27 April 2018

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S NEWS

Dear Parents/Carers & Community

Anzac Day

This week our school proudly commemorated the 103rd Anzac Day. It is a privilege to be part of such ceremonies and I congratulate our Student Leaders, Choir and Band for their part in our full school assembly on Tuesday. It was excellent to see each class represented through the wreath laying and I thank our teachers for their preparation of their students through learning the background, protocols and special parts in our ceremony. I particularly thank our special visitors SQNLDR Peter O’Connell, LAC Andie MacPherson, LAC Blake Tessier (members from RAAF Base Townsville) and Chappy Libbie. Lastly, but certainly not least, thankyou Mrs Wheeler and Mrs Winter for organising this school community event.

On Wednesday it was equally a great and proud moment to march in the Thuringowa March and I thank all students, staff and parents for your support. Well done to Lily, Dominic and Mrs Wheeler who also laid The Willows wreath at the dawn ceremony.

Kind regards
Helen McCullough

RESPECT OUR STAFF

RESOLVING ISSUES SCHOOL FACT SHEET

BEFORE SCHOOL ROUTINE

At 8am we have limited supervision which is why we have the following in place as part of our duty of care:

All students who arrive from 8am onwards are to go to the Main CPA.

At 8.20am Years 3-6 students are taken to TCBC where they wait until they are released to go to class. Prep-2 students remain in the Main CPA and are released in time to go to class by 8.45am.

No student should be arriving at school prior to 8am. The school is not open and there is no supervision provided.

The Outside School Hours Care facility is an option for parents to book/use and parents/carers who have early starts and late finishing times are encouraged to access this facility.

ATTENDANCE

Every student in our school is important to us and we are committed to providing personalised education suited to their needs. The very first step in that is maximising learning time and we believe that if students attend every day and every learning minute of the day we are improving their opportunities for academic success.

Students can come to school from 8am. If they arrive at 8am they go to the Main CPA. At 8.15am year 3,4,5, and 6 students are escorted by at teacher to TCBC. Students are expected to be at school in the classroom ready to start work at 8.45am. Students who are late to school are encouraged to complete any work missed in their own time. Please note that lateness and early departure have an impact on student learning.

THE WILLOWS WAY IS 100% ATTENDANCE.

Just a little bit late doesn’t seem much but did you know…….

YEAR LEVEL PARADES

This year our students will have year level parades weekly and full school parades as scheduled on our school calendar.

Note the time and place for all year levels.

Parents/Guardians are most welcome to attend.

APPOINTMENTS WITH STAFF

Throughout the course of any day and week, the administrative and teaching staff of The Willows have significant commitments to the Teaching and Learning of our students. If you are needing to see one of the staff, please help us by arranging an appointment time at a mutually beneficial time. This can be done by contacting our office, email or by talking with us.

1-2-3 MAGIC AND EMOTION COACHING

PREP NEWS

YEAR 1 NEWS

It has been a busy and exciting start back to Term 2 for year 1! We have been working hard at describing a character in English, thinking about the qualities and actions of the character.

We have also been practising our counting patterns in 2s, 5s and 10s in Maths. We have been learning to following directions with movement and positional words.

YEAR 4 NEWS

History

Life of a Convict

During this term, Year 4 will be exploring the life of a convict. We will investigate why the Europeans decided to settle in Australia and what it was like as a convict on the First Fleet. Students will research what life was like before the convict left England, on the ship and in the new colony. They will write an historical narrative from a convict’s point of view and describe how their life changed as a result of the First Fleet. So, get ready to hear all about life as a convict throughout the term.

ICAS ASSESSMENTS

This year our school will be participating in the Educational Assessment Australia ICAS tests for Science, English and Maths. ICAS is an independent, skills-based assessment program which recognises and rewards student achievement. Students in Years 2-6 are encouraged to participate but it is not compulsory. The cost for each of these tests is $10.00 and they will be held on:

Science - Tuesday 29 May, 2018
English – Tuesday 31 July, 2018
Mathematics – Tuesday 14 August, 2018

P&C NEWS

School Run4Fun Colour Explosion!

We are thrilled to announce that our School Run4Fun Colour Explosion was a huge success.

With your assistance we were able to raise $14,633.36 which will be used for school projects through the coming year. How amazing is that? On behalf of The Willows State School P&C, we would like to thank you for your time and effort that was put into this year’s School Run4Fun Colour Explosion.

It was wonderful to see the spirit and enthusiasm that was displayed in supporting our school and of course the smiles on the student’s faces. What a blast of colour it was! We can’t wait to do it again next year.

The student incentive prizes have been ordered and will be distributed once they arrive.

Tupperware Eco Water Bottle Fundraiser

Our Tupperware Water Bottle Fundraiser was a success. With your help, the total order was around $1500, of which 10% goes direct to the P&C. What a fantastic effort! We hope to bring more Tupperware offers to you later this year.

Entertainment Books –Class Ice-cream Cake Party!

We are selling the popular Entertainment™ Books, to raise money for our School. The Books sell for $60, and we keep $12 for every one we sell.

The Entertainment™ Books are available as a Book (with a gold card and vouchers) or as a Digital Membership that puts all the offers on your smartphone to redeem at the touch of a button.

The Entertainment Book is in Partnership with Baskin-Robbins who have offered us the opportunity for all classrooms to participate in a chance to win an Ice-Cream cake party. Whichever classroom sells the most memberships will win, so don’t forget to get the students to select their classroom when purchasing online, and feel free to share amongst your family and friends!

Each classroom must sell a minimum of 10 memberships to be eligible to win - Good luck!

Order online through the P&C directly at this link:

Once ordered online, if you opted for the book version, it will be available to collect from the office or the OSHC.

If you did not receive an order form in your child’s bag, you can collect one from the office or OSHC and collect your book immediately (or an email will be sent to you for the digital version).

Fun Fair News

There will be no Fun Fair for 2018. Please don’t despair though…Our P&C team are working on new and exciting things this year, and we are planning on having a huge revamped Fun Fair event in 2019! Events coming your way in 2018 are a trivia night, movie nights, bingo….

If you would like to be involved in the organising or you have some suggestions, please contact us today! We welcome new ideas and are looking forward to bringing the Willows families together with some special events.

Mother’s Day Stall

We will be holding our annual Mother’s Day Stall again this year from the 8th to 11th May so that students can purchase a special gift for their mother, grandmother, or other important person.

Gifts range from $0.50 to $10. We advise that money should be brought to the stall (not the office) in an envelope with the student’s name on it.

PY to Year 5 classes have been allocated a time to attend the stall and make their purchase. The stall is also open at break times all days for Year 6’s, or for those who wish to shop with siblings, or for those who missed their allocated class time. Please watch for a note in your child’s bag with your child’s class visiting day.

We are also needing helpers for the stall. This involves helping the children selecting the items, calculating they have enough money, and sending them onto the cashier to pay. It’s a bit of fun, and a chance to meet other parents. If you are able to spare some (or a lot!) time, please contact the P&C at the Facebook page, or email willowspandc@gmail.com.

Family Movie Night

Our Family Movie Night is on the 11th May in the TCBC. We are looking forward to seeing many Willows families there to enjoy Despicable Me 3 on the big screen, whilst enjoying lots of yummy food from the two food vans. Please bring along pillows and comfy rugs, and make it a family night out!

Notes have already gone home. It will assist the P&C greatly if you can pre-purchase your passes by the 9th May through the tuckshop. Pre-purchased family passes will receive a free popcorn coupon upon entry!

Cinema Movie Night

Willows mums, please reserve 20th May for a Ladies afternoon/evening at Readings Cinema to see “Life of the Party”. Let all your friends know, and more information will be coming soon. Watch this space!

Contact Us!

Like us on Facebook to keep up to date with school and P&C events. (Search for The Willows State School P&C.) You can contact us sending a pm to the page. Alternatively, you can contact us via email at willowspandc@gmail.com

P&C Meeting

Our next P&C meeting is on the 8th May 6pm in the TCBC Conference Room. Don’t forget you can bring the kids if you need to!

See you round!