Term 1 Week 7 Thursday 08 March 2018 PRINCIPAL'S PAGE

P&C AGM Our next P&C meeting on Monday 12 March will be our Annual General Meeting. All committee positions will become vacant and a new committee will be elected for the following positions: • President • Vice President • Minutes Secretary • Correspondence Secretary • Treasurer Also we need to elect a Fundraising Coordinator and fill positions on several P&C sub committees. Interested parents are invited to come along and be part of our P&C. Becoming involved in the Parents and Citizens Association enables you to ‘have a say’ about your child’s education. You learn a great deal about the environment your child spends so much time in and how Education Queensland operates. You meet new friends, learn to work as a team and most importantly you become a community member and feel a part of our school. Our P&C do a great job for our school. Please come along and support your child’s school. The AGM meeting will commence at 6.30pm in the school staffroom and all interested parents are invited to attend. A short general meeting will follow the AGM.

MOSHC Meeting The next MOSHC meeting will also be held on Monday 12 March at 5.45pm in the MPC building.

International Exchange Parent Committee Meeting The next Parent IEC Meeting will be held on Monday 12 March at 5.30 p.m. in the staff room. The agenda will focus on this year’s Merrimac visit by Katsuragi in July/August. New members are welcome to attend.

Term One Reporting to Parents Most Parent/Teacher interviews for Prep to Year 6 will be held on Wednesday, 28 March (Week 10) from 3.30pm to 7.30pm in the classrooms. A selection of other times is also offered by class Teachers in

Weeks 9 and 10. Miss Jacobs in Year 3 will be on leave in Week 10 of this term and will hold her interviews in Week 9 only. Mrs Taylor (2B), who has been absent for most of this term, will hold her Parent/Teacher interviews in Term Two. Student folios will be issued at the Parent/Teacher interviews. These should be returned to school before the end of term. Parents are able to book interviews through the PTO website. A letter will be sent home with each student early next week with the web link details and your child’s Education Queensland ID Number which is required when you register and make a booking. The website will be open from 3.00pm Thursday 15 March and remain open until 3.00pm Friday 23 March. After this time bookings can only be made and changed through the office. Parents who are unable to access the internet for online bookings can send in your child’s form and we will do the booking for you. If you take up this option be sure to send all your children’s forms back together so that we can make non-conflicting bookings for you. As interviews will be scheduled at 10 minute intervals, your promptness in attending at your scheduled time is appreciated to alleviate unnecessary delays as the evening progresses. If on the

day of your interview you find you are unable to attend, please contact the school office on telephone 5569 1555 so the class Teacher can be notified as soon as possible. Please leave a message if phoning outside of school office hours. National Young Leaders Day On Friday 2nd March our four student leaders, Riley-Jaye, Sorina, Daniel and Kaiden travelled with Miss Murray to Brisbane to attend the National Young Leaders Day at the Convention Centre with 2 700 other student leaders from around Queensland and Northern NSW. The students were inspired by listening to four people who have overcome challenges to reach their goals. The first speaker was John Coutis who was born without legs. He spoke about facing bullies, believing in yourself and developing resilience. He told the children that from every bad situation, good things can come. John’s main message was that we should all treat people the way we want to be treated ourselves. Jack Heath, a children’s author, talked about finding your passion and following your dreams. He encouraged students to embrace the things that make them different, not waste time on hating things or people and understand that success only comes from persistence. Harrison Craig shared his story of how overcoming a severe stutter through singing lead to him finding his passion and career. He told the students that in life if you believe in yourself, others will too. Harrison challenged the audience to use their experiences to help others. Holly Ferling amazed the audience with her achievements, determination and passion for life. Holly is a member of the Brisbane Heat Cricket team. She challenged the students to take every opportunity which comes their way and to think about what legacy they will leave their schools after being leaders for a year. Holly encouraged the students to find the positives in all situations, to be proud of the way they come through difficult times and to know when to lean on others.

Merrimac State School

Newsletter

Staffing News The following staff have current leave:

• Mr Webster- 23 Feb- 9 Mar: replacement Mr Alex Aprahamian

• Mrs Wakelin LSL 5-12 Mar: replacement Miss Kristina McGregor

International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) Merrimac SS offers students in Years 3-6 the opportunity to participate in the ICAS competitions each year. ICAS provides an opportunity for Year 3-6 students to gain a measure of their own achievement in an external testing situation. It provides teachers, parents and students with comprehensive reporting of results in the areas of Digital Technologies (Computers), English and Mathematics. If you would like your child/ren to participate please complete the form at the end of this newsletter and return to the finance window with payment no later than Wednesday 21 March. The Cost for each competition is $9.00 per student.

DO NOT PAY FOR THIS EVENT BY DIRECT DEPOSIT Year 4 Camps Our Year 4 students are eagerly awaiting their upcoming camps at the Currumbin Farm School. At the camps, students will participate in the some of the following activities: Orienteering, rock climbing, interaction with farm animals, creek life investigations, archery, camp fires, sleeping in tents, team building activities and more. The dates for the Year 4 Camps are: 19 - 21 Mar (4B,4C,4M girls) 21 - 23 Mar (4A,4D, 4M boys)

Prep Hearing Screening Merrimac School is funding screening for all Preps for their hearing on Wednesday 30 May and Thursday 31 May by the Paediatric Hearing Service, ‘Hear and Say’. The screening will take no more than 15 minutes per child. The audiologists will test hearing of both ears under headphones, test the function of the middle ear for both ears and provide recommendations to families on the results. Hearing difficulties can have a significant effect on a child’s ability to learn if not detected early. Hearing needs to be monitored over time even if children have passed earlier testing. Forms will go out in Week 9 (Mon 19 March) and are due back to school by Friday 20 April. It is advisable to return the forms as soon as possible to ensure access to this free service. Voluntary Resources Contribution Reminder The school booklist contained a voluntary student contribution component to assist the school to enhance resources available for student learning. At Merrimac, a large percentage of parents pay this voluntary contribution. Thank you to those who have already paid. The contribution covers the use of class text books, computer consumables, art and craft materials, photocopying of workbooks, homework sheets, etc. The cost is $60.00 per student. Because the shared curriculum materials are allocated on a class basis, non-payment of the contribution reduces the amount of additional resources to all children within the class. Some parents may have overlooked or forgotten this contribution. If this is the case, payment of the shared curriculum materials contribution can be made through our school Bookshop. Matific, Reading Eggs, Reading Eggspress and Language Perfect The P&C have subsidised the cost of these programs by $5.00 each for 2018. This means there is a cost of $5.00 for Matific, (Prep to Year 6), $5.00 for Reading Eggs/Eggspress (Prep to Year 6) and $5.00 for Language Perfect (Years 4 to 6 only) included in the school booklist. Some parents may have overlooked this payment when they purchased books for the year. To access these programs the $5.00 per program per child cost must be paid. These are not voluntary payments. Reminder letters will be sent home early next week to those families who have not paid these amounts. If payments are not received by the end of the school term (Thursday 29 March), student Matific, Reading Eggs/Eggspress and Language Perfect accounts will then be disabled. Payments can be made to our School Bookshop. If you have a query re these payments, please contact the Bookshop on 55227846 (open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8.00am to 9.00am). Early Arrivals at School It is recommended that children arrive at school from 8.30am onwards. There is no rostered teacher supervision before school. Children (this includes younger siblings) are not allowed on the play forts or the school’s oval of a morning. Before school is not a playtime for students. Although the behaviour of our students is very good in general, it is more likely for children to misbehave or do the wrong thing if they are at school of a morning for a long time. Our school has Before School Care, which is held in the Multi-Purpose Building and currently has vacancies. Operating times are from 6.30am to 8.50am. Enquiries and bookings can be made through the coordinator on 55252617. A fully supervised activity based program is undertaken and breakfast is provided. Fee relief is available for eligible families. Parents may wish to consider using the Before School Care Service where children have to be dropped off early to school on a regular basis.

Car Park Issues Sometimes we get complaints from parents regarding other parents not doing the right thing in the car park area. Please follow the correct road rules when it comes to parking and be patient and courteous to other parents. Also please take care when exiting the car parks. The school has been advised that the Gold Coast Police will be doing random Car Park blitzes over the next two months. On Monday this week, volunteers from the Mudgeeraba Policing Unit handed out School Parking and Safety Flyers to remind parents of the need to follow road rules around our school. A copy of the flyer is attached to the school newsletter. From the desk of Ralph and Rosie Merrimac State School Focus of The week Over this past week, the children at Merrimac State School have been examining the topic of what it means to be safe by playing in their own areas. In their classes and on parade all students have been asked to discuss how they can keep their friends and themselves safe by playing in their own areas. Congratulations to P1M and 5A for receiving our Ralph and Rosie Class of the week. P1M received their award for walking quietly and respectfully past classrooms. 5A received their award for having a neat and tidy eating area at all times. Congratulations to all girls and boys for remembering to be safe, respectful learners in the classroom and in the playground.

Ralph and Rosie

Prep New Enrolment Surveys All Merrimac Prep families have been emailed an online survey that will provide valuable feedback to us about our Merrimac processes. The survey will assist greatly in helping us tailor our processes to suit community needs. It will also tell us how well your child has settled into Merrimac. Parents are asked to complete the survey by Friday 9 March. It is hoped that we get a good response to the online surveys. Parents, who do not have access to the survey online, can still collect a paper version of the survey from the school office. The survey link will also be available on our website. Third Party Website Consent form for Matific, Reading Eggs and Language Perfect All parents in Years P-6 would have received a Third Party Website Consent form at the Parent Teacher afternoon. This form is part of a new policy to provide parents with detailed information about the storage of student data for Matific, Reading Eggs and Language Perfect; as well as other websites. This form needs to be returned to the classroom teacher as soon as possible. Program subscriptions can be paid for at the Bookshop if this has not already been finalised. The consent form and the subscription payment are required in order for students to have ongoing website access. Matific, Reading Eggs and Language Perfect are great resources to support your child’s learning. Please contact your child’s teacher if you need more information. Coles – Sports for Schools Promotion Our school has registered for the Coles – Sports for Schools Promotion. It will commence from Wednesday 7 February. For every $10 spent at Coles, customers will receive one Sports for Schools voucher. Vouchers can then be brought to the Admin Office and placed in the collection bins. Thank you for your support.

School Website and QSchools Smartphone App The QSchools app is available to the school community as a free download via the Apple iTunes store and Google Play. Update regularly to access the latest features. Dental Van News

• The dental service is currently on school grounds for the majority of Term One

• All students are entitled to free dental exams • The van will not be here for long so don't delay booking

an appointment on 1300 300 850 Student School Banking With the increase in student bankings we are looking for a couple more parent helpers please on a Wednesday morning. If you can help, please contact the Admin Office. Breakfast/Fitness Program The Breakfast/Fitness Programs continues this term, on a Wednesday, for interested Years 3 to 6 students. There are 100 places available. Students need to commit to attending each week from 8.00am to 8.45am to be part of the program. The program will run through till the end of Term One. I’m sure that Chappie Steve will appreciate any staff and parent help in running this program this year. We certainly appreciate the support from Coles Worongary, Tina Nenadic (Gold Coast Property Sales & Rentals), the P and C Association and the Genesis Church who are ongoing supporters of the Breakfast/Fitness Program allowing us to buy the various breakfast requirements. Parent Fitness (Boot Camp) Program – free for Merrimac Parents Thanks to Tina Nenadic, from Gold Coast Property Sales & Rentals, we are continuing this year with the free fitness program for our parents. Simone Doyle is the fitness instructor who runs the sessions weekly in the MPC/Tennis Court area each Thursday from 1.45pm to 2.45pm. It is completely free. I’m sure that there are many parents who would be interested in being part of this program. Tina will be contacting parents from last year and reminding them of the continuation of the program. Any parents who wish to be involved in the fitness program can contact Tina direct on 0402984898. Simone can only cater up to 20 in the session so please register your interest with Tina as soon as possible. The parent fitness program commenced in Week Two and will be on each Thursday for the remainder of the school term. Koala Joeys - Term 1 Koala Joeys is an early years literacy and numeracy oral language program. The program is suitable for children of all ages. As part of our school’s commitment to early years’ development, Koala Joeys will be held at Merrimac State School. The program will run each Friday morning and continue for the term. This Friday is a “Super Hero” theme. The children can wear hero costumes or outfits. When: Friday mornings Where: PAC Time: 9.00am – 10.00am See you there.

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to the following students of the week: Rubie D P1, Sein O P1, Summer H P1M, Hanjun M P1M, Gypsy H P2, Emmett P P2, Shiloh T P3, Beau G P3, Aria H P4, Timmy S P4, Ella-Rose F 1A, Kai T 1A, Miharu M 1B, Layla C 1B, Aki Y 1C, Elara P 1C, Caleb E 1D, Mia P 1D, Corey R 2A, Marshella W 2A, Ayden H 2B, Ruby H 2B, Hana M 2C, Oliver E 2C, Lelaina M 2D, Jaxon B 2D, Izaac D 2E, Enzo Ng HS 2E, Emily P 3A, Isabel R 3B, Luekaa B-J 3C, Eden P 3D, Lakai C 3E, Izabella A 45M, Stella W 4A, RJ C 4B, Mana T 4C, William A 56M, Florianne L 5A, Charlie B 5B, Scarlett B 5C, Rianna B 6A, Tia V 6C, Cullen H 6D

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Congratulations to the following students of the month: Grace C P1, Ronel G P1M, Isla O P2, Rydar H P3, Tiaki T P4, Axel K 1A, Miina F 1B, Tilly V 1C, Koby E 1D, Sakura Mc 2A, Madison E 2B, Jacob D 2C, Amy G 2D, Jonathon C 2E, Lachlan K 3A, Jaka M 3B, Luna N 3C, Flynn Z 3D, Annabelle S 3E, Semih Y 45M, Kate W 4A, Riley C 4B, Deacon B 4C, Mariella A 56M, Charlotte W 5A, Eva L 5B, Jade K 5C, Kitty H 6A, Joshua R 6C, Louise B 6D MUSIC NEWS

Rehearsal times for Instrumental and Choir Groups are as follows: Monday 7.45am – 8.45am SENIOR CHOIR

3.00pm – 4.00pm SENIOR BAND Wednesday 3.00pm – 4.00pm JUNIOR BAND Thursday 8.00am -8.45am JUNIOR CHOIR

7.50am – 8.45am INTERMEDIATE STRINGS 3.00pm – 3.40pm SENIOR STRINGS

Friday 7.50am – 8.45am BEGINNER STRINGS

PE NEWS

Free Golf Clinics Lee Harrington commenced the five week Free Golf Lessons on the Oval on Friday 23 February. Starting time is 8.00am. All children are welcome to attend. The program is completely free and all gear is provided. Please ring/text Lee to tell her if your child is attending on 0413 163 312. Give your child a skill they can do for life. Sporting Achievements Congratulations to Mia (5/6M) and Alex (5B) who recently participated in the Surf Life Saving State Titles and performed very well.

P&C NEWS

P&C AGM Meeting The P&C AGM will be held on Monday 12 March at 6.30pm in the Staffroom. All parents are invited to attend.

BOOKSHOP and UNIFORM SHOP NEWS

Bookshop Opening Days Book/Uniform shop operating hours: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8.00am – 9.00am.

FINANCE NEWS

The finance window will be closed Monday 26 and Wednesday 28 March. Our apologies for any inconvenience. We are currently collecting money for the following:

Participants Event Cost Payment due date

Year 3 Mudgeeraba Light Horse Museum

$20 16 March

Years 3-6 ICAS $9 21 March

Selected Students

Canberra Camp $450 Instalment 2 30 May

Selected Students

Band/Strings Program

$100 ASAP

Selected Students

Instrumental Hire

$120 ASAP

MONEY IS ACCEPTED IN PERSON AT THE FINANCE WINDOW MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS FROM

8AM – 9.30AM – DIRECT DEPOSITS CAN BE MADE ON RECEIPT OF INVOICE (VIA EMAIL)

If you do not wish to wait in line at the finance window we encourage you to pay online. Please note that the Dept of Education has advised schools that we can no longer accept credit cards over the phone or written on permission slips. Any credit card payments must be made in person at the finance window. Important Information on Invoicing When the school system creates invoices for excursions all parents/caregivers of participating/invited students who have an active email on our database will receive an invoice. If your child is participating you can make payment but be sure to complete the permission form and return to the finance window for verification. If paying online please send the receipt with the permission form to verify payment. Look on the top right hand side of the invoice for the excursion description. Important information: when the payment date for an excursion closes and we cancel unpaid invoices, if you did not pay for this excursion you will receive an adjustment notice email, this is not an invoice please open and read to verify this. This email only goes to those not participating and can be ignored.

RALPH & ROSIE’S KITCHEN NEWS

Kitchen Roster for week commencing 12 March 2018:

Date

Mon 12/3 Jenny, Tenna R

Tue 13/3 Tracey S, Rainy D, Lisa

Wed 14/3 Kristy, Peta

Thurs 15/3 Maria S, HELP PLEASE

Fri 16/3 Peta, Kristy

$6 MEAL DEAL Thursday 15 March

• Fried Rice-home made

• Calippo Ice Block

• Bottled Water

Thank you again to all our helpers. It has been a pleasure to work with you all. Anyone who has thought about helping, please drop in to say Hi or contact Liz or Jill on 5530 3961 or email Liz at epear136@eq.edu.au. Remember Sushi is Wednesday only and orders must be placed by Tuesday 1.30pm on Flexischools or drop your order in the day before. Look forward to hearing from you. Liz & Jill

2018 UPCOMING EVENTS

Mon 12 Mar Katsuragi Parent IEC meeting

Mon 12 Mar 5.45pm MOSH meeting

Mon 12 Mar 6.30pm P and C meeting (AGM)

Wed 14 March

Years 3 to 6 Celebration of the Arts (Talent Quest)

Week 8 Last week of Years 3 and 4 Swimming Program

Week 9 Last week of Years 5 and 6 Surf Program

Mon 19 – 21 Mar

Year 4 Camp – Group One

Mon 21 – 23 Mar

Year 4 Camp – Group Two

Wed 28 Mar Parent/Teacher Interviews (3.30pm to 7.30pm)

Wed 28 Mar 2.15pm Prep to Year 2 Easter Hat Parade

Thurs 29 Mar

Last day of Term One

Fri 30 Mar Good Friday holiday

31 Mar – 15 April

Commonwealth Games

Mon 2 April Easter Monday

Mon 16 April

Commonwealth Games Pupil Free Day

Tues 17 April

First school day of Term Two

ICB Conference

Well done to Noah, Holly & Bentley who recently participated at the ICB Conference

Scholastic Book Club A reminder that Scholastic Book Club closes tomorrow. Last orders need to be given to the Finance Window by 9.30am. Please use the guide down the side of

pages to select age appropriate books, as all students receive the same brochure. If you wish to make a purchase, please follow these instructions:- Cash Orders - - Complete the order form on the back of the brochure. At

the top fill in the student’s name, class and phone number

- Clearly label an envelope with “Book Club Order”, the

student’s name and class

- Into this envelope, place the order form together with

correct money or cheque payable to Scholastic

- Place the envelope in the box at the school finance window

(open Mon/Wed/Fri mornings)

Credit Card Orders – Our school is registered to use the LOOP Ordering System for Book Club credit card payments. Instructions on the brochure order form and Scholastic website will assist you to complete your credit card order.

BOOK CLUB CLOSES TOMORROW 9.30AM FRIDAY, 9 MARCH

COMMUNITY NEWS

School & Parking Safety Initiative

Attached to the newsletter email is important information regarding school zone safety from the Mudgeeraba Police. Commonwealth Games Park ‘n Ride Information flyer attached to the newsletter email