24 May 2023

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Yours in education,

Leanne Odorico
Principal

New Students

A special welcome is extended to Thea (6A) and Rylan (4A) 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 2 WEEK 4

TERM 2 WEEK 5

Date Claimers

Due Dates for Payments

Class Parade Presentation

Thank you to 1A and 1B Mrs Prowse and Mrs Jones for a very informative and educational Parade presentation as they showed the school how they make their writing more interesting by using adjectives. The students should be congratulated on their descriptive writing pieces which were used to describe fashion outfits that the students were wearing whilst strutting the catwalk.

Last Friday our Senior Band performed on Parade in their first live presentation of 2023. The band played three pieces, “Pirates Revenge,” “Starburst Fanfare” and “Aussie Mozzie”. The presentation was audience interactive with students joining in clapping the beat during the performance. The band will be performing next at our Mid-Year Night of Music on Tuesday 6th June. Thanks Mr Denning and students for all your hard work and practice.

Remaining 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:

Walk Safely to School Day

Last Friday was National Walk Safely to School Day. To celebrate the day the staff from YMCA Outside Hours Care hosted a free sausage sizzle before school. A big shout out and thank you Team YMCA for all the wonderful organisation of the sausage sizzle breakfast. We appreciate all the extra work you have done to make it happen. It was a lovely school community event.

2024 Prep Enrolments

We are now taking names of Prep students for 2024. Children who were born between 1 July 2018 and 30 June 2019 are eligible to commence Prep in 2024. Parents are invited to contact the school office (Ph: 3481 4333) if they are intending to enrol their child at Kurwongbah for Prep in 2024. Enrolment forms can then be completed and student interview times booked. Please contact the school for further information.

Assessment Moderation and Reporting

Teachers will be completing their assessment for Semester One by the end of Week 9. They will moderate the assessment pieces with their year level colleagues and complete report cards. Semester One Reports will be completed and emailed to parents on Wednesday 12th July.

School Attendance

We are well and truly half way through Term 2 and the weeks are flying by. Remember that every day counts and consistent daily attendance improves student learning outcomes significantly. Please support us by ensuring your child is at school every day unless they are unwell. Your attention to this important matter is appreciated.

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 contact the school 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. The preferred method of reporting an absence is via the SMS number 0429 919 560. Otherwise, you can contact the school absence line on 3481 4366 or the main school admin line on 3481 4333.

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

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.

KindyLinQ

Kurwongbah State School is excited to offer the KindyLinQ program. Families with children from birth to age three will be welcome to register for KindyLinQ. The play-based nature of KindyLinQ, which is delivered by a teacher, is perfect for young children. It enables them to explore, create, socialise and participate in different experiences with the support of their parent/caregiver. KindyLinQ can also support families to get to know the local services in their area and connect to a Kindy program when the time is right. For more information, please refer to the below flyer.

Mercy Community, Family and Child Connect and the Moreton Bay Local Level Alliance are partnering with TAFE Queensland to facilitate three afternoon sessions to ‘Connect our Community’. Come down to your local TAFE Queensland campus to connect with a community organisation that can answer your questions. There will be a free barbeque, activities for the kids and entertainment. For further information, please refer to the below flyer.

Business Manager News

Parent/Carer Survey – 2024 Student Resource Scheme

The data is in and thanks to the 98 respondents and the attendees at the P&C meeting on Wednesday 10th May, in 2024 Kurwongbah families will have the opportunity to opt into a Student Resource Scheme!

Let’s Start with the Survey Data:

• 66% of respondents were not happy with the current system
• 87% of respondents would like a school run SRS program
• 43% of respondents are concerned about the high costs of supplies
• 20% mentioned the excess resources which come home at the end of each year

What is a Student Resource Scheme?

A Student Resource Scheme is an optional program where schools purchase all books, pens, pencils, paper and stationery items, etc for students and invoice families at cost. State schools are not permitted to operate on a profit basis so the price of all item families is charged for is only ever charged at cost (including excursions and SRS schemes). In the event that a year level SRS scheme has money left over at the end of the year, the unspent funds are credited back to participant family accounts.

Some of the benefits are:

• Schools benefit from State-wide bulk supplier pricing so we are able to provide value for money
• An easy one-time opt-in for the whole time your student is enrolled at the school.
• Early notification of the cost for resources for the following year to assist you with budgeting and/or the option to “opt out” for the following year if the program no longer suits your needs
• A detailed list of inclusions
• The ability to still personalise your child’s books if desired
• A fair and equitable system where all participants have the same, high-quality resources
• The flexibility for staff to reassess requirements throughout the year to meet changing curriculum needs, further reducing costs and wastage
• The Department has clear directives around the management and auditing of SRS. Schools are required to have the SRS program ratified by the P&C each year and to report participation numbers, income and expenditure and the completion of each year’s scheme, including copies of all expenditure invoices

How will it work at Kurwongbah State School for 2024?

In late Term 3 2023 we will release an inclusion list for each year level, details of pricing and an SRS participation form. The form covers each student for their entire enrolment here at Kurwongbah State School. Complete and return it once and we will provide your child/ren with everything they need, every year for as long as they are enrolled here. We will send you the annual cost notification and inclusions list in Term 3 each year and email you an invoice for payment. We will ask for a small deposit on your SRS invoice to help us cover our start up orders and to confirm your annual commitment to the scheme. You will then have the option to pay in full or to make part payments each term (or whenever suits you); with the balance of your SRS invoice to paid in full by the end of Term 3 each year to be eligible for inclusion in the program the following year. You can opt out of any given year by simply sending us a new Participation Form indicting no participation or by sending an email.

The Student Resource Scheme is optional and we will provide booklists for non-participants to be able to source their own supplies. From 2024 we will no longer provide the option to order book-packs via My School Gear.

What Happens Next?

Once forms are in, participant lists are created and the school will place orders for a “Start Up Pack” for each student enrolled in the scheme. Start-up packs will be a selection of the year’s requirements which will be delivered direct to school ready for day one. As students require further resources throughout the year, teachers will place the orders and have them delivered to participants. Children can still take their books home for covering and personalisation. The resources are not “pooled” nor shared, unless pre-arranged by the teachers – this may happen in Prep for class sets of crayons, markers, etc. At the end of the year students will still bring their items home. We will make every effort to reuse items the following year rather than re-order and/or sending them home to save you money, time and reduce wastage.

This is an exciting new initiative we hope will help families financially and reduce your workload. I’m happy to hear your thoughts on the SRS or other ways we can work to help you!

Finance – Excursions & Camps

Year 5 Camp – We can accept payments to sit as credit on your account at any time for any amount. If you are unsure how to manage this, please contact Lucy or myself via the office.

Swimming – Our Learn to Swim program takes place in Term 3 however as another costly item at about $100 per student we are happy to take prepayments now!

As a courtesy to help you stay up to date with your accounts, we will email family statements once per month around the 15th and will send home a printed version at the end of every term.

If you are experiencing financial hardship, I strongly encourage you to reach out to your classroom teacher or myself early. Kurwongbah is a caring and generous community and we have confidential financial support options available to help you but can only offer this before excursion cut off dates.

QParent – Register Now!

Now is the time to set up your QParent app and profile/s. If you are already using the app at another school/s you can add your Kurwongbah SS student and start accessing information, reporting absences etc now!

The exciting news for our community is that soon the QParent app will manage our excursion permissions electronically! No more lost notes, no more missing out because a permission note went missing AND you can pay at the same time! This is a fantastic opportunity for us to communicate and connect and ensure all students have equal opportunity to attend all school events.

You can learn more at the link below:

Please feel free to contact me at BSM@kurwongbahss.eq.edu.au should you require further information regarding any of the items above.

Karen Grant-Freeman
Business Manager

Eco-Marines News

On Thursday 11th May the Eco-Marines had an excursion to Tangalooma for the annual Eco-Marine Ambassador Training Day. On the day the Eco-Marines were involved in team-building activities with other schools including building a group animal out of sand. Students participated in a number of presentations by Coral Watch, Urban Utilities and the Brisbane City Council. They also learned about how litter has an impact on the fights of immigratory birds. Students had some free time and enjoyed swimming in the clear warm water and after dinner the opportunity to feed dolphins. This was a fantastic experience for the students and a day they will long remember.

Kurwongbah Kids Playgroup

Inclusion News

I always dreamed of a money tree, and if you ask my mum, she will tell you that when I was young (she will say up to about 30 years old) I believed there was a money tree in our back yard. Unfortunately, it is not the reality. The same is said about resources. We have limited resources, and our use of them is around efficiency and effectiveness.

As a school, the greatest resource we have, and the greatest impact we can provide comes from our people. Our amazing classroom teachers have the greatest, research determined impact on student learning. These are our greatest resource.

Our human resources are finite though, especially in our support space. We are well into our first year of Reasonable Adjustments Resourcing model in the students with disabilities space. As a department, philosophically we are looking to inclusion, and that means encompassing all groups, peoples, cultures, diverse abilities, and so, we look to our whole human resource. Over the last couple of years, we have been working hard to align and coordinate our wider support resources. We have looked at effectiveness and worked hard to learn new things, new strategies and new ways of working. We have looked at efficiency, student data and evidence of learning and worked on groupings and support structures beyond human resources to support our student learning. We have continued to progress and continue to do a great job.

When we are looking at what we do, when we are reflecting on how we operate, and planning on the best ways forward, we hold students and their learning at the core. We recognise that we are a school, we are accountable to student achievement in the Australian Curriculum. This is our core business and we have to align our resources to supporting students in this space. This is what we call our focussed intervention. We also take a second lens, which we call intensive intervention. We look at the barriers for access and align our resources here to support academic aspects that are required to be able to move forward and access the curriculum and we also work hard to address social emotional concerns for students to support them to be able to access their learning and curriculum. I think we are truly lucky, as we have great kids who want to have great days and want to do well in their learning. The key is in our relationships. Our class teachers have the strongest relationships with our students and they work within teams of staff to co-ordinate support, and continually check in, review and work with external supports for children and changing requirements in the curriculum, and re-align support to help our students in their schooling and learning.

The absolute best part is, we have amazing people here at Kurwongbah, in an amazing community, and we all care about all of our children and we work super hard to help every child succeed.

Cameron Brown
Head of Special Education Services

STEM & Enrichment Education News

Makerspace Lunchtime Timetable

Techgirls Competition

A special thank you to Danielle Pentony, who joined the Techgirls team meeting last week, as mentor for the Year 6 students during their journey in the program.

Danielle works for the Australian Digital Health Agency and oversees cyber safety. She will work with the teams for the next two terms, every fortnight, guiding the students in their entry. Thank you for your support and time in this project.

Bush Poetry Competition – Brisbane EKKA

This year the Brisbane EKKA is again running the Bush Poetry Competition for Primary students to recite their favourite poem that showcases the Australian way of life in the Bush. Poets can choose to recite anything from established bush ballads or write and perform their own poem. Entries close 17th July 2023 via the link. See the website below for more information about competition rules and regulations for entry.

Premier’s 2023 Coding Challenge

The 2023 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. The challenge in 2023 is to develop an interactive digital solution to create change in your local community or beyond.

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 the link below:

Entry portal closes on the 18th September 2023.

Literacy Competition

The IEU’s Literary Competition invites Queensland students to share their literary prowess by submitting either poetry, short stories or non-fiction prose. It is Queensland’s longest running literary competition. The competition is open to entrants from students (years 5-12) in Queensland state and independent schools.

Entries close: 5.00pm Friday 16th June 2023.

For more information about submission, please see the link below:

Music News

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’. A note with all the details was sent home last week (please check your child’s school bag). The following groups will be performing:

• Junior Singers, Middle Singers, Senior Singers and Kurwongbah Blokes
• Senior Percussion Ensemble (Year 5 & 6)
• Junior String Ensemble and Senior String Orchestra
• Junior Concert Band and Senior Concert Band

Details of the evening are as follows:

• Tuesday 6th June with performances commencing at 6.00pm
• Doors open at 5.30pm
• 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
• Full performance uniform (including black school shoes)

We are after some lucky door and raffle prizes to be donated for this night. It doesn’t have to be a huge prize – all donations big and small will be accepted with gratitude.

Choir News from Mrs C

Parade Presentation

Junior Singers, Middle Singers, Senior Singers and Kurwongbah Blokes will all be performing one song at parade on Friday 2nd June. Students will be in school uniform for this presentation. Check uniform is preferable.

Choral Fanfare

The Senior Singers, Middle Singers and Junior Singers will perform at Choral Fanfare on Friday 2nd June. This is a biennial choral festival organized by Education Queensland to celebrate and showcase Education Queensland’s school choirs.

The Junior Singers and Middle Singers will perform in session 1 starting at 9.30am and finishing at approximately 11.30am. The Senior Singers are performing in session 2 which starts at 12.00pm and finishes at approximately 1.30pm. Adjudication and presentations will be at the end of each session. The performances will take place in the school hall at Kurwongbah State School. Parents/carers are welcome to come and support us and there is no cost involved. Full performance uniform is required for this event.

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

Julie Collins
Book Club Coordinator

P&C News

Become a P&C Member

Our P&C association is a friendly group and the meetings are a good way of finding out what is happening at our school. Each year members work together to grow community spirit and work towards the benefit of all children at the school. Members may choose to volunteer in the classroom, library, tuckshop, uniform shop, at sporting events and organised activities/working bees.

Drop your membership form into the school office, or email it to: secretary@ksspca.qld.edu.au

Save the Date

Our next P&C meeting will be held on Wednesday 14th June at 6.30pm in the Staffroom.

Fundraising News

Thank you to all of our volunteers, your ongoing support is greatly appreciated.

Volunteers for our School Fundraising events are always welcome. If you would like to volunteer, please contact the Fundraising Committee via the Kurwongbah P&C Facebook page or email admin@ksspca.qld.edu.au

Tuckshop News

Our meal deals this term are:

• Dustin’s Hotdog Meal $7.20
  Hot Dog, Pikletes and Drink
• Estella’s KFC Deluxe $7.40
  Chicken Burger, Hash Brown and Drink
• Jasymn’s Delicious Dish $7.50
  Meat Pie, Anzac Slice and Drink
• Summer’s Wrapping Meal $7.90
  ½ Chicken Tender Wrap, Hash Brown and Drink
• Oliver’s OG KFC Meal $8.70
  Chicken Burger, Chips and Drink
• Hazel’s Marvellous Munchies $7.50
  Cheese Pizza, Blueberry Muffin and Drink
• Yahirah’s Magnificent Mac and Cheese Meal $8.30
  Mac and Cheese, Moosie and Drink
• Hayden’s Nugget Meal $9.70
  6 Nuggets, Honey Soy Chips and Drink
• Indi’s Winter Pack $7.50
  Pasta Bolognese, Garlic Break 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.

Winter Stock

We have got winter uniforms of jumpers/jackets, vests, long sleeve polo shirts and track pants ready for sale.

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.

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 at 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.

Michelle Psaltis
3481 4323
uniformshop@ksspca.qld.edu.au

Containers for Change

Community Notices

Chess Mates

Lotus Fire Martial Arts