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18 October 2017 VOLUME 19 Issue 33

Great State. Great Opportunity.

In this issue:

• From the Principal

• Students of the Week

• Student Council News

• Buffalo Lodge

• Community Notes

• From the Head of Special Education Services

• School Calendar

• Education Week

• Opti-MINDS State Finals

• From the Opti-MINDS Co-Ordinators

• From the Head of Curriculum

OUR SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS: BE SAFE, BE RESPONSIBLE, BE RESPECTFULOUR SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS: BE SAFE, BE RESPONSIBLE, BE RESPECTFULOUR SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS: BE SAFE, BE RESPONSIBLE, BE RESPECTFULOUR SCHOOL EXPECTATIONS: BE SAFE, BE RESPONSIBLE, BE RESPECTFUL

ACTING PRINCIPAL Mr Nathan Brown HEAD OF SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES Mrs Vicky Parker HEAD OF CURRICULUM Mrs Glenda Moloney GUIDANCE OFFICER Mrs Annette Woodrow EXPERIENCED SENIOR TEACHERS Mrs Susan Anderson Mrs Michelle Dohle Ms Colleen Dunn Mrs Alison Fisher SENIOR TEACHERS Mrs Jodie Brown Mrs Kelly Webster BUSINESS MANAGER Mrs Debbie Kings P&C PRESIDENT Mrs Amy Mutch ADDRESS PO Box 231 St George 4487 PHONE: 07 46 208 333 FAX: 07 46 208 300 EMAIL: the.principal@ stgeorgess.eq.edu.au WEBSITE: www.stgeorgess.eq.edu.au FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/stgeorgess

From the Principal

2018 Enrolments

Planning for the 2018 School year commenced some time ago, but with the end of the year rapidly approaching, we are about to commence the process of identifying our class grouping arrangements. To this end it is imperative that we have accurate information around predicted enrolments for next year. Please:

• Inform the office if you know of children who may be enrolling at our School for the first time next year.

• If you have a child who is eligible for Prep in 2018 (ie turning 5 by 30 June 2018), complete an application for enrolment form, available from the office, as soon as possible.

• Encourage other parents to do likewise.

Student Free Day

As readers would know, Monday was a designated student free day across the State. For local State Schools, this meant that Teachers participated in the annual Cluster Moderation of student work. This year St George State School staff travelled to the High School for this significant gathering of Balonne educators. For our Teachers the day proved to be a very valuable professional experience.

Given that the moderation process involved Teachers only, our Teacher Aides remained on duty at School where they conducted an annual School equipment and furnishings stocktake.

Education Week

The week in which we historically recognise and cele-brate the great work being done by State School communities (that’s students, staff and parents) across Queensland, has almost arrived- next week! Once again a number of special activities have been planned to recognise and celebrate the great work that continues to be done by our School community. An article elsewhere in this newsletter contains the details. The week is sure to be one of excitement and fun, and I look forward to sharing in these special celebrations with the School and wider community.

Staffing

Recently we have welcomed a number of new staff members to our school including:

• Jo Withers (Teacher Aide)

• Donna Waters (Teacher Aide)

• Kaiamba Thurston (Teacher Aide)

In addition to this, last week I informed our School community of my very difficult decision not to apply for the permanent Principal position at St George State School, due to a recent family medical diagnosis. Please see the full letter attached to this newsletter for more details.

Congratulations To ….

• Our School Opti-MINDS team (Katie, Hayley, Marshal, Kristopher, Freya and Kelsey) and facilitating teachers Miss Wardrop and Miss Bail, on their outstanding effort at the State final last weekend.

Thank You To ….

• The many parents who visit the School each morning and afternoon and offer a cheerful greeting to staff, students and other visitors.

• The many parents who have already completed student enrolment forms for Prep next year.

Best Wishes To ….

• New student leaders (Shontayne, Francis & Bella) who will receive their badges and take their oath of office at this Friday’s parade.

Remember ….

• This week’s behaviour focus is: Be Safe - Play school approved games.

Contact: Mr Nathan Brown Acting Principal

Students of the Week

Congratulations to our students who received Student of the Week Awards for Week 2, Term 4, 2017.

Prep A

Harry McCosker and Roy Squire - For being responsible and respectful. (Being Responsible and Respectful)

Brianna Regan - For a fantastic effort with reading. (Being Responsible)

Sophie Squire - For excellent writing. (Being Responsi-ble)

Prep B

Jasara Hinch - For excellent work making teen numbers. (Being Responsible)

Rhiana Bradley - For fantastic effort with writing. (Being Responsible)

Mason Wieland - For fantastic work being on task. (Being Responsible)

Josh Dries - For excellent handwriting. (Being Respon-sible).

1/2A

Jack Benn - For excellent effort in all tasks. (Being Responsible)

Nadia Weribone - For trying hard during handwriting. (Being Responsible)

Keeanna Saunders and Rhyder Hooper - For always following instructions straight away. (Being Responsi-ble)

1/2B

Seaira Draper-Turnbull, Holly Barrett, Amelia Horne-man and Zac Cott - For working hard collecting and representing data in Maths. (Being Responsible)

1/2C

Josie Beeson, Jakobee Saunders and Tyreak Bearman - For an excellent start to Term 4. (Being Responsible)

Tyrell McDougall - For following teachers instructions straight away. (Being Responsible and Respectful)

3A

Terri-Ellen Burke, Drew Hinch, Ondreas Cowburn and Sienna Saunders - For being responsible and respect-ful class members who complete all work tasks care-fully and quietly. (Being Responsible and Respectful)

3/4A

Katie Turnbull - For being a hardworking learner. (Being Responsible)

Teagan Wilson - For working hard on her spelling extravaganza preparation. (Being Responsible)

Marshal Sanford - For singing multiplication songs beautifully. (Being Responsible)

JD Weatherall - For using lovely manners. (Being Responsible)

4A

Jeremy Armstrong and Amelia Fontaine - For great effort on decimal numbers! (Being Responsible)

Isaac McNamara and Cohan Neven - For a great effort on their Maths mentals! (Being Responsible)

5/6A

Adele Chandler and Emma-Leigh Turnbull-Bennett - For a 100% effort in all tasks this week. (Being Responsible)

Nate Davis and Emily Regan - For working to a high standard at all times. (Being Responsible)

5/6B

Ella Beeson, Kacey Sanford, Alex Cawaon and Kelsey Graham - For an excellent week of learning. (Being Responsible)

5/6C

Joshua Fuller - For showing enthusiasm in all Science activities. (Being Responsible)

Abbie Clifford - For making responsible choices this week. (Being Responsible)

Tuckshop

Seedeequa Clevin - For waiting patiently at the Tuckshop. (Being Responsible)

Eli Ware - For using manners at the Tuckshop. (Being Responsible)

HPE

Roy Lewis, Caroline Tattam, Holly Barrett and Adele Chandler - For working extra hard during HPE this week. (Being Responsible)

The Arts

David Thompson, Lillian Stenhouse, Molly Davies and Emily Gaston - For being respectful and responsible in The Arts. (Being Respectful and Responsible)

Library

Sophie Squire and Jett Teunis - For listening attentively. (Being Responsible)

Damon Thurston and Kelsey Weribone - For making good use of time. (Being Responsible)

Instrumental Music

Kacey Sanford, Alkira Turnbull, Tom Mutch and Shontayne Prince - For always working hard in Instrumental Music. (Being Responsible)

Please join us on parade at 8:50am on Friday when students of the week for Week 3, Term 4 will be announced.

Buffalo Lodge Shield

Leichhardt 15760 Nixon 16990 Mitchell 14560

ST GEORGE

TENNIS CLUB

HOTSHOTS

Hot Shots Membership 2017 - FREE

Weekly Ball Fees- $5

Friday 20 October

Friday 03 November

Friday 17 November (Break up)

4pm at the tennis courts

Community Notes

• Rotary’s “En Blanc Pop Up Picnic on the Balonne” will be held on Saturday 21 October, commencing at 4pm at the Rotary Park (near boat ramp). Entertainment by “Bushfire” and Sunshine Coast Magician “Andino”. Cost is $60 per person for 3 courses picnic style. Cash bar on the day. Dress code is all white, smart casual. Tickets available at St George Florist (Pre-purchase only) until the 11th of October. Beneficiaries are all local schools and St George Youth Engagement Strategy. For more information contact Michael 0418 719 848 or Sharyn 0431 033 866.

Behaviour Focus

Be Safe.Be Safe.Be Safe.Be Safe. Participate in School Participate in School Participate in School Participate in School approved games.approved games.approved games.approved games.

Bandanna Day and Day for Daniel

Bandanna Day is coming up on 27 October, 2017 . Bandannas and pens will be sold at the Office. This is also ‘Day for Daniel’ where you can wear something red to raise awareness of Child Safety. So, wear your bandanna and something red!

Contact: Student Council

The swimming program for Term 4

will be changing from the normal

format. Keep an eye on future

newsletters for updates.

* Music * Fun kids’ activities * Food and drinks * Information and displays * Walking tours of the dam wall

School Calendar October Monday 23 Year 6 Enrolment Evening (High School) Education Week Begins Tuesday 24 P&C Meeting Thursday 26 Spelling Extravaganza Friday 27 Bandanna Day Day for Daniel World Teachers’ Day

November Friday 03 End ASG Cycle Wednesday 08 High School Transition Session Saturday 11 Remembrance Day Tuesday 21 P & C Meeting

December Monday 04 Upper School Swimming Carnival Tuesday 05 Lower School Swimming Carnival Carols on the Balonne Wednesday 06 School Awards Evening Friday 08 End ASG Cycle Final Day Term 4 End of Term Rewards Semester Two Report Cards Issued

Education Week

State Education Week will be held from Sunday 22 October until Saturday 28 October. Our school will be celebrating the talents and achievements of all students and staff and showcasing our wonderful work to the community.

Please join us at any time during the week to see what we are up to. The key activities that we are participat-ing in on top of our everyday teaching and learning are listed below.

• See our display in the Golders window – it will be there for the week!

• Test your Mathematics skills – join a class for a daily challenge – there are points awarded to each house for correct answers (the Mathletics trophy will be awarded at Friday’s parade).

• Come to class showcases - keep an eye out for your invitation.

• Come to the Spelling Extravaganza (Thursday 27 October) and test your own spelling skills as you watch our ‘Super Spellers’ compete.

• Buy a bandanna to support ‘Bandanna Day’ or wear red to raise awareness for Child Safety (Day for Daniel)

Contact: Senior Teachers

From the Head of Special Education Services

TRANSITION

Transition is the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.

Students at St George State School are constantly transitioning in everyday school life, be it from one curriculum area to another or one environment to another. Some transitions that are a little bit more special than others and become a focus for school community are Pre-Prep to school, Prep to Year 1 and Year 6 to Year 7.

Activities happening this week are:

• Pre-Prep students are welcome to come to school on Thursday and Friday morning to meet the Prep Teachers and be a Preppie for the morning.

• Some Year 6 Students are being oriented to the High School setting, and High School Staff are visiting on Thursday.

• Our current Prep students are excited by the prospect of being Year 1 students. They have their own desks and are beginning to use ‘big kid’ books!

Contact: Mrs Vicky Parker

Head of Special Education Services

Opti-MINDS State Finals

Last weekend we went away to Brisbane to compete in the State Finals for Opti-Minds. Our team was in the Language Literature challenge. There were 110 teams there to compete!

On Friday we drove to Brisbane to meet everyone at the hotel. We thought the hotel was amazing and it had beautiful views of the city. We were on Level 14! We were so excited that we couldn’t get to sleep.

On Saturday we woke up super early because we were still so excited. We went for an early morning walk to the Botanical Gardens. We played on this awesome playground and we saw some wildlife like water dragons and Freya’s mortal enemy – the ibis. We walked back to the hotel where we had morning tea and then we caught a bus to the University of Queensland. We went into the presentation hall where got a big, warm welcome from our Opti-Family. We participated in an ‘Ideas Market’ where we presented the idea that all schools should have a sustainable community garden. We got visitors to play a game of Veggie Ball where if you got 5 vegetables in the hoop you won a bag of seeds. We walked around the ideas market and learnt about other kids’ ideas on how to make our world a better place. We thought all the ideas were unashamedly excellent. Later that night we had a shindig which was amazing. It was so cool because we made so many new friends. We danced the night away.

On Sunday we had to be ready super early. Sunday was jam-packed as we had to complete our 3 hour challenge and present this to our families. The challenge was called, “What’s in a word”. We had to choose a nursey rhyme and corrupt the lyrics to change the meaning. We enjoyed watching every one else’s challenge. We thought we did really well. We made friends with Hermit Park State School from Townsville and we were very happy for them when they won our division.

It was an awesome experience. We recommend you all join Opti-Minds next year. We learnt a lot. The main message we learnt for the weekend was to… Be kind, Be amazing and to Be you!!

Thanks to our families who helped us get there and Miss Bail and Miss Wardrop for being our facilitators and to the school for supporting us financially.

Contact: Kelsey, Katie, Marshal, Freya, Hayley & Kris Opti-MINDS Participants

From the Opti-MINDS Co-Ordinators

We were extremely proud of the way our team repre-sented the school over the weekend. We would like to thank the parents for allowing them to participate and to the school for contributing most of the funds. We look forward to continuing our participation in Opti-MINDS next year!

Contact: Miss Jess Bail and Miss Sarah Wardrop Opti-MINDS Co-Ordinators

News from 5/6C

Term 3 has kicked off to a great start here in 5/6C as we have started to explore how big our solar system really is! We have created a scaled model of our solar system, which helped us see how enormous our Sun is compared to the Earth we live on. Did you know that 1,300,000 planet Earths could fit inside the Sun? We were shocked too, the Sun is HUGE!

In English this term we are looking at persuasive texts, and have thoroughly enjoyed reading the book Moon Bear Rescue. Journeying through the text, we have felt the heartache and trouble the moon bear would have faced as he was taken from his mother and had to learn how to live in a controlled environment. We look forward to discovering more about this moon bear and some of the actions people in China are taking to rescue and rehabilitate them.

We look forward to what the rest of the term will bring to 5/6C. Lots of learning and wow moments I am sure!

Contact: Miss Ellen Lee Class Teacher

From the Head of Curriculum

EARLY START

Q. What is Early Start?

A. Early Start is a suite of literacy and numeracy materials that assists teachers to determine where a student is at in the literacy and numeracy learning across the early years. At St George State School all students in Year Prep to Two participate in Early Start.

Q. When is Early Start completed?

A. Prep teachers complete the On-entry to Prep Early Start task within the first four to six weeks of Term 1. The end of year tasks for Prep to Year 2 are completed in the final four to six weeks of Term 4. This ensures that Prep teachers (and Year 1, 2 and 3 teachers in the following year) have existing data to plan differentiation of literacy and numeracy instruction from the start of Term 1.

Q. Why is it important to determine where my child is at in his/her literacy and numeracy learning?

A. Developing your child’s literacy and numeracy skills is important because these skills set the foundations for success in all of the learning areas, such as English, Mathematics, Science and History.

All of the learning areas of the Australian Curriculum require students to use their literacy and numeracy skills to learn the content and apply their learning. For example, in History students use comprehension and speaking skills to communicate and talk about what they know - these are a few of the literacy skills Early Start tracks. In Science, students need to estimate, identify patterns and begin to analyse and use data - these are some of the numeracy skills Early Start tracks.

When a teacher uses Early Start information they know the specific skills your child already has or needs to learn and they can focus on developing them when they plan to teach the curriculum.

Q. Is Early Start a test?

A. No. It is a series of one-to-one conversations between the teacher and your child. Students are not graded. All data generated from Early Start is used to support your child’s teachers in making decisions for curriculum planning, and to differentiate teaching and learning for your child.

Q. How long will Early Start take?

A. The Literacy and Numeracy tasks will take approx-imately 30 minutes each.

Q. Are parents able to view the Early Start materials?

A. Absolutely! Materials include reading books and hands-on materials such as counters and pencils. If you would like more information about Early Start, or want to check out the questions and materials used, please contact the school.

Contact: Mrs Glenda Moloney Head of Curriculum

Congratulations to our Students of the Week for Week 2 Term 4.

Congratulations to our Tuckshop Voucher Winners for Week 2, Term 4:

Matilda, Antonie and Annamė.

ST GEORGE STATE SCHOOL

18 October 2017

Dear Parents/Carers,

Approximately 18 months ago, I was honoured to accept the Acting Principal position at St George State School. I was excited with the opportunity that lay ahead and with my family’s support I was committed to providing a long and stable future for St George State School.

In recent weeks however, my wife and I have received a medical diagnosis that will potentially change our lives forever. Faced with an unknown future and need for specialist medical services, I have made the heartbreaking decision not to apply for the permanent Principal position at St George State School. This decision has not been easy and it is based on the best outcomes for my family and the future success of St George State School.

I understand that this may create a sense of uncertainty, however I assure you that the recruitment process will continue as planned and a permanent Principal will be appointed based on professional experience and capability as well as suitability to our School and community context.

In the meantime, please be assured that the staff at St George State School will continue their unrelenting dedication to high quality education and we will continue to strive for improved student outcomes through the implementation of our Strategic Plan.

I thank you for your understanding and encourage you to contact the School if you wish to discuss this matter further.

Yours sincerely,

Nathan Brown

Grey Street St George Qld 4487

PO Box 231 St George Qld 4487

Phone: (07) 46208333 Fax: (07) 46208300

Email: the.principal@stgeorgess.eq.edu.au