24 July 2020

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Welcome back to Term 3!

We continue to operate under the guidelines as stipulated by the Department of Education in order to keep our students and staff safe, healthy and happy. As such, we thank our families for continuing to support and adhere to the restrictions of parents and visitors in the school grounds.

We are all hopeful that this term will see a return to greater normalcy, but the situation we are in is fluid and may change overnight depending on what is happening in the wider community. Despite this uncertainty however, we intend as a school to continue with the quality programs and initiatives we know gain greater outcomes for our children.

Pick- Up Times

Just a reminder that Prep to Year 2 finish school at 2.30pm. Each day it appears an increased number of these students, without older siblings, are not collected at this time. Can I ask that you please collect your child/ren at the correct times as it adds additional pressure on staff who are supervising all students. Year 3 to 6 parents can I also ask that you arrive by 3pm to collect your child/ren.

School Assemblies

Due to the recent outbreaks interstate, we have decided to cancel school assemblies again this term. Many factors contributed to this decision but at the forefront was the health and well-being of staff, students and the wider community.

This Term, we will celebrate student awards at Tuesday's Meet & Greet. Year 3 to 6 will start week 3 and Prep to Year 2 in week 4. Photos will be taken and sent to parents so you don’t miss out and can share in your child’s achievements.

PREP enrolments

If you have a child that is eligible for Prep in 2021 and have not yet enrolled, please contact our office immediately to ensure a placement as our Prep classes are filling fast. Our Prep interviews are commencing very shortly hence the importance of having all information and enrolment documents. If you are aware of families that have Prep aged children for 2021 can you pass on this information to them. We do not want any families disappointed.

Prep Eligibility

• Children must be five on or before 30 June in the year they enrol in Prep.
• To determine if your child is eligible to enrol in Prep please check the Education Queensland’s Prep Ready calculator.
• A Birth Certificate must be provided with the enrolment application before the enrolment can be accepted.
• All new Prep families are required to have an interview prior to your child commencing Prep.
• Enrolment forms can be completed and handed in to the office with your child’s original birth certificate for our office staff to sight to secure your enrolment.

Julie-Anne McGuinness – Principal

PREP 2021 INFORMATION SESSION

NEW SCHOOL PHONE NUMBER

Musgrave Hill State School has a new phone number as of Thursday 25th June so please make a note of the changed details. The new phone number is now:

5644 5555

eLEARNING

What is a digital footprint?

According to the eSafety website a digital footprint is the trail of information that is left behind every time that you go online, including what others post about you, the content that you post, people that you follow, the sites that you visit and the comments that you make. It has far reaching consequences including friendships, relationships and future job prospects (Source: https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-issues/staying-safe/digital-reputation).

From the very first time we have an online presence we need to be protecting our digital reputation. We also need to be teaching our kids how to do this – both at school and at home.

There are 3 key considerations:

1. Be informed – Know your privacy settings
2. Protect your reputation – think before you post
3. Know how to clean up your reputation – Be aware of strategies for maintaining a positive digital image

More information on protecting your digital reputation and how to talk to kids about it can be found here.

Mrs Vlaanderen

TUCKSHOP NEWS

Welcome back to a new term. We have new names for our breaks this term. ‘Lunch’ and ‘Afternoon Tea’. Both breaks have 15 minutes eating time. Lunch is from 11:00am – 11:15am and ‘Afternoon Tea’ is from 1:15pm – 1:30pm.

There are some new items on the menu, which are: mini muffin pizzas and mac ‘n cheese bites. We have also introduced a new menu for those that miss the order cut off time. This menu is the ‘Late Lunch Pack’, it will be available daily from 9:15am – 10:15am and it includes an apple, a muffin and a jam or vegemite sandwich. The student will receive the apple and the muffin at lunch time (11:00am) and then the sandwich at afternoon tea (1:15pm).

Sushi is coming back. We have teamed up with our friends from Sushi Pro to offer sushi for lunch, fortnightly on a Thursday. The orders will need to be placed by 9:00am on the Wednesday. No late orders will be accepted. Our first order date will be Wednesday 29th July, so all orders will need to be placed by 9:00am that day. The menu will be available on Qkr! From Friday 24th July. Orders will be delivered to students on Thursday 30th July at lunch (11:00am).

We are looking at the following choices:

Twin Packs - $5.00

Teriyaki Chicken
Chicken & Avocado
Chicken Honey Soy
Beef Teriyaki
Avocado
Smoke Salmon & Avocado
California
Tuna & Avocado
Tuna & Mayo

Chicken Teriyaki Salad - $8.00
Chicken Bento Box - $12.00

UNIFORM NEWS

Please note all uniforms must be purchased using our online app, Qkr! I will be checking the uniform orders each morning at 9.30am and delivering them to the classrooms by 12.30pm. If you have school credit and would like to use this to purchase uniforms, please ring the office and chat with the ladies, they will be able to help you out. If you are unsure of the sizing you require, please tell your child to come and see me and I can let them know what size to purchase. If you find that you have ordered the wrong size please send it back to the uniform shop with the receipt and a little note requesting the size you require.

We have a number of jumpers and lunchboxes in the lost property located at the front of the tuckshop. Please ask your children to come and have a look to see if anything belongs to them. I will be cleaning these items out next month.

Sally McWilliams – Tuckshop/Uniform Convenor

CLASSROOM CAPERS – 3 NAVY

At the end of Term 2, 3 Navy explored a variety of poetic techniques and devices in their writing including rhyming, alliteration and onomatopoeia. The students created some amazing pieces that have been displayed around the classroom. Our favourite poems to write were Haiku poems, alliteration poems and diamante poems.

Mrs Lycakis – Classroom Teacher

CLASSROOM CAPERS – 3 VIOLET

In Term 3, Year 3 are learning about Indigenous Dreamtime Stories. We are focusing on the structure of a narrative and the cultural language used in these stories. 3 Violet love reading and so far have read ‘Mirram the Kangaroo and Warreen the Wombat’ and ‘Tiddalick the Frog’.

The Dreaming is the way Indigenous Australians pass on important knowledge, cultural values and beliefs. We have also read some Uluru Dreamtime Stories and used dot art to paint turtles and boomerangs.

In History, Year 3 are locating information from different sources to investigate the importance of Country to our local Aboriginal group, the Kombumerri people. We are looking forward to reading some local Dreamtime stories.

Mrs Meagher – Classroom Teacher

A WORD FROM OUR GUIDANCE OFFICER

Mental health basics: Suggestions for families

Things can happen in children’s lives that make the risk of developing mental health problems more likely. It is usually not possible to eliminate all the risk factors that affect your children, but there are things you can do to reduce the impact of stress and help them build strengths for effective coping. The following suggestions identify the sorts of things you can do to support children’s resilience in the face of challenging circumstances.

How you can help

• Spend time with children by having fun playing games, going to the park or going somewhere together as a family.
• Try to maintain routines as much as possible. Routines and consistency help children feel secure.
• Build and maintain supportive relationships with family, friends and early childhood staff. Talk with them about how they can best support you and your child during hard times. Tell staff about any concerning behaviour you are noticing at home.
• Try to help children to understand and manage their feelings; this can help them develop coping skills.
• Help children learn to cope with loss and change by providing support and reassurance, honesty and clarity. Help them also to understand that loss and stress are a normal part of life.
• Acknowledge children’s feelings and try to understand and respect them, especially when they are going through a difficult time. Offer support and reassurance by asking questions and letting them talk about their feelings.
• Try to support children in building their internal protective factors (eg good communication and problem-solving and social skills) by acknowledging and encouraging their skills when guiding their behaviour.

Listen to children’s concerns

Having a caring adult to turn to when they are troubled, someone who will listen, understand without judging, and help them solve problems, is a critical protective factor for children’s mental health. Listening to children and understanding their concerns lets them know they are important to you. Remember, however, that children may not always be able to explain how they feel. By observing their behaviour and gently inquiring about it you can often get a clearer picture of how they are feeling.

Provide reassurance

Children often worry that the bad things they experience will happen again or get worse. For example, in a family breakup, when one parent or carer leaves the family, children often become anxious that the remaining parent or carer will also leave them. Similar worries are common when someone dies or is hospitalised. Often these kinds of fears are expressed through behaviours rather than words, such as becoming clingy, or being fearful about sleeping by themselves. Showing you understand children’s fears and providing reassurance and support is important for helping them cope. Making sure that children know what to do and who to seek help from in case you are unavailable or unwell is also very important – particularly when chronic illness or stress may affect your capacity to provide support.

Provide security

Various kinds of stress and change can be very disruptive to family life. Maintaining regular routines, such as bedtimes and mealtimes, reduces disruptive impacts and helps to provide a sense of stability and security for children. Similarly, children are reassured by knowing that a responsible adult is taking care of them and looking after their needs.

Build children’s strengths – and allow for vulnerabilities

Providing encouragement and positive feedback for children’s developing coping skills helps them to build confidence in their ability to manage difficult situations. Acknowledging and appreciating the help and support that children provide to you during stressful times also helps to build their strengths.

At the same time, it is important to give children permission to not always have to be strong. Children who take on significant caring roles when parents or carers are struggling often hide their vulnerabilities. Their desire to avoid burdening parents and carers can cause additional hardship for these children, who need to know that support is available to them as well.

Talk to school staff

School staff can provide more effective support for children at school when they understand some of the pressures they may be facing in other parts of their lives. It is often very reassuring for children as well as for parents and carers to know that teachers or other school staff understand their difficulties and are ready to provide support. Staff at your child’s school may also be able to provide you with support and advice, or help you find support services that can assist you and your children.

Seek additional help

If your child shows signs of emotional or behavioural difficulties, it is important to seek professional help early, so that problems can be addressed before they get worse. Getting support for yourself, through family and friendship networks, your child’s school, or mental health or community services, is also very important. Getting support helps to build your own resilience so you can provide more effective care for your children.

From: https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/mental-health-matters/mental-health-basics-promoting-mental-health/suggestions-families

Joy Wheeler – Guidance Officer

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”

Soccer X at Musgrave Hill State School