10 November 2016

Newsletter Articles

Breakfast Club

Each Thursday Chappy Sam holds a breakfast club for our school community. Toast with a variety of toppings and milk with Milo is on the menu in the main forecourt area from 8am.

Special thanks to one of our Year 1 student’s grandparent, Vivianne, who makes a regular donation of milo and milk to boost the donations Chappy Sam sources for our students.

It was also wonderful to hear such positive comments from the P&C members last night about this positive pastoral care initiative.

Story time for our Prep to Year 3 Students

On the 18th November staff from the Maroochydore Library will be visiting and doing some story reading for our Prep to Year 3 students in our school library. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our students to have another adult read to them and make further connections from your family visits to the Maroochydore Library at Cotton Tree.

Remembrance Day

This year Friday November 11 marks the 98th anniversary of the Armistice which ended the First World War (1914 - 1918). Each year on this day Australians observe one minute’s silence at 11am, in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts.

For Remembrance Day again this year, our school leaders who recite the poem In Flanders Fields at the Maroochy RSL Remembrance Day Service at Cotton Tree.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

Congratulations to 201 of our students who received their Premier’s Reading Challenge Certificate this week. What an outstanding number of certificates! This is our biggest involvement yet in this initiative and both Mrs Pool and I are delighted with this high number of students who read and read and read!

Swimming Certificates

Congratulations to all of our Prep to Year 6 swimmers who also received swimming achievement certificates this week. After an intensive week of swimming sessions at the beginning of the term it is wonderful to see the student’s improvement and ability being recognised by the swimming instructors at the Cotton Tree Pool.

Maths Competition

An outstanding effort and result for the following students who recently completed the Australian Mathematics competition in an online activity in the school library with Mrs Pool.

Well done to you all.

Participation – Jack, Rishitha, Rylan and Zane
Proficiency – Elijiah, Amra, Charli and Natasha
Credit – India
Distinction – Sam and Enzo

Year 6 Transition to MSHS

Thursday December 6 Orientation Day – open to students and parents enrolled in Year 7 for 2017

Commencing 8:30am in the MSHS Hall Finishing at 2:30pm

Parents are invited to stay for the first session and morning tea before departing at 10:15am

Parents are to collect their child at 2:30pm from MSHS

Tuckshop

A special thank you to Bronny, our tuckshop convenor, and the small band of helpers who have helped her across the year in ensuring the students have some tasty, healthy food options available in the tuckshop each Friday.

More volunteers are always welcome and should contact Bronny in the tuckshop.

Classroom Volunteers

Did you know we have a large band of volunteers who assist in the classrooms across each week?

On behalf of our teachers and students I would like to extend a very warm thank you to our volunteers who have value added to our student’s school days across the year. Your enthusiasm and love of learning is infectious and enhances our student’s learning. Special thanks to Mrs McFadzen who manages and supports our volunteers and their placements into our classrooms.

End of Year Prep to Year 5 Movie

Mrs Skehan is getting a little bit excited as she is working with the cinema on having a new release movie on offer for this enjoyable end of year class activity. New release – special screening of SING.

Term 4

It is amazing to think that the 2016 school year has only just over 4 weeks left in it.

At this stage of the year all students from Prep to Year 6 should be very familiar with our classroom and school expectations as well as taking greater responsibility for their learning and behaviour choices.

Do keep regularly checking in with your child about their daily learning and how they are working towards an improvement in their learning.

Next year we shall continue with a focus on Mathematics and Reading and again next year our incoming prep students will receive a welcome pack that includes a story book for parents to further explore the joys of reading with their child at home.

We already have 22 enrolled and Mrs Pool and the Prep teachers had the pleasure in meeting some of our new learners on October 26. A follow up activity occurs next week with the prep interviews.

2016 Departures and 2017 Enrolments

We are currently trying to accurately plan our class and staffing structure for 2017. Having the most accurate information regarding student enrolments is essential in this process.

We please ask that if you will not be returning to Maroochydore SS in 2017, can you please contact the Office ASAP. Your thoughtfulness is appreciated.

Also if you are planning to enroll a new student, or know friends who are, can you please contact the school office straight away to arrange enrolment.

Prep will be compulsory from 2017

The Queensland Parliament recently made important changes to the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006. From next year, it will be compulsory for all Queensland children to undertake the Preparatory (Prep) Year, prior to entering Year 1. The legislation identifies specific exceptions that can be determined by principals on a case-by-case basis. To minimise disruption to schools and families, the new requirement will not apply to children already enrolled in Year 1 for 2017. There has been such positive learning outcomes since the introduction of Prep. The Education Department is pleased all children will now enjoy this important start to their learning.

Prep 2017 Information

Day for Daniel

It was wonderful to see the oval filled with the colour red for our Day for Daniel run/walk on Friday October 28. We were able to set up a big M shaped course on the oval which gave a nice small school feel to it as the older students lead the way and the Prep children eagerly followed on behind.

The money raised from the free dress/wear red day was donated to the Daniel Morecombe Foundation. Thank you for your support.

Grandparent Day

A number of grandparents were welcomed into our school On October 28. Each class had an activity planned and some grandparents coded, some ate yummy scones, some did artwork, and some used iPad apps.

I do know the children were a little excited in the playground telling us about the time their grandparents went to school!

Playgrounds after school

It is great to see students and families enjoy the wonderful facilities and playgrounds straight after school. However, I need all of the community to please support this practice in the following way. If students are to use the playground after school, their parent must be actively supervising their child from right next to the playground. I appreciate everyone’s support with this.

Term 4 Dates

Year 6 End of Year Night – Tuesday December 6
Year 6 End of Year Excursion – Wednesday December 7
Prep to Year 5 Movie Day – Thursday December 7
Term 4 finishes – Friday December 9

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Our student attendance average is just over 91% - we still think we can obtain 95% Every day counts

Parents are reminded of the importance of sending children to school every day. Being at school every day is important, if with one day absent each week quickly adding up to two months of missed lessons in a year.

Unless your child is ill, it is expected that your child will be at school learning every day of the school year.

More information on the importance of regular school attendance is available below. The videos associated with this link highlight issues often faced by parents and dispel some myths about absences form school and are worth a look.

By sending your child to school every day we are together developing good habits for success at primary school and beyond. When parents do not support developing a solid routine of attending school every day issues of truancy and poor work habits can emerge.

If you have any concerns regarding your child’s attendance, please do not hesitate to contact the school for support.

This week’s rule of the week is – Be Safe. No using sticks in the playground and definitely no throwing of sticks over the school fences.

P&C News

Term 4 tuckshop – only open Friday mornings.

Thank you to the P&C who are funding this term’s Science Show in the last week of the school year. There will be two sessions and through the generosity of the P&C all students will join in and see this amazing presentation of some eye popping science experiments with Street Science.