MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Holland Park State School

59 Abbotsleigh St, Holland Park,

Qld, 4121

Ph: (07) 3421 6222

Fax: (07) 3421 6200

Student Absences: (07) 3421 6260

Email: admin@hollparkss.eq.edu.au

THE NEWSLETTER WILL NOW ONLY BE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWI NG THROUGH HOLLAND PARK S.S WEBSITE AND ON THE QSCHOOLS APP STARTING MARCH THE 2ND. HARD COPIES AVAILABLE IN

Teaching Program Yrs. 3 to 6

Next week we take a big leap in the development and implementation of an excellent reading program from Year 3 to 6. This program will pick up on the qualities of our Prep to Year 2 pro-gram which is showing excellent outcomes for our students. These qualities are:

• Differentiation for all ability groups

• Explicit teaching of the following four areas that our essential to a good reading program:

• Vocabulary

• Fluency

• Guided reading and

• Reading Comprehension

• Consistency of good practice across all classes at each year level

• Regular collection of feedback to guide ongoing implementation

• Building the capacity of our teachers.

Our teachers have begun planning for next week’s implementation of the program including the preparation of those parts of the program that we will be implemented with the assistance of teacher aides. We have employed enough teacher aides so that each teacher will have three teacher aides to work with for a reading lesson, three days each week. As with our writ-ing initiatives we are expecting really good results for all our students.

PRINCIPAL CONT’D

NEW FINANCE PROCESS

WE ARE ENDEAVOURING TO IMPLEMENT A MORE EFFICIENT F INANCE PROCESS. AS THE PREFERRED METHOD OF COMMUNICATION IS ELECTRONIC, AL L EXCURSION LETTERS AND

INVOICES WILL BE EMAILED. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE HAVE YOUR CORRECT EMAIL ADDRESS. THIS EMAIL ADDRESS MUST BE YOUR PRIVATE E MAIL ADDRESS. IN MANY CASES WE

ARE UNABLE TO EMAIL INFORMATION DUE TO THE FACT THA T PARENTS HAVE CHANGED EMPLOYMENT AND HAVE NOT UPDATED THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS . YOU ARE ABLE TO UPDATE

YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS VIA QPARENTS.

LETTERS ARE GENERATED BY THE OFFICE STAFF AND INVOI CES ARE GENERATED BY ONE-SCHOOL. IF YOU HAVE REGISTERED FOR QPARENTS, YOU W ILL BE ABLE TO LOCATE THE INVOIC-ES THERE AND PAY VIA BPOINT, USING THE CRN AND INVO ICE NO. AT THE BOTTOM LEFT OF THE INVOICE. ALTERNATIVELY PAY VIA EFT ONLINE.

REMINDER: PLEASE UTILIZES CREDITS CARRIED ON FROM LAST YEAR

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE.

Absenteeism

Last week I wrote about the importance of punctuality and thank you, our rate of tardiness seems to have improved. It is worth remembering that just missing 10 minutes a day, while it doesn’t sound like much, amounts to 50 minutes per week. This in turn amounts to 1.5 weeks per year which by the end of year 12 amounts to half a year.

I do want to mention absenteeism. Regular attendance is crucial if students are to achieve to their poten-tial. One day missing per fortnight, means four weeks per year which in turn means that by the end of year 12, the child has missed 1.5 years of schooling. How can a child possibly achieve their potential when this is allowed to happen? For the school’s part, I am required by law to ensure that the Education Act requiring compulsory attendance is followed. We are required to follow-up with parents on unex-plained absences. If unexplained absences were to continue and requests for explanation not responded to, the school has no other option but to refer students to the relevant child protection authority.

Anthony Gribbin

Principal

FROM THE DEPUTY PRINCIPAL

Active School Travel

Our Active School Travel (AST) program will restart on Wednesday 15 March!!! This will be in line with the induction of our student leaders as these leaders do a great deal of work operationally to help the AST program run so well.

Chess

With chess seeing a ‘surge’ in popularity at Holland Park ,it is exciting to see the number of keen players growing across our school. To support this growth, we will soon be introducing lunch time chess clubs!

Several of our teachers have volunteered to ‘open their doors’ once a week to allow ‘extra’ chess skills and game time. We will of course continue with our popular Gardiner Chess group that meets every Thursday morning in the library.

Reading Fluency and its subskills

As you know one of our key foci in this and every schools is the quality teaching of reading.

We regularly deliver information and research in this area.

I have written about reading fluency in our school newsletters before.

In the excerpt below from a recent research article, I would like to highlight some strategies that both teachers and parents can use to help students improve these essential skills.

Echo reading

The two readers read the text together but because of the greater skill level, the better reader will usually be

fractionally ahead of the less able reader, modelling accuracy, rate and intonation. As the weaker reader gains

confidence, they will blend together. If the less able reader falters, he can follow along and join in again when

able to. Echo reading can be used with sections of storybooks, poems, and non-fiction books.

Paired reading

• Both partners read the text together, the more able partner gradually fading out as the less able reader gains

• confidence, and joining in again for support where necessary.

• Read along Books with CD

• Many popular children’s books come with CDs so children can listen while following along in the book.

• Parents, volunteers or older buddy readers could also record favourite stories.

Dialogues and monologues from plays

• Short scenes or monologues from plays can be used for fluency practice as they have inherent dramatic

• qualities that demand attention to prosody.

Leigh Harrod

Deputy Principal

Here are examples of writing where students have cr eated nail-biting tension. These scenes are filled with detail to make the reader feel as if they were real ly there. Check out the clever use of some of the f ive

senses to help to tighten the tension!

THE RACE OF MY LIFE Author - Lucy C. Year 4

"Racers Ready," called the coach. I snapped on my goggles and stepped up on the diving block. "Go Sara!" shout-ed Mum. That was so embarrassing. "Ready, Set, Beep!" went the recording and that was when I forgot my stroke!!! I looked at my neighbour. That's when it hit me, breaststroke! I raced down the pool, but no-one was there. Then I realised I had won!

THE CRASHING SEA Author - Louis B. Year 4

The lightning was crashing. The thunder was booming. The salty water was zapped by lightning. Oh No! It was the biggest storm on record! The waves were crashing loudly. Not only ones of water, but ones of anxiety! I was terri-fied! A wave threw me out of the boat as I was screaming. The big waves were throwing me as I could taste the salty water. Luckily, one threw me back into my boat!!

BEGINS WEEK 6—27TH FEBRUARY

Students will now have access to a new lunch time chess program. The program will give students the opportunity to participate in both stimulating and enjoyable games of chess with their friends and peers.

Tuesday – Years 1 and 2 Mrs Schilg’s room (B4) – 2nd break

Wednesday – Years 3 and 4 Mrs Savage’s room (M2) - 1st break

Thursday – Years 5 and 6 Mr Olive’s room (R16) - 2nd break

Whether you’re a novice or an expert come along and have a go.

Kind Regards, Mrs Schilg- HPSS Chess Co-ordinator.

SEVEN STEPS TO WRITING SUCCES—TIGHTING TENSION

STUDENT LUNCH TIME CHESS

HPE WITH MR WALKER

Mt Gravatt District Swim Trials

HPSS was represented by 39 students at the recent Mt Gravatt District Swimming Trials. Not only was it fantas-tic to have a large number of swimmers, it was also a great day for many of our students with some great results throughout the day. I was very impressed with their commitment and positive behaviour during the event. An awesome effort from Hannah A, Alyssa B, Matilda B, Madeline C, Alexander C, Juliette D, Matilda F, Isabelle F, Eric G, Evren G, Toby H, Amanda H, Ben H, Josephine H, Reece H, Jake I, Owen K, Phil L, Lydia M, Liam M, Finn M, Parker M, Madison O, Gray O, Charlotte P, Ella P, Grace R, Matilda R, Emily S, Max S, Maxwell S, Joshua S, Zachary S, Jessica T, Leon U, Spencer V, Jessica W, Jack W, Daniel Z.

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected into the Mt Gravatt District team. Hannah A, Matilda B, Ben H, Reece H, Jake I, Charlotte P, Joshua S and Jack W.

Thank you to Coach Phil who supported and ensured that all swimmers were prepared for each of their events resulting in a very positive swim meet. I would also like to acknowledge our parents and carers that supported on the day

Cross Country Training

We have had a fantastic response to our first Cross Country training session this week with 87 students attend-ing. On behalf of all students attending training I would like to thank David Melville for giving his time to support the training session. Please remember to be there on time, have a hat and bring along your water bottles. Train-ing sessions are Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 8.15am.

A great start to our sporting year!

This week, the Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow students were privileged to listen to Mr Cameron Dunlop from The App Team as our special guest speaker. The App Team specialise in app development. They have businesses in Sydney, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba.

Mr Dunlop inspired our students with ‘app’ ideas and information around creating a successful ‘app’ business.

Students were surprised to learn that there are over four million apps in ‘app’ stores and that around 80% of these are gaming apps. Out of all of these apps, only 5% make enough money for their business to sur-vive. This got our students thinking that their ‘Educational Apps’ are a smart business move.

Next week the ‘Entrepreneurs’ will continue coding their apps.

Stephanie Williams

ICT coach

GIFTED AND TALENTED

Gifted Awareness Week 2017 ( Australia) During Gifted Awareness week 2017 the Gifted and Talent-ed Education Committee invite you to a Parent Information evening on Monday 13 March from 6.30pm -7.30pm This event will take place in the Holland Park School Hall . All families and community members are invited to attend. Gifted Education Mentor

ENTREPRENEURS OF TOMORROW

Brainwaves Education Days of Excellence

Ed Qld Birkdale South State School announce and invite gifted and talented students of Brisbane South schools to attend their days of Excellence in March 2017 Details of these days can be located at in-fo@brainways.com.au or contact our school Gifted Education Mentor Gail Young for details and nomina-tion forms.

Gail Young GEM gyoun2@eq.edu.au On behalf of the 2017 Gifted and Talented Education Committee.

SWIMMING NEWS

FRIDAY NIGHT CLUB

It was certainly a good night for swimming last Friday night and we had our largest number of swimmers nominated for the season. This half of the season always flies bye, with only three more Club Nights before Age Championships.

The order of events this week are:- 13m/25m/50m Breaststroke, Freestyle, Backstroke, Butterfly and the 100m Backstroke being the special race for the night. Please remember to nominate by 5.00pm Thursday, by not nomi-nating adds extra time when processing the results late on a Friday night or on the weekend.

The winner of the Aqua Shop swim cap on Friday was Mia G.

Results from club are on the website. A swimmer’s place per event is advised with the time swum on a Friday in the results, so it is quite interesting to see where you are placing against everyone in an event.

The Aqua Shop has given our club, Club Loyalty Program Bonus Cards, where club members can take ad-vantage of their special discount offers. The cards are on the counter at the pool office. The cards expire on 15th March.

MOST IMPROVED AT CLUB NIGHT

The club wishes to acknowledge the great improvements in times achieved by swimmers throughout the sea-son. Each week we shall list the swimmer who took the most time off their previous best swim for the sea-son. The following children will be presented with a “Treat Voucher” for the canteen. (only 1 voucher per child per week) Friday night’s most improved were:-

RON HALL SHIELD

A list of swimmer’s who have been selected to swim for Holland Park SSASC at the Ron Hall Shield on Saturday 4th March, will be advised shortly.

The club is hoping for some more girls 6yrs and under to complete the 25m events in Breaststroke and Butterfly at club over the next couple of Friday’s, so they can swim for the club at the carnival. Warm up is 3.30pm with racing starting at 4pm.

DATES FOR THE DIARY

Ron Hall Shield – Saturday 4th March

Age Championships – 10th and 17th March

Trophy Night – 24th March

Wet’N’Wild – 26th March;

TUCKSHOP

TUCKSHOP ALWAYS NEEDS VOLUNTEERS IF YOU’RE AVAILABLE ONCE A MONTH FROM

9AM—11:30AM PLEASE CONTACT MELISA ON 0408628800 BY TEXT WITH YOUR DETAILS

TUCKSHOP NO LONGER ACCEPTS BAGS OVER THE COUNTER. ALL

ORDERS MUST BE MADE ONLINE.

If you haven't signed up online yet, now is the time to do so. Go to www.school24.net.au and register. HPSS registration ID: 25245963.

FROM THE OFFICE

Please remember our office hours are 8am to 4pm.

Finance Reminder! Credit Cards: Minimum payment is $10.

SCHOOL CALENDAR

23 Feb Year 2 Bug Lady incursion

24 Feb Interschool Sport

1st Mar Year 3 Lone Pine Excursion

7th Mar PGY, PAF, PMD Lone Pine Excursion

8th Mar Year 5 “Spirit of Polynesia” Incursion

SCHOOL WATCH - 13 17 88

9th Mar PTS, PJC Lone Pine Excursion

SCHOOL RULES

5C TIP OF THE WEEK

COMMUNITY LIAISON OFFICER

Credit on your account: Please remember to deduct your credit from your next invoice payment, in particular when you pay by EFT. We appreciate your patience with excursion notes and invoices as we are transitioning our payment process through BPoint and in the near future QParents. We will be holding information sessions for parents in the very near future.

OUR SCHOOL RULES ARE:

• Be safe • Be responsible

• Be respectful

STAYING SAFE BEFORE SCHOOL PREP with parent, Yrs1,2 under Bblock & sails near D. Yrs3,4 under Cblock & sails, Yrs5,6 under F&G blocks and between G&H

• Stay out of classrooms unless a teacher is present

• Stay off stairs and verandahs

• Walk, not run, on hard surfaces

• Keep away from out of bounds areas such as out-side library

We act safely, responsibly & respectfully by follow -ing The Five ‘Cs’: COURTESY Remember your manners:

• Use please & thank-you manners

• Use ‘Good morning’ & ‘Good afternoon’ greetings

• Make eye contact & smile at others

(1) Class Parent Representatives – Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to take on the roll of Class Parent Representative for their class, I will be emailing you the forms very soon. If you would like more information about the role, please email me.

(2) QParents – All Prep and new families have been sent (via email) their QParent Account Owners Refer-ence Number to register. All these families will also need their child’s EQ ID number, if you haven’t been giv-en this number, once again, please email me and I can forward it to you. Please remember this will be the only way to access any school report cards later in the year.

(3) QSchools – Don’t forget you can sign up to this app, nominate Holland Park State School as your preference, it will alert you to school events, notifications, news feeds, calendar events, newsletters, etc.

(4) Email Addresses – Just a reminder to our families that we prefer private email addresses on our records, as opposed to work email addresses, people leave their positions and don’t notify us, emails are sent and then rejected. If you would like to check what email address you have provided, please contact me.

Kind Regards,

Karen.

Email: koliv33@eq.edu.au

P&C NEWS

P&C Meeting Under The Stars!

If you haven't yet joined the Holland Park State School P&C, join up now!

Receive updates on what is going on within the school and in the wider community - Contribute to discussions about fundraising events and how funds are used to benefit our school - Meet other HPSS families - Have your say - Share ideas and your enthusiasm and be a part of the success of our school!

Keep an eye on the school noticeboards, in the school newsletters, on our facebook page, an on our website for details of upcoming events - there are many ways you can be involved, or you can sup-port the event by just coming along!

To join the P&C before the meeting to receive a copy of the Agenda - simply complete the attached Member Applica-tion Form, email pandc@hollparkss.eq.edu.au, or visit the school website at https://hollparkss.eq.edu.au/Ourcommunity/PandC to download an Application Form at any time. Member Application Forms will also be availa-ble at the first meeting if you don't get to sign up in advance. New Members Welcome!

You’re invited to a P&C meeting with a difference t o welcome new families to HPSS and new members to t he P&C. Come and catch-up, meet new people and enjoy a drink before we dive into business! We’ll also sho w you the work being done to refresh the outdoor thea tre – a wonderful learning space, and one of many P &C projects.

When Wednesday 22 February

6.45pm Pre-meeting drinks and nibbles (gold coin per drink)

7.30pm P&C meeting

Where The outdoor theatre (below the tennis courts). If it rains we’ll move to the Library (our usual meeting venue)

RSVP PLEASE REMEMBER TO RSVP by 18/2/17 for catering purposes by sending an email to hpsspc.secretary@yahoo.com.au .

We'll be serving a selection of soft drinks, wine and beer prior to the meeting, with a range of light snacks.

OUTDOOR THEATRE REFRESH … Can you help with the fin al stage?

Our volunteers have done a wonderful job with new stairs and back-drop, replacing floor boards, installing new mirrors, lighting and fans in the dressing rooms as well as improving the sound system. We need help with the final stage…

For this we need:

· Painters

· Loan equipment such as spray painting guns and scaffolding / ladders to help keep costs down

Can you come to our "Painting Bee" on the weekend of 18 & 19 February ? Any time you can spare would be greatly appreciat-ed! The more volunteers we have, the easier the job will be to get finished!

If you can lend a hand to paint or own painting equipment we can borrow please email hpssvolunteers@gmail.com with your contact details, or call Martyn on 0437 726 092. Once you’re signed up we’ll keep you informed.

P&C NEWS AND COMMUNITY

Active School Travel

AST to launch Wednesday 15 March!

Get back into the AST groove – Active School Travel will now launch for 2017 on Wednesday 15 March, with a bonus day on Friday 17 March. Stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, brush up on those scooting, riding and walking skills so you're ready to get back into the groove.

If your passport has actively travelled out of your life over the school holidays, you can pick up a replacement at the office. Parents and carers of prep students should have received theirs in the

prep information pack (the one at the teacher interviews).

Easter Eggstravaganza!

Sunday 19th March : 1pm - 4pm

If you are interested in volunteering at this fun event, please email us at hpssvolunteers@gmail.com with "Easter" in the subject line and let us know if you have a particular area where you wish to assist (see list below) or whether you are happy to have a task nominated for you. Assistance is required in the following areas:

· Set Up

· Sausage Sizzle

· Baking

· Cake Stall

· Treasure Hunt Marshalls

· Pack Up