5 August 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Yours in education,

Leanne Odorico
Principal

New Students

A special welcome is extended to Baylen (JC1), Daneetah (MD2), DJ (JF1) and David (JA1) who joined the Kurwongbah School community recently. We hope you enjoy your time at Kurwongbah and we look forward to parent support with P&C and class activities.

Student of the Week

Top Kurwongbah Kids

Congratulations to the following students who have recently received Top Kurwongbah Kids Awards by showing our School Values:

TERM 3 WEEK 2

Top Kurwongbah Kid – Term 3 Week 2

TERM 3 WEEK 3

Top Kurwongbah Kid – Term 3 Week 3

Date Claimers

Due Dates for Payments

Payments

Payments are now being accepted for all excursions. Please note, all BPOINT payments are to be made by the due date. No late BPOINT payments will be accepted.

Kurwongbah State School is Cashless

The safety, wellbeing and hygiene of students, parents and staff is a top priority at Kurwongbah State School. Kurwongbah School prefers cashless transactions.

This measure will minimise the risk of contamination by transmission when paying with cash.

There are various ways to pay for excursions / activities for your child.

Acceptable methods of payment include:

• BPOINT (preferred method)
• QParents
• EFTPOS

Please contact the School Office if you require any assistance with payments.

2021 Prep Enrolment

We are now taking names of Prep students for 2021. Children who were born between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2016 are eligible to commence prep in 2021. Parents are invited to contact the school office (ph: 3481 4333) if they are intending to enrol their child at Kurwongbah for Prep in 2021. Interviews will be conducted early in Term 3. Please contact the school for further information.

Public Holiday

Collection of Students

When collecting children from either the Office or the First Aid room, parents are requested to bring ID with them. Please keep this in mind when you have requested other nominated persons on your emergency contact list to collect your child.

First Aid News

If your child is unwell, it is essential you keep them at home. In accordance with Queensland Health Directions, parents or carers of any child showing signs of illness will be asked to collect them immediately from the school.

First Aid Room
firstaid@kurwongbahss.eq.edu.au

National Consistent Collection of Data

Collecting data on school students with disability helps teachers, principals and education authorities support the participation of students with disability in schooling on the same basis as students without disability.

All Australian Governments have agreed to work together on the annual collection of data on school students with disability.

Please be reassured that the Department will not provide to another organisation any data that can identify an individual student. The only data being collected at the school level to be reported nationally is the:

• number of students in the school who are provided with an adjustment to address a disability;
• level of adjustments we provide for those students; and
• broad category of disability.

Consultation with parents is important not only for the data collection but also to ensure you are aware of the adjustments being provided to support your child. We will therefore continue to consult with you.

While only data that cannot identify your child will be submitted outside of the Department, if you do not wish for your child’s details to be included, please let your child’s teacher know.

Information and fact sheets are available to help you make a decision from the:

• Department’s website: http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/disability-data-collection.html
• Australian Government Department of Education website: http://education.gov.au/nationally-consistent-collection-data-school-students-disability

Alternatively, if you have any queries about the collection or use of this data I encourage you to contact the school directly.

Swooping Birds

Some native birds, including magpies, plovers, butcherbirds and crows, swoop as a defensive behaviour to protect their young. Swooping is most common during the spring breeding season, but if weather conditions are favourable some species may start breeding from late winter and continue into summer.

Students may encounter swooping birds on their way to and from school, or while inside school grounds. While being swooped on can be unpleasant, there are simple steps that can be taken to reduce safety risks to individuals and the community.

Year 5 Camp

The Year 5 Camp is scheduled for Wednesday 7th October to Friday 9th October. It is essential that we know any medical conditions related to your child that may impact their stay at camp.

Please return the Year 5 Camp Medical Form to your child’s teacher asap.

NAIDOC Week

Kurwongbah SS will be celebrating NAIDOC Week this year. Due to COVID-19, the dates have been moved and will now be November 8th - 15th.

NAIDOC Theme 2020 this year is 'Always Was. Always will Be'. The 2020 National NAIDOC Week theme has been developed to shine a focus on the length of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander occupation of Australia. In our narratives Aboriginal people talk of continuous occupation of being here when time began, we are part of the Dreaming – past, present and future. Anthropologists and archaeologists have dated our sites to being hundreds of thousands years old, in fact recording some of these sites as being the oldest on this planet.

Further information will be supplied closer to the date.

Chappy Chat

Hi All,

As a parent, I think I am pretty much like most other parents experiencing the challenges and difficulties of raising children especially in the areas of behaviour, resilience and coping with adolescence. My boys are all their own unique selves and they come bundled up with a diverse range of issues that can see me dealing with anything from friendship and online conflict concerns to grappling with significant mental health challenges and an uncertain future. I desire to navigate their growing years well and am committed to finding ways to empower my boys to thrive and flourish, hopefully reduce some of the challenges along the way.

Over the next few newsletter editions, I will be sharing some ideas that may help you in your own parenting journey, to empower your children to flourish. These can be applied to all age groups as appropriate and can be shaped to fit your own family dynamic.

1. When kids CAN, let them DO!
Self-esteem and confidence is built by kids gaining mastery over their world and doing the little things that we as adults so often do for them. When kids can get themselves out of bed in the morning we allow them to do so. When a toddler can clear her plate and spoon away we encourage her do so. When a teenager can catch a train into the city we allow him to do so, even though we may uncomfortable about letting go.

2. Develop a GROWTH MINDSET
This generation shouldn’t grow up like past generations thinking that their natural abilities set the tone for the pattern for the rest of our lives. If you think that you’ll never be good at maths/writing/sport/whatever, then you have a fixed mindset. We now know that talent and smarts aren’t fixed- they evolve over time with practice and effort. There’s a lot parents can do to develop a growth mindset in kids. Start by linking your child’s success with effort rather than linking it to natural ability. You want your child to grow up believing that hard work and strategy have as much to with their success in any area as their natural ability.

3. Encourage them to PLAY
Kids’ lives are full of organised after school activities including sports practice, music practice and swimming lessons. There’s not much time for mucking around these days. Self-initiated play, particularly when it occurs outside is great for kids’ confidence. Left to their own devices kids often take risks that would make adults shudder, if only they knew about them. But it’s through risks such as climbing trees, building cubbies and navigating their neighbourhood that kids learn to extend themselves and develop skills that they didn’t know they had.

4. Give them SOME TOUGH STUFF to do
Nothing builds confidence like a deep appreciation for what you have and an understanding that you can put up with some hardship and discomfort so consider ways you can disrupt deep comfort levels. Maybe they have to do some chores (make their lunch/their bed/feed a younger sibling) in the morning; maybe they should walk to school; maybe they can do without morning tea if they leave it at home. Maybe…… I’m sure you can think of your own ideas to help them feel familiar with discomfort.

5. Make sure they do something that SERVES someone else
So what does your child do that serves or helps someone else? Does he feed the dog? Empty the dishwasher? Help his sibling with homework? Assuming responsibility builds kids’ confidence. We often give responsibility to kids who we know can carry out the responsibilities without a hitch, not the kids who really need it as they sometimes struggle and won’t do it right. Empower your kids to step up and you will be amazed at what you see them achieve.

Have a safe and healthy week, take care of your physical and mental wellbeing, especially at this time of increased concern in our state. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to have some extra support at this time.

Take care,
Chappy Carly

STEM & Enrichment Education News

Kurwongbah’s Makerspace Lunchtime Timetable – Term 2

Kurwongbah’s Year 6 Science Competition Winners!

The results are in for the 2020 ‘Plant Health’ DAF Hermitage Research Facility Schools Plant Science Competition and Kurwongbah State School’s Year 6 Science Team has taken out 1st place in the Year 3-6 division. One hundred schools from across Australia registered to participate and over 1,800 students from years P-12 engaged in the competition project.

Students Chloe Lyons, Pia McAllen, Ella Wood, Ginger Lavery, Otis Frugtniet, Keenan Pikitavake, James Leigh and Travis Cleary investigated the growing of plants in various coloured lights and created a science report and mind map of their findings and research.

The competition winners will be officially announced during the “virtual” Awards Day scheduled for Tuesday 18th August during National Science Week and prizes will be sent to participants following the event.

Congratulations on the fantastic results students!

Year 6 Digital Technology Curriculum

Students in Year 6 are studying the components of digital systems and explaining how digital systems connect together to form a network as part of their Technology Curriculum. They have looked inside a computer to view the working components and are learning about hardware and software as well as input and output devices. They explored a virtual reality Merge Cube and its holographic features to see the Solar System to link their learning of how input and output interacts with software. Later in the term, they will create a computer game using the program, Scratch, for their peers.

Solid Pathways – Science Competition

Students in the Solid Pathways program have the opportunity to participate in the Science Week competition where students engage in science projects and create a report of their investigation. Students in Year 4-6 have selected studies in plant growth, evaporation rates, slime ratios and growing bacteria in dough. Entries need to be submitted by Monday 27 July – Thursday 13 August.

Premier’s 2020 Coding Challenge

The 2020 Premier’s Coding Challenge is on again! This challenge offers great prizes and an excellent opportunity for students to create some interactive and innovative coding to raise awareness of cyber safety and help Queenslanders by providing tips to improve their cybersecurity. Entrants from Year 3- 6 can develop an app, game or animation, and they must submit a short video showcase with their entry. For more information visit the website below,

Telling Stories Writing Competition

The ‘Telling Stories’ Writing Competition is organised by Mooloolaba Rotary in partnership with the Creative Writing Program from the University of the Sunshine Coast and Voices on the Coast. This competition is on again and open for students from Year 3-6. Students are to write their own story with the title being – ‘I should have been more careful.’

Entries are due on 24th August and there are great cash prizes to be won. Please see the Library for an entry form.

School Banking News

We can’t wait to see you all back at banking tomorrow, Thursday 06 August! Just a reminder we are now operating from the Office. Students can either take their bank book to their classroom and have it delivered to the Office within the class banking satchel, or drop it directly into the banking tub which will be located inside the Office. The tub will be signed and volunteers available to assist children if required.

Update on Reward Points for Term 2

With the pause of the school banking program, CommBank acknowledge that students were unable to make deposits in the usual way and therefore missed out on receiving reward points for their deposits throughout Term 2. As a result, CommBank have decided that any student who made a deposit in Term 1 of 2020 will receive a random reward to acknowledge their contribution. A parent/guardian letter will be attached to the reward to explain why the child has received the reward.

Please note the KSS banking team have no control over which rewards our school are provided by CommBank so requests cannot be accommodated.

New Rewards available in Term 3

For any child who achieves 10 or more reward points this term, the following rewards are now available for ordering:

Leah Reid
School Banking Coordinator

YMCA OSHC

This fortnight has been full of fun activities! The children and staff have been busy exploring their senses through various sensory mediums such as playdough, slime, saltdough and kinetic sand. The oval and multipurpose hall has been alive with soccer, cricket, 44 home and baseball games to name just a few. This week we welcome our Coordinator Vicki to YMCA Kurwongbah, please make sure you give her a big hello when you get a chance!

Reminder – Please ensure to notify of your child/ren’s absence. Please notify via the My Family Lounge App (preferred), email or text message. We are spending a lot of time each day chasing children that have been collected or are absent from school.

Have a wonderful week!

The YMCA Kurwongbah Team
Phone: 0448 244 066
Email: akb@ymcabrisbane.org

P&C News

Next Meeting

The next P&C meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 19th August at 6:30pm. Venue is TBC.

Fundraising News

P&C Raffle - Thermomix or Bunnings

Would you choose the Thermomix or the Bunnings Vouchers?

One lucky winner of the P&C Raffle will get to choose which prize they want; either a new TM6 Thermomix and accessories, or $2,300 of Bunnings Gift Cards. Tickets are $10 each, 3 for $25, 5 for $35 or 7 for $45. Tickets available online at the link below:

Tickets can also be purchased with cash by placing the correct money into a sealed envelope, and writing your name, email address and phone number on the front as well as how many tickets you would like, and have your student drop the order to the P&C office Monday through Thursday. Prep orders will be collected from the classroom.

Closing August 31st and drawn at 9:30am on Monday August 31st.

Tuckshop News

Tuckshop are very excited to welcome back pizza and pikelets to our menu.

Pizza is now available to order from the tuckshop every Wednesday for first break only.

• Margherita $5.00
• Mega Meat $5.50
• Ham & Pineapple $5.00

Pikelets are now available on Thursday at both breaks.

We thank our school community for your huge response for these items with massive orders placed.

Ordering

Tuckshop remains cashless and is currently only accepting Eftpos and Credit Card payments. There will be no over the counter ordering, unless purchases are made prior online.

Phone Orders

Parents can place a phone order, by phoning the tuckshop directly on 3481 4337 and paying by credit card. Cut off for phone orders is 9:00am.

Online Ordering

Parents can order via our online ordering system Cut off for online ordering is 8:00am.

Out of Stock

Please understand that while we endeavour to always supply all items on our menu, while other states are in lockdowns certain stock has become difficult to source. Where possible, we will swap items for similar brands to continue our service.

Allergies

We are very passionate to be able to provide meals for all students. If your child has an allergy, please feel free to contact us so we can provide you with detailed information regarding our products.

Tuckshop Hours

Sandra and Carol
Tuckshop Convenors
tuckshop@ksspca.qld.edu.au

Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop is currently accepting phone orders or email orders. Phone orders can be made Monday – Thursday from 9am – 12pm

If you are unsure of the sizing, we can have your child come to the office on either a Monday or Thursday morning. We will organise this with their Teacher.

Deliveries will occur on Mondays and Thursdays only.

You can send your emails through any time and they will be processed on these days. We can send 2nd hand items home for you to accept but if you do not want them they must be returned next day with your child.

We are not currently accepting cash.

Ordering Through Uniform Shop

The following options are available:

1. Email your order through to uniformshop@ksspca.qld.edu.au. This will be processed next time the Uniform Shop is open.
2. You can phone the Uniform Shop during open hours and pay by Credit Card.

Uniform Shop Hours

Thank you
Kay Mitchell & Carol Woodhouse
uniformshop@ksspca.qld.edu.au

Containers for Change

Community Notices

Dakabin State High School – 2021 Enrolments

Lawnton Kindergarten – 2021 Enrolments