3 April 2020

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S PRIDE

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

Thank you for your ongoing support as we seek to respond to a rapidly changing social and educational environment.

Teaching and Learning in Term 2

Over the course of these five additional Student Free Days staff have been busily preparing for the possibility of schooling in Term 2 needing to be delivered in a range of formats. Once we receive firm advice on the status of schools for next term (i.e. open as usual, partial closure, full closure) we will communicate this information to our families. At this stage the message continues to be that school commences for Term 2 on Monday, 20 April pending updated health advice.

Staff are currently planning for a range of optional modes that may be required, taking into account the developmental needs of their students and individual student access to online resources. Considerations are being given to:

• Online learning programs via email communication to parents and/or students regarding how to utilise the DoE
• Learning@home resources
• Email communication to parents regarding the ‘core learning’ required for the day/week – no access to online
• Resources/platforms required
• Interactive lesson platforms – Virtual Classrooms (to be opened in Term 2 and students use their login and password)
• Ongoing parent and student support via email and phone contact
• Structuring at school learning for the children of essential workers (should there be a partial closure of schools
• Following the vacation.

We look forward to engaging with all of our students again in Term 2 via one or many of the options outlined above and further information will be provided once we have the direction of Term 2 learning at the end of the school break.

Home-School Communication

We will continue to communicate with all students and families as needed across the vacation. Our modes of communication include:

• School website – www.thewillowsss.eq.edu.au
• Whole school text messaging service (as required if appropriate)
• The Willows State School Facebook Page
• Generic school email – admin@thewillowsss.eq.edu.au

If any of your contact, details have recently changed OR will change over the coming weeks please notify the school ASAP.

I continue to wish you and your family all the very best in these challenging times. I trust you can find some innovative and socially distant ways to have ‘fun’ together over the Easter vacation.

Take care and stay happy healthy.

Kind regards,

Helen McCullough
Principal

DEPARTMENTAL MESSAGES

GENERAL NEWS

DENTAL VAN

Townsville Oral Health Services to the community will be changing effective immediately due to the current pandemic. In line with Government advice, child and Adolescent school dental programs and adult services in the Townsville University Hospital and Health Service will be moving to an emergency dental service only.

Any children that are due to have examinations or follow-up treatment will be deferred until normal operations resume. If your child develops a dental emergency during this time, initial triaging will occur by phone interview to assess the risk and decide on best course of action for each individual case. For all enquiries regarding dental emergencies during this time PH. 1300 300 850 (Please note there will be no options for parents or patients to ‘walk in’ and make appointments).

Dental staff are essential members of the community healthcare team and during this time, will be working closely with other hospital staff across the community to reduce the load on our Emergency Department. We thank you for your assistance, understanding and co-operation in this matter.

Townsville Oral Health Service

Townsville University Hospital and Health Service

FREE- MICROSOFT OFFICE SOFTWARE

All Queensland state school staff and students can download multiple free copies of the latest Microsoft Office to their personal home computers and mobile devices.

Steps to Download, update to and install Office 365 ProPlus 2016.

1. Open internet browser and navigate to http://portal.office.com
2. You will be prompted for your EQ username and password on the online authentication page. Type your username and password.
3. Click Login.
4. You will need to log into the Office 365 home page using the same details listed in step 2. Ensure you enter your EQ username@eq.edu.au email address.
5. The Office 365 homepage will load and give you the option to ‘Install now.’ Click on the ‘Install now’ button.
6. OPTIONAL: Untick the check boxes which automatically make Bing your search engine and make MSN your browser home page if you would not like for these changesto be applied.
7. A pop up message will appear prompting you to run or save the .exe file. Ensure that the source is as per below - c2rsetup.officeapps.live.com.
8. Click on ‘Save’. The file will automatically begin to download.
9. When the file has completed downloading, click on ‘Run’.
10. You will be prompted with a message to make changes to your computer. Select ‘Yes’.
11. Office will start downloading.
12. Office ProPlus 365 will start to install onto your computer, wait for this to finish.
13. You will be prompted with the Microsoft Office License Agreement. View Agreement and click Accept
14. After Office 365 finishes installing, a message will appear to inform it has completed. Click ‘Close’.
15. After you click close, we recommend restarting your computer to ensure all changes have applied successfully. Your Microsoft Office ProPlus software is now ready for you to use. This software is only for personal devices and will remain available throughout your duration with the department.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Positive Behaviour Learning

Defence News

HELLO TO ALL DEFENCE FAMILIES

Hope you are all safe and well? We are moving into some difficult times for all and if you are requiring any assistance please remember that there are many resources to access. Don’t be afraid to reach out for support. Regularly check Facebook or website for school updates. I have found a couple of very informative resources (include website and fact sheet) that if you read may be of assistance for yourself and children www.australia.gov.au and beyondblue.org.au

Remember to call Defence Family Helpline 1800 624 608 or Open Arms 1800 011 046 with any questions.

Kookaburra Kids activities planned for the break have been cancelled. You can follow them on Facebook or see at the link below for updates. Townsville Co-ordinator Louisa Calvert on 0410 896 923 (Tues & Wed 9-5 and Mon & Thurs mornings). Please email Louisa with any questions.

GECKOS FAMILY CENTRE IS CLOSED at Lavarack Barracks. Follow on Facebook or call 07 4411 7031.

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.More Information go to the link below.

Please remember to sign up to the DCO mailing list for what’s happening for defence families at dco.townsville@defence.gov.au If you have any questions please give me a call at school/email or stop by my room in L Pod any day of the week for a cuppa and chat. Any questions regarding postings and deployments please contact me anytime during school hours.

If you have a partner who has or will be Deployed and your child is not coping with the change please send me an email or call me to discuss your concerns. This time can be very traumatic for a child who is missing this special person. I can talk to them and we can put some ideas and strategies in place to assist with coping at school and home. Remember the 3 “R”’s RULES, RITUALS AND ROUTINES. Also talk to the teacher.

Defence Community Hub is an amazing on-line resource with loads of information for defence members and their families if you are trying to find clubs, groups, activities for children, and what to see and do on their new and present location. A MUST DO.

DATES TO REMEMBER

ALL ACTIVITES PLANNED WITH DCO ARE CANCELLED AT THIS TIME follow them for updates.

DON’T FORGET to Register for DCO mailing list NOW at dco.townsville@defence.gov.au

Defence Family Helpline 24/7 1800 624 608

Open Arms call 1800 011 046

Mates4Mates – Email: townsville@mates4mates.org or call the Townsville FRC on 4771 9600

Café now Open from 9am-12.30pm everyday, welcome to attend for a chat and look around

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 you notice any changes with your child, please be sure to contact the class teacher/myself so we can best support them at school. My hours are Monday to Friday 8:00am-3:30pm, phone me anytime on 4799 1333 ext 323, or e-mail me cwhee36@eq.edu.au.

Aim to assist to support defence students at school by developing their RESILIENCE, CARING, FRIENDSHIP AND TRUST. Students who develop these life skills will be ready for the future.

Correna Wheeler
DSM Defence School Mentor

Keep Safe and Healthy during this unprecedented time.

Prep News

In Prep Rabbitt we have been very busy building up our connections between sounds in our reading and writing. This has given the children more confidence in beginning to write on their own. Our class have also started to practise our handwriting in the Year One lines and we are doing a fantastic job.

In maths we have been looking at ways of explaining how big we are in comparison to the world around us. One of our activities was to make streamers small enough to make a jellyfish. We have also been exploring the wonderful world of patterns and have had fun counting with Stikeez.

Celebrations have been a a focus of our learning over the last few weeks. We made of 3D collages of our favourite special event. This included all the special objects connected to this special time. We also brought in some special items from home and have explained to our class why they are special and what they remind us of.

With the student free days being called for Week 10, we have celebrated our behaviour goals early. An Easter egg hunt and Easter crafts. It’s been a positive way to end Term 1.

Year 1 News

In Maths, we finished the term by exploring different ways to do addition. We have been using ten-frames, double facts and using part-part-whole strategies to work out our addition facts. In 1Moule, the students have been successful using manipulatives such as small counters, unifex blocks and small toy animals to assist them with their learning. In 1TOM, students used pictures of a soccer field to draw people which assisted them to make up their own addition problem which they then solved.

On Friday, the year 1 classes celebrated no major rewards. The students enjoyed using water colour paints, crayons, coloured pencils and highlighters to decorate their Easter baskets. Once completed, students in 1Moule were very excited to go on a freddo frog hunt and make Easter hats as well. Please stay safe and well over the break!

Year 2 News

Year 2 says: BULLYING NO WAY!

Throughout the last few weeks Year 2 have been focusing on using kind words and being a bucket filler. We are buddies, not bullies!

Students have been engaged in creating a whole-class poster about using kind hands, thinking of ways they have been a bucket filler, and creating affirmation chains to display in the classroom.

Ask your child how they can be bucket fillers at home over the holidays!

Year 3 News

Year 3 News

For Health this term, year 3 students learnt about how positive social interactions with others impacted on their self-identity. Students got to investigate different types of friendships and examined what qualities they looked for in a friend (kindness, caring, honesty). They also got to explore what their roles and responsibilities were towards contributing to the friendship. Year 3 students worked through numerous activities to practise communicating respectfully with their friends to learn how to resolve conflicts and challenges that can occur in friendships. The students should be able to use the information learnt to help them establish and maintain respectful friendships in the future.

Here are some pictures of what attributes make a good friend.

Year 4 News

In Year 4 we have been learning different choreographic devices so that we can tell stories or messages through dance. In 4E MEN we focussed on the ‘Yirrganydji calendar’ which is the indigenous calendar of the Yirrganydji traditional lands and waters from Cairns to Port Douglas. It is a seasonal calendar that shows the two main seasons broken into six categories. The children matched music and dances moves to one of the six seasons represented in this calendar below.

Year 6 News

Year 6 Newsletter – Week 9 – Term 1 – 2020

We have been very busy in year 6, with lots of hands on fun!

In Maths we are investigating our guided inquiry question by using simple strategies to reason and solve a measurement inquiry question (how many chairs ‘best fit’ into the TCBC for a concert).

In Science we are conducting an investigation into reversible and irreversible changes, including identifying variables to be changed and measured, describing potential safety risks, identifying improvements to methods and constructing texts to communicate ideas, methods and findings.