School Newsletter Term 3 - 18 August 2020

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to Week 6 of the third term. This term is travelling along very quickly and it’s wonderful to see our students engaged in learning and working hard to meet the assessment criteria for achievement. I am looking forward to the term continuing in a fluid and incident free fashion. However, we also must be mindful and prepared if things related to COVID were to impact our community. As a result, I have included the following two sections for your interest.

If we are required to respond to a positive case, it is important that all parent and family details are correct. This in-cludes: mobile phone numbers, email addresses, residential addresses, and up to date emergency contact infor-mation. If a blanket response is required, all the information will be sent out through text and email. Please support us to support you.

COVID – 19 Contingency Last week our regional office delivered with some keys messages with regard to COVID – 19 and school prepa-ration. Central office has been actively working on contingency plans in case we are required to respond to an outbreak. If something does occur, the model this time around will be very different to the first time. Three possible options may happen: A 48 hour shut down and deep clean A 14 day lockdown with specific actions to occur during the first 4 days. A postcode lock down

If we were to be impacted by COVID the information will be provided to us through Qld Health, as will the di-

rection to our next steps.

At this stage everything is business as usual with attendance, teaching and learning, hygiene, social distancing

and visitors to the school.

Information for parents and community is readily available through this link. Of course Hambledon State School will continue to implement the Queensland Health recommended preventative actions to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. • keep 1.5 metres apart • wash hands frequently • stay at home if unwell

The next meeting of the P&C is scheduled for Tuesday 15th of Sept 9:15am. Please RSVP so we can ensure we meet all Government Health Guidelines. pandc@hambledonss.eq.edu.au

COLDS AND FLU Although we want students to attend school everyday as this is important for their learning, we do not want sick students at school. If students are sick, being at home in bed is the best way for them to recover. The current strains are very strong and although most staff received flu vaccinations, we still have a number of absences due to illness. • avoid large gatherings and crowded indoor spaces, and • practise good hygiene.

Public Education — Building Great Australian Lives Our State Schools are the bedrock of our community, founded on the principles of inclusion, diversity, excellence and equality. As a Principal, I feel extremely honoured and proud to be a school leader in a State School. Access to high quality education builds community wellbeing and social cohesion and equips students with the skills and ca-pabilities needed in a rapidly changing world. Most people had a teacher who helped shape their future. Wonderful examples of how engaging and successful public education is can be viewed by checking out the videos highlighting the success of some of Australia’s state school graduates: https://publiceducationfoundation.org.au/campaign/ #PublicEducation #ProudlyPublic I believe State Schools are Great Schools and do a magnificent job of ensuring every child receives the best oppor-tunities to be successful.

Home and School Partnerships Enhance Learning Learning at school is one of the many ways that children learn and develop, however learning begins well before a child enters school. I regularly write in newsletters of the importance of strong home / school partner-ships as it is well known that parents and carers play a critical role in providing many learning opportunities for children at home, linking what children learn at school with what happens elsewhere. Our school has a strong focus on developing reading skills of children from the time they commence Prep. Children are exposed to reading every day at school. It is well known among educational experts that the better children are able to read and comprehend, the more likely they will achieve better edu-cational outcomes. The importance of read-ing every day at home or practising sight words daily (for younger developing children), cannot be stressed enough. The more that children are exposed to reading (whether it be silent or shared with a parent), the more practice they are having at perfecting this essential skill. Questions and discussions about what they have been reading im-proves their comprehension and understanding. I would encourage all parents and carers to share the joy of read-ing with your child for 10 – 15 minutes every night.

Pupil Free Day Friday the 4th of September is a Pupil Free Day. Please ensure arrangements are made for child care as no staff will be available for supervision on this day.

Walkways Our covered walkways are now finished and our year 6 students have moved back in, they couldn't be happier to be back 'home'.

Reminder - Physical distancing within schools We encourage staff, parents and other adult visitors to observe physical distancing measures by not congregating in areas inside or around the school. For example, it is important that parents do not gather before or after school, in the car park, at drop off and pick up time, outside classrooms or at the school gate.

Attendance

“Attend today and Achieve tomorrow” Unknown

Explaining your child’s absence

It is a legal requirement that all school absences be ex-plained. For your convenience, contacting the school to ex-plain absences can be done in multiple ways.

Phone the absence line and leave a voicemail

Reply to the absence SMS

Email your child’s class teacher

Send in a note on your child’s return

Thank you for working with us to ensure absences are ex-plained.

Tips to help improve your child’s attendance Talk to your child about school and how important it is.

Reward good behaviour and not bad behaviour. For example, if your child refuses to go to school, do not let them have access to their phones or the internet.

Set a good example. Show them how you keep to your own commitments.

Encourage your child to take on hobbies that your child enjoys such as sports and clubs. This will help them develop positive relationships outside of the classroom

have a set time to do homework and go to bed.

leave all technology out of their bedroom

pack their school bag the night before with everything they need.

have a set time for breakfast.

plan to meet up with a friend so they can travel to school together.

The school is here to work with families to maximise attendance and get the best learning outcomes for all of our children. Please contact your child’s class teacher if you would like support in developing regular school attendance.

Term 3 Attendance goals

92% attendance

< 30 unexplained school absences per week

Parking We are excited to announce that over the next few weeks we have local businesses sup-porting the lucky Positive Parent Parking Voucher. A huge thank you to Banjo’s Bakery Cafe for offering vouchers for a free sausage roll and coffee for 2 lucky winners for the next 3 weeks.

Congratulations The lucky winners of our Parent Parking

Vouchers donated by Jackley’s Bakehouse are:

Sam, Year 2

Tia, Prep

Student from Year 2

Jasmine, Year 3

Emily, Year 5

Jaylen ,Year 4

Jekoah Year 2

Thank you for keeping our students, families and staff safe by following the road rules.

If it wasn’t you, don’t be concerned. Simply park correctly again and go into the draw this coming Friday.

Thank you again to Jackley’s Bakehouse for all of your support.

Mural

A big thank you to the P&C for organising and funding the new mural in the Senior Multipurpose area. The stu-dents have done an amazing job alongside Dan Wallwork who took the students’ design and developed the con-cept you see before us. It has brightened up the area considerably while providing an opportunity for the year 6 students to leave a legacy as they transition to high school next year. The Reef Guardians provided the inspiration for the mural through the work they are doing.

Jane’s Jottings Well-functioning, healthy and positive families make time for talking and listening, show affection and encouragement, ac-cept differences, share chores and decisions, keep in touch and make family time. Make time for talking and listening. Often parents forget that talking with children can be difficult and that they think in different ways from grown-ups. Try to remember how it was for you. The people you liked were probably those who listened to what you had to say. Listening means not only hearing the words but working out what your child is feeling behind the words. Listen without jumping in with answers or lecturing or criticising. Remember what it feels like when you want to talk and have someone just listen. Check that you’re hearing your child correctly by repeating what you have heard but in different words. Show you are in-terested with brief fill-ins like ‘Mmm, go on’ or ‘Really!’ ‘Put down’ messages, threatening and blaming are likely to make your child feel bad or hopeless.

Ten Keys to Happiness As we move further into the term we are given an opportunity to reflect and plan to start afresh next year. Hopefully you will return from the Christmas break rested, recharged and with great intentions.

I find Action For Happiness movement’s “Ten Keys to Happier Living” useful in providing practical tips and maintaining my focus. Visit www.actionforhappiness.org

Do Things For Others – rather than waiting for somebody else on staff to take the initiative and do something for staff wel-fare this year, be that person. Create a roster for special morning teas, birthday celebrations or a once a term social event.

Connect With People – focus this year on being a great listener. At times we can get so busy with our work in schools that we rush from one task to the next. This year, take time to really connect with a couple of colleagues. Concentrate on taking the time to really listen to how they are and what is happening in their world, away from school.

Take Care of Your Body – establish good exercise routines this year. Whether it is walking the dog, going to the gym or riding a bike, it takes three weeks for an activity to become a habit. Work hard and commit to the activity until it becomes part of your routine. Unfortunately exercise is often the first thing that many people stop doing when they get busy and stressed. Yet exercise is the one thing they should do to reduce and manage that stress.

Notice the World Around – challenging students or situations can dominate our thinking. We can at times get caught up in the negative aspects of our work. However, there are many great as-

pects of our work in schools that can go by unnoticed.

Keep Learning New Things – learning something new challenges us and can take us out of a rut. Being engrossed in learning a new skill can take our mind off our current work challenges and can help us keep things in perspective.

Have Goals to Look Forward to – planning your next holiday or a family event gives us something to look forward to. Plan-ning for a holiday can be almost as rewarding as the holiday itself.

Find Ways to Bounce Back – it can be helpful to reflect on whether the problem you are faced with is something that you can do something about. If it is, consider your options and take action. Continuing to procrastinate is probably not helping. If you can’t change it, change the way that you think about it.

Take a Positive Approach – being realistic is important but dwelling on the negative doesn’t help & can become overwhelm-ing. Look for the positive aspects of a situation.

Be Comfortable With Who You Are – comparing yourself with others is not helpful and can often lead us to feeling unful-filled. We don’t have to “keep up with the Joneses”. Life is not a contest to be won. Your self-worth should come from within rather than the constant pursuit of ‘possessions’.

Be Part of Something Bigger – our work in schools is important. Every day we have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the families that we work with.

Focusing on the BIG picture of our work can helps us achieve a sense of satisfaction.

Steve Francis MScM, BEd, DipT www.SteveFrancis.net.au

Happiness is not some-

thing ready made.

It comes from your

own actions.

Dalai Lama

WHAT MAKES INDEPENDENT & SUCCESSFUL READERS? Taken from Anne Bayetto—Read, Record, Respond

Why do teachers send books home to be read? Teachers listen to your child read, record how he or she has read a book, and use this information to plan lessons

that meet his or her learning needs. Teachers send books home so children will have valuable opportunities to practise what is taught at school

Your child may have already read the take-home book and be able to tell you about it. However, as with any de-veloping skill, additional practice will help your child to improve his or her word recognition, comprehension and fluency.

Another benefit is that you can get a sense of how your child is progressing. When can I find the time for my child to read the take-home book? Children arrive home from school looking for relaxation and entertainment. How this ‘down time’ is used is

different for all children—it may involve playing sport, watching TV, using a computer or tablet, attending inter-est clubs, seeing friends, or enjoying time alone.

So, how might you fit reading the take-home book into a busy day? The ideal situation would be to sit with your child, but that’s not always possible. Here’s how you might manage a busy weeknight scenario.

Case Study—Reading a book in the car As you’re travelling in the car, ask your child to read to you from the back seat. While you can’t see the book, you’ll know whether what is said ‘sounds right’. If what your child is reading doesn’t sound right, you could say: Sorry, I missed that bit. Can you read it to me again? I’m not sure what the author meant there I love that bit. Read it to me again So what was (the character) doing? I wish I could see the pictures/photos/drawings. Tell me about them. Who was it that said…? What did they say about…? What did you just say? These approaches can also be used when preparing meals. Reading a book at home If you are able to listen to your child read at home, there are a few points to consider: Set aside a usual time for reading because routine helps to develop a readiness to read. Let your child choose the place for reading. Successful reading can happen on the floor, out the back and in the

cubby house! Encourage your child to hold the book so he or she becomes familiar with handling it (turning the pages and so

on). In the case of an e-book that is displayed on a tablet device or computer, give your child time to become familiar with how to navigate through the e-book and interact with it.

What if my child refuses to read What should you do if your child doesn’t want to read the take-home book? You may hear comments such as: Do I have to? I’m too tired The teacher didn’t say I had to (check with the

teacher so you know what is expected) I forgot to bring it home (check your child’s

school bag) Can’t I just finish…? That book’s boring/dumb/stupid…

It’s at this point that you may like to use one of the following strategies-because some reading practice is better than no reading practice. Use a timer (kitchen, sport) so your child understands that the reading practice will be for a short period. Read the book aloud to your child. Read the book aloud to your child but have your child read words that you know he or she can already read. Have your child point to the words while you read the words aloud. Read the book aloud together Read half the book each Put a sticky note a few pages ahead and tell your child they just need to read to the sticky note Say, ‘I’ll read it to you and then you can read it to me” When reading a story (fiction book try changing the names of characters to your family’s names! If the book is available as an audio book, have your child read along with the narrator Download audio books onto a computer, smart phone or tablet device and have your child read along with the

narrator Suggest that your child reads the book into a voice recorder or into a microphone (even if the microphone doesn’t

work) Ask your child to read to a stuffed toy, for example, a favourite teddy bear) Your child could also read to a sibling

or placid pet Encourage your child to read to a relative or friend via a video call Have your child read the book using a different voice Have your child use a puppet to do the reading Give your child a special pointer e.g. A magic wand Give your child a reading cape or reading hat to wear Let your child read using a handheld torch, book light or head torch Link reading the book with after-school or after-meal snacks Take the book with you to appointments to read while awaiting (eg at the doctors) If your child wants to start staying up later (as they get older) tell him or her that when the book has been read

they can read other books in bed. If they don’t want to read then they can turn out the light. After reading the book, it is essential that both of you talk about the author’s message.

Come down and have a look at some of the

‘cool’ books, kits, posters and stationary we

have on offer at our Arctic Adventure Book

Fair.

Date: 24th August– TBA

Time: TBA

Location: C Block

Book Fair– Coming soon

Please note, there will be some changes to book fair this year due to COVID restrictions

Students will have the opportunity to browse and purchase during class visits.

Do you have a child due to enrol into Prep for 2021?

Children born between 1st July 2015 and 30th June 2016 are eligible

to enrol in Prep for 2021.

If you would like to register your interest, please complete and return an Expression of Interest

form which is available on our website or via the Administration Office.

On Friday we had a little celebration to recognise all of the hard work put in by our Middle Management Team. Here is a little poem of appreciation written beautifully by Terrin and Courtney in year 5.

Year 5 Students are currently working on a poetry unit and this was the perfect opportunity for them to put their new found knowledge and skills into place.

Thank you for helping out

Teamwork is what it’s all about

Thank you for all the support

Thank you for all you’ve taught

We give you our thanks and appreciate

Because what you’ve done is great

Our whole school and everyone

Thinks that you’re really fun

Thank you Ms Termaat, Mrs Sutton and Miss Baker

You’ve done really well, you can’t make it greater

Thank you Miss Kristie, Mrs Crawford and Mrs Farrell

You’ve taught us a lot, a whole big barrel!

Thank you Mrs Bussell, Mrs Robinson and Mr Lamond

You’ve done really good, we’re really quite fond

Thank you Miss Bilic, although you are new

When we see you we scream “Woo hoo!”

THANK YOU