27 May 2022

Newsletter Articles

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Welcome to Week 6 of the term. The term is flying by very quickly and students are busily working on assessment tasks that will form part of their Report Card marks for Semester 1 2022. It is vital that students are at school and engaged in their learning. Can I please ask parents to speak with students and reinforce the importance that ‘Everyday Counts’?

COVID Update

As always, our priority is on maintaining the health and safety of our MHSS students, staff and community. While we continue to experience positive COVID cases within our school setting, we are taking all appropriate precautions regarding health and hygiene and we will continue to act in accordance with the advice of Queensland Health

Essential to the success of all measures we put in place, is that if your child is unwell or displaying any COVID-19 symptoms, they must not attend school. I cannot emphasise this message strongly enough – it is also critical that if you are contacted by the school office to collect your child, that you please do so in a timely manner.

ICAS-: Alternative Method for 2022

As mentioned in previous newsletters, Musgrave Hill will not be holding the ICAS testing on school site this year, however I have sourced the alternative centres that are offering online ICAS assessments to students, similar to the opportunities that students in participating schools enjoy.

Prep 2023 - Enrol now

Transition to school is a very big step for children and parents. It is vital that children feel comfortable in the school environment and think of school as a safe and welcoming place. Meeting our families before children start school provides an ideal opportunity for our school to get to know our new 2023 Preps and support them to get ready for this big step.

Enrolments for 2023 Prep are now open. Please contact the school to receive an enrolment pack.

If you are aware of neighbours or friends who have a child ready for Prep, please let them know to contact the school.

Meeting our 2023 Prep children this year will enable them to feel comfortable and ready for ‘big’ school next year.

Safety of Students

I certainly appreciate that at times it can be difficult to organise drop off and pick up times for your children but it appears that we are getting more and more children arriving at school way too early in the mornings and are being collected well after 3.30pm of an afternoon. We do have the YMCA before and after school service available to parents and for the safety and well-being of our students I encourage parents who are struggling to coordinate drop off and pick up times that align with the school’s policy to please utilise this service. Students should not arrive until after 8.15am in the morning and need to be collected no later than 3.15pm in the afternoons.

Parking in Nakina Street

Can I ask that people please be considerate of others and our neighbours when parking in Nakina Street? Some of our neighbours have been blocked from entering or leaving their properties as cars have parked across their driveways. We are also seeing some cars double parking, creating a massive safety issue for our students and frustration to the person who has been blocked in.

Julie-Anne McGuinness – Principal

WHAT’S HAPPENING

The Great Musgrave Debate

We are very excited to announce that Musgrave Hill State School is offering the chance for grade 4, 5 & 6 students to become a member of our first Debating Team.

Students will need to audition in week 9 & 10 on Wednesday at morning tea in the Arts room with Mrs Ledwidge.

To audition, students need to write a 1 min speech about their point of view of a chosen topic, rehearse at home and then present it to the judging panel.

A sign up sheet will be on the Arts door to register your child’s interest. This needs to be done by Thursday Week 7.

A schedule will then be created and students will be allocated an audition day in either week 9 or 10.

After the auditions, if your child is successful, he/she will be invited to join the Debating Team.

Students will need to commit to at least 1 morning tea break each week. Here they will learn many valuable skills that will result in the first ever Musgrave Hill GREAT DEBATE later in the year.

A commitment contract will need to be signed by both parents and students.

DEBATE INFORMATION:

What is a debate? What skills are developed?

A debate is a structured contest over an issue or policy.

There are two sides - one supporting, one opposing.

Benefits of debating include:

• Develop research skills.
• Allowing you to think about aspects and perspectives you may not have considered.
• Encourages you to speak strategically.
• Improving public speaking skills.
• Learning how to create a persuasive argument.
• When you have to argue against your personal view you realise that there are two sides to the argument.

We look forward to hearing the audition speeches!

Mrs Ledwidge

ASSEMBLY AWARDS

Friday 13th May

Friday 20th May

TUCKSHOP NEWS

All orders need to be placed via the Qkr! App by 9.00am each day. You can also use the ‘Musgrave Way Award’, simply attach the $5.00 award to a note with your order. Please make sure your child lets their Teacher know or remind them to drop it off to me in the tuckshop when they arrive at school.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to explain that all of our meals are made to order and are freshly made each day. We do not make any extra food so that it ensures we are keeping the prices as low as possible. So, if your child is away and you have ordered lunch please call the tuckshop a call so we can carry the lunch over for you. When your child returns, simply ring the tuckshop again to notify me so I can make the lunch for that day. If your child is going home sick and you have ordered tuckshop, can you please get the ladies in the office to call me so I can arrange for their lunch to be delivered to the office for when they go home.

We have some new ice creams available to purchase on Qkr! and at the lunch breaks. We have chocolate and rainbow Paddlepops for $2.50. Please keep an eye out for any specials on your Qkr! App.

If you have any enquiries at all please don’t hesitate to give me a call.

P&C NEWS

Thank you to everyone that supported our Mother’s Day fundraiser. I’m happy to report that we raised $1,200.00. All money raised is going towards our school. We are looking at another playground extension, some cool new items for our Prep Area and ECDP and also sporting equipment for our P.E department. Every little bit helps and we are all truly grateful for the support.

P&C Meeting

Our next meeting will be in June, please keep an eye on the Facebook page for a confirmed date and time. If you have any enquiries regarding the P&C you can email PandC@musgravehillss.eq.edu.au

UNIFORM NEWS

Thank you for your patience and understanding in regards to limited uniform stock, in particular our school jackets. It has been a pretty unusual year with the weather events and the continuation of COVID affecting our stockists and this having a roll-on affect to our uniform supplies.

Currently we have a limited stock of school jackets available to purchase through our Qkr! app. However, due to a high price increase on jackets from our suppliers, we have decided to discontinue ordering more school jackets for this year. We are encouraging families to purchase navy blue jumpers/cardigans from your local shopping centre. Jumpers/cardigans must not have a hood and/or any prints on them.

We are working with several suppliers to find a solution to the price increase and/or an alternative winter uniform option to ensure we will have winter uniforms ready and available for 2023.

Uniform Shop Hours

The uniform shop will be open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 1.30pm – 3pm. If you require uniforms outside of this time please contact the uniform shop directly on 56 44 5507. Thanking You.

Sally McWilliams - Tuckshop and Uniform Convenor

A WORD FROM OUR BUSINESS MANAGER

If you are paying your Student Resource Scheme off, please be aware that the second payment of $50 is now due. The final payment will be due at the commencement of term 3.

Janette Connolly – Business Manager

CLASSROOM CAPERS – 2 INDIGO

2 Indigo is keeping very busy this term! The students absolutely love participating in Design Technology with Mrs Kent each Friday. It is definitely one of the highlights of the week! They are being introduced to so many wonderful experiences and scientific terms and I have been absolutely amazed and delighted with their designs.

The students have been studying sea creatures and information reports this term. A couple of weeks ago the students had an excursion to Sea World. The quote of the day was “BEST DAY EVER!”

5 AQUA IS GOING BATTY ABOUT BATS!

This term students in 5 Aqua are playing the role of newspaper journalists and reporting on a flying fox issue in a fictional town (Larossa Bay). The article focuses on whether the flying foxes should be left alone or if they should be moved due to their noise and smell. Students are drafting a persuasive text in a news article format using objective and subjective language and facts and evidence that they have uncovered in their research. Hopefully, we can wing it!

6 EMERALD STUDENTS MAKE NATIONAL NEWS!

As part of our English unit this term, 6 Emerald have been learning about news reports. We have been listening to the Squiz Kids national daily news podcast, and as part of that we decided to submit some questions for the Prime Minister. Students from all over Australia were invited to participate.

I am so proud to say that 3 of our students made the shortlist. Congratulations to Ruby, Willow and Jayde.

From that, 2 of them were actually chosen and are on the podcast below interviewing Scott Morrison! Well done Jayde and Willow!

Listen below and click the Q & A link to hear our 6 Emerald superstar reporters!!

(Note - it is the Q & A uploaded on 17th May).

I am so excited and proud of ALL of my students for their willingness to be brave and have a go.....and now we are national news!

Please also see attached the news reports that have been written by the students about their fabulous news!

Samantha Benson - 6 Emerald Classroom Teacher

PREP 2023 – SCHOOL TOURS

UPCOMING EVENTS