29 May 2019

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Dear Parents,

At the beginning of 2018, our school commenced implementing an exciting new inclusive education initiative. This has resulted in all year levels having direct access to a support teacher. These teachers work alongside classrooms teachers to ensure our curriculum offerings are closely aligned to the needs of our students. Wide ranges of resources are used to support our students to achieve their individual learning goals. I acknowledge and thank Mrs Jo Jackson (Year 5/6), Ms Danni Karam (Year 3/4) and Mrs Kerrianne Sullivan (Prep – Year 2) for their outstanding commitment to supporting our teachers and students. This new role is very complex and challenging. The extensive teaching experience that these teachers demonstrate on a daily basis enables all of our teachers to tailor their programs to the needs of our students. I sincerely thank these wonderful teachers for their dedication and commitment to our students.

Under 8’s Day

On Friday 24 May our school was joined by more than 120 children from our community and local childcare services to celebrate the 2019 Under 8’s Day. During the morning session, our P-2 children enjoyed participating in more than 25 different activities. I sincerely thank the many parents who joined in our Under 8’s festivities. The 2019 Under 8’s Day was certainly enhanced by our strong partnerships with our local businesses and organisations. I acknowledge and thank our partners for their contribution to our Under 8’s Day

• Helping Hands
• Queensland Police
• Gold Coast City Council Library
• Nerang State High School
• Kalwun Health Service
• PCYC Nerang
• Woolworths Nerang
• Fun World Jumping Castle

I sincerely thank the many parents who provided feedback to us on the day. This feedback will be used to modify our 2020 Under 8’s Day into another wonderful community event.

Assessment and Reporting

Over the next few weeks, all of our students will be completing assessment items that will validate their End of Semester One Report Card results. At Worongary State School, we aim to provide our students with multiple opportunities to succeed and therefore this is a critical time of the semester. Our teaching staff certainly appreciate the role all parents play in ensuring students attend school each day.

End of Semester One Report Cards will be emailed to all parents on Wednesday 26 June. Parents are invited to contact class teachers to obtain any additional information regarding these reports.

Dojo System

Worongary State School has implemented the online Dojo communication tool to establish more effective communication links with parents. Class Dojo is a digital classroom management tool designed to help our teachers improve pupil behaviour (through the allocation of points) and communicate with parents. Each student selects an avatar and teachers award Dojo reward points for things such as completing homework, participating in class, or staying on task. Once students have accumulated a certain number of points, they are acknowledged each week on assembly. Their teacher will then present them with their official Dojo badge (Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum) in their classroom. This system is designed to strengthen the connection between home and the classroom.

I seek to remind all parents of the following:

What Dojo should be used for from a parent’s perspective?

• Notification of any issues that have arisen e.g. a missing hat/part of uniform

What Dojo should be used for from a teacher’s perspective?

• Homework queries
• General inquiries e.g. Is any parent able to assist at next month’s excursion?
• Giving good behaviour points
• An update of what is being covered in class. This could include a monthly summary of activities.
• Giving red or negative points for not following class/school rules or the teacher’s direction.

What it is not used for?

• Replacement of absence notes or a change to morning / afternoon routines
• Inquiries about playground incidents. If an incident is serious enough then it should be dealt with via a phone call requesting an interview.
• A replacement for parent-teacher interviews.
• Complaints: once again, these should be dealt with personally via a phone call to the teacher or office.
• Early pick up requests (these still go through the office)

All staff members have been asked to set a ‘quiet hours’ on their page while they are instructing. Parents who send a message through at this time will receive a message that your child’s teacher may not read your messages. It is suggested that quiet hours are between 8:45am and 3:00pm, however teachers will have discretion to modify these hours.

Parents wishing to send me a Dojo message are reminded that this system is not my preferred method of official communication. I generally use this system to acknowledge our students individually. Parents wishing to contact me should email me directly (ldare1@eq.edu.au). I thank you for your anticipated support and trust this will help to build a strong connection between our school and your family.

Influenza (flu) season

Winter is coming, bringing cold and influenza (flu) season with it. Queensland Health’s influenza page, covers the symptoms, how to protect yourself and others from getting sick and treatment.

Our school is helping to prevent the flu from spreading by:

• encouraging children, staff and visitors to cover their mouths and noses when they sneeze or cough
• making tissues readily available and ensuring used tissues are disposed of immediately
• ensuring children and staff wash their hands regularly
• cleaning our facilities and resources regularly
• strongly urging staff and children with flu-like symptoms to instead stay at home and encouraging them to seek early medical advice.

If your child catches the flu, please seek medical advice and keep them home until they are feeling well again.

Container Refund Scheme

Drink containers are the second most littered item in Australia. Since single use drink containers were introduced in the 1970s, they now litter our streets, parks, creeks and beaches. Queensland alone produces 2.4 billion drink containers each year!

Container Refund Scheme (CRS) is one of the first pieces of environmental legislation to focus on the polluter pays principle, where the beverage manufactures are responsible for funding a refund for returned drink containers. It is also an example of produce stewardship legislation in which the beverage industry is obliged to take greater responsibility for its packaging after it has been sold.

At Worongary State School, our students are passionate about improving our environment by making sustainable lifestyle choices. With the support of our P and C Association, our Environmental Warriors will be working hard to implement their very own Container Refund Scheme. Currently they are working to place red recyclable bags on the side of each of the bins around the school. Students will be asked to make a conscious choice to donate to the scheme by placing their recyclable container in one of these bags. These bags will be removed, replaced and stored for later collection. The following containers can be placed in these red bags.

The school’s P and C Association has supported this scheme by joining P and C Queensland’s Container Refund Scheme. We are seeking the assistance of all families to join with us to reduce the environmental impact of litter on the natural environment and on wildlife by collecting these containers and bringing them into school. Due to Workplace Health and Safety procedures the school cannot accept glass containers. Parents wishing to collect glass can still donate to our school by ensuring the special bar code is recorded at the recycling center. Parents can support this initiative by:

• Placing approved containers in the special recyclable bag (given to students). Containers must NOT be crushed/squashed, they should be empty and the tops should be removed.
• Bring your bag, whether it is full or not, to one of the bag drop off days which are to be confirmed
• Receive a new bag when you drop yours off.

All money raised will be used to support the second phase of the school’s air-conditioning project. If every Worongary State School student filled up 1 of these bags a fortnight the school would raise almost $100,000 annually!

Please look out for more information soon.

Eligible containers include: Poppers/juice boxes, flavoured milks, drink cans and plastic/glass bottles, most alcoholic beverage bottles except wine and spirit bottles (No plain milk). Details on eligible containers here:

All containers with 10c logo on back are eligible in QLD even if it says SA/NT collection depots.

Air-Conditioning Project

With the annual financial year quickly drawing to a close, parents are reminded about the opportunity to make a tax deductable donation to the schools’ Air-Conditioning Building Fund.

Phase 1 of the school’s Air-Conditioning Project exceeded $120,000. This expenditure was comprised of a $35,000 Community Benefit Fund (grant application), $55,000 donation from the P and C Assoc and $30,000 from the school’s grant allocation. We acknowledge and thank the P and C Assoc for all of the hard work that went into fundraising the $55,000.

Phase 2 of the Air-Conditioning Project will once again be reliant on funds raised. The Building Fund was opened by the P & C Assoc to accept donations from parents and community members. Donations into this Building Fund are tax deductable. Parents, relatives, friends and businesses can contribute to the building fund using the following details:

CBA
BSB: 064-451
Account Number: 1051-5701

To ensure a receipt is issued, please put the ID for your child in the comments section. Your ID will be the first 5 letters of your child’s surname and the first 3 letters of their given name. Your assistance will significantly help our Treasurer to identify your family and issue the receipt. No donation will be too big or too small, we greatly accept them all.

All parents interested in having input into Phase 2 of the Air-Conditioning project are invited to attend our P and C Assoc Meeting on Wednesday 12 June 2019.

Regards Landon Dare, Principal

Behaviour

Dear Families,

Uniform Breach Notice

As the mornings begin to become colder we ask that all parents please check our winter school uniform policy. Students are expected to wear the correct school pullover or a plain fleecy v-neck maroon pullover. Some students are wearing logo branded pullovers and this is a breach of our uniform policy.

First Breach: Verbal reminder of the uniform code and warning.
Second Breach: A uniform breach notice will be sent home.
Third Breach: Parents will be contacted and asked to bring correct uniform.

Failing this, students may be supplied with a clean uniform which MUST be returned at 3:00pm that afternoon. Another letter is sent home.

We thank you for your support in following this up with your children.

DAY UNIFORM

• New style Maroon/Green polo shirt with school logo
• Green short/skort with school logo

OPTIONAL WINTER

• Fleecy lined maroon pullover with school logo
• Fleecy lined maroon zip jacket with school logo
• Plain fleecy maroon track pants
• School or flesh coloured tights (girls)
• Alternative
  Plain fleecy v-neck maroon pullover

INTER-SCHOOL SPORTS

• Plain maroon sports short
• Oztag Shorts (Optional for Oztag)
• Maroon with green stripe football socks (Required for Soccer, Rugby League and Softball only)

HATS

• Wide brimmed maroon hat with school logo
• Alternative
  Maroon broad-brimmed hat no logo

SHOES & SOCKS

• White ankle sock
• Plain black sneaker or leather school shoe (lace up or Velcro).

INTER-HOUSE SPORTS UNIFORM

• School House shirts with House logo
• Bottle green shorts with school logo
• Alternative
  Plain/Blank T-shirt or polo of House colour (singlets are not suitable)
  Narairee – Black
  Nyunga – Yellow
  Karee – White
  Pilleen - Red
• Suitable sports shoes
• Maroon/Green sports polo with school logo

UNIFORM BREACH CODE

We thank you for your support in following this up with your children.

Kind Regards
Ms Kaia.

Save the Date

Learning Vine Awards

From Student Council

Who will you be supporting?

Student Council will be having a ‘dress in your team colours’ day on
Wednesday 5th June.

Please bring a gold coin donation.

From the Music Room

Year 2 and Year 3 MUSIC INCURSION – WYNISS

On Monday our students were captivated by Musica Viva performers WYNISS. Students were richly immersed in rhythm and songs from the Torres Strait Islands.

Year 4, 5 and 6 MUSIC INCURSION – THE AIR I BREATHE

A reminder that next week Thursday June 6 (Week 7 ) Musica Viva’s “The Air I Breathe” will be coming to Worongary to perform for our Year’s 4, 5 and 6 students. Parents are welcome to attend.

WELCOME TO JUNIOR CHOIR

It was so lovely to have many new members joining our Junior Choir last week. We know that you will love coming each Tuesday morning. If your child would like to join the Junior Choir, please Dojo me or simply present at the Music Room on Tuesday mornings at 8am. Our next performance is only two weeks away!

CHORAL FANFARE – Thursday May 30

Our Senior Choir have been outstanding in rehearsing two very beautiful pieces, One Little Candle and When I Close My Eyes for the upcoming Choral Fanfare event. A very big thank-you to all the students and families that have diligently attended extra rehearsals in preparation for this performance. Year 5 students particularly are to be commended when they returned from Camp and still attended rehearsals when very tired.

END OF SEMESTER CONCERT

On Monday June 10 from 3:30pm – 4:15pm, our Strings, Band and Choirs will be showcasing this semester’s learning with a short presentation in our School Hall. It is expected that all participants will attend in full school uniform. As a courtesy to performers, we ask that all students and families stay until the concert’s completion. More information will be distributed to families this week.

Yours in Music
Ms Katheryn Jones
kjone416@eq.edu.au

Read and Grow Update

Read and Grow is a fun interactive story sharing program for parents and children 3-5 year old children who are not yet attending school.

Throughout the program we will learn to listen, sing songs, share books and play together. This is a great way to develop your child’s oral language skills and help prepare them for school.

You’re invited to attend our FREE Read and Grow Program with your 3-5 year old children
(It is not compulsory to attend all sessions)

• When: TERM 2 - Tuesday 30 April until Tuesday 11 June 9am to 9.45am
• Where: Prep A Classroom Worongary State School
• Who: Parents and their children (3-5years)
• Theme: All about families.
  Siblings welcome

Come along and meet other parents and children – all welcome even if not attending Worongary State School

For more information or to ask any questions, please contact Katie Huggard via email: khugg2@eq.edu.au

The program was put together by a speech language pathologist and early childhood teachers. Each week we will read a story and develop language skills through reading, songs, play and craft - practicing the skills we know are important for school readiness such as:

• Focusing on key words and concepts
• asking and answering questions
• noticing the print and the written word in the story or title

For more information or to ask any questions, please contact Katie Huggard via email: khugg2@eq.edu.au

Regards Katie Huggard, PrepTeacher

Eco Warrior

Student Report – Sustainability Symposium

On Monday 13th May we went to the Sustainability Symposium which was an inspirational and inspiring experience that we were all lucky to attend. Thank you Miss Thomson and Chelsea Mclean for helping us be a part of this important event along with many other schools.

There were many young speakers, including ten-year-old Molly, who encouraged us not to use straws as they are bad for our eco-system. Holly from Byron Bay, aims to help save orang-utans in the Borneo Rainforest (Indonesia) because their homes are being burned down by something we use every day, Palm oil. Did you know that three football fields every second are being destroyed just because of one thing! But luckily Holly found an alternative ingredient for palm oil, which we all thought was amazing as she is now selling her own soaps.

One speaker who stood out the most for us was Melati from Indonesia. She has started an organisation ‘Bye Bye Plastic Bags’ with her 12 years old sister Melati who after being inspired by a lesson at school about significant people like Lady Diana and Nelson Mandela . The two returned home and brainstormed and asked themselves ‘what can we do now, for children living in Bali, to make a difference?’ that was when they decided to work on the mission of ”Bye Bye Plastic Bags”. Over the years it has grown into a well-known international movement of inspiration and youth empowerment.

During these workshops we met many inspiring students and enjoyed hearing what their schools have chosen as their environmental goals. On Monday 20th May we will be fulfilling our goal to have an environmental club called Eco-Warriors. We, as Worongary’s Environmental Captains, would like to see as many senior students come along to Miss Thomson’s room at first break to help save the future one step at a time. As Melati famously said “us kids are 25% of the present but we are 100% of the future”!

From Tayla, Vincent and Isaac - Class 6C.

Classroom News

YEAR 5 CAMP

I am extremely proud of the amazing Year 5 students and the way that they behaved and participated at camp. All of the students were positive, supportive and willing to try everything. I honestly believe the school will be in great hands with these Year 5s being next year’s leaders.

The students experienced so many wonderful things at camp from High Ropes and a Giant Swing to building their own billy cart and a toilet paper snow storm. The memories created will last a lifetime for so many.

Great work Year 5

Angela Bank
Classroom Teacher

YEAR 3

The Year 3 students were very productive last Friday creating collages inspired by the famous Australian author, Jeannie Baker. The rooms were a hype of excitement as these young artists at work were totally engaged.

Excursions

P&C News

P&C Meeting

The next P and C meeting is on Wednesday 12 June 2019 at 4.30 pm in the staff room. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Trivia Night Donations

Thank you to everyone who has made a donation or have booked and paid for a table. You can still book a table if you would like to support the school in fundraising for air conditioning. If you are still wanting to donate to our Trivia Night to be held on Friday 31 May 2019, please contact us via our email below for a donation letter. For enquiries in regards to our Trivia Night, please contact the P and C via our email pandc@worongaryss.eq.edu.au

Election Day BBQ

Thank you to all of our volunteers who helped out at the Election Day BBQ. Thank you to everyone who purchased items on the day.

School Banking

School Banking resumes Friday 31 May 2019.

Facebook Page

Remember to join our Facebook page “Worongary State School P and C Association” so you can keep updated with our upcoming events.

Regards P&C

Tuckshop & Uniform

National Volunteer Week

Monday 20 May – Friday 24 May was National Volunteer Week, where we made sure to celebrate our amazing, much loved volunteers. Narelle R and Janelle W (pictured) generously take time out of their busy schedules to join us in the Tuckshop each week. Our heartfelt thanks go out to these amazing ladies who make an ongoing commitment to being part of our small but incredible team. Your efforts are very much appreciated.

P&C Day Queensland

National Volunteer Week culminated with Friday 24 May being P&C Day for Queensland. We are very fortunate to have a fresh faced, dedicated and hardworking P&C executive who volunteer an immense amount of time every week for the benefit of staff and families at Worongary State School. They spent some time this P&C Day helping out at Under 8’s Day.

We took the opportunity to thank and appreciate all five executive members for everything they do. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to snap pictures of them all but did manage to capture our P&C Vice President, Tracy, on camera. If you see Tracy or one of the other executives around the school, please take the time to say hello and thank you to these incredible mums and dad who give so freely of their time each and every week!

Fridge/Freezer Issues

Repairs on our faulty fridge and freezer have taken longer than expected to complete. Most items were replenished in the timeframe expected but due to loss of storage space we have been substituting on occasion. I would like to commend the children for adapting so well when we’ve had to substitute items and also apologise once more for any disappointments caused. The final issue should be resolved very shortly.

Food Allergy Week

Sunday 26 May – Saturday 1 June is Food Allergy Week. The aim of this is to raise awareness of food allergies including those that are potentially fatal. Food allergies are becoming more common with 1 in 10 children born in Australia today developing a food allergy.

Here in the tuckshop we are very aware of the need to be extremely careful with food handling on an everyday basis and especially so when dealing with food allergies. Students with food allergies can and do order lunch from the Tuckshop regularly. If your child is ordering and has an allergy or special food requirement, we simply ask that you advise us of these when ordering. You can do so by writing a note on the tuckshop bag or by saving a comment in the allergy section if ordering online. We also invite you to contact us if you would like to discuss your child’s requirements in detail.

I would like to invite all parents and students to take the time to visit the following website to learn more about food allergies and the importance of being aware of them for the sake of the 1 in 10 Australians who must live with them...

UNIFORM SHOP

Opening Hours

Monday: 8:00am-9:00am
Wednesday: 2:15pm-3:15pm
Friday: 8:00am-9:00am (Closed this Friday 5 April)
Direct Dial number: 5502 4409

Online Ordering

Key things to note about ordering uniforms online are:

• Online ordering is great for busy parents. Orders can be placed online at your convenience.
• Any orders placed online will be processed on the next uniform shop day (Monday/Wednesday/Friday) and a yellow note will be sent to your child’s classroom via the Tuckshop basket so they know when to collect it from the Tuckshop. Please let your child/ren know to keep an eye out for this. Also, please be aware that due to the Uniform Shop hours being in the afternoon on Wednesdays, orders processed on this day can be expected to reach your children on the following Thursday.
• Please be sure to update your child/children’s class for each new school year. The account profiles for Tuckshop and Uniform shop are not linked, so must be updated separately.

Kind regards,
Michelle Lee
Tuckshop/Uniform Convenor

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