2 March 2022

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Pride

2022 School Explicit Improvement Agenda (EIA):
Every Student is a Reader and a Writer – Aim for the ‘A’
Inclusivity: Everyone Counts!
Wellbeing and Engagement for All

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Community Members,

Welcome back to Week 4 of our 8-week teaching and learning Term 1. Over the past week our Student Council conducted their first meeting for the year focussing on their fundraising plans for Colours for the Kids, our P-6 students commencing participating in Life Education lessons with Healthy Harold and our Year 5 and 6 Global Tropics students commenced their learning on the iSee platform. We all continue to focus on ‘Kindness being our superpower’ and I look forward to our students participating in their 75 Star Rewards later this week.

Townsville Bulletin Prep Photo

Permission notes were sent home last Monday to all Prep families regarding the upcoming annual Prep Photos taken by the Townsville Bulletin. Please be advised the date and time is 10am Thursday, 3 March (tomorrow). It is essential permission notes are returned, as students are unable to be included in the photo (and have their full name published) without consent. Please ensure students are in full school uniform for this photo opportunity. We will advise our school community of the date for publication of the Prep Lift-out once we are notified of this by the Townsville Bulletin.

School Operations – Relaxing of COVID-19 Restrictions from 6pm Friday, 4 March

Following the Premier’s announcement and the Director-General’s message to staff around COVID-19 relaxations from 6pm on Friday, 4 March, additional information is now available to guide school operations. From 6pm on 4 March, the Back to School Plan will no longer be in place, and schools will return to COVID-normal operations with some additional considerations outlined below:

• From 6pm on 4 March, face masks will no longer be required to be worn by staff or students in schools, on dedicated school transport or at other education workplaces. Staff and students who wish to wear a face mask at school may continue to do so. We are still able to supply masks to students if needed.
• Schools will continue to supply RATs to staff and students who become symptomatic at school throughout Term 1. Queensland Health Guidelines regarding positive COVID cases still apply.
• Schools can resume assemblies and other large gatherings, and parents, carers, volunteers, contractors and other external workers will be permitted on school sites from 6pm on 4 March. Our year levels will re-commence face-to-face year level parades and whole school special occasion assemblies are able to be re-instated.
• Critically essential worker provisions - the department, and all state schools, are not making use of these provisions. The department has determined that allowing close contacts into a school setting would be high risk.

DATE CLAIMER: Parent-Teacher Meet and Greet – NEXT Tuesday, 8 March – 3:15-4:15pm

We have looked forward to the relaxing of restrictions and the opportunity to invite all our families into our school and classrooms to speak with their students’ teachers. Teachers will be available next TUESDAY afternoon from 3:15-4:15pm to discuss learning and classroom routines and expectations. It is a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have and to see your child’s classroom.

We look forward to seeing as many parents/caregivers as possible over the course of the afternoon. Children are also most welcome to attend. Parents are responsible for supervising their own children during the Meet and Greet.

DATE CLAIMER: 2022 Student Leader Investiture Ceremony – re-scheduled to Friday, 11 March

As the Premier has announced assemblies are permitted after March 4, we have re-scheduled the previously postponed Student Leader Investiture Ceremony to Friday, 11 March, commencing at 9:15am in the TCBC Hall. Year 3-6 students, staff and the parents/caregivers of our student leaders are cordially invited to attend. Further communication will be distributed to student leader families.

Townsville Student Leaders showcased!

You may have noticed that our school leaders for 2022 were recently showcased in a Townsville Bulletin story. In case you missed it please find below the link to the story and our Facebook post.

A/Principal Role

Mrs Lesley Pecchiar, our Assistant Regional Director, has advised that Mrs Helen McCullough has been further extended in an Assistant Regional Director role. I wish to advise I have happily accepted an extension as A/Principal at The Willows State School until the end of Term 3, 2022. I am very excited to continue to progress our explicit improvement agenda work together.

Containers for Change information – support our school!

If you are an avid recycler you may like to donate your funds raised to our school! Did you know that The Willows State School has its own Scheme ID? Our Scheme ID is C10185045 and all donations are greatly appreciated.

To find out more about the scheme visit the below link or get the Containers For Change Qld app.

Payment for Handwriting texts (P-4)

P-4 families have now been invoiced for this year’s Handwriting Textbook. This invoicing was advised to families at the top of the 2022 Booklist distributed last year. The school pre-purchases these textbooks in advance to remove the requirement for each individual family to source or order this text and to ensure this is available to students from Day #1. Thank you in advance for your attention to this invoice.

2022 Voluntary Contributions - $40 per student and $80 per family

The costs of providing instruction, administration and facilities for the education of students enrolled at a school are met by the State Government. Voluntary financial contributions are used by the school to provide an enhanced educational service and to supplement resources available for student learning, recreation and comfort.

The Willows State School has maintained a consistent level of voluntary financial contributions for the past few years, approved by the P&C. Please see the Parent Information Sheet regarding Voluntary Financial Contributions below. If you wish to make a voluntary financial contribution to the school please pay at the school office.

Thank you in anticipation of your support.

COVID-19 Positive Cases notification to school community

Over the past week we have continued to be notified of positive test results for COVID-19 in our school community.

May I remind you to continue to:

• monitor yourself and your family for COVID-19 symptoms that can include fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, headache, fatigue, diarrhoea, vomiting or nausea, loss of smell and/or taste.
• stay home if displaying any symptoms, or feeling unwell. You should attend your local Queensland Health testing clinics where students are prioritised to get a free rapid antigen test (RAT).
• Continue to follow all Queensland Health advice.

If students become symptomatic while at school, you will be contacted to collect them. You will also be provided with a free rapid antigen test (RAT) to administer at home.

If your child tests positive to COVID-19, please follow Queensland Health guidelines for reporting the test result, isolation and quarantine.

More COVID-19 related information is available from www.health.qld.gov.au

The Willows SS 25 Year Anniversary Celebration - 2022

This year The Willows SS will be celebrating its 25 Year Anniversary. The official opening date of The Willows SS was 13 August, 1997. The committee is currently working on a number of plans and events to celebrate this special occasion.

A few date claimers at present: Whole School Assembly on Thursday, 11 August in the morning, P&C Fun Fair on 12 August (late afternoon-evening). There will also be a Time Capsule Opening. If anyone has any ‘memorabilia’ from past years at the school that could be shared for a display, it would be greatly appreciated. Any support that can be offered for the 25 Year Anniversary Planning Committee would also be much appreciated. Please contact the school or P&C to find out how you can be involved. The next 25 Year Anniversary Planning Committee Meeting will be held at 5pm on Tuesday, 8 March in the TCBC. Many hands make light work.

Have a wonderful week – our next newsletter will be issued on Wednesday, 9 March.

Warm regards,

Michelle Donn
A/Principal

General News

Student Council News – Colours for the Kids @rmhcnorthaustralia

To start the year off, the Student Council are participating in Colours for the Kids, which is a fundraising day for Ronald McDonald House Charities. On the 18th of March, students are invited to wear bright and colourful clothes to school and bring a gold coin donation. We cannot wait to see the bright colours lighting up the school.

Willows Warriors

Upcoming Events

Defence News

HELLO and WELCOME TO ALL DEFENCE FAMILIES

Welcome to week 4. WOW how hot is it? I have been in Townsville for many years and this is the hottest I can remember it being. Always keep cool and hydrated in this weather. Send drink bottles to school with students so they can keep hydrated throughout the day. All the students who have been visiting Kids Club during break time have really enjoyed the activities and meeting new friends. They have been making new lego pieces, playing games with new friends and creating lovely crafts to take home. This week was Be Kind Day and we made paper flowers and Be Kind posters. Everyone kept cool in the airconditioning and had fun in the Defence room. I am in the process of organising some activities over the next few weeks. Check for the date in the newsletters - coming soon is the Defence Parents Meet and Greet Afternoon Tea, also the Welcome New Defence Students Party at school and the March On for Soldier On Walk at school. The walk will be held before school on Wednesday 16th March. At 8am, 96 students are required to walk 1 km around the oval. Students can register with me at L Pod. Donations for the Soldier On Walk can be made via the link in the Dates To Remember below. Your support is always most appreciated.

Kookaburra Kids Representatives Colin and Hannah (Community Liaison Officer -Townsville) visited me this week to discuss all the great things that are planned for this year in Townsville. KK is a worthy organisation for children aged 8-18 years, who have a parent serving and ex serving members of the ADF with a mental illness as a result of military service. They provide fun activity days, camps and mental health education. Go to their website at the link below to read more or call Hannah in Townsville on 0484 544 451 to register. It is a wonderful way to meet new friends and have fun.

Application for Education Assistance is available for school students at a gaining location. If you have posted in this year and would like your children to benefit from some extra tutoring, you can do so NOW. Just contact the Defence Member and Family Helpline 1800 624 608 or email education.supportprograms@defence.gov.au for the form. I have copies of the EA form at school that I can have the teacher sign and then return home with student upon request. One hour of tutoring per subject (Maths and English) for up to 14 weeks can be accessed. Reports are no longer required to access this service. Please contact me if you have any further questions about the form. This is a valuable resource to assist students with their learning and therefore assist with their transition into a new school. This builds confidence and resilience in children. Always contact me if you have any questions about your students transition into their new school.

Training/Courses/Exercise/Deployments can be a challenging time for children and the family at home when a loved one goes away for a period of time. It would also be most appreciated if you can contact me if/when this happens. This is important so I may support and assist the person with understanding and the rollercoaster of emotions during this challenging time. Call, email me or drop in for a chat at school.

Tutoring Assistance - Education Assistance Scheme is available for families to access tutoring for students who have posted into a new school. You can access tutoring for up to 18 months from when you move to a new school due to a posting. Ring the Defence Family Helpline 1800 624 608, visit DMFS website or collect the forms from me. For more information go to:

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, Mums and Bubs, 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 or phone them on 07 4411 7031 for more details.

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 DMFS mailing list NOW at MemberandFamilyHelpline@defence.gov.au or follow on Facebook for updates.

The DMFS Townsville office would like to welcome their newest staff members to the team:

Education Liaison Officer-Jessica Stark
Family Liaison Officer (part-time) – Kim Lazarevic
Defence Social Worker – Jacqui Belsak
Defence Social Worker – Mary Pearson
Military Support Officer (Army) – MAJ David Long &
Military Support Officer (RAAF) – SQNLDR Lisa Power

DATES TO REMEMBER

March On for Soldier On Walk - Wednesday 16th March at 8am on school Oval. Looking for 96 students to volunteer and participate in this morning activity with me. Students can register their support by signing up at L Pod. To donate to Soldier On and support the mental health of our veterans go to the below website:

Any support is most appreciated.

Geckos Family Centre - Easter Bun-Anza is on Saturday 9th April from 5-7.30pm. Tickets are heavily subsidised and available via a link. Amusements, Australian Army Band, 2 course meal, face painting and lots more. Check Facebook for more details. Weekly activities include Parents, Bubs and Bumps, Sewing and Craft and CAM Kids. Tickets are free but essential for these activities.

IMPORTANT

Defence Family Helpline 24/7 - 1800 624 608 - Need Help give them a call

Open Arms support former and current serving ADF personnel and their family members can use the service also call 1800 011 046 www.openarms.gov.au

Mates4Mates – Townsville FRC 4771 9600 townsville@mates4mates.org

Café now Open from 9am-12.30pm every day, you are welcome to attend for a chat and to have a look around.

The Oasis Townsville for Ex-ADF Community in Townsville hello@theoasistownsville.org.au

Dirty Books Café – 1 Staging Camp Avenue, Oonoonba – 07 4759 8777

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

DSNG Defence Special Needs Group - 1800 037 674 www.dsng.org.au

Geckos Family Centre Nth Qld Lavarack Barracks - Contact for enquiries on 07 4446 1238 or follow on Facebook.

Beyondblue.org.au www.australia.gov.au

Geckos Family Centre Nth Qld Lavarack Barracks - Contact for enquiries on 07 4446 1238 or follow on Facebook.

Kookaburra Kids Charity Organisation Mental Health Service - 1300 566 525 www.kookaburrakids.org.au

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

My hours are Monday to Friday 8:00am-3:30pm. Please phone me anytime for a chat on 4799 1333 ext 323, or email me cwhee36@eq.edu.au . I look forward to meeting you.

Correna Wheeler
Defence School Mentor

IF YOU CAN BE ANYTHING, BE KIND!

Music News (The Pitch)

Prep News

It has been a very busy week in Prep this week. Now that we are familiar with routines and expectations in the classroom, we have jumped right into the fun stuff… curriculum learning!

In English, we have been learning how to retell parts of a story as we get ready to present to our friends. We have taken part in whole class and small group discussions around the book ‘Clancy and Millie and The Very Fine House’ and have started learning about how to be a confident speaker.

We have also enjoyed exploring phonics work as we start to stretch sounds and put them back together to create words.

Year One News

In English this term the Year One’s have been focusing on the Narrative structure. We have been looking at how Narratives have a beginning, middle, end, problem and solution.

In Science we are learning about how changes in the environment affect the needs of living things. We have learnt that a healthy habitat needs water, food, oxygen, warmth and shelter. In class we created a healthy ocean habitat for a fish and individual triarama rainforests.

Year Two News

In HASS, students in Year 2 are exploring the location and features of places that are significant to them. They will also be discussing why we should preserve these places. This learning will occur over the whole semester.

In the first few weeks of this term, students have been exposed to how the world is divided into geographic divisions. They have completed maps of Australia, identifying and labelling each of the states. They have also looked at a world map and identified each of the continents.

Further divisions will be looked at including the northern and southern hemispheres, the equator and lines of latitude.

Year Three News

This term in Maths the amazing Year 3’s, are learning to recognise, represent and order numbers, recognise the connection between addition and subtraction and add and subtract numbers.

3A NIE and 3B DAV have been practising ordering numbers from smallest to largest and largest to smallest. We have also been using MAB’s to represent numbers, and matching these with the correct digits and word representations. Students have also been finding the missing intervals on a number line, counting forwards and backwards in 2’s, 5’s and 10’s and practising adding and subtracting using a variety of strategies.

Year Four News

This term in Science, Year 4 will be exploring natural and processed materials and their uses.

We have been investigating different materials and their level of absorbency, which then led on to a project to design a uniform for a certain occupation of their own choosing. Students had to think about what materials they were using and how their properties suited the environment of the workplace.

When conducting an investigation, it is important to consider whether the test is fair or not. 4FAU have been exploring what makes a fair test by planting seeds in different conditions; more specifically water vs. no water.

Year Five News

For English in Term 1, the Year 5s are writing the first chapter of their own fantasy story.

They are using their creativity to come up with a good character, evil character, magical object and a vivid setting for their story. They have been working hard to plan their story and to describe them using noun groups, verb groups and figurative language.

The students have been thinking about their magical object that plays a vital part in their story. Whether it be a Spirit Orb that needs to be found or Diamond Amulet that needs to be protected. They were able to draw out their object and describe its importance to their story.

Year Six News

As the Year 6 students begin the term as new leaders of the school, they have been busy making sure they are keeping safe, being respectful and modelling responsibility. Throughout the early days of term, each class has discussed a range of expectations and strategies that allow them to achieve their goals.

In conjunction with making these important decisions, some Year 6 students (including 6C DAV) have been attending Life Education. Throughout these wonderfully presented sessions, students learned about the importance of making good decisions using their knowledge of gathering information and assessing the consequences. Many students in 6C DAV found it difficult to say goodbye to Harold the Giraffe and thanked him for their many years of healthy education.

BYOX is in full swing in 6C DAV with students growing in responsibility for their devices and taking initiative to problem solve and explore their new way of learning. Some students have said the best things about BYOX is “getting their ideas out quicker by typing them up,” “your pencil doesn’t snap half way through and your hands don’t get sore from writing” and “it’s easier to access work related resources to help learn all new topics.” Needless to say, the students have been excited to continue their learning journey through a variety of programs, apps and websites while continuing to develop toward success in Year 6!

Community Events & Notices