27 April 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Welcome to learning from home Week Two after a historic first week.

Parent and staff feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, which is certainly a credit to the resilience of our parents and our supportive staff. I would like to sincerely thank all families for their support and appreciate that patience has been required especially early in the week. Please congratulate your children and their teachers for their support, persistence and application to learning.

Learning from home was never expected to flow smoothly to begin with, especially being online, simply due to the high volume of users at the same time. Parents and staff right across the State have experienced difficulties with internet speed or various platforms like ‘One Note’ and at times emails not being accessible.

Our school strategy of providing multiple learning modes (online through our School Portal, USB, hardcopy and teacher emails) has been beneficial compared with schools that have put all their ‘eggs in the one basket’ or mode of learning. Often where one mode has not worked an alternative has. I particularly thank Adrian Grieg for his expertise in this area.

The Department of Education in partnership with Microsoft have been working around the clock to problem solve issues being experienced and certainly the improvement has been noticeable over the week. No doubt we will continue to experience some issues as we progress this week. Don’t stress if this is the case, simply leave it and try again at a later time. Even if a whole day is unsuccessful, I want to reassure you that it is ok, just start a fresh tomorrow. Remember students only need to be learning for a few hours a day not normal school hours.

Many families have changed their initial mode of learning or found that a variety of modes works best for their family.

A few families have found it difficult to get their children to participate or follow parent instructions. This also is to be expected as some children don’t like to follow teacher instructions at school either. Understandably this will cause heighten anxieties and stress in the home. I want to be very clear that the answer is not sending your children to school at this time. The whole idea of our current situation is to prevent the spread of the virus and do so by protecting students, staff and your families. Learning at this point comes second to safety. I also want to acknowledge that mental health for some families at this time is proving extremely challenging, please don’t hesitate to call our Guidance Officer, Chaplain or myself if you would like a chat or require support in this area, we are here for you.

Some successful strategies to try if learning from home is not working as well as you would like are:

1. Reduce the expectations of work students are required to do and break it into smaller chunks of learning followed by a preferred activity for the student.
2. Call your teacher and talk through the situation, it will be different for every family. The teacher in some cases may modify the work the student is doing. The teacher can also call students daily to discuss lessons and support student learning, give tips to parents and help clarify expectations.
3. Call the school or email and arrange to speak with one of the following School Support Staff, it is their role to support you and they are currently working with families and having great success.
   - Jodie Kyte (Learning Support Teacher - at school Mon, Tue, Thr, Fri) jkyte2@eq.edu.au
   - Sharon Furlong (Head of Special Education Support – at school every day) sfurl2@eq.edu.au
   - Kirsty Brady (Guidance Officer – at school every Tuesday and second Thursday) kbrad125@eq.edu.au
   - Peta Cave (Wellbeing and Engagement/Behaviour- at school Mon and Tue) pcave2@eq.edu.au
   Brent Heiniger (Literacy Coach- at school every day) bhein13@eq.edu.au
   - Becky Francis (Chaplain – Student and Parent Wellbeing – at school Mon, Tue, Wed) rfran0@eq.edu.au
   - Adrian Grieg (Innovation Teacher and Technical Support- at school every day) ajgre2@eq.edu.au
   - Dave Sanderson (Technical Support – at school Wed, Thur) dsand86@eq.edu.au
4. As a family rediscover our awesome Hinterland and take your kids for an active adventure in nature. It is refreshing and does wonders for your mental health when we combine exercise with nature. Starting Saturday restrictions will be eased allowing household members to go for a picnic, exercise and drive of up to 50 Km from their house.

ANZAC Day 2020

It has been amazing to see the creative ways everyone in our Country has commemorated ANZAC Day this year. How wonderful it has been to see so many people taking a more active role in this day by organising their own form of reflecting and paying their respects. Each year I normally attend two or three services and am always proud to be a part of such a strong school representation in our Maleny ANZAC services and parade. This year I managed to attend two services, one at dawn (in our driveway) and one at 10:00am with my family. Both were in our street. Truly an ANZAC Day to remember. If you have any photos of your children on ANZAC Day and would like them posted on Facebook please send them in.

I have included some pictures of students of essential workers laying a flower near our memorial plaque at the front of our school. The pine tree growing behind the plaque was grown from a seed of the last standing pine tree at Lone Pine Gallipoli.

Our P&C Annual General Meeting has been postponed until next month due to unforeseen circumstances at this time. We will still hold our normal General meeting this Wednesday night 29th April at 6:30pm by Skype. Please join us if you can.

2020 Maleny State School
P & C Monthly General Meeting

Please also fill out a Application for P&C Membership form (attached) by email to the Secretary llorac@outlook.com.au

To nominate for an executive position or position on a committee for our future May P&C AGM

You will need someone to nominate you for the position and a seconder. Executive Nomination forms and membership forms can be sent to the Secretary Kylie McAuliffe llorac@outlook.com.au prior to the meeting.

NOTE: It is a requirement that all positions are held by members.

For a bit of fun with the family

Who can make it through correctly the fastest? (Google and you will find similar more interactive online versions.)

Looking for Reading materials for your children

Don’t forget that you have access to eBooks Digital Library for all Students.

(Note: previous email letter sent with same info below)

Maintenance of Reading for students is extremely important.

To support the students with their reading we are providing an online Education Queensland eBooks Digital Library solution.

This will enable children to continue to develop their passion for reading from a large list of fiction and non-fiction book titles. With over 45000 titles in the collection there will be something for everyone.

Using the Sora app the eBooks Digital Library will enable every student at the school with internet access and a device to borrow up to 10 books at one time and even put holds on up to 3 popular, in-demand titles. Books can be downloaded to their device for offline reading. Books when due are automatically returned. No overdue books!

There are 3 types of eBooks available.

• Standard eBooks that can be read as you would a normal paperback book;
• Read-a-long eBooks that are great for early readers, which have narration of the text (even highlighting words being read in some books);
• Audiobooks that allow you to sit back and relax and listen to your favourite story being read to you. Great for listening with headphones or even connecting to a speaker/ TV for the whole family to enjoy.

The only thing required to log into the eBooks Digital Library is your child’s school computer username. Most children from years 2 - 6 will know their username by heart. It stays with them their entire state school career until year 12. For younger students (Prep, Year 1) class teachers have sent home school credential cards with details. These include school username (which is needed for this eBook Digital Library), each child’s school email address and current password. The additional use of credential details (email address, username or password) may be needed for other school online services at a later stage. If you have not received these please email your class teacher.

Multiple students can use the one device to access the eBooks Digital Library. Children just need to be shown how to log out when finished to allow for brothers or sisters to log into their account. Alternatively, multiple devices can be used to read from. The Sora eBook reader (downloadable app for Android/ iOS or compatible web browser on a computer) will sync a student’s eBooks remembering where they were up to.

If your children are having any issues accessing the eBooks Digital Library please send an email to Mr Greig (ajgre2@eq.edu.au) to assist with checking the student account and their access to the service.

Enjoy your reading!

Stay Safe John

From the Deputy Principal

Australian Curriculum for Years 3-4

If you recall from my last two Familygram issues, I am writing a series of segments regarding the Australian Curriculum, today’s write up relates to the teaching of English, Mathematics and Science in Year 3 and Year 4. With many parents assisting their own children with their learning at home some of the key points are areas that parents may wish to focus on.

In Years 3 and 4, students become more independent; they communicate with others more effectively.

English and Mathematics continue to be a priority, and literacy and numeracy are developed across all learning areas.

The curriculum further builds the essential knowledge and skills in literacy, consolidating ‘learning to read and write’.

English in Years 3 and 4

In Years 3 and 4, students read and write about familiar content that relates to other learning areas. Students read more difficult texts on their own, such as chapter books and non-fiction information and can write in different styles.

Typically, students will:

• read and understand a range of different types of texts that explore imaginative and informative topics
• recognise and write texts that persuade and explain
• write imaginative texts that include characters and events
• recognise that pictures or graphics can be important to add meaning
• recognise different kinds of language used in text, depending on the audience and purpose
• learn information or ideas from texts
• use mostly correct grammar, including simple and compound sentences
• use accurate spelling and punctuation, and edit their own writing
• plan and make presentations to the class
• engage in discussions to share ideas and information, communicating clearly with others.

Mathematics in Years 3 and 4

In Years 3 and 4, students further develop their understanding of number, patterns and relationships, measurement and geometry. Modelling fractions and decimals using concrete materials is a crucial focus at this stage.

Typically, students will:

• choose strategies to add, subtract, multiply and divide
• represent the value of money and make simple calculations
• recall multiplication facts
• represent fractions on a number line
• explore addition, subtraction and multiplication number patterns
• measure temperatures, lengths, shapes and objects
• solve problems involving time, and read maps
• create symmetrical shapes and classify angles
• construct graphs and list a likelihood of events.

Science in Years 3 and 4

Students develop their understanding about how science relates to their lives. They pose and answer questions and investigate in a more systematic way, developing understanding of a fair test and variables.

Typically, students will:

• observe heat as a form of energy and investigate how it affects solids
• explore regular and predictable cycles through a study of day and night
• explore the action of forces
• realise that living things form parts of ecosystems
• understand that actions of humans can have an effect on their world.

Just a Reminder…

During the current unprecedented times, just a reminder to the wonderful parents out there that are tackling the huge job of teaching their children at home, if you are struggling with the online resources or even the paper resources…if you need to put these aside to save your sanity that’s okay. If you think about the basic literacy and numeracy skills such as – Reading every day, Writing every day and working through some practical Mathematics eg. fractions used in cooking, working out cost of items from a catalogue and working out change that could be given, working out distances and length of time to get somewhere/cost of petrol required - these are all practical life skills that can benefit your child’s learning.

Paula Heiniger – Deputy Principal

SWPBL (School Wide Positive Behaviour Learning)

Be a Learner – Learn to listen, listen to learn

This term we start off with the BUZZ phrase “Learn to listen, listen to learn”. This is an important Be a Learner focus whether learning at school or from home.

When you are learning from home remember that your parents/guardians/family are there to help you and it is very important to listen to them so that you are learning during this time. Be a Learning Legend and Learn to listen, listen to learn.

This means:

• I use whole body listening – eyes watching, ears listening, body facing the speaker
• I listen without interrupting
• I raise my hand if I have a question or don’t understand, but I wait until the person speaking has finished
• I take deep breaths to calm myself so that my brain is ready to learn.
• I think about what is being said and check that I understand.

All of the staff at Maleny State School are very proud of everyone being a Learning Legend during this time when most people are learning from home. We can’t wait to see everyone back at school soon.

Prep A & Prep B

Prep News

It certainly has been a different start to Term 2 with a lot of new learning for everybody including the Teachers. We have missed the patter of feet, the friendly good-mornings and all the smiling faces that usually arrive at Prep each morning. Thank you for continuing your children’s learning at home. It has been lovely to receive emails with photos, work samples and messages from the Prep families. These emails are the highlight of our day. Please continue to stay in touch and let us know if we can support you in any way. Stay healthy and take care.

Mandy Bauer (Prep A) & Lindy Hicks (Prep B)

Year 1A & 1B

Year One Updates

Thank you to all parents/guardians who have constantly communicated during these challenging times. As much as you are isolated, we too are isolated from our beautiful classes and are missing them so. Parents, you have done a wonderful job, stepping up to continue your child’s education at home and we commend you for your efforts. We love hearing from our students and please continue to send in the photos of children and work samples. If you need assistance in any way, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs J or Mrs D.

Chickens

Year One was supposed to be hatching chickens at school this term to learn about life and living, and as part of that, Mrs D who runs Poultry Club was able to introduce our new school rooster “Sir Frederick Freckleson” to Year one students at school. Now we only need to encourage the 3 hens to lay, so that we might have some fertile eggs to hatch!

Jo Dykes (1A) and Jenny Jenkinson (1B)

Year 2A & 2B

Welcome back! It’s been a very different start to the term. It is proving to be a term of creative problem solving, and experiencing a new way of learning, for all of us. The most exciting thing amongst all of this is the opportunity for families to work together, and bond in a whole new way, which is lovely to think about. Although our current situation is challenging, there are many rewarding moments that we will all take away from this experience.

Please remember you can email about absolutely anything. It is important that we communicate, and it doesn’t have to be a question, it can be work samples that your child wants to share with us, or a concern that you may have, and just need reassurance about.

Thank you everyone for your efforts to provide a wonderful learning environment and routine in your home. We appreciate everything you are doing.

And so, there is really only one thing left to say.......

Sarsha Anthony, Hayley Chamberlain (2A) & Libby Ferguson (2B)

Year 3A & 3B

We are pleased to be back for a new term of learning even if it is a new and different way! Families and students have embraced the technology with a great deal of patience! Parents, you have done a wonderful job of supporting your child’s learning. We love hearing from our students, please keep us updated with photos and emails.

In English we have been exploring The Peasant Prince by Li Cunxin which is the very sad and true story of Mao’s Last Dancer. We are re-visiting reading and writing Persuasive texts. We have enjoyed looking at the student’s work, thank you for sending it through to us.

We hope that you were able to celebrate Anzac Day with your family last weekend and that you enjoyed the activities that we provided for you.

Kathryn Brown (3A) & Shelly Chandler (3B)

Chappy News

ROLE OF A CHAPLAIN…Part 3

Mentoring…This is a HUGE part of my role at school. I have a handful of children that I am personally mentoring with every week (when it’s NOT COVID 19). This is a highlight of my role as a chaplain. I generally spend around one hour with each child, playing games and talking. The aim is to build a trusting relationship and be a friend to the student. Every one of us needs someone older, wiser and more experienced in our lives, who can challenge, teach and love us just as we are. Mentoring is a wonderful way to come alongside a child and be another person in their life who cheers them on and encourages them to be and do all that they are capable of. We currently have just over 15 volunteers who come and mentor with students in this school. Everyone spends their time in different ways, which may include a picnic under a tree, playing a board game in the Library, cooking in the staff room, kicking a ball on the oval. Regardless of the activity, the most important thing is the RELIABILITY of the adult. Some children are constantly let down by unreliable people in their lives, so faithfully showing up each week to meet with your student makes a life-long impact. Despite this strange time we are living in, I have encouraged the mentors to start writing letters either through the post or email so that they can stay connected with their child. I hand delivered letters last week to my students and found it to be a positive and new way of reaching out and getting to know one another in a more personal and deep way.

If you are interested in this program please ring the office and I would be more than happy to share this experience with you. All the best everyone. I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel – hopefully it’s NOT an oncoming train  . Have a great week and keep trying your best. Remember, relationships are more important than school work.

Chappy Becky

Uniform Shop

If you have one hour per month that you may be able to help us out in the Uniform Shop please contact the office on 5499 8333. Open from 8:30-9:30am on Fridays, bring along a friend and be part of our happy team

The Uniform Shop's regular hours are Friday mornings between 8.30am and 9.30am. Payment options are EFTPOS, cash or cheque at the uniform shop only. Alternatively, orders can be placed online at the link below by 5pm Wednesday for Friday pickup or class delivery.

Contact Details – Do we have your most up to date contact details?

There are times when we may need to contact parents and carers. Do we have your most up to date contact details? If not, please contact the school on 5499 8333 so we can update our records. These details include parent/carers’ name, address, phone numbers, email address and emergency contact details. Please remember to contact the school if any of these details change.

From the Office

Payments

Payments can be made by any of the following methods.

1. Directly into our bank account noting the invoice number, initial and surname of the student for whom you are paying. Our Bank account details are:
   BSB: 064-462 Account Number: 10080359
2. Credit card using the bPoint reference number that is located on the bottom left hand side of your invoice. Credit card payments can also be made in person at the office.
3. Cash and cheque can be made by placing the cheque/correct change in a payment envelope and depositing it into the drop-safe in the office. Please ensure that the envelope is sealed so the cash does not fall out. Please write the student’s name, class, amount enclosed and what the payment is for, clearly on the envelope.

Office hours are 8:00am to 4:00pm on Monday - Friday.

Community News

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