24 July 2019

Newsletter Articles

From the Principal

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to our students and families for Term 3. This Term is already shaping up to be another tremendous term of learning at Worongary State School. Our staff will be continuing to work on enhancing our assessment processes – particularly in English where only 50% of our year levels achieved the Investing in Success English Targets. Work to improve this has already commenced with each teacher using exemplars in their teaching to help guide our students understanding of a criteria sheet. School leaders will continue to work closely with our teams to ensure we achieve our Semester 2 English targets. I am, however, extremely pleased to report that 100% of year levels achieved their Semester 1’s Investing in Success Numeracy Targets. This was an outstanding achievement – Well done to all of our staff and students. Parents wishing to find out more information about our Investing for Success Targets are encouraged to download a copy of our plan from the school’s website.

Book Week (19th – 23rd August)

In week 6 of this term will see our students participating in their annual Book Week festivities. The theme for this year’s Book Week is 'Reading is my Secret/Super Power'. I sincerely thank all of our parents for supporting this amazing event by designing and making costumes for the children to wear to school. Parents will be cordially invited to join with us on Wednesday 21 August and enjoy the Whole School Art Gallery, Best Decorated Door Competition and the very popular dress up parade. I look forward to sharing more information about this event in the near future.

Worongary State School Concert

We are excited to be able to confirm that Worongary State School will host our biannual School Concert during Term 3. There will once again be two concerts for each of the sectors of the school (junior and senior school). This year’s concerts are titled:

• Dreaming (Junior School) and
• Dance Around the World (Senior School)

Junior school’s concerts will be held on Thursday 5 September at 6:00pm and a matinee concert on Friday 6 September at 1:30pm. The Senior School matinee performance will commence at 1:30pm on Thursday 5 September. The Senior School’s evening performance will commence at 6:00pm on Friday 6 September.

Due to Health and Safety restrictions on the number of people allowed in the hall, we have had to limit sales of tickets to three tickets per family. As per previous year, if you have children in both junior and senior school you will be entitled to three tickets to one of the junior concerts and three tickets to one of the senior concerts. More information on how to purchase tickets will be circulated in up and coming editions of the Pipeline.

Year 6 Girls Soccer

Congratulations to our Year 6 Girls soccer team who last term won the North Gold Coast competition. This tremendous achievement propelled them into competing in the cross over finals where the winning North and South Gold Coast teams competed to determine the overall champion Gold Coast girls’ team. Last Friday our girls competed in this cross over finals against Elanora State School. This game went down to the wire with our girls being narrowly defeated one nil. I wish to acknowledge our girls for the way that they not only represented our school and but also for the way in which they played as a team. Congratulations to Mr Werder who coached the team during the regular season. I also sincerely thank Miss Smith and Mr T for stepping in and taking the team on Friday. Well done girls.

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is a whole-school evidence-based framework for creating a safe and supportive environment used in many Queensland state schools.

A safe and orderly school environment is important to learning. Disruptive classroom behaviour is known to interfere with learning and is a cause of stress and concern for students, teachers and families. PBL can help schools to reduce rates of problem behaviour, increase student engagement and improve academic outcomes. A major aim of PBL is to improve student and staff wellbeing through creation of a positive school culture characterised by respectful relationships and mutual regard.

At Worongary State School we take an instructional approach to behaviour – this means that the rules for how to behave are explicitly taught to students, in exactly the same way as academics are taught. Teaching expected behaviour combines what we want students to know and do with how we will support them to do it through explicit teaching, practice and reinforcement.

How we manage and support our students is like every other piece of work to undertake. Our PBL strategies are constantly being reviewed and modified to ensure we are meeting the needs of our students, staff and families. One way to review our performance is to reflect upon the Major Incidents being recorded in Oneschool. It is with great pleasure that I am in a position to share the following outstanding results:

This graph indicates that the whole school strategies we are currently implementing are supporting more than 92% of our students to enact the school’s behavior expectations and school rules (Learning, Respect and Safety). Students are well supported to make positive choices and maintain their learning focus. Teachers are clear and consistent on how each individual positively contributes to a respectful and productive learning environment.

The second graph provides evidence of how well our targeted and intensive support is catering for the students who may require additional assistance. This data indicated that the school is performing exceptionally well with both indicators well within the target limits. This data illustrates that these students can confidently implement strategies to stay connected with their peers and the curriculum.

I acknowledge and thank the PBL committee for supporting these fantastic results. I also sincerely thank each member of our school community for supporting our students to be happy, healthy and successful. We should all be very proud of our school and how well we cater for the individual needs of our students and families.

Staffing Update

Currently we have a number of staff members away on long service leave.

Mrs Kerry White (our school’s Junior Deputy Principal) will be away for the next three weeks. Ms Donna Ermer will be replacing Mrs White as the Junior School Deputy Principal while Mrs White is away. Mrs Jollie (who team-teaches with Mrs Ermer) has kindly agreed to extend her teaching load during this period. We welcome Ms Ermer to the leadership team and sincerely thank Mrs Jollie for arranging to cover this vacancy. Mrs Jollie’s decision to take the class will ensure this staffing change has limited impact on our students.

Last week we also welcomed Mrs Hannah Fenton to our school. Hannah will be replacing Mrs Marie Guerts while she is on long service leave. Ms Fenton will be teaching our Year 1B class during Term 3. I trust you will join with me in welcoming Hannah to our school community.

Finally, Ms Kaia Clark will be away for another few weeks also on long service leave. Ms Kaia’s behaviour teacher role has been backfilled by Mrs Jo Jackson (Yr 5/6 Support Teacher). Mrs Shannon Simpson has replaced Mrs Jackson in her support role while Kaia is away. It is wonderful to have Shannon back working with our students and staff.

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC Week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognises the valuable contribution they make to our community.

Celebrated each July, NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for Australians to come together and participate in activities that celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Last week, Worongary State School students celebrated NAIDOC Week by participating in a wide variety of activities and events. This year, the theme is “Voice. Treaty. Truth. Let’s work together for a shared future”.

To mark this special week on our school’s calendar each class was invited to complete a small art poster. Each of these posters was then used to create an amazing celebration of the Aboriginal culture on a backdrop of the Aboriginal flag. This flag was unveiled during our Senior School NAIDOC parade last Friday. I wish to thank Mrs White for leadership of this whole school initiative as well as Ms Jones and our school choir who performed so beautifully during our parade. Parents wishing to see the poster are invited to visit the hall and appreciate firsthand this amazing piece of art work.

2019 School Opinion Survey

The annual School Opinion Surveys will be conducted from 29 July to 23 August 2019. All families, school staff and a random sample of students will be invited to participate. We encourage you to take this opportunity to have your say about what our school does well, and how we can improve.

Access details for the Parent/Caregiver Survey will be sent home with students on Monday 5th August 2019. The survey can be completed via computers, tablets or smart phones with internet connection. Students in Year 5 have been nominated to complete this year’s Student Opinion Survey. These students will complete their opinion survey with Mrs Ready on Thursday 15 August 2019. Class teachers will provide more information regarding these surveys closer to the date.

Parents/caregivers who do not have access to the internet at home are welcome to complete their survey online at the school. School computers/tablets will be available on Friday 9th August from 2:00pm.

Survey queries or requests for translations can be directed to Mrs Kelly Ready on telephone 55024444 or email kread5@.eq.edu.au.

Regards Landon Dare, Principal

Behaviour

Save the Date

Learning Vine Awards

Book Week

BOOK WEEK 2019

‘Reading is My Secret/Super Power’

19 to 23 August

Grandparents’/Family Day

Wednesday 21 August

Come along and celebrate with your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews etc

Morning Tea with families in your room/area

All proceeds raised on the day will go towards our Air Conditioning project.

For those of you who are unable make it during the day, we will be open from 3.30 until 6.30 pm to view our Art Gallery, browse the displays, or have a photo taken with your children.

Grandparents’/Family Day - Program

Wednesday 21 August

Class Visits 9 am to 11 am

Morning Tea with Families

Student Council

Support research for childhood genetic diseases by bringing a gold coin donation and wearing a pair of jeans (or jeans shorts) to school on Friday 2nd August. Please note that school uniform shirts and shoes still need to be worn.

This national event supports the Children's Medical Research Institute and helps find cures for children's genetic diseases.

While the majority of babies are born healthy, 1 in 20 is born with a birth defect or genetic disease and more than 160,000 children around the world are diagnosed with cancer every year. Medical research is always looking for ways to treat or prevent such childhood diseases and some of the major advances over the years have included the eradication of polio, smallpox and diphtheria.

In Australia, the Children’s Medical Research Institute is dedicated to finding ways to treat or prevent childhood cancers, birth defects and genetic diseases to create brighter futures for all children.

However, medical research is expensive, which is why Jeans for Genes Day was born.

Thank you in advance for your support.
Worongary State School Student Council

From the Music Room

SENIOR CHOIR NAIDOC PERFORMANCE

Last Friday our Senior Choir performed at the School NAIDOC Assembly. The students sang and moved to a medley of music from Arnhem Land and The Torres Strait Islands. A very special welcome to the new members of the Choir and congratulations on your first performance for the school community.

THANK-YOU STUDENT COUNCIL!

The Student Council recently donated a considerable sum of money to the Music Department allowing us to purchase a full class set of ukuleles and hooks for wall mounting. Students across the Junior and Senior School will be taught many musical concepts using this fabulous resource. Thank-you Student Council.

TERM 3 REHEARSALS

All rehearsals and lessons have recommenced. This semester all members of ensembles will be awarded Dojo points for rehearsal and/or lesson attendance, rehearsal and/or lesson punctuality, having all equipment, leadership and learning, performance attendance and practise effort towards goals.

BAND – MONDAY 7:45am start

ADVANCED STRINGS – Tuesday 8:00am (with Ms Futo) and Friday 8:00am (with Miss Jones)

JUNIOR CHOIR – Tuesday 8:00am – please bring music each week.

SENIOR CHOIR – Wednesday 8:00am and Thursday 8:00am – please bring music to rehearsals.

TERM 3 EVENTS (so far!)

Friday August 19 – Peter Pan Excursion – Parent Volunteers needed! Please Dojo Miss Jones if interested.

Friday August 16 – Community Tour – Senior Choir, Advanced Strings, Clarinet Ensemble.

Wednesday August 21 – Book Week Concert – Senior Choir, Junior Choir, Concert Band, Advanced Strings, Beginner Strings, Drumline Ensemble.

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)

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, Prep Teacher

Excursions

P&C News

P&C Meeting

The next P and C meeting is on Wednesday 24 July 2019 at 4.30 pm in the staff room. We will be discussing the next Air Conditioning Installation. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Colour Run4Fun

This will be held on 8 August 2019. Booklets were handed out late last term. If your child has not received their booklet please enquire with their teacher, or a copy can be picked up from the tuckshop between the hours of 8.30am and 2pm. If you do not wish your child to participate please complete the form which was emailed out from the School Office in the last week of term. This can be returned to the tuckshop or your classroom teacher.

Bunnings BBQ

We are holding a Bunnings BBQ at Bunnings Nerang on Saturday 31 August 2019. If you are able to assist during the day please email us on pandc@worongaryss.eq.edu.au with the times you are able to assist us with so we can schedule our roster of volunteers.

Father’s Day Stall

The stall will be held on 22 and 23 August 2019. This is a week earlier than normal due to Gold Coast Show Day. We will be running a Father’s Day raffle again due to the success. Details of the Father’s Day stall will be advertised shortly.

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

Opening Hours

Monday-Friday: 8:30am-2:00pm
Closed: Entire last day of each Term

Birthday Celebrations

Did you know that we have Birthday Celebration Baskets available on our everyday menu? Children really love collecting a basket from the Tuckshop with a friend or having one delivered to their class on their special day. Continue reading for information about the options available and ordering process.

The Baskets

We have two options to choose from, both priced at $25.00 each:

1. Frozen Treat Medley – a medley of Frozen Juice Cups, Lemonade Bars and Mini Calippos
2. Baked Goodie Basket – a mixture of Chocolate Brownies, ANZAC biscuits and Muffins

FROZEN TREAT MEDLEY BASKET

Birthday Extras

In addition, if ordering a Birthday Celebration Basket, you can also add on one of the following packs to complete your child’s day.

1. First Break Lunch Box $5.00

Your child can choose:

• one hot food item
• one drink

2. All Day Lunch Box with Tuckshop Voucher $10.00

Your child can choose:

• one hot food item
• one drink
• one snack
• one fruit item (excluding large fruit salad)

PLUS will receive a return voucher for a frozen treat or baked goodie to enjoy another day.

How To Order

The Celebration Baskets can be ordered online, via the Tuckshop basket or over the counter. We don’t need a lot of notice – you can order the baskets and lunch boxes by 9am on the day you require them. Please note that because they take a bit of preparation, they are available at Second Break only. Once you order there is nothing more to do. We notify the teacher and make sure the basket gets to the classroom. If you would like to know more please feel free to call or stop by for a chat.

UNIFORM SHOP

Opening Hours

Monday: 8:00am-9:00am
Wednesday: 2:15pm-3:15pm
Friday: 8:00am-9:00am
Closed: Entire last day of each Term
Direct Dial number: 5502 4409

Winter Uniforms

We are well into winter now and have begun to sell out of some winter uniform items and have also run very low in others. We will not be ordering additional stock this season so if you require any winter uniform items, I recommend purchasing soon to avoid disappointment.

Kind regards,

Michelle Lee
Tuckshop/Uniform Convenor

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