8 December 2021

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Pride

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Community Members,

Welcome back to the final week of the 2021 school year. We are certainly on the countdown now with just 2 school days before the Summer holidays. This week will continue to be busy with a range of special events such as our 75 Stars Reward sessions, No Majors Celebrations, Year 6 Graduation, Pizza Party, Fun Day Excursion and Year 6 Rite of Passage. Last week eligible students participated in a range of GOLD Star Reward activities – thank you to all staff, P&C volunteers and particularly, Mrs Carter, for her coordination of these.

Reminder : School finishes for the 2021 school year on Friday, 10 December. The school office will re-open on Monday, 17 January, 2022. The first day of school for students in 2022 is Monday, 24 January. There will be no school on Wednesday, 26 January for the Australia Day Public Holiday.

2022 Class Teacher Meet and Greet and Stationery Pack Drop Off

Families are most welcome to come into school the previous week on Thursday, 20 January, 2022 between 2:00pm to 3:30pm to locate their child’s 2022 teacher and classroom (lists will be displayed from 1:50pm), meet the teacher and drop stationery packs off. This is a great way to remove some of the ‘busy-ness’ and anxiety often associated with the first day of a new school year. It would be appreciated, if possible, that families take advantage of the opening of school classrooms on Thursday, 20 January, 2022.

Please remember however, as with every year, no class grouping is definitively able to be finalised until after Day 8 when classes may change due to varying enrolment numbers and subsequent staffing allocation adjustments by the Department of Education.

On Thursday, 20 January we are also offering onboarding support from ADITS technical staff in the TCBC Conference Room for BYOx students if required:

BYOx IT onboarding support: 2.00pm – Year 4
BYOx IT onboarding support: 2.30pm – Year 5
BYOx IT onboarding support: 3.00pm – Year 6

*BYOx program siblings are welcome to attend any session together.

Congratulations Class of 2021

Congratulations to the Year 6 Class of 2021 who formally graduated from The Willows State School on Tuesday. We wish you all the very best for secondary school and your future endeavours. No matter where your path takes you I trust you will always remember the values (Safe, Respectful, Responsible) instilled into you at The Willows SS. I look forward to hearing of your adventures and achievements into the future. Remember, Excellence is the Standard.

Semester 2, 2021 Report Cards

Report cards have now been emailed to the addresses recorded in OneSchool as receiving correspondence. If you have not received your child’s report card, please contact the office to confirm arrangements.

Academic Excellence Awards – Semester 2

Today I was privileged to participate in our Academic Excellence Awards Ceremony for Semester 2, 2021 to specifically recognize and celebrate with parents the achievements of our students who have excelled in academic aspects of school life in Semester 2. Achieving high standards of academic performance demonstrates a strong work ethic and ongoing dedication and commitment to the task. I look forward to seeing all students work hard in 2022 to set goals, aim for excellence and continue to challenge themselves to be their personal best. We are continuously proud of the progress and achievement that every single student demonstrates across a range of school life areas – whether academic, sporting, musical, cultural or community service.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of teachers, teacher aides, parents and community members in continually supporting our students in their learning journeys. It takes a village to raise a child. Our positive home-school partnerships are an important key to success.

Emergency Response Plan and COVID Planning

As we are heading into the holidays and there is the potential for all sorts of calamities to occur across the break (such as pandemic responses and cyclones), it is timely that I remind the community to keep abreast of all school communication channels (school email, school Facebook page and SMS system) as these will be used to communicate any arrangements for remote continuity of learning if needed. Learning@home would follow similar procedures to the arrangements established and implemented at TWSS in 2020. More detailed advice around this would be issued towards the end of the January vacation if required.

2022 Staffing Update

The following staff will be leaving us in 2022:

• Trevor Schimke
• Paula Williams
• Adrianna Rule
• Tiffany Piva
• Vicki Simpson
• Nicole Mason

I sincerely thank all of these staff for their commitment to the learning and wellbeing of students at The Willows State School in 2021. I also wish to welcome back Jessica Valentine, Lenna Smith, Emma Slatter, Katherine Marano and Kasey McArthur to our teaching staff in 2022.

I am pleased to advise that our 2022 Guidance Officer will continue to be Courtney Chisnall.

International Day of People with a Disability – Friday, 3 December

Last Friday, 2A MIL led awareness-raising of ‘International Day of People with a Disability.’ Teachers wore special t-shirts as conversation starters, while the Year Two students wore special wrist bands they received from participating in a competition and made awareness posters for the school. The Willows State School is an inclusive school where ‘EVERYONE BELONGS!’ Congratulations 2A MIL.

Attendance Rewards

In Week 10, to acknowledge and celebrate excellent attendance, students who have had above 95% attendance in 2021 will receive a letter of congratulations and a Zooper Dooper. There will also be a prize for the class with the highest attendance for the year, with each student being awarded a small prize pack. All students with 100% attendance for the year will go into the draw for a number of small prizes to celebrate amazing attendance.

Beach Safety – Guest Speaker from Surf Lifesaving Queensland

On Thursday there will be a Beach Safety Presentation from Surf Lifesaving Queensland for Prep, Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5.

The program aims to change behaviours and save lives through education and increased understanding of vital beach safety messages in a fun and interactive environment. Students who take part in the program will develop skills, attitudes and awareness that will keep them safe around water now and into the future.

This program supports the Queensland Government initiative for schools to provide a water safety and/or swimming program in Prep to Year 6, as it is aligned with the National Swimming and Water Safety Program.

Sometimes you just need someone to talk to - Parentline can help!

Parentline is a confidential phone and webchat counselling and information service. They offer FREE counselling and support for parents and carers in Queensland. If all counsellors are busy on calls, parents are given the option to leave a voice message and a counsellor will call back.

Parentline works with you to:

• Help you work through what is worrying you
• Identify and strengthen ways to increase family wellbeing
• Find other services and information to help you.

Parentline is open 8am-10pm, 7 days a week. Call 1300 30 1300 or the link below:

REMINDER: Please collect your child’s medication from school before the end of year

Remember to collect your child’s medication from school before the holidays begin. Advice about storage of medications such as asthma inhalers and adrenaline auto-injectors (for example, EpiPens) is available at the NPS Medicinewise website. Please also check expiry dates before bringing medications back to school after the holidays.

Is your Prep-Year 5 student transferring to another school in 2022?

We are in the process of organising class composition for 2022. We would appreciate notice if your child, or children, will be transferring to another school in 2022. Please inform the office by phone on 47 991 333 or email admin@thewillowsss.eq.edu.au at your earliest convenience.

2022 New Student Enrolments – Now Open for all Year Levels

Our school is still taking enrolments for the 2022 school year. Please get your enrolment forms in as soon as possible. Should you know of friends or family looking to join our great school, please inform them that they are also most welcome to contact the school for further information and to obtain an enrolment package.

Our next P-6 Enrolment Session will be held on Wednesday, January 19, 2022. Please contact the school office to make a booking.

Help keep a watch on our school these holidays

With the holidays fast approaching, your support in looking out for after-hours crime in our school is appreciated. If you see something suspicious, please don’t attempt to personally intervene. Call School Watch on 13 17 88 and let the local police or State Government Protective Security Service deal with the matter.

The School Watch program is a partnership between the Department of Education, the

Queensland Police Service and the State Government Protective Security Service which aims to reduce vandalism, theft and arson in Queensland schools.

Key Academic Achievements in 2021

I am very pleased to report to the school community that we continue to see strong student achievement across all learning areas of the Australian Curriculum. One of our AIP goals relates to the % of students achieving an A-C standard for English, Maths and Science. In Semester 2, cohorts ranged from 87-96 % of students achieving A-C standard for English; cohorts ranged from 85-96% for Maths and cohorts ranged from 86-98% for Science.

Another AIP goal relates to the % of students achieving an ‘A’ or ‘B’ standard in English, Maths and Science. In Semester 2, cohorts ranged from 43-79% of students achieving an ‘A’ or ‘B’ standard for English; cohorts ranged from 47-83% for Maths and cohorts ranged from 41-79% for Science.

We have also seen significant improvement in the general reading and writing capabilities of our students. This is the result of intensive work emanating from our Investing for Success strategies and from a school wide focus on the teaching of reading and writing. The focus on every student being a reader and a writer will continue into 2022.

Happy Holidays – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to the staff, parents and students of The Willows State School. Thank you to our teachers, teacher aides, administration staff, groundsmen and cleaners who work hard every day to make The Willows SS a great school. Our staff, P&C and parent volunteers take on a myriad of roles and volunteer hours of unpaid labour to help give our students the very best opportunities. All of these people make a valuable contribution to the life and culture of the school and I thank them for their support over the past year in making so much of what we offer possible.

I would like to wish everyone in The Willows State School community a wonderful festive season with family and friends and look forward to working with everyone again in Term 1, 2022. Keep happy, healthy and safe.

Our FIRST newsletter for 2022 will be issued on Thursday, 27 January as Wednesday, 26 January is the Australia Day Public Holiday.

Warm regards,

Michelle Donn
A/Principal

Upcoming Events

Positive Behaviour Learning

Defence News

HELLO ALL DEFENCE FAMILIES

Week 10 is here, the last week of school and only 17 days until Christmas and Santa will be here. What a tremendous, jam packed year we have all had. I hope 2021 has been memorable for everyone and all the students have enjoyed the year. I have immensely enjoyed all that we have shared together.

If you are moving to another town I would like to wish you safe travels and good luck in your new home. I hope you and your family have had a wonderful time at The Willows and I wish you all the best in your next adventure. Remember to stay POSITIVE and make contact with the DSM at your new school.

If you are staying in Townsville I hope you have an enjoyable holiday with family and friends and I look forward to seeing you in 2022.

Thank you to those parents who attended our afternoon tea last Friday. It was good to catch up and chat about moving. It has been a pleasure to get to know all the students and families during this year and I bid a fond farewell to all our Year 6 Defence students who are moving to high school next year.

REMEMBER OPEN ARMS is available to YOU and your family - Veterans and Families Counselling Former and current serving ADF personal and their families can use the service. Call 1800 011 046 for more information.

DCO is now DFMS (Defence Families and Family Support) Townsville office call on 07 4430 3879. Online you can find them at the link below Facebook @DefenceMemberFamilySupport. Defence Member and Family Helpline is 1800 624 608. Defence Social Workers are available for you to access at DFMS office. Appointment required.

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. Check availability due to exercise.

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

EVENTS TO REMEMBER

Saturday 12th February - ADF FAMILIES WELCOME TO TOWNSVILLE EVENT HELD AT TOWNSVILLE STADIUM - All recently posted to Townsville and looking for what the region has to offer are welcome to attend. There’ll be a huge range of activities for kids of all ages and information about a range of local government services and community groups. If you are recently posted to Townsville this is a great opportunity to see what Townsville has to offer. Look forward to seeing you there. Register at the link below:

TO BE UP TO DATE WITH WHATS ON IN TOWNSVILLE CHECK the link below, follow on Facebook or call 07 4411 7031.

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

DMFS Townsville Office: 07 4430 3879
Need to find them online? New home is

Defence Family Helpline 24/7 call 1800 624 608 memberandfamilyhelpline@defence.gov.au

Open Arms call 1800 011 046

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

The Oasis Townsville - 1 Staging Camp Ave, The Village, Oonoonba, Townsville hello@theoasistownsville.org.au 07 4759 8777 and Facebook

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

Geckos Family Centre-Nth Qld Lavarack Barracks, contact WO2Nicole Lickorish 07 44446 1238

Kookaburra Kids Tvl- 1300 566 525

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 full of learning and FUN for all students when they stay positive. They also develop RESILIENCE SKILLS AND FRIENDSHIPS.

Correna Wheeler
Defence School Mentor

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAY TO ALL. SEE YOU IN 2022

Prep News

We are ending the year strong with lots of writing, reading and number work. Elves have also started to visit our classes and we are having lots of fun, decorating our rooms and making books and art work for our mums and dads.

Year One News

In the last weeks of school, some of the Year One students have been learning about odd and even numbers and place value into the hundreds, some students even going into the thousands!

The Year One’s have also been very excited to begin some Christmas writing and activities leading into the last week of school.

Year Two News

In Year 2 we have been looking at Earth’s resources in Science. We have been observing how beans grow in soil, clay and sand. Students made predictions about which potting mix would be best for the plant to grow and why. They have been watching the beans grow for 6 weeks and have been discussing with their peers why the soil has been the best potting mix, based on their observations on what each plant looks like and how it has been growing.

3 Weeks.

6 Weeks.

Year Three News

The countdown is on to the final days of 2021. What a great year it has been! The kids have been determined to ‘finish strong.’ We have had a lot to celebrate with No Majors, 75 Stars and our Red Party all happening today and tomorrow. Have a great holiday and Merry Christmas.

Year Four News

Year Five News

Thank you for your support during the 2021 school year. The students have enjoyed their learning throughout the year, including an excursion to Charters Towers, as well as an incursion from Hands on Wildlife. We wish our students and families a restful and enjoyable Christmas break.

Good luck to all of our Year 5’s who will be entering their last year of primary school in 2022.

Year Six News

What a crazy final term it has been for our Year 6 students! We have done so many fun activities to finish off the year, which included building a plant system that can deliver plants to people’s homes and coding on the computer. We are so proud of how hard the students have worked over the year and we are extremely sad to see them leave. From all the Year 6 teachers, we hope you have an amazing time at high school next year and we will miss you!

Community Events & Notices

Cowboys Community Day