Friday March 17 2017 Issue No. 4

Newmarket State School Newsletter

Upcoming Events � Friday 24 March

Readers Cup

Competition - Year 6

� Monday 27 March

Year 5 BUEEC Incursion

� Tuesday 28 March

P&C Meeting 7pm

� Thursday 30 March Cross Country

� Friday 31 March Easter Hat Parade

Prep - Year 2

Last day of term

� Saturday 8 April Bunnings BBQ

Fundraiser

� Tuesday 18 April

Term 2 begins

� Friday 21 April

NSS ANZAC Ceremony

9.15am

� Tuesday 25 April

ANZAC Day

Public Holiday

Principal’s Points

Page 1 of 8

Importance of Reading

As the holidays draw near, I would like to draw your attention to the importance of reading and how reading frequency has a high correlation and impact on success. I am reminded of these defining statistics.

Student A reads for 20 minutes a day, a total of 1 800 000 words in a year and achieves in the 90th percentile ranking on a standardised test. Student B reads for 5 minutes a day, a total of 28 200 words in a year and achieves in the 50th percentile ranking on a standardised test. Student C reads for 1 minute a day, a total of 8 000 words in a year and achieves in the 10th percentile ranking on a standardised test.

Please ensure that your child reads daily. The holidays are a great opportunity to catch up on some leisurely reading. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of making reading part of your daily routine to ensure your child’s future success.

Say No to Bullying Day!

This week, our Year 6 school captains and student councillors did an excellent presentation on assembly. They reminded all students to speak kindly to one another and to not judge others

who might have different cultural backgrounds or different physical attributes to them. This was a timely reminder as today is the seventh National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. This annual day is Australia's key anti-bullying event for schools, and encourages all students to 'Take a Stand Together' against bullying and violence in schools, the classroom and beyond.

The national definition of bullying for Australian schools is:

Bullying is an ongoing misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that causes physical and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power over one or more persons. Bullying can happen in person or online, and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert).

Bullying of any form or for any reason can have long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.

Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying. However, these conflicts still need to be addressed and resolved.

I am pleased to say that although the term, “Bullying” is quite often used by students and parents to describe an incident, at Newmarket SS on occasions where adult intervention is required, it is usually a single incident rather than bullying. A reminder of how name calling can be very hurtful to others and strategic intervention, usually resolves the issue. To be effective, it is important that students receive the same message from home, hence parental support is always appreciated.

Congratulations

Congratulations to the following students who were elected as student council representatives for their respective classes:

5D – William W and Amelia G

4B – Indigo D and Lucy D

4M – Torin M and Abbey W

These students join our four Year 6 student councillors and school captains to form the NSS Student Representative Council. They are an enthusiastic group of students and I look forward to working with them this year.

To those parents that donated juice,

fruit, baked goods or their �me to

make this mornings Ac�ve School

Travel Breakfast a success.

Newmarket State School Newsletter

Page 2 of 8

School Cross Country

It is great to see so many students enjoying Kilometre Club in preparation for the cross country event to be held on Thursday, 30 March at Sedgley Park, commencing at 9.15am. Students born in 2009 or before will walk to the park accompanied by their teachers and teacher aides. Children born after 2009 will have a mini Cross Country on the school oval. Refreshments will be available at Sedgley Park and we encourage parents to come along to support their child and their team.

Easter Hat Parade

In the last week, a definite highlight for our Junior School Parents (Prep, Yr. P/1, Yr1, Yr. 1/2 and the Year 2 students) will be the Easter Hat Parade on Friday, 31 March with activities beginning at 10.00a.m. The teachers and children will be busy working on their hats and look forward to joining in the fun. Each of our classes is looking forward to sharing an Easter song with you. Activities will conclude by 11:00 a.m. when parents are welcome to join their children for morning tea. The

tuckshop will be serving tea/coffee and home bake for a minimal cost. We hope you can join us on this special occasion.

My School updated for 2017

My School provides readily accessible information about Australian schools to allow educators to

share information about school achievements and characteristics, with the aim of supporting and

driving improvement across the nation.

Last week, the My School Website was updated. I encourage you to visit the website which has the latest data on around 10,000 schools.

Principal’s points continued ...

Library News Thank you to Ruth Moy who replaced me while I was recently away; I know the children would have appreciated Mrs Moy’s enthusiasm. Thanks also to Mary Gannon for

always keeping the library ship sailing smoothly!

While in South Africa I spent some time at a kindergarten deep in the forest, near Knysna, my home town. My mother delivers bags of fortified porridge to the kindy on a

regular basis, through a charitable organisation. Over the years of returning 'home' I have been able to visit Willowtree School many times and it is always an enriching

experience for me. The children who attend the kindy are aged between 1 and 6 and are the children of forestry workers. They live in small homes without electricity or the

creature comforts that we in Australia depend upon.

I was able to read with the children from a bag of twenty library books delivered there once a month by a volunteer. Other than these borrowed books which the teacher reads

to the children, there are few books for the children to pour over and explore just for the fun of it. This got me thinking! I am visiting South Africa again in the June/July

holidays, and plan to take a suitcase of pre-loved books with me to give to Willowtree. If you are cleaning out your children’s bookshelves and have baby books (board or

cloth), bright picture books and even basic information books (e.g. A-Z books, with photos or illustrations) that you no longer need, I would be most grateful for these. Although

the children only speak Afrikaans, they are not yet reading, so the language does not matter. The familiarisation with the act of reading as a life-skill, coupled with the joy it

gives, is what matters most. Thanks in anticipation! Our Year 6 Readers Cup competition takes place next Friday, 24 March at 9am, in the library. Parents, please encourage your children to read up well in anticipation! They all

have the required information.

Penny Benson

Page 3 of 8

The Science of Cooking - Year 1G For several weeks now, the children of 1G have been lucky enough to enjoy cooking classes with class parents and qualified chef, Jo Strother. Cooking has linked beautifully with our science unit this term, where we have been investigating the properties of materials and the actions we use to physically change them.

Last Wednesday we made pizzas. We started by making the dough from scratch! Jo explained that yeast is a living fungus and as it mixes with warm water, sugar and salt it starts to ‘burp’, which makes the dough rise! The children mixed ingredients and kneaded, squeezed, pressed and rolled the dough. Finally, they flattened and pinched the dough and topped it with sauce and cheese – ready for cooking. Yum!

Jo has her own blog that parents might like to visit and where you can find her great pizza recipe! https://

mykitchenmyhomeblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/09/pizza/

Marghi Gradwell, Year 1 G Teacher

Page 4 of 8

Chess Club Fun in Term 1 This term Year 3 students were invited to join an informal lunchtime chess club. This club was hosted by a dedicated group of Year 6 leaders and was conducted over a five week period.

We congratulate the following students for their participation, enthusiasm and good behaviour: Ada A, Aidan G, Alexandra Q, Bailey L, Darcy M, Elizabeth B, Emma A, Hamish W, James K, Jesse T, Leonard C, Linus K, Luke W, Maria A, Ronan S, Ryley I, Zac D and Zoe T.

We thank Alkim K, Ethan W, Leah G and Sienna W for their time, expertise, good humour and patience.

A special thank you to Alkim and his family for the loan of their very beautiful chess sets.

Mrs Connie Hamer, Teacher

Kilometre Club Update Congratulations to the 89 people who have joined Kilometre Club already. As a group we have run a total of 380 kilometres. After the first week the year 3 runners have run the furthest with a combined distance of 72km.

Congratulations to Luke W, Grace Q, Violet K, Phoebe D, Grace M and Sienna W who have all run 9.6km each. If you would like to come to Running Club, we would love to see you there, Tuesdays and Thursdays morning at 8:00 on the oval.

Penny Doyle, Year 5 Teacher and Kilometre Club Coordinator

Tuckshop News Our suppliers have confirmed that we will receive iceblocks in time for Term 2. Thank you for your patience.

Are you interested in becoming a tuckshop volunteer? New volunteers are always welcome and it’s a great way to meet other parents and get involved in the school community. Just 30 minutes of your time after drop off can be incredibly helpful. To volunteer email me on statikindustries@hotmail.com or phone 0424 494 251.

Julie Loxton, Tuckshop Convener

Date Tuckshop Homebake Sushi Tuesday 21 March Volunteer Needed Sarah B & Sarah-Jane

Friday 24 March Natalie F & Vicki G Volunteer Needed Volunteer Needed

Tuesday 28 March Sarah-Jane Cathy R & Kath McC

Friday 31 March Volunteer Needed Volunteer Needed Volunteer Needed

Tuckshop Roster:

Page 5 of 8

P&C Membership Did you know the P&C applies for grants to help improve the school and having high P&C membership rates helps with those grant applications. Becoming a P&C member doesn’t require you to do anything other than fill out a form. Please help! Complete your membership form by clicking HERE!

OSHC Vacation Care Bookings The Easter Holiday’s are almost upon us! Book before Friday the 24th of March to secure vacation care for your child.

OSHC has some exciting activities planned for students over the Easter break, including a trip to the movies and a ten pin bowling excursion. The Science Discovery Dome will visit OSHC to teach the children about crystal formation and the children will unearth their very own gemstones to take home!

To book vacation care for your child email oshc7.newmarket@optusnet.com.au or phone 07 3356 6741.

Vanessa Crowe, OSHC Coordinator

Save the Date Bunnings BBQ Fundraiser - 8th April!

The P&C have secured a Bunnings Sausage Sizzle on Saturday the 8th of April! These barbecues are a fantastic fundraiser for our school community. We’ll be sending out a link to a volunteer signup sheet soon and we hope you’ll be able to give an hour of your time on the day to raise some much needed funds for our school.

Can you help with School Banking while Penny is Overseas?

Penny Whitelaw our School Banking Coordinator will be overseas and we need someone to fill the role in her

absence.

The role requires a commitment of no more than 2hours on Tuesday the 28th of March, Tuesday the 18th of

April, Tuesday the 2nd of May.

If you can help please contact Penny by phoning 0431124472 or emailing penny_whitelaw@yahoo.com.au or

phone the school office.

Friday Morning Running Club As a parent of 2 kids that love to run you will find me every Friday morning from 8 - 8:40 AM on the school oval for Running Club. Running club is for all ages and abilities. All you need is a hat, some energy and a smile!

We meet at the bottom of the stairs to the oval for 40 mins of running skills and drills a nd a quick game of red rover to finish. If you need any more information please contact me on Carol.l.hunter@gmail.com.

Carol Hunter

Page 6 of 8

Badges, Hair Pins and Hair Ties available at Cross Country

Pin a Brolga badge to your hat or style your hair with Jabiru hair pins and hair ties to support your team. Brolga and Jabiru badges, hair pins and hair ties can be purchased at Cross Country on Thursday the 30th of March. Merchandise must be paid for in cash on the day and prices are as follows:

Kelda Jackson, Fundraising

Badges $2.00 Hair Pins $2.00 Hair Ties $2.50

Social Running for Parents If you’re a parent who runs or you’re keen to give running a try, join us for a ‘Trial Run’ on Thursday 23rd March at 6.30pm. We’ll meet at the front of the school where there’s plenty of on street parking and we’ll ease into running with a run that’s suitable for all fitness levels. For more information please email mumdadrun@icloud.com

James Morris

Can you spare some succulents from your garden?

On Tuesday the 28th of March, year 3H are making succulent gardens in preparation for this year’s Mother’s & Loved Other’s Day Stall. Do you have succulents in your garden? Could you bring some cuttings on Monday the 27th or Tuesday the 28th?

The greater the variety the more interesting our succulent gardens will be. If you can spare some succulents please contact Kate by emailing krick40@eq.edu.au or phoning 0431 750 807.

Mother’s & Loved Other’s Day Donations

This year’s Mother’s and Loved Other’s Stall will be held on the 11th and 12th of May and is being coordinated by 2/3J and 3H but they need your help!

A donation box has been placed outside the office and the two classes are looking for donations of small inexpensive gifts. All donations are greatly appreciated and will help to ensure we have a fantastic selection of gifts at the stall.

For more information contact Kate by phoning 0431 750 807 or emailing kate@plateskate.com.au

Photos from Parade and Say No To Bullying Day

Page 7 of 8

Newmarket State School Newsletter

Page 8 of 8

News from Banks Street Kindy Hello from your friendly neighbour - Banks Street Kindy! We love being part of the NSS community and will be sharing our news from time to time.

It’s been a busy first term for the children and families. Toby the Bee Man visited. The chil-dren were amazed to learn that we need bees for all our flowering fruit and vegetables, we discovered that honey is actually bees vomit and only the girl bees sting.

Kath, the Kindy’s wonderful resident artist is teaching the children all about colour. To support the children’s learning, a Parent’s Art Night was held. A beautiful painted canvas was produced as a result.

In staff news, Kindy teacher Mrs Duff will be on Long Service leave for term 2. Her position will be filled by Rachel and Rachel's role for the Bees group will be filled by Mrs Melissa Calkin. Welcome to Melissa and many happy adventures to Mrs Duff.