22 August 2016

Newsletter Articles

Important Dates to Remember

Principal’s Report

Life Threatening Allergies

I’m ever so grateful that I can send my child to school knowing that they will be safe and well cared for with the exception of sometimes getting call to say they have had a fall or they are sick. It’s a pretty normal experience for me and I’m relatively unassuming around their general safety and wellbeing which is the case for most of us thankfully.

There are a number of children and staff in our school who can potentially face some pretty drastic medical reactions if they are exposed to certain foods, airborne allergens and so on. In thinking about our Edens Landing Family and the notion of our community working together to deliver a safe place for all, I wanted to make the following points.

I think we should embrace difference, I think we should celebrate our children and I think we should act to support our families and children who face these difficult barriers in their everyday life. So that leads me to say as a community how can we ensure the best support and safety for these children and families? I think we should explore this area together!

I’d like to open discussion and coordinate a forum for us to look at this area together as a community. I’d even like to have a support network of interested people from our community who can work with us at the school community level to raise awareness and seek the very best outcomes for our children, families and community. If you have an interest in this area please make contact with me at the school through the office and we will set a date/time for us all to come together, if for no other reason than to discuss our circumstances, share our stories and focus on how we can support our young people in managing these complexities. I look forward to our discussions.

Great Sports Days – Excellence in Competition!

I have had a great time participating in the sports days – Junior, Senior and also attending where possible the Regional Competitions. It’s also great to see our children trying out for Regional teams across so many sports. Congratulations to Lawton House for winning the Junior Sports Day Trophy.

Although not a huge sportsperson myself, I try to promote fun and participation by actively "having a go” with the children at these events. This is important for children because they need to see adults modelling the notion of having a go even when we may not be great

I’m also excited by the new sports house uniforms - I think the children look great and they chose well in designing them! The popularity of these uniforms shows me that involving our children where possible in decisions about our school is great for our children and promotes ownership over the outcome. Mr O’Donnell involved the students in selecting the design of the shirts.

This enthusiasm is a major part of my intention with Mr O’donnell to build a program of excellence in sport in our school. Look out for some information on this program across the next few editions of our newsletter. Importantly we are also invested in making those program links with our feeder high schools. In this case my vision is for sport to be more than just an addition on to what we do at school for those children chosen by the school as students of excellence in the respective areas.

I am also investigating additional programming options for 2016/17 in the areas of academic excellence and the arts.

Photo Day 30 and 31 August

Students are to wear full school uniform on this day (NOT the new sports uniform). This includes the correct socks and shoes for the photograph and as required in policy hair is to tied back neatly. Students who do not meet the uniform requirement may be excluded from the photo or have parents rung to come and correct the issue(s) to comply with the approved school uniform requirements.

The Priority School Review – 3 Month Check In

We recently had our 3 month check in from the priority school review process that we had in first term. The results were very positive and we made some decisions to unclutter the work we are concentrating on for the review process.

Reading and Behaviour remain our core priorities for the purpose of the review. The Central Office Review staff from the School Improvement Unit (SIU) were complimentary on our progress to date in the 2 key areas. Our Assistant Regional Director (ARD) Darren Scott, was also complimentary of our Leadership team (Principal, Deputy Principals, Head of Curriculum) and our teaching and learning staff (Teachers and Teacher Aides) who have worked tirelessly on the key agenda items.

In the coming months we will be continuing to look at building on the work our teachers and students are doing in the critical area of Reading. We will also examine our reading structures across the school and the invest deeply in programs to enhance reading outcomes for students and support the ongoing skill development of our staff in delivering tailored programs that target the specific needs of our students. It’s a huge task that our Teachers in particular are working really hard on advancing within our school context as we examine planning and proven research based instruction in this area.

We expect to see the review team and the ARD in 3 months to check in our progress.

NAPLAN 2016

We have received provisional results for NAPLAN and our results this year have been quite pleasing. At the start of the year we set some very high aspirational targets for year 3 and 5 students. We have seen some excellent results across the school with very strong performance from our year 3 children and stable performance across grade 5.

Year 3 Reading*

U2B Target: 40% - Achievement: 37%
NMS Target: 95% - Achievement: 92%

Year 5 Reading*

U2B Target: 40% - Achievement: 26.5%
NMS Target: 95% - Achievement: 91%

Performance in relation to the nation was for the NMS result was statistically similar or higher. This is a good indicator of our performance improving over time. The work we are doing with tailored programming and also with curriculum clarity in classrooms will only serve to further improve these results into the future. The ongoing focus on reading from the review (mentioned above) will provide an additional strong platform for cross-curricular improvement.

It is important to remember in assessing these results that they are only one area of data for our school and indeed for our children. Reports have been sent home this week with students.

(* these are provisional results)

Absences and Late Arrivals

Late arrivals are very problematic for us and are causing a large disruption for the school at many levels. Late arrival most importantly disrupts the learning of all students in a class and is simply not fair to our teachers or students.

Last week over 2 days we experienced 50 late arrivals and then the following day a further 30 late arrivals. On behalf of our teachers and our students, I would ask that you assist us all in making sure children are here to school on time ready for the 8:50 am start. Students who arrive after this time are to be taken to the office by a parent/ carer and signed in – they are not to proceed directly to class.

I thank those of you getting our children to school on time for the 8:50 am start avoiding unnecessary disruption to our classroom learning programs. We really do need to focus on this together to make sure our children get the very best chance at a great start to a great day!

Exciting Stuff – Musical Kicks Off!

I’m feeling very excited to see the production this year of our musical “The Jungle Book”. We had a sneak preview of one item at the assembly last week and it was awesome! If you have not yet got your tickets to this Edens Landing State School broadway spectacle then get in fast! Tickets are available through the front office staff.

Behaving Like A Family

I spoke to the children on assembly last week about my expectations when travelling to and from school or when wearing our school uniform. The reputation of our school is important and it is something that we should all hold dear. What our children do and how they behave impacts on our Edens Landing Family. This year we have done a lot of work on our collective expectations in this area and whilst the outcome is pleasing we still have plenty to do.

There have unfortunately been incidents of a number of students from our school engaging in behaviour to and from school that reflects poorly on the school. Students and parents need to be aware that the school can enforce and will enforce where appropriate, disciplinary action for anything deemed to reflect poorly on our school that happens in the course of travel to/from school or indeed whilst a child is wearing our uniform. The right for us to protect our good name is derived from legislation relating to better behaviour outcomes for State Schools.

I’m sure you will support us in assisting your child to make positive decisions in their travel to and from school that reflect positively both on them and on our wonderful school. I trust that you can also see the importance of this in our community.

Andrew Cummings
Principal

Deputy Principal’s News

ENROL NOW: PREP 2017 - PREP IS A COMPULSORY YEAR OF SCHOOLING

We are now calling for all families who have a child ready to start Prep in 2017 to complete enrolment procedures with all the required documents. Children born 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2012 will start prep next year. They must be turning 5 years old by 30 June 2017.

Bring in your child’s birth certificate and two current items as proof of residency. We can-not complete enrolments without proof of age and children can-not start school without a birth certificate being presented to the office. Please note it takes approximately 6 weeks to obtain a birth certificate.

In addition, an enrolment-orientation session will take place on THURSDAY 25th AUGUST. Parents and prep students are invited to attend one of two sessions: either 9.00 – 10.40am or 5.30 – 7.00pm. At this time parents will be provided with a tour of the school and a folder which contains extensive information in readiness for 2017. ENROL NOW! CHECK WITH YOUR FRIENDS.

In addition to our Orientation Session, pre-prep students and parents will require an interview and be provided with a booking time for groups of students to engage in introductory school activities. These will be provided as part of the enrolment.

SUPPORTING READING: Our school focus for improvement

Some Reading Tips (from the Book Trust website)

• Ensure that your children see you reading. It doesn't matter if it's the newspaper, a cookery book, romantic novel, detective mystery, short stories, computer manual, magazine - anything!

• Encourage children to join in - ask a child to read out a recipe for you as you cook, or the TV listings when you are watching TV
• Give books or book tokens as presents, and encourage others to do so
• Visit the local library together on a regular basis, and enjoy spending time choosing new books
• Encourage children to carry a book at all times so they can read on journeys or in spare moments – you can do this, too!
• Keep reading together. There are lots of books that both adults and young people can enjoy. Try The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, the Harry Potter series, or The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Read books you can all talk about but make the talk light-hearted, not testing or over-questioning
• Go to libraries or bookshops when authors are visiting. Children and teenagers love meeting their favourite writers - Jacqueline Wilson and Anthony Horowitz always have signing queues that are miles long!
• Make sure your home is a reading home - have a family bookshelf and make sure there are shelves in your children's bedrooms as well.
• Don't panic if your child reads the same book over and over again - be honest, we've probably all done it!
• Encourage your children and their friends to swap books with each other. This will encourage them to talk and think about the books they are reading

Discussion around the important issue of reading continues. If you have young children at home, this article from Better Reading will be of interest to you. Good reading habits in children should be encouraged at an early age and will pay dividends in all sorts of ways as they develop into young adults. Please read on:

Regards
Karen Stoyko
Deputy Principal

Deputy Principals News

Arts Expo

Arts Expo This term we will be holding our annual Arts Expo on 31st August. This was an amazing evening last year which was very well attended. Every class will have art work on display, our musicians will all be performing and Chef Chris will be serving a selection of tasty treats for afternoon tea. Please mark the date on your calendar and join us for a relaxing family evening of fun. All money raised goes towards the expansion of our Arts excellence program, and all profits from the afternoon tea goes towards sustaining and improving our kitchen/garden program. Please keep an eye out for the note sent home with your child.

School Photographs

School Photographs will be taken on the 30th and 31st of August. Envelopes have been sent home. If you did not receive one for each child, please collect one from the office. Please make sure that you send your child’s envelope with them on the day. Money will not be collected by the school office. Family photographs will also be available. Envelopes need to be collected from the office if you wish your children to be photographed together.

Teacher Aide Day

Teacher Aide Day - Friday 2 September 2016 Each year on the first Friday in September, schools celebrate the support provided to students and teachers by their teacher aides. This celebration day enables the school community to recognise the skills, abilities and flexibility that teacher aides contribute to the daily life of the school. Please take some time to send a note or say thank you to the wonderful support staff who work tirelessly to help your children and their teachers.

Parent/Teacher Interviews

Semester 2 2016 parent/teacher interviews will take place on Wednesday 7th September 2016, from 3:20pm-6:30pm. The interviews will run in the same format as Semester 1, with all teachers being positioned in the multipurpose hall for ease of access by parents. Your child’s interim report will be handed to you at this interview. Interim reports will not be distributed without a parent/teacher interview. The process for booking interviews has been streamlined with the movement to an online booking process. Bookings for interviews will open on 22nd August and close on the 6th September.TO BOOK INTERVIEWS:

Go to the School Interviews website (Link is available through the school newsletter and school’s web page) Enter the code Phtsz to access bookings and press go. Once in, follow the prompts to book interviews. A letter containing more detailed instructions has been sent home with your child. Please contact our office if you have any issue with booking your interviews.

Rule of the Week

The rules for weeks 7 and 8 next term 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 7 Active listening – wait turn to speak

Please discuss with your child: Being able to wait for your turn is a way to show respect to your teacher and other students who may also want or need a turn. It also helps you participate in class in a positive way

Points to discuss with your child about the importance of waiting your turn to speak:

When people have a conversation, it is like a game of tennis. While one person is talking, the other person is listening and receiving the information. Then, it is the other person’s turn to talk. Just like tennis, one person hits the ball and the other person waits to receive it.

It is important to wait your turn to talk so that you can…

• Listen to what is being said
• Understand what is being said
• Think about what your response to their comment or question should be.

If you talk while another person is talking, the following things may happen…

• Neither of you may be able to hear what anyone is saying
• It may be difficult to follow the conversation
• The people you are talking with will think that you are being rude.

Week 8 - Be tolerant

Tolerance refers to an attitude of openness and respect for the differences that exist among people. Although originally used to refer to ethnic and religious differences, the concepts of diversity and tolerance can also be applied to gender, people with physical and intellectual disabilities, and other differences too.

Tolerance means respecting and learning from others, valuing differences, bridging cultural gaps, rejecting unfair stereotypes, discovering common ground, and creating new bonds. Tolerance, in many ways, is the opposite of prejudice.

But does tolerance mean that all behaviours have to be accepted? Of course not. Behaviours that disrespect or hurt others, like being mean or bullying, or behaviours that break social rules should not be tolerated. Tolerance is about accepting people for who they are — not about accepting bad behaviour. Tolerance also means treating others the way you would like to be treated.

How Tolerance Is Taught?

Like all attitudes, tolerance is often taught in subtle ways. Even before they can speak, children closely watch — and imitate — their parents. Children of all ages develop their own values, in great part, by mirroring the values and attitudes of those they care about.

Many parents live and work in diverse communities and have friends who are different from themselves in some (or in many) ways. Parents' attitudes about respecting others are often so much a part of them that they rarely even think about it. They teach those attitudes simply by being themselves and living their values. Parents who demonstrate (or model) tolerance in their everyday lives send a powerful message. As a result, their children learn to appreciate differences, too.

Regards
Cheryl Gibson
cgibs2@eq.edu.au

Year Level News

YEAR 3

In Year 3, students are busy conducting scientific investigations to learn all about heat. So far, we have 'seen' heat energy at work in hot and cold water, learnt to read thermometers to measure heat and investigated the transference of heat from bowls of porridge to surrounding cooler air. We will have several more investigations to do before the end of term, as we explore we can slow down the movement of heat with the use of insulators.

YEAR 5

Year 5 have been very busy this term. We have had visits from the SES, talking to us about what to do before, during and after an emergency situation, and we also had a visit from the lady from Smart Start, helping us to be wise with our money.

We are busy working on finishing our artworks for parents to come along and see at the Art Show.

YEAR 6 NEWS

6C

Our class has been working hard improving our ICT skills. In the past few weeks we have been CODING and BLOGGING!

BLOGGING

Most of the students in our class have their own blog where they showcase their work. Students are learning to post images and applications links to their blogs. One child has a keen interest in photography and posts his nature photos with camera settings on his blog!

I think it’s a fun creative way to learn!’ (Maddie)

I like that I can share all the work I am proud of’ (Leon)

You can be creative and make comments on other people’s work. (Tiarnee)

CODING

A few weeks ago our class completed the 1 hour of Code challenge.

This activity was difficult at first yet once we got the hang of it was rewarding. (Emma)

I liked that I had to concentrate hard so that I didn’t miss a step. (Samara)

It is a bit tricky but you get to learn about steps and how to create. (Bree)

We will be undertaking further challenges later in the term.

5/6R News

Our class have been learning about natural disasters. We are preparing a brochure on how to survive a natural disaster.

6S News

We have been busy preparing our plays for our Natural Disaster unit. We have some talented students in the class!

6H News

Our class have been reading a variety of explanation texts. We are preparing to write an explanation on a natural disaster.

Police Beat News

Attention Parents/Carers,

As you would be aware parking in and around Edens Landing State School is and can be limited. There are large volumes of traffic attempting to access school pick up and drop off location. It has been brought to my attention that the current Stop, Drop & Go Zone is not being used correctly. Subsequently this has a flow on effect which is now affecting the flow of traffic on Castile Crescent.

Vehicles are parking through the roundabout which is causing further congestion onto Castile Crescent. I would like to draw your attention to the following which best describes how we can use the Stop, Drop & Go to its full potential:

1. REMIND YOUR CHILDREN WHERE YOU ARE PICKING THEM UP FROM. Especially the young ones, they usually need a reminder each time and to get to the pick-up area right after school. Please also remind your children that they are to remain at the Stop Drop & Go Zone and wait for you. They are not to drop their bag and then go off into the playground.
2. DON’T ENTER THE STOP DROP & GO ZONE UNTIL THE BELL HAS RUNG. This allows your child/children time to get to the zone for collection. This means entering the car park at 3pm. Usually some congestion from Prep pick up has cleared by this time and we are not clogging the car park, waiting for children who are not there yet! Cars arriving early will be asked to leave the zone after two minutes, if their child is not there.
3. PARENTS/CARERS ARE REQUESTED TO STAY IN THEIR CARS. The Stop Drop & Go zone is simply that, you are not required to get out of your vehicle. By doing this you will impact other users of the zone and cause significant delays to others.
4. NO PARKING IN THE STOP DROP & GO ZONE. Cars will be asked to move on after 2 minutes if their child is not ready to be picked up. This is a legislated requirement as per loading sign and penalties in the form of an infringement notice can apply.
5. THE SAME RULES APPLY FOR MORNING DROP OFF. Parents/carers are to remain in their car while children get out of the car. If you need to assist/walk your child to class, please park your car in the car park. Please do not use the Stop Drop & Go Zone if you need to park and assist/walk your child to class in the mornings!

Research I have conducted indicates to me that parents volunteering their time in assisting with the smooth operation of the Stop, Drop & Go Zones can help reduce traffic congestion and ensures the safety of children utilising these zones. Further to this positively influence the correct and accurate procedures for these zones to allow for a seamless drop off and collection of children. Or alternatively teachers who are rostered duty in the morning and afternoon ensuring the safety of children in and around these zones. Police will be initially assisting with the implementation of these zones and the education of drivers along with local council. After an education phase this can then turn to enforcement by means of infringement by Police or Council. Penalty that may be issued by Queensland Police Service at this time is: Other vehicle stop in loading zone for more than 2 minutes (drop off or pick up passengers) $48

Edens Landing Police, Logan City Council and Edens Landing State School have been working very closely for some time developing additional drop off and collection points. In the interim it is requested that you as parents/carers attending the school assist us during this time by adhering to the road rules and utilising the tips outlined above to assist with this process.

If you have any questions about this matter please do not hesitate in contacting me directly on 3884 2050 or EdensLanding.Beat@police.qld.gov.au .

Luke TURNER
Senior Constable
Officer in Charge
Edens Landing Police Beat

Physical Education

Junior Sports Day

Congratulations to Lawton house who were successful in winning this year’s Junior Sports Trophy. A huge thank you to all the parents and spectators that attended on the day to cheer on the students and to the teaching staff for ensuring that the day was a lot of fun for all participants.

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.

Sport Shirts

School sport shirts have arrived and can be purchased from the uniform shop. This shirt can be worn any day of the week except for school photo days and excursions. The cost of the shirt is $33. A limited supply has been ordered.

Dates to Remember

Grades 1-2 school swimming program: 21/11-2/12 (approximate cost $70)
Interschool sport- grade 5 students: 7/10, 14/10, 21/10, 28/10, 4/11 (cost $40)

Programs

Beenleigh Pirates Cricket sign on
20th & 21st August 10am-2pm
Doug Watt Oval-Dauth Park 28 Alamein St, Beenleigh
All age groups

Yours in Sport
Ken O’Donnell
Physical Education Teacher

What’s On at Edens Landing State School

P&C News

SCHOOL BANKING EVERY WEDNESDAY!!!!

New school banking rewards available now!!!!

Term 3 rewards with the Outback savers theme available while stocks last!!!

• Skipping Rope
• Back track eraser pen

For every deposit made at the school the child receives a silver Dollarmites token.

Once students have individually collected 10 tokens, they can redeem them for exclusive banking rewards in recognition of their regular savings habit.

There are two new items released each term, so be sure to keep an eye out for them.

Also remember the two competitions that are running this term:

Prize Lights Competition

Wildlife Adventure competition which has been running all year. You need to have banked 15 times this year to have entry into this competition. The winner gets a trip to Australia Zoo to meet Bindi Irwin.

Thank you for supporting our school banking program!!

Thank you,
 Kirstin Hanson, Peita- Marie Winsor, Tia Townshend

Outback Bankers

Book Club

Issue 6 will be arriving soon in August and will be distributed to classes when it arrives.

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.

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 FlexiSchools website 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

Student of the week

12th August 2016

19th August 2016

Smart Tennis Academy

Smart Tennis Academy will be on Term 3

Date: Wed 20 July - 14 Sept 2016
Time: Yrs. 4-6, 7:10 am - 7:50 am
Yrs 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

YMCA RAT RACE

The YMCA is proud to present YMCA Rat Race, an exciting new obstacle course event- to be held on Saturday 8th October 2016.

Based around the Brisbane River and the Kangaroo Point cliffs.

STAFFROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

Show your appreciation and put your school in the running to win a $20,000 staffroom makeover.