School Newsletter 2023, Term 1, Week 10

Acknowledgment of Country

This newsletter comes to you from Jinibara Land. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples today. We are thankful to be able to work, learn and play on Jinibara land.

Principal's News: Belinda Nash

Dear Parents and Carers

We have worked incredibly hard this term to provide a stable learning environment for all our students. This has involved a lot of practise with routine transitions and the reinforcement of our school expectations. The students have been developing their ability to regulate their emotions so that they can choose their actions. With this work comes increased learning time for all students. We will continue to provide and promote the importance of a highly predictable and routine environment. Thank you for working with us to support the equitable access of all children at school to an excellent standard of education. 

Sadly, we say goodbye to Mrs Constable this term as she heads off to the high school to take on an exciting new role. Mrs Constable has been a valuable source of support for many students and teachers in her role with our school and we wish her all the very best. 

In Term 2, we will be trialling a new time for our whole-school parade.  We are trying to maximise our prime early-morning learning time at school and have decided to move our Parade time to every second Thursday afternoon, at 2.20pm. This means Parade will be in even weeks (Wk2,4,6,8,10) only.

Currently, Mrs Webster and Mrs Burton are in curriculum planning with teachers to ensure that Term 2 learning is engaging and well planned for students. They will be using student data from this term to determine the most appropriate learning needed for our students in their journey to meet or exceed the achievement standards set out in the Australian Curriculum.

As we move into Term 2, teachers are looking for gaps in learning and identifying how they can support students to have success. Part of this will be in collaboration with parents/carers. As a child's first teachers, parents/carers have the most wonderful opportunity to complement the learning that happens at school. In Week 1 of Term 2, teachers will send home a curriculum newsletter that will help you understand what students will be learning. When you meet with the teacher at Parent/Carer and Teacher Interviews (booking link below), the teachers will provide you with specific information about your child's needs. If you are unsure, please ask for more clarity. 

Parent/Teacher Meetings: On Wednesday 19th April from 3.10pm - 5.30pm in the hall, teachers are offering parents/carers an opportunity to meet with them to share student progress updates and identify any concerns about your child.  You will be provided with a link to book your 10 minute timeslot, in the last week of school. The system has flexibility for bookings to be made to coordinate across multiple classes. During these short meetings, parents/carers will have an opportunity to collaborate on another date, if more time is needed. 

Please book time to meet with your child/ren's teachers here: https://kilcoyss.schoolzineplus.com/Term2Week1ParentTeacherInterviews

Annual Improvement Plan: In our last staff meeting, our focus was on staff having an opportunity to identify the progress we have made towards the meeting the targets in our 2023 Annual Improvement Plan. We took this time to also celebrate the success we have achieved so far and recalibrate a couple of our targets. As our plan is comprehensive and clear, it was exciting to be able to track our next moves and ensure we are on the path to success for every child in our school. 

We have met or exceeded our goals in the staged implementation of PBL, reducing student disciplinary absences, providing staff with access to quality planning time and time to collaborate using student data to track and plan for progress.  

Attendance: Our current attendance rate is 91.4% however our goal is 95%. 

If your child will be absent, please make sure you call the absence line on (07) 5422 3366 to let us know why they are away so that it can be recorded accurately.  

*This week, Year 5 students have the best attendance rate at 94% This is two weeks in a row of improvement for Year 5, nice work! :)

Community engagement & collaboration: It was really lovely to see so many parents and carers attend our Easter Hat Parade this year. Our students were so excited to perform for all the parents and proudly display their personally created hats. Thank you for attending. Thank you to Mrs Keast for her dedication in coordinating this event and to our P-2 teachers, teacher aides and our Arts Captain Naomi Dederer and school leaders for helping to make our students feel important and appreciated. Our school is very lucky to have such dedicated and kind staff.

I hope all our families have a wonderful break and that you have the opportunity to spend valuable time with your loved ones. Cherish these moments. :)

To all our staff - thank you for an amazing Term 1. You have worked so incredibly hard and deserve the world's best break. I look forward to seeing your smiling faces when we return, refreshed and ready to go! 

Kind regards, Mrs Nash.

Parent/Carer - Teacher Interviews

On Wednesday 19/4/23 (Week 1, Term 2) we will be offering parents and carers an opportunity to book an interview time to speak with their child's teacher/s. We will be using a booking system that is linked to our current newsletter format. You can book an interview here: https://kilcoyss.schoolzineplus.com/Term2Week1ParentTeacherInterviews

The timeslots are a short opportunity to meet with your child's teacher and gain a clearer picture of their progress. Having this information provides you with advanced notice of how you might be able to work with us to help your child progress. You are very welcome to coordinate more time with the teacher as needed, at the interview or by emailing the teacher.

Teachers also have access to external telephone based language interpreters to help remove language barriers if you would like to use one. Please email admin@kilcoyss.eq.edu.au or call 54 22 3333 to ask for this service.

Important Safety Reminder

Serious injuries can and have resulted from students accessing and/or swinging and falling from structures such as covered walkways, supporting beams or stair enclosures like the one pictured. 
Please help us by reminding your children that these structures (seen in the picture) are not designed for climbing or accessing and that they may be seriously injured if they fall. 

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

The PBL Team would like to thank all parents and carers who contributed to our understanding of our communities' expectations for our students. By filling out the online survey in the last newsletter, you have provided us with information to add to our staff and student's feedback. We are now using this information to formalise our new school expectations. Our whole staff will use this information to develop a matrix of expected behaviour for all our students. Keep an eye out in Term 2 for the upcoming collaboration opportunities for parents and carers to contribute. We value your feedback and thank you for helping us make sure that your voices are represented in our school's way of working. 

-The Kilcoy State School PBL Team

Have your say on road and footpath safety

Somerset Regional Council want to know where better footpaths and crossings are needed to make it safer and easier to walk around Kilcoy. Complete the survey to let Council know what’s needed, so that kids can get safely to school and other places they need to go around Kilcoy.

Use the link below to complete the survey.

https://survey.websurveycreator.com/s.aspx?s=5a5293c4-ccb0-4420-ab1b-533981e93528

Instrumental Music

Our Year 6 Instrumental Music students attended at Burnside State School on Tuesday. Twelve schools including, Beerwah, Burnside, Chevallum, Glenview, Maleny, Mapleton, Montville, Mooloolah, Palmwoods, Peachester and Woombye combined forces to make a very large concert band. The students made new friends and worked hard to learn their music parts. Their behaviour was exceptional and they were wonderful representatives of Kilcoy State School. It was an experience that won't be forgotten anytime soon - with the concert at the end of the day being a huge success. Thank you Ms Dodds for making this achievable for our students.

Burnside State School excursion

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STLaN Update

A very big thank you to Marie Torrillo Tia – Zach's mum, and Mr & Mrs Ceasar Florez – Zion’s parents in Year 1 /2 B for giving up their time to assist teachers with the student book exchange tasks.

Also, we are very excited to announce the commencement of our Parent Volunteer Morning Reading Program. Every Tuesday morning parents are assisting the year 1 /2 teachers by taking students to hear them read. If you would like to volunteer, please let either your child’s teacher know or Mrs. Burton (STLaN). Your help would be very much appreciated. 

Just a reminder and follow on from the note home: We would like to offer an invitation to parents to come and see how we teach students to learn their sounds at Kilcoy SS. Justine Steell will be in the library on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 8 am. She will demonstrate what we do in our Sounds Write program and ways you can read with your child at home. The sessions are aimed specifically at parents of students in Prep, Year 1, Year 2, and /or parents of students who need extra support reading, but all are welcome. Please take this opportunity to learn how you can support your child at home to read. Also, we would like to encourage parents to come before school with your child to the library and borrow a book to take home to read together. 
Check out the photos of our wonderful Prep students who are continuing to work hard learning their sounds.

Kind regards,

Mrs Karen Burton, STLaN. 

Sports News

T-Ball Gala day was a great success with 57 students competing at Woodford on Friday of Week 9. It was a fantastic day all round, with great displays of skills, sportsmanship and team effort. Mrs Smith would like to offer her thanks to the parent volunteers and Mrs Constable and Mr Hunt for helping out on the day. Special mention to Will, Jackson, Sophie, Makenzi and Quinton who were the Kilcoy All Star recipients.

Our first interhouse carnival - Cross Country will be held after the holidays. Mrs Smith has encouraged students to use the two weeks of holidays to run some laps around their backyard or in the park. Remember it is a long distance running race. 

State Representation: Recently, Charlee Stanton travelled to Townsville to compete at the Little Athletics State Championships in High Jump. Congratulations Charlee on your outstanding achievement!

Parents & Citizens Association

Dear Parents and Carers

Thank you for your participation in our 'Taste of Italy' special tuckshop day. It was a roaring success with many happy faces seen around the school. The delightful smells of freshly cooked handmade pizza and yummy garlic bread wafting around the school was delightful! Thank you to Mrs Amy Wreford and her team of volunteers for providing our students with this fun event.  If you are available to help out at the next tuckshop special event, please let the P&C know. 

As we have now reached the end of term, would like to wish Luc Balogh, our Tuckshop convenor, the very best in her new role. With Luc leaving our school to take on a full time job after this term, we have commenced the search for a new part-time Tuckshop convenor.  

Please see our Advertisement below. If you know of anyone with the right skill-set for working in a primary school tuckshop, or a great cook who is ready to learn new management skills, please make contact with the P&C. 

-The P&C Team

Somerset Council information: Weekly kids drama classes

SCC is excited to offer ongoing drama classes to Somerset families in a collaborative partnership with BeXD Create. Ranging in age groups from 0 - 17yrs, all classes are taught by a professional drama teacher and are designed to be inclusive of all neuro and physical diversities. Children will build confidence, improve communication skills, explore creativity, learn to problem solve and tell stories through the freedom of vocal and physical expression.

 The classes will take place on a Wednesday afternoon at the Somerset Civic Centre in Esk during each school term. 

Class schedule:

2pm Mums, Dads & Bubs Singing and Dance Class (ages 0-3.5)

3.30pm Kids Singing and Drama Class (ages 4-5)

4pm Kids Drama Class (ages 6-8)

5pm Kids Drama Class (ages 9-12)

6pm Teens Drama Class (ages 13-17)

Enrolments, including a FREE trial, can be made via www.bexdcreate.com/esk. For more information contact bexdcreate@gmail.com or call / text 0408 149 443.

Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. If you have any suggestions for content, please forward them to admin@kilcoyss.eq.edu.au