Thangool State School eNewsletter

Principal News

It’s hard to believe we only have 10 days of school left for this term. 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 cricket, parent teacher interviews, speaking competition and our end of term assembly.

Long Service Leave

In week 9 and 10 I am away on LSL. Mrs Ellen Brewer will be in charge during this time.

Have a wonderful week.

Fiona

Parent Teacher Interviews

On Tuesday 16 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.

Parent Teacher Interview

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.

Intentions for Next Year

Reminder to any families who are wanting to enrol for next year that we need to complete enrolment forms as soon as possible. If you are leaving us at the end of the year, could you also let us know as this information. 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 early next term.

Year 5 and 6 Camp

We are entering into the final weeks of preparation for our Brisbane camp-Term 4 week 2. Please ensure payment is finalised and you have checked packing list and medication requirements if your child will be needing anything over the holiday

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 healthy and healthy friendships, 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?

Capable Learner Framework

Impact Coach Update

Social & Emotional Learning (SEL): Friendships, Conflict, and Resilience

This term, our SEL focus has been on friendships and conflict and helping students build the skills they need to navigate challenges respectfully. This can be a tricky skill and will take ongoing practice. In these lessons, students have been learning to:

Understand the difference between being rude, mean, and bullying. Correctly labelling these behaviours is important because it helps us respond appropriately and fairly.
Recognise the flow-on effect of our actions using our fun Coke and Mentos analogy. Just like dropping a Mentos into a Coke bottle creates an explosion, our words and actions can create a chain reaction—positive or negative—in the classroom and playground.
Use the “Catastrophe Scale” to measure how big a problem really is. By scaling the problem first, students can match their reaction to the situation and practise self-regulation.

Attendance Focus: Building Momentum

This term, our weekly Staff “Player Profiles” on parade have brought energy and excitement to our attendance focus. Next term, students who have achieved 94% or higher attendance in term 3, will be invited to take on the staff in a mystery game. It has been great to see the students and staff enjoying the fun this brings. Being at school is vital for our student's academic and social learning.

When Absence is Unavoidable

Sometimes children need to stay home, especially if they’re unwell. These moments can become teaching opportunities about resilience and adapting to challenges. You might explain it like this:

“Even professional athletes, who train every day, sometimes get injured or sick. They have to rest, recover, and then return stronger. What matters most is how they respond to the challenge.”

By framing it this way, children learn that setbacks are normal and that bouncing back is part of growth.

Sport News

We have just finished a couple of busy days at the Brisbane International Primary School Tennis Cup competition in Biloela. Thank you to all the parents who came along and supported our students. Congratulations to our Orange Ball Tennis team who finished in first place. They will get the opportunity to represent our school at the State Finals held in January next year. Congratulations to the Orange Ball Tennis Div 2 team who also finished in first place.

Congratulations to our Red Ball Tennis Mixed Team and our Red Ball Tennis Girls team who finished in second place.

Congratulations to William, Claire and Jedd on receiving Sportsmanship Awards at the recent tennis days. How awesome to be recognised by other schools for their sportsmanship on the court.

Curriculum

This term, our English focus is on persuasive texts. Using the Australian Curriculum Version 9, students are learning how to express their opinions clearly, give strong reasons, and use persuasive techniques such as emotive language and rhetorical questions. Through engaging topics and real-life examples, we aim to build skills in convincing an audience and justifying viewpoints. These lessons support critical thinking, communication, and confidence in writing, skills that benefit learning across all subjects and everyday life.

Extra Curricula Activities

On Friday, 8^th August as part of their year level curriculum studies, the Year 5/6 and Preps welcomed Caroline from Bush Babies Wildlife Rescue Incorporated. She discussed with the students the animals she rescues, including the most common: Eastern Grey Kangaroo as well as the most unusual, a Quoll. She discussed the actions they should so if they discover animals that require support. She thanked the students for raising funds and the money raised will go towards food and the animal sanctuary.

Book Week

Each year since 1945 the Children’s Book Council of Australia has brought children and books together across Australia through ‘Book Week’. During this week, we will be celebrating books and Australian children's authors and illustrators. Each class created a display on their chosen text and displayed it in the library.

Prep Vision Screen

The Children’s Health Service will be visiting our school on the 18th September to perform vision testing. If you would like for your child to participate in this free service, please return the Vision Screen Consent Form to the school, by 1^st September.

Best Wishes

We would like to take this opportunity to wish Miss Sarah all the best as she begins her maternity leave today. As you begin this exciting new chapter, we want to extend our warmest wishes to you. May this special time be filled with joy, rest, and unforgettable moments as you prepare to welcome your little one. Thank you for being an amazing part of our Teacher Aide team.