26 May 2021

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Yours in education,

Leanne Odorico
Principal

Parade Presentation

On Friday 14th May Adopt A Cop Acting Sergeant Jenny Mulholland visited Kurwongbah as part of the National Walk Safely to School Day. Sergeant Jenny welcomed students at the front gate, before speaking to all students on parade about road safety including important messages on crossing roads safely, wearing seat belts and using helmets when riding bikes and scooters.

Thank you to Mr Crowe and the Eco Marines Aeson, Kiana, Shayla and Poppy who presented a PowerPoint presentation at Friday’s parade, reviewing their recent excursion to Moreton Island and shared important information about how we can help protect our marine environment. The EcoMarines are looking to continue their environmental education projects here at school. Each month our EcoMarine Ambassadors will announce the class who has brought the most recycling containers to our Purple Bin. Last week’s recycling champions were JE1.

Kurwongbah Eco Marine Ambassadors

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 2 WEEK 4

Top Kurwongbah Kid – Term 2 Week 4

TERM 2 WEEK 5

Top Kurwongbah Kid – Term 2 Week 5

Date Claimers

DUE DATES FOR PAYMENTS

National Simultaneous Storytime

Last Wednesday over 250 students attended National Simultaneous Storytime in the school hall at first break. Students from all over Australia linked in via the internet with the International Space Station to find out about life on the Space Station as well as hearing an astronaut read the story “Give Me Some Space”. Thanks to our school librarian Mrs Turner for organising this event and promoting our students love of reading.

2022 Prep Enrolments

We are now taking names of Prep students for 2022. Children who were born between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017 are eligible to commence prep in 2022. Parents are invited to contact the school office (ph: 3481 4333) if they are intending to enrol their child at Kurwongbah for Prep in 2022. Enrolment forms are being sent out soon and interviews conducted early in Term 3. Please contact the school for further information.

Kurwongbah Open Morning

Kurwongbah are holding an Open Morning for all 2022 Prep families this Friday (28th May) from 9.15-10.30am. The opportunity will allow all prospective Kurwongbah SS Families to visit our Prep Classrooms, meet our wonderful teachers and administration team and join in a range of fun activities. Those attending are to meet at the Sports Hall at the corner of Eacham Street and French’s Road. Please RSVP by email to info@kurwongbahss.eq.edu.au if you will be attending on the day.

NAPLAN Testing

Congratulations to our Year 3 and Year 5 students who completed NAPLAN Online over the previous two weeks. The students felt they were well prepared, took their time and did their best with the tests. Well done students and teachers!

Assessment Moderation & Semester 1 Academic Reports

Teachers will be completing their assessment for the semester by the end of week 9. They will moderate the assessment pieces with their year level colleagues and review the folio of learning evidence to determine students’ achievement ratings against the Australian Curriculum Standards. Reports will be completed, available on QParents and emailed to all families on Wednesday 14 July (Term 3 Week 1). Academic Awards for our Year 3 to 6 students will be presented on parade in Week 2 on Friday 23rd July.

What is National Reconciliation Week?

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

The dates for National Reconciliation Week remain the same each year; 27 May to 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Book Fair is Coming

Mrs Turner our Teacher Librarian is getting very excited with the arrival of Book Fair on Thursday. Students will be able to view books on Friday 28th May with sales commencing on Monday 31st May through to Wednesday 2nd June. Students will be able to purchase before school during lunch breaks and after school. This year students will be able to make cash purchases with EFTPOS facilities also available for parents. This is another great opportunity for students to engage with their favourite books and continue their love of reading.

Kurwongbah Kids Playgroup

We welcome parents and their young children to our Kurwongbah Kids Playgroup, held every Friday in the Sports Hall.

Change of Details

Have you changed your

• Phone number
• Address
• Email address or
• Family circumstances ?

If so, could you please advise the office.

Absences

Due to the fact our office is very busy, it would be very helpful if any absences are placed via SMS 0429 919 560 as a first choice. Your other options are to phone the student absence line on 3481 4366 and sending a DOJO message to your teacher. PLEASE DO NOT SEND AN EMAIL.

When informing us of absences, quite often parents do not provide the reason for their child’s absence. Any absence needs to be coded into the computer system. An absence reason of ‘away’ or ‘at home’ is not sufficient to code into the system.

Please be sure you indicate the following when reporting the absence:

• Name of child (especially if there is more than one child in your family)
• Absence reason – Please indicate if your child is sick or at an appointment etc. Indicating that your child is not coming to school, does not give a true reason for the absence
• Late Arrival – If your child will be late due to an appointment, please indicate an approximate time of arrival
• Dates of absences, if longer than 1 day

When using our absence line (3481 4366), please speak very clearly.

Relief Cleaners Required

Casual cleaners required for relief cleaning at Kurwongbah State School. Hours may be from 5.30am to 8.45pm and 2.00pm to 6pm. No guarantee of regular work.

Must be able to obtain a Paid Blue Card and undertake a Criminal History Check prior to commencing any relief work.

A full induction process will be undertaken with any interested applicants.

Please submit a brief resume or contact Tina Suta on 3481 4333 if interested.

Cultural Inclusion

We are currently looking to connect with people in our community who have an interest in supporting our school around cultural inclusion. Our cultural committee is currently preparing for upcoming events, including Reconciliation Week, NAIDOC week and multicultural week. We have some projects planned for NAIDOC week and would appreciate some input and support from members of our local community.

If this is an area of interest and you would like to get involved or offer some assistance, please contact the office and leave your name, a contact email and phone number and the cultural committee will get back to you.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Daniel Mills (damil1@eq.edu.au)
Cultural Committee

Inclusive Practices

People communicate in many different ways, some people use their voice, others use a device or a computer that speaks for them, and some people use sign language to communicate. In our Kurwongbah school community, we have students who use a variety of methods to communicate and it is important that we celebrate this diversity and actively work to engage and learn more about different methods of communication.

Recently some of our Prep students have begun to learn sign language with our visiting school Speech Language Pathologist Kathryn McGrath. We will share these signs and symbols through our newsletter so that our wider community can learn the signs at home too.

Kathryn McGrath
Speech Language Pathologist

STEM & Enrichment Education News

Makerspace Lunchtime Timetable

RoboRave Australia 2021 Competition!

Twelve students in Year 4-6 are competing in the upcoming RoboRave Australia 2021 Tournament at the University of the Sunshine Coast at Sippy Downs on Sunday 30th May 2021. Teams will compete in two categories of Elementary (Aged 8 -10yrs) and Middle School (Aged 11-13yrs) in the SumoBot Lego Challenge in teams of three. It is an exciting opportunity for Kurwongbah students as this will be the first-time teams have attended the event. Best wishes students!

A special thank you to Taylor Kezia Photography and Broadaxe Designs for their generous donations to help subsidise the shirts for the robotics teams.

Year 6 USC Science Incursion – Make, Integrate, Explore (MIE)

Year 6 students in Senior A and B have been partaking in the MIE circuit program run by the University of the Sunshine Coast creating a visual, electrical sound system for the deaf and hard of hearing. They designed the system using an Arduino and programmed it to control light matching to a 2-minute piece of music. Students created amazing codes to create a light display through investigating components of electronic systems. Senior C will be engaging in the program this week and we thank the Uni for the opportunity for Kurwongbah students to make, integrate and explore!

Premier’s 2021 Coding Challenge

The 2021 Premier’s Coding Challenge is on again! This challenge offers great prizes of coding and robotics kits and an excellent opportunity for students to create some interactive and innovative coding to raise awareness of digital wellbeing.

This can include themes such as:

• work and study life balance
• postural considerations of using technology
• personal security and safety online
• adhering to social media ethics and protocols.

Entrants from Year 3 -6 can develop an app, game, animation or website, and they must submit a short video showcase with their entry.

For more information see the teachers in the library or visit at the link below for more details.

Entries close on the 17th September 2021.

Music News

Thank you to everyone who has already paid the music and uniform fee. Almost all the uniforms have been sent home now. Please ask your child to try it on to ensure it is a good fit. If there are any problems please see Mrs. C. Students will be required to wear this uniform in the coming weeks for parade presentations and the Mid Year Concert. If you haven’t finalised payment could you please do so as soon as possible.

Mid Year Night Of Music

It is time for us to finally be able to show off all the hard work your children have been doing at our ‘Mid-Year Night of Music’. The students from our choral ensembles and instrumental ensembles will put on a great evening of entertainment on Tuesday, 8 June. The note with all the details was sent home last week to all choir students and instrumental students will get a letter this week.

Details of the evening are as follows:

• Tuesday, 8 June performances commencing at 6.00pm
• Groups performing include:
  o Junior Singers, Middle Singers, Senior Singers, Performance Group, Kurwongbah Blokes
  o Junior Percussion Ensemble and Senior Percussion Ensemble
  o Junior String Ensemble and Senior String Orchestra
  o Junior Concert Band and Senior Concert Band
• Full Performance uniform (including black school shoes)
• Gold coin donation for entry.
• Music Support Group will be serving food from 4.45pm. There will be no interval during the concert however the canteen will stay open until 7.00pm.
• Cash sales only – there are NO eftpos facilities available.
• You will need to check in by scanning the QR code which will be located outside the hall.
• All donations big and small, for raffle prizes will be accepted with gratitude to the music room of office by Friday, 4 June.

Parade Presentations

• 28 May: Junior Singers, Middle Singers, Kurwongbah Blokes and Senior Singers
• 4 June: Junior String Ensemble and Senior String Orchestra
• 11 June: Senior Concert Band

School Banking News

School Banking to end Thu 24 June

The Department of Education has decided to cease school banking services in our school from the end of Term 2 with the last banking day being Thursday 24 June. This decision is in response to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) Review of School Banking Programs report in December 2020.

Students will be able to maintain their banking relationship directly with their bank and consumer and financial literacy will continue to be delivered to students as part of the Prep to Year 10 Australian Curriculum, including Moneysmart and the BuySmart competition. If you are unsure of other methods of depositing to your child’s account, please contact CommBank’s general enquiries hotline on 13 2221 or visit your local branch.

Until the end of term, school banking will be processed as normal every Thursday morning from the office. Students can drop their books into the tub inside the door OR give them to their teachers to put in the class banking bag.

School banking rewards for 2021

Thursday 24 June is the last day for reward redemptions. If you do not receive a redemption slip, you can also write your request on a piece of paper and put it inside the bank book. Please note any rewards ordered on that day will be delivered to your child in the first week of Term 3.

If you are unsure of how many reward points your child has, please email kssbanking@gmail.com.

The following rewards are currently available for redemption to eligible children:

• Scented Stackable Highlighters
• Icicle Slapband Ruler
• Snowy Origami Set
• Scratch Art Cards
• Water Skimming Bounce Ball
• Polar Pencils & Pencil Toppers
• Terry Denton’s Activity Book
• Treetop Stationery Kit
• Tomato Seed Kit
• Emoji Wallet
• Mini Soccer Ball
• Treetop Handball
• Snakes & Ladders Game

YMCA OSHC

Hello families

Over the last few weeks the children have gravitated towards nature and outdoor play. Children are showing their enthusiasm to contribute to the continuous care of the school’s chickens all while participating in sustainability practices. We are also beginning to see more interest in supporting our community with older children showing up to spend time with their younger peers most afternoons.

The school and OSHC have been in discussions to add a small garden next to the Prep classrooms and we thought, what better way to incorporate sustainable practices, community support and outdoor play, while utilising some of the generously donated plant seeds. We look forward to seeing how the children take on this creative and practical challenge.

If you have any questions, concerns or feedback please phone or email us.

The YMCA Kurwongbah Team
Phone: 0448 244 060
Email: akb@ymcabrisbane.org

P&C News

This month the Kurwongbah State School P&C awarded two students sports bursaries to assist their attendance at representative level sports and would like to extend the congratulations and best of luck competing!

Our tuckshop is in the final stages of shifting over to QKR! And would like to remind parents the final day to use credits is May 29th.

We are still seeking feedback in our parent opinion survey to guide the building of our strategic plan. You can provide your feedback at the link below.

We are also seeking volunteers for the book fair. Please use this form to select a time you’re able to assist at the link below.

Our next P&C meeting will be held on Wednesday June 9th at 6:30.

Qkr Online Ordering

Kurwongbah P&C has migrated from Quickcliq to Qkr!(pronounced 'Quicker').

Qkr (pronounced - Quicker) is a FREE app to enable mobile payment for school-based accounts. The app enables parents and carers of Kurwongbah students to use their mobile devices to place Tuckshop orders or make Uniform payments. No more loading credit to your account, paying for each child individually, or paying additional fees.

The school receives a detailed report of all payments. Orders are generated separately for the Tuckshop and Uniform Shop and filled accordingly.

To get started, view this introduction video and download the app today.

For those without access to a smart phone, a web-based version of Qkr is available at:

Any credit on your Quickcliq account will need to be used by May 29th.

Book Club News

Issue 4 Catalogues have been delivered to your child’s classroom and will be due in by Friday 11th June.

How Book Club Helps Your Child’s School

Every time you place a Scholastic order, your School is being rewarded! For example, for every Book Club order you place, Scholastic receives 20% of your total order spend to your school as Scholastic Rewards. This allows the school to purchase books and resources for your child’s classroom and the library, helping students reach their highest potential.

How To Order

The Book Club LOOP platform for parents allows you to pay by credit card. Your child’s order is submitted directly to school and the books will be delivered to your child’s class. You can place your child’s order at the link below, or using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

Cash orders can be handed into the library. Simply fill out the order form on the back of the catalogue, place the form and the exact cash amount (no change given) into an envelope or clip seal bag and drop off to the LIBRARY ONLY!

Julie Collins
Book Club Coordinator

Fundraising News

P&C Beefy’s Pie Drive

The P&C are currently organising a Pie Drive through Beefy’s. The selection of pies available includes savoury and sweet, meat and vegetarian, family sized and individual, as well as a selection of gluten free. Order forms will be sent home with the eldest child shortly, and we are working to have the option to order available on Qkr! Orders will need to be placed by Friday June 11th, and our expected collection date will be Tuesday June 22nd between 2pm and 6pm from the Tuckshop. If you have any questions, please get in touch with the fundraising team at fundraising@ksspca.qld.edu.au.

Tuckshop News

QKR is now up and running. Please ensure you select the correct class for your child, or it defaults to JA. Quickcliq will continue to operate until 29th May for parents to use any credit before migrating over to QKR. If you require a refund, please contact Quickcliq to arrange.

Volunteers Required

Tuckshop require volunteers to assist on a Thursday morning and Thursday afternoon. If you have a spare hour, we would love your help. Please contact us with your availability.

Term 2 Meal Deals

• Jaspaa’s Eat Me Box $6.50
  Beef pie, Brownie and Drink
• Lucas’s Energy Meal $6.50
  Sausage Roll, Brownie and Drink
• Makayla’s Softball Meal $6.50
  Cheese Pizza, Brownie and Drink
• Chappy’s Hot Diggety Dog Meal $6.50
  Hotdog, Brownie and Drink
• Waldo’s Pizza Box $7.00
  Ham and Cheese Pizza Slice, Garlic bread and Drink
• Miller’s Baseball Meal $7.00
  Hotdog, Pikelets and Drink
• Zoey’s Mundi Meal Deal $7.00
  Chicken nuggets, Banana Muffin and Drink
• Annie’s Tasty Toastie Pack $6.00
  Ham and Cheese Toastie, Brownie and Drink

Daily Specials

Pizza Wednesday

• Margarita pizza $5.00
• Ham and Pineapple $5.00
• Mega Meat $5.50

Thursday Special

• Aiden & Chelsea’s Roast Chicken Special
  Roast Chicken, Baked potato, Vegies, Gravy and Garlic Bread $5.50

Ordering

The preferred method of ordering is online via the QKR app, as all details of in stock items are available. We also accept over the phone orders and cash orders over the counter.

Cash

Tuckshop is once again accepting cash sales via the bag system and for over the counter items in break times.

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 the online QKR app. Cut off for online ordering is 8:00am. Please ensure you have your child’s correct class, so your child’s meal is prepared and ready in the correct collection place.

Allergies

We currently cater for many students with allergies. If you have any concerns, please feel free to contact our team and we will be able to give you up to date information regarding our products.

Tuckshop Hours

Monday – Tuesday CLOSED
Wednesday – Friday 8:15-2:10 pm

Sandra and Carol
Tuckshop Convenors
3481 4337
tuckshop@ksspca.qld.edu.au

Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop is currently accepting phone orders Monday and Thursday 8.30am – 10.00am or email orders, please include phone number. These will be packed and delivered Mondays and Thursdays.

Parents are welcome to the uniform shop however we still must maintain social distancing with only one family at a time in the shop.

Payment methods accepted Eftpos, credit card, direct deposit, and cash. You can also now order your uniforms online via the Qkr app.

Please see attached order form and price list.

Winter Orders

We apologise for the delay with our jackets. They are expected to arrive in the first week of June 2021. You can place your orders and we will deliver them as soon as we receive them in stock. Please place your winter orders now to avoid disappointment. You can put in your order and pay when it is ready. We have size 8 and size 10 Jackets in stock now and Polar fleece jumpers, vests and Long sleeve Jade Polos in all sizes.

Price Increase

Winter polar fleece jumpers and vests increased in price on the 1st May, 2021. This was the first increase on these items in 8 years.

• Jumpers - $32.00 (increased by $2)
• Vests - $25.00 (increased by $3)

Current Second-hand Uniform Stock

Second-hand Uniforms

The Uniform Shop currently has a large selection of second-hand uniforms. We have plenty of polar fleece jumpers and tracksuit pants, heaps of sports polos (fun run coming up) and long-sleeved jade polos, plenty of formal boys shirts and girls blouses. There are also some shorts, skorts and jade polos. There is limited second-hand jackets.

Ordering Through Uniform Shop

The following options are available:

1. Email Orders
   Email your order through to uniformshop@ksspca.qld.edu.au. This will be processed next time the Uniform Shop is open.
2. Phone Orders
   You can phone the Uniform Shop during open hours and pay by Credit Card.
3. Qkr! Online Orders
   Download the Qkr! App, or use the web-based version of Qkr at https://qkr-store.qkrschool.com/store

The preferred payment options are by Eftpos either by email order or over the phone by credit card or direct deposit.

Uniform Shop Hours

Delivery days are Monday and Thursday.

Thank you
Kay Mitchell & Kristi Milligan
3481 4323
uniformshop@ksspca.qld.edu.au

Containers for Change

Community Notices

Moreton Says Survey

Share your views to help Council plan for the future.

Moreton Bay Regional Council wants to hear what’s important to us!

Council have recently launched MORETON SAYS, which is a series of surveys they are undertaking over the next few years to get to know their communities better and help plan for the future of the region.

They have committed to use the insights from the surveys to help plan for the future of the region, and even better they’ll be sharing the results with us to help with our planning.

Jump online now and complete the first survey before it closes 5pm Sunday 13 June

Everyone who lives, works and plays in our region is encouraged to participate, so please feel free to spread the word amongst your family and friends. The survey is completely confidential.

Learn more about the Moreton Says program here

Australian Girls Choir Open Day

Look no further than the Australian Girls Choir (AGC) because we encourage, challenge and inspire girls as they learn to sing, dance and perform. School aged girls are invited to come along to our Open Day on Saturday June 12 to try our fun and inclusive classes and learn more about being part of the AGC! Please visit our website to register to attend our free Open Day:

Professional Tennis Coaching

Before school Program at Kurwongbah State School with Tennis Australia accredited coach Lorrae Thompson.

For further info regarding enrolments and pricing please contact Lorrae on 0402 110 508 or lorrae-guse-bell@hotmail.com

Australian Acting Academy

The Australian Acting Academy is one of Brisbane's oldest and most successful acting schools for kids 7-12 and teens 12-17yrs. They are also the newest addition to the Kurwongbah SS community as they start classes at our Hall 4-5.30pm for kids $285 and 5.45-7.45pm for teens $345.

Each term offers different skills and this term is the exciting art of taking a character to camera. You will learn how to act for camera, the difference between stage and screen, and most excitingly of all you will learn script analysis as you create stories for original scripts. Your work on camera is also sent home for you to review. The Acting Academy is all about supporting and developing creative kids and teens. The thing it is famous for is the Safety Net Philosophy where they make sure everyone supports each other to create safe places to take creative risks. You will not only learn new skills and have heaps of fun you will also make some great like-minded friends. the best part is you can come and try it for $1. If you don't enjoy it, that is all you pay.

To book in simply go to the link below or call Chelsea on 0490071298 for more information.