29 April 2020
Newsletter Articles
From the Acting/Principal
A New Way of Learning
Welcome back to Term 2. We have had a challenging and rewarding first week and a half of our new way of learning. We have welcomed back to school the children of essential workers and some children who fall into other categories, including vulnerable children. We have also welcomed back the majority of our students who have begun learning from home.
Our first day of term threw up some huge challenges when the online platforms for learning went down across Queensland. This was due to the enormous number of students across the state trying to log on all at once. This was rectified by Day 2 and we thank parents and students for being patient while the server was down.
We also have some students who are working from home, but do not have the devices and/or internet connection to allow them to access the online learning activities that our teachers have created. In this case, parents have been able to collect a pack of printed materials for their child to complete. These materials have been created by the Department and are based on the Distance Ed materials. These lessons are standalone units of work and may not align to the work students are completing online or at school.
The Distance Ed units rely on parents, particularly of younger children, to read important information and instructions. Students have received the first fortnight’s work, however, these units contain a lot of material, so please be assured that students should only proceed at their own pace and the next fortnight of learning only collected once the children have completed the first. This could take an extra week or two for some students. Returned sheets will be marked by class teachers and students will only be assessed on the worked covered in these units. If you are experiencing difficulty accessing online learning, please speak to your child’s class teacher.
Our students working at school are completing the same learning as those online at home. I would like to thank the teachers for their hard work at the end of last term to prepare the activities and videos that you saw in Week 1. Planning will be ongoing each week and teachers will also be getting opportunities to touch base with those children working at school and at home. If you have a question about the learning or any concerns, please contact your child’s class teacher via email or Dojo. They will reply as soon as they are able to, but please be aware that some teachers will be supervising students at school and may not be able to answer messages until the following day.
Communication
During these first 5 weeks, our only way to provide whole school messaging is through email, Facebook and Dojo. It is vital that all parents and carers keep up to date with information sent through these mediums. If you have not been receiving messages through email, please check with the office that we have your latest address on file. If you have not yet signed up to Dojo, please contact your class teacher to find out how to do this.
We are currently investigating Microsoft Teams as an online platform for engaging with our students learning at home. Once we are able to have the students access this platform, teachers will be able to video chat with the children. Please look out for more information about this to come.
Student protection is very important. Each morning, parents will receive a message asking how their child is learning that day. It is very important that parents reply to this message by 10am so that we can mark our rolls. This is something we must do each day to ensure the roll marking is accurate.
Dojo for Students is now up and running. This is an easy platform for students to use to upload their work to send to teachers and receive feedback. Please refer to the instructions sent via Dojo for setting up your child’s account and please contact the school’s technical support if you are having any difficulties.
Technical Support
I would like to thank Jann Connor for all of the work she is doing to support parents with technical questions, as well as setting up our Student Dojo platform. If parents are experiencing any technical difficulties, please email our tech support on 1993_Techsupport@eq.edu.au or contact the school. I would also like to thank Tim Mullaly, David Clancy and John Bloom (ICT Technician) for their help with parent inquiries.
Whole School Awards
Dojo points will continue to be awarded for students working at home and at school. Students still have the opportunity to achieve Dojo Badges, which will be presented to students once we resume normal learning. Teachers will also be continuing to award Learning Vine Awards which may need to be presented virtually for some of our students. I encourage all children to continue to do their best.
Acting Principal Position
The Acting Principal position at Worongary State School for Term 2 has been advertised state-wide and a process for awarding this position is underway. We should know in the coming weeks who has been appointed to replace Mr Dare while he undertakes the Acting Principal role at Arundel State School. We will notify parents of the decision once it is announced.
Behaviour Focus
We will be continuing to implement our Positive Behaviour for Learning procedures during this term for those students at home and at school. The first two focus areas are very timely as parents working with their children start to establish the expectations for learning at home. If you would like more information about the PBL lessons, please visit the school’s Ed Studio and click on the Student Services Support Page.
|
Topic |
Focus Behaviour |
|
|
Weeks 1 & 2 |
Following Instructions First Time |
We will:
|
|
Weeks 3 & 4 |
Using Whole Body Listening |
We will:
|
Kerry White
Acting Principal
Excursions
|
EVENT |
DATE OF EVENT |
AMOUNT |
DUE DATE |
|
SRS 2020 |
$170.00 |
$57.00 7 February 2020 $57.00 1 May 2020 $56.00 24 July 2020 |
School Plus
COVID-19 has been a focus across the nation/world over the past month. The focus at School Plus Worongary has been on implementing a Risk Assessment, and practices around ensuring the service is as clean and hygienic as possible. This has included adjusting sign in/out processes, disinfecting toys and equipment regularly, wiping down door handles and benches, role modelling great hygiene practices, working with the children to maintain social distancing and hygiene practices like correct hand washing technique. We have acknowledged these efforts with Hand Washing Certificates.
As a group we discussed the important work Doctors, Nurses and Healthcare workers were doing in keeping everyone well. We then decided on a poster competition that we could then share with hospitals and medical services to cheer on the staff and let them know that we appreciate their hard work.
We also took a group photo (doing our best to maintain social distancing) with children holding up signs that read ‘Doctors and Nurses are our Heroes’. We have received emails and photos back in response with messages of appreciation around how much the posters meant to those working on the frontline. This was a great community project. The children have enjoyed this process and throughout we have had the opportunity to discuss COVID-19 and work through any misconceptions, fears and questions the children may have.
In March School Plus Worongary marked Harmony Week. This tied in beautifully with National Anti-bullying Day and involved extending group discussions around diversity and acts of kindness. The children enjoyed making crafts to reflect this.
Gardening Club has been enjoyed by many children. The worm farm is thriving and the children are learning about the food scraps that can and can’t be saved for the worm farm. Gardening Club has also inspired bug catching as a regular activity with children finding, researching and releasing grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles and snails.
School Plus Worongary Vacation Care has been enjoyed by all and the children and educators have enjoyed spending the holidays together. Highlights have included Wheels Day, Construction Day, Minute to Win It, an Easter Egg hunt and much more!
Maria Bamford
Tuckshop & Uniform
Tuckshop News
Opening Hours
Monday-Friday:
8:30am-2:00pm
Closed: Entire last day of each Term
Tuckshop Operations
Due to the COVID-19 situation, some changes have been put in place in terms of how the Tuckshop and will operate. Please note that these changes are effective immediately but are not set in place long term. Reviews will be undertaken regularly over the next few weeks and if additional adjustments are deemed necessary, updates will be provided to the school community as soon as possible.
- The Tuckshop remains open for ordering at breakfast and at both breaks
- Eating time and play time remain swapped, as per the end of last term
- To minimise cash handling, online ordering is preferred for all items
- Tuckshop will close at 1:45 after the Second Break orders have been collected
- Over the Counter ‘Playtime’ sales and frozen treat collection will only be available at First Break. If ordering a frozen treat online, please explain to your child/ren that while the eating and playtimes remain swapped, they are not required to hold on to their bag until the Second Break. Instead, they are to collect their frozen item immediately after eating their First Break food.
‘Around the World in 5
Days’ Meal Deals
**ONLINE ORDERING ONLY **
**PRIZES TO BE WON**
Because nobody can physically travel the world right now, we thought it would be nice to give the students currently attending school the ability to travel around the world in a sensory, ‘flavours of the world’ kind of way.
We have come up with a selection of five Meal Deals inspired by different countries around the world. Each Meal Deal is available one day per week, for the next four weeks. To limit cash handling at this time the deals are available Online Only at both First and Second Break.
On Mondays we invite you to journey to the USA, Tuesdays to the UK, and Wednesdays to India and Thursdays to Thailand before returning home to Australia on Fridays. Feel free to travel at your own pace – you can travel around the world in a whirlwind in 5 days or take your time over the next four weeks. Either way, we hope you enjoy the journey.
To add to the fun, we have four $5.00 Tuckshop vouchers up for grabs. For each of the four weeks that the deals run we will have a raffle with one lucky winner drawn at the end of each week.
One meal deal ordered = one entry into that week’s raffle. Happy Travels!
UNIFORM SHOP
Monday:
8:00am-9:00am
Wednesday: 2:15pm-3:15pm
Friday: 8:00am-9:00am
Direct Dial number: 5502 4485
Uniform Shop Operations
- The Uniform Shop is currently closed for in-store purchases
- Online ordering is available, with orders checked and processed daily
- If you urgently require your child to try on uniforms for sizes, please contact us to arrange an appointment. The direct dial number for the Uniform Shop is (07) 5502 4485.
Year 6 Seniors Shirts
The Seniors Shirts arrived right on schedule and we are very pleased that most of the shirts are now in the hands of their proud owners. Whether learning from home or at school, they can be worn with pride.
If you missed the drive through collections, your shirt/s will be stored securely until your child resumes school as per normal. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 restrictions, the school must limit the number of people coming onsite unnecessarily so we are unable to offer individual collection appointments.
Take Care,
Michelle Lee
Tuckshop/Uniform Convenor
P&C News
Mothers Day Stall
The Mother’s Day Stall for 2020 will still go ahead in Term 2, as we are doing an online platform similar to that of the Tuckshop and Uniform store. You will be able to make purchases between the dates on Friday 1st May and Wednesday 6th May 2020. We will then arrange for collection in the Kiss and Go area on Friday 8th May 2020 this will be a drive by collection to ensure everyone's safety during the handling of Mother’s Day Gifts. Nil cash will be taken for the Mother’s day Stall. If children are present at the school, please indicate on the online platform and the gifts will be delivered to their rooms on Friday 8th May. Further details will be emailed to all over the next couple of days. Stay Tuned.
Did you know the WSS P&C have a Facebook page? If you wish to stay in the know of what the P&C are doing as well as up-to-date announcements from the P&C or Worongary SS please go to FB site; Worongary State School P and C Association and request to be a member.
We also have a Facebook School Business networking page, if you have a business no matter how big or small we would like to support you by having this network page where you can post about your business so the school community know that they can support a community member. Please go to FB Site; - Worongary State School Parents Business network
School Banking
With the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus, the health, safety and wellbeing of our community volunteers remains our priority. For that reason we have made the decision to keep the School Banking program on hold until normal operating rhythm of our school resumes. We understand more than ever, children are probably earning more money at home for doing those extra chores and that you would like to continue their school banking deposits, however we apologise for the interruption to your children’s financial education and savings.
Competition Time;-
Whilst we are stuck in the new world of Covid-19 we have decided to revamp our tuckshop. Competition time!! The competition will run until May 30, 2020. What you need to enter;-
- A new Name - Its currently called 'The Delta Deli' But we want something catchy and that also relates to our indigenous heritage/ learning vine statement.
- A design for the front of our tuckshop- yes we are keen to revamp and pretty this baby up.
- List 3 items you want to see on the menu, plus come up with a signature dish for the new named Tuckshop.
- All entries to be scanned and emailed to pandc@worongaryss.eq.edu.au, in topic line TUCKSHOP REVAMP LASTNAME, first name Initial and Class.
- Winning entry not only will see the revamp to our tuckshop, will also receive a meal deal to the value of $10 every Friday for 5 weeks. OMG!!!!!!
Note from the P&C;-
Although schooling is currently not the same, our Tuckshop is still here supporting our school students and teachers if they wish to buy that special lunch or treat. Please conduct online orders during this Covid-19 times to limit the exposure to handling of monies for our lovely girls Michelle and Jasmine in the tuckshop. They are working hard to continue providing a service to the school and also to come up with bigger better ways to improve our tuckshop experience.
Keep safe and well, physically, mentally and emotionally.
