Term 4 Week 2 Newsletter 13 October 2023
From our Principal
It was wonderful to see the students return to school happy to see their friends and ready to learn. We look forward to a busy term with plenty of educational experiences.
Currently our year 5 & 6 students are in Brisbane for their camp. Keep on eye on our Facebook page to keep up to date with their adventures.
Have a wonderful week.
Fiona
Attendance
At Thangool we are passionate about building lifelong learners who have the best chance of success. In order to do this good student attendance is essential.
Why does school attendance matter?
Regular school attendance gives students a better chance at life. Students achieve better when they go to school all day, every school day because:
- They have increased access to learning opportunities
- They maintain friendships
- They stay connected to the curriculum progression
- They develop self-efficacy as a learner
- They have better long-term life outcomes.
Our attendance rate to date is 90.2% well below our target of 94%. Children should be at school every day they are well. If your child is having difficulty attending, please discuss their needs with your child’s teacher. I am also always happy to assist, so please let us know if you need support.
Planning for 2024
In term 4, we will be busy planning resources and staffing for the 2024 school year. We would appreciate you keep in contact with the administration team about your child’s enrolment (if changing) for 2024.
If you know anyone who is wishing to enrol or thinking about enrolling and would like a tour please encourage them to contact our school as soon as possible.
This information ensures our planning and resourcing of staff is as accurate as possible for 2024.
To support our students with our transition program within our school, we are in a position to release our classroom teachers for 2024 (subject to change as dependant on day 8 numbers):-
Prep- Mrs Ellen Brewer
Year 1- Mrs Rameeya Cheng
Year 2- Mrs Leanne Lawson/Miss Lisa Beresford
Year 3- Miss Darcie Lang
Year 4- Miss Jessica Dean
Year 5- Mrs Genevie Gleeson/Mrs Fiona Byrne
Year 6- Miss Charmaine Symes
Our staffing provides a wealth of experience and stability for our students and families. In week 4 we will be introducing all our staff as we know it-keep an eye on our Facebook page.
Celebrations
Thangool school has been nominated for the Tennis Queensland award for most outstanding school-Excellence & Participation. This a fantastic honour and recognition to Mrs Nancarrow for all her hard work with our PE program and our wonderful aides-Cathy White and Amanda Goody who volunteer at tennis to ensure our students get the very best in their sporting endeavours.
On Saturday this week (yes after camp!) Miss Sammi Jo Hyland will be presenting at The Brisbane Convention Centre at the Teacher Aide Conference building on her work around Culture and Emotional Intelligence. Again, our school is so fortunate to have Miss Hyland empowering staff to build knowledge and capability, having a rippling impact across the state.
Capable Learner
The start of a new term is always a great time to revisit our expectations ensuring clarity and consistency.
Our Thangool Capable Learner relates to the classroom and in the playground. By consistently emphasising our school rules, dispositions, values and holding high expectations, we ensure that all students are kept safe and are able to learn to the best of their ability. Our capable learner is built on key foundations and surround by ensuring we are inclusive, focus on wellbeing and provide feedback using our language of good, better, how. Please consider discussing our capable learner with your child/ren at home.
Head of Curriculum News
As we have returned to learning our year 5 and 6 students are off on our biennial Brisbane trip. The Brisbane trip offers numerous benefits for students, firstly, it is an opportunity to learn beyond the traditional classroom setting. It allows students to learn in a more relaxed and in some cases a hands-on environment. This change of scenery can spark enthusiasm for learning and foster a sense of adventure and curiosity as they are presented with new opportunities to incorporate experiential learning, connecting theoretical knowledge to real-world applications.
Other ‘beyond the classroom’ activities this term include our mud pit. Playing in the mud pit is a joyful and memorable experience, especially for our students as it offers a range of physical, sensory, and developmental benefits. It encourages creativity as kids use their imagination to build and shape mud structures, fostering problem-solving skills. Regardless of age, the mud pit also provides sensory stimulation, allowing children to explore different textures, temperatures, and sensations, which can contribute to their cognitive and sensory development. It is a great outdoor activity that encourages kids to disconnect from screens and connect with nature. Aside from the educational and physical benefits, playing in a mud pit is simply pure fun. It fosters a sense of freedom, encourages laughter, and creates cherished childhood memories.
SEL - Social and Emotional Learning News
This term we see the return of whole class SEL lessons. Our year 4 students will continue to focus on communication skills and working as a team. The year 5 class will be working on their leadership skills by planning and organising an event. This is a great way for students to develop their skills as they transition into the leaders of our school in 2024. The year 6 students will focus on transition as they prepare for secondary schooling. They will have opportunities to discuss their excitement and concerns while learning strategies that they can draw on as they enter high school.
Understanding what happens when our kids react.
Have you ever had thoughts like ‘they are just being dramatic’, ‘stop being so sensitive’, ‘that’s an overreaction’?
I am sure we have all had these thoughts pass through our minds on more than one occasion. What is actually happening when our students react and we can’t understand their big feelings?
One way to help us in the moment is to remember the process in Figure 1. Even as adults, this is the very same process that we go through. It is Step 2, ‘what we make something mean about us’ that we are often unaware of. Many of those thoughts can be ‘I am not good enough, I am dumb, they hate me, nobody likes me etc’. This will most certainly cause some big emotions and responses. Once we understand the thoughts that are happening, we can respond in a more helpful way.
Taking a moment to pause and identify the thought/s is a great strategy to model to our students. This is not easy, but certainly worth practicing with our students. How amazing to help our young people become reflective thinkers that can have awareness of their thoughts as they grow into teenagers and young emotionally intelligent adults.
Sports News
Our Annual Interhouse Swimming Carnival will be held on Friday 17th November 2023. Please keep an eye out next week as students will be bringing home their nomination form.
This year, students only have to nominate for 25m and 50 m events. Students who do not nominate in the 25m and 50m events will automatically be placed in the 12m participation events. Anxious swimmers can nominate to be in Lane 1 or 8 and each lane will have a staff member in the water.
The Callide Valley Interschool Swimming Carnival (formerly known as the Moore Australia Swimming Carnival) will be held on Wednesday 22nd November.
Best wishes to our two Cricket Teams heading to Rockhampton to participate in the Cricket Blast Schools Cup Regional Final. Students attending will receive information either today or Monday.
Project Club News
Date Claimers Term 4
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