationship difficulties, retirement, loss and physical illness,

Things to do to improve your mental health

• Exercise – e.g. walking for at least 30 mins every couple of days
• Eat healthy foods – avoid drinking too much coffee, eating too much fat, and sugars
• Visit your doctor regularly to ensure good health
• Build a community around yourself – having people to talk to makes life happier and more enjoyable
• Keep busy and involved – in family, school, work, leisure
• Have adequate sleep – restful sleep. If you snore or have sleep apnea see your doctor
• Seek help if you are feeling down, don’t let the blues take over you
• Be kind to yourself – do things that you enjoy eg. a relaxing bath, take a movie, go to dinner
• Do things for other people – not only will they benefit but it is a boost for you as well
• Practise thinking good thoughts, avoid bad thoughts
• Watch comedy shows, seek out humour, laugh loudly

Mental health is an essential part of our overall health and affects our physical health as does our physical health affect our mental health. It is also strongly related to our behaviour, particularly our social behaviour and relationships with others. So it’s worthwhile to put the effort in and work to be mentally healthy.

Adapted from: Austn Network for Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Health

If you would like further information or to find out what services are available please don’t hesitate to contact me at the school.

Regards Kath Bellamy, Guidance Officer

EXCURSIONS

PLEASE NOTE ALL EXCURSION NOTES ARE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE
NO LATE PAYMENTS WILL BE RECEIVED.

LEARNING VINE AWARDS

SPORTS RESULTS
7 October 2016

Tuckshop & Uniform Shop

Tuckshop News

Welcome back to Term 4 students, families, staff and volunteers. We hope you all had an enjoyable break from routine.

Breakfast Menu

As mentioned last term, we are trialling a Breakfast Menu in Term 4, which is now in effect. Please see below for a copy of this menu.

As you can imagine, this will make our mornings a bit busier so please be aware that unless you are ordering online, children will need to put their orders in the tuckshop baskets in their classrooms rather than dropping them off to the Tuckshop before class, as many continue to do. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Interschool Sports Tuckshop Orders

If you are having Tuckshop for Big Lunch on a day when your team is required to travel to another venue, please be aware that you will need to leave around 12.00pm and will not be at school when Big Lunch is normally served at 1.30pm.

We are more than happy to make those particular lunches ahead of time ready for you to take with you around 12pm so please include a note on your handwritten order, attach a comment to your online order or come and see us at Tuckshop on these days.

Your co-operation and advance notice will be most appreciated.

Halloween Meal Deals

We are once more recognising Halloween with some ‘Spooky’ and ‘Tricky’ themed Meal Deals. The deals will be available at both Little Lunch and Big Lunch for the six school days from Monday 24 October - Monday 31 October, while stocks last. Scroll down to see the attached Meal Deal flyer Trick or Treat.

UNIFORM SHOP

Opening Hours

Monday: 8:00am-9:00am
Wednesday: 2:15pm-3:15pm
Friday: 8:00am-9:00am
Direct Dial number: 5502 4409

Uniform News

Prep 2016

It’s not too early to purchase or layby uniforms for next year. Many parents have been up already getting their 2016 Preppies kitted out.

Online purchasing is available for future Preps. If you choose to purchase online, the following collection options are available:

• Have the uniforms collected by a sibling already at the school
• Collect from the admin office at your convenience
• Collect at the Get Set for Prep programme

Please add a note in the comments section to let us know your preference.

Interschool Sports Uniforms

Remember that the following items are available for purchase online or from the Uniform Shop:

Interschool sports shorts (pocketless) - $21.00
Footy socks - $10.00

Please check with your sports coach or Mr Milne if unsure of which items you need for your chosen sport so you can represent Worongary with pride.

Hair Accessories

Hair accessories are now available for purchase from the Uniform Shop. Come and check them out. They are both attractive and high quality. Products and prices are as follows:

Note: Hair ties and clips are for everyday use. Mini Korkers are for use on House Sports Days.

Regards Michelle Lee, Tuckshop and Uniform Convenor

DENTAL NEWS

Gold Coast Oral Health Services are offering free dental check-ups to children from Prep through to Year 6 at Worongary State School. If you have not already booked appointments it is not too late to arrange before end of school year.

This service will be provided offsite at William Duncan State School by Mobile Dental Clinic 148. Parking is off Alexander Drive, outside school gate. Unfortunately due to poor phone/internet reception at Worongary the van is no longer able to visit your school.

Hours of operation for this clinic are Tuesday to Friday 8am to 4pm.

To arrange an appointment for your child telephone:

The Oral Health Client Service Centre
1300 300 850
Monday – Friday 8.00 am – 4.30 pm
Excluding Public Holidays

Child Dental Benefit Schedule Vouchers are accepted. When your child’s $1000 cap is reached, there will be no out-of-pocket expenses provided your child meets *eligibility criteria.

* Eligibility – All Queensland resident children aged four years or older who have not completed year 10 of secondary school.

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Free programs for parents term 4 2016

Are you interested in attending active classes in Oxenford?

Keebra SHS Orientation Day Year 7 2017

If your student attends the Helping Hands program at Worongary you might be interested in the English and Mathematics tutoring.

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