Goondi SS Newsletter Term 3 Week 8
From the Principal
Dear Parents and Carers,
Our students and teachers are now focussed on end of term tests and assessments. Through my discussions with teachers this week, there is a definite sense of focus and urgency to complete these important tasks. Our teachers will use the assessments and tests not only to assign grades but perhaps more importantly, provide feedback to their students about how they can improve. It certainly looks set to be a busy final 2 weeks of Term 3.
As you may already be aware, Goondi State School offers parent-teacher interviews on the final Tuesday of terms 1 and 3. This term, the date is September 10th. These meetings are a great opportunity for our parents and carers to gain a deeper understanding of their child’s progress. As you know, the ‘How was your day?’ ‘Good!’ conversations don’t reveal much about successes, challenges and how your child can be supported to achieve to their full potential. Another highly valuable function of these meetings is that they demonstrate to your child that their education and progress is very important and valued by you. Please book through the SOBS on-line service. As well as the official day, many teachers will also offer selected appointment slots throughout the final week of term.
Don’t forget that this Friday, the 30th of August is a student free day.
Last Thursday, we held our annual book week assembly. The theme for 2024 was 'Reading is Magic'. I was amazed by the sheer number of our students that took part and dressed up for the occasion. All the students looked fantastic as they showed us such a wide range of book characters and themes. There were so many great entries, and I was pleased to see the overwhelming majority of our students taking part, ranging from simple designs and costumes to unbelievably extravagant entries. We appreciate the effort that every student and their families went to, and I would like to congratulate every one of them for this. Thanks to Mrs Green for coordinating the event this year.
As we move into the final few weeks of term, please remember some housekeeping tips to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff.
- Please do not use the adventure and prep playgrounds whilst waiting for school to finish. This can be a distraction to our students learning in the classes and all visitors to the school should be signing in through the office.
- Motorists are encouraged to not use the area outside the staff car park as a turning circle as this behaviour is dangerous to other uses on the road. Parents leaving from parent pick up are encouraged to continue driving north on Maple Street.
- Lost property is located outside the tuckshop, please check regularly for any items your child may have left at school.
- The stage area outside the Music area and near tuckshop is out of bounds and parents are asked to not allow younger children to play on this stage whilst you wait for school to end.
STUDENT FREE DAY
A reminder that the Term 3 Student Free Day is this Friday August 30thand school will not be open to students on this day.
PARENT INTERVIEWS
An opportunity to speak to you child’s teacher will be provided on Tuesday September 10th by appointment. Bookings will be available through our on-line format. On the night, we ask that all parents/carers visiting the school adhere to the allocated time slot so that our teachers can spend all allocated time with parents and carers to discuss your child’s progress.
Please book your interview time through the link below.
https://eq.sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=70429
POETRY IDOL
Our 2024 Poetry Idol competition is now well underway. This term, our students have been selecting, working with and creating poetry. They are deep into the Goondi Poetry Idol process by selecting and learning individual poems to perform.
The format will be the same as has been in previous years where initially students will perform for their class. This performance will be used for assessment purposes in the English area of Speaking and Listening.
Each teacher will then select the top five performers from the class to compete in their year level category (Prep, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3 etc.).
The top 3 performers from each year level category are then selected to compete in the finals which will be held on Wednesday the 4th of September.
Parents and carers are invited to come along and watch our finalists perform.
Safety in Drop Off and Pick Up
As previously stated, can I remind parents and carers about safety while parking, picking up or dropping off students. Please ask your child to cross ONLY at the supervised crossing and no other place. There have been a number of occasions where this has caused safety concerns for our students.
Although there may be no traffic at times, we must teach our children general road safety at all times. Secondly, please take care when parking or leaving. Only use the designated parking places, do not park across the driveway or in the staff car park. Turning is also much safer for everyone at the end of Maple Street and not in the school driveway.
Pick up and drop off are incredibly busy times and thank you for your cooperation as we all work together to keep our students safe.
QUEENSLAND ROAD SAFETY WEEK
The safety of our students, parents and carers, and staff is paramount, and we all have a role to play.
Students become road users at an early age as pedestrians, scooter or bike riders, and are our future
drivers. Influencing positive road safety attitudes can never start too young.
We’re asking everyone to consider how you can act as One Team Queensland on the roads:
• Is it leaving 5 minutes early to beat the school rush?
• Is it walking the extra distance to use the school crossing?
• Is it demonstrating courteous driving by giving a wave when someone lets you merge in front
of them?
Goondi PBL acknowledgement
All of our students have been working hard to demonstrate our school values of We are Safe, We are Learners and We are Respectful. Students who are observed demonstrating these values are awarded a ‘Lyssi’. The PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) team have created a system for acknowledging positive behaviour and to enforce our school values and expectations.
Our whole school positive behaviour system follows the following process:
- When a Lyssi is received students place these on their chart.
- When they have earnt ten Lyssi tokens they can swap these for a token which is placed on the whole class chart.
- There are four chart levels, egg, caterpillar, cocoon and butterfly and students have a voice in choosing class rewards for each level.
- The reward activities increase as they reach the higher levels of charts such as the butterfly level.
- Once the final level has been reached the class cycles back to the first egg level.
It is exciting to see each class reach a level on this system and choose a reward activity. This week year 5B have earnt their level reward and have chosen to wear free dress on Thursday. This reward is based on their class progress and student voice and is not open to other classes who will make their own choices about their reward levels.
Examples of reward activities include game time, computer time, movie and popcorn, pizza party, ice cream party, sensory play, board games, etc.
Regards
Melissa and the leadership team
School Calendar
Thurs 29th Aug - ISC Musical (Year 6)
Thurs 29th Aug - Rugby League 9's
Fri 30th Aug - Student Free Day
Mon 2nd Sep - Lion's Eye Health Program visit 2
Mon 2nd Sep - JCU Ambassador Visit (Year 5 & 6)
Mon 2nd Sep- Fri 6th Sep - Water Safety Program
Tues 3rd Sep - Pre-Prep Sessions
Wed 4th Sep - Poetry Idol Final
Fri 6th Sep - Parade 2:30pm
Mon 9th Sep - Y6 ISC Orientation Morning
Tues 10th Sep - Pre-Prep Session
Tues 10th Sep - HOTSHOTS
Tues 10th Sep - Parent/Teacher Interviews
Wed 11th Sep - HOTSHOTS
Thurs 12th Sep - HOTSHOTS
Fri 13th Sep - HOTSHOTS
Fri 13th Sep - Parade 2:30pm
Prep Capers
Over the past week we have been learning all about chickens. We have taken notes and now this week we are writing information reports on chickens.
“Chickens are birds.” Yorel Prep A
“Chickens have more bones in their neck than a giraffe” Aiden Prep C
“Chickens have claws and they have a tail.” Ruby Prep B
“A male chicken is called a rooster and a female is called a hen. Baby chickens are called hens.” Dakota Prep A
Students should be commended on their hard work and persistence when writing facts about chickens.
Have a fabulous week!
Hayley, Ashleigh, Andrea, Cassie, Wendy and Jackie.
Year 1 Capers
This week we have begun our writing assessment. The students are independently writing an information report about bees which they will finish mid next week. We have certainly seen students develop more independence and confidence when writing facts into sentences that make sense and have correct punctuation such as full stops, commas and capital letters.
Maths assessment is also happening this week with the students completing a test all about solving addition and subtraction problems, along with sharing and making equal groups.
In Science this week the students chose their favourite insect to create a diorama for and completed an assessment booklet stating everything their chosen insect needs to survive and thrive in its habitat. Next week they will begin planning and making their insect, along with a healthy habitat for it. Please send in any materials that your child thinks would be suitable to use in their diorama to create their insect or parts of the habitat eg lids, containers, paper towel rolls etc. Have a great week,
Leigh, Steven and Fiona
Year 2 Capers
Hello from Year 2!
Week 8 already! We are in our assessment period at the moment, and even though it’s not a reporting term (no report card), these assessments give teachers valuable information about student achievement, and more importantly where there are any gaps in learning that need to be addressed. Remember that every day counts, and school starts at 08:45am.
Parent Teacher Interviews will be conducted on Tuesday of Week 10 (10th September). Details on how to book a time and the link to do so should be attached to this newsletter and will be sent home on ClassDojo messages as well.
As our weather warms up, we remind the students that no hat means no play. It would also be a good idea for students to bring a water bottle to school, so learning is not disrupted by students having to leave the classroom to go to the bubblers.
This Friday (the 30th of August) is a Student Free Day. School resumes as normal on Monday 2nd September.
All swimming notes, with the BPoint receipt number written on, should be returned as soon as possible. While swimming for Year 2 isn’t until next term, the earlier we can get the paperwork in order the better. Thank you to those who have already returned the notes.
The Premier’s Reading Challenge closes this Thursday 29th August. Please ensure all book lists are returned by this date so they can be added to our total of books read and certificates can be organised.
Regards,
Kathy Pike, Tayla Vandal and Jeanette Spataro.
Year 3 Capers
Our assessment period is well underway, and it’s wonderful to see students approaching this time with a positive attitude. On Wednesday, we’ll watch the finalists from each Year 3 class compete in the cohort finals. We want to congratulate all students for their hard work and participation. We’re looking forward to seeing the top three students from Year 3 advance to the next stage of the competition.
We are continuing our work on information reports and have started writing our assessment piece on New Zealand. It’s been fantastic to see the students develop a deeper understanding of Australia’s neighbouring countries.
In Science, we are progressing with our investigations into heat through hands-on experiments.
Next week, in Week 9, swimming lessons will begin. Please ensure your children bring the necessary equipment. Lastly, please keep an eye out for the link to book parent-teacher interviews, as they are quickly approaching.
Kind regards,
Ashley, Janelle, Indigo, and Amanda
Year 4 Capers
As we approach the end of Term 3, we want to remind everyone that assessments are in full swing. It’s a crucial time for our students, and consistent attendance is vital. Being present every day ensures that students have the best opportunity to complete their assessments successfully.
We had a fantastic turnout for Book Week! It was wonderful to see everyone in their creative costumes and to witness the enthusiasm of students engaging with their favourite books and stories. Thank you to all who participated and made the event so memorable.
In recognition of the assessment workload, there will be no homework assigned during Week 9 and Week 10. However, students can be practicing their timetables.
Swimming is just around the corner! Please ensure that your child’s swimming form has been returned and payments are made before the program begins.
A reminder for all students to return any outstanding library books.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to reach out.
Kind regards,
Miss Jade Reitano and Mrs Jenna Sulter.
Year 5 Capers
Week 8 is a busy time in grade 5. We are practicing our poems for poetry idol class finals on Thursday and school finals next week. Good luck to all students and it has been so great to see the performances and effort put in to practice by all. We are busy creating Stop Motion animations for our English assessment piece.
In Mathematics, we are finishing off our work on 3D shapes, area and perimeter.
At the moment, students are being encouraged to wash their hands and cover their mouths if they are sick. During our busy assessment time, every day counts!
From our year 5 team,
Kayla Hutchins, Rebecca Nolan and Rhonda O’Brien.
Year 6 Capers
Hello from Year 6!
Week 8 finds us right in the middle of our testing period. This can sometimes be a stressful time for students, particularly towards the end of Year 6. Some things we can do to try and make this easier include healthy foods (especially breakfast), a water bottle to stay hydrated, as well as plenty of sleep. These things genuinely make a difference and help work towards our goal of everyone doing the best they can with any assessment.
We are aware also of how much sickness is around at the moment, so if your learner is sick, please contact the office with a reason, and keep them at home. However, if they are able to come to school, then they should be here. Any missed assessment needs to be made up at some point, so if they can do it on the day, it becomes easier for everyone.
Congratulations to our class members who have been doing great things on the sporting field as well. We acknowledge that academic results are not the only goal with school and are proud of the achievements of our sport stars, in cricket, rugby, and netball. There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into making this happen, and we would like to highlight these results as well.
Parent-teacher interviews are in Week 10, and when the booking link becomes live, we can share this via email and Dojo.
Nathan Worth, Melanie Worth, and Anita Knight.
L.O.T.E News
Benvenuti. At Goondi State School, students in Year 5 and 6 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 completing their 3-person role play using structured questions in a conversation. They are also deepening their knowledge of nouns, verbs and adjectives by creating simple sentences about Italian wild animals.
Year 6 students are examining their preferred sports and hobbies and learning the names of musical instruments. Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs are essential in the sentence structure and grammar students are using.
Continue encouraging your child to speak Italian with you and discuss what they are learning.
Arrivederci (Goodbye)
Signora Lazzarini
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