20 June 2016

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

End of Term 2

As we draw to a close now almost half way through the year what a fantastic semester it has been. I'm proud to be leading such a great school, full of wonderful children, excellent staff and a great community. As we move into the second half of the year we will continue to focus on our service delivery in classrooms. We will pay specific ongoing attention through the teaching teams to addressing more specifically in a target format, the needs of all students in our school. The academic platform becomes increasingly challenging of us as we navigate what is a complex arena in preparing our children for the very best future we can give them through a shared delivery of a world class education.

Our work specifically will focus on programs and support of all children and the heart of what we do as a school, why we do it and our philosophical beliefs around our work. A number of new programs will come on line in the second semester of the year along with a very specific and targeted repurposing of spaces within the school to become enhanced learning areas. Initial planning for a STEM centre is underway as well as the Resource Centre being repurposed to deliver reading enhancement programs. We are investigating an additional computer lab to support student ICT skills and the development of programs of excellence for our children who are performing above their expected year level.

A number of school based policy and process changes have been enacted to allow these areas to be progressed. It is an exciting time as we investigate curriculum delivery and modify our craft to deliver a world class education at Edens Landing State School.

Senior Sports Day

I had a fantastic time at the recent senior sports day and took the opportunity to show children and parents that these days should be fun and exciting. I had some pretty wild outfits across the two days and it was great to see staff joining my crazy lead on the second day as well. I was a champion at the relay race coming in first in front of many of my highest competitors - maybe not but I did my best and had a go!

In the future we will allow students to dress up and support their team in the team colours. This type of culture is important in delivering a holistic experience for children on these days. The only conditions I impose are that the dress is sun safe appropriate and acceptable in line with the school's policy - similar to those expectations on the Student Council Free Dress Days. The normal observations around hats as required by the school and safe practices are essential. I am happy to accept coloured hair and zinc as a part of this day.

Obviously in moving forward we would monitor these expectations and any poor behaviour or failure to adhere to the guidelines above may put the fun of the day at risk. However I am sure you will support the school in making the dream come true for our children and the "family" of Edens Landing State School.

What a great day and culture it would be - Students dressed up in the colours, teachers dressed in theirs, the Principal and Leadership team embracing the spirit of the Edens Landing family and even our parents jumping on board - wow I like that idea!

Fence Jumpers

Thank you so very much for your ongoing support in addressing this very dangerous issue that has been common place in our school for so many years. It is simply a Workplace Health and Safety risk at one level which I am not prepared to continue to entertain. It is timely to address this issue given the impact of the recent events outside our school. I simply ask the question "Where else in society do we see a fence and jump it?". I can't think of anywhere we would do that - our children deserve better and certainly I want better as do you from the level of ongoing support being received by parents.

I recognise that this may take an extra few minutes to walk them in but the fact they arrive safe and well as do you is our main priority. Thank you so much for your support and many conversations about how you too see this as an important community change in perception to support our school and most importantly our children.

Rethinking our Program Delivery and Purpose

The school review undertaken earlier this year outlined the need for us to look at the structures within the school that are used to ability group children when they get to year 3 through to year 6. It is worth noting that this process was abandoned this year in the year 2 classes because staff felt it was unproductive. The research basis for these groupings is flawed for most student groups and it has been indicated by staff as being a source of discontent amongst students and contributes significantly to the levels of inappropriate behaviour we see in classrooms and also to stagnant student achievement results in many areas of the curriculum. We actually have students identifying themselves by the class they are in and their learning achievements - we can't conscionably allow this to be the measure in their developing minds of themselves as people and future members of our society.

The plain facts of the matter are simply that students do not generally progress out of the class they are streamed into in year 3 as they move through their education to year 6. In most modern school settings this is not a grouping strategy used in schools as we have seen there is little evidence to support it. In moving forward to a manageable structure within the school we will be deconstructing this grouping strategy for year 5/6 classes in 2017. The current cohorts of year 3 and 4 students will commence semester two in classes that have been reshuffled. Notification of this will come personally to parents and students early next week with students having the ability to meet their new teacher (where appropriate), and spend time in their new class group (where appropriate) in the last week of school in shared activity times.

Classes in these groups in general will have portions of the program where the delivery of key learning areas may be done across the year level cohort and not necessarily with their classroom teacher. As is the case in many areas of our school at the moment, students may have specific needs based grouping at various times of the day and other parts of the day where they are with their classroom teacher.

The reshuffling process was done with the year 3 and 4 teams of teachers, consulting with specialist staff, the Deputy Principal and myself as Principal. The decision to make this change was not one done lightly but rather with the notion that we could not allow this grouping for another 6 months for our year 3/4 students knowing that the results we see are not conducive to ongoing success for all children.

The decision not to change the year 5 and 6 students’ cohort groupings until 2017 was also discussed and the following observed. In year 5 students have generally had their teacher from year 4 so to interrupt this long term relationship would be seen as unproductive. In year 6 given our students are settled and transitioning to high school it was our view that to interrupt this would be counterproductive to their transition into high school.

Our process of regrouping was to group children looking at academic achievement, then regroup looking at making sure we had balanced classes of boys and girls. Following this process we then grouped by behaviour results and specific needs and then importantly where possible throughout the grouping we assessed how we could keep children in clustered groups to allow supported transition where possible.

A notice outlining the moves will be sent to parents and children will meet in the hall next week on Monday to make these moves. During the initial period of change additional services will be available to allow a smooth transition for our students. The processes from there will be very much mirroring the normal start of year classroom process for children. This will make for a great second semester of alternative program delivery for every child in our school. We are confident that this will impact positively on our children or the staff would never entertain the idea of this change. Your children are supported by a highly skilled and profession team of staff during this process.

I trust that you will support us and your child positively in the endeavours to provide a better Edens Landing "family" environment where all learners are valued as integral to our school. Stay in close contact with your child's teacher as we make this important transition to a new way of working in our school. This process will be very closely monitored as we value your children and their achievements.

Kindest Regards
Andrew Cummings

Report Cards

Parents/Guardians,

If you require an additional copy of your child’s semester 1, 2016 Report Card, please contact the office at your earliest convenience. Ph: 3826 0333, email office@edenslandingss.eq.edu.au

Deputy Principal’s News

UNDER 8S ACTIVITY MORNING: Friday 3 June

What a great morning! We were blessed with perfect weather and then the heavens opened up right on cue at 11.30am. The students had heaps of fun with our regular art-craft activities and the obstacle course along with ten-pin bowling always a huge hit!. This year students tried out something new with AFL Queensland joining us – aiming high!

Thank you to our wonderful staff in their organisation and to the families who supported and made the most of this wonderful event.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE – how did you go with last week’s tricky sentences?

We know that students who have great oral language – vocabulary, sentence structure, phonemic awareness will find learning easier and be more success as readers and writers. Oral language skills start from a very early age… when babies.

Remember to keep reading to your children even through to high school. Share together lots of different texts. Keep talking and asking questions no matter at what age – developing great thinking and oral language skills.

Regards
Karen Stoyko
Deputy Principal

Deputy Principal’s News

The end of another term is upon us, what a busy term we have had. Thank you to all of our parents who have helped throughout the school, our hard working teachers and teacher aides (who put in so many hours of their own time it’s hard to count), and our wonderful students who have worked hard to achieve personal growth both academically and socially.

The students are working hard and this will been reflected in the report cards they receive in week 11. I hope all of our families have a restful break and I look forward to seeing everyone back safe and healthy after the break and ready for action in Term 3.

Rule of the Week

The rules for weeks 10 and 11 are outlined below. Teachers have been discussing these with their students, and it would be wonderful if parents spoke with their children about the importance of each rule.

Week 10 - Be Respectful- Ask permission (use manners)

What are good manners?

Courtesy, politeness or having good manners are all about respecting others and yourself.

What good manners look like at home?

• Respecting other people's property and their rooms/spaces.
• Being helpful to others in your home.
• Saying 'please' and 'thank you'.
• Sharing and not grabbing and keeping good things to yourself.
• Respecting other people's property and their rooms.
• Helping the family by doing your chores.
• Cleaning up after yourself

Manners at school

• Saying good morning/afternoon if you are walking past an adult who you know.
• Asking if you can borrow something, not just taking.
• Returning things that you have borrowed.
• Waiting your turn before you speak.
• Saying 'excuse me,' rather than pushing past someone.
• Holding the door open for the person coming in, especially if he is carrying something.
• Respecting your own and other people's property, especially school property.
• Saying 'please' and 'thank you'.

Week 11 - Be respectful and responsible Keep areas tidy - toilets

School toilets are used by large number of students each day. To ensure the hygiene of all students, it is important that students understand the appropriate way to use the toilets including keeping the toilets free from clogging and the floors dry, tidy and safe.

Teachers will be discussing with students the “Go, Wash, Dry, Leave” process when using toilets. Some video clips are available to reinforce this concept in a fun manner. They can be accessed via the following links:

Bathroom Procedures Videos:

• Go, Flush, Wash, Leave...Get Back to Work:

• Go, Flush, Wash Your Hands, and then Return to Class (set to Lady Gaga song)

The rules for week 1 next term is outlined below. Teachers will be discussing this with their students in the first week after the holidays, and it would be wonderful if parents spoke with their children about the importance of each rule.

Week 1 - Revise school and classroom rules

During week 1, teachers will be revising the school rules, which are:

As a learner I am:

Safe
Responsible
Respectful

The students will then revisit the classroom and playground expectations and discuss how these fit within our whole school rules.

Regards
Cheryl Gibson
cgibs2@eq.edu.au

Police Beat News

Edens Landing – Pedestrian Safety & Education

It is a timely reminder that accidents occur on a daily basis in the State of Queensland and it should be noted that we here in Edens Landing are not exempt from said accidents. As you may be aware there was a recent accident in our school zone subsequently resulting in a student from Edens Landing State School being treated for injuries consistent with colliding with a vehicle while running across the road.

While this matter is under investigation by Edens Landing Police it is now paramount that we as pedestrians, parents, carers, teachers and drivers unite and ensure that our school zone is the safest it can be. This can be achieved in numerous ways and includes monitoring our driving behaviours, monitoring the driving behaviours of others and what I believe is also just as important is the behaviour and education of pedestrians. Pedestrians are not limited to our parents and carers but our children whom attend Edens Landing State School and other members of the public utilizing our roadways, footpaths and road related areas.

Education is the responsibility of all involved and does not only take place within the school grounds but when we are walking home from school, when we are driving in the vehicle and when we are sitting around as a family discussing how our day was. Without education and awareness we cannot continue to achieve the fantastic results our community continues to display.

I would like to draw your attention to the following key road safety messages and request that you use these as educational learning sequences.

WALKING TO AND FROM SCHOOL:

• Students should always be accompanied by a Parent, Guardian or Older Sibling when walking to and from school
• Students should be encouraged to take the safest route to school, this should be planned with parents/carers
• Ensure that footpaths are used and you do not walk on the roadway
• Remember to always STOP, LOOK, LISTEN and THINK!

CROSSING THE ROAD:

• Children under the age of 10 should hold the hand of an adult
• Always cross the road at the safest point
• Avoid crossing near the crest of a hill or bend in the road
• Avoid crossing between parked cars
• Always cross at children’s crossings

Discuss the following signs with your children and ensure that they understand what they mean:

Stakeholders are aware of the significant issue when it comes to parking availability in and around the school and this is being looked at. But we need to ensure that we as parents/carers who are attending the school to collect our children are not putting them in danger or imminent risk of injury. We need to set an example and ensure that we are also adhering to these key road safety messages. If you are parking on the other side of the road please use the tunnel under the road to cross beneath the road. Ensure we use the supervised children’s crossings. Never stand on one side of the road calling your child to the other as this places your child in danger.

Edens Landing Police have provided Edens Landing State School with educational resources on pedestrian safety. I would also like to make these resources available to you if you would like to use them. Resources can be obtained by contacting Edens Landing Police on 3884 2050 or alternatively EdensLanding.Beat@police.qld.gov.au

Take this opportunity to discuss with your children the basics of road safety and if you seek any clarification in relation to this matter please don’t hesitate in contacting Edens Landing Police Beat.

Thanking you

Luke TURNER
Senior Constable
Officer in Charge
Edens Landing Police Beat

Physical Education

Sports Day

Last week the Senior Sports Day was held. There were some great individual and team results recorded.

A number of team and individual Shields and Awards were handed out on the day including:

• Track and Field Shield (incorporates high jump, long jump, shot put, 90m, 200m, 800m events)
    - Awarded to Nicolson
• Team Events Shield (incorporates relay events, tug-o-war, tabloids and ball games)
    - Awarded to Nicolson
• Overall Champions Shield (combination of points accrued from Track and Field and Team Events)
    - Awarded to Nicolson
• Age Champion Medallions (awarded to athletes from each age group (8-12 boys and girls) who accrue highest amount of points from track and field events and cross country)
    - 8 Years: Boy – Clay, Girl – Gemma
    - 9 Years: Boy – Alize, Girl – Anna
    - 10 Years: Boy – Jonty, Girl – Bella
    - 11 Years: Boy – Malachi, Girl – Taylor
    - 12 Years: Boy – Alex, Girl - Jordan, Keyana
• Overall Champion Shield (awarded to the Age Champion with the highest number of points)

Jonty

Special mention must also go to the following students who set new school records.

Jonty- 10yr old boys high jump
Anna- 9yr old girls 800m
Taylor- 11yr old girls 800m

A huge thank you to all the parents and spectators that attended on both days to cheer on the students and to the teaching staff for ensuring that both days were a lot of fun for all participants.

Junior Sports Day

This day will be held on Thursday 11th August. This day involves students from Prep-2 participating in a range of tabloid activities and running races. Family and friends are encouraged to come along and support their child/ren. Students are encouraged to wear appropriate footwear, house colours, sunscreen, a hat and bring plenty of water. A note with further information will be sent home shortly.

Hats

Our school is very conscious of the need and importance of sun safety and has established a clear expectation that all students wear a school hat as part of the school uniform requirements. This is especially important during Physical Education (PE) lessons as students are participating in activities that require them to be outside and in the sun. In saying this, there are a number of students who are failing to bring a hat to lessons. Please ensure your child has a hat to participate in lessons.

School Holidays

If you child is interested in attending a NRL clinic during the holidays, please see the attached flyer.

Yours in Sport
Ken O’Donnell
Physical Education Teacher

What’s On at Edens Landing State School

Head of Curriculum’s Message

LIFE EDUCATION

This week we are very fortunate to have the Life Education van visiting our school. Classes have begun visiting the van and learning all about Harold’s adventures. Students are involved in lessons that educate students about the tools they need to make well informed and educated decisions around health and safety.

YEAR LEVEL NEWS!

YEAR 3

With our focus in History on changes and continuities, Year 3 students are very excited to be heading into Brisbane city for our excursion next week. There students will be able to see for themselves a variety of features that have changed over the years as well as some that have stayed the same. Of course, students are also looking forward to the train and ferry rides they will get to enjoy as well!

YEAR 5

All year 5 classes have finished performing their gold rush dramas, and we have been very impressed by the talent and enthusiasm shown by the students. This has been a very positive way to end our history unit.

Notes have also been sent home this week about our end of term rewards day activities. If your child would like to participate in the obstacle course, they need to return the signed permission slip by Monday June 20.

We are also looking for some parent volunteers for the day. It will be on the last Friday of this term, June 24. If you are able to help supervise, or would just like to come along and watch, please tick and return the form to your child’s teacher or Mr Hopkinson.

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

Thank you everyone that ordered we hope that you all received your book club and are enjoying reading with your children.

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

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

Fundraising

We still have Chocolate Money that hasn’t been returned. If you have outstanding money please bring it in ASAP and put it in a clearly marked envelope into the P&C Box in the office.

Next term we will be having a Homestyle Pie Drive so keep an eye out next term for the forms and the information letter with it.

• Please use Australian currency, there have been an increasing amount of foreign currency coming through with the money returned for our fundraising and the bank does not accept them.

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

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

Student Banking

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

Tuckshop News

TUCKSHOP ROSTER

During the last week of term the tuckshop will be running down stock which means some items may not be available. All efforts will be made to supply items to your children and I will call children if items ordered are not available.

There will be NO TUCKSHOP on the last day of term, Friday 24 June. Flexischools will also be unavailable this day.

Please have a safe and happy break.

Annette Honnery
Tuckshop Convenor

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!

Annette Honnery
Tuckshop Convenor
Ph: 3508 7999
tuckshop@elsspc.org.au

Student of the week

10th June

17th June

Smart Tennis Academy

Smart Tennis Academy will be on Term 3

Date: Wed 20th July- 14th Sept 2016
Time: Yrs 4-6, 7:10am -7:50am
Yrs 1-3, 7:50am -8:30am
Location: Multi Purpose

Date: Wed 20 July - 14 Sept 2016
Time: Yrs. 4-6, 7:10 am - 7:50 am
1-3, 7:50 am - 8:30 am
Location: Multi Purpose Hall
Equipment: All equipment is provided e.g rackets,balls etc.
Cost: $130 - 9 weeks of Tennis includes Free ANZ Hotshots Shirt
Please pay by Direct Deposit to Smart Tennis Academy
Commonwealth Bank BSB: 064-194 ACC: 10535166

Program is provided by qualified Tennis Australia Coaches

CALL Serdar on 0449 200 635 or email on smarttennisacademy@hotmail.com for more details

Community News

Beenleigh Regional Chaplaincy Primary School Day Camp, hosted by City Net Church

Wednesday 29th June – Friday 1st July 2016 9am- 3pm, with a parent afternoon tea on Friday from 3pm -4pm