Goondi SS Newsletter 08.11.2023

From the Leadership Team

Dear Parents and Carers,

It is unbelievable to think that we are now making plans for the end of the 2023 school year!  We have already begun discussions about our Awards Night where we will have the opportunity to recognise those students who have exhibited academic excellence throughout the year at Goondi. More details about this celebration night will be sent home in due course.    

Thank you to everyone involved in making our 125 Celebration on 4^th November, an amazing success. We celebrated in style with many ex-students, staff and their families, along with current students, staff and their families attending on the day. The memorabilia was a large talking point and walked us through the 125 years of Goondi State School. There was also a space dedicated to the time capsule contents that was buried 25 years ago, in 1998. Our 125 committee worked tirelessly over 15 short weeks, to make the day an enjoyable event for all to attend – and we thank all volunteers for their efforts.

We have 125 Merchandise still available, including: pens, coolers, water bottles, travel mugs, tea towels and umbrellas. You also still have an opportunity to purchase a 125 shirt online – orders close 3^rd December, with a delivery date of February 2024.  Please visit website: www.goondissuniforms.com.au and use password: CELEBRATION

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 2024.

We will be engaged with staffing and class building processes from now, until well into the first few weeks of 2024. 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 on enrolling at Goondi next year in all year levels, please ask them to contact our office staff to obtain enrolment packages.

Over the next few weeks our school leaders for 2024 will be selected.  Earlier in the term, I spoke 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 will present their speeches to their peers in the coming week which will be followed by the elections. The Year 6 elected student leaders and school captains for 2024 will be announced at our Awards Night.

I look forward to seeing this process produce some excellent school leaders here at Goondi State School. 

Tania Kaitara and Khadeeja Mohammed

School Calendar

Fri 10th Nov - Halloween Disco

Wed 22nd Nov - Last Newsletter

Mon 27th Nov - Fri 1st Dec - SWIMMING (Years 2 & 4)

Mon 27th Nov - Prep Vision screener

Mon 4th Dec - Bravehearts (Prep, Yr 1 & 2)

Mon 4th Dec - Yr 6 Orientation Day

Tues 5th Dec - Report Cards Home

Tues 5th Dec - A Key Rewards day

Thurs 7th Dec - Awards Day (P-5)

Thurs 7th Dec - Yr 6 Graduation/Awards Night

Fri 8th Dec - Last day (Lolly drop @ 2.30pm)

PBL News

Term 4 PBL Update

As you are aware we are moving towards the positive behaviour for learning model to commence in 2024. 

Our school community voted for 3 rules:

‘We are Safe, We are Respectful and We are Learners.’ 

These will replace the Goondi 5 and be known as The Goondi Way. 

Our mascot is Lyssi, the Ulysses butterfly and our slogan is ‘Fly like Lyssi.’  Our school motto remains 'Dare to do Well'.  This will be the last year that we will have a Goondi 5 rewards day and students will no longer be allocated a key level from A to E for behaviour.  Next year, positive student behaviour will be celebrated regularly with a main class celebration at the end of every term.  Initiatives implemented this term have been positively received by students and teachers.  Keep your eye out for our amazing new signage which will come out in 2024!

Prep Capers

It is hard to believe that we are almost at the end of the year. We have been working so hard on building our stamina when writing and crafting our persuasive texts in order to influence the opinions of our audience.

Reading groups are continuing to adjust and change as the term goes on and we adapt to the developing skills of the students.

In Math we are continuing to work on number stories and how to read a worded problem and choose the answer from multiple choices.

At this stage of the term we are working on our assessments so it is important that children attend school every day, if they are well enough to do so.

It is beginning to get warmer so please make sure your child has a named drink bottle each day so we can stay hydrated.

As always, if you have questions or concerns or wish to share some information with us, please make contact with us to arrange a suitable time to talk.

Thank you

Mrs. Myers, Mrs. Barba, Mrs. Ferguson and Mrs. Tanti

Year 1 Capers

This week we have commenced some testing in our rooms and this will continue over the next few weeks. The students have been working hard this year and they should be very proud of their effort. This week we are working on improving our writing to entertain our readers. We are ensuring that our sentences have the correct punctuation and that we are using amazing adjectives. We have been brainstorming interesting ideas and adding nail biting problems into our narratives.  For our assessment next week we will be writing about The Rainbow fish so stay tuned for some exciting stories.

In Maths we are working out addition and subtraction stories, collecting and interpreting data, revising 2D and 3D shapes. Maths assessment will commence next week.

As we have some busy weeks ahead it is vital that our students have early nights to bed and a healthy breakfast in the mornings. If you have any questions feel free to contact us.

Until next time...

Hayley, Leigh, Wendy, Ash, Fiona and Anita.

Year 2 Capers

Hi from Year 2!

We are getting down to the pointy end of our school year, and that means assessment time. Some have already begun, but the next few weeks will see us complete everything we need to give a grade for each subject level. Every day counts for education, and solid attendance will mean less catching up on missed assessment. Obviously, students should still not attend if they are unwell. This can be an intense period for some students, so if we could also ensure we are getting enough sleep, and healthy food.

We also should be bringing a water bottle to school if possible. With the weather getting warmer it is very important to get enough water, and with no bottle in the classroom students may need to leave to drink from the bubbler, which can cause disruptions. We also need to have a hat at school as part of both our uniform policy, and our “No Hat , No Play” policy.

We will send reminders closer to the time, but week 9 is our swimming week. It looks like we will need to miss Friday due to another event at the town pool, so we may also be swimming on Monday of week 10 to make up for it.

Regards,

Nathan Worth, Robyn Scheiwe, Kathy Pike and Jeanette Spataro.

Year 3 Capers

We are now just over half way through the term, with only 5 weeks left! The assessment period is well underway and is continuing over the next few weeks. Please ensure students are coming to school with a packed lunch and a full water bottle.

We are continuing to write our Imaginative Recounts, with our focus this week being the resolution.  We are brainstorming many creative and wild ideas.

In Maths, we are working on our number skills through partitioning. We are revising key skills for our assessment such as money, time and shapes.

In Science, we will be investigating whether the colour of a crayon affects its melting time when placed in the sun. This is preparing us for our upcoming inquiry assessment.

Technology is well underway and construction of our bags will commence in the next week. Please ensure you have brought an old item of clothing in for your child to repurpose.

Kind Regards,

Ashley, Janelle and Amanda.

Year 4 Capers

Term 4 is well underway. We have seen our grandparents join us at school for Grandparents Day. The students have had the opportunity to apply to be Marine Eco Warrior, they will take on a leadership role within the school (closing Friday Week 6). The students are diligently preparing for their pending adventure in Grade 5 and wonderful leadership skills are shining through in many.

The students are nearing the end of the Rowan of Rin fantasy quest novel and have learnt about the strengths and weaknesses of people and what is perceived as a weakness may indeed be a strength.  The students have written some really wonderful expositions this term. Look out for them using these skills to help convince you to do something. They are developing a great knowledge of how to create a well-structured argument with supporting facts and reinforcing their editing skills to always look at improving the quality of their work.

In Maths we have explored money problems, area, mapping and reading graduated scales and recently started developing our knowledge of probability. If you would like your child to have more practice on those skills please practice these on IXL.

Science has seen the students conducting experiements on erosion and weather, and how they occur. Not only this but linking this back to the world around us and examples they have seen personally.  Furthering our look at the impacts on the environment, we are looking at how we can reduce our carbon footprint on the Earth, looking at sustainability, renewable verse non-renewable and what we can do better furthermore unpacking what is able to be reduced, reused or recycled in our efforts to create a more sustainable world for our future.

We are coming to the business end of the term, report card time is quickly approaching. This means assessment period is also coming. Please ensure your children get enough sleep and have breakfast daily.

Until next time, Leigh, Jade & Lizette

Year 5 Capers

With only 5 weeks remaining of school for the year, we are busily finishing our learning tasks and about to start assessment tasks.

In English, we are still reading Yong: the Journey of an Unworthy Son. We are working on our writing skills to create an engaging recount as though we are on the same journey as our key character.

In Mathematics, we are revising key skills from all three strands of the Australian Curriculum for assessment.

We are working through HASS, where we are looking at key figures throughout Australian history.

In Science we are completing experiments to explore solids, liquids and gases.

Thank you to all students who are working hard to complete all learning tasks to the best of their abilities. Please remember it is a very busy time of year, therefore, it is important we are getting enough sleep and eating healthily to complete work to a high standard every day.

Rebecca Nolan, Kayla Hutchins and Greg Azzopardi

Year 6 Capers

Hello Class 6B and Class 5/6 families!

It is hard to believe that there are less than 5 weeks to go before the end of term. This also means that our Year 6 students are almost finished with primary school, and our Year 5 students are almost ready to head into their last year of primary school! Our year 6 students brought home a letter from us this week, outlining the graduation ceremony in more detail. Please return the section on the bottom of the letter by the end of this week, so we can finalise catering numbers.

All students continue to work hard in English to improve their writing and to complete their portfolios – including expressing how they can change their world, in the way of a persuasive text. End-of-term Maths tests are currently being completed, and students will be doing their final Goondi Fast Facts tests soon as well. In Science we are continuing to investigate the three states of matter, including topics such as solidification, evaporation and reversible and irreversible changes. It is exciting to see how creative our students are being in HASS as they work towards completing their HASS business plans, and interesting to see how they’re responding to the frustrations of having to work within a budget, while still achieving their design goals.

Thank you to all students who have been focusing on getting enough sleep, eating a healthy breakfast, and bringing a healthy lunch to school, to make sure they are fully equipped for learning and assessment each day. Ask your child about healthy drink choices, which we’ve been investigating in Health, which can have a big impact on sleeping habits and our ability to concentrate in class.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!

Melanie Worth, Dominic Ward and Greg Azzopardi.

L.O.T.E News

Benvenuti (Welcome).  By speaking, writing and listening the years 5 and 6 Italian classes at Goondi State School are furthering their knowledge of the Italian language.  They are continuing to listen to and understand how to use words in phrases and sentences.

Year 5 students are completing a revision exercise on learnt vocabulary, personal pronouns and nouns.  Students are also using conjugated verbs in simple sentences about common pastimes.  Year 6 students are completing a revision exercise on known vocabulary, personal pronouns, nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs in sentences about activities carried out in free time.

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

Community Events

Community Support Centre

We are excited to announce that we will be running 6 days of Christmas Craft activities for the whole family to enjoy!

Activities include:

• November 25th - Family Crafternoon https://www.trybooking.com/CMYJT
• December 4th - Christmas Candle Making https://www.trybooking.com/CMXKC
• December5th-ChristmasOrnamentMaking https://www.trybooking.com/CMXJL
• December 6th - Christmas Card Making https://www.trybooking.com/CMXOG
• December 7th - Christmas Earrings https://www.trybooking.com/CMXHY
• December 8th - Christmas Stocking Craft https://www.trybooking.com/CMXTN

Be sure to register by calling the Community Support Centre Innisfail Inc or following the links above!! 07 4043 8400