School Newsletter 2023, Term 4, Week 6

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

Over the next four weeks, your child will be working hard to demonstrate their learning and finish the year well! We have enjoyed a great deal of success this year in our student learning. We have also seen a huge improvement in student behaviour which I attribute to the strong routines that our staff are consistently applying.

At Kilcoy State School, we have high, and achievable expectations for student behaviour. Our core business is teaching and learning, and staff work hard to focus on this.  We also put a significant amount of effort into generating student engagement, in order to increase student interest and commitment to their learning. This is seen in many different forms. 

Working in a 'high expectation with high support' model, more than 97% of our students are able to successfully manage their behaviour in an age-appropriate manner. For the students with higher support needs, we engage consistently with our regional support professionals, work in collaboration with parents to develop support plans, and upskill our staff in areas of need. It is this team effort which generates success over time. Thank you for working with us, to help your child. 

Annual Improvement Plan (AIP): During the year, our staff have engaged in regular opportuities to monitor  the success of our current AIP. Our staff are now engaged in a consultation process to reflect on our current plan, and co-design our 2024 Annual Improvement Plan. Feedback from the community has also been sought at P&C Meetings, and we will continue to share our progress with this plan. Our forward planning ensures that we can hit the ground running in 2024! 

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

We are pleased to see our attendance rate rising, albeit slowly. Please keep your child attending every day at school, right up until the last day. Staff will be finalising assessment over the next few weeks, and it is important to have as much up-to-date data as possible, in order to give parents a true reflection of their child's progress, as reported in the end of year report card.  

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: 

It is important to strengthen all protective factors in the early years to improve outcomes and make a positive impact on young people’s lives. We are working towards this by prioritising our Transition to Prep program which is on again this week (15/11) from 9-10am. Please join us if you have a child starting Prep in our school, in 2024. 

Our transition program helps us to get to know each child and their needs, and allows us to support positive and confident transitions into school.

We have now held our last regular school parade for the year. In Week 10, we will hold our formal end of year Awards Ceremony and Clap out event, followed by our Yr6 Graduation. We also have our P-2 Celebration morning and pool parties to enjoy. Please look out for these event dates by following the school calendar on our website.

We will also be holding our final 2023 Open Classroom Learning Celebration on 23/11, from 2.15pm to 3pm. This is a great time to connect with your child, and understand what they have been learning about this term.

Kind regards, Mrs Nash.

Deputy Principal's News: Lisa Webster

"Have kids! they said. "It'll be fun" they said. Nothing is more challenging than having a child. While there are many ways to parent, there is no set of rules that fit every child or family. Children are so unique, that they all require a variety of parenting styles and we need to use those styles at different times. I recently read an article about the 4 different parenting styles. It made me question which parenting style I use. There is the (1) authoritarian style, which consists of rigid rule-setting and strong consequences for behaviours. Remember the saying Children should be seen and not heard. The child has very little say and large consequences when they do something wrong.  There is the (2) authoritative style where there are strong rules and consequences, but children's feelings and ideas are taken into consideration as well as validated. There is consistency, the rules are explained and children feel safe. There is (3) permissive parenting style, where there are rules, but they are rarely enforced or there are minimal consequences for breaking the rules. Permissive parents often say kids will be kids and usually have a friendly relationship with their child rather than a parent/child relationship. The final style of parenting is (4) uninvolved or neglectful parenting. Little guidance, interest or supervision is provided for the children outside of providing for their basic needs. 

While research indicates that the Authoritative style is the most beneficial to raise healthy well balanced children, different circumstances require a variety of styles. I know my children love it when I use the permissive style of parenting. All rules have gone out the window. We go to bed late, wake up late and have a softdrink or two (?!) with their meal (if someone has made one). We all laugh and they think it is Christmas (without the presents)! As a parent, keeping in mind what style of parenting we are using at different times may help us to navigate the challenges of parenting and enjoy raising these unique human beings we created. 

Curriculum In 2025 we are implementing the new Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum. This is exciting for educators as the new curriculum reflects current research, and evidence-based practices including our Sounds Write Reading program. It is also very rewarding that under the guidance of Mrs Belinda Nash, Kilcoy State School moved to use these practices well before many other schools. We are thrilled that the curriculum has been updated. 

Swimming Carnival Next Thursday (P - 2) and Friday (3 - 6) the Kilcoy State School swimming carnivals will be held. The tuckshop will run as normal on Thursday. On Friday, tuckshop will be open at first break only for the P - 2 students. At the swimming carnival on Friday, the P&C will be selling baked items and sausage sizzle. 

Mrs Webster - Deputy Principal. 

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

The PBL Team

This coming week, our students will be learning about how to demonstrate all of our school values while at the Swimming Carnivals or similar school based events. Please ask your child about this. 

-The Kilcoy State School PBL Team

STLaN Update

End of year Early Start testing has begun for our Year 1 and 2 students. Testing of Prep students will commence in week 7 this term.

Research shows that the early years of schooling, from Prep to Year 2, are a critical time for the development of children’s literacy and numeracy skills and in turn these are crucial for their future learning.

To track progress and measure growth in literacy and numeracy for your child, schools use Early Start. Teachers administer Early Start with students at four points in time – On-entry to Prep, End of Prep, End of Year 1 and End of Year 2.

Your child’s Early Start data will be used by their teachers to assist with curriculum planning.  It gives a clear picture of what your child knows and understands and assists teachers to plan for the individual needs of your child.

Please see the link below for further information.

https://education.qld.gov.au/schools-educators/school-types/early-years/early-start

-From Mrs Karen Burton, Support Teacher: Literacy & Numeracy/EALD

Inclusion Support

Cooking at Kilcoy State School

Our cooking program is up and running again this term- with a group of boys in the 4A class and we are so happy about it! Cooking with kids is awesome-not only because they get to eat delicious foods- because it involves them in an adventure that fosters creativity, teamwork and relationship building. We are not only learning about the recipes, we are nurturing a love for food and helping to build essential life skills.

Benefits of cooking:

Maths and science skills- measuring, following recipes, observing chemical reactions.

Creativity- allowing the students to experiment with new flavours, textures and presentation.

Healthy eating habits- understanding the components of foods and where they come from- giving the knowledge to make foods instead of buying.

Teamwork and cooperation- the process is a team effort. Students are learning the importance of working together, sharing responsibilities as communicating effectively.

Confidence building- preparing something from start to finish and sharing with school community members builds self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment.

Cook with your kids at home! Getting your kids involved with meal preparation, and allowing them to choose and help with age-appropriate tasks is a fantastic way to bond and create lasting memories.

Food is not just for nourishment or nutrition, it is also a means to bring people together.

Harriet McCarron, Inclusion Support Teacher

P&C Special Meeting 17-11-23

Last week, the P&C advised its members that they will be holding a special meeting on 17-11-23. This meeting will be to discuss and accept feedback on the recommendations for the KSS 2024 staffing profile. 

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