Goondi SS Newsletter Term 3 Week 4

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

It’s hard to believe that it has been over three weeks since school commenced for the term. I have spent this time getting to know the routines of this great school and have enjoyed being in the classrooms and chatting with our students about their learning. I have been impressed with the manners of our students and their knowledge of our PBL values and processes is outstanding. I look forward to meeting as many parents and carers as possible and today we welcomed school supervisor Mr Greg Brand to our school. Together we reviewed our school data and the next steps as part of our Annual Implementation Plan. Mr Brand was supportive of our school journey and enjoyed seeing the ways of working at Goondi SS in the classrooms.

Last week we hosted the 2024 Inter-School Athletics Carnival at Goondi.  The weather cleared which relieved a lot of staff and it was great to see the commitment and sportsmanship demonstrated by all students.  Thank you to the families who took the time to come from Goondi and the other schools in the area to support their children as they took part in the track and field events.

I would like to thank our HPE Teacher, Mrs Bulstrode and the staff from Good Counsel Primary School and Goondi SS who coordinated the events.  Not forgetting our Goondi State School P&C who provided the fantastic catering on the day which made the event all the better.  Congratulations to all of our students who competed over the course of the two days and special mention to Mark and Dustin who were awarded age champion trophies.

We are currently receiving enquiries about enrolment to the school and encourage families with Prep age students to talk to us about enrolment for the 2025 school year.  We recently hosted our Prep Information Evening which provided prospective parents with valuable information about our upcoming pre prep sessions.  With this in mind, our Pre-Prep Program will take place from Week 7 this term where students enrolling for Prep 2025 can come along each week for a 2-hour session full of activities designed to help with the transition to full-time schooling.

We have an Enrolment Management Plan to ensure that our enrolments do not exceed the number of teaching spaces we have available, and this comes with a distinct catchment area for our school.

In line with the plan, we are able to enrol:

• Students who live in our catchment area (parents have to provide documents to prove that they live in the catchment area).
• Students who have a sibling already enrolled at the school.
• Students whose parent(s) work at the school.

Out-of-catchment students can also be accepted providing there are vacancies in that year level. Spaces must also be kept for in-catchment students who may enrol during the year.  We encourage parents of out-of-catchment students to make applications for enrolment and they will be placed on a waiting list. Students are selected from the waiting list (in order of application) and enrolment offered when vacancies occur.

Kind regards

Melissa and the leadership team

School Calendar

Fri 2nd Aug - Jeans for Genes Day

                           - Religion (Years 1-3)

                           - PARADE  2:30pm

Fri 9th Aug - Religion (Years 1-3)

                         - PARADE 2:30pm

Mon 12th-16th Aug - Bullying No Way activities

Mon 12th Aug - Snowy and the seven cool dudes' performance 10am

Wed 14th Aug - Year 4 Cairns Aquarium Excursion

Fri 16th Aug - Religion (Years 1-3)

                           - PARADE 2:30pm

Mon 19th-23rd Aug - BOOK WEEK

Tues 20th Aug - Pre-Prep Program begins

Wed 21st Aug - Lion's Eye Health Program

Thurs 22nd Aug - Book Week Costume Parade 9am

Fri 23rd Aug - Fowler's Cup (Netball)

                          - Religion (Years 1-3)

                           - PARADE 2:30pm

Pre-Prep Program Information.

Prep Capers

This term in writing we are learning how to write information reports. We have learnt that an information report requires a structure. We must have a title, sub-headings, complete sentences and a labelled diagram. This week we are learning how to write a report on Cows.

In Phonics our focus sounds for the fortnight are ou as in house, ow as in cow. We are working really hard to practice our skills of chopping up words and writing the sounds that we hear. Our reading is improving, and we are working hard to develop our fluency.

In Maths we continue to participate in hands on activities that encourage the students to investigate sharing, learning our teen numbers, Friends of Ten addition strategy, 1 more and 1 less and counting. The students are enjoying learning all about Living and Non-Living things.

In Technology the assessment task requires the students to design a habitat for a chosen animal so they will require some equipment from home. If you could please send in washed milk bottle lids, small yogurt containers, small cardboard boxes etc. 

Regards, Hayley, Ashleigh, Andrea, Cassie, Wendy and Jackie.

Year 1 Capers

Writing Information Repots has become one of our favourite things to do in Year 1. We are thoroughly enjoying learning all about insects. Over the last 2 weeks we have learnt all about Ladybugs and the next two weeks we will be learning about butterflies.

“Ladybeetles play dead to avoid being eaten by a predator” - Emma

“Ladybeetles are omnivores which means they eat plants and animals” Dilshan

For Technology and Science assessments this semester, each child will need their own box of some kind eg shoe box, cereal box etc.  These will be used to create a diorama showing the habitat for a chosen insect.

In Maths we have been learning all about length, capacity and mass.  We have been ordering lengths based on longest to shortest. 

In HASS we have been learning all about families and the different types of families we have in Year One.  We will then look at how family roles have changed over time.

Have a great week,

Leigh, Steven and Fiona

Year 2 Capers

Hi from Year 2!!

What an exciting term we have had so far.  Last week in English, we wrote a narrative about the circus and this week we are writing about the zoo. This term we are also doing Poetry Idol.  Poems have been selected and sent home with homework.  Please help your child to memorise their poem. A single prop and/or actions are permitted to enhance the performance. This is a fun Goondi State School competition to get involved in and winners of the final will receive a medal.

The school’s annual Book Week Parade will be held in the hall on Thursday 22^nd August from 9am.  The theme for this year is “Reading is Magic”.  We look forward to seeing the creative costumes our students can conjure.

This term, we are also doing our Digital Technology unit.  Students will learn to program a floor robot to move around a number of obstacles.

Remember, Homework is due every Friday, and will be sent home on Monday along with any important notices. Completing Homework reinforces the sounds we are learning each week.  Tables help our students to improve their recall of addition and subtraction facts.  Reading can be a library book or can be done online via the DRA website or Reading Eggs Express.

Regards,

Kathy Pike, Tayla Vandal and Jeanette Spataro.

Year 3 Capers

Term Three is moving quickly and we are seeing great progress in students as they consolidate their learning. This week we are learning about Fiji’s climate, natural and man-made features, people and some interesting facts about its history and animals as we write an information report on this country. Students are learning to take notes and put these into sentences. The next country we will research is Indonesia.

Our first Mathematics test this term is on Friday. The topic is measurement and space. We will use personal benchmarks, like our handspan, to estimate, measure and compare objects, along with identifying properties of three-dimensional shapes.

Our Science unit also has us looking at measurement as we read thermometers and compare temperatures of ice water, cold water, water at room temperature and hot water. It was interesting to watch the red line move up and down the thermometer when it was moved from one beaker to another. We also recorded how long it takes for an ice cube to melt in our hands.

In Health, we are exploring sustainable practices and are starting to discuss how we can save, reduce, protect and interact with our environment. We will start throwing our food scraps into a compost bin and investigate how much litter is left around the school.

Please keep homework as a regular home routine. Reading and writing out spelling words at home does help students make progress.

Yours in learning,

Janelle, Ashley, Indigo and Amanda.  

Year 4 Capers

We are thrilled to share that Term 3 is off to a fantastic start! Our students have been actively engaged in a variety of exciting learning activities across different subjects.
In English, our students have delved into informative texts about feral pigs, rabbits, and goats. This exploration has beautifully tied into our genre unit on information reports, with students now writing reports on these fascinating animals. Additionally, our weekly grammar and punctuation lessons are enhancing their writing skills and boosting their confidence in using language effectively.

We’ve recently completed our HASS unit. We are now transitioning to our science curriculum. In Science, our focus has shifted to understanding fair tests and distinguishing between living and non-living things. Students have embarked on a hands-on investigation with bean seeds, which will span over three weeks. This practical activity will allow them to observe and record the growth and development of the seeds under various conditions.

We are excited about our upcoming excursion to the Cairns Aquarium on the 14th of August, which falls in Week 6. This excursion is an enriching experience that complements our Science curriculum. Please ensure that all permission forms and payments are submitted by the 13^th of August. Should you have any questions or require further information, please feel free to contact us.

Warm regards,

Miss Jade Reitano and Mrs Jenna Sulter

Year 5 Capers

Week 4 already!

Year 5 have been busy working through curriculum-based activities that are both fun and educational.

In English, we have been exploring a range of animations including comics, graphic novels and even watching Chicken Run, which is a Claymation. We have been busy creating written pieces, storyboards and started using iPads to create a Stop Motion animation. Students are exploring the different settings, backgrounds and how to add a voice over to create an engaging animation. We have been having many discussions about moral dilemmas and the outcome after making a negative moral choice or a positive choice. We can have both positive and negative reactions to our choices!

In Mathematics, we have been exploring fractions, improper fractions and mixed numbers. We have been adding and subtracting them. We have used the Lowest Common Multiple to convert related denominators. We have been exploring recipes and adjusting them to cater for smaller groups of people or doubling them to cook enough food for a large group.

In Science, we have been exploring light and shadows and how they form when the path of light is blocked. We used a scientific method to carry out an experiment to investigate how the size of a shadow is affected by the position of the light source through creating shadow puppets.

In HASS we have been exploring the Australian democratic process. We examined the features of the voting process and compulsory voting.

Please remember, everyday counts! We are very busy learners and attendance is important.

Thanks,

Kayla Hutchins, Rebecca Nolan and Rhonda O’Brien.

Year 6 Capers

Hi from Year 6!

Week 4 already, and Term 3 is going very well so far.

Students are enjoying new units and learning lots about our Natural World in Science (including fun gross stuff like mould).

They are exploring the way our government works in HaSS, and living through the harrowing experience of our protagonist Brian in our class novel ‘Hatchet'. There has been lots of discussion with this last one, and lots of ‘what would you do?’ questions being posed.

Coming up this term we have Poetry Idol, with students having selected (or homing in on) their poem. Students will be supplied a copy of their poem for their homework folders, and any practice they can do will help them with memorisation, and the performance itself. If this could be encouraged at home, it will help greatly.

The end of this term also brings Parent-Teacher Interviews, which will be conducted in Week 10. More details, including the booking link, will be provided closer to this time, however, please know that if you want to see either of us for any reason, you can contact us through Dojo, or by ringing the office, and we can arrange a meeting.

Nathan Worth, Melanie Worth, and Anita Knight.

L.O.T.E

Benvenuti.  Students in Year 5 and 6 at Goondi State School are continuing to focus on learning Italian through listening, speaking, reading and writing.  I am very pleased with the effort made by students.

Year 5 students are extending their knowledge of nouns and adjective through looking at Italian wild animals.  Students are learning to create simple sentences from looking at notes. Students are also continuing to work together in threes using structured questions in a conversation.

Year 6 students are examining their preferred sports and hobbies, extending their understanding of nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs thus enhancing their knowledge of sentence structure and grammar. 

Continue encouraging your child to speak Italian with you and discuss what they are learning.

Arrivederci (Goodbye)

Signora Lazzarini

Sports News

Hi everyone,

Well done to all of our athletes who competed in the District Trials as members of our Goondi School Athletics Team. Many of our students made sprint finals and there was so much Goondi Team spirit displayed on the day. Congratulations to the following students who earned a place in the district team to compete in the Peninsula Trials on 18 and 19 August: Jonquil (Shotput), Zebb (100m, Long Jump), Charlise (High Jump), Noah (100m, 200m, Long Jump), Dustin (100m, 200m, 800m, 1500m), Mason (Shotput).

Congratulations to Age Champions Dustin (10y boy) and Mark (9y boy).

Tiffanie Bulstrode,

Phys. Ed Teacher.

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