Goondi SS Newsletter 18th Aug 2021
From the Prinicpal
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are already over half way through Term 3! As we look to 2022, we are now busy with new prep enrolments and arranging our Pre-Prep program which will commence next term.
If you have any questions about enrolling students for next year, now is the time!
All year levels are continuing to prepare for Poetry Idol and for book week. We are all looking forward to seeing the students’ costumes and next week’s assembly for the 2021 theme of Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds.
NAPLAN On-Line
Goondi will now be transitioning to NAPLAN on-line in 2022. The tests will be completed by our students in one of our computer labs. We are currently completing our school readiness tests. These will ensure that our computer and wifi capabilities will be able to deliver the best possible experience for our students.
The tests themselves will, although on line, follow a similar format to the paper based tests. Students in Year 3 will still complete the Writing test using pencil and paper. Please see the extract below from NAPLAN online:
NAPLAN Online's tailored test design starts with a standard set of questions, then as your child responds to questions, moves to questions that are suited to their ability.
In most of the tests, students can go back and change answers. Students can also check their progress at any time during the test. Students won't be able to go back to questions that provide an online calculator, if they have left that testlet.
A public demonstration site is available where you and your child can view the sorts of ICT skills that are used in questions they encounter with NAPLAN Online. The demonstration site does NOT tailor to a student's ability though. The questions are just provided to show what a test might look like.
Here at Goondi, we highly recommend that you start now in encouraging your children in Years 2, 4 and 6 to jump on to the public demonstration site and have a go at the tests. The address is below:
https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site
Regards,
Peter Begemann
Principal
Student of the Week
School Calendar
TERM 3 CALENDAR
School Events
Thurs 19th Aug – Prep Parent Information Night
Tues 14th Sep - Parent-Teacher Interviews
Thurs 7th October – Pre-Prep commences (Term 4)
P&C Events
Mon 18th Oct – P&C meeting
Extra-Curricula Events
Thurs 26th Aug - Under 8's day
Fri 27th Aug - Bookweek Dress up
Thurs 9th Sep – Year 4 Aquarium Excursion
Other School News
STUDENT FREE DAY
A reminder that the Term 3 Student Free Day is Friday September 3rd and school will not be open to students on this day while staff engage in professional development activities
PRE-PREP PROGRAM
A reminder that our Pre-Prep program commencement date has changed due to the building work currently being carried out in our prep class room. The program will now commence on Thursday 7th October. It will run each week for the duration of the program. Morning (9:00-11:00am) and afternoon (1:00-3:00pm) sessions will be run on Thursdays.
All details of the program remain the same as previously arranged and we are very pleased to say that Ms Lisa Dearsley is once again our Pre-Prep teacher. Ms Dearsly will be supported in the classroom by our teacher aide Jackie Barba. Two sessions will be held each Thursday, with the morning session running from 9—11 a.m. and the afternoon session from 1—3 p.m.
The newest students to our school will be working on building skills in foundational literacy and numeracy and will benefit by being more accustomed to the classrooms and routines of Goondi SS. It is a wonderful opportunity for Goondi staff to build relationships with the students and their families before they begin Prep and we are looking forward to welcoming our new families to our school community.
A parent or an approved caregiver must remain on site whilst their child is attending the Pre-Prep session.
The school has prepared a range of workshops for parents to attend while they are at the school and their child is attending the Pre-Prep session. All of the workshops have a direct link to the Prep curriculum and are designed to provide parents with a better understanding of the programs being used in Prep. They will also provide parents with a whole host of strategies and resources they can use to assist their child at home with early literacy and numeracy.
The following parent workshops will be conducted throughout the 8 weeks of the Pre-Prep program. The same workshop will be delivered for both the morning and afternoon sessions.
PARENT INTERVIEWS
An opportunity to speak to your child’s teacher will be provided on Tuesday September 14th by appointment. Bookings will be available through our on-line format, which will be available shortly. On the night, we ask that all parents/carers visiting the school adhere to the allocated time slot and sign in via the QR code.
Safety in Drop Off and Pick Up
Once again, can I remind parents and carers about safety while parking, picking up or dropping off students. Please ask your child to cross ONLY at the supervised crossing and no other place. Although there may be no traffic on one particular occasion, we must teach our children general road safety at all times. Secondly, please take care when parking or leaving. Only use the designated parking places, do not park across the driveway or in the staff car park. Turning is also much safer for everyone at the end of Maple Street and not in the school driveway.
Thank you for your cooperation as we all work together to keep our student safe.
Prep Capers
In English for the next two weeks, we will be writing an information report on pigs. In Letterland, we have been looking at initial consonant blends such as ‘gr’ as in grass and ‘pr’ as in prince. The handwriting focus will be capital and lowercase letters ‘q’, ‘r’ and ‘s’.
In Maths the children have been introduced to the teen numbers 14, 15 and 16. We will be looking at clocks and reading o’clock time over the coming weeks. We will also be looking at addition strategies such as count on zero and revising adding 1, adding 2 and doubles.
In Science, the children have been introduced to the class pet, which are fish and are learning how to care for them. In the next coming weeks, we will be looking at investigating farms and what are the purpose of farms. Students will also build a farm from blocks.
Next, in HASS, the children will discuss and draw pictures/maps and label their special place and share their observations.
Just a reminder Home Readers are changed on a Thursday, so they are ready to go in the Homework Folders on Monday. Homework and home reading are to be completed each night and returned to school every day. Don’t forget to practise sight words and poems every night.
Kind regards: Priscilla, Rose, Angela, Kath, Anita, Amanda and Cassie
Year 1 Capers
Well the Year One vegetable garden is powering along and with the sun finally out, we are hoping to see some flowers then vegetables start appearing.
In English this week we are writing a report about celery. This will be the third report the students have written and we have been really impressed with their ability to turn notes into well-written sentences. This is the last practise the students will get before attempting their final writing assessment task for the term, which will be completed independently.
In Maths, we have been consolidating our understanding of number lines, ordering coins based on their value and looking at the likelihood of events occurring using a spinner. We are practising addition number facts and trying hard to use strategies to add instead of using our fingers.
The Poetry Idol class finals are fast approaching! These will be held at the end of Week 8. We ask that you help your child to memorise their poem so they don’t need to read off their sheet. They will also need to use meaningful expression, use a loud clear voice and have one or two actions. Have a great week!
Leigh, Hayley and Fiona
Year 2 Capers
In English we are still writing narratives and working to incorporate speech marks into our writing as well as some language features. Class Poetry Idol performances will be on in Week Seven, followed by the Year 2 finals in Week 8. Thank you to all the families that have been practicing with their kids each night.
In Maths we are exploring fractions of shapes and collections, continuing with problem solving, duration of time and multiplication represented as arrays.
We have finished our science and are starting our HASS unit which explores changing technology. We have begun by looking at household items and how they have changed over time.
All our best, Miss Mollenhagen, Mrs Hollywood and Mrs Spataro.
Year 3 Capers
The Year Threes are using their research skills to collect information and write a report about Indonesia. HASS mapping skill lessons have focussed on interpreting the influence that rainfall and temperature has on people’s lifestyles and representing the information on graphs and tables. Maths lessons support our learning in HASS and Science as we are collecting data and constructing graphs. We regularly consolidate our addition and multiplication strategies especially with daily practice. Regular home practice on multiplication and addition tables is appreciated- this week our focus is 9 times and next week, 4 times; with addition tables, we are consolidating adding 8 and 9. Science has been super fun using thermometers to distinguish heat transfer and this week we’ll be identifying and classifying objects as insulators and conductors.
Students have been fine tuning the presentation of their poems in preparation for the Poetry Idol in Week 8. Practice at home to develop their confidence and presentation skills is invaluable.
Until next time, Robyn, Janelle, Paula and Lizette.
Year 3/4 & 4 Capers
Can you believe it is Week 6 already? Continuing on with our research about feral animals, this week we are reading and writing about Rhinella Marina, the ubiquitous cane toad which was introduced into northern Queensland in 1935 to control destructive grey-back beetles in sugarcane crops.
In Mathematics, we are continuing to develop a range of mental computation strategies to solve addition and subtraction algorithms. This week we will practise using the “Friendly Jumps” strategy for subtraction. We are also continuing to practise reading and writing decimal fractions to hundredths and division with remainders.
While it was disappointing not to be able to attend the Cairns Aquarium last week, we are extremely pleased to confirm that it has been rescheduled for Thursday the 9th of September. We have enough school staff for supervision, so we will not be needing parent volunteers. Many thanks to those parents who offered to help.
As well as regular homework, please encourage your child to practise his or her Poetry Idol poem regularly. The class level final will be held during Week 8.
A reminder that 4A has Library on Fridays, and 3/4B on Tuesdays.
Homework is due every Friday.
Until next time, Kath and Lisa.
Year 5 Capers
Hark...Hiss...Hear that? Yes, Poetry Idol is just around the corner; please ensure your child is practising their poem at home every night. In English, our comparative analysis of Colin Thiele’s famous Australian novel ‘Storm Boy’ and Shawn Seet’s film adaptation is almost complete. Student focus has been centred on the themes and issues raised in the narrative and will now turn to comparing and contrasting setting and a major character.
In Maths, students have been introduced to many new concepts such as equivalent, improper and mixed fractions. They have also been working hard at explaining outcomes in chance experiments in Probability.
HASS has challenged students with inquiry questions about people’s rights and responsibilities when it comes to Australian laws and who enforces these laws.
In our Science Adapting to Survive unit, students have been researching physical and behavioural adaptations of animals. Next week they will explore physical and behavioural adaptations of plants.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any concerns.
Warm regards,
Emily, Rebecca and Kerry
Year 6 Capers
Poetry Idol is just around the corner; please ensure your child is practising their poem at home every night. In English, our comparative analysis of JRR Tolkien’s novel ‘The Hobbit’ and Peter Jackson’s film adaptation is almost complete. This week, students will be comparing technical features used in the novel and the film. As this will incorporate language features, it is important that students are reading their novels carefully and completing novel study tasks at home as required.
During Maths, we will be continuing our investigation into measurement conversions and the development of competency in long division.
Students are continuing to learn how to read the weather by interpreting synoptic charts and investigating preparation strategies for natural disasters in Science.
Students also continue to investigate the role of different levels of Government in HASS.
Warm regards,
Marica Cunningham, Aaron Harbour, Melanie Worth and Janette McClelland
The Arts News
Over the past fortnight our students have celebrated NAIDOC by learning about the dances of our First Nations people. This week we are concentrating on the Torres Strait Islander region and the students have been inspired by ‘Dancerites’ - a national indigenous dance competition held every year at the Sydney Opera House. Students are choreographing their own routines in groups utilising instruments and symbolic movements that represent the Torres Strait Islander culture and identity. We have also learnt about the ‘Dhari’ which is the distinctive traditional dance and ceremonial headdress of the Torres Strait and is the central motif on the region's flag. Well done to all the students as they have been very enthusiastic and respectful when performing their own interpretation of the Torres Strait Islander dance.
My New Gallery
LOTE News
Students in Years 5 and 6 Italian classes at Goondi State School are responding well to questions and statements in Italian. Their fluency and confidence in speaking and writing is progressing well. Well done students!
Year 5 students are listening to, reading and saying a simple conversation using questions they have learnt thus far this term. Three people are in each conversation and students complete a cloze activity with this content. Year 6 students are continuing to learn about sports and hobbies and when they do them.
All classes are listening to and singing songs to enhance their fluency and pronunciation in Italian. A neat and accurate bookwork standard is promoted and expected.
Continue encouraging your child to speak Italian with you and discuss what they are learning.
Arrivederci (Goodbye)
Signora Lazzarini
Student Council News
Week 4, Friday’s Movie Night was a roaring success with (an unprecedented) just over $1700 raised! Thank you so much to everyone who supported the night, which will contribute to the costs of the Year Four cohort's excursion to the Cairns Aquarium. Huge thanks also to the Goondi State School staff who volunteered their time to help on the night; and to Woolworths Innisfail, Kmart Innisfail and the students of Flying Fish Point State School for their very kind donations.
Community News
Community News
