3 August 2017

Newsletter Articles

The Maroochydore Way

This week’s rule of the week focuses on being an active and positive participant student in both the classroom and playground.

School News

Congratulations to our students who competed at yesterday’s Nambour District Athletics trial at the University of Sunshine Coast.

A small team of students who qualified , ran, jumped or threw across the day.

Well done – Yaghie, India, Charli, Rishitha, Elle, Anna, Teshauna, Dominic, Charlie, Blade, Reuben, Zane and Jake.

Three cheers to Teshauna and Reuben who qualified for the Regional Athletics trial and a bigger cheer for Reuben who was the 12yrs Age Champion. A fantastic achievement.

My sincere apologies for the shade tent not being available for the morning session.

Mural Wall

Have you seen the updated art work on the wall at the Evans Street side of the oval?

It is looking pretty flash!

Name the Crane – Sunshine Plaza

Students recently had an opportunity to name one of the cranes on the building site at the Sunshine Plaza. We have a winner from our school and the winner will be revealed at Monday’s parade!

Prep Enrolments for 2018

Prep 2018 Information Session – Monday 5pm – 6pm August 28 in The Prep Building.
Prep 2018 Information Session – Monday 5pm – 6pm September 4 in The Prep Building.

We are taking Prep enrolments for 2018.

(A child born 01 July to 30 June 2013 is eligible to enrol in Prep for 2018)

Enrolment forms will be available on these session, or download one from our website.

Bring along your child’s Birth Certificate to fulfil the legal requirement of the enrolment.

School Opinion Survey

Our annual school opinion surveys commence this week. Parents/Caregivers, school staff and a random sample of students in Years 4, 5 and 6 are encouraged to have their say in this year’s suite of School Opinion Surveys by providing their opinions about what this school does well and how this school can improve.

In advance, thank you for taking the time to complete the survey and for your supportive responses around the wonderful work so many staff are doing in our school.

Each of the online surveys will open until Friday, 25 August 2017 and access details for the survey will be sent home this week. Please check your child’s bag.

‘Flu’ Season

With a sudden higher absenteeism than usual this week we are again reminding all classes of correct hand washing procedures around eating times, after playing and toileting. I note the media also included a story earlier this week on a flu strain doing the rounds of the South-East corner of Queensland.

The health and welfare of students and staff is always our number one priority; we all look forward to having all students and staff fit and healthy again in a hurry.

Family Fun Sessions

Through funding to Maroochydore Football Club, ‘Family Fun Sessions’ will be held after school for mums and children to participate in together. The program aims to support participation in physical activity; in an environment that will be fun, social, supportive and non-threatening; will be quality time between mums and their children; and that will be healthy role modelling for children. The sessions will involve soccer, multi-sport activities, music etc. The club has funding (through the Queensland Government - National Parks, Sport & Racing) to deliver this program to only 4 Sunshine Coast schools of which Maroochydore SS is one!

The program is a free 10-week program for the school and participating families (e.g. 5 weeks this term & 5 weeks next term).

The school would be delivered on the school’s oval.

2:30 – 4:30pm Thursdays
August 17, 24 and 31
September 7, 14

Please contact the Office to have your names added to the list.

Win – "QUEENSLAND DESIGN A DRONE COMPETITION".

If you could design a drone to do anything; what would you design?

• How would the drone look?
• Does it fly, crawl, swim, run, or bounce?
• What material is it made of?
• What is the problem that your drone would solve?

I invite students to think about entering this competition – let me know if you are interested and we might get together in our new Makerspace area and see what we can come up with! I’d also like to think students might like to plan/draw/make something at home with you. Either way – please let me know if you are interested so I can supply further details.

Participant(s) are required to:

• Upload a short fifty-five (55) second pitch video; OR
• submit a description of their drone and the problems it solves; and/OR
• submit their conceptual designs.

Year 6 - important dates for high school

Transition to high school day: Wednesday August 9, 2017

Transition Day at Maroochydore SHS – students must be enrolled at MSHS

Commencing at 8:30 in the School Hall at MSHS and finishing at 2:30pm

Students need to be dropped off in the morning at the high school and collected at the high school at the end of the day.

Bookings are required for parent attendance – please phone 5409 7333

New start date for Term 2, 2018

In 2018, state school students will now commence Term 2 on Tuesday 17 April.

The date has changed from the previously gazetted date of Monday 16 April as many of the state’s school buses will be required for the Commonwealth Games, including the closing ceremony on Sunday 15 April.

The date change will ensure buses have time to travel back to regional areas safely and students can catch their normal school bus services on Tuesday 17 April. Monday 16 April will become a flexible staff professional development day (student free day).

Woolworths Earn and Learn

If you are a Woolworth’s shopper be aware they are once again running their Earn and Learn promotion. For every $10 you spend you will get 1 Earn & Learn Sticker. Stick them on a Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker Sheet and pop it into a Collection Box at our school or Woolworths. The number of stickers collected by our school store will translate to the amount of educational resources provide to our school.

Read to children every day

Parents and carers who read aloud to their children every day provide a strong, positive influence and help develop a life-long love of reading.

There are a number of things you can do to foster your child’s love of reading:

• read aloud to young children every day, if only for a few minutes, and let them hold the book and turn the pages
• visit the library as a family and let your child select books that interest them
• engage older children and teens in discussions and debates about the books or magazines they are reading

For more tips and information on helping your child to read visit the link below:

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability

Collecting data on school students with disability helps teachers, principals and education authorities support the participation of students with disability in schooling on the same basis as students without disability.

All Australian Governments have agreed to work together on the annual collection of data on school students with disability. All Australian schools participate in this annual data collection. The data provided to the Australian Government is aggregated data only. While only data that

cannot identify your child will be submitted outside of the Department, if you do not wish for your child’s details to be included, please let me know.

Please be reassured that the Department will not provide on to another organisation any data that can identify an individual student. The only data being collected at the school level to be reported nationally is the:

• number of students in the school who are provided with an adjustment to address a disability;
• level of adjustments we provide for those students and
• a broad category of disability.

Consultation with parents is important not only for the data collection but also to ensure you are aware of the adjustments being provided to support your child. We will therefore continue to consult with you.

Please remember data gathered cannot identify your child however, if you do not wish for your child’s details to be included, please let me know.

Information and fact sheets are available to help you make a decision from the:

• Department’s website:

• Australian Government Department of Education website:

Alternatively, if you have any queries about the collection or use of this data I encourage you to contact me directly.

Attendance Every Day Counts

What a hectic term with many public holidays throughout. Sadly, this has heavily impacted on our students’ attendance at school.

The school had set a goal of reaching 94.0% in Semester One. However, we have fallen below this figure – 90.6%.

Attending school every day is not an option, it is compulsory.

At Maroochydore State School – Every Day Counts!

Well Done to the Year Three on a terrific Semester One.

Whether it be struggling to recover after a big weekend of sporting events or activities, taking a few extra days after a holiday or celebrating a milestone, the need for students to engage every day is important.

Routines and Expectations

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Please reinforce with your children the idea that we do not solve disagreements by being physical at any time. That we use our words, walk away or seek a teacher to assist.

• I say STOP if someone or something is upsetting me.
• I WALK away from the situation to a safe place.
• I TALK to someone I can trust.
• I CONTROL myself and keep my COOL.
• I can solve problems in a calm manner.

Resilience

In this context resilience means that students need to take responsibility for their own actions.

Regardless of what bad things we experience or others may do to us we are still responsible for how we react. It is not acceptable to justify our inappropriate behaviour as a result of someone else’s behaviour towards us.

Wearing the correct school uniform including a broad brimmed hat for play times.

School learning starts at 8:30am sharp.

There are high expectations around student work, personal achievements and behaviour.

For any student absence please call the school before 8:30am on the day of the absence. 5475 1555

All student mobile phones are to be taken to the School Office for safe keeping during the school day. Students collect them at the end of the school teaching and learning day at 2:30pm.

School Uniform

With the cooler weather beginning a reminder to all parents and students that the School Uniform Policy has support for students wearing a bottle green jumper/jacket as opposed to a variety of colour and branded jumpers/jackets. No hoodies.

Don’t forget to name your child’s jumper as they are often taken off during playtime and left lying about. Having a name greatly assists in the jumper being reunited with it’s owner quickly!

Playground Use

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 3 and Term 4 Dates

August 9 – Year 6 to MSHS
August 31 – P&C Father’s Day Stall
August 31 – 7:30am Father’s Day Breakfast in the school hall

September 4 – School Fun Cross Country Run
September 14 – Year 6 Ropes Course
September 15 – Last day of Term 3

October 2 – Queen’s Birthday weekend
October 3 – Start of Term 4

November 27 – P&C raffle draw
November 30 – Year 6 to MSHS

December 5 – 5pm End of Year 6 Evening
December 7 – Prep to Yr 5 Movie Day

December 8 - End of school year