Werecognisethetraditional
ownersoftheland
TheKombumerripeople EdmundRiceDriveASHMOREQld4214:POBox267,AshmoreCityQLD4214
Phone:55100055Fax:55100056Email:[email protected]:www.gaps.qld.edu.au
Newsletter
21 February 2017
PRINCIPAL’S
MESSAGE
Issue 05
Dear Parents,
Welcome to our Week 5 newsletter.
Year 6 Leadership Day
Tomorrow our Year 6 children will be attending a Leadership Day with the other Year 6 children from schools on the
Gold Coast. The day will be hosted by St Kevin’s at Benowa.
We were able to acknowledge our Student Council leaders at the School Mass that was held last Friday.
School Surveys – Final Call
Thank you to the many families who have completed and sent back the survey forms
which were distributed as part of the Parent Teacher Interview process this year. Your
attendance at the interviews was greatly appreciated. If you would still like to hand in a
survey form you have until tomorrow, February 22, to complete them if you have not yet
had the chance to do so. Your feedba ck will be used by the Leadership Team as we set
goals on Thursday and Friday of this week, for the coming year. I will share these goals with you after our meeting.
School Fees
School fees are due this Friday, February 24. If you haven’t received your email could you please contact the school
office so that we can post your account to you? If you are paying school fees by Direct Debit you will not receive a
school fees account. A 5% discount applies if all fees and levies are paid for the year, by Friday.
Prep Enrolments 2018
Interviews for Prep 2018 will be commencing shortly. We have a great demand for places, mainly due to the great
reputation the school has in the community. If you have a child who is due to start Prep next year and you haven’t
submitted an enrolment form, I encourage you to do so ASAP. Siblings are given the highest priority for entry into
Guardian Angels, but we do require an enrolment form to be submitted.
I will inform parents within the next few weeks of the dates interviews will take place.
Uniform Shop - Closed
The Uniform Shop will be closed for over the counter sales and online orders on the 2nd March and reopen on Monday
13th March. If you think you may need something please place all orders prior to 1st March.
Staff News
Bernard Kearney is at a Senior Leader’s Meeting today.
Lauren Cousins, Amy Mangan and Selina Cameron will be attending a Network meeting tomorrow.
Shandel Flynn, Jo Makin, Bernard Kearney and I will be attending a Leadership Cluster meeting this Thursday and
Friday. Amy Mangan will be able to assist parents with any issues that might arise on Thursday or Friday.
We welcomed some new School Officers this week who will be working in various classrooms and the Rainbow Room.
I’m sure that they will be a great support to our wonderful children.
Have a great week,
Stephen Montgomery
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ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL ADMINISTRATION
Crossing Edmund Rice Drive
Please help keep our community safe by using the designated pedestrian crossings both across Edmund Rice
Drive and the schools service road that is used for drop off and pick up. During the morning and afternoon
peak times there is a crossing supervisor on duty to assist.
School Uniform
We have noticed some children are wearing incorrect earings, jewellery etc. Please note
that nail polish, jewellery (other than a watch and sleepers/plain studs), and hair bands worn
as bangles/bracelets are NOT part of our school uniform. If for any reason your child needs
to wear incorrect shoes/socks etc. please provide them with a signed note for their teacher.
Thanks for your support in this matter.
Bernard Kearney
Assistant Principal Administration
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Qualities of Angels
This week’s Quality of Angels is SELF-DISCIPLINED. At Prayer Assembly this week, 6
White shared what they know about being self-disciplined. They told us that being selfdisciplined means displaying self-control. With self-discipline, you take charge of yourself.
You understand that you are responsible for your actions. Self-discipline is about making
the RIGHT decisions. There are plenty of times during the school day when we need to
display self-discipline, especially in the playground when things may not be going the way
we want them to go. Rather than getting angry and lashing out at others, having selfdiscipline means we have the ability to stop and think before we do so that we can make
better choices about our words and actions.
Monday Morning Cuppa and Catch Up
We would like to invite any parents and friends attending Prayer Assembly next Monday 27 February to join the students
from 6 Gold and Mrs Toll for light refreshments served in the Kombumerri Centre Kitchen directly after the assembly
concludes.
Beginning of School Year Mass
Our whole school mass to celebrate the beginning of the new school year was held last Friday 17 February. The students
are to be congratulated on their amazing behavior and participation, with their efforts at singing quite outstanding. Thanks
to our Year 6 leaders who took on important roles in the mass, to Mrs Kemp who provided the music and to Mrs Monteith,
along with our wonderful choir, who led the singing. A special thanks to Father Jan for leading our celebration and also to
Savannah W, Isabelle H, Thomas Y and Jake W who assisted Father Jan as altar servers. And of course there were many
parents and friends who came along to celebrate with us too – thanks to those of you who were able to join us.
Year 6 GA Family Mass
Thanks to the Year 6 students and their families who were able to attend the Year 6 GA
Family Mass on Sunday. It was great to see so many GA faces joining other members of
the Southport Parish to celebrate Eucharist. Thanks also for the lovely morning tea
provided by GA families – a great way to build the connections between the parish and
school communities.
Tuesday Parish Mass
Year 4 students joined other members of our parish community to celebrate Eucharist at 9.00am mass today. After mass
the students participated in a ritual outside the church during which palms that were collected on Palm Sunday last year
were burnt to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday, which will be celebrated next Wednesday 1 March.
Year 6 Leadership Day
This Wednesday 22 February, all Year 6 students will attend the Gold Coast Catholic Schools’ Leadership Day. During
the day, they will participate in a liturgy and will hear important messages about Christian leadership from some special
speakers. This day will help equip our Year 6 students to lead the GA community throughout 2017. We wish them all the
best for the day and know that they will great representatives for our school.
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Condolences
We pray for Vicki Turner (School Officer) and her family. Vicki’s father passed away on Saturday and our thoughts are
with the family during their time of sadness.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and may perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
Ash Wednesday…Lent Begins
Next Wednesday 1 March is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, an important liturgical season for
Catholics. When we receive ashes on our foreheads, we remember that we are baptised and that we are members of the
body of Christ. The smudge on our foreheads also proclaims that identity to others. One student from each class will
attend Ash Wednesday mass at 9.00am to receive the ashes that will be used to mark the foreheads of all students and
staff at our whole school liturgy, commencing at 1pm in our school hall. Parents and friends are welcome to join us for
this celebration.
Ash Wednesday also marks the beginning of the annual Caritas Australia Project Compassion
Appeal. The theme for Project Compassion 2017 is “Love Your Neighbour”. In the words of
Pope Francis, “We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared
responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it” (Laudato
Si).
Throughout Project Compassion 2017, inspiring stories from the Philippines, Timor-Leste,
Australia, Vietnam and Fiji will highlight the importance of working hand in hand with
communities around the world. To hear the story behind this year's Project Compassion theme
and to learn about the six feature people that you will meet through Project Compassion this
year, please watch the introductory video at the following link:
http://www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion/videos/pc17-introduction-video
Next week each Guardian Angels student will receive a Project Compassion box. Your donations to Project Compassion
allow Caritas Australia, the Catholic Agency for International Aid and Development, to work towards a more just and fair
world so please put your compassion into action this Lent by supporting this important appeal.
Mercy Mosaic
Work will commence soon on the mosaic to celebrate our Mercy heritage. At this stage you can assist by donating any old
tiles that you may have lying around your home. We need black, white, light blue, dark blue, red, yellow and flesh
coloured tiles, as well as pieces of mirror. These will be smashed into smaller pieces
so it doesn’t matter if they are damaged. Please deliver any donations of tiles and/or
mirrors to the office.
Wishing you a week filled with peace and joy.
Shandel Flynn
[email protected]
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CURRICULUM CORNER
Making Learning Visible:
Monitoring Tools and Data Collection:
This week Prep teachers were released in order to collect data about student’s Concepts about Print
and Letter Sound Identification. Soon, Prep to Yr 2 students will be working with their teachers on
benchmarking reading and Year 3-6 will be completing ACER reading and maths assessment online
and creating some written text for teachers to analyse.
Learning Dispositions
Our staff meeting this week focuses on growing and developing powerful learning dispositions in GA students. We
believe that every learner can achieve success in life and learning where diversity is valued and shared wisdom
contributes to decision-making that enriches and enlivens our world. So, how can we ensure that this happens? Firstly, as
a staff we need to identify the dispositions we value the most in our learners. Below are the dispositions for learning that
we will discuss, and next week, we will have our top 5 that you will be hearing a lot about in the future!
The 16 characteristics below are based on both research in the learning sciences, and teachers’ judgements about the
‘habits of mind’. Taken together, they seem to constitute the mind-set of a ‘powerful learner.
Learning Walks and Talks:
This week, our Administration Team completed Learning Walks and Talks. We enjoyed speaking with children in all
year levels about their learning and challenging their thinking. These walks and talks will become a regular practice at
GA.
Reading Strategies every parent needs to know
The following strategies work for young children through to adults. The only difference is the book choice of the reader. These strategies are
useful when children choose books beyond their instructional levels. They choose books they want to read but as yet, cannot read them
independently. Before introducing these strategies, it is always best to allow the reader to read for a few minutes while monitoring the miscues.
After a few minutes of reading aloud, and when a pattern in the miscues indicates that meaning is lost and reading is laboured, show the
reader any of the following strategies. I usually introduce echo and shared together and then ask the reader to choose. These strategies are
not hierarchical. They all offer layers of support to give the reader access to the book of his/her choice. Remember, the reader always holds the
book.
Echo reading
Echo reading is simply, parent reads a sentence, paragraph or page (depending on the text) and the child repeats it back. Before starting,
negotiate with the child to read a sentence, paragraph or page.The parent reads first. The child re-reads (echoes) the sentence, paragraph or
page. Continue in this way to complete the book. Echo reading eliminates the frustration and anxiety that is too often associated with reading
aloud. It often happens that once the child becomes confident with the book, author’s style, and language, he or she does not stop for the
parent to take a turn – ultimately, that is the goal – independence. If it does not happen that the child takes over, echo reading is effective.
By ‘echoing’ your reading, the child has an opportunity to sound like a fluent reader. This is important in building a child’s sense of what it feels
like and sounds like to be a good reader. The child feels confident, relaxed and enjoys the experience. It is about comprehension and having
fun with a good book. During echo reading, parents model good reading. When parents miscue, they share the experience. This allows
the child to see that all readers make miscues and self-correct.
Shared reading
With shared reading, the parent reads, the child reads. They take turns to read. The parent negotiates with the child to read a sentence,
paragraph or page depending on the book. When the parent reads, any loss of meaning, misunderstandings or mispronunciations that have
been made by the child are rectified without drawing attention to the child’s miscues. When the child comes to unfamiliar words, he/she will
hear it read correctly by the parent and will automatically self-correct the next time the word appears. Shared reading ensures that
comprehension is maintained. Shared reading eliminates the frustration of reading because the parent is a partner in the reading of the
selected text.
Neurological Impress Method (NIM)
The child reads aloud ‘mimicking’ the words of the text as the parent reads aloud. The child reads a couple of words behind the parent. The
parent tracks with a finger so the child can keep up. It is important to avoid word pointing – instead, the parent’s finger moves across the line in
a fluid movement. The only reason, the parent tracks is because children get distracted and when they drop back into the reading,
they know where the parent is reading. The parent reads at a normal reading pace. When the child looks away from the book, the parent does
not stop reading. Continue with enthusiasm and the child will return to the book. When using NIM, the child has an opportunity to sound like a
fluent reader. This is important in building a child’s sense of what it feels like and sounds like to be a good reader. The child sounds like a
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fluent reader and builds confidence and trust. There is no stress and angst.
Paired reading
Paired reading is an effective support for readers who ignore punctuation, read in a monotone, and/or extremely quickly or slowly. It is also a
good strategy when children choose to read their favourite book for the 55th time. Just read it together and love it one more time. Paired
reading is simply reading together at the same pace and in the same place. The parent reads in a normal reading voice. It usually takes a
couple of sentences for both readers to fall into sync. It is like dancing with a partner and it might feel a little awkward until a common rhythm
and rhyme are reached. The child holds the book, turns the pages and enjoys the time together.
© 2017 PETAA – Primary English Teaching Association Australia. 7
Permission is granted to reproduce and distribute this ‘Parents’ Guide’ for teacher and parent use only.
Jo Makin
Primary Learning Leader
SPORT NEWS
Hinterland Swimming
Congratulations to all those who swam at the Hinterland Swim Trials yesterday at TSS. Many students swam multiple
events with some fantastic results. Guardian Angels had several students make it through to the Regional Swim Trails
which are being held next Monday. I’ll have a full write up in next week’s newsletter.
Thank you to Anthony Heath and Jenni Ramsey for their assistance at the carnival.
Catholic Swimming
The Catholic Swim Carnival will be on Friday March 3 at Pizzey Park Swim Pool. I have an
updated list up on the parent portal so please check to see what races you may be in.
Training for the Catholic team will be Wednesday and Friday morning this week. Monday
and Wednesday next week.7:30am to 8:15am
Triathlon
Ryan and Riley Billingham competed in the Caloundra triathlon, they placed 12th and 13th.
The distance was 100m swim 2km bike and a 500m run. Congratulations boys!
Marty McGregor
[email protected]
CANTEEN NEWS
GROUP 2 – Commencing 27 February
Monday 27th
Carol Oshyer HELP NEEDED PLEASE
Tuesday 28th
Monika Crnjanovic
Wednesday 1st
Carol Oshyer, Louise Hutchins
nd
Thursday 2
Ainsley Doherty HELP NEEDED PLEASE
Friday 3rd
Felicity Lenehan, Leisa Antsey, Simone Sleep
BAKING
Jackie Ranger, Celicia Toney, Fiona Fisher-Prince
SUSHI
Elaine Withers, Tracey Wicks
The tuckshop is always looking for new volunteers. If you can help out for a morning every month/fortnight, please
contact Rachel – 55100006 / 0410565393
WHAT’S ON
March
01 March
03 March
8, 9, & 10
14 March
19 March
24 March
31 March
Ash Wednesday
Catholic Swim Carnival
Yr 5 Camp – Lake Ainsworth
Yr 3 Parish Mass – 9am
Yr 5 GA Family Mass
Prep Progressive Dinner
Holy Week Liturgy – Last Day of Term
April
14 April
15 April
16 April
17 April
18 April
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Good Friday
Eaaster Saturday
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
School Resumes
25 April
ANZAC Day
Project update # 14 - Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 February 2017 (inclusive)
Current works:
•
Centre median works continue next week in Olsen Avenue between Industrial Avenue and SouthportNerang Road
o most of the old median is now removed
o concreting, pavement and drainage works are ongoing
o the speed limit is reduced to 40km/h in the works zones for the duration of the upgrade for
the safety of everyone involved
o intermittent lane closures will also occur either side of the median at night to provide access to
the work zones.
Put safety first:
•
•
•
•
The roads on all sides of the Southport-Nerang Road/Currumburra Road/Olsen Ave intersection are now
'no-go' construction zones.
Everyone travelling or walking through this area must put safety first when it comes to crossing or driving
on these roads.
Motorists o please drive with caution and observe all signage and traffic control
o also be aware as you exit local driveways on Olsen Avenue that traffic is now closer to the kerb
Pedestrians - the only safe way to cross these roads is at the traffic signals.
Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 2 (GCLR2) works:
•
A reminder that GCLR2 works continue this weekend and next at the intersection of Napper Road and
Smith Street
o some traffic movements will be limited at this intersection from 8pm Friday night until 5am
Monday morning
o motorists are being asked to please seek alternative routes, when possible
o also be aware that Olsen Avenue may be busier with motorists using this road as a north-south
detour.
The Olsen Avenue project team can be contacted via:
P: 1800 940 947
E: [email protected]
W: www.tmr.qld.gov.au/projects
The GCLR2 project team can be contacted via:
P: 1800 425 799
E: [email protected]
W: www.gclrstage2.com.au
Note: work schedules are subject to change pending site, weather and contractor conditions.
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