10 May 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 to the beautiful cooler weather of Week 4, Term 2. This week we have a number of extra and co-curricular events occurring - Mother’s Day Stall, RACQ P-2 Streets Ahead and an Adopt-a-Cowboy visit, to name but a few. Next week will bring Prep Vision Screening, our Instrumental Music Showcase Parade, Year 4 Waste Excursions and National Walk Safely to School Day. Please ensure all school communication channels are engaged with, whether that be hard copy letters home, emailed newsletter or school Facebook page to keep up-to-date with all arrangements to avoid disappointment for your child.

In just under two weeks, we will also be acknowledging our students for their first 75 Star Rewards for the term – I hope to see all students continuing to work hard to attain participation in their year level’s positive recognition activities.

We all have a role to play in preventing domestic and family violence: May is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month.

Not now. Not ever. Together

The department is committed to the safety and wellbeing of its employees, students and families, and is working to eliminate domestic and family violence (DFV) in all its forms.

Nobody should have to tolerate domestic or family violence. Those affected are encouraged and supported to seek help.

Specialist DFV advice is available from DVConnect External link on 1800 811 811 (Womensline) and 1800 600 636 (Mensline).

You will find a range of supports for employees, parents and students experiencing DFV in the department’s ending domestic and family violence section.

DATE CLAIMER: FREE Mental Health event hosted at TWSS

Switch4Schools is all fuelled up and hitting the road! The team will be at The Willows SS, Townsville, at 6pm on Thursday, 18th May as part of the Switch It Up Tour! In collaboration with the Queensland Government and Queensland Association of State School Principals (QASSP), experienced TV commentator, psychologist and tech entrepreneurs, Phil Slade and Roshelle Weir, are visiting 12 locations throughout Queensland as part of a state-wide initiative to help children and teens to manage their emotions and succeed in school and life.

The tour is aimed at putting great strategies—called ‘switches’—in parents’ and educators hands through sessions that combine storytelling, humour and science.

There are still spaces available. See the link to registration for this FREE event at:

Sockable "Crazy Socks" Fundraiser - Open 2nd May - 16 May

The P&C are running a Crazy Sock fundraiser through Sockables. This year the fundraiser will be all online. Notes have been sent home with all the details. In case you missed the note:

Instructions for families from the P&C are as below:

1. Between 2 May and 16 May, visit the Sockable Fundraising website:

2. Choose your socks in your child’s size

3. Select ‘The Willows State School’ at the checkout

4. Add your Child's name and class so we can deliver their socks

* PLEASE NOTE: Students can wear the socks for the Student Council gold coin fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House in Week 9 – Wednesday, 14 June – CRAZY SOCK DAY

REMINDER: P&C Mother’s Day Stall – THIS WEEK – Tuesday, 9 May-Friday, 12 May

Our wonderful P&C are once again running a Mother’s Day Stall for our students to be able to purchase gifts for the special female caregivers in their lives. Gift prices are very competitive, and all profits go towards school fundraising projects which include playgrounds, shade structures and resources.

Voucher ordering through Flexischools has now closed. Payment is still able to be made with cash. Your support of our school is very much appreciated.

REMINDER: QParents

As part of our school’s progression towards online consent management The Willows State School is providing our parent community with the opportunity to register for QParents.

The QParents web and mobile application provides a more convenient, easier way for parents and legal guardians of Queensland state school students to interact with their child’s school. Registered parents will have secure, online access to their child’s student information, anytime, anywhere, through a smartphone, tablet or computer.

The benefits of QParents

Convenience and time savings for parents

QParents allows parents to connect instantly with their child’s school to access and manage their child’s student information, including:

• Attendance and absence details, as well as the ability to notify the school of an absence
• Academic report cards
• Viewing unpaid invoice details, payment history, and making payments online
• Viewing and updating personal student details, including medical conditions and address
• Enrolment details

Improved administration efficiencies for schools

• Allows schools to streamline their administrative processes and cut down on printing.

What is a QParents Account Owner (QPAO)?

The school will nominate parents or legal guardians for each student to be QParents Account Owners (QPAOs). QPAOs will be able to register for QParents to access and manage the student’s information online, view the student’s information and submit requests to update some of the student’s details.

QPAOs will also be able to invite other people (such as another family member), to view the student’s information. Once invited, these people can register for QParents as “delegated viewers”. A delegated viewer can see the student’s details, but cannot make updates.

Registering for QParents

You will receive an invitation email or letter from us containing your unique invitation code. Simply follow the instructions in that email or letter to complete the QParents account registration process. Initial registration and addition of students to your account must be done on a desktop or laptop computer. Once registered, you will then be able to access QParents using your mobile device (via web browser or by downloading the iPhone or Android App).

If you do not want to register, you may advise us not to send you any more invitations, and your child’s student information will not be available to anyone through QParents. Or, if you want another parent to be the QPAO, you can advise us and we will send them an invitation email or letter with their own unique invitation code.

Identity verification

To obtain full access to student information, as part of their QParents registration users must complete an identity verification process. QParents offers two options for identity verification – online and offline.

For fully online verification (the fastest option), you will need to verify 100 points of the following identity documents online:

If you cannot verify 100 points of the above ID documents online, you may still register for QParents, but you will need to attend the school to verify documentation in person after you have registered online.

Full instructions on how to verify your documents and what you may need to bring to the school will be provided as part of the invitation and registration process.

For more information regarding the online identity verification process, see:

Please note that QParents does not maintain copies or records of any identity documents used for account verification, either online or offline.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) Fortnightly Rule Focus: Let others learn

Over Weeks 3 and 4 of Term 2 our PBL school focus will be 'Let others learn'. At The Willows State School students let others learn by being safe, respectful and responsible in the classroom. Students will identify what it looks like to let others learn, reflecting on their own behaviour choices and the effect those choices may they have on those learning around them.

We also want to encourage students at TWSS to take responsibility of their own learning as everyone has the right to learn in a safe, engaging environment.

Your continued support in also enforcing these expectations with your child is much appreciated.

Have a wonderful Autumn week. Our next newsletter for Term 2 will be issued on Wednesday, 17 May.

Warm regards,

Michelle Donn
Principal

General News

PEEK AT PREP

U8’S DAY

PREP VISION SCREENING

FAMILIES FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

Upcoming Events

Year Level Parade Times

Positive Behaviour Learning

Permission Forms

P and C News

Sockable "Crazy Socks" Fundraiser - Opens 2nd May - 16 May

We are running a Crazy Sock fundraiser through Sockables. This year the fundraiser will be all online.

1. Between 2 May and 16 May, visit the Sockable Fundraising website:

2. Choose your socks in your size

3. Select The Willows State School at the checkout

4. Add your Child's name and class so we can deliver their socks

Mother’s 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:

Defence News

HELLO TO ALL DEFENCE FAMILIES

Sending special wishes to all Mothers on this upcoming Mother’s Day. You all do an amazing job each and every day. From the early mornings to the late nights, and always being there to pick up the pieces. We are the glue that sticks the whole family together. Being a Mum can be a thankless job but it is the most important job in the whole world, because we have the job of shaping our future Australians. Thank you to all MUMS, have a wonderful Mother’s Day. Check your child’s bag for your Mother’s Day gift.

Some members are being sent away on exercise or training at the moment. This can have an impact on your child at school. Please give me a call if you have a concern or question regarding your child at school.

The Legacy Centenary Torch Relay has started and will be arriving in Townsville on 27th May. The relay has begun in France and is a 6-month journey worldwide to pay homage and acknowledge veterans’ families. The torch will travel over 50 000km with 45 Legacy Club Stops Worldwide. They are looking for Volunteers to assist here in Townsville. If you are interested in volunteering go to The Legacy Centenary Torch Relay 2023 website for more details. Looking forward to seeing you at this event. 😊

REMEMBER 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. The member must complete the forms and they can be accessed at ADF Pay and Conditions Manual or you can contact DMFS Helpline on 1800 624 608 for more details. 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. Flyer below with details.

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. <ore details on activities contact Hannah Galliner on 0484 544 451 or check out the website at the link below.

For what’s coming up-DON’T FORGET to Register NOW to receive 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. Weekly organised events plus a huge brand-new playground area outside, stop in and meet the friendly staff for a chat and a cuppa. Follow them on Facebook 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

DATES TO REMEMBER

Coffee Connections. First coffee on us.

When: Tuesday 16 May 9:30-11:30am
Where: BH Café (formerly Bakehouse on Eyre)
Registration: Eventbrite - NFW Coffee Connections

RAAF Base Townsville. ADF Members Meet & Greet. First 10 get coffee on us.

When: Tuesday 16 May 9:30-10:30am
Where: AAFCANS RAAF Base Townsville
Registration: No registration required, drop in for a cuppa

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

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL MUMS. YOU ARE AMAZING!

Music News (The Pitch)

Willows Warriors News

Prep News

We have been working on writing words and sentences using the sounds we have been learning. This week we have started to write sentences about the book Lost and Found. Students are all trying really hard and are doing a great job at this!

In PYD, we have been using the iPads in Maths. We used an app to create our own ‘shape town.’ We then used another app to sort our shapes based on their characteristics. Students are developing their IT skills and practising Maths at the same time!

Year One News

This week in Year 1 we have been busy colouring and crafting, ready to celebrate Mother’s Day this Sunday.

We have been using lots of playdough and hands on materials to learn about 2D and 3D shapes. Our students have been using their fine motor skills and persistence to achieve some of the trickier shapes.

In Science, we have been experimenting with changing materials such as playdough, paper and alfoil by folding, cutting, bending, ect.

The students have been exploring ways to change these materials to serve a purpose or make them more useful.

Year Two News

In the past week, students in Year 2 have been learning how to identify the characteristics of Cinderella. Students created a concertina Cinderella whose body was decorated with words describing her appearance and qualities.

Year 2 have also been learning how to tell the time using analogue and digital clocks. To practice the skills they have learned, students have been playing a Time board game with their classmates.

In Science this week, Year 2 have been exploring toys that move by using a push or pull motion. The class experimented making a replica First Nations spinning toy called a Mammandur. They used modelling clay flattened into a small circle with a sharpened pencil through the middle. The students then pushed the pencil through their hands to make the Mammandur spin.

Year Three News

Last Term, our ever-diligent and rather convincing students wrote to Mrs Donn, persuading to allow an excursion to take place during Term 2. Thanks to their brilliant efforts, use of high-modality language, persuasive devices and relevant reasons, they have been successful! HOORAY! The Year 3 cohort has now been invited to participate in an excursion to The Billabong Sanctuary, taking place in Week 6. Notes and information around this have gone home in Week 2 – please check bags if you haven’t seen it yet 😊

Here are a few samples of their closing statements to Mrs Donn:

For English this Term, we are working towards a comprehension and narrative task, based around the theme of ‘Friendship,’ inspired by the novel, ‘’The Worry Tree,’’ by Marianne Musgrove. Later in the Term, we’ll be transitioning into another task where we explore characters and settings in text via, “Charlotte’s Web,’’ by E.B. White. The students will plan and perform an oral procedure in character from the text. It’s always so much fun and we cannot wait to see and hear the students’ presentations!

Year Four News

In English this term, the Year 4’s have been learning about Traditional Stories. Students have been reading a variety of Traditional Stories from around the world. They are now busy drafting their own traditional story, which they will share with a younger audience in Year Prep-2. The tricky part is writing the story to have a lesson or moral. Once they have completed their stories, we will be practising our presentation skills before joining up with classes in the Junior school.

Year Five News

In Science, the Year 5’s are learning about our solar system. To appreciate the vast sizes involved, students have made scale diagrams of the sizes of the planets. The photos show 5E students working effectively in teams to construct, measure, cut out and label a model of the sun to compare to the diagrams they made of the planets in their books. Later in the unit they will be conducting research into the contribution of Science knowledge to improving our lives and solving problems. There are a great many amazing resources available on the nasa.gov website and really exciting space exploration with the Artemis II project underway.

Year Six News

The Year 6 students have been working hard on assessment task and learning activities for the past few weeks in Term 3. But sometimes our students need some time in the sun through some structured team games to help develop social skills, resilience and mateship across the grade.

Every odd Friday all of the Year 6 classes have been gathering for some Class vs Class action on the Oval at The Willows. Students have worked as a class team to ensure they are competing fairly and are as successful as they can be. Being active is an amazing way for students to connect while taking care of their physical and mental health. The games the students play can later be used for their Health Assessment, where they are asked to design a physical activity that promotes inclusion.

KIRWAN SHS OPEN DAY