5 September 2017

Newsletter Articles

Contact Details

• Have your contact details changed?
• Have you moved address?
• Do we have your current phone number in case of an emergency?
• Are your emergency contacts still current?
• Are you receiving our newsletters by email?
• Do we have your current email address?

PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE TO UPDATE YOUR DETAILS

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

Important Dates to Remember

QSchools

The QSchools app is a convenient way to receive up-to-the-minute information from Queensland state schools PLUS save the events directly to your devices!

How do I download the QSchools app? To download the app visit the application store for your device:

iPhone/iPad
Android
Windows phone
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Office News

Report Student Absences

In the event that your child will be absent from school please call the student absence line on 3826 0360 to leave a message. Alternatively you may also use the absence email - absences@edenslandingss.eq.edu.au. Please record your child's name, class, date of absence/s and reason for absence.

Late Arrivals

Students who arrive to school after 9:00am must report to the office windows for a late slip prior to going to class.

Excursions

When your student is involved in an excursion or activity at school which requires payment an invoice is issued by our system. Some families currently receive their invoices via email which not only helps to alleviate the amount of paper used but also provides all the required information for our preferred payment method BPoint.

The invoices will be sent directly to parents’ emails, we are asking that you ensure your details are current and that you have active email addresses listed at school on your child’s file. Payment of these invoices is only required if you wish for your child to attend the excursion/activity.

Please email the school on office@edenslandingss.eq.edu.au stating your child’s name and class to confirm your email address and if applicable advise of any contact details that may have changed, to ensure we are able to contact you in an emergency.

Thank you for your continued support

Principal’s News

Good afternoon Edens Landing community

Enrolments

We currently have 753 students enrolled.

Captain’s Table

My first round of Captain’s Table was held last Thursday. It was very well attended with eight parents coming along. This week I have sent out invites to our Year 6 parents. I will resume again in Term 4 with Year 1 parents, Year 5s, then Year 2, then Year 4 and lastly Year 3. Although invitations are sent out, any parent is welcome to attend. These are held on Thursdays at 9am in our resource room. If you are interested in attending these informal small group forums to express your thoughts about our school please contact the office.

The discussions centred on a few key points:

• Greater focus and provision for The Arts
• Concern around infrastructure looking to the future and our enrolment needs
• The need for more male mentors for our young men
• Camps
• Community events
• Communication

I look forward to hearing more about what our community wants us to keep doing and what they want more of.

Prep info sessions

Our first round of Prep information sessions was held on Wednesday 30th.The purpose of these sessions was to showcase our school and give information on policies and procedures. Thankyou to the P&C for being part of these sessions.

Please ensure you have enrolled your child for Prep 2018 as places are filling fast. Enrolling early will also help us have a more accurate picture of our staffing needs for next year.

Enrolment forms can be collected at the office.

School Opinion Survey

The School Opinion Survey is now closed. We have 56 parents responses out of a possible 550. The results from this will be used to guide our four year strategic plan for 2018 and beyond. Thankyou to those who responded.

Wakakiri

FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!!We have made it to the Semi Finals!!!!!! We will be performing again on Wednesday 13 September. A huge congratulations to the students and the staff who supported the kids. Thankyou also to the parents. Here are the results:

RESULTS FOR DIVISION 2

PERFORMANCE AWARD
Excellent Performance Teamwork
Excellent Overall Costume Design
Amazing Lighting
Amazing Finale
Excellent Set Movement and Staging
Most Creative Reuse of Materials for Sets and Props

State Award
Best Australia History Story Award
Performing at Awards Night

Judges Feedback

A historically significant piece colourful and rich with cultural depth. Stunning epressive individual performances. Continue to experiment with the dramatic constructions in pursuit of expressing a clear narrative arc, with tension and release of tension points in place. Excellent choreographic choices and beautiful costuming. Great dancing from everyone, that really shows the heritage of the peoples.

Book Week

What a fabulous success our Book Week parade was last Friday. The effort that the students and parents went to was so amazing. Even more amazing was the work the staff put into their costumes. A huge thankyou to all involved. Some great pictures are on our Facebook page.

Deputy Principal’s News

LOST PROPERTY

It is hard to believe that we are already heading for week 9 of term 3, what a busy term we have had. Students are enjoying the warm weather and jumpers are piling up in the lost property as a result. We now have a huge stockpile of lost property. Please check that your child has their name clearly marked on all items of clothing and if you have noticed a missing jumper (or any other piece of clothing), please check the lost property bin which is positioned outside the administration block. ALL REMAINING LOST PROPERTY WILL BE DISPOSED OF AT THE END OF THIS TERM.

NEW REWARDS SYSTEM

The students are very excited about the launch of our new rewards system, with many students already collecting several “Gotcha” Cards.

The new system is based on a series of ‘collector card’ style “GOTCHAS” which students can collect to build a whole set. Once a whole set has been collected students will get their photo displayed on the ‘Wall of Fame’ in the foyer of the office block. Additionally, students will work towards individual goals to gain access to a variety of exciting experiences of their choice which has replaced Gold & Diamond Days. Attendance is not a component of this system, however, the more students are at school the more opportunities they will have to receive a GOTCHA.

Week 9 - Sportsmanship- Points to discuss with your child

How do you rate your sportsmanship?

Sportsmanship is the ability to:

• Win without bragging
• Lose without complaining - or making excuses
• Treat opponents and referees with respect

Do You?

• Always follow the rules of the game
• Avoid Arguments
• Share in the responsibilities of the team
• Let everyone play by the rules of the game
• Always play fair
• Follow what the coach says
• Respect the other team’s efforts
• Give encouragement to teammates
• Follow the judgment of the referee
• End the game smoothly

Here are some sportsmanship tips you can follow

• If you make a mistake don’t make excuses learn from it and, be ready to play
• If a teammate makes a mistake make sure to encourage, don’t criticize them

Watch this very touching video with your child/ren and it will give everyone the opportunity to see a brilliant example of sportsmanship. After this girl hits her first ever home run, she tore her ACL running to first base. Just when tragedy was inevitable, something amazing happened.

Week 10 – Eat your own food

Edens Landing State School implements a strict “no food sharing” policy in an effort to prevent food allergy emergencies.

    1. Cross Contact

First and most important is the way each food is prepared or packed for each student’s lunch. For example, a student may handle bread, cheese, peanut butter or other allergens while eating breakfast or preparing a lunch, then reach into the fridge to grab an apple for the lunchbox or backpack without first washing hands. This simple bit of cross contact may seem harmless to the individual handling the food, but could have life-threatening results for the child who unknowingly consumes that apple when it is shared with him by a friend at lunch.

    2. New Allergies

But what if neither of the students sharing food have allergies and there is no prior history of allergies in their families? In 25% of food allergy reactions that occur at school, the student had not been previously diagnosed. Food allergies in children are on the rise and children do not have to have other family members with food allergies to develop them on their own. If a reaction does occur at school, tracing all food eaten, including its preparation may be of importance. This information is simply easier to gather when food is not shared.

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

Deputy Principal’s News

Reading at home

C. Inferring

More than simple prediction, inferring happens when readers can take what they know and what is written in the book to read between the lines. The ability to infer helps the reader get to the why of the story and draw conclusions. You can help your child use inference by asking…

Why did you think that would happen?
Why did the author write the story in that way?
Why do you think the character feels that way?
Why did the character do that?

D. Making Connections

Readers constantly make connections as they read; connections to their own lives, another book, or real world events. Bringing those connections out and discussing then can lead to more interaction and interest in a text as well as deepen comprehension.

What does this book remind you of?
Have you experienced any of the events or situations in this book?
Can you understand how the character was feeling? Why?
What do you know about the book’s topic?
Does this book remind you of another book?

Anthea Grant
Prep & Yr 1 Deputy Principal

Deputy Principal’s News

Sun Safety

With the warmer weather approaching it is very important to keep our students sun safe. Part of our sun safety procedures is to ensure that children do not play in the sun without wearing a hat. There are many students who are coming to school without a full brim hat and are therefore unable to run around with their friends at lunch time. Please check that your child has a full brim hat so that they can fully enjoy their playtime with their friends.

Tamra Murray
Year 2 & 3 Deputy Principal
tmurr24@eq.edu.au

Physical Education News

Junior Sports Day

Congratulations to Freeman 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.

Representative News

Congratulations to Anna, Alize, Callum and Jonty who competed at the Pacific Rim Athletics Trial last week. All students were successful in gaining selection in the Pacific Rim Athletics Team. They will now compete at the Regional Trial next week. Good luck!

Anna- 1st Long Jump, 2nd 800m, 2nd 1500m
Jonty- 1st High Jump
Alize- 4th High Jump
Callum- 3rd Discus

Good luck to Thomas who will compete at the Regional Cricket Trial next week.

School Swimming Program

The school swimming program will commence next term. This year, the grade 3 and 4 will be a part of the program. Following this, the school will host its first grade 3-5 swimming carnival.

Year 3-4 6/11-8/11, 13/11-15/11
Year 1-2 20/11-1/12

Interschool Sport

All teams have been training in the morning and preparing for the competition next term. Payment and medical forms are due by the 13th September.

Get Started Vouchers

Round 10 Get Started Vouchers still available – Apply now!

Round 10 of the Sport and Recreation services (SRS) Get Started Vouchers program is now open and vouchers are available.

Under the Get Started Vouchers program, vouchers or up to $150 are available to eligible children and young people, which can help pay for the cost of sport or recreation club membership, and/or participation fees through registered Get Started Vouchers clubs.

If the child/young person or their parent/guardian holds a valid Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, then they can apply straight away online. In this case, there is no need to worry about having a recommendation from referral agents.

To see how to apply, please watch this video.

Please note:

• The vouchers are issued on a first come, first served basis. Once they have been allocated for the round, then the round closes.
• Applications close when fully allocated or, at latest, 27 September 2017.
• If you are assisting parents/carers/guardians with their applications, it is recommended that they create an account prior to the round opening so they can apply as soon as possible.

Chappy News

Hi Everyone,

A quick reminder our next Parent Support afternoon will be held on the 14th of September, the last Thursday of term. It will be held behind G Block and starts at 1:45pm and goes until the bell rings. Please feel free to come and join us for a cuppa and a chat.

Recently I have been working with some students to build communication skills. One of the most important of which is Active Listening. Active listening can bring greater connection, clarity and understanding to build positive relationships with children. Here is an interesting article on found on the Kids Matter Website that you may find useful.

Active listening: Communication with children

Often when listening to children, adults may be distracted by something else, fidget, rehearse what they want to say in their head, interject before the child has finished talking/expressing themselves, or have closed body language. All of these things can cause misunderstandings and conflict, affect whether children may disclose sensitive information again and can damage relationships. Active listeners have the intent to listen to the complete message and its meaning by paying attention to what children are saying, how it is being said. It involves being aware of body language, voice inflection, overall attitude and the meaning of what children are saying to validate communication and help children feel supported and understood.

Why is active listening important?

By being active listeners, parents and carers can strengthen their communication and relationships with children by demonstrating interest, care and understanding. Some benefits of active listening for communication and relationships are:

• helping children to feel valued, connected, validated and understood
• building trust and credibility with a child
• helping clarify a child’s thoughts and feelings
• avoiding conflict and misunderstandings
• making it more likely a child will talk to you, express themselves and seek your views in the future

Skills tips: What does active listening involve?

Active listening is a skill that can be learned and practised. It can mean different things in different cultures, with some aspects needing to be altered but active listening involves the following aspects that need to be practised over time:

1. Give the child your full attention. This may involve stopping what you are doing (e.g. turning off the television, stopping cooking), moving away from a busy place or letting the child know you want to listen and will give them your full attention when you finish (e.g. when caring for another child). When you are talking to a child and you notice your mind is wandering, bring it back to what the child is saying. Prioritising time to listen actively and attend shows a child their feelings are important and that you are interested in what they are thinking and feeling.
2. Use your eyes to listen. Make eye contact and if possible, get down to their level to show them you are ready to listen.
3. Listen carefully to what is being said. Listen to both what the child is saying and their body language, without interrupting and avoiding questions that break the child’s train of thought. Focus on what the child is saying and the meaning behind it, rather than what you are going to say next.
4. Use encouragers. Show that you are interested by nodding your head, smiling or making other appropriate facial expressions, providing verbal encouragers such as “mmm”, “uh huh” or making comments like “I see”, “that sounds hard/tricky/great” to help encourage the child to keep speaking and engage in what they said.
5. Reflect the feeling. After the child has talked about a feeling, thought, experience, etc. use the opportunity to respond and gently describe in your own words what you think the child is feeling and why. For example, “You seem to be feeling a bit upset about not making the football team”. This can help demonstrate empathy (recognising, understanding and respecting the feelings of others) and understanding of the child’s feelings and thoughts.
6. Use pauses and silences. Resisting the temptation to fill silences is important when children are trying to think about what else they want to say, as it gives them time to think and respond.
7. Ask open-ended questions. Open questions (e.g. “What are you concerned about when you go to school?”) encourage more detailed responses where children can provide more deep and meaningful information.
8. Summarise. Summarising the child’s main points can demonstrate that you understand what they were saying and can allow an opportunity for the child to add something.
9. Make non-judgemental statements. It is important to refrain from judgement statements, such as “You feel scared about silly monsters at night”, that can prevent children from disclosing further information. Try to reflect or paraphrase what a child has said, in your own words in a non-judgemental way, for example “You feel scared about monsters when the lights get turned off”. This lack of judgement invites the child to tell you more about what they are thinking or feeling.
10. Choose words to start a conversation. You can begin active listening by using questions or statements such as “You seem to be feeling...about...”, “It looks like you feel...with...”, “You sound...at...”, “You seem...because...” An example might be “You’ve been sitting very quietly and hugging your teddy bear. It seems like you are feeling sad about something. Would you like to tell me about it?”

Like any skill, active listening takes time and practice to develop but is very rewarding for parents, carers and children. It is not only a skill that can help support healthy communication and strong relationships with children, but also with other adult relationships.

Resourced from the link below:

P & C News

Uniform Shop:

Uniform Shop Hours are 8:15am-9:15am Thursdays,

Mesh Shorts Sale – Buy 2 get 1 Free

• Limited time only
• Limited stock

Get it quick order online via Flexischools so you don’t miss out, orders for each Thursday need to be in by 5pm the day before each week which is 5pm Wednesdays.

Ragtagd Lost Property Tags:

You may have seen the new shelving system for our lost property at school.

It is to help us minimise our lost property you simply attach the tag to your child’s jumper or hat, and register it via SMS. When your child’s clothing items with the tag on it get placed in on the shelving system it is registered and a SMS will be sent to your mobile. If you would like 1 please come to the Uniform Shop on Thursdays. (LIMITED STOCK ONLY)

• Students 8:15am - 8:20am
• 8:20am -9:15am they will be given to people whom make a purchase from the uniform shop.
• Parents between 9:15am - 9:20am

We have attached a some information below if you would like more information please visit the link below:

Any questions, problems or concerns please email me at uniform_shop@edenslandingss.eq.edu.au.

Thank you from,
Peita-Marie Winsor
Uniform Shop Convenor

Don’t forget to keep an eye on out P&C Facebook Page for Updates on many things we post about.

Book club:

Issue 7

The next issue of book club will go out next term, it will be the last book club for this year.

We did try to keep up with doing 2 book club issues a term this year. However, the fact that there is only 2 of us that arrange all the book club and we also are doing a many other things as volunteers throughout the school we are finding it harder to do 2 a term with all the work involved.

Did you know you can use LOOP online ordering on your mobile or tablet? All you do is download the app and register select your child/children’s class it’s as easy as that.

(Prep classes are under the foundation / kindergarten tab)

Have a look at it now before the next issue comes out any questions please ask.

Thank you or your support during the year with book club.

If you’re interested in helping with book club please contact us at bookclub@edenslandingss.eq.edu.au we would really like some more help in this process.

Thank you from,
Book club

Fundraising:

Pie Drive:

Thank you to everyone for your orders it was fantastic the amount of support we had during the Pie Drive, we hope your all enjoying your yummy pies.

Thank you to our lovely band of volunteers that helped pack all the order for this wouldn’t have been possible to do without your help and support.

Any concerns or you would like to help us out please contact us on:

fundraising@edenslandingss.eq.edu.au or on our Facebook page.

Thank you from,
Fundraising

Please keep an eye on our P&C Facebook Page for any new fundraising events or information on book club or anything P&C related.

Uniform Shop Hours are Thursday’s 8:15am – 9:15am we are no longer open on Friday’s. If you need to contact the uniform shop please email: uniform_shop@edenslandingss.eq.edu.au

Current price list is attached. Order forms are available from the school office or the uniform shop.

Thank you,
Peita-Marie Winsor
Uniform Shop Convenor

Don’t forget to keep an eye on out P&C Facebook Page for Updates on many things we post about.

Fundraising:

Please keep an eye on our P&C Facebook Page

If they are available to be picked up earlier it will be posted on there.

Tuckshop News

ORDERING PROCESS

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 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.

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.

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.

Annette Honnery
Tuckshop Convenor
tuckshop@edenslandingss.eq.edu.au
38057999

Any important information regarding tuckshop will be posted on the official Edens Landing State School P&C facebook page

YMCA Outside School Hours Care

Messages from the Team:

YMCA Edens Landing OSHC is delighted to be part of the Edens Landing State School Community. Our team is comprised of a Coordinator; Rebecca, and five, fun and energetic assistants; Robbie, Rozie, Emma, Madison and Jack. All of our educators bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our OSHC program and are excited to be part of our newest YMCA service!

What we’ve been doing:

Since opening on the June 26th, we have been very busy with our vacation care program and before and after school care programs. As part of our Winter Holiday Club program we had a visit from Marc Dorse from Deadly Australians. Marc shared with us some fantastic information on some dangerous creatures we can find throughout Australia. He also bought along a carpet python for us to see and touch!

On Monday the 17th of July we invited the entire Edens Landing school community to visit our new OSHC service and enjoy a free sausage sizzle and jumping castle! Please come along at any time to see our service and speak to one of our friendly team members about our fun and engaging OSHC program.

Join us for:

Enrolment forms for our OSHC service are available at both the Edens Landing State School office and at our OSHC office located in the Multi -Purpose Hall. To participate in any of our programs please return a completed enrolment form to us at any time!

YMCA Edens Landing OSHC
P: 07 3805 1233
M: 0459 899 887
agd@ymca.org.au