6 September 2019

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S PRIDE

Last Monday, it was fantastic to have the opportunity to present our students awards for Academic Excellence. The parent and student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and the initiative is a welcome and highly valued one that will continue into the future. This will occur at the end of every Semester.

Congratulations to all of our students and staff who engaged with NAPLAN online School Readiness Testing last week. The purpose of this testing was to ensure that our school has the capability in our resources (both human and physical) to deliver NAPLAN online.

Over the next 2 weeks the Queensland Government is holding Parliament in Townsville. A number of our students are going to parliament sittings and a number of our staff are attending some of the significant events as official guests.

It is excellent to see the fencing contractors make quick progress with the installation of our security fencing. Thankyou everyone for your patience and co-operation. Once the fencing is in, we will be able to provide you with further information around areas that are next to be developed as part of the overall school planning of this project. The 2 celebration walls will be constructed in the next couple of weeks and will be branded with The Willows State School. The work on designs for these have commenced and we look forward to the completion of this project.

Thank you for your ongoing support and I look forward to seeing you all at the Book Week Parade on the last day of Term 3, Friday 20th September.

Kind regards
Helen McCullough
Principal

GENERAL NEWS

Update of Student Records

It is important that we have the most up to date student records for your child/ren. This includes addresses, contact phone numbers for parents and emergency contacts, and media consents. We are currently updating our student records and all students have received forms to take home for completion.

• Update of Student Records
• State School Consent Form (Media Consent)
• Third Party Website consent forms

Please complete and return all forms to the office ASAP.

Any queries can be directed to the office 4799 1333 or office@thewillowsss.eq.edu.au

Planning for 2020

Is your student returning to The Willows State School in 2020? Forms were sent home last week regarding this. Please return the form, or contact the office via phone or email to let us know if your student is intending on continuing at The Willows State School in 2020.

Has your student lost their glasses?

We have a number of prescription glasses that have been handed in at the office. Please check with the office if your student has lost their glasses.

SCHOOL WATCH

We need everyone to look out for after-hours crime in our school. If you see anything suspicious, please don't attempt to intervene.

ICAS

ICAS Assessments for Years 2 - 6

The Willows State School will be participating in the world-renowned ICAS Assessments this year for English and Maths. ICAS is developed by UNSW Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of New South Wales, with over 35 years’ experience in educational assessments. ICAS is designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills.

Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition. Every student will receive a certificate and an online result report. Top performers will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised.

The assessments are suitable for students wishing to extend themselves academically and take up the personal challenge of competing in an international assessment. Your child will be presented with high-quality, expert-developed questions, allowing them to apply their learning without the need for prior study or revision.

ICAS Assessments are now online, a move that reflects a sector-wide transition to computer-based assessment. This allows greater accessibility for students and faster delivery of results.

Permissions for participating students have been received and the school is issuing invoices for payment. Payment is required prior to the assessments being ordered.

These tests will be held in week 10 of this term:

English: Tuesday 17th September
Maths: Thursday 19th September

Learn more about ICAS at this website:

NAPLAN

NAPLAN Student Reports

Individual student reports for NAPLAN 2019 are being sent to schools this week. NAPLAN tests the sorts of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy. It is important to remember that NAPLAN is not about passing or failing, but about assessing learning progress. At the classroom level, it is one of a number of important tools used by teachers to measure student progress.

Students in Year 3 and 5 will receive their individual report by Monday 10 September. Please contact your child’s class teacher if:

• you do not receive a report
• you require replacement reports
• you want further information about your child's results

UPCOMING EVENTS

Positive Behaviour Learning

I am Resilient

Our recent Fortnightly Focus has allowed all our students to think about how they react in various situations and how they can respond and ‘bounce back’ from problems they face. This focus links to our recent learning about having a Growth Mindset, being able to make mistakes and learn from them.

As adults, we would like all our children to be able to respond positively to disagreements, disappointments or failure. By supporting them in learning about resilience, we are setting our young people up to think about their actions and the consequences of them. At home you could ask your children about how they have been resilient lately and model resilience in everyday situations.

I am Resilient – Our Year 3 Thinkers

How proud we are of our Year 3 students, who have been thinking about how they can be resilient. In these pictures someone has made a mistake and ‘given up’. Our students are showing some ‘Arty Resilience’ and helping the artist to see the mistake can be turned into something amazing. Mrs Hill and lots of our other staff have also been modelling, how to be resilient, with encouraging words from the students.

Year 3 are also working at communicating their learning around Growth Mindset. They have produced some great posters to show understanding and promote this in classrooms. Great job Year 3!

Well Being

TALKING ABOUT SCHOOL

Key points

• Talking about school with your child is important. It shows you’re interested in your child’s life and value education.
• You can start a conversation about school with your child by picking a good time to talk and asking simple, positive and specific questions.
• As your child gets closer to finishing school, talking about school might involve talking about future plans.

Why talking about school is hard

‘How was school?’ is a big question. To answer, your child has to sum up a whole day, and that’s hard for children (and even adults!) to do.

A child might really want to say, ‘My day was so jam-packed with ideas and classes and social stuff that I don’t know where to start’. So it’s easier just to say, ‘OK’.

Why talking about school is important

Talking with your child about the school day shows you’re interested in what’s going on in his life. This interest boosts his mental health, happiness and wellbeing. It can also have a very positive effect on your child’s behaviour and achievement. It shows your child that you value school and education, which encourages him to value it too.

Talking together about school also helps you get to know more about what’s expected of your child at school, how she learns and how she handles challenges. It can help you understand when she’s feeling less interested in school or having problems.

When you’re in touch with your child’s feelings about school, you’re more likely to see problems before they get too big. This way you can work on overcoming challenges together.

And talking about school issues – like school projects or friendship problems – is also a great chance for you to express your family values about things like teamwork, respect for self and others, friendships, relationships, problem-solving and so on.

Strategies for talking about school with your child

Your child will probably be tired and hungry or thinking about other things when she first gets home. So easing the transition from school or after-school activities to home can help your child feel more like talking.

It’s best to avoid asking him lots of questions straight away. You can just let your child know that you’re glad to see him, and talk about non-school topics for a while. Younger children will probably also like unpacking their bags and going through any notes before you ask about school.

Saving questions about homework for later on can also take the pressure off!

Every afternoon or evening will be different. Even if your child usually likes to share her day with you, there’ll be days when she doesn’t want to talk. Sometimes it’s a matter of sensing her mood and picking the right moment. Some days there might not be a right moment at all, and that’s OK.

Simple, positive and specific questions about parts of the day can get your child talking. For example:

• What’s the news from school today?
• What was fun?
• What did you like best at school today?
• What does your classroom look like at the moment?
• Who did you hang out with today?
• What subjects did you do today?
• What projects are you working on at the moment?

Tips for talking about school with primary school children

These tips can help you get a conversation going:

• Make time to talk. This can often be when you’re doing something with your child. For example, your child might like to talk when you’re walking the dog or preparing dinner together.
• Give your child your full attention if she wants to talk with you about her day.
• Take seriously whatever your child tells you. For example, you can say things like, ‘That’s really interesting. Then what happened?’ or ‘And how do you feel about that?’
• When you talk about the school and teachers with or in front of your child, use respectful language. For example, ‘I can see that’s frustrating, but Ms Adams is your teacher and you need to speak respectfully to her’, or ‘Yes, that seems unfair, but perhaps you don’t know the whole story’.
• Use active listening techniques. These can help you pick up on your child’s feelings and work out whether he wants to talk.

Ideas for talking about school with secondary school children

As your child develops into the teenage years, he might want more privacy and time to himself, which can make it harder to talk about school. But this isn’t the end of your warm, close relationship – it’s just that getting some distance from you is how your child becomes a more independent individual.

Stay connected

Staying connected to your child can help you balance respect for her independence and privacy with your need to keep in touch with her life. It can also help you pick up on the moments when she’s ready to talk.

Ask about links between schoolwork and future plans

At this age, your child might be more open to talking about the links between his schoolwork and what he wants to do when he’s finished school.

So rather than asking about your child’s day-to-day activities, you could try focusing on future plans. For example, ‘How’s the webpage you were designing in information technology coming along? Are you still thinking you might want to get into web design after school?’

Look out for signs of problems

Even if you usually have a good relationship with your child, she might not always tell you when she’s having a tough time. If she’s upset or nervous about discussing school or refuses to answer a question, there might be a bigger problem.

If you’re worried, you could try talking to other adults who know your child. Contacting the school or other appropriate professionals might help too. But it isn’t a good idea to talk to your child’s friends about your child because this might upset your child.

Stay calm around tricky topics

Conversations with your teenage child about school might bring up tricky topics. Try to stay calm – this is a great chance for you to be supportive and show your child that you value his honesty.

If your child doesn’t want to talk to you about a tricky topic, she might chat with someone else – her other parent (especially of the same gender, if it’s a personal issue), a trusted relative or friend, or a school counsellor.

Taken from:

Narelle Thomas
Guidance Officer

Defence News

HELLO TO ALL DEFENCE FAMILIES

WOW how the weeks are flying by. Hope all the Dad’s had a fantastic day with their loved ones. Thank you to all the parents for bringing the students along to the Kidsmart deployment program. We had a great response of 19 students attend this term. All the students who attended the program over the 2 weeks enjoyed meeting new friends and had lots of fun making their Treasure Box together. There will be some parents being deployed next year and this can have an emotional effect on children therefore this is a must for all children. Anyone interested in their child attending this great Kidsmart Deployment program in term 4 please call or email me. Dates yet to be confirmed. I will also be holding a Kidsmart Relocation Program in term 4 so if you are being posted and worried about how this will affect your children please register your interest NOW. This program touches on strategies and coping skills with moving to a new school and making new friends. Dates will be in term 4 soon to be confirmed. PLEASE REGISTER NOW.

Thanks to everyone who attended Morning Tea with me this morning it is always great to catch up for a cuppa and a chat with parents. Remember my door is always open from 8am so drop by anytime if you have a question.

Kookaburra Kids gives kids a break in a fun, positive and safe environment and provides an opportunity for them to meet other kids in similar families and develop new friendships.

Anyone can refer a child to the program either online or by contacting the local office during business hours, at the link below or Townsville Co-ordinator Louisa Calvert on 0410 896 923 (Tues & Wed 9-5 and Mon & Thurs mornings). Will keep you posted with activity dates and camps. Donations and volunteers are also welcome. Lots of fun. FREE activities.

POSTINGS are starting to come through to members and families. If you know you are going to be leaving the school throughout/end of the year. Please contact me and the school with the details. I can support the student with the transition to a new school.

Emotions are also running high, with parents away and on deployment. This can be an emotional rollercoaster for many children. If this is your child, please talk to the teacher and myself so we can work together to best support the child. Stay positive and always keep the lines of communication open and give a cuddle to your child when they are emotional.

Always talk to each other and try to keep the daily routine the same. School is a safe and friendly place to come.

Still trying to find clubs, groups, and activities for children, what to see and do, you must look at the website below, this is an amazing on-line resource for defence member and families to find information on their new location

Tutoring Assistance-There are changes to the EAS forms for families to access tutoring for students who have posted in to a new school. You can ring the Defence Family Helpline 1800 624 608, visit DCO website or collect the forms from me. Also paperwork is required in the form of reports from leaving and gaining schools. More Information go to this website:

DATES TO REMEMBER

Relocation Information Sessions

Wednesday 4 Sept 10.00am – 11.00am Bldg. G071 Chaplaincy Centre RAAF Base Townsville

Is your family posting at the end of the year?

The Defence Relocations Housing Manager NQ invites families to attend one of their relocation information sessions. Keep up to date with the latest information from the experts. Representatives from Toll, DHA, DCO and DFA will be there to answer your questions about all things postings. Members are encouraged to bring their partners along. Children are welcome but please note that no child minding will be provided. drhm.nq@defence.gov.au

Thursday 5 September – 10.30am – 12.00pmCoffee Connections – Hervey Range Tea Rooms

Continuing with our Women’s Health Week celebrations, we will be heading to the beautiful Heritage Tea Rooms at Hervey range to indulge in some of their fabulous food while relaxing in the tranquil garden. To allow time to travel, we will meet at Reading Cinemas, Cannon Park at 10.00am. If you have a spare seat or 2 and would be happy to carpool, please add details on the Eventbrite registration page. This is a self-funded activity. Attendees are responsible for the cost of purchasing their own food and drinks. Children are welcome.

Saturday 7 September First Aid Course

Geckos is offering subsidised First Aid training. You can register for either the full course which includes CPR for $60 or just the CPR course for $30.

This is a wonderful opportunity to obtain your first aid qualifications at a fraction of the cost. It is a great skill to have and; for those job hunting; it looks good on a resume. Limited spaces.

Dogs Day Out – Sunday 8 September – 9.00am - 11.00am

ADF members and their families are invited to bring their fur babies to the Bamford Lane off leash dog park for a Sunday morning catch up. Enjoy a chat with other dog lovers while your furry friends play. Morning tea and doggy treats will be provided

Geckos has a jam packed program of activities for everyone from single members to families. If you haven’t visited the Centre lately, head down and check out the great work happening there. From Boot Camps to Date Nights, there are some fantastic events planned. So you don’t miss out on any of their upcoming events, like “Geckos Family Centre – North Queensland” on Facebook. There are lots of activities happening through DCO and Geckos this month, so keep an eye out

ADF Member and Family Transition Seminars – North Queensland

Refreshed, family-friendly ADF Member and Family Transition Seminars are now available nationwide and are open to members and their families at any point throughout their military career. To better meet the needs of transitioning members and their families the format of the now one-day event has been changed, with members able to “pick their own adventure” and select the sessions they are most interested in learning more about.

Members keen to attend an upcoming seminar are asked to register via Campus.

DON’T FORGET to Register for DCO mailing list NOW for all the upcoming events in your local area.

Defence Family Helpline 24/7 1800 624 608

Open Arms call 1800 011 046

DFA (Defence Families of Australia) Chandelle Derham 0418 796 561 nth.qld@dfa.org.au

Geckos Family Centre-Nth Qld Lavarack Barracks Contact for enquiries on 4411 7031

Kookaburra Kids Tvl-Louisa Calvert 1300 566 525/0410 896 923

Defence Holidays NQ 07 4725 3842 at Lavarack Barracks opp Gym admin@defenceholidaysnq.com.au

If there are any changes with the home dynamics, please be sure to contact the class teacher/or myself so we can best support the student at school. I am available to talk anytime at school. My hours are Monday to Friday 8:00am-3:30pm, phone me on 4799 1333 ext 323, or e-mail me cwhee36@eq.edu.au anytime.

My aim is to assist to empower students at school by developing RESILIENCE, CARING AND TRUST. Students who develop these life skills will be ready for the future.

Have a great week
Correna Wheeler
DSM

WE NEVER LOSE
WE EITHER WIN
OR LEARN

Music News (The Pitch)

P and C News

General Meeting

The role of the P&C includes helping people come together, making suggestions to/asking questions of the Principal and admin team, getting to know each other, feeling that you can contribute to the school & having fun during this precious time of your child’s life. The more members we have actively participating in the P&C association the better we can achieve our objectives.

Please consider coming along to a P&C meeting and getting involved – it’s a great way to meet new people and really contribute to your child’s school experience.

The date for our next meeting is 10th September, 6pm in the Conference Room.

Father’s Day Stall wrap-up

Congratulations to the winners of our Father's Day Stall raffle prizes:

1st Prize - Bonnie 5KRO
2nd Prize - Riley 5THE
3rd Prize - Layla 1ANN
4th Prize - Jack T 5CRO
5th Prize - Eleanor 4MIL
6th Prize - Amiteel 5KRO
Mystery Prize - Kailee 4JOH

Thanks for your support and a special thanks to all of our helpers for making our stall possible.

Prep News

Science

In Science we have been learning about materials and their properties. We decided to be scientists and investigate the different materials we have on our playgrounds. We found wood, metal, rubber and plastic. Prep Scuderi has also had the opportunity to conduct an experiment to see which materials would be suited best for our wind ornament ensuring they would be suitable to stay outside in the wind, rain and sun.

75 Star Rewards

To celebrate amazing behaviour & learning in the classroom the Prep classes had the opportunity to bring in their favourite game from home. We all had a fun afternoon playing and learning new games.

Year 1 News

Year 2 News

In Year 2, we have been identifying and comparing the life stages of living things. Each student has been embracing their inner scientist and engaging in research about butterflies, northern blossom bats and frogs. We have been conducting this research individually and in groups and documenting our findings using mediums such as report writing, A3 Posters and presentations. We can’t wait to create our final posters and showcase all of our hard work and effort!

Year 3 News

YEAR 3 SCIENCE

HOT STUFF!

This term, Year 3s are investigating how heat energy is produced and the behaviour of heat when it transfers from one object or area to another.

Learning Intention: We are learning to create a scientific report to provide advice on how to heat up cold water without the use of cooking equipment or a fire.

Success Criteria:

You will know you have been successful when you can:

1. Use understanding of the behaviour of heat to suggest explanations for everyday observations, thinking about:

• How heat is transferred from one material to another
• How some materials are better for conducting heat than others the effects of heat transfer in familiar and unfamiliar situations

2. Describes how investigations can be used to respond to a question, thinking about:

• the scientific evidence gathered from an investigation
• why investigations are a good way of finding out solutions to scientific questions and real life problems

3. Make formal measurements and follow procedures to collect and record observations.

4. Suggest reasons for findings, based on patterns in data.

5. Use labelled diagrams and other representations to communicate ideas thinking about:

• Using scientific language.
• Representing data accurately using simple tables and bar graphs.

6. Describe how fairness and safety were considered and managed throughout the investigation thinking about:

• Listing the variables of the investigation
• Why the variables need to be consistent
• Listing the risks involved in conducting the investigation.

The students are enjoying learning new skills and are looking forward to being able to report their findings from the investigation.

One of our investigations was observing how heat travels through warm and cool water. We placed the blue dye into the cool water first then observed what happened. Next, we placed red dye into the warm water and made our observations. We discovered that the red dye travelled faster in the warm water whereas the blue dye moved much slower through the cool water

Year 4 News

Year 4 Design and Technology

During this term as part of our Design and Technology unit, we have been exploring repurposing.

This unit of work has assisted us to become aware of the properties of materials- links to our science unit, the impact we have on the environment and how we can work to become a more sustainable society.

LEARNING INTENTION: To apply understanding of the properties of materials and components to repurpose an item of clothing into another useful item.

Year 5 News

YEAR 5 EXCURSION TO CHARTERS TOWERS
ZARA CLARK MUSEUM VISIT

5CRO class had a great time at the museum looking at all the exhibits on display and learning about ‘Days of Old’. It was set up in themed areas and the children enjoyed hearing about life in the past.

Year 6 News

Over the past few weeks, the Year 6 students have been involved in some very exciting extra-curricular activities. Students participated in the Garbutt Magpies Gala Day for AFL as well as the Indigenous Youth Parliament. All students who participated in those events were excited and were happy to share their experiences when they returned to school. While at school the Year 6 cohort have been busy completing assessment as we approach the busy part of the term. In English, the students are writing speeches to complete as a panel discussion analysing Elizabeth Honey’s writing style in two of her novels. Many of the students have enjoyed both books as they are written from the perspectives of 11-year-old main characters. The students are also having a great time devising a drama performance in groups. Students have had to write a script based on a natural disaster rescue and will perform them in front of their peers. We can’t wait for that!

Community Events & Notices

The Smith Family
Saver Plus Program

Experiences of Parenting

Are You A Parent of a Child Aged 2 to 12?

The Parenting and Family Support Centre at the University of Queensland is conducting research into parents’ opinions about parenting and parenting programs. If you have a child between 2 and 12 years, we would love to hear your views on parenting and the services that are available to you as a parent. You will need to complete a short survey. To find out more or to participate please visit this link:

My Time

Indigenous Carers Needed