20 July 2020

Newsletter Articles

Date Claimers

Principal’s Report

Welcome Back to Term Three

Has there ever been a better time to be thankful you live in Maleny and Queensland?

Much has changed in the last 6 months and from where I sit the positives are many. Our school is currently very settled and a dream to be a part of. The behavior, manners and positive attitudes shown by our students are excellent and very noticeable. Last week we invited Greg Cooper our Regional Positive Behaviour Learning (PBL) Coach into our school to survey students and staff on our process and implementation. Greg was blown away by all students that he approached randomly throughout the school, the consistencies of staff understanding and implementation, and the low number of behaviour incidences that occur both in our classrooms and non-classroom settings within a school of our size. Greg met the following day with our PBL team (that includes a parent representative) to analyse our data and assist us in developing our future action plans and strategies.

School Processes

This term we will continue with the same times and arrangements that have been in place for school drop off and pick up of children in Term 2. A huge thank you to all staff and families as these processes have been flowing smoothly with wonderful parent cooperation and flexibility. We have refined processes along the way and always appreciate feedback from parents. I have outlined our current procedures in place below.

Arriving at School

Parents are required to drop students off and leave as quickly as possible (drop off and collection points under/outside of Year level classrooms). Parents are not to go into classrooms. Parents can continue to stay in contact with teachers via phone and email. Parents can assist by not dropping students off until after 8:30am and not coming into the school early to collect. (Our school does not lend itself to parents dropping off and not entering the school for younger students, hence a common sense approach is being taken.)

Adults that are required to enter the school as parents, guests, volunteers or contractors must still abide by the 3 principles of:

1. Social distancing of 1.5m distance with other adults.
2. Ensure they are in good health and stay away if unwell.
3. Practise good hygiene.

Leaving School

Aim: To not cause large groups, especially parents, gathering at the crossing or around/in school and disperse children in smaller groups.

Approx. times:

2:40pm Prep students will continue to be collected from the Prep area by parents.

2:45pm Year 5 (walk past bike racks) and Year 6 (walk past Mr Byrne’s office) are escorted by their teachers to the front gate near the office at the end of each day before other classes are released.

2:48pm Year 1, students are escorted by teachers to exit through the Crossing gate with parents or siblings just before the bell 2.48pm.

2:50pm Year 2 students are escorted by teachers to exit through the Crossing Gate immediately on the bell 2:50pm.

2:50pm Year 3 and 4 will be escorted by teachers to the footpath shortly after the bell to exit also through the office gate.

Students required to collect younger siblings will still be able to do so as normal and leave via the most appropriate exit. Teachers have coordinated the best individual solution here for those students that have younger siblings especially in Prep.

Bus

Bus students will continue to follow the same process as always. Teacher Aides will escort/wait with Prep and Year 1 students putting them on the bus. Students will sit and wait quietly for Goodstart or second buses.

Volunteers along with Chappy Breakfast Returns

This week we will see the re-introduction of volunteers back into our school and our Chappy Breakfast of a Wednesday morning return. Individual teachers will communicate with their volunteers and organise the role they wish them to play in supporting their class. Parents wishing to volunteer in the school should contact their child’s teacher to see what support they require and at what times it is needed.

All volunteers entering the school are reminded to abide by the following behaviours:

• Stay at home if you are unwell.
• Social distancing of 1.5 m with other adults.
• Sign in and sign out at the office every time you enter the school.
• Practise good personal hygiene measures – including washing / sanitising hands before and after working in school, covering coughs and sneezes.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Please don’t miss this opportunity to touch base with your child’s teacher to check on how they are currently progressing at school.

Parent Teacher interviews (Years P-6) are being held next week by phone or skype should you request. If you need to change your appointment time please contact your child’s teacher or advise the office to enable you to rebook a different time.

Arrive on Time and Ready to Learn - Schools starts at 8:50

It is essential that students arrive at school on time and have time to organise themselves for the day. Students arriving late are required to obtain a late slip from the office before moving to class. When students arrive late they more often than not miss crucial information at the start of the day and often find it difficult to settle in quickly. With only one administration officer this also blocks our office delaying parents/clients who are required to wait for late students to be processed before they are served. This unnecessarily puts staff under presssure at one of the busiest times of the day.

Parrents can support students by:

• Making sure your children get a good nights sleep
• Provide them a nutritious breakfast and food for lunch to fuel their brain
• Teach them to organise and pack what they need for school the night before
• Have a regular morning routine and get up early enough to get dressed in full school uniform, have a good breakfast, brush hair, clean teeth, get organised and out the door

Uniform Shop

The Uniform shop preferred method of ordering will still be through the Flexi school system however it is currently open every Friday 8:30am – 9:00am.

Winter Uniforms

Our kids look outstanding in their uniforms, this was particularly noticable last week with some cold windy days. Thank you to all parents who have purchased a school hat, black shoes, white socks and a school jumper or plain navy jumper for their children over the break. It is cold and will continue to be that way for some time. I am proud of our school and my expectation is that parents show they are as well by ensuring their children wear the correct uniform every day. Students in the incorrect jumper will be asked to take it off and use a clean secondhand jumper provided by the school ensuring that no student is ever cold or left without a jumper to wear. If finances are an issue please don’t hesitate to call me as I am very willing to assist you. See Desley at the front office who has a number of good quality secondhand jumpers that students can borrow for free. The best way to stay warm on our coldest days is to wear layers. Jeans are not part of our uniform and should not be worn. Congratulations to the huge majority of parents that send their children to school every day regardless of the weather in the correct uniform. We very much appreciate this and see this as a sign of your support and thank you for the support that our staff give to your children every day.

Year 6 Relationships Education sessions

True Relationships and Productive Health - Sunshine Coast (formerly known as Family Planning Queensland) will be presenting sessions regarding Human Relationships Education (Sexuality Education) for our Year 6’s this term. A parent information session will be held in the Innovation Centre on Thursday at 3:00pm for any interested parents. These sessions are currently fully funded by the school for parents.

Have a Great Week. John 

From the Deputy Principal

2021 Leadership Process

Year 5 were officially introduced to the first phase of their leadership journeys last week: their ‘Leadership Passport’. Students in year 5 who wish to nominate for leadership positions in 2021 require this as part of their nomination process. The students know that at Maleny State School we are looking for leaders who represent the school across a variety of activities. To be eligible to nominate for leadership positions in Year 6, students must; follow the 4Bs, wear their uniform correctly and attend school regularly and use their Passport to show as many examples of the responsibilities and commitments that they engage in as a responsible student at Maleny State School.

The process for the election of School Captain roles next term, will include completing a nomination form and 1 typed page detailing how they plan to fulfil their role as a school leader and how they meet the criteria, with Passport included. Students who are shortlisted will then take part in an interview process, students shortlisted after this process will be required to present speeches for both the staff at a staff meeting, and the year 4/5 student bodies.

The qualities that we value in our school leaders at Maleny State School are:

1. Shows an interest in and participates in school activities.
2. Is helpful to fellow students and teachers.
3. Has or can develop leadership qualities.
4. Demonstrates good behaviour.
5. Is reliable and trustworthy.
6. Can communicate effectively amongst all year levels.

We wish all our year 5 students the best of luck in their leadership journeys.

Students of the Week

Just to let parents and carers know, even though we have been restricted due to Covid 19 in presenting whole school assemblies, the Student of the Week process has still continued over this time. Students who have received Student of the Week awards have been presented with these by me in their classrooms every week and acknowledged for their achievements. Well done to all the students so far this year for the incredible work they have done.

Paula Heiniger

Students of the Week: Week 2

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.

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.

PBL (Positive Behaviour Learning)

Welcome back to Term 3. How time flies, we hope everybody had a great holiday.

Specifically, for our students, this means:

• I keep noise to a minimum
• I walk
• I move around the school quietly
• I keep to the left
• I sit quietly in lines
• I follow adult directions
• I model sensible behaviour
• I give way to adults
• I move quickly and quietly between classrooms / lessons
• I return from play in a respectful manner
• I leave and enter parade respectfully

PBL Team

Year 4A & 4B

GREAT TO BE BACK!

We welcomed students back to a very chilly start to term 3, it’s hard to believe we are already into the second half of the year! The children have been introduced to their new science topic for this term which is based around Materials and becoming a materials scientist. This week we discovered Non-Newtonian Fluids and its viscosity. We will continue to investigate the properties of different materials and their purpose.

English has us revisiting the Arrival of the First Fleet through historical recounts. This will allow us to understand the different perspectives of many people during this time. We are working on the language used and unpacking thoughts and opinions. We have been focusing on direct speech from different perspectives (convict, marine, Indigenous person and Captain Arthur Phillip).

The students will soon be choosing a profile to construct their own historical recount which will be delivered to the class as a presentation. Very exciting!

In mathematics our students have been revising strategies to solve addition or subtraction as well as continuing to expand multiplication recall. We have worked through financial questions concerning rounding cash amounts and working out how much change is given. Any opportunities available outside of school for purchasing items will assist your child in further developing their understanding of giving and receiving change.

As per our newsletter this week we would love to start collecting 1.25L soft drink bottles for our Vertical Garden that we will be constructing this semester. It was fantastic to see everyone back at school this week and we look forward to a fantastic term!!

Kylie Hulm (4A), Lou Walsh & Trish Mackay (4B)

Year 5A, 5B & 5C

Disaster Strikes Year 5 at Maleny

What a way to end the second term!

In the last week of Term 2 Year 5 students participated in an Online Virtual Incursion via our newly deployed Microsoft Teams service. In previous years this program was run face-to-face in the school.

On the Wednesday morning of that last week the 3 Year 5 classes had an online incursion in their own classrooms. Lynda from the Sunshine Coast Council explained to us the top 4 disasters that occur on the Sunshine Coast: Severe Storms, Heatwaves, Bushfires and Floods. We watched some videos and competed in some quizzes. At the end of the talk each student received a “Goodie Bag” with lots of safety information for our families and activities to do.

Thank you to the Sunshine Coast Council for their time and generosity. The kids loved the virtual visit.

Deb Darcy (5A), Eric Faulkner (5B), Caroline Hartley (5C) & Tammalee Johnston (5C)

Music

Music News!

Welcome back to Term 3 everyone. Just like other areas of school, we have been adjusting to changes in Music due to COVID restrictions over Term 2. I am looking forward to exciting beginnings and consistency in our Music Program this Semester. We have welcomed 8 Marimbas into our Music room this Term and I would like to send a huge Thank You to Buderim Mountain State School for loaning them to us until the end of the year. All grades will be playing these wonderful instruments during Music lessons.

A Marimba instrumental group “Marimba Mania” will be starting up on Wednesdays, open to students in Grades 4, 5 and 6. We will be practising during first break on Wednesdays for the rest of the Term.

Maleny Singers (Choir), will be starting up again on Tuesdays in Week 2 during first break. I encourage all students who love to Sing to come along and have a trial session next week. Music is so good for the soul and our Music room is a friendly warm haven this Winter!

Remember, “When words fail, Music speaks!”

Mrs G
Katherine Gentile - Classroom Music Specialist Teacher

Japanese

Japanese News!

In the end of last Term, students of Japanese have worked hard to produce entries for the Japanese writing competition organised by the Modern Language Teachers Association of QLD – Sunshine Coast branch. Students in Years 5 and 6 who have entered the competition against same year level students of Japanese, have all achieved Highly Commended. Congratulations to all for such a fantastic job!

Emi sensei – LOTE Japanese Teacher

Enrichment Centre

What is Autism?

Autism spectrum disorder, commonly known as ASD, affects how people communicate and interact with others. It affects how they make sense of the world. Autism is a developmental condition that is typically life-long. People with ASD experience difficulties with communication, social interaction and restricted/repetitive interests and behaviours. These are often accompanied by sensory issues, such an oversensitivity or under sensitivity to sounds, smells or touch. All of these difficulties may lead to behavioural challenges in some individuals. The term “spectrum” is used to emphasise that autism presents differently in every single person. People with autism have a wide range of challenges as well as abilities.

Signs of autism (primary school aged children and teenagers):

• Issues with conversation, perhaps dominating conversations with their favourite topic and not knowing how to take turns.
• Not being able to interpret the non-verbal communication of peers and adults.
• Unusual speech patterns, a monotonous tone or an old-fashioned way of talking.
• Seeking solitude, and finding being with others very stressful and exhausting
• Being rigid in following rules at school and in sport and games
• Finding it hard to read social cues and the unwritten rules of friendship
• Having unusual interests and obsessions, no breadth of interests
• Sometimes there are unusual physical movements, such as touching, biting, rocking or finger flicking
• Having sensory issues, either heightened or lack of sense of smell, touch, taste, sound and vision
• Need to follow routines to feel secure, become very upset when expected routines change
• Having few or no real friends
• Aggression is sometimes seen, usually as a way of avoiding overwhelming situations
• Anxiety is also common, especially as children enter the teenager years

Autism is not a physical disability so people on the spectrum look no different to their peers. This can make it difficult for some people to understand why an autistic person might be behaving or reacting in a particular way. Many people on the autism spectrum are able to live completely independently, others need support in almost all aspects of their daily life. Let’s all aim to see each person with autism for the person they are, and not for what we think their diagnosis means.

Sharon Furlong- Head of Special Education Services

Innovation Centre News

Junior Builders Club – Minecraft Champions

Starting late last term and kicking off full swing this term was the Year 1 & 2 Junior Builders Minecraft Education Edition Club. The aim of this club is to develop better understanding of computer literacy skills, team building, cooperation, online social and communication skills utilising Minecraft Education Edition. Minecraft is a huge motivator for the students. So learning new technical skills on how to use this software on a computer is a great way to build their computer literacy skills (i.e. how to use the computer, keyboarding, remembering usernames and passwords etc).

This year we have added a team of Minecraft Champions. These experts are there to help other club members on how to use Minecraft and help solve any problems the members may be having. These year 2 students have been excellent as champion helpers supporting the year 1 students especially in the new skills related to using a computer at school.

Currently, students are working in a shared world together and will be learning how build with some set challenges (e.g. building a house, creating a shared building with a friend). There will be lots of learning and fun to come.

Adrian Greig- Innovation Teacher

War on Waste
New Signs for the Garden

Our garden area has some bright new homemade signs which have been designed by students in the garden club. Some of the students in Year 4 helped make an ‘I Spy’ sign to create a challenge for other students visiting the garden and Sebastian and Jesse from 4A completed some research on native bees to inform others. Hazel came up with a motto for the garden club and was very proud of her sign that she made.

NEW GROWTH AND USING OUR COMPOST

We were thrilled to see how tall the sunflowers and snowpeas have grown and we can see the new broccoli forming in our plants. Mrs Mackay and Mrs Walsh emptied out two of the compost bins in the holidays and have added this to our garden beds ready to plant out next week.

Kind Regards
Lou Walsh

Chappy News

DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE

And...we’re off and running!! To me it almost feels like this Term is like running a race again. The players have been slacking off and had a rest and now we’re all back in the game. Some of us feel a little “unfit” and tired; some feel like they can’t get out of bed and I just feel like I need a respirator handy as my fitness level has really declined!

Welcome back to Term 3 everyone. I hope that you all had a good break and are ready for what this term will bring. Thankfully we are very fortunate to have restrictions eased in QLD and I am happy to announce that BREAKFAST CLUB will be starting again next Wednesday morning. The Grandparent’s group is meeting once more on a Monday morning at 9am and all are welcome.

Just a little encouragement as you get back to “normal” that you don’t forget to stop and take time to breathe. Take time to be still and content in your own presence. Take time to admire the beauty of creation. Take time to stop and reflect on what you have learnt today. Breathe. Speak nicely about yourself and most importantly – COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS! Have a great first week back.

Chappy Becky

P & C News

Next P&C Meeting Wednesday 12th August.

From Our Tuckshop

The Tuckshop is open three day a week – Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

If you can help, please see Gunnar at the Tuckshop. Your support will be much appreciated.

FlexiSchools is our preferred ordering system and is simple and easy to use.

To register go to the link below:

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 8:30-9:00am 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 9.00am. 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.

Community News

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