18 September 2020

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S PRIDE

Dear Parents/Carers,

As Term 3 closes, I would like to thank-you for your ongoing support, patience and understanding throughout Term 3. Our students and staff have done a fantastic job each and every day in their teaching, learning and this is made possible through positive partnerships with our families.

This week we have seen a sensational level of support for our Student Council at The Willows. Our chosen charity Ronald McDonald House Charities Townsville is the community partnership that our students are striving to raise money for. Thank you for supporting the Crazy Hat Day. This fundraiser was a great deal of fun and students raised $500 to donate to the charity! Way to go The Willows!

This week we have also had notification that we have been successful in obtaining a bus route from Shaw (Greater Ascot) for our students. Townsville Sunbus have advised that they plan to institute a service from Shaw to The Willows State School from the start of week 2 of Term 4, 2020.

This has been a direct result of 12 months of data collection, discussions with government agencies and support of a number of parents and future families of The Willows State School. Thank you so much everyone for your enormous efforts and support with this! A parent wishing to utilise the service for their students may complete an online Bus Travel Assistance application, which is available at this link below:

On 17 September, the Queensland Government has announced changes to the end of school year. This announcement is as follows:

New student free days added to Term 4!

In recognition of the outstanding efforts of school staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, the last two days of the school year, Thursday 10 and Friday 11 December, have been declared student free days. Our school will be closed on these days.

View the updated school calendar at the link below.

Our school staff are working in unusual times and the ways of working look differently to any other school year. As a large school, we navigate the guidelines with significant care and not always are we able to conduct school events as we have in the past with large student/adult numbers. Letters regarding the Year 6 Graduation and end of year arrangements for our graduating students will be sent to parents outlining some of the options that are available to us and the dates that these special ceremonies will occur. Our Prep Open days will also be modified to ensure that all of our new learners are able to attend in a safe manner and in line with the DG Operating Guidelines for State Schools.

Life is not back to ‘normal’ though. Many of the opportunity that are usually available to students needed to be modified in some way and the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 restrictions will continue to impact our Term 4 events and celebrations, such as Year 6 Graduation, annual awards ceremonies, sporting and music events and transition experiences.

With all that has happened, I am very proud and thankful of how involved and flexible students and families have been in the events that have been offered and to staff for making these opportunities available to students.

2021 planning has commenced and we have launched a survey for our families to ensure that we have a clear picture of our enrolment numbers. Enrolment numbers drive school resourcing and it is important that we are able to plan for this. An email was sent to families about this. Please complete and submit for each child enrolled, NOT multiple students in one survey (multiple survey responses will be accepted)

Survey Link:

*Year 6 parents please complete the survey as the school requires the destination high school for each student moving to Year 7

STAFFING NEWS

Please join me as we farewell Raj Boodhun and thank him for his time at The Willows. Raj returns to his family in Melbourne and we wish him all the best in these unknown times.

Next term we welcome Denielle Patullo who will be working across The Willows SS and Kirwan SHS in our French program/s.

Teachers on leave start of Term 4

Stephanie Clarke 4D CLA will be away in Week 1 and will be replaced by Isabella Concar.

Lee-ann Drovandi-Milne 4B MIL will be away in Weeks 1 and 2 and will be replaced by Alyesha Burford.

Loren Zonta 1E ZON will be away in Week 2 and will be replaced by Jess Markwell.

Correna Wheeler DSM will be on leave in Weeks 1-4.

As we move into Term 4, the arrangements for schools due to Covid19 Pandemic remain unchanged with continued restrictions for visitors to our school, high cleaning and hygiene protocols and continued measures in place for drop off and pick up arrangements. These measures are in place to ensure safety of all members of our school community. Any further updates throughout the holiday period will be communicated through our Facebook Page.

In Term 4, Mrs Winter will be Acting Principal for the first two weeks and Mrs Haines will continue as Acting Deputy Principal while I take a short break. I wish you a safe and restful holiday break and look forward to seeing you all in Term 4.

Kind regards,

Helen McCullough
Principal

GENERAL NEWS

BUS SERVICE

Townsville Sunbus will have a service from Shaw to The Willows State School from the start of week 2 of Term 4, 2020.

Parents wishing to utilise the service for their students may complete an online Bus Travel Assistance application, which is available at this link below:

STUDENT FREE DAYS

UPCOMING EVENTS

Positive Behaviour Learning

Well Being

Narelle Thomas
Guidance Officer

Defence News

HELLO TO ALL DEFENCE FAMILIES

Week 10 has arrived already and it is difficult to believe the term is over. The students have been busy at Kids Club this week celebrating Teddy Bear Day. We all made teddy bear masks, necklaces and dancing bears which has been lots of fun for all. Students have been informing me that their parent may be going away to do security at the borders or that they think they are moving at the end of the year. If you have a loved one away please call or email me with the details. Children can become emotional at times while at school due to this and may require a friendly chat or some special time out to deal with their thoughts.

Remember to always make time to listen to your child’s concerns. In these extraordinary times, RESILIENCE plays an important role in our daily life. Resilience is a skill which is learnt and encouraged by people around them. Wishing all families an enjoyable, relaxing 2 weeks holidays. Always check Geckos Facebook page for what is on in their 2 week holiday program. They have many activities planned for children to have fun and meet other children.

Reminder to students and families that I will be on leave from Week 1-4 of Term 4. You can contact the class teacher or office with any concerns regarding your child’s well-being during this time.

If you have received confirmation that you will be leaving our school this year can you please contact me ASAP. I have also attached a useful flyer “Moving School Checklist for Parent’s” tips for moving. I am also holding a Kidsmart Relocation Program in Term 4 for all defence students who will be posting out of our school. This program runs 2 afternoons after school in Defence Room/L Pod. Attached are the flyer and enrolment forms. Please complete registration and parent evaluation forms and return to school or email them to me. You can call me if you require more information.

Education Liaison Officers are part of Defence Community Organisation’s education advisory service, designed to inform, prepare and empower Defence families when they are relocating and changing schools. They are located in each state and territory and have extensive knowledge about the local schools and education systems as well as the unique needs of Defence children. You can ring the DCO office in your posting area to talk to the EDLO regarding schools in your area or go to the DCO website for information. Flyer with numbers attached or call Defence Family Helpline on 1800 624 608.

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 access tutoring up 18 months from when you move to a new school due to a posting. Ring the Defence Family Helpline 1800 624 608, visit DCO website or collect the forms from me .More Information go to at the link below.

Some parents have been sent to different locations to support borders for an unknown period of time. This can be a difficult time and if your child is experiencing some separation anxiety please inform teacher and myself so we can best support them. Please contact me at school or via email to discuss strategies. Conversations are an important part of a child’s learning. I have found some practical tips for starting conversations with children. Let me know how it worked for you.

Postings are starting to happen again and concerns regards to moving and new schools for children. Please let me know as soon as you receive confirmation that you will be Posting Out. As there is information that I can pass onto you to assist with this transition to a new school. “Posting Connect” is a new platform currently being developed to streamline the posting experience by guiding ADF members. Posting Connect will be available from 1 September 2020 for all full time ADF members undertaking a domestic posting that includes a relocation. Once available eligible members will be emailed on the Defence PROTECTED Network with an invitation to use the platform. There is an amazing online resource available for ADF members and families to find information regarding their posting location. Go to the link below for loads on information about your new location. Must see.

Deployments or going away to support Covid and this can be a very challenging time for all involved. While your partner is deployed and you are at home with the children, there may be times when you feel like a single parent. Though the situation is temporary, there are financial, emotional and day to day adjustments you will need to make as you adjust with this deployment. I have information I can give to you to assist at this time. If you inform me before the deployment starts I can support and check in with you child at school during this emotional rollercoaster. Remember the 3 “R”’s RULES, RITUALS AND ROUTINES. Also talk to the teacher. Check DCO website for more details.

If you have any questions please give me a call at school or email me any day of the week with any questions regarding postings and deployments. Contact me anytime during school hours. Don’t forget to check out RESILIENCE IS MY SUPERPOWER flyer attached. It is a great positive reinforcement for children. Print it out and stick it to your child’s door.

Useful sites

DCO are offering some activities so please check the DCO Townsville Updates Page for more details. Please remember to sign up to the mailing list for what’s happening for defence families at dco.townsville@defence.gov.au

Call Defence Family Helpline 1800 624 608 or Open Arms 1800 011 046 with any questions.

EVENTS TO REMEMBER

DOGS DAY OUT-SUNDAY 18TH OCTOBER - Have the date for our first Dogs Day Out event for 2020. ADF members their families and their precious pooches are invited to join us for a morning of furry play. Enjoy the company of other dog lovers while your furry mates are socialising. The Townsville District Police and Neighbourhood Watch will be providing a free "Dogs on Patrol" engraved dog tag. Come and talk to Angel-Paws Inc who will have information on animal fostering and adoption. Doggy treats will be provided.

Registrations will open soon. Follow our Eventbrite page so you never miss an event!

THE (ALMOST) AMAZING RACE-FRIDAY 30TH OCTOBER - It is almost that time of year again! Our annual "Almost Amazing Race" will be bigger & better this year. As part of Veteran's Health Week, we will be opening up categories for Units, families and School students (must be accompanied by an adult). Teams are invited to jog, walk or sprint their way through a series of checkpoints and challenges in a race against the clock to find the most clues. Enter a team (2-5 people), test your skill and have some fun. We will be looking for the most original team name and the best dressed team. The event is suitable for everyone from families with prams through to teens, couples and single members.

VETERANS HEALTH WEEK - DCO has joined forces with the veteran support community across Queensland to offer a full program of activities for Veterans Health Week. During the week 26 October - 1 November, you will be able to join a fantastic range of online and face to face activities from Trivia Nights to Yoga to modified rugby and of course; The (almost) Amazing Race. We will keep you up to date #VHW2020

TO CHECK WHATS ON IN TOWNSVILLE OVER THE HOLIDAYS CHECK

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

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.

My aim is to assist and support defence students at school by developing their RESILIENCE, CARING, FRIENDSHIP AND TRUST.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Correna Wheeler
Defence School Mentor

I HEAR I FORGET, I SEE I UNDERSTAND, I DO AND I REMEMBER.

Music News (The Pitch)

P and C News

Prep News

We have been very busy in last two weeks of school! The kids have all worked really hard to complete their last assessments for the term. In Prep Treacy, we celebrated the end of term by painting pictures of Noni the Pony and Bear from The Very Itchy Bear. The kids also had fun adding rhyming words from the stories to their paintings.

This week we also celebrated reaching 75 stars and no major behaviour incidents. As a reward, everyone enjoyed playing outside on the obstacle course and indoor play and craft activities.

Year 1 News

In year one students have been designing and creating a puppet with a moving part, to use in a puppet show. They have written logical steps of how they made their puppet and communicated their design ideas through detailed drawings.

Year 2 News

The end of the term has snuck up on us! We’ve been so busy working away in our rooms, time has flown.

One of the areas we have been working on is our English and we have been learning about and writing information reports. We have learned that the purpose of information reports is to provide factual information on a specific topic. We’ve used this knowledge, our research skills, varying sentence structure and descriptive language skills to create information reports about the Northern Blossom bat.

Have a great and safe holiday break!

Year 3 News

Year 3 have been learning to:

• Comprehend Kumiko and the dragon, drawing on knowledge of context, text structure and language features, and evaluate language and images in the text.
• Create a multi modal imaginative narrative about a character overcoming a fear, using software.

3FAH spent time learning about the different visual language features before then purposefully creating ‘images’ through photos, portraying certain relationships and moods. Students then described the visual language features used in their created images. Students later transferred this knowledge and understanding when evaluating images used in Kumiko and the Dragon.

Also, 3FAH have been excitedly creating an imaginative narrative to share with a year 2 class. We have created a digital story book using the IPADS, combining text and images to support the meaning and purpose of our stories. We have been editing our stories to make them more engaging by adding in descriptive language and also precise verbs. We can’t wait to share these with the year 2 students!

Year 4 News

In Year 4, we have been working on Drama which is one of the subjects within “The Arts.”

The purpose of our assessment task is to devise, perform and respond to drama about Country/Place. This is the process followed by the students in 4MIL and 4NOS.

Part A: Making and Devising – Students had to work together, in small groups, to select a special place in our community (Townsville and close surrounds). This became the setting for their drama. They then had to write their own play that told a story about this place including the season and day or night. Students worked in groups of 4 or 5 to write their drama as a script. They included dialogue for each character and suggested actions that could occur throughout.

Part B: Rehearsing – Once the scripts were written, students were given class time to rehearse in their groups. Many students brought costumes and supplied or made props for their dramas. Rehearsals occurred in our classroom, on the covered shaded walkways and in our new covered area outside the library.

Part C: Performing – Students then performed their dramas for both classes. We used TCBC conference room as there was plenty of space for the acting to happen and for our large audience to sit and be entertained.

Part D: Responding – Students then had to complete a written task where they had to describe and discuss their own drama and compare it with a video of a professional drama.

Year 5 News

This term in Science students are investigating the properties of light and the formation of shadows. They are investigating reflection angles, how refraction affects our perceptions of an object's location, how filters absorb light and affect how we perceive the colour of objects, and the relationship between light source distance and shadow height. They are planning investigations including posing questions, making predictions, and following and developing methods. They are analysing and representing data and communicating findings using a range of text types, including reports and labelled ray diagrams. They are exploring the role of light in everyday objects and devices and considering how improved technology has changed devices and affected peoples' lives.

The photos show 5CLES engaging in our assessment task, which is to construct a model of a maze and then transmit light through the maze using mirrors. The students then altered the appearance of the light exiting the maze in some way using their scientific knowledge.

Year 6 News

What an amazing cohort of year 6 students! We have been working hard in a very busy term 3 with some great learning opportunities across all learning areas.

The classrooms are buzzing with excitement in The Arts as we continue to devise, perform and respond to a documentary drama around a natural disaster.

Our focus in maths is to continue to make connections between capacity and volume and convert metric units. Students have worked collaboratively to measure objects in the classroom and convert between millimetres, centimetres and metres.

In HASS we are conducting an inquiry to answer the question: How does tourism at the Great Barrier Reef affect people and places? Students have developed appropriate questions to frame an investigation, collected data through a questionnaire and are organising their collected data into tables and graphs. Students have loved researching on the computers about our amazing Great Barrier Reef and how tourism can have an impact both negatively and positively on our country.

In Science, we are looking at contributions to the development of science by people from a range of cultures. Students have investigated how building techniques such as the Taq and Dhajji-Dewari system (used in the Kashmir region in northern India) have been shown to provide earthquake resistant qualities to buildings and put into practice by building their own buildings using these techniques.

Community Events & Notices