School Newsletter 2023, Term 4, Week 8
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
As our year draws to an end, we ask that you encourage your child to finish the year well. We have high expectations for student behaviour and attendance for the entire term. Learning is planned for all 10 weeks of term, including the last day.
We have had a fantastic year developing our students' capacity for self-regulation and this has been shown every day in their actions. This exciting progress has developed out of our focus on the explicit teaching of positive behaviours for learning, and the development of school processes to support this. We will continue this important work in 2024, expanding our skills and cementing our students as future global citizens, equipped to manage their own behaviour and emotions in the real world.
2024: Based on our current enrolments, in 2024 we will start the year with 11 classes. Notice of your child's 2024 class location and teacher, will come home in Week 10 this term. Decisions on which class to place students have been made with the best interests of all students in mind, staff knowledge, and consideration of parent preferences. I'm sure you will appreciate the difficulty of coordinating 270 children's friendship groups, learning styles and year level combinations, in order to provide the highest chance of success.
Report Cards: In Week 10, Semester 2 Report cards for all students will be emailed home. Please let the office know if your email address (or any other contact details) has changed.
Staffing Update: For 2024, Mr Hunt has been successful in obtaining a transfer to a school closer to his preferred location. Kilcoy State School has had the benefit of Mr Hunts's teaching expertise for 6 years now, and we know that his new school will enjoy having him there too. To Mr Hunt: We wish you the very best of luck in your next steps as a teacher. Our students and staff will miss your bright smile and calm manner.
Mr Dillon will also be returning to his previous teaching support role for many schools in 2024 and we thank him so much for stepping in to provide our 3/4 class with consistency and connection while learning for the second half of the year. To Mr Dillon: Our staff and students will look forward to your visits in 2024 - Thank you!
In 2024, we will welcome Ms Jodie MacGregor to our school, as our newest permanent staff member. Ms MacGregor comes to us eager to get to know our community and be a part of Kilcoy life. Please make her welcome as part of our KSS family.
In 2024, we also welcome back Mrs Andrea McConnel who will recommence her work with us, supporting students and families at Kilcoy State School. Mrs McConnel has a long history with our school, and our staff and students will no doubt be pleased to see her return.
Attendance: Our current attendance rate is 89.6% however our goal is for every child to be in attendance, every day.
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:
Week 9
- Monday 27/11/23, our 2024 Captain Position candidates will deliver their speeches to their peers and staff in the school hall. Parents of candidates are welcome to arrive from 11.30am for an 11.45am start.
- Friday 1/12/23, our Year 1/2B students will be visiting the residents in Aloaka Community Lodge to see the performance - 'Kops in Kilts'.
- On Saturday afternoon, 2/12/23, the Kilcoy Christmas Carnival is on, in Seib Street, Kilcoy. Our own P&C Association Team will have a stall to purchase exciting fun items from, and our students are performing on stage throughout thre afternoon. If your child is performing with their class (not all classes are performing), please make sure you drop and collect them from just behind the stage, at the time on the permission note sent to you.
Week 10
- 4/12 Yr 6 KSHS Experience Day #2 - all Year 6 students attending KSHS in 2024 should attend the high school that day. This important transition day starts and end at the high school, with parents/carers responsible for student travel both ways. Year 6 students who are not attending KSHS in 2024 should attend our school as per normal, and will be supervised by staff for the day.
- 5/12: Annual Awards Ceremony 9.30am start
- 5/12: Year 6 Student Clap out, 1.45pm start
- 5/12: Year 6 Graduation Event, 6pm arrival @ 'The Stanley Hotel' event space.
- 6/12: P-2 Pool parties
- 7/12: 3-6 Pool Parties
- 7/12: P-2 Celebration Performance 9.15am start
Finally, if you're wondering how to keep your child reading over the school holidays, please visit our local library, noticing their addition of new Saturday morning opening hours below!
Kind regards, Mrs Nash.
Deputy Principal's News: Lisa Webster
The end of the year is a time to celebrate. It is with much pleasure that I visited 2 classes this week and I was very proud to see the student progress. As the students know, assessment is not a stressful time, it is the students' opportunity to show their teachers what they have learned during the term, semester and year. Assessment is also feedback for teachers. What can this student do? What are their next steps. It is with great pleasure that I include a speech excerpt from Daniel Fernandez, a Year 6 student.
"Good morning/afternoon to all 5/6B students! Allow me to pose a question: Have you ever attended a school where the crankiest teacher in the world became a friend of the new kid, and together you embarked on a thrilling camp adventure, engaging in all sorts of activities? Well, the tale of "Don't Pat the Wombat" unfolds as a fictional novel penned and illustrated by the talented Elizabeth Honey—an Australian award-winning author, and a creator of diverse books tailored for all ages, designed to entertain, inform, and ensure ease of reading for all audiences 😊! This narrative revolves around six best friends in year 6, destined to be together forever.
You might be curious about the essence of this little novel (or maybe not, considering we've delved into parts of the story already), but let me be honest—the reason I chose this novel lies in the language choices and literary devices that give the story an informal tone, much like how we, as year 5/6 students, typically converse with friends or relatives. This narrative aims to foster a sense of connection, drawing us into the story like a fish enticed by a fisherman's bait. But instead of us panicking like caught fish, we find ourselves craving more and more of the story as we delve deeper into the book. This magnetic pull possibly leaves us feeling connected not just to the narrative but also to the author herself, perhaps even enticing us to explore another E.H. gem like "That's Not a Daffodil." Elizabeth Honey proves to be a creative, mindful, and smart author, showcasing a unique writing style that is enjoyable, informal, humorous, and filled with informative features. Beyond the amusing and casual language, her storytelling is akin to adding gasoline to a fire, igniting our interest. (Note: Please don't actually add gasoline to a fire or play with it—safety first!)"
Congratulations Daniel and all the Year 6 students on your hard work this year. We are looking forward to graduating with you next week.
Mrs Webster - Deputy Principal.
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)
STLaN Update
This term, Year 1 and 2 students explored plot and characterisation in stories. Their Term 4 English assessment task was to write, illustrate and create a digital multimodal text to develop not only literacy skills, but computational thinking, problem solving, creativity and self-expression.
Students read the book ‘Geronimo: The Penguin who thought he could fly!’ The story follows a young penguin who dreams of flying, but it never quite seems to work out. As part of the task, students were challenged to imagine a new event to add to the story that further developed the character. Students imagined and wrote about innovative ways Geronimo could experience flight and make his dream come true.
Finally, students had a great time using ‘Scratch’ on their iPads. They mixed together different media (including graphics and sound) to create digital stories and express their ideas visually. How proud they were of their finished work!
-From Mrs Karen Burton
Inclusion Support
Personalised Learning for SWD students.
At Kilcoy State school we are working to provide an inclusive and equitable learning environment that celebrates the unique strengths and abilities of every student. I am excited to share how our Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs), guided by the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), will make a positive impact on the educational journey of our students in 2024.
Meaning of UDL:
Universal Design for Learning is an educational framework that promotes flexibility, accessibility, and inclusivity in curriculum design. It recognises and accommodates the diverse ways students learn, ensuring that each child can engage, understand, and demonstrate their knowledge effectively.
Personalised Learning Plans Aligned with UDL:
In preparation for 2024 our Personalised Learning Plans are being designed with the principles of UDL. I have started the process of working with students to create PLPs based on each student's strengths and challenges to cater to the various learning styles and needs of our primary students.
Parents play a vital role in the success of UDL and PLPs. I encourage open communication between parents, teachers, and students to ensure that the personalised learning journey is a collaborative effort. Regular updates, feedback, and shared insights contribute to a holistic approach to each child's education. I encourage parents to reach out so they can be involved in this process.
-Harriet McCarron, Inclusion Support Teacher
Amazing Authors of 1/2C!
In English this term we have been learning about how authors and illustrators create interest and engagement in story writing by using elements such as; engaging vocabulary, describing language, sentence starters, variety of sentence types, character emotion and detailed images.
To demonstrate their learning, the children were tasked with writing a new event for the story 'Geronimo: The penguin who thought he could fly' written and illustrated by David Walliams. The children worked very hard to plan, draft, conference, edit and lastly create a final copy of their finished event. The growth in writing skills we have witnessed in our students since the beginning of the year is quite incredible and we are so proud of our budding authors!
-Paige Somerville and Chelsea Gauld, 1/2C Teachers
P&C Association
P& C info
- Monster Raffle! Tickets are $2 and available for purchase at various shops around Kilcoy and from the office, cash only. There are over 30 prizes to be won and the winners will be drawn on the last week of school.
- P&C Members will be popping up around the community selling tickets as well, dates and locations for this will be advertised on our Facebook page.
Somerset Council Holiday Programs
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
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