Term 3 Week 8 Newsletter 31 August 2022
From our Principal
It’s hard to believe we only have 12 days of school left and one of those is a student free day. The term has been another busy but successful one with many extra-curricular activities. In the final weeks of term, we have students attending the CQ Robotics competition in Rockhampton, Interschool netball, parent teacher interviews, speaking competition and our end of term assembly.
Have a wonderful week.
Fiona
School Review
Our school review is back and to say we are honoured is an understatement. When conducting the review, the 3 reviewers looked at 9 areas: -
- An Explicit Improvement Agenda
- Analysis and discussion of data
- A culture that promotes learning
- Targeted use of school resources
- An expert teaching team
- Systemic curriculum delivery
- Differentiated teaching and learning
- Effective pedagogical Practices
- School community partnerships
Interviews and conversations were had with staff, students, parents, community members, regional staff and other schools to gain a deep understanding of how the school is going and our next steps.
In all 9 areas we excelled and demonstrated best practice to an exceptional level. Over coming weeks, we will share highlights of the report via Facebook and in coming newsletters.
Our review affirms what a fantastic school we have with all stakeholders (staff, students, parents and community) working together in the interest of our children. The full report can be read on our school website.
Parent/Teacher Interviews
On Tuesday 13 September we are holding parent teacher interviews from 12-5:30pm. This is a great opportunity to touch base with your child’s teacher. Interviews are available in 15 minutes time slots. Bookings can be accessed through SOBS from 8am, 6th September 2022. An interview link will be emailed home prior to this date.
Teacher Aide Week
This week we celebrate our wonderful teacher aides. We are truly blessed at our school to have dedicated, passionate, caring teacher aides that support our teachers, students and school community to give our students the very best. Our teacher aides are like connective tissue, supporting and giving structure to the organs, but also helping move things around, making everything just work as a whole. Thank you for all you do, it is appreciated more than we can ever say.
Attendance
As we enter the last few weeks of Term 3, most classes will be supporting students to complete work that will be used as their assessment. It makes it a particularly important time to maximise attendance at school. While we appreciate parents keeping students at home when they are unwell, it is critical students come to school every possible day to ensure the best outcomes. Absenteeism can have a big impact on a student’s progress. A student with an attendance rate of 85% will miss the equivalent of a whole year of school as they progress from Prep to Year 6.
Head Lice
We have seen some recent cases of Headlice in the school. As unfortunate as this is, it happens in schools from time to time. For information regarding treating head lice, refer to the Department of Health’s Head Lice fact sheet.
Your local pharmacist can provide advice regarding head lice treatment options and head lice combs. Because head lice need close head-to-head contact to spread from one person to another, to reduce the spread of head lice, teachers will discourage students from activities which may involve head to head contact.
To reduce your child’s risk of getting head lice, make sure that long hair is tied up and discourage children from sharing their brushes and combs and hats and having head to head contact with others.
Remember - Anyone can get head lice – they have no preferences for cleanliness, hair colour, hair type, ethnicity or age. If our office calls to notify you, please know this call is made to allow follow up, and is judgement free. Parent response is appreciated.
Year 5 & 6 School Camp
Camp information and permission forms are out. Please ensure you return the permission forms to the office as soon as possible. Payment due by 23 September (1st week of holidays).
Friends
It is wonderful to see how our students at Thangool generally work and play in a way that shows respect and care for each other. The friendships that they form in school help support and influence them as they grow. The importance of friends looking out for each other is crucial in healthy relationships. Encouraging our children to talk about their friends, both the good and bad, gives us an opportunity to help influence healthy friendships.
Friendships are an important aspect of our everyday lives and help to maintain our mental wellbeing. With this in mind, it is vital to remember that developing and maintaining friendships involves the learning and maturing of many crucial skills and the building and refinement of personal attributes. These skills can take a long time to develop and master. Frequent practice can assist children to feel more confident in making choices around who they become friends with and how to manage challenges and disagreements within these friendships.
We need to embrace any opportunity to allow children to practice these skills. Below is an extract from Beyond Blue (2022) that list some of the skills that are important in developing safe and lasting friendships. Which ones will you practice with your child/ ren these school holidays?
- Self-control: Being able to wait for what they want, using words to express their feelings rather than acting disruptively or misbehaving, giving others a turn with toys.
- Welcoming: Being able to approach and respond to others positively – with a smile and greeting.
- Assertiveness: Being able to say what they’d like.
- Consideration: Being able to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, taking turns, being able to lead and follow what others want to do, being able to cooperate and share.
- Play skills: Being willing to take part in games and make suggestions for play.
- Communicating: Talking and listening to others in a friendly way, saying something to start a conversation.
- Helping: Being willing to help others.
- Prediction: Being able to understand how others might be feeling based on their behaviour, being able to predict how their behaviour might affect others.
- Thinking: About alternatives when things go wrong – for example, if other children want to play something different, thinking of whether to join them or finding someone else to play with.
- Coping: Being able to respond to rejection, disappointment or disapproval without experiencing too much distress or winning without gloating.
- Empathy: Being able to respond to others’ feelings with understanding.
- Flexibility: Being open to hearing or learning about other points of view or ways of doing things.
As children mature so to do their friendships. Working together we can support our children to have lifelong, healthy friendships. When discussing friends with our children using our Capable Learner Framework around feedback of good, better and how is a great way to unpack a friendship problem. What is good about the friend/situation, what could be better and how can you make that happen?
TSS Capable Leaner
Head of Curriculum (HOC)
Fluency
Fluency is the ability to read quickly, accurately and with expression. Fluency is when we can read smoothly, we don’t have to sound out each word and we can change our voice for different characters, attending to punctuation. Fluent readers understand and make meaning of the text as they read. Core components include accuracy, pace and expression, and volume. Fluency demands that the text be at the reader’s independent reading level.
To develop fluency:
Use Instructional Texts: Choose books or reading passages that are at your child’s reading level. Your child’s teacher had conducted reading assessments and identified their instructional reading level. These texts have been sent home with your child in their reading folders with their bookmark (reading goals.)
Use Repeated Readings: Select a passage, story or text that is at the student’s reading level. Set a goal for the student that is 40% above the student’s most recent fluency score. (Your child’s teacher should have this data.) Time your child reading for 1 minute. If they meet the target, move on to another passage, story or text. If they do not meet the goal, have your child continue with the repeated reading. Your child can graph their progress for motivation and it is an easy way to measure progress.
Read Aloud: Make a habit of reading together each day with your child. When your child hears examples of fluent reading, they will begin to apply fluency to their own reading.
Building a bank of high frequency/sight words: When your child can identify high frequency/sight words, they no longer have to stop and blend the letter sounds together or think about spelling rules.
There is a strong correlation between fluency and comprehension. The ultimate goal of teaching reading is to help students understand and comprehend what they are reading and developing our fluency is an important skill.
Book Fair
A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Book Fair last week. With your support we sold $3500.00 worth of books, posters and stationery that will now help us buy new books for our library. Thank you to everyone who participated in our Book Week Dress Up Day. There were some amazing costumes on display.
Book Week Dress Up
Sports News
What a few big weeks of Sport it has been for our school. Friday 19th August, saw 30 students head into Biloela to take part in the Primary Schools Tennis Cup Red Ball Gala Day. Our 3 teams played some amazing tennis and showed excellent sportsmanship. Congratulations to our Mixed Competitive Team who took out First Place after being undefeated on the day. They have earned the opportunity to play in the State Final to be held later this year/early next year. One of our participation teams also took out first place. Great effort by everyone.
Last Friday, 25 students headed into Biloela to take place in the T20 Cricket Blast Cup. Our 3 teams had an awesome day. Congratulations to our Boys team and our Girls team who were successful in taking our First Place. They will now head to Rockhampton to take part in the Regional Final in Term 4.
Green and Orange Ball Primary School Tennis Cup competition takes place tomorrow in Gladstone. We wish our 3 teams (1 Green and 2 Orange) all the very best. During the last week of school, some of our students in Years 4-6 will take part in the Interschool Netball Gala Day in Biloela.
Sport Photos
Student of the Week
Congratulations to our Students of the Week, Behaviour Award recipients and Principal's Award recipients.
Prep -
Abel: Recognise and congratulating others when they are successful
Gr 1 -
Zoey: For showing kindness to all by using effective communication and problem solving
Brodi: For being a playful learner who is able to follow the school rules
Michael: For applying his learning in HASS by recognising natural, managed and constructed features
Gr 2 -
Ayden: For demonstrating persistence during writing tasks
Douglas: Consistently demonstrating the dispositions of a capable learner.
Angus: For working diligently on his writing tasks
Gr 3 -
Makenna: For being a capable learner and trying your absolute hardest with all learning
Amelia: Communicating your fantastic thoughts and ideas more during lessons
Griffin: Showing persistence when faced with challenges. Super work!
Gr 4 -
Stephanie: Enthusiasm and diligence in learning
Ryder B: Being a capable learner
Hunter: Kindness, thoughtfulness and problem solving
Gr 5 -
Bailey: For diligence and embracing challenge
Blake: For showing disposition in his writing
Paige: For showing disposition in her writing
Gr 6 -
Jamen: For always persisting at any challenge that comes your way
Payton: For showing how playful learning can be
S.T.E.M Challenge Participation - Jamen, Nathan, Tommy, Ava, Cate and Kayley
Student of the Week
From the Guidance Officer
From the Guido:
Although it seems that we have been receiving some rain lately, and perhaps had a wetter than usual winter, I would like to let everyone know about The Rotary Club of Biloela’s drought relief programme. Drought has a huge impact on the mental health of our farming and grazing families, so any support has the potential to impact our families positively.
The club’s initiative involves accessing $250 gift cards that can be used at participating businesses in Biloela, and other localities. Email bilorotarydrought@gmail.com for further information, or call 0400 741 540 (after hours). An application form may be picked up from the school office, or simply request one by emailing the above address.
If you know of a local family who could benefit from this, please alert them to the availability of this financial support. It may enable them to enjoy a morning coffee out at a café, or attend to something that they have not been able to, due to lack of funds, both of which could ease the pressure somewhat. Look for this poster in participating businesses:
I am at Thangool State School every second Friday (odd weeks of the term). I can be contacted by calling the school on 4990 0333, if there is anything you would like to talk about regarding how to support your child.
David Reeves
(Guidance Officer)
Beyond Blue Kids Helpline Lifeline Australia
www.beyondblue.org.au www.kidshelpline.com.au 13 11 14
1300 22 4636 1800 55 1800
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