Term 2 Week 2 Newsletter 26 April 2023

From our Principal

Welcome to Term 2 2023!! Hope you had a restful break from the routines of school life. Our feet hit the ground running on Monday morning and they will not stop running till the end of Week 10!

What will Term 2 bring apart from the annual inter-house athletics carnivals, Under 8’s Day, report cards, Biloela Show Holiday, ANZAC Day? There are 3 short weeks along with professional learning, P&C and Project club fundraising, and so on. Of course, our most important activity for the term is TEACHING AND LEARNING!

A big welcome to Mrs Genevieve Gleeson who has joined our teaching team this term in year 2.  We are also excited to again have a Chappy. Chappy Tash will be working Wednesday and Thursdays. Miss Sammi Jo Hyland joins the leadership team as Impact Coach working 3 days a week. Miss Charmaine Symes takes on our one school administrator role and Mrs Carmel Davis joins us on the administrator’s team. We know they will embrace their new roles and support our students and school community in achieving our mission statement of nurturing the whole child.

All classes should have received an email with their student’s class overview for the term. Class newsletters come out in week 1 and week 5. Please see your teacher if you have any questions about the learning in your child’s room.

Next Thursday 4 May-Monday 8 May Mrs Brewer and myself will be away attending the HALT summit in Melbourne. This is where all Australian lead teachers and highly accomplished teachers come together to share current practices in education. We look forward to sharing our learnings on our return.

Have an awesome week everyone!

Fiona

School Mission Statement/Capable Learner

Our school mission statement forms the basis of all decisions made by the school. Our first question in all we do is always “what impact does this have on our students?”

Attendance

Every day counts! Our attendance school target is 94% and we are currently at 93.8%. one of the factors that helps student success both academically and socially is regular attendance at school. Thank you for working with us to give your child the best possible start.

Head of Curriculum

Australian Curriculum - English

English is our national language.  It is important for the learning and development of Australian children.  Through studying English, children learn to analyse, understand, communicate and build relationships.  It assists them to become confident and capable citizens.  We are a diverse country with global links.  The new Australian curriculum explores First Nations voices and world literature.

The English curriculum aims to ensure that students:  

• learn to purposefully and proficiently read, view, listen to, speak, write, create and reflect on increasingly complex texts across a growing range of contexts 
• understand how Standard Australian English works in its spoken and written forms, and in combination with non-linguistic forms of communication, to create meaning 
• develop interest and skills in examining the aesthetic aspects of texts and develop an informed appreciation of literature 
• appreciate, enjoy, analyse, evaluate, adapt and use the richness and power of the English language in all its variations to evoke feelings, form ideas and facilitate interaction with others. 

SEL News

This term we see SEL move into focused groups as part of our program. During term one and four, all students in years 4-6 participate in weekly SEL lessons and in terms 2-3, the program moves into focussed groups.

These groups will focus on topics such as:

Sports News

Welcome to Term 2 - it is going to be a big term with our Interhouse Athletic Carnivals held in Week 9 and Zone Athletics held in Week 10.  Please see below for the important Sport Dates for Term 2.

Congratulations to Kroombit House on winning this year's Cross Country Event.  Well done to all students who achieved their goal that they set themselves for the event. 

Last Friday, 10 students attended the Port Curtis Cross Country trials in Benaraby.  Every student did their absolute best on the day. Lots of PB's achieved

Congratulations to Lachie Burnett on being selected in the Port Curtis Football (Soccer) team.  Lachie will head to Rockhampton for the Capricornia trials in late May.  Well done Lachie!

Port Curtis Sport

Expression of Interest due:

Tennis (yellow ball) - 2nd May 2023

Project Club News

Thank you to everyone who supported our Fun Run.  With your support we were able to raise just over $6000.00.  These funds will be used to support our garden club.

On Friday, Project Club will be holding a Crazy Sock Day and next week a Mini Pizza Meal Deal.  Please see the flyers below for all the details.

From our Guidance Officer

This year, Guidance Week runs from Monday 24^th April to Friday 5^th May. The purpose of Guidance Week is to reflect on the role that the Guidance Officer plays within the school community, and to acknowledge the various supports they can offer.

A large part of their role is to work with classroom teachers, teacher aides and young people themselves in order that they are as able as possible to engage in their school life as fully as possible. This includes social and emotional wellbeing, ensuring the safety of the young person, liaising with external agencies so that the best supports can be put in place when required. It may also include conducting assessments which may assist the classroom teacher in developing their strategies in the classroom, as well as behavioural support.

It is not, however, limited to just these aspects. It also includes discussions about career paths, courses of study, and other post-school options. These aspects may not be so prevalent amongst the primary students, but they do pop up occasionally in informal situations - research shows that careers education in the primary school is beneficial for our young people as they move towards the end of their formal education and embark upon their careers.

A key support in the primary field is the transition to high school - what to expect and how to deal with an environment which is considerably different to what they have been used to. Many develop a certain anxiety about this change and need support to embrace the transition with success.

In 2023, there are 948 Guidance Officers working in QLD, celebrating 75 years of continuous service delivery by Guidance Officers in the state.  When guidance services were established in Queensland 75 years ago by William Wood he wrote that “Guidance is not something to be plastered on to the educational structure. It is an integral part of the educational service”.  How incredible that guidance officers continue to support, guide and inspire today.

We all need support at various levels at various times in our lives. So, if you notice that a friend may need a bit of support, catch up over for a cuppa and a chat – sometimes that is all it takes. Maybe you need to be the “listening ear” for someone, but if you feel they need more, encourage them to see their GP and work out a mental health plan, or call one of the numbers below.

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

Student of the Week

Congratulations to our Students of the Week for Week 1

Prep: Kayden - For settling into Prep routines and trying your best

Year 1:  Joe - For embracing challenges and showing improvements in decoding skills

Year 2: Sterling - For demonstrating his reading skills and completing Level 8.  Great work!

Year 4: Grayson - For demonstrating diligence, persistence and embracing challenges to succeed.

Important Dates Term 2