Newsletter From The Principals Desk

Dear Parents and Community Members

Welcome to term 2, I hope everybody had a great break

after the floods. We have a big term with lots of learning to

do with many holidays. I am proud to say even with a short

term 1 our students were able to achieve great results at

moderation.

It was fantastic to see the large number of students

representing the school at the Halifax March for ANZAC

Day. All students showed great respect and are to be

commended on their behaviour.

Next Friday, 11th May is the District Cross Country starting

at 9.30am. The whole school will be attending so please

complete the attached permission form.

For any students who do not have a school hat, they are

available to purchase from the office for $15. Students

must have hats to participate in outdoor activities.

We have recently appointed a new grounds person and I

must say that the grounds are looking great. We have

replaced the school signs as well, and I have to say a big

thank you to Michelle Thompson for organising the signs

being put in place.

We have finalised the planning for school camp. Camp will

be at Airlie Beach on 21 August. We will need to raise

$7500 and we will need to participate in helping to

fundraise the money needed for this great camp. A letter

will go out shortly asking for a camp deposit.

Donald Pritchard

Principal Halifax SS

Date 1st May, 2018

Issue 4

Halifax State School 17 Victoria Terrace, Halifax QLD

4850

P: (07) 47777132

F: (07) 47777389

E: admin@halifaxss.eq.edu.au

Important dates

7th

May – Public Holiday – Labour Day

11th

May – District Cross Country

15th

-17th

May – NAPLAN (Yr 3,5)

25th

May – Under 8’s Day (P-2)

Our School Rules

Courtesy

Cooperation

Commitment

Consideration

THIS WEEKS FOCUS

YCDI – Organisation

SCHOOL RULE: Cooperation

Absent Letters and phone calls

Please call the school in the morning if your

child is going to be absent for the day.

This is our improvement priority for 2018.

• READ UPRegular reading is a stepping stone to better writing and helps kids’ strengthen their writing

skills. It helps expand children’s vocabulary and shows them different ways of using words. This also

makes it easier for them to use these words in their own writing.With younger children, make sure you’re

reading together every day and encouraging their love of reading as they grow. Start reading early—many children who devour books grow up to become strong writers themselves.

• MAKE IT FUN!Play games and activities that encourage writing. Crossword puzzles and word games

are great for everyone. Little ones will especially like the “write the word” game: where they search for items and write down the word when they find each item.

• CREATE WRITING WORKSHEETSFor young children just learning to write, try creating a worksheet

where they can trace letters and words. Write out letters and words, place another piece of paper on top, and have your child trace onto the blank piece of paper. You can also create a connect-the-dots game by having your child trace along dotted lines and then tell you which letter or word she or he finds.

• TRY DIFFERENT MATERIALSSwitch it up by writing with something other than a pen or pencil.

Sidewalk chalk on the driveway, finger painting, or a salt writing tray are all fun writing activities that will also help build kids’ writing skills.

WRITE LETTERSToday, writing letters is a bit of a lost art. Encourage your child to write letters to friends or

family members. Distant family members will especially love receiving handwritten letters and it’s a great way

to work on improving writing skills for kids.Pen-pals are also a fun idea, or you can even write letters to each

other and leave them around the house to find!

This week’s Behavioural Article

Continuing the article on resilience.

Resilience is being able to bounce back from stress, challenge, tragedy, trauma or adversity. When children

are resilient, they are braver, more curious, more adaptable, and more able to extend their reach into the

world.

The great news is that resilience is something that can be nurtured in all children.

1. Model resiliency. Imitation is such a powerful way to learn. The small humans in your life will want to be just like you, and

they’ll be watching everything. Without pitching it above what they can cope with, let them see how you deal

with disappointment. Bringing them into your emotional world at appropriate times will help them to see that

sadness, stuckness, disappointment are all very normal human experiences. When experiences are

normalised, there will be a safety and security that will open the way for them to explore what those

experiences mean for them, and experiment with ways to respond.

‘I’m disappointed that I didn’t get the job, but that’s because it was important to me. It’s nice to have things

that are important to you, even if they don’t end the way you want them to. I did my very best in the interview

and I know I’ll be okay. That one wasn’t the job for me, but I know there is going to be one that is perfect. I

just have to keep trying and be patient.

2. Facing fear – but with support. Facing fear is so empowering (within the limits of self-preservation of course – staying alive is also

empowering) but to do this, they need the right support – as we all do. Kids can be fairly black and white

about things so when they are faced with something difficult, the choices can seem like only two – face it

Students of the Week 1

Congratulations to

Jack

Students of the Week 2

Congratulations to

Luke

head on or avoid it at all costs. But there is a third option, and that is to move gradually towards it, while

feeling supported and with a certain amount of control.

3. Encourage them to take safe, considered risks. Let them know that the courage they show in doing something brave and difficult is more important than the

outcome. Age-appropriate freedom lets them learn where their edges are, encourages them to think about

their decisions, and teaches them that they can cope with the things that go wrong. When they take risks

they start to open up to the world and realise their capacity to shape it. There’s magic in that for them and for

us.

‘I love how brave you are. When you try harder and harder things, they might not always work out, but it

means you’re getting stronger, smarter, braver and you’ll be closer to getting it next time.’

GOTCHA WINNERS

Congratulations to

Jack

Carter

Recent Events

Colour Run

Students had great fun attending a colour run at Forrest Beach SS last term.

ANZAC Day Halifax State School students proudly represented the school at the Halifax Parade.