Goondi SS Newsletter 22.05.24

From Leadership

Dear Parents and Carers,

Australia's Biggest Morning Tea is a community event that raises vital funds to make a big difference for those impacted by cancer. Goondi State School is having an event this Thursday morning on the oval (weather permitted), with parents, grandparents, family members and younger siblings all invited – we look forward to seeing you there!  If you would like to donate, please visit the Cancer Council Foundation.

Another big event on our calendar is our Inter-House Athletics Carnival.  Our students across all year levels have been practising and training this term.  As in previous years, we will run some of the events on Wednesday (June 12^th) and the main carnival will take place on Friday (June 14^th).  On Wednesday, selected students will run the 200m, 800m and compete in shotput.  On Friday, all other events will be held at the full carnival.  Parents, carers and families are welcome to attend.  On the day, we will meet on the Cavallaro oval and hold our House War Cries from 8:50am, with the first event being sprints – commencing at 9am. Please look out for information from the P&C about what food will be available and how to order.  We are all looking forward to a great day. 

Over the next few weeks, teachers are working on assessing each child’s learning progress and on writing comments in preparation for the Semester 1 Student Reports.  Reports will be sent home on Thursday June 20^th.

We encourage you to talk with your child about their report, discuss their success, their challenges and support them as they look forward to Semester 2. It is great to be able to celebrate accomplishments, but it is also important to look at areas for improvement and set achievable goals to work towards. Please make an appointment to speak to class teachers, if you would like to discuss your child’s progress.

PREP ENROLMENTS FOR 2025

This year we will be again offering our Pre-Prep Program and a number of transition and information sessions for prospective Prep students and parents to ensure that our 2025 Prep students have the best possible start to their formal education at Goondi State School.

Is your child, or a child you know, eligible for Prep next year? We are taking enrolments from new students and students who have brothers or sisters attending Goondi State School. They will automatically be offered a place in our 2025 Prep classes.  

We are also taking Expressions of Interest for children who live out-of-catchment and want to attend Goondi State School.  If there are vacancies, these students will also be offered a place in our 2025 Prep classes.  

Please visit our school office as soon as possible with your child’s details to complete an Expression of Interest form. Our Pre-Prep program will begin next term.

We will be holding a Prep information session in Week 9 for both new and existing families of Goondi State School.  Details of this session will be advertised in this newsletter and on Facebook.

ATTENDANCE

Making every day count is extremely important for our students not only to improve their learning, but also to maintain friendships and feel a sense of belonging to the school and community. 

Our school attendance target is 95%.  At the moment, our actual attendance figure sits at 88% and we have improvements to make in this area.  We encourage you to make every effort to have your child come to school each day so that they have the best chance for a successful school year.

INTER-HOUSE ATHLETICS DAY

8:50am - Students assemble in houses on the oval for war-cries

9:00am - Start

1. Age sprints (5yrs – 12yrs)
2. Tug-o-war (Junior and Senior teams)
3. Morning Break (10:30 AM – 11:00 AM)
4. Field Events (9yrs -12yrs) and Year 1-3 ball games
5. Field Events (9yrs -12yrs) and Year 1-3 relays
6. Afternoon Break (12:30 – 1:00 PM)
7. Ball games Year 4-6 and Year 1-3 field events
8. Relays (9-12yrs)
9. All age relay
10. Parent/Staff relay – If time allows
11. Presentations
12. Clean up and dismissal

Students should wear house colours on the carnival day. 

House colours are as follows:

Geraldton – yellow

Palmerston – red

Johnstone – green

Parents are reminded that Friday 14^th June is a normal school day and all students are required to attend for the full day. If you need to take your child from school early, due to illness or other family commitments, the normal procedures apply and you will have to call in at the office and sign your child out.

Good luck to our students who are representing our region at the local and regional levels. We look forward to hearing of your successes in the coming weeks.

Kind regards,

Mrs Tania Kaitara and Ms Khadeeja Mohammed 

School Calendar

Thur 23rd May - Biggest Morning Tea (Picnic)

Fri 24th May - QSO Performance QPAC IM

Wed 5th Jun - Newsletter

Thur 6th Jun - IYPC IM

Fri 7th Jun - IYPC Choir

Fri 7th Jun - Spell-a-thon Test

Mon 10th to Fri 14th Jun - Spell-a-thon Sponsorship Due

Wed 12th Jun - Pre Prep Info Night

Prep Capers

This fortnight in English, Prep students have continued to practice retelling a story in writing from the book, Mrs Wishy Washy. They have been using the sentence starters sentence process. First, Next, Then and After that. They have also been referring to their anchor charts to complete sentences.  This week Preps have started practicing their Spell-a-thon words. Could you please practice these words with your child at home (Thank you).

In Maths, the Prep students have been measuring and comparing the length of objects and ordering from smallest to biggest. They have also revisited numbers 1-10 to show different representations through various exercises such as “number of the day”, “compared patterns”, “number tracking” and “Days of the week”. 

In HASS the Prep students have been discussing family trees and where their family originated from.

In Science, they have been regularly checking and recording the weather conditions, and have had discussions on how the weather can influence what we wear and how we feel.

Regards,

 Prep Staff

Year 1 Capers

Well we are at the half way mark this term and time really is flying in Year 1.

In English, we have really been impressed with the huge efforts put into weekly writing tasks.  The students are  enjoying writing persuasive texts that include the correct structure.  In Grammar, we have been learning about the importance of adding adjectives to our writing to make it more interesting for the reader.

In Maths, we have been consolidating 3D and 2D shapes and have been looking at their unique features.  We have been working on our two digit numbers and how to write them as words.  We are also getting quicker with our recall of the doubles facts.

Science this week the students looked at different materials and if they sink or float. Different boat designs and shapes to help decide on a boat that will hold the most amount of marbles.

 Please help with practicing Spell-a-thon words with your child we hope to win some great prizes.

Ms Slater, Mr Sims and Mrs Stepanoff.

Year 2 Capers

Hello from Year 2!

Our term is flying along, and Week 6 sees us consolidating a lot of information we have learned in the past few weeks, getting ready for our assessment period, which will start in Week 7. Attendance is always important (every day counts), however it becomes particularly so at this time. Goondi has a target of 95% attendance, and it helps get the most out of every school day. While illness is unavoidable (and please don’t attend if unwell), every day your learner could be at school, they should be at school.

Other areas where you can help your learner achieve their best include healthy foods both at home and in lunch boxes, and enough sleep. Sleep is a big driver in poor performance, and it can really show when students have been up late the night before. The Australian Government Health site (Health Direct) recommends 9 – 11 hours a night for 7 and 8 year-old children.

Another school event coming up is our annual Spell-a-thon competition.   The words and sponsorship envelopes went home with homework on Monday.  (If your child was absent, they will need to collect these from their classroom teacher.)  There are many great prizes to be won this year for both spelling and fundraising.   Reminder, we strongly discourage doorknocking, opting instead to collect money from friends and family.

Regards,

Kathy Pike, Tayla Vandal and Jeanette Spataro.

Year 3 Capers

We are now halfway through the term and our students are working hard and preparing themselves for their assessment.

Our Under 8’s day was a success and all children thoroughly enjoyed the day.

In English, we continue to refine our exposition skills, ensuring our arguments are well-structured and incorporating detailed noun groups.

Our assessments for mathematics will commence in Week 7. The students have been busy creating various bar graphs by collecting class data. We are delving into number patterns, including odd and even numbers, as well as refining our addition and subtraction skills. A special focus has been placed on mastering the 6 times tables.

In Science, our exploration of shadows has been both fascinating and educational. We conducted an experiment to observe the movement of the sun throughout the day, using a pencil to measure its changing shadow. We are now focusing on the moon and how it reflects light from the sun at night.

For HASS, we have embarked on an exciting multimodal presentation project. Each student has chosen a special event to research, and they are creating PowerPoint presentations that will be showcased to the class in Week 9.

We wish everyone a wonderful week ahead.

Best regards,

Ashley Sutcliffe, Janelle Wirth, Leigh Tredwell, and Amanda Kleve

Year 4 Capers

Hello Year 4 families

We are well and truly half way through Term 2!

In PE, Ms Bulstrode, has organised an exciting opportunity for us through the Rugby Sporting Schools Program on Mondays until the end of term. Mr Leon will visit Goondi SS and take each class for half an hour to work on our touch football and league tag skills.

Spell-a-thon is well under way and students have brought home their envelopes to collect money. A flier detailing prizes to be won also came home with their envelope. Spell-a-thon words will replace our homework spelling words for the next couple of weeks.

Shortly, we will begin to wrap up the learning of some of our units and assessment will follow soon after. Please ensure your student is attending school regularly so they don’t miss any of their important learning time. Well done to 4A who topped the school’s attendance last week with almost 100% for the entire week! 4B amazingly recorded their very first 100% attendance day for the year last week also. Go Year 4!

Until next time, stay safe and happy 😊

Miss Jade Reitano and Mrs Jenna Sulter

Year 5 Capers

We are now half way through Term 2! As we head towards the end of term, please remember that every day counts. We are starting to prepare to complete assessments for each subject in preparation for Semester 1 Report Cards.

On Monday, Spell-a-thon words were sent home. Students should be revising their words every night. There are activities to learn the spelling words assigned on typing club as well.

In English, we are learning how to write RACES paragraphs as a response method to questions.

In Mathematics, we are learning about balancing equations and equivalent number sentences.

In HASS we have been exploring different Biomes and comparing them between the continents on Earth.

In Science we have been exploring the adaptations of animals and how that then supports their survival.

Please ensure your child is getting a good sleep and a nutritious breakfast to best prepare for our busy days learning at school. Breakfast club is on daily from 8:00-8:30am in the hall.

Kayla, Rebecca and Rhonda

Year 6 Capers

Week 6 already!

This term has zoomed by, and now we find ourselves in our assessment period. We will be using the next few weeks to finalise our units in HaSS, Design Technology and Science, do our assessment in Health, and sit for our Maths tests. We will also be doing our Persuasive Writing task, where we will pick where we stand on Ned Kelly; was he a Victim, a Hero, or a Villain? Students will need to convince their audience of their viewpoint, by using evidence to back up their claim. This is a skill that translates to lots of areas in the students’ futures - in high school, as well when writing job applications, for example.

It is vital through the next few weeks that we allow our learners every available chance for success, and this starts with being at school. Attendance is important all year, but especially during the next few weeks. We can only mark on the evidence we have. We can also help our learners by making sure they have a healthy breakfast, bring a full lunchbox, and get enough sleep every night. Students have been given the opportunity to complete some optional extension Maths problems this week to expand their problem solving skills – ask your child to show you what they’re working on for homework!

We look forward to creating the reports which will be sent home in Week 10, to be able to share with you how much our learners have grown so far this year. Please continue helping your child practise their Spell-a-thon words, and if you could assist your learner in the fundraising as well, it would be appreciated.

Mr Worth, Mrs Worth, Ms Knight.

L.O.T.E News

By speaking, writing, listening to new words, phrases, sentences and questions in Italian, years 5 and 6 Italian classes at Goondi State School are furthering their knowledge of the Italian language.  Well done students!

Year 5 students are revising previous questions about themselves and learning how to answer the question Qual’è il tuo animale domestico preferito?  (What is your favourite pet?).  Year 6 students are learning about La mia giornata (My daily routine) in Italian.  They are using images to help them understand how to describe their daily routine, expanding their knowledge of nouns and verbs.

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

Sports News

Despite the rain, we are all preparing for our Inter-House Athletics Day on Friday 14th June.

Well done to Charlise Bailey, Dustin Barba, Harper Pierantozzi, Ethan Goodwin, Ava Kleve, Noah Higgins, Lawson Payne and Lokie Vue who all competed in the Peninsula Cross Country trials last week. All students ran well despite the wet conditions.

Congratulations to Amaarah Mohammed and Alahni-Skyy Dalzel, Lucas Tanti and Ethan Goodwin and Jacob Marks (shadow) for being selected in the District Soccer Team.

Well Done to Indiana Gilbert, Harper Pierantozzi, Rose Nowlan and Shayley Hagley for their selection in the District Softball Team.

We currently have this week, 2 boys in the first ever all boys Peninsula Netball Team. Goodluck Kyuss Barba and Noah Higgins!

GOOD LUCK to all students.

Tiffanie Bulstrode

Health and Physical Education Teacher

Community News

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