28 April 2021

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear Parents, Carers and Community,

Welcome to Week 2! What a fantastic start to our school term, with many positive stories for us to share. Please take the time to read our year level contributions and view the fantastic learning that is happening across our school.

Thank you to all those families, students and staff who supported us at the Thuringowa ANZAC March. It was a lovely service and we were very proud of our Captains who also attended the Dawn Service. “Lest we forget.”

Also, thank you to Mrs Wheeler (DM) and our school captains and choir for organising the 2021 Anzac Day Parade for our school. A special mention also to Mrs Anderson and Mrs Winter for their organisation behind the scenes to ensure this event was made possible. From all feedback, our students, staff and school community did a fantastic job and were able to honour the special event respectfully and to a high standard. Congratulations everyone!

One of the best parts of our job is sharing the success of our students. Our office has been inundated with special visitors sharing their reading and writing. It is outstanding that our students feel welcome, supported and confident to come and share and celebrate their learning with us. Way to go Willows!

The Willows State School staff work collaboratively with a number of schools in our region. This week, members of our team met with Kirwan State High School leaders to secure dates and plans for the effective partnership and transition of our students throughout the school year. Part of our partnership with Kirwan State High School includes the reciprocal visits to Year 6 and 7 classrooms by our teachers and networking across our schools with a focus on student reading and writing across their subject areas. We also have developed plans to continue the leadership days with our local high school which will take place in Term 4 for our students. Further information will be provided to our Year 6 students and parents later in the year.

We also hosted visitors from Bluewater and North Shore State Schools as part of our work in the K-2 Communities of Practice. Leaders from our 3 schools, have shared learning journeys for the past 10 weeks at each location, viewing the work of early years effective teaching and learning and sharing student successes in Term 1. One of our highlights within this opportunity to share is the excellent before school reading, oral language intervention programs and our everyday effective teaching and learning using high impact and visible learning structures such as learning walls, goal setting and explicit feedback to our learners. Fantastic work is happening every day in every classroom at The Willows!

Cannonvale State School is a great state school in Airlie Beach. Members of the Cannonvale State School leadership team came to The Willows this week to view our teaching and learning across Prep-6 with a focus on inclusive practices and ‘Aim for the A’ – Every Student is a Reader and a Writer. At our school we have an expert teaching team within and as part of our support team that work with our students to access, improve and achieve across the Australian Curriculum. Our everyday work at our school is an exceptional example and proudly we share our strategies across with our state school colleagues. A shout out to our school staff and students for the amazing work you do each and every day.

Kind regards,

Helen McCullough
Principal

GENERAL NEWS

FREE DRESS DAY – 30 APRIL

CHECK IN QLD APP

We’re using the new Check In Qld app to help keep you COVID safe the next time you attend an event at our school.

All you need to do is:

• download the app www.covid19.qld.gov.au/check-in-qld
• enter your details once
• open the app when you next visit us
• select ‘Check in Now’ and hover your smartphone over our QR code

Done!

Using this digital check-in means your details are stored securely by the Queensland Government for fast COVID-19 contact tracing if needed. #CheckInQld

SCHOOL REVIEW AND PLANNING

We are proud of our school improvement over the last 4 years. Early in Term 2, the Education Improvement Branch reviews our school over 3 days and our team is excited to share the fantastic work that The Willows as a collective team have achieved. Once the review is finalised, our school receives a report which then enables us to work with all stakeholders to develop the 4 year plan (2022-2026). Further information about the review can be found at the link below and in future information through our newsletters.

AUSTRALIAN EARLY DEVELOPMENT CENSUS

Australian Early Development Census
Playing our part to build a national picture of child health

In early 2021, our school, along with thousands of others across the country will begin preparations for the fifth Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).

The AEDC gives us a national picture of the development, health and wellbeing of children in their first year of full-time school. Since 2009, the census results have helped communities, schools and governments plan services and develop better policies to target support for children and families.

Children don’t miss any class time, and parents/carers don’t need to supply schools with any new information for the census. The AEDC gives us data at a school and community level - it isn’t an assessment of individual children.

Some teachers have also noticed that completing the assessments made them more aware of the needs of individual children and the class as a whole and that the census results are useful in planning for transitions to Year 1 and developing class programs.

Participation in the AEDC is voluntary. Parents/carers don’t need to take any action unless they choose not to include their children in the census.

To find out more about the census and how communities are using the data to help children and families visit the AEDC website:

If you have any questions, you can contact Deputy Principal Amanda Souter through our office.

WILLOWS WARRIORS

SCHOOL PARKING

We are aware that pick up and drop off times can be difficult due to the size of our school. We are working closely with the Queensland Police and the Townsville City Council in relation to the current parking and pick up issues. To ensure the safety of all who access our school, please note the following:-

• Do not park in no standing zones. Please see the below map
• Please use the pedestrian crossings and encourage your child/children to use the pedestrian crossings as well
• Do not walk through the traffic at the Stop, Drop and Go area
• Staff provide supervision at Stop, Drop and Go until 3:30pm every school day. These staff are responsible for ensuring the safety of your children inside our gates.
• Please be mindful of residential properties that surround our school – please do not park across their driveways
• Do not park on traffic islands or footpaths

Queensland Police have advised that they will be doing regular patrols and issuing infringement notices.

Thank you for your support in this important issue.

GATE SUPERVISION

Gate C (Sandstone Drive) is locked at 3.15pm. Any students remaining at 3.15pm will be escorted to Gate A (Stop, Drop, Go) where supervision is provided until 3.30pm.

P and C News

April 2021

Thank you to all of the parents and staff who have supported The Willows State School P&C. They are a small group that achieve a great deal for the benefit of the whole school.

Mothers Day stall

The P&C are running a Mother's Day Stall this year. For our new families to the school, we offer the opportunity for each class to attend our stall and purchase gifts for Mums and Grandmothers. We will also have items available for Dads.

Prices are very competitive, and a small amount goes to help the P&C with school projects.

A note with the day your child's class will visit the stall will be sent home this week. Example gifts will be posted over the next few days on Facebook.

We still need volunteers to help with the stall. Tasks are simply helping our students select gifts, checking they aren't going beyond their budget, and generally helping keep the tables stocked.

If you're keen and able to help, we have a variety of timeslots from Tuesday 4nd May through to Friday 7th May. If you can help for only a couple of hours, or even a couple of days, we'd love to hear from you. It's good fun, and you'll meet other parents from our school.

Please visit our sign up page and enter your name in the time slots provided:

To volunteer at the stall, you must complete an induction with the school. This will be occurring THIS THURSDAY 29 April at 2pm. No RSVP is needed for the induction. Please check in on the Check in Qld app at the school office. If you are unable to attend the induction at this time, please contact Barbara Anderson on 4799 1333 to arrange an alternative time.

School Jumpers

The weather is getting cooler. Check out the new TWSS jacket available now at The School Locker. Our school receives a rebate from all purchases made at The School Locker - please advise your association with The Willows State School when making a purchase.

Senior Shirts

Senior shirts (year 6 only) have arrived and are available now at The School Locker.

Sports Polos

New stocks of sports shirts have arrived at the School Locker.

The P&C's next meeting will not be at our usual time and is postponed to Tuesday 18 May 2021 from 6pm - 8pm in the TCBC Conference Room. We welcome new members at all of our meetings so come along and see what it's all about.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Year Level Parades

Prep – Mondays 8.45am in Junior CPA
Year 1 – Mondays 8.45am in Junior CPA
Year 2 – Tuesdays 8.45am in Junior CPA
Year 3 – Tuesdays 2.40pm in Multi-Purpose Learning Centre
Year 4 – Mondays 2.40pm in Main CPA
Year 5 – Mondays 2.40am in Multi-Purpose Learning Centre
Year 6 – Tuesdays 8.45pm in Multi-Purpose Learning Centre

Parents/Guardians are most welcome to attend.

Positive Behaviour Learning

Well Being

POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR AND PARTNERSHIPS

Community Connections

This week at The Willows State School, Tiffany and Catherine from Family and Child Connect met with some staff to provide information about the service and options available to support our families. They were very impressed by the inclusive spaces we have at our school, particularly the trike track, resource centre/ technology room, yarning circle and S Pod.

At The Willows we recognise that life presents with a range of challenges and we strive to work with families, to support all learners to achieve excellence! Family and Child Connect are a free service who can support families to access the help they need with challenges such as family relationships, children’s behaviour, financial stress, violence, alcohol or drug problems, housing, health care and more. I can assist by referring your family to this service or you can self-refer by calling 13 FAMILY (13 32 64). If you would like any more information, you are welcome to email or make an appointment with me.

Courtney Chisnall
Guidance Officer
Cechi0@eq.edu.au

Defence News

HELLO ALL DEFENCE FAMILIES

We held our Anzac Day Ceremony last Friday morning at school. Commendations go to all the students who were so respectful during the whole ceremony. Thank you to all staff, parents and Defence personal support for making the Ceremony at school one filled with meaning and thoughtfulness. Special Thanks goes to all student speakers Chloe C, Luke LS, Seth R, Darcy H, Kailah W, Elleanor C and Cooper S who delivered an amazing service to the whole school. Much appreciation goes to all students, staff and parents who marched at Thuringowa to commemorate this Anzac Day last Sunday.

Deployments/Exercises are continuing to happen again this year and this can be a very challenging time for all involved. While your partner is deployed/exercise 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/exercise. I can give support/information to you to assist at this time. If you inform me before the deployment/exercise starts I can support and check in with you child at school during this emotional rollercoaster. Students can find this time away from a parent especially challenging at home and school. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU FIND CHANGES ARE APPEARING IN YOUR CHILDS EMOTIONS/BEHAVIOUR DUE TO AN ABSENCE. Remember the 3 “R”’s RULES, RITUALS AND ROUTINES. Also talk to the teacher. Check DCO website for more details.

REMEMBER OPEN ARMS is available to YOU and your family - Veterans and Families Counselling provides 24 hr support and confidential counselling, group programs and suicide prevention training. Former and current serving ADF personal and their families can use the service. Call 1800 011 046 for more information.

Geckos Family Centre at Lavarack Barracks is a tri-service facility providing services, support and activities to enhance family resilience in the North Queensland Defence Community. Geckos offers a range of formal and informal activities catering to Defence members, partners and families such as playgroups, parent groups, boot camps, yoga, and sewing group. Check out their Facebook page to keep up to date with the activities and events held throughout the year.

Australian Military Wives Choir Townsville

The AMW Choir welcomes wives, partners, girlfriends, mothers, daughters, sisters and female ADF members. If you love to sing, we’d love you to join us. No auditions or experience required. For more info, or to register your interest, contact Michelle at coordinator.townsville@amwchoir.com

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. 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.

WELCOME TO YOUR NEW LOCATION 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.

Defence Social Workers are available for you to access at DCO office. Appointment required.

Please remember to sign up to the mailing list for what’s happening for defence families at dco.townsville@defence.gov.au or to register collect a sheet from me.

EVENTS TO REMEMBER

TO BE UP TO DATE WITH WHATS ON IN TOWNSVILLE CHECK whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au

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

DFA (Defence Families of Australia) 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

My hours are Monday to Friday 8:00am-3:30pm, phone me anytime for a chat on 4799 1333 ext 323, or e-mail me cwhee36@eq.edu.au .

School is FUN for all students by staying positive and developing RESILIENCE SKILLS AND FRIENDSHIPS.

Correna Wheeler
DSM Defence School Mentor

NOT ALL LEARNING CAN BE SHOWN

PE News (The Pulse)

Music News (The Pitch)

Prep News

Prep Scuderi has had a fabulous start to Term 2. In English we have continued our learning around retelling a story. All the students have worked very hard to produce independent writing samples. This term we are focusing on writing simple sentences using capital letters, full stops, finger spaces, sounding out and most importantly having confidence and trying our best.

In Maths we have been learning all about shapes. We have created shape monsters and shape pizzas. This week we will be focusing on how we can sort a group of shapes based on their common characteristics.

PEEK AT PREP

Year 1 News

Year 2 News

Lenny The Lining Up Lion.

At lunch time, the Year 2 students eat in the main covered area near the tuckshop. Each break, the teachers allocate points to the classes who can sit quietly to eat, keep their eating area clean and rubbish free and stop, look and listen on the whistle. Every Monday afternoon, these points are totalled. On Tuesday assembly, the class with the highest points gets awarded “Lenny The Lining Up Lion” for the week. Lenny then works with us in our rooms.

Here are some photos of Lenny working in Year 2MIL.

Year 3 News

Last term we prepared our students for persuasive and narrative writing. We had a key goal to improve writing stamina and we were very impressed with how much more writing was being achieved by students independently.

This term our year 3 students are persuasive letters and procedural presentations. They are looking at several texts including the classic “Charlotte’s Web”.

Year 4 News

Welcome back to term 2!!!

The year 4 students have had a fantastic start back this term! This week 4PRO have been having a fantastic time during English learning about traditional stories that have a moral and present this to a younger audience.

Learning Intention : To create and present a traditional story which includes a moral for a younger audience.

Every student is a reader and writer! In 4PRO our classroom is inclusive of all learners. This week we did brainstorming activities in groups where we worked together to identify circumstantial details in the text ‘How the Birds got their Colours’.

Students have had a fantastic time exploring traditional stories and the moral in the story. They are also doing a great job of improving their writing to include language features to enhance the story.

Year 5 News

Term 2! Welcome back. Year 5 have a busy term ahead. Generally, everyone has returned happy and eager to get into some interesting and engaging learning. Outlined below is an overview of learning for Year 5 this term. As these units are currently underway, your children should be able to discuss what their learning intentions are and express how they will find success in their learning.

Curriculum Overview

Year 6 News

Welcome back to term 2! We really can’t believe that we are here already.

Our first task this term in English is learning how to create a multimodal advertisement and explain how it persuades the viewer. We will be ‘Aiming for the A’ by looking for how students manipulate repetition, modality and narrative voice to persuade an audience. As well as focusing on how students justify choice of language features and images to influence an audience. We will also be focusing on how students experiment with multimodal features such as text structure, language, images and audio effects for emphasis and persuasion. The year 6 Teachers had some fun creating following exemplar for our students.

In Mathematics our first task is to write and apply the correct use of brackets and order of operations in number sentences. Our focus will be around choosing appropriate operations to make expressions true to calculate answers efficiently and accurately using all four operations. We are also looking at writing numerical expressions without unnecessary brackets, explaining why some brackets are mathematically unnecessary and matching stories to related expressions.

In Science we are learning to analyse requirements for the transfer of electricity in a circuit and describe how energy can be transformed from one form to another to generate electricity. We will also use scientific knowledge to assess energy sources selected for a specific purpose. We have already begun having lots of fun making circuits.

Please remember that homework this year is online. We are using the same platform as we did last year for COVID. Students are able to access this on The Learning Place using their login and password that they use at school. Please check that your child has access and if they are unable to login, let their Teacher know as soon as possible. The site has been updated, so homework will be available this week.

Community Events & Notices

THE SMITH FAMILY – SAVER PLUS

Ease the pressure of school camp costs with Saver Plus and get $500 in matched savings to help out.

What is SaverPlus?

Saver Plus is a free ten month savings program that provides financial education and matches your savings up to $500 for educational expenses.

Can you join?

To be eligible to join Saver Plus you must:

• be 18 years or over;
• be a parent or guardian of a student attending school, or be attending vocational education yourself;
• have a current Health Care card or Pensioner Concession card;
• be receiving a Centrelink benefit, allowance or payment;
• have some form of regular income from work (you or your partner) OR receive child support;
• not have completed SaverPlus before.

Who do I contact to join?

Debbie Mitchell
Townsville Saver Plus Coordinator
Phone 0418 201 533

Email debra.mitchell@thesmithfamily.com.au

Find out more information at the link below

C & K KIRWAN COMMUNITY KINDERGARTEN