17 March 2017

Newsletter Articles

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

Important Dates to Remember

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Principal’s Report

Dear Edens Landing Family,

As most of you are aware, Mr Cummings is currently on leave after having surgery on his knee. He came through surgery well and is currently resting at home to ensure his full recovery. He has passed on his thanks for the many kind messages he has received from his Edens Landing Family and hopes to be back and ready to run our Cross Country, which is coming up at the end of term. While we think he is being a little ambitious to think he will be running, we are impressed by his determination and positive outlook.

I am sure you all join our staff and students in wishing Mr Cummings a speedy recovery. If anyone would like to leave a message or card for Mr Cummings, we are collecting them at the office and forwarding them to him.

While Mr Cummings is away, please feel free to contact me if needed.

Yours in Education

Cheryl Gibson
Acting Principal.

Deputy Principal’s News

YEAR 6 2017

Our Year 6 students headed off to Camp on Monday to have an amazing experience and build memories which will last a lifetime. For the first time, Mr O’Donnell attended camp with our Year 6 cohort. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Year 6 teachers and the other staff members who have volunteer their time to make this camp a great success.

We have a few senior shirts still available for purchase. Please enquire at the office if you would like an additional shirt.

YEAR 5 Camp 2017

Our first ever year 5 camp will take place next term 15th -16th May. This is a valuable opportunity for students to experience a short stay away from home, and to build strong leadership skills. Camp Kokoda is designed for encouraging personal growth and building resilience in all students. The camp also covers a large part of the Year 5 curriculum, so we encourage all year 5 students to attend.

Student Council Fundraiser

2017 has seen the election of a very keen group of Student Council representatives. They are organised and hoping to raise significant funds to help with improvements to our hall, including the installation of fans. The first fundraiser for the year is an Easter Raffle. Staff members have very generously donated chocolates and Easter Eggs to kick start the prizes, and Woolworths at Holmview very generously donated money towards purchasing some more. If you would like to donate Easter items towards this fundraising, please drop your chocolates at the office. The more donations we get the more prizes we can offer.

A note went home on Friday about the sale of Tickets. Raffle tickets cost $1 per ticket, 6 tickets for $5 and 15 tickets for $10. You can purchase tickets from Ms. Alterator and Student Council Members, outside the tuck-shop at 8:30am on Wednesday and Friday mornings or in the Old Hall at second breaks for the next 2 weeks. Tickets will also be available at our Cross Country Event, on the 30th of March.

The raffle will be drawn on the afternoon of the 30th March and presented to the winners during parade on Friday 31st March; just in time for the holidays.

20th Anniversary of Edens Landing State School

Organisation for our Bush dance is well underway. We have already received generous offers to lend the school props and a marquee for the festivities on June 23rd. We are still looking for donations of hay bales to set the mood on the night. These hay bales can be returned to the owner or we will happily use them in our garden once the night is over. If you know of anyone who might be able to help with some hay bales, please contact the office and let them know. Of course if you have any other props which will help dress up our school for the Bush Dance, please let us know.

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 8 and 9 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 8 - Be peaceful when resolving conflict

Conflict is a slippery slope. Some children try to escape from a conflict, while others try to solve it by going on the attack. Few naturally try to work it out, which is why it is important that we teach children how to resolve issues of conflict in a peaceful way.

Escape Responses: These responses are often used to avoid taking responsibility for conflict situations.

• Denial — Pretending that a conflict does not exist or refusing to do what we can to work it out
• Blame Game — Blaming others for the problem, pretending we did nothing wrong, covering up what we did, lying
• Run Away from people trying to help — Prolonging the problem

Attack Responses: These are attempts to win a fight rather than resolve it. They damage a relationship further rather than repairing it.

• Put Downs — Attacking others with harsh or cruel words, stirring up anger in others
• Gossip — Talking about others behind their backs
• Fight — Using physical force to get our way

Work-It-Out Responses: These are a few good ways to respond to a conflict.

• Overlook an Offense — Dealing with an offense yourself by simply deciding to ignore it or deciding not to respond to it
• Talk-It-Out — Going directly to the other person to talk out your disagreements
• Get Help — Asking a teacher or other adult to help you decide how to handle the conflict you are involved in

We remind students constantly that choices have consequences. For good or bad, the choices we make will affect us and others and conflict is often the consequence of a choice we have made.

The "Five A's" can resolve conflict. These simple steps will almost always lead to peace.

• Admit what you did wrong. Include both wrong doings and bad choices.
• Apologise for how your choice affected the other person. Saying sorry can make all the difference.
• Accept the consequences for your choice without argument or excuses.
• Ask for help if you need it.
• Alter your choice in the future. Think over and plan how you are going to act differently next time.

It is possible to teach children how to resolve conflicts among themselves or with their friends and other people they know, and in doing so, help them develop a skill they will need as they grow and move into adult life.

Week 9 - Active listening

Teachers explicitly teach students what it means to be an active listener. We talk about whole Body Listening as a way to describe what active listening is.

1. You listen with your shoulders and feet by turning towards the person who is talking
2. You listen with your chest by keeping it up and pointed toward the person who is talking
3. You listen with your hands by not distracting other people or yourself – keeps hands still
4. You listen with your ears by hearing what other people are saying
5. You listen with your brain by thinking about want other people are saying
6. You listen with your eyes by looking at people’s faces and eyes when they are talking to you
7. You listen with your mouth by only making comments or asking questions about what the person is talking about- don’t interrupt.

Yours in Education
Cheryl Gibson
cgibs2@eq.edu.au

Deputy Principal

As I walk around the classrooms I am impressed with how the children have settled into the routines of school. The classrooms are inviting and both children and teachers are enthusiastic about the learning activities.

As you know Reading is one of the most important skills we help develop at school. It is vital that we work together in this task.

How can you help your child?

We would ask that you find time to read with your child every day at home. The session does not need to be too long – 10 minutes is fine. The support you can offer in this will be of great benefit to your child. Children also enjoy sharing books with other adults or older siblings....

Top Tips.

• Try to make reading time fun wherever possible. Aim to do little and often, but not when your child is tired.
• Encourage your child to look at any picture in the reading book to get an idea of what it is about. Discuss the pictures with your child.
• Help the reader to ‘work out’ words which can’t be blended by looking at the other words in the phrase of sentence or at the pictures.
• Talk about the book as much as possible, ask your child to explain what has happened, ask questions about the story.
• Occasionally read the book or some of the pages aloud before you ask your child to read. This will help with understanding and gives them a chance to hear the sounds first. It will also show them what fluent reading sounds like.

Reading your favourite books over and over is a valid way to develop your child’s reading skills.

The purpose of reading with children is not only to develop reading (decoding) skills, but also to improve comprehension (understanding).

There is a temptation to progress quickly through books, however the most valuable approach to reading is to spend quality time looking at a book in detail and enjoying it with your child.

The most important role you can play is to model good listening - showing interest and enjoyment in the reading process.

The Great Book Swap

One of the ways I would like to encourage reading is by organising -

‘The Great Book Swap” on Friday 24th of March.

Children are encouraged to donate books (in reasonable condition) that they no longer want at home, and bring them to Ms Grant’s room by Tuesday 21st March.

For a small fee (gold coin) students will be able to purchase one of the donated books. My aim is for EVERY child to bring in a book, which will give us a book for every child to take home. Any money collected will help purchase new books for our school.

Hopefully this will become a regular term event.

Anthea Grant
Deputy Principal

Deputy Principal

Facebook

This year we have started our own Edens Landing SS Facebook page where we will share special events, good news stories and reminders. Please like and follow to stay up to date with our Edens Landing Family.

March 17 - National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence

We will be taking a stand together on Friday 17 March to say, “Bullying. No way!” Students will be able to wear orange and/or their school uniform. They may like to wear orange shorts or an orange shirt, maybe orange socks or an orange ribbon in their hair.

Each class is preparing to decorate our school fence with posters made by the students, artwork, balloons and streamers. Join us before assembly to see all their hard work.

Please note that it is not a free dress day. If students come to school in clothing other than orange, their parents will be called to bring in their uniform. Clothing must be appropriate for school i.e. sun safe, standard school shoes, no midriffs, no singlets, no jewellery.

The One Million Stars to End Violence Project

Edens Landing State School will also be supporting the One Million Stars to End Violence Project. You can help too!! We are asking for donations of 30mm tear ribbon for our Edens Landing Family to weave stars which will be on display at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. To find out more information about this wonderful cause go to their website.

We have pledged to make 500 stars by July 2017. Our Year 5 Arts Excellence students have begun making stars. Parents are welcome to come to our star weaving workshops.

Before school

We are concerned about the growing number of students who are playing before school at the basketball courts across the road from the school. This is not on school property and therefore there is no one supervising the children’s safety. If your child walks or rides to school, please discuss with them where you expect them to be.

Yours in Education
Tamra Murray
tmurr24@eq.edu.au
Deputy Principal

P & C News

We are holding a Cross Country & Fitness Day as our major fundraiser for Term 1.

All Students who participate in the Cross Country & Fitness Day on 30th March 2017 will receive a Quelch ice-block.

Please find attached your child’s sponsorship form for the Cross Country & Fitness Day

We encourage you and your child to seek sponsorship from family, friends, neighbours and workmates. We would like to note that our school does not promote door knocking and every child should be supervised by an adult when obtaining sponsorship and donations.

All students who gain sponsorship will also receive a certificate of appreciation.

All sponsorship forms and money (even if you haven’t gained any sponsorship money) are to be returned to the P&C box located in the Office by 21st April 2017.

Good luck fundraising and we look forward to seeing the children complete their Cross Country Fitness Day.

Tuckshop News

Roster

ORDERING PROCESS

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 the 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.

If you make a Flexischools order and for some reason your child does not come to school, call the tuckshop and let us know before 9am so the order can be cancelled and you will be refunded. If you do not let us know then the order will not be cancelled and therefore you will be charged. If no one answers the phone it is because we are busy so just leave a quick and clear message with child’s name and class.

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.

As you might be aware some days there can be quite a queue when you wish to have someone take your order and occasionally this can lead to people becoming upset that they have had to wait. Unfortunately, their frustrations have occasionally been targeted at myself and my volunteers. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge my volunteers for all their time they give to the tuckshop and their hard work. We can only serve as fast as humanly possible and we appreciate your patience during these busy times.

Any problems or concerns please contact me

Annette Honnery
Tuckshop Convenor
tuckshop@elsspc.org.au
3805 7999

Uniform Shop News

Uniform Shop:

Reminder that the Uniform Shop is now open on Thursdays 8:15am-9:15am start date 9th March 2017. We are running low on some sizes in the Sports Shirts and have put in an order for new stock that can take a few weeks to come back in.

Thank you for your patience with everything this year so far any questions or if you would like an online order form please email: uniformshop@elsspc.org.au.

Thank you from,
Peita-Marie Winsor

Book Club:

Thank you to everyone that has ordered book club from issue 1 and issue 2 so far this year, I hope you’re enjoying the books with your children. If you have any problems please feel free to email: bookclub@elsspc.org.au.

For those who are unaware of what LOOP orders are I have attached this flyer so you can read it over hopefully it helps for your next order.

There will be issue 3 and issue 4 handed out in term 2.

Thank you from,
Peita-Marie Winsor
Book Club Team