16 February 2018

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Commonwealth Games Batonbearer

Last year I shared the amazing news that one of our students, Shaylah in Year 6, was selected to be a member of the Queen’s Baton Relay. This is a great honour and we are extremely proud of her selection. We are sharing the details of Shaylah’s baton route to encourage as many people as possible to come out and cheer her on. Make sure if you are intending to be at Shaylah’s segment start or end location please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your approximate start time in case the Relay is running slightly early.

Shaylah will be carrying the Baton on day 098 of the Relay in Australia.

The remaining details are below:

• Participation date: 02/04/2018
• Batonbearer number: 030
• Anticipated segment start time: 09:37
• Approximate start location: 379 Bayview St, Hollywell QLD 4216, Australia
• Approximate end location: 351-353 Bayview St, Hollywell QLD 4216, Australia

New Acting HOC for Musgrave Hill

In my previous newsletter I informed the community that Tamara Hall our Head of Curriculum (HOC) had taken up a wonderful opportunity at Regional Office for 6 months. We undertook a recruitment process and are very confident that Mary-Jane Leak will do a great job and will fit well into the remarkable culture we have here at Musgrave Hill. Mary-Jane comes to us with a great deal of experience, knowledge and a passion for ensuring children are the focus and priority in everything we do. As with all new members to our team I am sure you will welcome her with open arms and show her the Musgrave Way.

Uniforms

For the past 18 months to 2 years we have placed a strong focus on reminding parents and students that all shoes worn at Musgrave Hill must comply with the P & C approved Dress Code Policy. We have placed continuous reminders in our newsletters and spoken at length to students regarding our Black Shoe Policy. It is wonderful to see so many families supporting and embracing the policy by ensuring their child/ren come to school each and every day in the correct black shoes.

Day 1, Week 1, Term 2 2018 is the time where our Black Shoe Policy comes into effect completely and it is important that all students are wearing the correct black shoes.

Some important points to clarify regarding shoes:

Parents and students have asked if they can wear different joggers on PE days - Yes they can but they need to wear their black shoes to school, change at PE time and then change back into their black school shoes. The leading sport shoe companies all have a variety of black jogger shoes available in their range now as they realise more and more schools insist their students wear black shoes as part of the uniform policy. I have also spoken to many Podiatrists over the past 12 months and have been assured that they too have a black shoe range that would accommodate any child with orthotics or other foot issues. Please don’t hesitate to contact the school if you are experiencing financial difficulties as we are more than happy to support families wherever possible to ensure all students are in black shoes in 2018.

Parent Information Sessions

A big thank you to the many parents who attended the Parent Information Sessions on Wednesday afternoon. I know with the busy lives we all have that it is not always easy to find a spare moment. We certainly appreciate the priority you place on your child’s education with your attendance. Afternoon’s like these are extremely important as it helps build stronger and more positive relationships between teachers and parents.

Notification of Student Absences using Mobile Phone Text Messages

At Musgrave Hill State School, student attendance and student safety is a high priority. We know that students who attend regularly are more likely to be successful and safe at school. To improve our attendance and safety procedures, we will be informing parents/caregivers about any unexplained absences for their child. It will be extremely beneficial for parents/caregivers to contact the school in advance if they know their child is to be absent or late.

In the coming weeks, parents/guardians or caregivers will be informed by mobile phone message – Short Message Service (SMS) each time their child is away from school.

Each day a SMS text message will be automatically sent to the mobile phones of parents explaining that our records show that your child is absent from school. Please save the number in your mobile phone under “Musgrave Hill State School” so that when the message arrives, you are aware the message has come from the school.

Student Mobile Phones

It is important that parents and students are aware that valuable possessions as well as large amounts of money are not to be brought to school. If your child needs to bring a mobile phone to the school then they are required to bring it straight to the office for safe keeping. Please be aware that any mobile phone not handed in to the office at the start of the school day will be confiscated and held at the office until a parent can pick it up.

Julie-Anne McGuinness – Principal

ASSEMBLY AWARDS

SPORTS TALK

Upcoming Broadwater Trials –

• 12yrs Boys and Girls Basketball
• 12yrs Boys Rugby League
• 11yrs Boys Rugby League
• 12yrs Boys and Girls Football

If your son/daughter is interested in trialling in the above sports, please have them come and see me for information when they are announced at morning Meet and Greet.

Mrs Halsall – PE Teacher

SCHOOL PHOTOS

PREP 2019

THE ARTS

We are slowly getting into our units in the arts room. We are in need of a few things in order to create some of our pieces this term. If you have any;

• Bottle caps – plastic or metal
• Wool
• Tin foil pie plates square or round
• Corrugated cardboard
• Old bubble wrap
• Nuts
• Bolts
• Straws
• Magazines

would you please come and see me in the Arts room. Also, if we have any parents with skills in woodworking, and some spare time for a chat would you please get in touch? My email address is kdool42@eq.edu.au or you can pop in and see me on Wednesday or Thursday mornings in the Arts room. Thank you in advance!

Ms Doolan – Arts Teacher

TUCKSHOP NEWS

We are regularly adding new items to our menu, have a look using the link below.

If you have any dietary requirements please see Ange or Sally at the Tuckshop.

Uniforms

All stock and sizes are now available

Preps who are wearing our new uniform can purchase winter jackets or track pants at Kmart, Best and Less and several other department stores, the colour must be plain navy blue with no logo prints.

Angela Anderson and Sally McWilliams – Tuckshop Convenors

P&C NEWS

Fundraising

Musgrave Hill is taking part in the Sports for Schools promotion through Coles.

If you have any tokens please bring them to the Tuckshop or there is a box in the administration office.

Tina Quirke - P&C President

eLEARNING

All they want to do is be in front of a screen? Have you ever said this about your children??? It seems to be many parents frustration at the moment… and now we want to use devices at school! Rest assured, technology is balanced with all of the other skills so important for students to learn while they are at school.

With the start of a new school year comes lots of excitement about what students will be learning about, new expectations, new teachers and new roles and responsibilities. New reasons for using digital technology.

So how long should kids have in front of screens? While there are no clear guidelines, limiting screen time is beneficial for everyone, especially for students before bed. I have included some current links to articles on the web which may help you to make up your mind on digital limits for your family:

Please do not hesitate to contact class teachers or myself if you have any questions.

Annette Vlaanderen - avlaa2@eq.edu.au
eLearning Coordinator & NETTS Teacher

CLASSROOM CAPERS – PREP YELLOW

Prep Yellow has been busy building their phonemic awareness. We have been listening carefully to words and exploring the sounds we use to say them. We have met the SSP monsters and now we know what each monster says and can copy their favourite movements. We’ve been building words using our monsters and are beginning to build words using the letters that make those sounds. It’s been so much fun that Ms. McGuinness couldn’t help but stop by and join in all the fun. The students were happy to share their knowledge. They taught her the monster sounds and showed her how to play the game. Ms. McGuinness was so good that she won the game and was announced Prep Yellow’s honorary class champion!

A WORD FROM OUR CHAPLAIN

I would like to wish you a warm welcome to the new school year.

I am here at Musgrave Hill on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Please feel free to come and say hello.

A WORD FROM OUR GUIDANCE OFFICER

Joy Wheeler – Guidance Officer

SAVER PLUS

COMMUNITY NEWS

“This is a service provided when space permits. The school acts solely as a messenger and is not actually recommending any activities advertised”

Keebra Park State High School

Phoenix Martial Arts

Here at Musgrave Hill State School – Mondays and Wednesdays from 3.30 – 4.30pm

Acrobatic Rock and Roll

Commencing soon at Musgrave Hill

UPCOMING EVENTS