16 March 2018

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

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 Dressed 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.

2018 is the year where our Black Shoe Policy comes into effect completely. As of week 1 Term 2 any child not wearing the correct black shoes will be asked to change their non-uniform shoes for a pair of school purchased black shoes. They will change back into their own shoes at the end of the day.

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 to their black school shoes. The leading sport shoe companies all have a variety of black 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 me 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.

Winter Uniform

We are fielding a lot of questions regarding our winter uniform and hopefully this will help clarify a few of those concerns. Please note the new “Full Dress Code Policy” will be sent out prior to the holidays. In Prep, the children are asked to purchase navy blue tracksuit pants and navy blue jumpers for their winter uniform. There are some girls who like to wear tights under their shorts or skorts please ensure they are navy blue. We do not accept wearing longer shirts under their school shirts hence the reason for the navy blue jumpers to keep our kids warm.

With regards to the other year levels we are maintaining the bottle green tracksuit pants and jumper or our school jacket that can be purchased from the tuckshop. Please note if you are having to purchase new winter gear for your child/ren you can start to purchase the navy blue tracksuits pants and jumpers as we don’t want parents having to continually fork out money particularly as we are going to transition to our new uniforms.

Please note that the sport shirts we have here are only to be worn on a Friday. Over time there has been confusion and mixed messages being sent home regarding when the sports shirts can be worn so to clarify any uncertainties, Friday is the day for sport shirts.

As lovely and pretty as the big Jo Jo Bows are, unfortunately they are not practical for the school environment with many girls unable to wear their hats over the top which then becomes a sun safety issue. Therefore we are going to have to insist these bows are not worn at school. I know the girls love to have bows in their hair and we are more than happy to accommodate smaller bows that are in the school colours.

Thank you in advance for supporting our uniform policy and ensuring your child/ren comes each and every day in the correct uniform.

Commonwealth Games

As mentioned in previous newsletter the Commonwealth Games will have some impact on our local community. Please check out the “Get Set for the Games” website to ensure you are up to date with all relevant information. I have attached some information below. Please note that the majority of the changes occur during the school holiday period.

Very soon both sides of Nakina Street will have a 2 hour parking limit. From my understanding this is occurring in areas of Southport and Labrador as well and has been on the agenda for some time and it just so happens to coincide with the Games. I have been told this 2 hour limit will be a permanent feature in this area. I will keep you updated.

National Day of Action

Musgrave Hill State School is proud that we are now an official NDA school. The National Day of Action against Bullying & Violence is where schools shine the spotlight on bullying and violence and promote ways to reduce its impact in schools and the community. It is important to note that not all disagreements and conflicts between students constitutes bullying, but persistent and targeted behaviours designed to isolate, upset or threaten a person can be considered serious bullying issues. The best way to deal with a bullying situation at school is to bring these behaviours out in the open by reporting them to a staff member. Musgrave Hill takes very seriously any actions which upset or threaten fellow students or staff and all students are encouraged to report issues immediately so that they can be dealt with. Musgrave Hill has a lovely tone and the cases of deliberate and persistent bullying are very isolated, but if we don’t know about it we can’t fix it. Our very structured school behaviour processes ensures that complex issues such as bullying are dealt with quickly, fairly and effectively.

Shave for a Cure

A big thank you to everyone who contributed and supported this wonderful event. The Musgrave community raised just over $900 this year which is a phenomenal effort.

Well done Musgrave!
Julie-Anne McGuinness – Principal

ASSEMBLY AWARDS

PREP 2019

TUCKSHOP NEWS

Chappy’s Icecreams

Wednesdays – Morning Tea – Ice creams for $1.00

Flexi Schools

Please order your child/rens tuckshop through flexi schools, you can also order school uniforms. I have attached directions on how to register and order through flexischools. Their website address can be viewed below:

Angela Anderson and Sally McWilliams – Tuckshop Convenors

eLEARNING

Showcase: Year 5 Mathematics learning with devices

Our focus question from the NAPLAN pretest was: Which rectangle has a perimeter of 32cm? (see table with various options).

First, we revised the formula for perimeter. Then, we followed on with some basic shapes for a warmup. Next, we used Windows 10 Maps app for its digital inking of measured lines on a 3D interactive map of the school. Again, we started off with simple shapes (see triangle on the oval) and extended to complex buildings within the school. Finally, we flew a DJI Spark drone on the oval and shot some videos and photos of the school from a birds eye view and then labelled the images again using digital inking. The drone was the lesson hook from the start and the students knew that they had to work up to it. Students not in 5 Aqua in the Numeracy Group were given a short session to fly the drone themselves to gain experience. I would recommend this lesson to all age groups. The images shot on the drone were posted on ClassDojo and Seesaw (no identifiable students can be seen due to height). On Seesaw, students can extend the activity by labelling the image themselves or explaining the process of measuring perimeter.

Accessing the Microsoft Apps

This year we have added the Microsoft Program apps as part of our core list of apps for iPads. They can be downloaded the same way as other apps.

Once they have been downloaded the first app you open will require you to sign in. To access the apps for free, students must sign in using their school username and school password. Please email class teachers if students do not know their log in details.

Please note that the apps can be downloaded onto multiple devices, including computers. More information can be found here about how to do this.

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

CLASSROOM CAPERS – 2 INDIGO

This term, 2-Indigo have been exploring materials and their properties in Science. With the help of our class mascot Indi the Bear, the students made paper hats and posed questions on the suitability of paper as a hat. What we discovered is that paper is perhaps not the best choice of material to make a hat as it is not waterproof or strong. It was also discovered that our paper hats did not offer a lot of (if any) sun protection!

A WORD FROM OUR GUIDANCE OFFICER

Screen time and technology use are a part of life for most children aged 6-11 years. So it’s important to think about what educational and other benefits your child gets from screen time. It’s also important to help your child develop healthy screen time habits and manage your child’s overall screen time.

Screen time for school-age children

Screen time for school-age children is about choosing quality programs and apps and developing healthy screen habits.

Child development experts also recommend limiting children’s daily screen time. Screen time limits can help lower the risks of screen time for your child, which include physical, developmental, safety and other risks. It’s also important to make sure that screen time doesn’t take the place of sleep and activities like physical play, reading, creative play like drawing, and social time with family and friends.

When you help your child combine good-quality media choices with healthy screen habits and screen time limits, they’ll be set up to make the most of screen time now and in the future.

Why screen time quality is important

If you’re thinking about whether your child should watch YouTube or play on a tablet, here’s a key question to ask: is this program, video or app good quality? Good-quality media can support your child’s learning, especially if it ties in with their interests, sparks their imagination or ties into something they’re learning at school.

For example, a seven-year-old can get a lot out of spending 30 minutes creating an animation on a screen. This develops their problem-solving skills as they map out the events in the storyline. It’s much better than if they spend 30 minutes watching online animations that advertise and sell toys.

Choosing good-quality apps and games for school-age children

Good-quality apps or games for school-age children:

• encourage creativity – for example, by encouraging children to draw or create content like video clips, animations or comics
• encourage problem-solving – for example, by taking children through the possible results of virtual science experiments
• help develop communication skills – for example, by helping children learn other languages
• help develop social skills – for example, by encouraging children to take turns in games.

Other practical things to think about include:

• age range – it’s a good idea to check that the age range for an app or game matches your child’s age
• advertising – be wary of apps that feature movie characters or popular products, because these apps are often designed to promote movies and products
• privacy settings – check the terms and conditions to see whether and how apps collect data and make sure you’re comfortable with what data will be collected, and what it will be used for.

Choosing good-quality TV programs, movies and videos for school-age children

Good-quality TV programs, movies and videos for school-age children:

• have positive messages about relationships, family and life – avoid those that make violence or bad attitudes look good
• inspire new off-screen play ideas for children once they’ve finished watching
• have good stories, like those that involve characters treating each other fairly – avoid programs that are just about selling promotional toys, apps and gear
• are age appropriate – for example, the themes of some movies are too mature for school-age children.

Adapted from: Raising Children Network

Joy Wheeler – Guidance Officer

A WORD FROM OUR CHAPLAIN

Chaplaincy Fundraiser

For the entire month of March, Musgrave Hill Chaplaincy is on a ‘Local Matters’ jar at Grill’d – Benowa Waters.

Local Matters is the Grill’d community donation program that sees each Grill’d restaurant donate $500 back into the community every month. The donation is split between 3 local community groups.

We would love your support.

Family Days – Salvation Army

Holiday Kids Club

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”

Trivia Night at Musgrave Hill

Your Chance to win a $500 Scholarship

Southport Sharks

Eco Explorers

UPCOMING EVENTS