2024 March/April Newsletter
- News from the Principal
- News from the Deputy Principal
- News from Administration
- Book Fair News
- News from our Non-Contact Teachers
- Junior 1 - Miss Hannah
- Junior 2 - Miss Helen
- Junior 3 - Miss Michelle
- Intermediate 1 - Mrs Maguire
- Intermediate 2 - Mr Mark
- Intermediate 3 - Miss Sharon
- Intermediate 4 - Miss Harris
- Intermediate 5 - Miss Pauline
- Intermediate 6 - Miss Annette
- Senior 1 - Miss Cindy
- Senior 2 - Mr Mike
- Senior 3 - Miss Susan
- Senior 4 - Mr Shaun
- Transition 1 - Miss Sally
- Transition 2 - Mrs Leeson
- Athletics News
- Community News
News from the Principal
Where did this term go? Welcome to our last newsletter for term 1, 2024. Even with the hectic pace of the term, I am very impressed with all of the efforts of the students and staff. They have all been working very hard towards their personal learning goals.
Although there is only less than 2 weeks left of school, there are many things to look forward to. We have the following events coming up:
- P&C Easter raffle – I hope you have sent your tickets in. Have to be in it to win it.
- Term 1 PBL rewards day. We have some fun events for our Junior and Intermediate students on day 1, followed by Seniors & Transition on day 2 of the PBL rewards day.
As with the last few years, we continue to sharpen and narrow our school improvement plan that is aligned to our strategic 4-year plan – which is coming up for a review sometime this year. So please keep a look out for upcoming information. This year’s annual improvement agenda is as follows:
- Educational Achievement – Curriculum development, shifting student data, implementing V9 Curriculum and researching whole school approach to Maths.
- Wellbeing and engagement – supporting staff and students.
I look forward to working with our school community to spread this learning across the year. If you would like more information about these two core areas – please do not hesitate to contact the school – I would love the chance to share the improvement goals.
Thank you to all of our families, many of you I have seen before and after school having ICP meetings. Your input and support are vital to ensure we are providing a quality learning program for your child. Next term, you will receive a written report on your child’s achievement across the plan you have endorsed.
I am happy to share that we recently held the P&C AGM. It was very exciting having a few new faces join the team. It is never too late to sign up and join the team. Your input is valued and many hands make for light work. I can share the P&C are busy behind the scenes planning for a major fundraiser in 2024 – it should be a great event – keep an eye out for more information.
Our attendance continues to be above the 2023 average – so to all our families, thank you for ensuring your child is turning up to school each and every day. It has also been great to see families notify the school about a child's absence. Maximizing your child's attendance at school is crucial for supporting their growth and educational achievement. The school year goes by very fast, and repeated missed days from unexcused absences reduces the chances for students to participate in organised learning experiences that are in line with the Australian Curriculum.
Reminder, please call the school at 4976 8333 if you know your child will be absent so that we can document it as an excused absence.
Until our next newsletter, please take care and we look forward to working with you to maximise each day your child attends school. Have a great two week break over the Easter period and enjoy whatever plans you have made for your family.
News from the Deputy Principal
As we wind down term 1 and head towards an amazing term 2, I just want to reflect on all of the amazing things the students have achieved so far. The Juniors have settled in an are following routines and learning the new school rules of Respect – Positive - Safe. The Intermediates have stepped up and taken on the responsibility of being role models. The Seniors understand that they are getting close to the end of their schooling and have taken their studies very seriously and the Transitions are getting ready to be school leavers. The school has taken on the very serious task of looking out for wellbeing, which includes having a school-based psychologist to help build our understanding of wellness and in some instances, meet with students on a 1:1 basis.
We have explored some understanding of sensory wellness as a staff and look forward to learning about new ways to best support our students. One such resource I have found helpful is from Dr Michael Carr- Gregg. He has worked alongside many State School initiatives in New South Wales, Victoria and of course, Queensland. His speciality is working along side youth and building their wellbeing. About 10 years ago he recorded a miniseries for the Department of Education and they are all still very helpful and filled with useful ways we can help our students and your children. I have listed the links to each of the parts of the miniseries. I strongly recommend you watch them and if you are, or anyone you know is struggling with mental health, please reach out.
Episode One – How to build resilient young people
Episode Two – A crash course in the developmental psychology of young people
Episode Three – The 8 secrets of happy young people
Episode Four – The secrets of effective communication with young people
News from Administration
Student Absence notification:
A reminder to all parents and carers to advise the school of any student absences by ringing the school absentee line and leaving a message. The Department of Education requires schools to follow up on any unexplained absences.
Book Fair News
News from the Book Fair Fairies…
We are so excited to be putting on another Book Fair at Rosella Park School. This year we were given 7 themes to choose from. So together, Mrs Leeson and Miss Rhonda decided that Rosella Parks School’s theme would be Book Fair Blizzard. Our Book Fair items will be delivered on 23rd May 2024. Book Fair will be running for 1 week commencing 27th May. There will be a lucky door prize, as well as many other competitions; colouring in competitions and guessing game competitions. We will also be having a DRESS up day during our Book Fair. The Book Fair will be open after school time, so parents, carers etc can come and have a look.
AS THE DATES FOR THE ABOVE EVENTS DRAW NEARER, FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED
Book Fairs create excitement around books and reading.
From your Book Fair Coordinators Rhonda and Jo
News from our Non-Contact Teachers
We have started Design and Technology and in Intermediate 3 we started looking at the properties of materials. The students loved the soft, shiny, smooth, stretchy, pretty, warm, green fabric.
In Intermediate 1 we looked at durability of materials and made a school shirt from paper towels! We wonder how long it will last?
In Intermediate 2, we used a karaoke microphone to tell some breaking news and sing some songs in an old style TV. We have been looking at the difference between new and old technologies.
Junior 1 - Miss Hannah
This term is just flying by! That is what happens when you are having fun and in Junior 1, we have been having a lot of fun! We have been very busy in English describing our favourite character and role playing our favourite stories or songs. "The Wheels on the Bus" and "Five Little Ducks" seem to be a favourite so far. Our water fun sessions on Thursdays for Science have also been a hit with all students participating and exploring different materials and their characteristics. Thank you to all of those families that have returned your child’s signed ICP. If you haven’t done so, can you please make sure this is returned by the end of week 9. If you need another copy, don’t hesitate to contact me via email hdow22@eq.edu.au or on the class dojo app and Ill be sure to send another copy home with your child. I hope everyone has a great end to the term and a very happy and safe Easter. See you all next term 😊
Junior 2 - Miss Helen
Junior 2 have had fun learning about what objects float or sink. We have participated in activities with our whole junior cohort and used a variety of everyday objects to explore in the water to make our own observations to share with everyone. We used our preferred communication devices (PODD, Prolo and individual visuals) to make choices.
Junior 2
Junior 3 - Miss Michelle
Hello families,
Students have participated in a range of engaging learning activities this term. A particular favourite has been water play in the sensory garden where, for Science, we explored with items that sink or float. Class members participate in this activity as a whole cohort and are also practicing skills such as turning taking, sharing and waiting. In Math students have been exploring favourite items from an assortment of areas including instruments, fidget toys and animals. We used objects and symbols to make selections, took photos, glued them onto paper and displayed our preferences. We are extremely proud of how hard students are working and learning together and look forward to a fun filled term 2. Wishing you all a safe and happy Easter break.
Thank you,
The Junior 3 team
Junior 3
Intermediate 1 - Mrs Maguire
Hello to all. This year is going really fast. It’s almost Easter and holidays. Students have been working really hard on their selected goals this term. We have been doing some great experiments for science and they have been writing some great stories. All students have worked hard towards achieving their individual goals and parents will be so proud of their successes revealed in report cards next term. All students have worked extremely hard and deserve a pat on the back for their continued commitment and perseverance.
Students are extremely excited at the moment as our class will be having a party and set our trap attempting to catch a leprechaun on St. Patricks Day. Students are also looking forward to rewards day activities at the end of term and of course the holidays. Please look out for the pictures that will be posted on dojo of these upcoming events.
Inter 1
Intermediate 2 - Mr Mark
Intermediate 2 has been working so well this term. For Literacy we have been learning lots about phonetic sounds, as well as sequencing stories that we have read. For Numeracy we have been learning our numbers to 20 and beyond, and beginning to learn about adding small numbers. We have been learning all about different emotions and feelings that we may experience, as well as how to regulate these if needed. For Science we have been learning about the properties (materials, texture, shape) of different objects and learning to classify according to these properties. We look forward to a great end to the term.
Intermediate 3 - Miss Sharon
Intermediate 3 has been very busy with our literacy, doing lots of practice with our writing and learning our sight words. We have also completed lots of activities with our books of the week. Our favourite has been making our version of "Mrs Honey's Hat" .... don't they look great!
Intermediate 4 - Miss Harris
We have had some changes to our classroom routine in Inter 4 as we have decided we all like to move and groove. Our classroom is now having more frequent trips to places around the school and accessing all the ways we can have movement breaks. Students have loved getting a swing in the classroom; and also accessing the swings in the L Block Activity room and Undercover area. They have been listening to stories and focussing on words like “up” “down” “in” “on” “under” and then doing those movements in the playgrounds. Learning through whole body movements and music has lead to some great moments. Students were singing “wombat stew, wombat stew” together while doing stirring motions with their hands. Students were making the noises of tigers and laughing like witches when reading A Big Fat Pie.
Inter 4 is also practicing sharing and taking turns, which is hard for some of us, but they are making great progress. Students are earning Shazams for their great listening and especially when they can show us they know how to wait nicely. We are excited to see all the learning students can achieve when their movement needs are met.
Over the last couple of weeks of term we will do some more cooking in class and lots of fun Easter activities (which means lots of yummy things and crafty things might start coming home).
Thanks for a great start to 2024 Inter 4!
Inter 4
Intermediate 5 - Miss Pauline
The Super Hero boys of Intermediate 5 love to play and learn inside and outside the classroom, so every morning we start our day enjoying the fresh air and outside play spaces. The sandpit is a great place to dig for treasure, and feel the cold sand between our fingers and toes. We love climbing the stairs to the top of the play equipment and the feeling of being high. Back inside the classroom, we love to play with Lego, blocks and balls. We build high towers while we count, and learn letters while playing with balls.
Inter 5
Intermediate 6 - Miss Annette
Unfortunately due to illness, we have no news from Intermediate 6. Stay tuned for the next newsletter. Wishing all of our families a very happy Easter and a restful term break.
Senior 1 - Miss Cindy
Wow, week 8 is upon us and we have been tackling our schoolwork!
We have started to innovate a poem for our assessment in English and analyse the content. Senior 1 continue to organise Data and have fun with Chance. We have been sorting M&Ms into colours and using tally marks to count them before we transfer into a graph and eat them! In Health, our class have been discussing cyberbullying, cyber safety and how to manage emotions.
It is great to see Senior 1 working towards their goals! Keep up the great work!
Senior 1
Senior 2 - Mr Mike
Busy, Busy, Busy....
It’s a packed programme in Senior 2.
We spent the first five weeks of term learning about counting and skip counting in Maths – we are concentrating on counting in 2s, 5s and 10s. The class are also learning to count and skip count from random starting points and to count and skip count backwards. We have moved on to learning about chance and explaining about whether events will happen, might happen or won’t happen at all.
In our English lessons, the class have been working on explaining their preferences and giving reasons for what they think about a particular book, video or story. The students have been developing their presentation skills by speaking to their classmates about places they would like to visit and about the things they enjoy.
Our Science lessons have been a real hit and the class have enjoyed learning about the ways different materials react in different experiments. In HPE, we have been learning about our emotions and discovering how our emotional responses can have impacts on other people.
I will continue to post photos of our activities on ClassDojo for parents and friends to enjoy. Please do not hesitate to contact me at the school if you have any questions about the curriculum or any other aspect of your child’s education.
Senior 3 - Miss Susan
Unfortunately, no article was received for publishing. Have a great Easter break.
Senior 4 - Mr Shaun
Wow, it's nearly the end of term 1 already. Students are settled nicely into new routines and class dynamics. Senior 4 students have been trying their best which is fantastic ! Keep up the good work everyone !
Math curriculum revolves around making connections between number names, numerals and quantities up to 10 and answers simple questions to collect information and makes simple inferences.
English curriculum involves identifying connections between texts and their personal experience. Describeing likes and dislikes about familiar texts, objects, characters and events.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any concerns, either by using the communication book or ClassDojo.
Thanks
Mr Shaun
Transition 1 - Miss Sally
We are in the process of rounding out our learning for the term in these next couple of weeks. Student and staff absences have hit us hard in the cohort over recent weeks, with many illnesses across our two classes. It is great that we are nearly back to full capacity now!
At the end of February we celebrated our first 18th birthday of the year, with a party for Holly. When we come back after the holidays we will be straight into it with another 4 birthdays!
The students Clean Up Australia day event went well with a total of $101.10 raised. Our class also ran a colouring in competition for the school and coordinated the clean up to enable involvement from other classes. They are now actively planning their next fundraising event and chosen organisation as part of their Active Citizenship lessons.
Members of our student council have been routinely attending their weekly meetings and further contributing by announcing morning messages to the school and supporting during parade. In May they will partake in a leadership camp in Rockhampton.
We were very lucky to see the combined schools production of The Little Mermaid this month. It was an exceptional performance showcasing very talented students across many schools in the region. We had a wonderful time and were all very proud of the way the students conducted themselves and represented their school. This is now underpinning units of work in our English and Leisure subjects.
Wishing everyone an enjoyable Easter break!
Miss Sally
07 49768 333
Transition 1
Transition 2 - Mrs Leeson
Wow, this term is almost over already and we have been super busy as always. We started our visits to the agencies in town offering NDIS services that we may access post school. Our first visit was with Endeavour Learning and Lifestyle. We checked out their amazing kitchen, super equipped gym room, their technology programs and the awesome woodworking and craft facilities. Each student received a sachet with lots of information to take home and share with their families. Unfortunately, we had to postpone our visit to Lionheart due to illness. We hope to visit with them soon. In Active Citizenship, we concluded our Clean Up Australia Day project by hosting a clean up day at school and raising money for the organisation. What a great job the students did and our school has never looked so clean.
We were lucky enough to attend the Combined Schools Musical at the Entertainment Centre. They performed the Little Mermaid. I don’t think I saw the smiles leave the students faces. The talent in our community is beyond amazing. All of our students represented the school in such a positive manner and we could not have been prouder of them.
Not long now before the Easter Holidays. I wanted to let you know that I will be on long service leave for the first 6 weeks as I travel to England and Scotland to meet my British family for the first time. The students will be left in good hands with our wonderful Transition staff to help the relieving teacher with the smooth running of our class.
Community Agencies will continue with visits to many more local agencies. English and Maths continue as normal. Fitness will be under the guidance of Ms Sally from Transition 1. Active Citizenship will follow on from this term by looking at how we can contribute to a cause in our community and I am going to be so excited to see how that pans out. I will be in touch while I’m away, sharing with the students updates on my travels and hopefully inspiring them to desire to travel one day. Take care, have a great holiday and I will see everyone at the end of May.
Transition 2
Athletics News
Hi All,
All the students who brought back their expressions of interest forms saying they are keen for Athletics have been given notes about starting after school training sessions.
If you are keen on your student doing Athletics training after school; and you have not received a note; email me on charr512@eq.edu.au or write a message in their communication books and teachers can let me know to send home another note.
The big Athletics day on the 24th of April is fast approaching and it would be great to see students training before then so they can achieve their full potential!
Thanks,
Caroline Harris
Community News
Foster carers come from all walks of life, but no matter who they are, they all have one thing in common; a place in their heart for a child who needs support and understanding. Fostering starts with care. It’s not always easy, but training and support is available.
Fostering needs people with extraordinary hearts. People just like you.
Visit www.qld.gov.au/fostercare to learn more and submit an expression of interest. If you would like to speak to someone about becoming a foster carer call Queensland Foster and Kinship Care on 1300 550 877.
Phones are now away during the school day. As parents and carers, you play an important active role in helping your children have a safe and positive online experience.
The Phones away for the day website has a number of resources and strategies to help you be proactive in protecting your children online as well as ways you can support them if things do go wrong.
To find out more, visit qld.gov.au/PhonesAway.
