Goondi SS Newsletter Term 3 Week 6
From the Prinicipal
Dear parents and care givers
As we move into the second half of our term, our attention turns to end of term assessment and reporting. Reporting this term will be conducted via parent teacher interviews and these are scheduled for Tuesday 10th September. All parents and carers are encouraged to use SOBS (school online booking system) to schedule a meeting with your child’s teacher. Cooperative, supportive relationships between home and school are vital for student success and parent teacher interviews provide communication in regard to your child’s academic, social and wellbeing progress throughout the term. More information regarding the booking process will be shared with parents via email and Class Dojo, please keep an eye out for this communication.
Pre prep enrolments are currently occurring and our pre prep transition program will commence on Tuesday the 20th of August. We encourage all parents to contact the office to arrange an enrolment interview as soon as possible and to register your interest. Preparations will commence shortly for our 2025 staffing and class compositions and parents are asked to inform the school if you are aware of any changes to your child’s enrolment at Goondi SS.
Recently staff have observed some behaviours that are potential risks to our students I encourage all parents and carers to be mindful of the following systems which support a seamless, safe transition around the school.
Bus pick up area
This area is designated for bus students only and any students being collected by car need to wait for collection at the parent pick up area which is past the car park and situated near the prep end of the school. Parents who choose to park further down Maple Street will need to collect your child from parent pick up and not have them wait in the bus lines. We ask all parents who need to enter the school at 3pm to do so via the office footpath or parent pick up area. This area is quite congested with students waiting to be collected by bus and our priority is to ensure that buses are moved on as quickly and safely as possible.
Staff car park
This area is out of bounds for both students and parents and should not be accessed at any time. Parents entering the school are asked to use the allocated footpaths and cars should never be driven into this car park to drop off or collect students (excluding taxis). The office has received notifications that students who are running late for school are being driven into the car park and dropped off. Please ensure you park in the allocated parking bays in Maple Street and your child enters the school grounds via the office footpath.
Prep and Adventure Playgrounds
Whilst staff appreciate parent connection with our school and wonderful grounds, I encourage all parents and carers to support us with not allowing younger siblings and family members to play on the adventure playground and prep area playgrounds. Our teachers dedicate the whole day to valuable learning opportunities and our youngest members of the school are still becoming familiar with routines and can be easily distracted by noises and movement outside of the classroom. We thank you for your support of this.
This week we have participated in a range of activities led by our Student Welfare Officer, Miss B to support National Week of Action: Bullying No Way!
Did you know?
- Approximately one in four Year 4 to Year 9 Australian students (27%) report being bullied every few weeks or more often (considered to be frequent) during the last term at school.
- Frequent school bullying was highest among Year 5 (32%) and Year 8 (29%) students.
- 83% of students who bully others online, also bully others offline.
- 84% of students who were bullied online were also bullied offline.
- Peers are present as onlookers in 85% of bullying interactions and play a central role in the bullying process.
- Hurtful teasing was the most prevalent of all bullying behaviours experienced by students, followed by having hurtful lies told about them.
- Cyberbullying appears to be related to age (or access to technology), with older students more likely to engage in cyberbullying than younger students.
This year’s theme is ‘Everyone Belongs’.
When we all feel like we belong, bullying struggles to find a place. It's about embracing who we are, respecting everyone's differences and standing up together against unkindness.
Belonging means we all have a role in preventing bullying. We're encouraged to speak up and create a safe place where everyone feels supported and respected, and our voices are heard and valued.
All students are encouraged to wear purple this Friday the 16th of August. Purple is the new hero colour representing Bullying No Way: National week of action and our commitment to standing against bullying.
Another event that was well received by our student cohort this week was the performance of Snowy and the Seven Cool Dudes kindly supported by the Cassowary Coast Regional Council. Our students were enthralled with the storyline, enjoyed helping Snowy overcome the Queen and learnt about making healthier eating choices. Thank you CCRC.
Good luck to all of our 10 – 12-year-old students competing in the Peninsula trials for track and field this Sunday and Monday. Our HPE teacher Mrs Bulstrode works tirelessly to ensure that all of our students have access to a range of sporting activities across the region. Part of this work also involves the management of our annual water safety awareness program which will commence this term. Information and permission notes were sent home to all students in years 1 to 4 and select students in years 5 and 6. Please check your child’s bag for this and return the permission form and complete payment online as soon as possible.
In order to keep up to date as possible, please ensure that the school has your most current contact details including email addresses on file. There will be a range of activities planned for the remainder of the year and this information will be communicated via Class Dojo and email.
Our next P&C meeting will be held on Monday the 19th of August, commencing at 5:30pm in the library, all parents and community members are welcome to attend.
Until next time, Melissa and the leadership team
School News
BULLYING NO WAY WEEK – 2024
This year, Goondi State School jumped on board with the Bullying No Way movement, and what a week it has been! All week, every single class at Goondi State School took part in some inclusive activities to spread the message that EVERYONE BELONGS! Miss B, the Student Welfare Officer, worked alongside our wonderful Student Council to help students create some wonderful artworks that reflect our morals and values at Goondi State School.
Prep to Year 2 created a “School of Fish Collage” to embrace the fact that “In our school, we’re all different but we all swim together.”
In Years 3-6, students created a colourful wall of weaved mosaics to showcase that each different mosaic deserves its place in the classroom! Students were also exposed to a series of videos from the Bullying No Way Website that discussed the following themes:
- Monday: Challenge Stereotypes
- Tuesday: Promote Empathy
- Wednesday: Embrace Diversity
- Thursday: Foster Positive Relationships
- Friday: Provide Support.
On Friday, students and staff are invited to wear a bright purple shirt to showcase Goondi State School’s support towards Bullying No Way Week, 2024. We thank all of the students and teachers for making “Bullying No Way Week” come alive!
School Calendar
Wed 14th Aug - Year 4 Cairns Aquarium Excursion
Fri 16th Aug - Wear Purple (Bullying No Way)
Mon 19th Aug - P&C Meeting 5:30pm
Tues 20th Aug - Pre-Prep Program
Wed 21st Aug - Lion's Eye Health Program
Thurs 22nd Aug - Book Week Costume Parade 9am
Fri 23rd Aug - Fowler's Cup Netball Carnival
Tues 27th Aug - Pre-Prep Program
Fri 30th Aug - Student Free Day
Prep Capers
Our report writing is coming along and we are learning lots of facts about farm animals. Last week we wrote a report about ducks and this we week we are learning all about goats. In Phonics we have met the Robot Gang who like to steal the vowel letters. We have met the brothers Irving Ir, Ernest Er and Urgent Ur. We are using this knowledge and practicing chopping up and spelling words that have the ir sound.
In Maths we continue to participate in hands on activities that teach the students the adding 2 addition strategy, collecting data, positional language and counting.
In Science we are continuing to learn about living things and we know that all living things need water, food, shelter, air and space to survive. Each class has a class pet or pets to look after.
Just a reminder that next week is Book Week and we encourage all students to choose a character from a story to dress up as.
Have a great week.
Regards, Hayley, Ashleigh, Andrea, Cassie, Wendy and Jackie.
Year 1 Capers
Did you know there are more ants on the planet than people? Did you know that there are 12000 species of ants? Well these are some of the interesting facts about ants that we will be learning this week. We are practising adding a bit more detail to our sentences to help the reader become ‘ant experts’. This will be the third report the students have written and will be their last practice before attempting their final writing assessment task for the term, which will be completed independently.
Class finals for Poetry Idol will occur at the end of next week so please keep helping your child learn and practise their poem.
During Maths students have been practising doubles plus one facts and we can definitely see students are becoming better at recognising when we see one of these facts. We also will be practising portioning numbers and equally sharing groups of objects.
In Science we are learning about healthy and unhealthy habitats. Soon, students will create a healthy habitat for a chosen insect.
Have a great week!
Leigh, Steven and Fiona
Year 2 Capers
Hello from Year 2,
We are over halfway through the term already! We have lots of important events coming up. Year two has been practising our poems for the poetry idol competition. Our students are getting very good at reciting them, with most of us able to say them off by heart. Keep practising at home, as Week 7 is the first performance for the competition in class. Week 8 will be year level competition and Week 9 will be the finals. Another fun event is Book Week starting in Week 7. Your child will be able to dress up as a character from a book for the Book Week parade on Thursday the 22nd. The theme for this year’s book week is ‘Reading is Magic’. We can’t wait to see all the awesome costumes!
We have been super busy using our imaginations to write narrative stories that focus on a new theme each week. So far, we have written about pet shops, pirates, the circus, the zoo and superheros. It has been wonderful to listen to everyone’s creative ideas and we love that our students are making such an effort to include dialogue that matches the theme.
I think one of our favourite subjects at the moment is definitely technology! We have been programming Bee Bots (robotic bees) to move around a grid map. The students have been very excited to write their own directions and test out their programming skills.
Please remember that homework is handed out on Mondays and due back to school on Fridays. If your child required a new homework book or reading eggs login, please let your teacher know.
Kind Regards,
Tayla Vandal, Kathy Pike and Jeanette Spataro
Year 3 Capers
We are already halfway through the term, and the pace is picking up with various assessments. So far, we have completed two math assessments on measurement and fractions, with only a few more remaining. Please ensure that students attend school every day to avoid missing valuable content.
It’s clear that students are putting in a lot of effort practising their poems for Poetry Idol. Keep up the great work! We are eagerly anticipating the first stage of the competition, which will be Week 7.
In our information reports, we are currently studying Indonesia. This will be our final information report before our assessment.
In Science, we've been conducting experiments to demonstrate how heat transfers between hot and cold objects. Last week, we monitored the temperature of porridge over time.
In HASS, we continue to explore the states of Australia and the continents of the world. We are now starting to examine rainfall in various locations and plot this data into bar graphs.
Have a great week,
Ashley, Janelle, Indigo and Amanda
Year 4 Capers
We’re now halfway through Term 3, and it’s been an exciting period of learning and discovery for our Year 4 students. Here’s a brief update on what’s been happening in the classroom:
Science: Our students have embarked on an engaging science unit. We’ve recently started an experiment with bean sprout plants, and the results so far have been quite surprising! The rapid growth of the seeds has sparked great excitement among the students. Additionally, they’ve been learning about food chains and food webs, which will be put into practice during our excursion (Wednesday).
English: In English, students are delving into the world of feral animals and working on writing information reports. They are progressively gaining independence in structuring their writing and presenting their findings clearly and concisely.
Mathematics: Mathematics lessons continue to be an integral part of our daily schedule. Students are actively engaging in their lessons, enhancing their mathematical skills and understanding.
If you have any concerns or questions, please feel free to contact us.
Warm regards,
Jade Reitano and Jenna Sulter
Year 5 Capers
Welcome to Week 6!
We are now getting into the busy weeks of term where there are lots of events happening, but also lots of learning to be done.
In English, we have been busy creating animated stories that include a moral dilemma. All students have been engaged and enjoying the process.
In Mathematics, we have been learning about shapes. We will now focus on measuring capacity, length and mass.
In Hass, we are learning about how government works in Australia and in Science, we have been exploring the properties of light.
Thanks, the year 5 team
Kayla Hutchins, Rebecca Nolan and Rhonda O’Brien.
Year 6 Capers
Hi from Year 6!
Term 3 is disappearing fast, as we find ourselves at the end of Week 6. Our assessments will be slightly later this term, as we have no report cards, so we can fit more learning in. Our assessment will probably be in Weeks 8 and 9, with Week 10 being the ISC transition day, and our HOTSHOTS program. The data from this term is still very important, as it guides our teaching for next term, and may be relied upon if anything happens in Term 4 to prevent assessment.
Our weather will start warming up again soon, so we would like to remind everyone of Goondi’s “No Hat, No Play” policy, which prevents students from playing in the sun if they have no hat. Some students still do not have hats at school, so please ask your learner. We do have some spares but if these run out, we simply do not have any more.
Also, our Homework for Year 6 has not changed, but the number of folders coming back has. Homework is issued (nearly) every week, and the responsibility is on our students to complete and return this work. Please ask your learner if they have homework, or if they need another book.
Well done to any students who are competing at the moment in ICAS, we wish you luck, and look forward to seeing the results.
Nathan, Melanie and Anita
L.O.T.E News
Benvenuti. At Goondi State School, students in Year 5 and are focusing on learning Italian through listening, speaking, reading and writing. I am very pleased with the effort made by students.
Year 5 students are using their knowledge of nouns, verbs and adjectives to create simple sentences about Italian wild animals. 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