School Newsletter 2023, Term 3, 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
Thank you for helping your children to have success at school, each and every day. Our students can make the most of this opportunity when we work in collaboration with you. To support this, we will be offering Parent/Carer & Teacher meetings, in Week One of Term Four, on 4/10/23 after school.
This is an important opportunity to meet with the teacher to discuss your child's progress so far this term. It leaves you with enough time to discuss the ways in which you might help your child to reach for their next goal, or to clarify what they might need to do differently to reach the B or A standard. You can make a booking using the Schoolzine booking system accessed at the link here: https://kilcoyss.schoolzineplus.com/Term4Week1ParentTeacherInterviews . We thank our teaching staff for their commitment to offering several hours after school to support their students and connect with families in our drive for excellence in learning. *Mrs Maguire (1/2A) will be accessing Long Service Leave for the first three weeks of Term 4, replaced by Mrs Roy. 1/2A parent/carer & teacher meetings will be offered on Mrs Maguire's return.
Explore Prep - Transitioning to school.
Following on from our popular Term 3 'Explore Prep' days for our 2024 Preppies, we will now commence the next part of our Successful Transitions program. For Term 4, this involves inviting our 2024 Prep cohort in to visit the Prep classrooms and play spaces, meeting friends and staff. The development of these relationships and routines are incredibly beneficial for our littlest learners. Dates claimers for the visits and focusd areas are planned as follows:
- Week 1: Wed 4/10/23, 9-10am, Parents with Preps in the Prep area
- Week 3: Wed 18/10/23, 9-10am, Preps in the Prep area, Parents in the Hall (Getting 'Prep-Ready')
- Week 5: Wed 1/11/23, 9-10am, Preps in the Prep area, Parents in the Resource Centre (Literacy)
- Week 7: Wed 15/11/23, 9-10am, Preps in the Prep area, Parents in the Resource Centre (Numeracy)
Strategic Planning for School Improvement: On Thursday 12/10/23, a selection of Kilcoy State School staff will be accompanying me at our Regional Strategic planning day, preparing for continued success in 2024. Having input from the staff directly involved in delivering learning and support to students ensures that their voices are heard, and that the work we do at school is the vision of all, collaboratively developed. We will gather information from parents and carers at the next P&C Meeting on Wednesday 11/10/23 at 3.30pm in the Resource Centre. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. This is where you can offer your suggestions for our development as a school.
Attendance: Our current attendance rate is 89.3% however our goal is 95%.
For Term 4, I ask that all parents and carers help us to 'finish strong' by making a concerted effort to make sure your children are at school for every school day. If you would like support with this, please contact me through the office.
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:
Term Four will be very busy with many events planned. We will post a calendar update soon into the term. In Week One, our Prep to year 2 students commence swimming lessons on Wednesday and Thursdays. Please refer to the note sent home for further details.
Don't forget: The first Monday of Term 4 is a public holiday - School resumes on Tuesday 3/10/23.
Graduation Parent Meeting: It was lovely to work with some of our Yr6 parents at our recent graduation event planning meeting. The ideas discussed were excellent and have provided a path forward that our Yr6 students will absolutely love for their end of year event. We look forward to inviting parents more to join the next committee meeting - date to be confirmed.
Sadly (for us!) this term, we say farewell and good luck to Mrs Burgess as she heads off into a wonderful retirement! Mrs Burgess has been a big part of the Kilcoy State School's community and we wish her all the best. Our Year 1s and 2s were very excited to be picked for a goodbye photo with Mrs Burgess. On a personal note, I will miss Mrs Burgess tremendously. Her willingness and commitment to our school is second to none, coupled with a brilliant and sharp sense of humour - Bev keeps everyone in the office on their toes! Thank you Mrs Burgess - You will be missed! ❤️
Kind regards, Mrs Nash.
Deputy Principal's News: Lisa Webster
The end of term is a time to reflect on the 10 weeks of learning and progress that our students have made during this time. I was fortunate enough to attend two professional development days in the last week of this term. The first was provided by North Coast Region and gave information on the implementation of Version 9 – Australian Curriculum, which our school will roll out and plan to implement in 2025.
The second was a workshop presented by Dr Shelley Moore. Dr Shelley Moore is a Canadian educator and advocate of inclusive education. ‘Inclusive education isn’t more work, it’s different work!’ She spoke about her own educational experience and how getting expelled from school was the catalyst for a new start to her own education. It certainly was inspiring!
As the school holidays have arrived, it is timely that we think about how we might get the best out of our holidays. Below are my top tips!
- Take time out to read.
- Slow down – savour the present moment and appreciate the world around you.
- Encourage your child to appreciate the small joys in life.
- Take time for physical activity – enjoy the outdoors and nature.
- Play cards/board games – this is often the space where children learn how to lose and laugh about it.
- Participate in activities that you enjoy- what is your child’s hobby?
- Laugh – embrace playfulness.
- Connect with others.
- Eat healthily.
- Maintain a routine and structure.
- Do something for someone else – acts of kindness.
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)
Term Four will have a strong focus on the RESPECT column from our Behaviour Matrix. In line with this, we will celebrate RED Day on Friday of Week 4 (27/10/23). Fittingly, this is also Day for Daniel, another Red Day that we will be learning about. Students will be invited to wear red clothing on this day, in a show of support for both concepts.
-The Kilcoy State School PBL Team
STLaN and EAL/D Update
English Language Club
Term 3 saw the commencement of our ‘English Language Club.’ Mrs Karen Burton, EAL/D teacher, and Mrs Glezel Ladroma, bilingual aide, have been working with students for whom English is an additional language to address their English language-learning needs.
Students have been participating in a 2-hour weekly program aimed at developing their English language competence in the modes of Speaking and Listening, Reading and Viewing, and Writing.
The program employs a communicative language teaching strategy which emphasises the student’s ability to communicate in real life contexts by developing functional language and literacy skills and cultural understandings in English.
Students are provided with a range of opportunities to expand their linguistic repertoires through engagement with print and digital texts, including visual, multimodal and interactive texts.
It is envisaged next term there will be a second group beginning to include EAL/D students in year 3A and year 3/ 4 A.
Super Sentence Writers
Many of our Year 1 and 2 students took up the challenge to become Super Sentence Writers this term. In small focus groups, they built their writing confidence and practiced and improved their writing skills. Their most recent work has been displayed in the library on our ‘Tree of Acknowledgement’. Please come to the library and acknowledge your child’s hard work and be part of our parent recognition of learning.
Inclusion Support
In the ever-evolving landscape of education, it is crucial to ensure that every student feels valued and included. On Thursday 14.09.23, four of our staff members travelled to Brisbane to attend a professional development event hosted by Dr Shelley Moore. This was prioritised in order to learn more about the ways staff at Kilcoy State School can support our students and families by developing and embedding our inclusive practices.
Who is Shelley Moore? - An Inclusion Expert
Shelley Moore is not just an educator- she is a passionate advocate for fostering an inclusive environment for all students. Shelley's expertise in inclusive practices spans over two decades, and she is very well respected in her field. She began as a classroom teacher, where she developed a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by students with diverse learning needs. Recognising the need for systemic change, Shelley transitioned into the role of an inclusion consultant, helping schools and educators across the country adopt inclusive practices.
Over the years, Shelley has authored numerous books and resources that have become invaluable tools for educators striving to create inclusive classrooms. Her innovative strategies and teaching methods have been implemented in schools worldwide, and her ability to connect with educators has inspired us to practise her beliefs proudly in our school.
Harriet McCarron, Inclusion Support Teacher
T3 Highlights from 3A
As we wrap up Term 3, we wanted to share some exciting highlights of what 3A students have been up to.
Inquiry Science: Our young scientists designed and investigated forces by creating their own games. They worked in small groups sharing their knowledge and testing their hypothesis to demonstrate these forces - impressive!
Math Mastery: From addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to three-dimensional objects and angles, our students have been honing their math skills, all while having fun with chance problem-solving and measurement.
Literary Adventures: The quest novel "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda took us on a literary adventure. We analysed how descriptive vocabulary brings settings to life during key events, enhancing our writing skills. We spent a long time unpacking this unit and utilised the learning wall so that students could refer back to key points during their written responses.
Cultural Connections: Exploring the Jinibara people's culture, our students collaborated to create "My School - My Meeting Place," a beautiful work of art reflecting their respect for diversity.
HaSS Insights: We delved into the significance of environments, studying how climate impacts lives in Kilcoy and Brazil. Our students gained valuable insights into the world around them.
This is just a snapshot of the amazing learning journey our Year 3 students have been on. Enjoy some photos that captured some of these magic moments.
Thank you for your continued support in nurturing our young learners' curiosity and growth.
Warm regards, Mrs. Racchi
Valley Championships
Congratulations to all students who attended the Valley Champs Netball and Football at Woodford on Wednesday of Week 10. It was fantastic to see so many students participating, showing great sportsmanship, effort and development in their skills.
Well done to our Senior Tackle team who took out the trophy for their division and to the following students who were awarded the All Star medallion:
Netball – Xzavier, Stevie and Bohdy
Football – Brody, Charlee, Emasyn, Harlan and Quinton.
We would like to express our thanks to the staff, parents and grandparents who helped on the day. Their support is crucial to the sucess of the day!
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