15 February 2023

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Yours in education,

Leanne Odorico
Principal

New Students

A special welcome is extended to Marley (2A), Chayce (4C), Alayna (4C) and Sylas (6A) 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

TERM 1 WEEK 2

TERM 1 WEEK 3

Top Kurwongbah Staff

Top Kurwongbah Kids

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

TERM 1 WEEK 2

Top Kurwongbah Kid – Term 1 Week 2

TERM 1 WEEK 3

Top Kurwongbah Kid – Term 1 Week 3

Date Claimers

Due Dates for Payments

Staffing Update

Welcome to Mrs Shirley who will replace Miss Bleney as class teacher of 4D. Miss Bleney has been transferred to Somerset Hills State School. We wish her all the best at her new school.

Student Leaders 2023

Last Friday during parade our 2023 Student Leaders were presented with their leadership badges by our special guests Moreton Bay Regional Councillor Mick Gillam and Leanne Mogridge ((Electoral Officer) representing Mr Shane King MP.

Our Student Leaders for 2023:

Student Leaders 2023

Music Captains 2023

House Captains 2023

School Council News

The School Council thanks outgoing members Mrs Judith Dunn, Mrs Kellie Campbell and Dr Laraine Law for their support and time representing the parents and staff throughout 2020/2021/2022. We appreciate your contributions and commitment to the students and Kurwongbah State School community. The school council is now seeking one parent representative and two staff representatives for nomination for 2023/2024.

The role of the School Council is to support the Principal in setting and reviewing the School’s Strategic planning and progress. Recent work focused on Strategic Partnerships including establishing a playgroup, connections with University of Southern Qld to promote learning partnerships and a focus on partnerships supporting sustainable practices within our school community. The current School Council have developed a 2022/23 Action Plan focusing on early years partnerships and sustainability practices within the school community. If you would like to know more about the School Council or may be interested in applying for the 2023/2024 position, please contact the Principal or school office (07) 3481 4333 or download the nomination form and return to the office.

Bell Times

Parents are reminded of the bell times. If you are planning to collect your child near a break time, collecting either just prior to the commencement of the break or at the end of the break is the best arrangement. It is very difficult to track down children who are out at play. This is especially important if parents have an appointment they are trying to get to. By letting the class teacher or school office know of the collection time prior to the start of school we can assist in having your child at the Office ready and waiting.

Contact Details

It is important that the school have the correct contact details. This is especially important in emergency situations or if your child presents as unwell during the school day. If you have changed your mobile phone number, address or email address, complete the attached form and forward to the office. Please be also aware if you have a change in emergency contacts. If parents are registered through QParents they are able to update details through this app.

QParents

QParents is a simple and easy way to access information relating to your child. You can update information, access report cards and update attendance, absence information through this app. Future functionality may also include parental permissions for excursions and online permissions. These functionalities are currently in the development stage by the Department of Education. Please find attached information on QParents and how to register. If you have any queries or would like further information, please contact the office.

Parent Information Afternoons

Thank you to the many parents that have attended the recent parent information afternoons provided by our teachers over the last two weeks. There is one remaining meeting which is for Year 4 classes, to be held this Thursday 16th February at 4.15pm in the classrooms. We encourage all parents to continue communication with their child’s class teacher throughout the year as this is one of the most critical aspects which supports children’s success at school.

NAPLAN 2023

In March 2022, Education Ministers announced that NAPLAN testing would be moved to Term 1 from 2023. The 2023 NAPLAN testing dates are Wednesday 15th March 2023 to Monday 27th March 2023.

NAPLAN is used by governments, education authorities and schools to determine whether young Australians are meeting important goals in literacy and numeracy.

Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are expected to sit the NAPLAN tests, which are held in Term 1 each year.

NAPLAN gives a snapshot of how children are performing in reading, writing, spelling, punctuation, grammar, and numeracy. It complements other effective classroom assessment and reporting practices.

Year 3 Students will be involved in a NAPLAN practice test on Monday 20th February and Year 5 on Wednesday 22nd February to ensure they are familiar with the online NAPLAN platform.

Please find attached a copy of the NAPLAN Parent Information Brochure as well as the NAPLAN Testing Timetable which begins on Wednesday 15th March.

School Photos

School photos for 2023 have been scheduled for Tuesday 28th March and Wednesday 29th March (Week 10). Information on class schedules and payment information will be sent out closer to photo date.

Parade Presentations 2023

Whole school parades are held each Friday morning from 8.55am in our school hall. Parents are most welcome to attend. During the year each class or year level will present a presentation on parade. Below is the 2023 parade presentation schedule:

Evacuations and Lock Downs

During Term 1 students and staff will practice our routines for emergency lock downs and evacuations. Students will be taught the specific signals and how they are expected to respond in these situations. Teaching students “Right time, Right place” and “Right Job” in emergency circumstances is a critical part of learning to be resilient, caring and safe.

Student Safety Issues

The safety of students and staff is very important. Members of the school community are asked to observe the following:

• Students are required to have their Kurwongbah school hats at school EVERY day and students must wear hats during both play breaks regardless of where they are playing.
• Students who bring scooters to school must secure them in the bike area. Scooters are NOT to be stored in class areas.
• Parents and carers are also asked to use the school crossings (Eacham Street and Eucumbene Drive) when bringing their children to and from school. This teaches our children the correct road safety rules. Thank you for your support with these safety precautions.
• Parents and carers are permitted to photograph their own child at school events and activities but are requested to refrain from taking photos of other children or posting school material online (including Facebook).

Absences

State schools are required to notify parents on the same day any student is absent from school without explanation. Rolls are marked at 8:50am and 2:10pm each day. An SMS message will be sent to any parent of a student with an unexplained absence by 11am. Students who are not in their class at 8:50am will be marked absent and MUST collect a late slip from the office. Parents collecting their children early must sign them from the office before collecting from the classroom.

Absence notification process

Please remember to call the school on 3481 4333 and press option 1 early in the morning if your child is going to be away or late for school so your child’s absence can be recorded correctly.

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

Same day notification

Our school will contact parents as soon as practicable on the day if a student is not at school and we have not been advised of the reason for this absence. If you are advised by the school that your child is away without a reason, please contact us as soon as possible by reply text to let us know where your child is. We will follow-up with parents if no response is received.

School Parking Patrol Program

Moreton Bay Regional Council (MBRC) Local Laws Unit undertakes a School Parking Patrol Program where officers complete scheduled school patrols, both in the morning and afternoon, to ensure that vehicles are parked in a safe and lawful manner. The primary aim of the program is to ensure that students and family members/caregivers are able to safely move around the school area as part of dropping off or picking up students from the school.

The Moreton Bay Regional Council Local Law No.5 (Parking) 2011 and Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 control parking or stopping of vehicles on footpaths, bicycle paths, marked yellow lines, shared paths, dividing strips and nature strips, along with vehicles parking across residents’ driveways and within ‘No Stopping’, ‘No Parking’, and ‘Bus Zones’ and Pick-up / Drop -off zones. Council is legally required to enforce these areas and the School Parking Patrol Program forms part of this process. Drivers are reminded that footpaths and nature strips are in place to promote pedestrian movement in a safe manner along roadsides and those drivers and residents must not stop on a bicycle path, shared path, dividing strip or nature strip. Please also note those vehicles that are parked with two wheels up and two wheels down is not considered as a lawful parking practice.

Local Laws officers conduct enforcement through the issuance of Penalty Infringement Notices as part of each School Parking Patrol. Please be aware that Council officers may take photographic evidence of vehicles stopping or parking illegally with Penalty Infringement Notices to be issued via mail at a later date to the offending vehicle’s owner.

Visit the link below for further guidance on parking restrictions.

For any further information, members of the school community are welcome to contact Moreton Bay Regional Council on 3205 0555.

World’s Greatest Shave

Business Manager News

Hello I'd like to start by introducing myself to you. I am the relieving Business Manager at Kurwongbah State School, filling in for Lucinda Barker and came to Kurwongbah in Term 2 last year from Petrie State School, where I have been the Business Manager for 6 years. I am loving my time at your beautiful school and have been made so welcome by the community – so thank you!

Business Managers in schools are responsible for resourcing. We line manage non-teaching staff, and are responsible for facilities and finance. It’s a big job and one I love the variety and challenges of.

Each fortnight I hope to share some of my upcoming work for our school and any important news with regards to finance and facilities.

Grounds and Facilities

Since my arrival here at Kurwongbah State School I’ve been focused on facilities improvements and repairs and I hope you’ve been able to see some positive changes around the buildings and grounds. There’s still a lot of work to do and I’m keen to continue to deliver high quality, beautiful, working, playing and learning spaces for our children and staff.

This year we will be seeking additional funding via a number of grant applications for some big-ticket ground’s improvements. Watch this space!

We had a fantastic response to our Working Bee in November last year. Once we get our contractors in to finish off the work started by our community, we will focus on a new target area and again seek community assistance for our Schools Officer.

This is a busy time for our School’s Officer, Shaun Raedler. As the sole person responsible for the general maintenance and repairs around the school, in addition to mowing and upkeep of the grounds, he rarely stops. You can help him in his endeavours by talking to your children about caring for school property, treating our grounds and buildings (especially toilets) with respect and care, and reporting any damage to their teachers.

Finance

On the finance side I’ve been looking at how we can best support our families to ensure all of our children have every opportunity to experience all that we have to offer here at Kurwongbah. I will be looking to introduce a cost-effective Student Resource Scheme, payment management systems like payment plans for camps and family accounts, and a Student Welfare Account where, as a community, we can work together to support those families who may need some assistance.

Year 5 and Year 6 Camps

We know camps are expensive. We also know how beneficial they are to our students and we want to help all eligible Yr5 and Yr6 students have the opportunity to go to camp with their peers. Last week I emailed the parents and carers of all Yr5 and Yr6 students to offer the opportunity to commence payment plans for 2023 camps now. We can accept prepayments for any amount, to sit as credit on your family account, so that when the camps are invoiced, we can apply your credit balance and let families know how much, if anything, is left to pay. Parents can opt to set up a regular direct debit from their bank accounts or make random payments of any amount at any time that suits them. Contact Lucy Kilby or myself, care of the school office for further information.

If you have queries or concerns about any of the matters above, please feel free to contact me at bsm@kurwongbahss.eq.edu.au.

Kind regards
Karen Grant-Freeman
Business Manager

Casual Cleaners Wanted

Kurwongbah State School would like to invite interested parties to apply for casual cleaning roles at the school. Split shifts of 3-4 hours duration commencing 5am and/or 3.00pm Monday to Friday is regularly available.

A knowledge of school cleaning would be an advantage but not essential. Applicants would be required to hold a current Working with Children Blue Card and submit to a Criminal History Check before commencement. The school will help with processing these.

Please email or drop your resume outlining your working experience or direct any queries to Karen Grant-Freeman bsm@kurwongbahss.eq.edu.au or via the school office.

Eco-Marines News

This week over 40 Year 5 students nominated for the role of an EcoMarine Ambassador. The next stage in the process is for the nominees to present a speech to their peers on Friday 17th February informing them as to why they would be best suited to the role. Four students will be elected for the ambassador roles but those students who are unsuccessful are still welcome to participate as support crew.

Students suited to the role will be:

• Passionate about improving the environment.
• May have previously participated in community events such as ‘Clean-up Australia Day’
• A confident speaker, good listener, reliable, a team player
• Prepared to give up playtimes to attend meetings
• Prepared to organise environmental challenges/activities to raise student awareness of environmental issues.

Students who would like support writing their speeches can see Mr Crowe.

Good luck to all the nominees.

Kurwongbah Kids Playgroup

Chappy News

Greetings Kurwongbah families,

I hope that you have all had a wonderful start to the school year and that your children are settling in nicely to a new year and new routines. I have had a very different start to my school year as a parent, with my youngest now in high school and the journey of being a primary school parent finally finished. I have now found myself in this new phase of no longer having to do a school drop off, with my son being very independent, catching the bus to and from school. Oh my! I cannot even begin to tell you the difference that makes to a day when you are not limited by school drop off and pick up – it’s a surreal feeling, especially after over two decades of doing a school run (my oldest started primary school in the year 2000 and I have had one in primary school every year since!)

There’s so much that I am unpacking with this new season I have found myself in and, no doubt, I will share some of my reflections along the way, however for today I just wanted to encourage you all to hang in there in the harder moments that primary school parenting can present. Keep going through the daily grind, keep investing in your young person’s journey, be available, listen to them in the car when they share their days with you, pack their never-ending school lunches with love, keep digging through their bags to find the notes that were sent home last week, know that the mouldy sandwich or rotten banana will strike you when you least expect it (and, more frequently if your child is anything like mine were!). Grab hold of the journey and make the most of it – the good, the bad and the downright horrid – because it goes in the blink of an eye. Truly.

My primary school journey isn’t over though and I am back for another year of investing into our school community here at Kurwongbah. I love being around our young people and have the privilege of working with a tremendous team of committed staff. We want to see your young people succeed and I personally love celebrating the wins and walking through the challenges with every student I get to engage with. My role is also about supporting staff and parents/caregivers so if there is ever a moment when you are finding yourself in need of a friendly ear, I am available.

In this week’s newsletter you will also find a copy of the latest Chaplaincy Snapshot – this gives a great overview of the work of school Chaplains and highlights the various areas we work across on a daily basis. If you have any questions about Chaplaincy or would like to know how you can support this service in our school, please contact me on carly.evans@suchaplaincy.org.au or see me at school on Thursday’s and Fridays.

Have a great week,
Chappy Carly

Inclusion News

One of Glasser’s basic needs is love/belonging/connectedness. We all need to belong to something. In our lives, our primary belonging comes from our family. Then we have sporting teams, clubs like cubs and scouts, playgroups, school communities and a huge myriad of other connections. For school, connectedness is a huge predictor. Primarily, in school, we firstly need to belong to our class. We belong with our team-mates, in our room and belong to our teacher. I think this was the primary reason why policy changed a few years back to say that the classroom teacher is the case manager for all of the children in their class. This was a challenge, as students with additional requirements had support teachers assigned and labelled as case managers.

What I propose, is that in an inclusive society, in an inclusive school, we work as a team. We want our students to belong and be valued for the unique gifts that they bring to a classroom. We want them to belong to their teacher and their peers. Our support services, here at Kurwongbah, which are labelled as IEC (Inclusive Education Centre) Teachers and LIT (Learning Improvement - ) Teachers, only with the Admin group, the Teacher Aide group all combine to create a team that enables a student to succeed in and with their class, in their learning and socialisation. This is a finite resource, so we need to work together to ensure we are using our resource the best we can across our amazing student group.

I don’t think that inclusion is about the four walls of the classroom, especially where classes are using flexible groupings, inside and outside learning spaces and are dynamic in nature. To be part of that class is to be part of all of those great experiences.

That is also just the internal aspects of the team. Parents and the students themselves are the keys to teamwork. Parents know their children best, and were their first teacher. Your voice is important in striving for each student’s excellence. The student is the core. We can try a million different strategies and think we are helping, but it is the students voice and actions that communicate the effectiveness of the support.

The other think in our ‘sport’, is that we are playing the long game. We are making the hard moves, the difficult decisions and sitting in the discomfort, in order to make tomorrow, then next year, the next step, more achievable to maximise a student’s success.

Cameron Brown
Head of Special Education Services

Guidance Officer (GO) Greetings

Greetings Kurwongbah families!

This week I would like to share some information about services that are available for any families who are concerned about their child’s development. The Benevolent Society is the NDIS Early Childhood Partner in the Community for the Moreton Bay area. Every child is different and there are different pathways you can take to access the right support for your child.

The Benevolent Society can provide parents with knowledge, skills and support to enhance their child’s development. A diagnosis is NOT required for children aged 0 – 6 years. If you have concerns that your child has a significant delay, you can contact The Benevolent Society on 1300 003 234.

Also, a reminder that your family GP is often a great source of information and support – booking a doctor’s appointment to discuss your child’s development could be a useful first step if you are concerned.

Olivia Devereux
Guidance Officer

STEM & Enrichment Education News

Makerspace Lunchtime Timetable

Design Technology

Year 5 students are creating a service for an edible plant as part of their Design Technology unit and assessment. Students will need to bring in a container or repurpose an item that they would like to plant their plant into for the assessment. Items can be brought to the Makerspace for collection. Milk containers, tubs, tins and plastic bottles are just a few ideas for this project.

Coding and Robotics

Students are enjoying using their coding and problem-solving skills to solve the obstacle course they create for their robot. Come and join in the fun at the Makerspace and test your skills!

Lego Creations

Junior students are having great fun designing and creating with Lego constructing vehicles and other devices in the Makerspace. Students can enhance their design by adding motors and sensors using the We-Do 2 kits with block coding to make their device interactive.

Book Club News

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 from 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 into an envelope or clip seal bag and drop off to the LIBRARY ONLY!

Julie Collins
Book Club Coordinator

P&C News

Community minded and giving parents needed.

Do you enjoy setting and achieving goals, giving to others, and working as part of a team to improve your child’s school experience? Then a role on the P&C is perfect for you.

Our P&C has a number of current members who have children either in the last year of Primary, or whose children have all graduated. To ensure the P&C continues to be operational, new parents are needed to fulfil the roles being vacated.

The Kurwongbah P&C will be holding the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 8th March at 6:30pm. At this meeting, all of the roles within the Executive team and Fundraising Subcommittee will be open for election.

The most important roles to fill are those of the Executive team - President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary.

This year, the President Mel Crowhurst will be stepping down from her role after seven years on the P&C as her children are now in High School. This is a wonderful opportunity for a new parent to step in and guide the P&C on its next journey.

If you would like to learn more, or ask any questions about what this role is, please contact Mel via email president@ksspca.qld.edu.au

Fundraising News

Our first fundraiser for this year will be held on Tuesday 21st February – National Pancake Day in the tuckshop covered area from 8.00am - 8.40am. We will be selling pancakes for $1.00 and then $0.50 for each additional pancake. This cost will include toppings (butter, jam and maple syrup). A coffee van will also be visiting selling coffee, milkshakes, juice and more.

The P&C fundraising team sincerely thank Shane King, Member for Kallangur and Coles Murrumba Downs for their generous donations in support of our upcoming Pancake Day.

Tuckshop News

The Tuckshop is now open Monday’s 1st break only. Orders can be placed on QKR, over the phone or at the counter.

Our meal deals this term are:

• Liv’s Hot Diggity Dog Meal $7.20
  Hot Dog, Pikletes and Drink
• Emerson’s Flavourful Feast $6.00
  Fried Rice, Blueberry Muffin and Quelch Stick
• Billie’s Bites Meal $8.00
  Hotdog, Moosie and Drink
• Rogue’s Pizza Hut Meal
  Cheese Pizza, Garlic Bread and Drink
• Chappy’s Party Pack $8.50
  Beef Pie, Chocolate Mousse and Drink

All meals come with a popper however this can be upgraded to a flavoured milk for an additional $0.55. Sauce can also be added for an additional $0.40.

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

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

Uniform Shop

If you have an hour to spare and would like to volunteer in the Uniform Shop please email or call me, volunteers are urgently needed.

School Backpacks

School backpacks are available for $50. These backpacks are chiropractic approved and have a guarantee for the full time your child is at school.

Second-hand Uniforms    

If you have uniforms that you no longer require, please bring them into the Uniform Shop. We urgently need all sizes particularly sizes 8 and above.

You can either sell them through the shop or donate them. If you can’t get into the Uniform Shop to drop off your second hand uniforms you can leave them at the Office with Uniform Shop written on the bag.

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 from the link below.

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.

Kay Mitchell
3481 4323
uniformshop@ksspca.qld.edu.au

Containers for Change

Community Notices

Redcliffe Hockey Club – Ready to Play Program

Voices of Birralee

Love to Sing? Come and trial with Voices of Birralee!

Voices of Birralee is a Brisbane based choral organisation which has a choral program for your child. Our weekly rehearsals at Bardon, Ascot and Carina cater for singers aged 5 to 35 years. We invite you to a free trial at any stage of the year. Simply contact our office at contact@birralee.org | 07 3367 1001 to organise the best session to attend. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram @voicesofbirralee to keep up with our events.

Splash and Play – Mill Water Park 18th February

A fantastic new event Splash and Play is coming to the Mill Water Park on Saturday 18th February. Splash and Play will be a blast of fun with the existing water park filled with loads of water fun, plus two kids DJs providing entertainment, market stalls, food trucks and more in the park.

Chess Mates 2023

Benevolent Society – Family Connections Playgroup