School Newsletter 2023, Term 2, 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.

Kilcoy State School Vision & Values

Our school vision:

"We believe that all members of the Kilcoy State School community have the right to work, learn and play in a safe and inclusive environment."

Our STAR values are:

Safety - Taking Responsibility - Active Learning - Respect

Principal's News: Belinda Nash

Dear Parents and Carers

What a fabulous term it has been! We have enjoyed Under 8s Day, Philippines Independence Day, Book Fair, Athletics Days, Gala Days, Explore Prep days, visits from special guests and AuzKick adventures among other things. Amongst all those exciting events, we also deeply progressed student and staff learning in curriculum areas, as well as social and personal development. Thank you to the parents and carers who have worked with us to achieve all this. School certainly is a busy place to be. I apologise for the late newsletter, I had intended to send it on Wednesday with the report cards but I have been away unwell this week. Luckily we have two weeks of rest ahead and after that, we'll all be back, ready and eager to learn.  

Infrastructure Update: You may have noticed our new digital street sign that has replaced the old winch sign which had to be removed to increase safety. This sign allows us to promote and inform our community about school related events, and show our thanks to partners we appreciate. The sign was funded by the department and we appreciate their support for schools. 

We also have worked hard to organise many new facilities works that are happening soon. These include the installation of new air conditioners for all of D Block and both Prep classrooms; painting components of E, F, J and D Block; a new senior amenities block and new fencing for the entire school. F Block has already had a new set of stairs and balcony installed and there are new gardens and internal fencing projects happening. 

Go For Gold: I'm pleased to report that we have been successful in winning 'Round 1' funding of $5,000 for sports equipment. After consultation with students and staff, the decision was made to invest this funding in new movable soccer nets for the oval. The Go for Gold initiative aims to enhance and encourage greater participation in sport. It will provide sports equipment for state and non-state schools across the state and in Round 2, build new sports infrastructure in schools for students and local communities across Queensland.

Road Safety: For a long time now, safety concerns with speeding cars on the steep hill on Royston Street have been identified by local residents and the school. In response to our community, Somerset Council have been active in addressing these needs, and have now installed a 'wombat crossing' near the Stop, Drop and Go. A wombat crossing is the affectionate name given to a pedestrian (zebra) crossing that is placed on a flat top road hump. Not only does this provides pedestrian crossing priority, but the raised platform gives further prominence to pedestrians and encourages motorists to slow down on approach to the crossing. This is a valuable step taken by the council in order to slow cars down on the steep hill, right next to where our 4 and 5 year old students are located. Please be aware of these changes in road conditions and drive accordingly. 

Recently, our P&C were the lucky recipients of a grant from Deb Frecklington MP, Member for Nanango. It was lovely to meet Deb and have her personally congratulate our P&C President Mrs DJ Whitley on receiving the 'Local Hero Grant' to use to upgrade equipment in our Tuckshop. It was great to hear Deb comment about how calm and relaxed the school felt as we walked around. Deb had been at school, working with our Year 5 and Year 6 students, helping them understand her role in our political system. The students spoke highly of this visit, appreciating the learning connection to real life. 

REPORT CARDS - achievement AND effort.

On Friday 23-6-23, Semester One report cards were emailed home to all parents. We were pleased to see the progress our students have made and look forward to building on this as the year moves forward. All students receive this report and it is designed to communicate information to parents and carers about their child’s achievement and progress in each learning area undertaken during that semester.

It also reports on a student’s effort and behaviour. All semester, students have been learning and absorbing new information. It takes grit, effort and persistence to learn from your mistakes and also see them as a great way to progress. Please praise your child for their effort to learn and their willingness to keep trying to 'get it right'. Describe to them how proud you are of them for showing up each day, and having another go, or for learning where they can get help. 

If you would like clarification on any component of your child's report, please contact your child's teacher. Staff will be available to reply after school returns on Monday 10-7-23.

Attendance: Our current attendance rate is 89.6% however our goal is 95%. 

It is imperative that students are in attendance every day of the school year and we urge you to make sure your child has this opportunity. Students often report to us that it can be quite frustrating and worrying for them to miss learning content and have to try to catch up to their classmates. We really want to remove this pressure on students as much as possible in order to support their wellbeing.

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.  

Community engagement & collaboration:

On 12-6-23, we recognised Philippines Independence Day with a school wide celebration. We celebrated this because approximately 33% of our school students are from the Philippines and we loved having the opportunity to get to know more about their culture and important days. Learning more about each other helps us to foster an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome and part of our Kilcoy State School family. You can read more about it below. 

Our Term 2 Open Classroom Learning Celebration was help last Thursday as per usual and we enjoyed the parents and friends who were able to attend this time. In Term 1/2/3*, in Week 9 on Thursday from 2.10-3pm, we open our classroom and invite community to come in an join us.       *In Term 4, we hold this on Thursday of Week 8. 

On behalf of our staff, we hope that you enjoy a safe and relaxing holiday break. We look forward to seeing students back at school on Monday 10 July 2023.

Kind regards, Mrs Nash.

Deputy Principal's News: Lisa Webster

The final week of Term 2 has provided students and staff with multiple opportunities to celebrate our wonderful school community.

Curriculum Teaching and Learning - Staff have been busy writing reports, planning curriculum for Term 3 and moderating student assessment and folios of student work. The staff at Kilcoy State School are committed to ensuring all students have access to the curriculum. 

Under 8s Day was held last Friday. Whilst the students were busy making craft activities, flying foam planes, sitting in emergency vehicles, viewing surf life saving equipment and getting their faces painted, the overall feeling of the day was a very calm one. Students, adults and community members were content and happy. Thank you to the P- 2 teachers and support staff for ensuring a happy celebration of U8s students. Thank you also to the children of Mount Kilcoy State School, NCC Early Learners, Kindy and Play to Learn for joining our Early Year Celebrations.

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Our 2 days of Athletics Carnival resulted in a win for Mackenzie House, but the real winner was the school community. The students ran and jumped their hearts out! They congratulated and supported each other. The staff, lead by Mrs Smith, worked tirelessly to ensure a smooth athletics carnival. Congratulations to our school and community. 

Mrs Webster - Deputy Principal. 

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

The PBL Team would like to thank all students for their participation in our recent evacuation practice. All students, staff and visitors on site were accounted for quickly and effectively by following our safety routines. We were proud to see that our school values of being safe, taking responsibility, actively learning and showing respect were clearly on display. 

-The Kilcoy State School PBL Team

Philippines Independence Day

On June 12th Kilcoy State School was proud to showcase the celebration of the 125th Philippines Independence Day. This amazing event recognised the Filipino community’s rich heritage and tenacious spirit with a remarkable lineup of notable visitors and performers.

Our school community was mesmerised by the rich tapestry of Filipino song and dance as our talented students from Kilcoy State School and Kilcoy High School, and parents from our Filipino community, flaunted their unique style of traditional costume and contemporary fashion. 

A sense of pride and patriotism infused the air during the fiesta style celebration and we were treated to Filipino food and games on the day. Many of our local Kilcoy businesses like Coff & Co; The Asian DC Grocery Store; EldonJays, CJs Kilcoy; and of course Kilcoy Global Foods, worked with the Kilcoy State School P&C to generously donate free burgers for all students and staff to help honour the occasion.  

Mrs Sheila Maratas, her team and the Filipino community, are to be congratulated for their tireless effort and commitment to organising and ensuring this was indeed a spectacular event. 

-Mrs Karen Burton, STLaN and EAL/D Teacher. 

Philippine Independence Day: A symbol of empowerment and freedom for Filipino people.

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Inclusion Support

I want to extend a congratulations to the students, teachers, teacher aides and the wider school community (including families) for all working together to successfully complete Semester 1, 2023. I have enjoyed my first six months working here, and it has been so lovely to join a school environment where the support from the Kilcoy State School team is so evident. I have really enjoyed working alongside families, students, admin and teachers, to develop our Inclusive Education Environment. This has been and will continue to be achieved through open communication and strong partnerships in order to support our little learners to achieve to their potential. 

-Mrs Harriet McCarron, Inclusion Support Teacher. 

NAIDOC Week: For our Elders

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. You can support and get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities through activities and events held across the country. Kilcoy State School traditionally recognises this week in the first week back in Term 3. 
Retrieved from: https://www.naidoc.org.au/about/naidoc-week Please refer to the NAIDOC site for all activities near you.

Free Kindy from 2024!

Free kindy from 2024

Did you know that Kindy will be free for eligible-aged children, who attend a government approved program offering free kindy, from 1 January 2024? Your child can attend a sessional kindergarten or kindergarten in long day care. A kindy program of 15 hours a week or 600 hours a year, will be free. This is really great news for all families. Kindy is a wonderful way to provide social learning opportunities and get them ready to go to 'big school'! 

Somerset Council - Winter school holidays

Did you know that Somerset Regional Council have many exciting holiday events planned to keep your kids busy during the school holidays? Check out the pictures below. You can read more about it and book online at this link: School Holiday Program – Somerset Regional Council

Holiday ideas!

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