19 April 2023

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Pride

2023 Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) Focus Areas:
Educational achievement
Wellbeing and engagement
Culture and inclusion

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Community Members,

Welcome back to what promises to be an action-packed Term 2 at The Willows SS! It is wonderful to see so many happy, relaxed faces ready to embark upon a new round of learning. We also have a number of special events occurring this term. School ANZAC Day Parade 24 April, Thuringowa ANZAC Day March on 25 April, P&C Mother’s Day Stall Tuesday 9-Friday 12 May, Under Eights Afternoon 26 May, and Inter-House Athletics Carnival 15 June, to name but a few. We are looking forward to many students, parents and community members taking up these opportunities to be involved in the life of our school.

On an academic level, we are continuing this term to work towards achieving our AIP goals relating to student improvement and achievement in reading, English and Maths specifically.

Semester 1 report cards will be issued electronically for all students in the final week of term.

School ANZAC Day Ceremony and Thuringowa ANZAC Day Parade

Our school ANZAC Day Ceremony will be held in the School Hall on Monday, 24 April from 9:30am. All parents and community members are most welcome to attend. I would sincerely like to thank in advance our Defence School Mentor, Mrs Correna Wheeler, for her coordination of our ceremony, our school leaders for their facilitation of the ceremony and our parent, Lt Hannah Anderson, who will speak on behalf of the Australian Defence Force.

Students from each class will also respectfully acknowledge the ANZACs by participating in wreath-laying during the ceremony. ANZAC badges, ribbons and pins will be on sale at school this week during lunch breaks from a stall near the tuckshop – items range from $1-$7.

This year The Willows SS will be once again be participating in the THURINGOWA ANZAC Day Parade and Ceremony on Tuesday, 25 April. For students interested in participating, permission notes are available from Mrs Wheeler in L Pod. Please return permission notes ASAP if your child/ren are interested in participating. Parents are also most welcome and encouraged to walk with students within our school group. Staff and students will meet at the Weir State School carpark and form up from there. Staff will be there from 8:30am for students to be signed in. Students will need to be dressed in full school uniform (not House uniform) with a hat and water bottle. Umbrellas, ponchos and raincoats are also encouraged if the weather is wet. Further information regarding the March route and program can be viewed on the Townsville City Council website from the link below.

Please see more detailed information regarding ANZAC arrangements in the Defence Mentor section later in this newsletter.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) Week 1 & 2 Rule Focus: Follow staff instructions – first time, every time

Over the first two weeks of Term 2 our PBL school focus will be on following staff instructions – first time every time. Respect for, and compliance with, the requests of all staff at school is an important skill for students to demonstrate. Staff will also be reinforcing and revisiting general school rules, routines and expectations. Your support in enforcing these expectations with your child is also much appreciated.

Term 2 Silver Rewards and 75 Star Rewards

As part of our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) Whole School Reward System, at the conclusion of every term a Silver Rewards celebration is held to acknowledge the exemplary behaviour of students. There are clear guidelines around who is eligible to attend these events. Students are ineligible to attend if they have received a ‘Major’ behaviour incident referral at any time during the term.

75 Star Rewards sessions are also held twice per term – at the conclusion of Weeks 5 and 10. To be eligible to attend these students must have accumulated 75 Stars on their chart – these are provided by teachers for following school rules, expectations and routines.

I look forward to all students setting a personal goal NOW to achieve participation goals for both of these rewards celebrations this term.

The Willows State School Attendance Strategy – Every Day Counts!

School attendance is compulsory under the Education Act. If children are going to be absent from school for any reason, parents are requested to inform the school by phoning 4799 1333 or emailing admin@thewillowsss.eq.edu.au.

If your child is absent from school on any given day and we are unaware of the reason for the absence an SMS message will be generated asking you to contact the school regarding your child’s absence. Students are encouraged to come to school on every day they are well enough to attend. We finished Term 1 at 91.6% attendance overall. We are aiming for 93%+ this term.

Have a wonderful first week back at school. Our next newsletter for Term 2 will be issued on Wednesday, 26 April.

Warm regards,

Michelle Donn
Principal

Curriculum News

P and C News

Mothers Day Stall

The P&C are running a Mother's Day Stall in Week 4 from Tuesday 9 May - Friday 12 May. Each class will be allocated a time and day to visit our stall and purchase gifts for their loved ones. A note with the day your child's class will visit the stall will be sent home.

Small gifts will be available with prices ranging from $1 - $12. Prices are very competitive, and profits go towards helping the P&C fundraise for school projects.

This year payment can either be made with cash or pre-sold vouchers. Keep an eye out on Flexischools as vouchers will be available soon. Vouchers must be purchased by Friday 5th May.

Can you help run 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 can help for only a couple of hours, or even a couple of days, we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at willowspandc@gmail.com or visit our sign up page and enter your name in the time slots provided:

Facebook

Did you know that the P&C has a Facebook page? Follow us to view details of upcoming fundraising events, and meeting times:

Upcoming Events

Year Level Parade Times

Positive Behaviour Learning

Defence News

HELLO AND WELCOME TO ALL DEFENCE FAMILIES

Welcome back to Week 1 of Term 2. I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter and holiday spending time together and exploring this magical place we call Townsville. My holidays were spent with family and friends and enjoying a relaxing time at home.

Anzac Day is nearly here and we will be having our ceremony at school on Monday morning 24th April, followed by a Morning Tea. Please join us for this ceremony. On Tuesday 25th April, you are invited to march with us and school students in the Thuringowa Anzac Day March. We will form up behind the Weir School and march to the cenotaph at Riverway. If you are interested, a letter will be available to take home with all the details or you can follow the school Facebook page. Leading up to the school ceremony ribbons for $1 and badges for $5 and $7 will be available at school to purchase. They can be purchased at lunchtimes near the tuckshop or from L pod in the mornings. I have attached some photos of a fun display I have created for students to visit in L pod with dress ups and lots of books about Anzac Day. All students are welcome.

Defence Room in L Pod is open Monday to Friday both breaks, please remind students to visit for a chat, play games, make craft or visit with a friend.

If you have posted into location in the last 18mths you can still access Education Assistance Scheme. This is available for all school aged children who may require support in Maths and English. Contact the Helpline on 1800 624 608 for all details on how to apply. Just complete the form online and send an email to the teacher. With approval, your child can have access to 14 hrs of tutoring for both Maths and English through a private tutor. You can also contact me with any questions. See attached flyer for details.

Defence members are always busy with going on exercises or training for an extended period of time, please contact me so I can support your child while they are at school or call me for a chat.

Open Arms has released their Group Programs for January to July, so check out their website at OpenArms.gov.au for all the details.

Kookaburra Kids is in Townsville - this organisation supports kids living in families that are affected by mental illness. For more details on activities contact Hannah Galliner on 0484 544 451 or check out the website www.kookaburrakids.org.au

For what’s coming up - DON’T FORGET to Register NOW to receive a newsletter and updates at dmfs.townsville@defence.gov.au or follow them on Facebook.

Geckos Family Centre-North Queensland is at Lavarack Barracks and is open to drop in. They have weekly events on, a huge brand-new playground area outside, stop in and meet the friendly staff for a chat and a cuppa. Follow them on Facebook to keep up to date with the activities and events held throughout the year or phone them on 07 4411 7031 for more details. See flyer below for details.

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

DATES TO REMEMBER

SAVE THE DATE – NATIONAL FAMILIES WEEK EVENTS

The DMFS Townsville team have arranged a variety of events and activities for Defence families in Townsville to enjoy during National Families Week! Married, single, MWDU or empty nesters. No matter what your family make up is, there’s something for everyone. Tickets for all DMFS events during National Families Week will be published on Eventbrite on Thursday 20 April. To avoid missing out on tickets, follow our Eventbrite page to receive an instant notification when events are released.

ANZAC DAY SCHOOL CEREMONY - Monday 24th April in TCBC

ANZAC DAY THURINGOWA MARCH - Tuesday 25th April

March starts at Weir State School and finishes at Riverway Centopath. A letter will be available with more details to take home for students that are interested in marching with the school.

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

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

DMFS Office at Nathan Business Centre on Ross River Rd, call 07 4430 3879

Open Arms support former and current serving ADF personnel and their family members can use the service – office is at the Nathan Business Centre or 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 is currently under renovation

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

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 or contact Hannah Galliner 0484 544 451/1300 566 525

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

Anzac Day on Tues 25th April, Thank you all Veterans for your Service.