Goondi SS Newsletter 10th Nov 2021
From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are heading at full speed to the final few weeks of the year! Our teachers and students are busy with completing units of work and conducting assessments which will contribute to Semester 2 report grades. I have been very pleased with the commitment and focus displayed by students across all of our 7-year levels. Our Goondi 5 value of ‘participate and work hard’ is truly in operation at the moment.
As we look towards the end of the term, we have commenced planning for our end of year awards ceremonies.
Last year we held 3 separate ceremonies due to restrictions imposed by COVID-19. This year, we will be holding 2 ceremonies. The first will be held at 2pm on the final Thursday, December 9th at 2pm. This will recognise the fantastic achievements of our students in Years Prep to 5. As proved extremely popular last year, we will hold our Year 6 awards night on the same day as a separate function commencing at 6pm. The ceremony will conclude around 6:45-7pm and there will be an opportunity for parents and families to take photos before the Year 6 dinner takes place at Rosco’s at 7:30pm
We ask that guests, to either ceremony, please use the QR code at the entrance to the hall.
At this time of the year we commence our preparations for the planning and organisation of classes for the following year. Please help us to be as accurate as possible and minimise any changes at the start of next year by letting the office know if you are moving next year and are anticipating not returning to Goondi in 2022.
We will be engaged with staffing and class building process from now, until well into the first few weeks of 2022. Preparation and planning is designed to limit any changes and adjustments to classes. May we ask that if you are aware of families who intend enrolling at Goondi next year in all year levels, please ask then to contact our office staff to obtain enrolment packages.
You may be aware that today, our Year 5 students left for Camp Paterson. They excitedly boarded the bus this morning and are looking forward to the next 3 days. The theme of the Year 5 camp is team work and leadership. On Monday I will be speaking to all of our Year 5 students about what it takes to be a student leader and the skills and qualities that this important role demands. These conversations are also currently being conducted by our Year 5 teachers. Students in Year 5 who are hopeful of a position on the Student Council for 2022 will be required to write their applications which will be presented to the cohort in Week 8.
I look forward to seeing this process once again produce some excellent school leaders here at Goondi State School.
Regards,
Peter Begemann
Principal
School Calendar
School Events
End of term date – Friday Dec 10th
Awards ceremonies - Thursday Dec 9th
A Key reward excursion – Monday Dec 6th
P&C Events
Mon 15th Nov – P&C Meeting
Extra-Curricula Events
Thur 2nd & Fri 3rd Dec – Year 6 ‘Plant Out’ excursion
Student of the Week
Other School News
SWIMMING
Swimming instruction was completed for the term last Friday. Our students have made some good progress over the past two weeks. The swimming instruction program is only for two weeks with most students only taking part in 5 sessions. We all know that it takes a much longer time than this to develop competent swimmers.
We again, encourage you to continue the great start that has been provided by enrolling your child in swimming lessons at the pool or taking them to the pool and teaching them the basics. We are so fortunate to live in an area where we can often take advantage of swimming pools, freshwater creeks, swimming holes and the beach. It is imperative that children growing up in the Innisfail district are taught to swim.
PARKING/PICK UP
A reminder that we ask that all parents obey the traffic and parking rules to ensure the safety of our students and other members of our school community.
Please:
- Do not turn in the school carpark entrance. While we understand this is slightly quicker, it causes an unnecessary risk to students and parents walking to the crossing. It is much safer to turn at the end of Maple street or park along the Northern oval and make the 1-minute walk to the parent pick up gate.
- Do not double park or park on footpaths or driveways. This is an extremely unsafe practice that hampers driver visibility and puts the lives of students walking to and from school at risk.
- Use the 5-minute parking bays appropriately. These parking bays are designated for parents to collect their child from the pick-up area and then leave. Parents intending to spend more than 5 minutes at the school should use the other parking bays.
- Refrain from having your child cross the road at any point other than the supervised crossing point.
ENROLMENTS for 2022
As you know, we have already begun to plan for classes in 2022. It is a great help if we know who will be enrolled at Goondi State School next year.
If you are leaving the district, or if your child will be attending a different school next year we ask that you contact the office. This will be of great assistance to us as we build classes for next year. It will also assist us with the transfer of student records when your child enrols at their new school.
P&C MEETING
The next general meeting of the P&C will be held on Monday 15th November in our school library commencing at 5:30 pm. All parents are welcome to attend.
REMEMBRANCE DAY
Tomorrow is Remembrance Day. As a mark of respect to our service men and women, we will be holding a 1 minute’s silence at 11am. If your child would like to wear a poppy, please encourage them to do so.
Prep Capers
We are half way through Term 4 and nearly at the end of the year. The Prep students have learnt so much. In Grammar we have learnt about using conjunctions “and” and “because”. Persuasive writing has been about How to make the Prep Playground Better, The Best Fruit and The Best Weather. Weekend Recount writing has been improved with the students writing detailed recounts, with some writing up to 7 sentences.
Maths is reviewing addition +0, +1, +2, +3 and doubles and also Rainbow Facts. Science is learning about how things move and now what things are made of.
HASS has been about the students reviewing and showing in a sequence what experiences they have had during this school year. Please remember the Letterland Parade and to keep working on a letterland character costume for Week 9.
Happy learning from Prep A, B and C, Angela Kehrer, Kathy Pike, Priscilla Bird, Rose Sardi, Anita Knight, Amanda Kleve and Cassie Tanti.
Year 1 Capers
Our focus sound this week is le. Magic ‘e’ shoots sparks on to Lucy Lamplight and turns her into a magic candle. Magic ‘e’ then becomes the candlestick handle. This week we are focusing on words that we tend to misspell in our daily writing.
In Writing this week we have begun our assessment which is convincing our readers that Innisfail is better than Cairns. They will be writing their persuasive text all by themselves.
In Maths we are adding different amounts of coins, practising addition and subtraction facts, revising half past and o’clock times and working with the Calendar. Just a reminder that next week will be testing week for Maths.
Getting a good night sleep and a nutritious breakfast each morning will help your child concentrate better during this testing period.
Have a great week! Hayley, Leigh and Fiona.
Year 2 Capers
Term 4 really is flying, we can’t believe we are over the halfway mark!
In English, we have worked on our mid term writing pieces choosing whether we would prefer to go to the splash pad or the skate park.
In Maths we have been focussing on direction, rounding and estimating, problem solving and money problems.
This week we began our HASS unit on the history of Innisfail.
We had an amazing week at school swimming last week. A special thank you to all our volunteer parents, we could not have done it without you!
All our best, Miss Mollenhagen, Mrs Hollywood and Mrs Spataro.
Year 3 Capers
With half of the term over, the Year Threes are busily consolidating their knowledge in preparation for upcoming assessment. It’s not all hard work though. The students seek every opportunity to continue engineering their pinball machines or painting their creations. This week, the hot glue guns are drawn and ready to adhere the various barriers, flippers and launchers into position before the first round of trials begin.
The fun continues in Science lessons as we examine if size effects the melting process on chocolate.
In Maths, we’re revising a range of concepts and working on increasing our strategies for recall of number facts. We then examine how to apply these strategies to enable fast computation across the various strands of Maths. Frequent practice of addition, subtraction and multiplication facts at home is always appreciated.
In English, we are working on improving the quality of our imaginative recounts especially focussing on accurate punctuation. We encourage students to apply new vocabulary, similes and descriptive clauses to enhance their recounts.
Homework expectations remain unchanged with students expected to regularly change their readers independently and return their homework folders every Friday with the spelling, maths and reading tasks completed.
Thankyou for your assistance with completing and returning these tasks.
Until next time, Robyn, Janelle, Paula, Jackie and Lizette.
Year 3/4 & 4 Capers
Can you believe we are past the halfway mark of Term 4 already? Students have been working hard during mid-term testing and teachers can now begin assessing the data in preparation for report cards coming home in Week 10.
In other news, swimming was a success with many of the students passing their levels and enjoying the Friday Fun Day on the slides. You will find your child’s swimming certificate sent home with their report card.
Additionally, the ‘Life Education—Body Safety’ talk yesterday was a success with many students demonstrating a high level of maturity. The student’s were encouraged to choose 5 adults that they feel were support people in their lives—ask your child who they chose!
Also, with the increased heat during this time of the year please ensure your child brings a water bottle to school each day to keep hydrated with minimal interruptions to learning.
Finally, a reminder that attendance is of the upmost importance during the final weeks at school, so lets maintain 95% or above! We are still busy learning and assessing and will begin to wind down as the last week of school approaches.
Thanks Kath and Lisa.
Year 5 Capers
This week we are on Leadership camp :)
Year 6 Capers
Time is a-ticking! With less than 5 weeks to go, we are heading towards the business end of the year. It is vital that students eat healthy food, exercise and get plenty of sleep at night in preparation for the upcoming Week 7 & 8 testing and assessment period. It is also essential that your child is studying each night in order to achieve their very best during this time.
Students continue to work hard in English to improve their opinion pieces each week and are starting to form an opinion on whether Ned Kelly was a villain, victim or hero.
In Maths, students have been calculating discount percentages, subtracting fractions and plotting on Cartesian planes.
Students have been investigating solidification, evaporation and reversible and irreversible changes in Science and will be discovering and analysing decomposition of matter this week. Students’ designs of their environmentally-sustainable community spaces are really starting to take shape and in Digital Systems, students have been exploring how computers store and send digital images and how these are represented in a digital format.
Thank you kindly for all your support.
Cheers for now, Marica, Aaron, Melanie & Janette.
Student Council News
Day For Daniel
Thank you to all who participated in Day for Daniel last Friday. Goondi State School was a sea of Red T-Shirts for Daniel. Student Council raised $364 for the Daniel Morcombe Foundation. Many thanks again and good on you Goondi.
Halloween School Disco
The Student Council Halloween School Disco last Friday was definitely Spooktacular raising approx. $670. Many thanks to all who came along and got into the spirit of the event. It was so wonderful to see all the critters and creatures come out and get dressed up in some very scary costumes. Thanks also to all the spooky teachers and staff who were able to help out on the night. A massive big thanks must go to Woolworths Innisfail for their donation and support to make our disco so successful and a night to ‘Boo’member.
Sports News
Some of our Senior students participated in a friendly game of Rugby League with Babinda SS on Tuesday. Thank you to Leon Hallie for organising the games.
LOTE News
The Years 5 and 6 Italian classes at Goondi State School are focusing on their knowledge of the Italian language by speaking, writing and listening to new words, phrases and sentences.
Year 5 students are learning how to complete simple sentences describing pets and Italian native animals using tables to understand nouns and adjectives in Italian. They are also learning an Italian alphabet song. Year 6 students are making a PowerPoint about School Life in Italy, using Italian nouns, verbs and adjectives to complete sentences on this topic. Students are also making comparisons with Australia.
The bookwork standard shown in their exercise books is pleasing. Feedback and assistance is given to students regularly. Continue encouraging your child to speak Italian with you and discuss what they are learning.
Arrivederci (Goodbye)
Signora Lazzarini
The Arts News
Another creative fortnight in Media Arts has seen the Prep students continue to explore ideas and characters through stories in images. Using the nursery rhyme ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ students have been rearranging images to represent each line of the rhyme to understand how we all 'imagine ‘see’ and ‘think’ in pictures differently. Year 1 have explored composition through selection and editing, and were asked to listen to a sound recording of Little Red Riding Hood with their eyes shut and then compose their own picture of what they think she looks like!!! All students are learning codes and conventions in image making and have learnt about the difference between close ups, mid shots and long shots. Utilizing the iPads, students are working in pairs to create original and interesting compositions taking various rules of photography into account and then editing each image with filters in the Photos app.
Check out some of the great work below!
Francesca Rosa | Media Arts Teacher
Community News
Well Women’s Clinic - Innisfail Hospital
(This clinic is available to Medicare eligible clients)
Monday 29th November 2021
Service includes Cervical Screening Tests (Pap Smears), Sexual Health Screening, Breast Awareness, also info on Contraception, Continence, Menopause, Lifestyle Issues, Domestic Violence, etc. All services are provided by a specially trained Women’s Health Nurse.
For appointments please phone 4016 1312 / 4016 1435
School Savvy Innisfail
