Term 3 Week 8 Newsletter 28 August 2024
From the 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 tennis, Interschool netball, parent teacher interviews, speaking competition and our end of term assembly.
Have a wonderful week.
Fiona
Parent Teacher Interviews
On Tuesday 10 September we are holding parent teacher interviews from 1:30pm-5:30pm. This is a great opportunity to touch base with your child’s teacher. Booking through SOBS. Our Prep class had interviews yesterday and year 5 are next week.
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.
Enrolments for next year - 2025
Reminder to any families who are wanting to enrol for next year that we need to complete enrolment forms as soon as possible. Planning for next year is underway and we need accurate information to ensure the best decisions can be made around staffing and classes. We will be releasing our teaching staff at the end of this term.
Facilities
Over the next 12-16 months we have a lot of exciting work occurring at our school. We do have a master plan for all these stages and I have the folder in my office if anyone wishes to see the planning for these stages.
Team Challenge Area
- A few weeks ago, we have had 3 challenges put into the playground area-Spiders Web, Whale Watch and Proudy's landing swing. These will form a resource that will be used in our SEL programs under teacher instruction (Ms Hyland trained to run these).
Handball Court
- The new cemented area will have a syn pave finish on it in coming weeks with handball and hopscotch painted on for student use.
Shed
- A new shed will be built in coming weeks up the back corner where old sandpit was. This will become the new groundsman shed with the old groundsman shed the new SEL equipment shed.
Transpiration Pit
- The transpiration pit is in the beginning stages of planning to move from playground to along a fence line, opening up our playground space. This work will be completed before new playground goes in.
Sport Precinct
- A new building will be built off the tennis courts including an upstairs sport storeroom with a mezzanine floor. This precinct will have interactive board and be a classroom space for PE/SEL and other class use incorporating the tennis court space. The project has already begun after our successful Go For Gold Rd2.
Cricket Nets
- Nets will move down to oval area alongside the long jump pit. This will open up there use at play times as well as for PE lessons.
Playground
- A whole new playground will be being built where our current P-2 fort is, incorporating the big tree and extending out into some of the grassed area. This is in the beginning stages of planning and will follow on after sport precinct and transpiration pit.
Possum Place
- Currently in process of grant applications to have an outdoor projector placed in Possum Place up on-stage area along with blinds at the back to help with sun.
Murals
- Back of A block building, toilets and eating area we have designs being planned to go on walls, toilet doors to brighten up those areas.
B Block and Admin Building
- B block and Admin building are getting new rooves due to water damage.
All of this work is to be completed by 2025. As you can imagine a lot of work behind the scenes is required to get these projects up and running but how fantastic for our school!
Year 5 and 6 Camp
We are entering into the final weeks of preparation for our Boyne Island camp. Please ensure payment is finalised and you have checked packing list and medication requirements if your child will be needing anything.
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?
HOC News
How to engage students from Prep to Year 6 (and beyond) in literacy activities – Part 2
- Encourage journaling/diary writing. Journaling is a skill-building activity that allows your child to record observations, goals, problems, and solutions. While writing about their books allows them to explore their interests, as well as developing their book-reviewing skills.
- Provide access to audiobooks. This provides opportunity for your child to listen to the rhythms and pace of a story.
- Model reading. From birth, your child is modelling their behaviours after you. Your child will follow your reading habits. Let them see you reading, strike up a dialogue about what you’re reading, and share interesting passages with them.
- Allow and encourage kids to re-read their favourite books. You may be discouraged to see your child reading the same book over and over. However, they are reading for pleasure and likely picking up on new words and contexts with each read.
- Leave reading material in the car. Pack a bag with books, magazines — whatever your child likes to read — for quick grab-and-read opportunities.
- Try out multiple formats of a book. Many popular book series, have been adapted as chapter books and graphic novels, and others have corresponding audiobooks and e-books. A book’s format can have a major effect on the overall reading experience: The illustrations and simple text of graphic novels, for example, are especially popular with reluctant readers who can comprehend context more quickly. Trying different formats also lets young readers experiment with different reading styles (e.g., digital vs. print), to determine what they’re most comfortable with.
- Meet an author. If you can’t meet an author in person, check out their official website, listen to interviews they’ve done, or watch book trailers for their books. Meeting an author and hearing what inspires them can inspire readers to seek out related titles.
SEL News
This week some of our SEL students reconnected with the Moving Moments group. This was a wonderful experience that has been incredibly enriching for both the boys and the older women. The program helps students learn about empathy, compassion, respectful communication and a sense of contributing to others’ wellbeing. This intergenerational interaction can foster mutual respect, understanding, and a deep sense of community.
It was clearly reflected in the expressions of both the ladies and the boys how fulfilling it is to assist others and cultivate a sense of giving. Teaching this vital skill to our young students is particularly important in an age increasingly dominated by screen time. Thank you to Judy Mazzer for all her dedication to the Moving Moments program and thank you to all of the ladies that made the effort to support out SEL program.
In other programs, our students have been putting their team work to the test and learning that through when we champion others, we ca help them achieve their goals.
Building Resilience, Respect, and Confidence: A Journey Beyond the Classroom
Our recent SEL camp was more than just an adventure; it was a powerful experience in building essential life skills that will enrich their social and emotional learning. Through a series of challenging outdoor activities, the boys were encouraged to step out of their comfort zones, fostering resilience, teamwork, and respect for one another. These real-life lessons in perseverance and confidence will not only stay with them but also translate into positive behaviours and attitudes back in the classroom. This camp truly brought out the best in our students, equipping them with the tools they need to thrive in all aspects of life.
Sport News
Congratulations to our students that attended Capricornia Athletics trials in Mackay last week. We are very proud of the effort that you put into each event and for all the PB's achieved.
Congratulations to our Year 5/6 boys cricket team! Last Thursday our team of boys finished undefeated to claim the trophy. Well Done! Our girls team had an awesome day of friendship and fun - they played some amazing cricket across the day.
We have three sporting events coming up in the next two weeks. Green/Orange Ball tennis will be held in Biloela next Thursday (5th September) and Red Ball Tennis in Biloela on Friday (6th September). Notes will be coming home tomorrow with all of the important information for students selected in the teams. During Week 10, Wednesday 11th September, the Interschool Netball Carnival will be held in Biloela, notes will come home next week with the information about this event.
Student Free Day
Friday, 30th August is a Student Free Day and students do not attend school on this day. Our staff will be involved in Professional Development off site on Friday.
Date Claimers
