24 May 2016

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates to Remember

Principal’s Report

Last week I discussed the key findings from our recent review and suggested that we needed to consider the way we group our classes currently in year 3-6.

The question of the grouping structure in our school was explored briefly in the last edition. The research suggesting that this is not a productive means of encouraging academic performance for all students. Interestingly we don't do this in our school up until grade 3 and I understand our staff has lobbied extensively to have the practice of ability grouping whole classes abandoned in the early years as they felt it was not productive.

As a community we must always be on the lookout for the very, very best and latest innovative ways of addressing the needs of our children in our school. Our "Edens Landing Family" is the most important asset we have and we have this unbelievable opportunity to provide together a world class education. Yes absolutely, world class because our children deserve nothing less! This work must be driven by clearly researched and proved educational practices.

At this point we have a number of initiatives coming out of the review process around curriculum development which form a vital part of what happens in classrooms every day. This is one part of a multi-pronged approach to making our school a bright and bubbly environment for all.

Our teachers are working on initiatives around program planning, classroom pedagogy, class groupings, research based teaching practices and specifically focused and research driven actions around classroom reading programs and intervention.

Our main focus areas are reading and behaviour. The review requires extensive school planning to be undertaken around the key aspects identified in the documented findings coming out of the review.

It is clear that attendance remains an issue impacting severely on our student results. It is vital that children arrive on time to school and are also in regular attendance. Late arrivals or poor attendance naturally significantly reduce your child's ability to get the very best education!

Working together we have the ability to change lives, impact on future job choices, support emotional development and most of all provide the very best chances for our children.

Imagine the joy of your child having the world at their fingertips - I can think of nothing better! Our work together is paramount, our teachers dedicated, our leadership team second to none.

We aspire to a bright future for bright children supported by a community who values and respects the "Edens Landing Family" - That's our call to action!

Once again I thank you and our staff for the absolute joy of working together to make the very best of our valuable time with your children. I am proud to be here and proud to be leading our school community.

Regards,

Andrew Cummings
Principal

Deputy Principal’s News

LITERACY AND LEARNING: Parents and Children Reading

Parents teach their children to talk quite naturally. Parents can also help their children learn to read just as naturally. Research shows that parents who hear their children read for a few minutes each day have children who are more successful readers. Some children prefer to read silently and then discuss their reading. This can be an even better thing to do. Research also shows that parents who read to their children produce more interested readers with wider vocabularies. We would like to suggest that you READ to your children and either HEAR them read or DISCUSS their reading with them most days. Ideally at least 5 times a week. Keep reading………

HEALTH ALERTS:

We all have a role to play in keeping our children safe and this extends beyond behaviour issues to health issues. Many children have a range of conditions that require our support in management and reducing risk. We ask for your support by talking with your child about these various issues and where possible minimising risk by appropriate hygiene practices and not sending high risk food items to school.

1. We wish to advise that we have a child returning to school who is immunosupressed, meaning that this child has a lower immunity and cannot fight infections in the normal way. Viruses that cause measles, chickenpox and shingles could make this child extremely unwell. Therefore we would be grateful if you would contact the school immediately if your child was found to have one of these illnesses. If we know that there has been exposure to measles, chickenpox or shingles, medicine can be given to lessen the side effect of such an infection to this child. This medicine does need to be given as soon as possible after the contact has taken place. We assure you that your child is not at any risk because of this child.
2. Just a reminder about supporting the children in our school who are at risk of anaphylaxis by not sending food which have peanuts or tree nuts (eg hazelnuts, cashews, almonds etc) in the main ingredients list. Note: products containing traces of peanuts or tree nuts can be sent to school. If possible, having alternative spreads on sandwiches, other than peanut paste and Nutella. If your child is anaphylaxis in anyway, please ensure you have provided the school with a formal action plan signed by your child’s doctor. The doctor needs to provide specific details, not just sign the form. For further information, visit www.allergy.org.au See the action plans attached.
3. Headlice: is always a continuing issue in schools and can only be eradicated and kept to a minimum if ALL members of the school community work together. Although not a major health risk, the potential for spreading is high. Vigilance by all families is required. Don’t just think if you have treated once or twice that the problem disappears. It can take up to a month of dedicated monitoring and combing, not finding one louse, before you can say that you have eradicated the problem. Please see attachments for additional information.

Please keep your child’s teacher, the First Aid Officer – Mrs Angela Southam, and the Leadership team informed of any issues. We will support and work with you in addressing student health and safety needs.

Regards

Karen Stoyko
Deputy Principal

Deputy Principal’s News

As the cooler weather has crept in this term, more students are wearing jumpers to school. School jumpers are available from the uniform shop. If your child does not currently have a school jumper, a navy jumper or jacket will suffice. Patterned or brightly colour jumpers or jackets are not part of our uniform. Please ensure that all items of clothing, but especially jumpers and jackets, are clearly marked with your child’s name. Our lost property basket is full of un-named items. Please help us maintain a high standard of appearance within our school by ensuring your children wear their uniform each day.

Rule of the Week

The rules for weeks 6 and 7 are outlined below. Teachers will be discussing these with their students over the next two weeks, and it would be wonderful if parents spoke with their children about the importance of each rule.

Week 6 - Be Respectful- Use polite language

Being polite or having manners is a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. Children are not born with this awareness, so they need to be taught. Around the 18-month mark, a child begins to understand that other people have feelings just like them, so this is the time to start teaching children that their behaviour affects others. These lessons need to continue at every developmental stage of your child’s life. Some points to consider:

• Good manners are a good habit. Speaking and behaving politely is a way of life, not just something you pull out when you're at a wedding or visiting Grandma. It's important to start as early as you can so manners become something a child does automatically, whether she/he is at home, at school or away.
• Polite behaviour will help your child's social development. Children who aren't taught social graces from an early age can be at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to social interactions with their peers. Like adults, children may not want to spend time with other children who are rude to them and make them feel bad about themselves.
• Learning manners is a lifelong education. It won't happen overnight, and you need to take it slowly. Introducing one new social skill a month -- teaching your 2-year-old to say "hello" when another person addresses him/her, for example, and rewarding with praise when he/she does so -- makes the process manageable for everyone.
• Your behaviour counts. Children will copy what they see. If they see and hear you using polite language towards family members, school staff, friends and people you meet throughout your day, they are more likely to do this themselves.
• Consistency is important. Acquiring good manners and using polite language takes lots of practise and reinforcement, so make sure that you, your partner, and your caregiver are encouraging (and discouraging) the same behaviours.

Week 7 - Accept consequences

How to Teach Children to Accept Responsibility for Their Actions - Encourage your children to stop the blame game and start accepting responsibility

Many children are quick to fault others when things go wrong. If they get a bad mark in class, they say it's because a friend wouldn't stop talking to them. And when you see muddy shoe prints all over the carpet, they claim they're the dogs! Children don't necessarily understand that everybody makes mistakes, blaming somebody is simply their way to avoid disapproval and negative consequences. The following ideas may help your children to go from "It wasn't me!" to learning to be accountable for their actions.

• Connect the Dots - Help your children make the link between what they do and what happens next by pointing out real-life examples. For instance, you could say, "Because you studied hard, you got an A on your report card" or "Since you jumped in a puddle, your shoes are soggy." You can ask children to think of a cause or an effect for certain situations. The more experience children get identifying causes and effects, the easier it will be for them to work through this inner dialogue before and after their own actions.
• Make Honesty Easy - If you want your children to come to you with the truth (or admit to it when asked), try to keep your cool when expressing your dissatisfaction about her poor behaviour. Being calm and approachable makes it easier -- and more likely -- that children ‘fess up’ in the future. It is important to let children know that everyone makes mistakes, but what matters most is that they are truthful, learn from the situation, and try to right their wrongs. Then, discuss what they could have done differently, how they can make it better, and any consequences. Don't forget to praise all instances of honesty if they owned up to their actions.
• Stick to the Rules – We all allow some things to slide on occasion. But if you often let your child's adorable face, charming ways, or pitiful pleading persuade you not to enforce consequences, your child learns that they don’t have to take the rules seriously and can convince you to go easy on them. To be accountable, children need to learn to accept the consequences of their words, actions, and decisions, and the only way they'll do so is if you're consistent with rules and follow up.

Regards

Cheryl Gibson
cgibs2@eq.edu.au

Physical Education

Representative News

Congratulations to Taylor and Kiara who were selected in the Pacific Rim Cross Country Team. They will now compete at the Regional Cross Country Trials on the 7th June.

Congratulations to Hope who was selected in the South Coast Golf Team. She will compete at the State Titles early next term in Yepoon. Good luck Hope!

Events

The senior athletics carnival (grades 3-6) is to be held on the 9th and 10th June. All parents, family and friends are encouraged to come along and support. Further information will be sent home at a later date.

Yours in Sport

Ken O’Donnell
Physical Education Teacher

What’s On at Edens Landing State School

Head of Curriculum’s Message

My name is Rachel Pope and I will be fulfilling the role of Acting Head of Curriculum while Mrs Kay Self is on leave.

Before taking up this position I was in the role of Master Teacher and through this role my focus was on how can we improve the teaching of Problem solving throughout our school.

In a recent article that I read, it stated that problem solving skills is one of the top three qualities that employers currently look for when employing employees. It is really important that our students at Edens Landing develop independent problem solving skills and become confident problem solvers in all aspects of their life.

At Edens Landing we are developing a common language across the school that can also be used at home.

Students are taught to solve a problem using the process of: SEE, PLAN, DO and CHECK.

SEE: Students need to read and understand the problem.
PLAN: Students come up with a plan as to what strategy they can use to solve the problem.
DO: Students complete their plan.
CHECK: Students use another way to see if their answer is correct or they reflect on their actions to see if they have solved the problem.

The most important part of this process is the SEE part. If we do not understand the problem, it is very difficult to solve. To help the students SEE a problem clearly we teach them to CUBE IT!

This is the common language at Edens Landing that can also be used at home through homework tasks and everyday life.

YEAR 4

Year 4’s are currently working hard with their Indigenous stories. They are all practising their speeches and doing an awesome job with their Indigenous dances. We are learning more about our endangered animals and some ways that we can help stop them moving to extinction.

For art in Term 2, Year 6 has been learning about different famous artists and their artwork. We have been looking at various different styles and techniques used by these artists. Just recently, we looked at the modern artist, Keith Haring and his unique style of graffiti and visual art. Above is a Keith Haring recreation art piece by Cye in 6S.

YEAR 3

In our Science studies, Year 3 students have been investigating the Earth's rotation. This has included hands-on activities to understand how day and night occur, as well as how and why shadows change over the course of a day.

Regards

Rachel Pope

Homestay Families Wanted

Japanese Student to visit Edens Landing State School

Kinki University Elementry School, Osaka will be visiting our school again, between

27th July to 31st July 2016

After another successful visit in March this year, they have decided to again share their culture with our students as they learn about life here in Australia and we learn more about their culture. To make this program successful we need Homestay Families to share their homes with an international student.

If you are interested in hosting a student or students, please complete the information attached and return to the school office ASAP.

2017 Study Tour to Japan

Would you like your child to be 1 of 20 students to participate in the 2017 Edens Landing State School study tour to Japan? An information evening will be held on Wednesday 8th June at 6pm in the Resource Centre. Only students in the current grades 4 and 5 will be eligible to participate. No financial commitment is required on the evening. Parents and students welcome.

Regards

Kristen Sanderson

P&C News

Book Club

Book Club is going out this week Loop ordering is available until Tuesday the 31st of May it will close at 10:00pm. All other orders are due back in by Thursday 2nd of June by 9:00am to the P&C Box in the foyer of the office. If you’re not sure about LOOP ordering you can find out more information by following below or contacting us.

Thank you from the Book Club Ladies,
Peita-Marie Winsor & Jo Fitch.

Fundraising

We have had a busy month, firstly we’d like to thank all the lovely ladies that Volunteered to help at the Mother’s Day stall. It was lovely to see you all there and your help was greatly appreciated.

Our Chocolate Drive has now come to an end, thank you to all our Edens Landing families that participate and sold 1 or more boxes. It was great to see so many involved. Money needs to be returned ASAP please. If you haven’t sold all the chocolates please bring back the rest of your box with the chocolates and money into either the office P&C box or up to the Tuckshop.

Fun Run Certificates and Prizes have been handed out your children should have be coming home with them this week. Well done everyone and congratulations to all.

Christmas Market stall expressions of interests need to be in ASAP. If we don’t get much interest we won’t have enough information to see if it’s something we are able to do, so please get them in.

If you need to contact us please do so via email to: fundraising@elsspc.org.au

Thank you,
Peita-Marie Winsor, Jo Fitch & Tia Townshend
Fundraising Co-Coordinators

Student Banking

New School Banking Rewards available now!!!

Term 2 rewards with the Outback Savers theme now available, while stocks last!!

Flying Snake Tail
Wildlife Writer Set

For every deposit made at the school, no matter how big or small, students receive a silver Dollarmites token.

Once students have individually collected 10 tokens they can redeem them for exclusive School Banking rewards in recognition of their regular savings habits.

There are 2 new items released every term so be sure to keep an eye out for them!

Thank you for supporting the school banking program.

School banking day is Wednesday!!

Outback Bankers

11th May –Seth PM & Satsuki 4A
18th May – Ziva PM & Alexis 5B

Tuckshop News

TUCKSHOP ROSTER

Online Ordering is Here!

Our school has now introduced a great new online ordering system for the Tuckshop called FlexiSchools. This system allows parents and staff to place orders from home, work or school at any time. The payment is also done online, so less paper bags, cash and envelopes are sent via your student to school. As well as being convenient for parents, the online orders are much faster and easier for the tuckshop to process - so it makes everyone’s life a little easier. FlexiSchools is well established and tested, operating in hundreds of schools across Australia.

Getting online is easy and only takes a few minutes to register. Simply go to the link below and click “Register Now”. You will be sent an email with further instructions on how to complete the registration. Once registered, you can start placing orders immediately. If you have any questions, FlexiSchools provide a great help desk on 1300 361 769, or you can contact them via their website.

There are a variety of payment options supported, including Visa, Mastercard (credit and debit) and Bank Transfer. The system operates via a pre-paid account.

The system is now available, so we look forward to seeing your next order online!

The system is now available, so we look forward to seeing your next order online!

ANNETTE HONNERY
TUCKSHOP CONVENOR
Ph: 3508 7999
tuckshop@elsspc.org.au

Chaplain News

Hi my name is Tash and I am the new school Chaplain at Edens Landing State School. I hope to be closely involved with the students across the school and for that reason I would like to tell you a little about myself and a little more about what Chaplains do within schools.

I am currently in my twenties, am not married and don’t have any children of my own; however I have worked with young people from Prep all the way through to first year University students for over 8 years and believe my experience and qualifications have granted me many different skills and strategies, talents and a high patience level. Some of my passions include craft, sport, reading and an intense love of coffee!

I will be at Edens Landing starting week 8 on Mondays and Thursdays. Please feel free to contact me through the office or via email (tzibe1@eq.edu.au)

School Chaplains do a lot in schools, however Chaplains are not counsellors.

Some of the things we do:

• Chaplains provide pastoral care, ethical and spiritual support
• Chaplains are available to the whole school community including students, parents and staff regardless of religious beliefs and backgrounds
• Chaplains work collaboratively with school Principals, Guidance Officers, Behavioural Specialists and Teachers as well as many other agencies within the community.
• Chaplains provide a safe place to talk, a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen
• Chaplains provide caring, calm and a consistent presence
• Chaplains are someone who provide friendship and will listen without judgment
• Chaplains support children one-on-one, in groups, in the playground and within the classroom
• Chaplains provide programs and lunch time activities to help support the needs of young people

I would love to meet you, so please feel free to come and see me for a chat or just to say hello.

Tash Zibell
School Chaplain

Smart Tennis Academy

Starting 25th May Smart Tennis Academy will be holding a Tennis program in the Multi Purpose Hall before school. Two classes will be held. Years 4-6 7.10am-7.50am and Years 1-3 7.50am-8.30am

Cost of the program is $70 and will be held for 5 weeks and includes a Free shirt.