28 February 2017

Newsletter Articles

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Phone 3826 0333 or Email office@edenslandingss.eq.edu.au

Important Dates to Remember

QSchools

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Principal’s Report

Welcome Back

It is my great pleasure to lead our school into the start of 2017. I would like to welcome the new families that have enrolled to our school and we hope that you love the “Edens Landing Family” as much as we do. We operate our school on the same principles of the family at home - care, respect, support and so on. It’s one aspect of our school that is very important to me across what we do with our children, our staff and our parents. 2017 promises to be a cracker of a year with a number of newly designed areas in our school to support student learning and the innovation that goes with these areas will be an exciting journey. On behalf of our staff I welcome you to 2017 with us and look forward to working with you to be the best school we can be for our most important and prized assets – our children.

Welcome to our new staff:

Brett Willis -Guidence Officer
Courtney Ryder – Learning Support
Zoe Davis – Year 1 Teacher
Fay Harding – Year 1 Teacher
Michelle Linsdell –Year 1 Teacher
Michael Gurney – Year 3 Teacher

Day 8 Resourcing

Our school had 751 students enrolled as of the day 8 collection conducted by Education Queensland. This collection informs all school based resourcing – Teachers, Specialist Education Resources, Teacher Aides, Cleaners, Facilities Officers, Office staff and so on. This day 8 number also informs our school budget so is an important part of our work.

Pick up and drop off

Please make sure you observe the signage for the “Stop Drop and Go” areas. They are not parking zones. They are designed to allow constant traffic flow. I’m sure we will as a community become better at using these areas for their intended purpose so as to make the drop off and pick up as easy as possible for us all! I am conscious that council and police can issue traffic infringements for parking in these zones so please be careful of this and use them as intended.

Office Messages

It is common place for our office staff to be run off their feet delivering messages to students at peak times during the day. Whilst we are always available to deliver urgent messages in emergent circumstances to students on behalf of parents, I would ask that you ensure your child is aware of what they need to do by conversing with them prior to them leaving home. A tip that I find very useful for my own children is a lovely little letter (I know how old school!) in their lunch box reminding them what to do in the afternoon if the normal arrangements have changed. It’s just one way of helping our children to function independently when they come to school.

Mobile Phones

Students may have mobile phones at school HOWEVER they are all to be checked into the office in the morning and are to be switched off. Students possessing mobile phones during school hours are not meeting the behaviour guidelines of the school. Students are to sign the mobile in at the office in the morning and then additionally sign it out in the afternoon. Whilst every care is taken, no responsibility for loss or damage will be accepted for mobile phones at school. Phones are not to be given to classroom teachers for storage. Emergent contact for students can be made through the office if required.

Compulsory Schooling – Attendance

Under the Education Act, it is compulsory for our children to attend school. When children do not attend for whatever reason, there must be a reason supplied to the school. The Principal then makes a decision about what is an acceptable reason and what is not acceptable based on policy and the Education Act.

Please ensure a reason is provided for every absence your child has as supplying no reason can have the consequence of your child being unable to participate in Gold and diamond day activities. We want every child at these events so please provide the information required as soon as possible when they return to school.

Absences for extended periods of time need direct authorisation from the Principal. The Act and Education Queensland Policy requires a submission to be made to the school which outlines the reason for the absence. The Principal then makes a decision on the absence type and decides if he will grant exemption or not based on the information. In general family holidays do not meet the requirements to grant an exemption and will not be approved. The consequence of this is unexplained absences or unauthorised absences will be recorded. These absences will impact on Diamond Day attendance and may also have further consequences under the act depending on duration and frequency.

We make no apologies for our standing on this matter as our children need every day at school to be their very best! Our Teachers, Our School, Our Community can’t do this without your individual help! We are looking to achieve 95% attendance rates across the school in line with Education Queensland policy expectations.

Early Departures

Please ensure that if you are taking your child for early departure that you have reported to the office and followed the procedures in place for collection of your child. Again as mentioned above there needs to be a substantive reason for the early departure. If attending a medical appointment then proof of that engagement in the form of a letter or certificate from the provider needs to be supplied to the school. We are working with you to implement the best school systems we can to ensure our children are the very best they can be!

School Assembly

Our school assemblies will now be held Friday mornings instead of Friday afternoon. I’m super excited by the 3 assemblies so far which showed our children demonstrating absolutely brilliant standards of behaviour in terms of assembly expectations. We welcomed our Preps to last Fridays assembly who were escorted by their Years 6 buddies and introduced to assembly.

Well done to my Edens Landing Family on a superb show of excellence on the day.

Behaviour Expectations

We will accept nothing less than the highest of behaviour standards at our school. Whilst this is a journey and we can’t guarantee that it will always go how we would like it to, there are processes in place to manage behaviour at our school. We make no apologies for continually raising the bar on standards of behaviour in our school and I realise we still have a lot of ongoing work to do in this space however, as a team it is absloutely possible for us to achieve!

In the event you have a concern the person with the most discrete knowledge of your child is your classroom teacher. Please seek them out in the first instance to address your concern. If required these concerns are elevated to a member of the Executive Leadership Team for action in line with the policies the school has. The outcome of the instances of these incidents cannot be shared with anyone as the privacy act does not permit us to share details of disciplinary action with anyone other than the student concerned and their parent or guardian.

This coming weeks I will be absent due to knee surgery and during this period Cheryl Gibson will be acting Principal and there will be reshuffling of the Leadership team whilst I am recovering.

Mr Andrew Cummings
Principal

Deputy Principal’s News

It is hard to believe that we are already half way through the first term of 2017. The staff and students have eagerly thrown themselves into learning with everyone busy reading and growing their minds. Edens Landing State School focuses on building better learning environments for all students through actively teaching our students appropriate behaviour that allows them to get their needs met in efficient and socially acceptable ways, as well as rewarding students for demonstrating appropriate behaviour. This is achieved through our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL – formerly SWPBS) program. As part of this program, we focus on specific behaviour expectations and school rules each week.

For those of you who were with us last year, you will remember that we have three rules which support student learning and reflect the needs of our school community. Our school rules are: As a Learner I am: SAFE, RESPONSIBLE, RESPECTFUL.

To reward the students who display appropriate behaviour, and to encourage students to strive to be the best they can be, we have a school wide rewards system. Every classroom has a rewards chart to record the behaviour of each student every day. Students who display ‘green behaviour’ colour a box on the chart. As students collect more coloured boxes, they climb the behaviour ladder to achieve bronze, silver, gold or diamond levels. Each level offers a selection of prizes to match the level of achievement. Last year we had some great activities for Diamond Day, including Diamond Day disco, Bowling and a giant water slide and sausage sizzle.

To receive an invitation to attend our Gold Day award, you must have:

• Coloured enough boxes for good behaviour
• Have on-time attendance at school for 92% of days with no unexplained absences
• Had no more than 2 office consequences (e.g. thinking room, supervised play, lunchtime detentions to complete work in office)
• Had no suspensions over the course of the term

To achieve an invitation to attend our Diamond Day award you must have:

• Coloured enough boxes for good behaviour
• Have on-time attendance at school for 95% of days with no unexplained absences
• Had no office consequences (e.g. thinking room, supervised play, lunchtime detentions to complete work in office)
• Had no suspensions over the course of the term.

We get many questions each term about having an attendance component included in this rewards system. PBL is about developing appropriate behaviour patterns to optimise learning. Students who are absent from school frequently or are regularly late, miss vital opportunities to advance their learning. This does not mean that we want sick students to attend school. If a child is genuinely ill please keep them home. Each rewards cycle, teachers take into consideration any students with extenuating circumstances before invitations are issued.

Please discuss this process with your child and encourage them to work hard to achieve a Diamond Day invitation. What a wonderful celebration it would be if we had every student attending our Diamond Day celebration.

20th Anniversary of Edens Landing State School

Yes, our school is 20 years old this year. To celebrate, we will be holding a Bush Dance on the evening of June 23rd. There will be a genuine bush band, dancing, food, raffles and lots more. We are looking forward to having all of our Edens Landing family enjoying the celebration with us.

We will be looking for donations of hay bales and a marquee (for the band to stand under on the night). If you know of anyone who might be able to help with these items please contact the office and let them know.

About Year 6 2017

Year 6 is a very exciting year for students, with lots of special opportunities available to them. School Leaders have been announced, with our badge ceremony taking place on assembly in week 3. Our school captains delivered their own pledges and our house captains all looked wonderful in their new sports shirts.

Seniors received their senior shirts on the first day of term and look wonderful wearing them with pride. We purchased a few extra shirts for students who missed the deadline last year or who are new to the school. If you would like to purchase one of these shirts please contact me or the ladies in the office.

A new project consent form has recently been sent home. All year 6 students must return this form as they are a legal requirement for some of the events in Year 6. If your child has not handed you either of this form, please pick one up from the office. Students without this form will not be included in the year book or graduation presentations.

Camp forms have also gone home. If you would like your child to go, full payment must be made by the due date. If you are wanting your child to attend but find the lump sum payment difficult, please contact the office to arrange a payment plan. This payment plan must be put into place before the due date for payment.

About Year 5 2017

For the first time, year 5 have been offered the chance to attend camp. This camp is part of our program to encourage leadership skills in our students, and is one of the opportunities teachers will use to assess potential leaders for year 6 2018. It is a short camp, which focusses on the skills good leaders require and on personal resilience and growth. We encourage all students to attend this camp as it covers a great deal of year 5 curriculum. If you are wanting your child to attend, but find the lump sum payment difficult, please contact the office to arrange a payment plan. This payment plan must be put into place before the due date for payment.

Year 5 will once again participate in our excellence afternoons this year. These activities are aimed to extend students’ personal learning in the area of excellence they select. We will be looking for donations of resources to help support this program. So please respond generously when this letter comes home.

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Our explicit teaching of behaviour expectations will continue throughout the year, focusing on the Rule of the Week – each week teachers explicitly teach lessons which focus on a selected aspect of school expectations.

The rules for weeks 7 and 8 are outlined below. Teachers will be discussing these with 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 - Keep hands and feet to self

Teachers are constantly reminding students of this rule. Often, when discussing this rules with students who have broken the rule, students will say that they were playing a game so it ok to touch someone else. For this reason games such as red rover and tiggy are not permitted at school. It is important to discuss with your child that keeping your hands and feet to yourself applies at all times. There are some good resources on the internet to support discussion with your child about this rule.

There is a social story PDF

And some YouTube clips

Week 7 - High Five

It is important that children and parents are aware of how bullying is defined. Teachers will explain to their students what bullying is and then teach them the ‘high five’ process for dealing with situations they may find themselves in.

What is Bullying: Bullying is an ongoing misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that causes physical and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power over one or more persons. Bullying can happen in person or online, and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert).

Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying. However, these conflicts still need to be addressed and resolved.

Behaviours that do not constitute bullying include:

• mutual arguments and disagreements (where there is no power imbalance)
• not liking someone or a single act of social rejection
• one-off acts of meanness or spite
• isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation or violence

Online bullying (sometimes referred to as cyberbullying) is bullying carried out through the internet or mobile devices.

Teachers will go through the ‘High Five’ plan for managing conflict with students over the course of the week. This is a wonderful, easy to remember strategy for children of all ages.

Yours in Education

Cheryl Gibson
cgibs2@eq.edu.au

Deputy Principal

KidsMatter

This year we are revitalising our focus towards KidsMatter. We became involved with KidsMatter in 2012.

KidsMatter is an Australian mental health and wellbeing initiative set in primary schools and early childhood education and care services. It's unique because it brings together all the most important people in a child’s life - especially families!

It’s not a program, but a framework that helps us take care of all their mental health needs by focusing on:

• creating positive school communities
• teaching children skills for good social and emotional development
• working together with families
• recognising and getting help for children with mental health problems

We are currently surveying staff and students to find out where our needs are in the school. We would greatly appreciate parents and carers to also complete a survey using this link below

If you are interested in being apart of our KidsMatter Action Team please contact myself. Parent involvement is essential to ensure more successful outcomes for our students. To learn more about KidsMatter you can visit the website at

Tamra Murray
Deputy Principal

Deputy Principal

What a fabulous start to the new school year. I have been very impressed with how the children have settled into their new classes and are engaged in learning.

I have visited the classes in the lower school, especially our new prep classes, and have witnessed happy, enthusiastic learners, keen to get on with the activities of the day.

While we can provide your child with the best learning opportunities at school education is a partnership. For children to truly be able to do their best and achieve the most they can we need to work together. The positive attitudes they come to school with, which are essential for achievement, are directly linked with your own attitudes towards school and learning. It is important that we are “on the same page” knowing that we are all about helping your child achieve this or her potential.

An obvious way of working together is through homework, and in particular reading.

“Australian researchers have proven what parents have intuitively known all along - the more often you read to your children from an early age, the greater the positive effect on their reading and thinking skills.

The Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research has not only proven a causal effect between the frequency of reading to a child and his or her development, but have also for the first time measured the benefits.

Children four to five years old who are read to three to five times a week have the same reading ability as children six months older (who are read to only twice or less a week).

Reading to children six to seven days a week puts them almost a year ahead of those who are not being read to. It was also found that reading to small children has a positive effect on the development of numeracy skills.

‘It does appear to be the case that children who are read to more often keep doing better as they age than other children,’ said Professor Guyonne Kalb, director of the institute's Labour Economics and Social Policy Program, and co-author of the study.” (John Elder, Sydney Morning Herald, March 3, 2013)

At Edens Landing we strive for Excellence in Reading, which is why each term this year we will celebrate with children who read every night by giving them a book.

The children are very enthusiastic, and some have come up to me in the playground or wherever they see me, to tell me that they are reading every day. I am hoping to give away 750 books this term. Please4 help me reach my target and ensure that you have signed your child’s homework or recording sheet to confirm that they are reading every night.

Anthea Grant
Deputy Principal

Curriculum News

It has been lovely to move around the school and see how well students have settled back into the school routine.

Being a part of the Edens Landing Family means being a member of a community of learners. We are committed to providing a learning environment in which students can thrive and grow. Common expectations and consistent practices are implemented across Years prep to 6 in order to enhance learning. Students are being exposed to such practices and expectations on a daily basis to ensure that they are provided with every opportunity to learn.

We strive to develop a community of curious and inquisitive learners.

Reading will continue to be a school priority. The teaching of reading is embedded across all curriculum areas and needs to not only be a part of a child's school life but also their home life. As Dr. Suess once said:

"You're never too old,
too wacky, too wild,
to pick up a book
and read to a child."
(Dr Suess)

Please take the time to read with your child and foster a love and enjoyment of reading. Choose texts that you will both enjoy. Reading a book with your child will give you the opportunity to laugh together, go on a journey together, learn together and just spend time together.

Have a wonderful week!

Rachel Pope
Head of Curriculum

Our Core Business 2017

1. Reading Results / Pedagogy.
2. Better Behaviour outcomes for all

P&C News

Monday 20th February the AGM was held. All positions were filled.

President: Kirstin Hanson
Vice President: Rachel Maddalena
Treasurer: Vanessa Potter
Secretary: Tammy Ah You

Looking forward to an exciting new year.

Tuckshop News

FlexiSchools for 2017

In January FlexiSchools will remove all class lists from their system and when you log in the first time in the New Year you will be asked to choose your child’s class for 2017. When I receive the 2017 class list in January I will send it to FlexiSchools. I will update information on our P&C Facebook page when I have confirmation that the new classes are on the FlexiSchools site.

Tuckshop Volunteers Roster

New tuckshop menus have been distributed to teachers and should have come home by now, if you have not received one please ask your child’s teacher. Some information to go with the new menu. There have been some price increases due to supplier price increases and some items removed from the menu.

Items removed from menu – Sultanas, Cheese and cracker packets and Potato Pies

Items with price increase – Beef Pie, Snack Pie, Beef Lasagne, BELT, Small pop top milk. Please make sure if you are ordering these items to use the new 2017 prices.

At the bottom of the menu there is information on how to order tuckshop using the paper bag system. If you use this method for your tuckshop orders, please use 2 bags if there is more than 1 item i.e. sandwich and juice needs 2 bags. Use one staple in the top left hand corner of the bag to secure the 2 bags together. Please do not staple or sticky tape the entire top of the bag closed. Just fold the bag/s a few times and either drop off into the quick drop box or take it to class to put in the tuckshop folder in the classroom. If you are concerned about money falling out of the bag, pop the tuckshop bags into a snap lock bag.

Another method of tuckshop ordering is a DIY system. There are bags and a quick drop box set up at the tuckshop counter. If you use this to order your tuckshop please write the order on the bag/s put the money inside the bag, fold the bag a few times and place it into the quick drop box. If change is required, it will be put in the corner of the bag and returned with the tuckshop. Friday mornings there will be 2 DIY areas and another quick drop box.

We also have an online ordering system called Flexischools. This is our preferred method of ordering. Our flexischools cut off time is 8am the morning of service, please make sure your orders are in and confirmed by 8am or they will not be processed on the flexischool website.

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.

Any information regarding the tuckshop and volunteer rosters will be here in our fortnightly newsletters and if there is anything that cannot wait for the newsletter I will post on the Edens Landing State School P&C Association Facebook page

Money and food sharing – I have noticed children coming to the tuckshop at second break that have been asking for multiple items and when questioned about it they say they are buying for a friend. Children are to buy ONLY for themselves and not to share food purchased from the tuckshop. I also have been seeing children sharing, giving and even asking other children for money for tuckshop purchases. Please discuss with your children that money and food are not to be shared at school.

Any problems or concerns please contact me
Annette Honnery
Tuckshop Convenor
Tuckshop@elsspc.org.au
3805 7999

Uniform Shop News

The Uniform Shop will be opening on a new day Thursday’s; it will also be open from 8:15am – 9:15am. This will start on Thursday March 9th 2017.

Open times:

Friday 3rd March 8:30am-9:30am
Thursday 9th March 8:15am-9:15am

We have a new Eftpos machine and it has Pay Wave function available as well as normal Swipe and Insert. Thank you for being patient with us while we got it sorted.

If you have any questions please email: uniformshop@elsspc.org.au

If you require an online order form please send me an email and I will happily send you one.

Peita-Marie Winsor
Uniform Shop Convener