June 2020

Principal's Message

Welcome to our very first edition of our school newsletter using Schoolzine. The move to this new format will enable us to communicate with the school community across multiple channels. It will promote and enhance our engagement with parents, students and the wider community, which is very exciting.

As you can see, the format looks very professional and it will provide us with a more efficient and effective means of connecting with our school community. We hope you enjoy this June edition for 2020, and subsequent newsletters to follow. 

SCHOOLZINE APP

Schoolzine have an app, that enables you to see a newsletter on your phone, access archived newsletters, and access our website. It also has some other features that we will explore as we all get to know the functions.

If you would like to download the app, you can do so from the App store or Google play. For instructions on how to do this and access features in the app, there is a link below, as well as a link to some frequently asked questions.

LEARNING@HOME and Coronavirus

On behalf of all the staff at Rosella, we would like to thank you for your support and open communication during the first few weeks of this term when learning was occuring at home. We know how hard it was for many of you. We were certainly very glad to have all the students return to school in week 6 - a school is just not the same without students.

A huge shout out to the staff too! Providing a virtual learning environment and supporting learning@home was a significant shift in our way or working. They all worked well as a team to do the best they could for their students and families at home.

We do still have to be vigilant in the current climate. Restrictions are easing, but the expectations for social distancing amongst adults still remain. Until further restrictions are lifted, we will still have to ask that unless absolutely necessary that parents do not enter the school grounds in the mornings and afternoons for drop off and pick up. Parents are certainly welcome on site for pre-arranged meetings.

It is also imperative that if any students or staff are sick that they remain at home until they are well. Fingers crossed we can return to some kind of normal in the near future.

PARENT PICK UP AND DROP OFF AREA

Just recently we have noticed a few near misses with cars entering and exiting the school grounds at the front of the school. We are really concerned that there will be a collision soon, which of course we want to avoid. In an effort to avoid this, can you please be mindful when entering the area to follow the arrows on the road and take note of the below points:.

• When entering all cars must turn to the left. If you are wanting to drop off or collect your child from the stop, drop and go area, please stick to the left side of the road.
• If you are wanting to park and enter the school for an appointment or to drop of or collect your child, please turn left when entering the school, and move slowly through the right lane, under the covered area and through into the car park area.
• If you are using the stop, drop and go area, all adults must remain in their cars. With traffic potentially moving up on the right side lane, any doors opening, or people exiting cars could be very dangerous. If you do want to park and exit your car, we ask that you use the car parking area.

Thanks for working with us to keep our environment as safe as possible. I have attached our pick up and drop off expectations below for you to review.

REPORTING

Due to the time spent away from school, you will be provided with a modified report card that reports your child's learning this semester. The reports will only include 4 key learning areas with these being English, Maths, HPE and The Arts. A letter will accompany the report card sent home, to explain in more detail what the report will include. Reports will be sent home in week 3, term 3.

We sincerely hope you enjoy reading the newsletter in this new format. The photos certanly paint a great picture about some of the great work that is happening in classrooms.

Thanks

Kate Hucker and Peter O'Sullivan

Admin News

Finance

Dear Parent / Guardian / Caregivers,

Rosella Park School has a new alternative method for parents to pay your school invoices.

BPOINT is an internet web link you can use as a method of paying school invoices securely from your own computer.

BPOINT offers several payment options as below:

1. Internet Payment (single payment) via Web Link  (this link is on the School Webpage under Quicklinks) or simply click on the link below and open in a new tab.
   
2. Re-occurring direct debit (payment plan) - Authorise to have your credit or debit card in a secure environment for approved payment plans (e.g. text book, school fees, etc.)
3. Please follow this link for a step by step guide
   

The school is endeavouring to provide more up to date communication to parents electronically as well as to reduce the school environmental footprint by sending out the majority of our correspondence, account statements and invoices via email.

If you have any queries in relation to this new procedure, please contact Julie Nott, Business Manager on 4976 8333 or accounts@rosellaparkspecs.eq.edu.au

Account office hours are between 8.30am – 3.00pm Monday – Friday

Kind Regards

Room 1 - Junior - Ms Atkins

It is so wonderful to have everyone back at school once again. Thank you to all the parents and carers who supported the students continued learning during the Covid19 ‘learning at home’ period. We know that it wasn’t easy but we hope that you did enjoy a bit of extra time together. It’s been a super busy couple of weeks settling back into new (and old) routines. Everyone is loving the change at lunchtime of play first then eat. We are also really enjoying the other big change of literacy rotations. When students returned, Room 1 and 5 began literacy rotations. Some students remain in the same classroom but others now move to work with different staff in different rooms. This has allowed much more targeted teaching to meet student’s needs. We are so very excited to see some of the awesome work everyone is achieving. As well as literacy we have really been enjoying our investigations during science. We tested different materials to see what would and wouldn’t float and then built our own boats from those that did float. We also celebrated Ms Bek’s birthday with cake and fun games.  Not long to go till holidays so keep up the great work!

Room 2 - Junior - Mrs Wellsteed

We have been so happy and excited to have everyone back at school. We have been working hard at getting back into our routines and focusing on some fun learning. We have been making alphabet posters and using play dough to explore our letters. Everyone has been sharing books in the reading corner and loving our time play with the parachute. Parachute games are a great way to explore action words. We also had great fun playing and communicating together during our under 8s day at the end of May. It has been great to see how the class is keen and ready to get back into having fun learning at school.

Regards

Kate W

Room 3 - Junior - Mrs Hayne

Welcome back to all the Room 3 students for Term 2. It has been so nice to have all the students returning to our class program after weeks of Home Learning. Many thanks to all the parents and students for keeping the class program continuing  over that time. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Since the students return to school we have been working hard  with the class routines and learning. The Four Blocks Program continues with the focus on Letters and Sounds, Reading and Writing. We have fun in Mathematics with our number songs and activities focused on the numerals 1-5. In Science exploring the senses has seen the students taste a variety of food, hear different sounds through musical instruments, touch a variety of textures, use magnifying glasses to see and use our noses to smell different bottles.

Last week Room 3 joined our Junior Cohort friends and participated in an Under 8's activity morning session. The students were able to choose from a variety of activities such as parachute, bubbles, sensory play, painting, musical instruments, ball fun, block, trucks, and LEGO. Lots of fun occurred with all the students enjoying the fun and the beautiful weather.

Room 4 - Intermediate/Senior - Mrs Rossiter

It has been a joy to have everyone back in room 4 and we have been super busy with our schools Balanced Literacy Program with shared reading and predictable text.  We have enjoyed reading The Wonky Donkey and Alpacas with Maracas so far this term.

We have included trampolining to our daily plan each day and Dang finds it very funny when he jumps on the trampoline with Miss Dawni.

Room 4 students have enjoyed walking around the school collecting sticks and leaves to create displays with kinetic sand and then to knock them down and rebuild them again. We have had a great 2 weeks and have all enjoyed being back together with our friends at Rosella.

Room 6 - Senior - Mrs Buckle

Welcome back everyone, how lovely it is to have our classrooms full of students again.  Thank you for doing a fantastic job of ‘Learning at Home’ during the COVID19 lockdown. Well we’ve all quickly settled back into routine. 

We have continued playing different games to exercise different body parts and to show how they can get along. This has included playing catch using two and four peopled nets, it took a lot of teamwork to coordinate controlling the height of the ball and even more coordination to throw it from one net to another. 

In Science we have investigated the life cycle of a passionfruit plant.  We had the good fortune of tasting a fresh passionfruit that had come from our school vine.  It was delicious, smooth and sweet.  Miss Wendy brought in a large bag of fresh purple passionfruit the next day so we could enjoy more of that flavour.  The spider Mr Craig found was a great specimen even though it was scary.

We enjoy playing a few quick games of Dodgeball in the mornings with Room 7 prior to starting our literacy, it is a good way of energising our brains the day’s lessons. 

A big thank you to the families that have named their child’s belongings it makes it easier to return them to the rightful owners after breaks.  The students all seem to have coped with the adjusted play breaks.  This involves them playing first then eating. 

As per usual if would like to chat about your child’s progress, don’t hesitate to contact us to arrange a mutual time.

Room 7 - Senior - Mrs Dunstan

Since returning from home learning the students in Room 7 have been making and recording their observations of how bean seeds germinate, develop into sprouts and then seedlings. The seedlings which will be planted in the school garden which they, together with the students from Room 10, are maintaining.

During Room 7’s Literacy block, the students have been reading and following procedures. Their favourite was the Magic Milk experiment. After a colourful time the class wrote a recount of the experiment.

Room 8 - Intermediate - Mrs Thompson

The students appear to be super excited to be back in class.  We have been busy catching up with each other and sharing our stories about what we did while we were away.

Reading has become a new activity when in class. Our Self Selected Reading Corner is where we meet after break to enjoy a variety of books. Sometimes Dylan reads to us too.

Maths times have been super fun times as we continue to learn about place value, data and graphing.

Look at our photos to see the fun we have been having.

We also welcome a new member into our room, Carlo, who is enjoying meeting new friends while we had to say goodbye to Sophie who has moved to Brisbane.

Until next time

Michelle T

Room 10 - Senior - Mrs Bickle

Room 10 has returned from home learning, keen and ready to learn. We have been working on our goals and focusing on working together as a team. We have been enjoying examining our maths measurement goal. We all enjoyed throwing Frisbees and measuring the distance thrown and remarkably none landed on the roof. We have also been weighing ourselves and classroom objects and comparing the heaviest and lightest.

We have been busy with our Literacy goals and everyone has enjoyed playing ‘Fish’ card game, where the 100 most frequent words are written on the cards to identify. Each week we have been engaged in reading a selected book each day, where the children can read the book independently by Friday. Our most informative book thus far has been “Wash your hands” and has seen the children become very proficient in remembering and knowing when we need to wash our hands. We will be sending home this reading book for your child to read to you over the weekend and then return on Monday the following week for us to use again within the class during our self-selected reading tasks. The students have also enjoyed writing their own books about their interests and then printing them to read during this self-selected reading time. Some of these favourite books are “Full face motorbike helmets” – by Troy; “Dogs” – by Nicholas; “Walkie talkies” – by Josh; “Fast Food” – by Jack and “5 little ducks” – by Kassidy.

We have been enjoying tasting different flavours of biscuits and cordial and then writing about the tastes. Our favourite to date is meat pie and we are keen to try sausage sizzle and vegemite and cheese. These food tasting critiquing activities have proven very motivating and successful in the students creating informative and creative writing texts.

After we complete our work and have displayed green choices, we earn a reward activity at the end of each session in the day. At present the class has been enjoying trampoline, music and balloon fun – Kassi; trampoline and gardening – Nicholas/Joshua/Troy; Lego and playing with putty – Jack.

Room 11 - Transition - Mrs Leeson

It is so exciting to have everyone back at school. Our room was not the same without our students. June continues to be a very busy time as we try to finish off all our course work while juggling the coronavirus restrictions. This has meant that we cannot leave the school grounds. Our year 12 Active Citizenship students are working on a fundraising venture for the Gladstone Paws Animal Rescue Group. On June 16th we will be asking our friends at school to bring in some tinned and dry cat and dog food which we will donate to the PAWS group. Our year 11 and 12 students have been busy taking part in a range of exercises each week to improve their fitness. Our favourite exercises have been the relaxation and meditation ones. We can’t wait to try some yoga. Don’t forget as the weather gets cold to ensure that the students have access to a school - approved jumper even if it is kept in their bag for emergencies.  It feels like we have only just come back to school and now we are on the countdown to holidays again. Have a great holiday, stay safe and enjoy our great state of Queensland.

Room 12 - Senior - Mrs Ward

Welcome Back! A big THANK YOU to all of the parents and carers who worked hard over the time off, to keep your children focused on learning. The students have slipped back into routine as though they had no time off at all.

Mathematics learning experiences have revolved around revision of number, addition and multiplication. Literacy testing this month has identified a cause for celebration. All of the Prep to Year 2 level students have made improvements so we have upgraded the levelled readers. The students are proud of their achievements but not too impressed with the fact that the word activities and writing tasks that go along with the readers are more difficult.

The most exciting event we are looking forward to this month is two cakes in one week. We will be celebrating Miss Tammy and Seth’s birthdays. YIPPEE!!

Room 13 - Intermediate - Mrs Nash

Welcome back to all the room 13 students. What a mixed up beginning of the year it has been. It was great to see people using the online resources during the on line learning period. I loved receiving pictures and feedback on how everyone was going during this time. The students have returned to class eager to learn, which is fantastic.

This week we made C for cheese burgers. The students did a great job of using their communication devices to discuss what they needed and their opinions on the cheese burgers. This week we are cooking T for Taco’s and we are all very excited to try these.

Room 15 - Transition - Ms Harris

Term 2 has been a different one for all of us, but the students in room 15 have worked really well despite the interruptions and changes.

The year 10’s have picked up and continued working well in their five transition subjects despite missing such a big chunk. I have been very impressed to see their knowledge growing each week. In Kitchen Operations they are becoming much more independent when selecting food items, finding recipes, choosing ingredients and cooking.

In ICT we have been doing a lot of work independently on laptops using online learning resources, one of my favourite moments being when Alex was playing a game on his computer and Zac saw it and pointed and was able to say “me too” and then we had them both playing the same game and loving it. I have found that our girls have a real skill at writing emails to each other, and to staff, Keira, Angel, Shayla and Aroha are all very skilled at socialising using technology.

In Vocational Training we have been looking into different types of careers and comparing the skills required for those careers to the skills the students have. It is looking like we have a lot of future childcare workers and support workers amongst the group.

In Social and Physical Development we have been talking about what happens when we grow up and they are all very good at identifying all the physical changes that happen to humans as they grow. Interestingly the statement was made that humans ‘get wisdom’ around age 60, and ‘get sensible’ around age 50.

In Community Locations we haven’t been able to go places but that hasn’t stopped us exploring features of communities. The students have created a tabletop community and added a wide range of features to it. They each have their own house in the community, and have added businesses they want to see in a community such as gyms, cinemas, zoos, amusement parks, candy shops, supermarkets and of course a McDonalds. I’m impressed with the attention to detail they have had as they construct the buildings and other features of the community. Zac and all the other students have named “Hamburger”, a fun name for a community.

Other than the year 10’s, the year 11’s and 12’s are also working hard in Room 15. The English class has been reading lots of forms, letters, informative websites and have done a school tour of signs around the school. They focussed on reading the COVID19 signs and we had wonderful discussions about hygiene and mental health during a pandemic.

I look forward to finishing off the semester and having the students achieve their goals and move into semester 2 fresh and ready for the new challenges.

Miss Harris.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

Rosella Park School has three (3) school EXPECTATIONS. These are:

• Be Respectful
• Be Positive
• Be Safe.

Our students have been busy in their classrooms learning the rules they need to follow, not only in their classrooms but around our school and in the community. To ensure our EXPECTATIONS are achieved,  each week our classes discuss the PBL Lesson for the week.

Some examples of PBL Lessons include: walking safely on paths, speaking kindly to others, wearing hats outside, respecting school equipment, the three safe touches (high-five, handshake and pat on back), be in the right place at the right time.

The majority of our students (over 80%) are consistently positive, respectful and safe every day and are to be commended for their behaviour.

The students who need some extra support in learning how to be Respectul, Positive and Safe, are supported by our Student Support Committee and individual classroom planning. With these extra supports in place we have had a massive reduction in the amount of lockdowns. Our staff are receiving more training in the skills required to maintain PBL in their classrooms.

Families can help at home by reminding students to stop, think, and ensure they are making the right choices. Being respectful like Respectful Ronald, listening to others, and talking with kindness. Being positive like Positive Pete and giving everything a go. Being safe like Safe Sally, using the three safe touches, and moving safely around all environments.

Our students deserve to be rewarded for their efforts in learning the rules, and meeting out expectations. Our whole school Rewards Day is planned for Friday 26^th  June to celebrate.

P&C News

The Rosella Park P&C are running their annual pie drive for 2020. Click on the link to open and print out an order form. Alternatively, order forms are available from the office.

Advertising in our newsletter

The newsletter has a sponsorship section which provides a great opportunity for local businesses to engage with our parent community. We would love to pass on this opportunity to our families, just in case any of you would like to advertise your business to the Rosella community. Similarly, if you know someone that has a local business that is looking to do some advertising, please let them know about this sponsorship opportunity within our newsletter.

If you would like to be a part of this, please contact Schoolzine. Phone Jude on 07 5414 2363 or email her on jude.dawson@schoolzine.com.au

I am also happy to discuss this opportunity with any one that is interested.

Community News

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

Does someone in your family have a disability?  They might benefit from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). 

The NDIS makes sure everyone has the support they need and can work towards their goals.  That could mean becoming more independent, learning new skills, and being part of the community and the workforce.

Carers Queensland is your NDIS Local Area Coordination Partner in the Community. We are your guide to the NDIS, and other support available in your area. We can also help you learn new skills and find resources for your family.

To find out more, contact your NDIS LAC Partner in the Community Carers Queensland on (07) 4994 1600 or rockhamptonlac@carersqld.com.au.