Thursday 23rd February, 2017
Dear Parents, Carers and Community Members,
It was great to see some new faces last Thursday at our first P&C
meeting of the year. One of the major events on the Machans Beach
calendar is the Machans Beach Super Suburb Sale – an event which
is run by the Machans Beach Community Association in conjunction
with our school P&C Association. This event will attract great publicity
for our school and community and we would appreciate the help from
as many of our families as we can! A sub-committee is currently
being formed to help with the organising and running of this event so
any parents able to assist are encouraged to attend a meeting at
3pm next Tuesday 28th at our school library to find out more about
the event and ways that parents can contribute.
Classroom teachers have finalised their volunteer timetables for the
semester. Any parents wishing to help out in the classrooms can now
see their child’s teacher to find out what times are available. Our
Librarian Mrs Mary Cole would also welcome some parent or
community helpers on a Thursday afternoon between the hours of 12
and 3pm to assist with covering books, tidying shelves etc. Please
see Mrs Cole in the library if you wish to help out.
There are still a number of students regularly attending school without
a hat, which results in them not being able to play outside at lunch
breaks. Please ensure that your child has a hat at school every
day so that they are not restricted to certain areas during breaks.
I would also like to remind parents to ensure that children with long
hair wear it tied-up while at school and that no jewellery is worn to
school except for a watch and stud/sleeper earrings. Necklaces,
bracelets or dangly earrings are not permitted due to safety reasons.
From next Wednesday to Friday I will be out of the school attending
the 2017 Principal’s Conference along with all other Queensland
state school principals, where we will engage in keynote sessions
and masterclasses from world-class academics and educational
leaders. Mrs Newcombe (our Yr 5/6 teacher) will be in charge while I
am away.
Until our next newsletter…. Jessica Wertz, Principal
School Office hours:
Mon – Thurs 8:15am to 3:00pm
Fri – 8:15am to 12:30pm
School Watch: 13 17 88
P&C Association Meeting is held once a
month at 6:30pm
President: Andy Grainger
Next Meeting: Thursday 23rd March (AGM)
DATES TO REMEMBER
February 27th – 28th
Student Leadership Camp
March 10th
School Disco
March 20th – 30th
Parent/Teacher Interviews
March 29th
Celebration of Learning Day
March 31st
Cross Country
SCHOOL DISCO!
Friday 10th March 6pm – 7:30pm
at Machans Beach Community Hall
Food and Drink meal deals will be available
for purchase on the night.
See next week’s newsletter for more info!
If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito!
Old Proverb
Student of the Week Awards
Aurora - For coming to school with a smile every day
this week and for reading with a loud, clear voice.
Antwon - For being an outstanding helper in our class
and being a kind friend.
Lincoln - For trying his best in writing and maths and
demonstrating a fantastic improvement in
behaviour.
Tenequa - For going above and beyond in all learning
areas and being a wonderful role model to others.
Zia – For consistently keeping focussed, being
organised and respectful in the classroom. You are a
role model to others! Keep up the great work!
News from the Prep Classroom – Miss Mason
Last Friday, we had our Sound Celebration for the letter ‘i’. We each made an
Indian headdress and wore it to Fun Friday. This is a special 30 minutes of our
week where students who are “Above the Line” are rewarded for their fantastic
behaviour. Students can self-select activities and enjoy some freedom (and
sometimes, a special treat!) Students who are “Below the Line” take the time to
reflect on their behaviour choices and set goals for the coming week. To stay
“Above the Line” students must not have a single warning for behaviour during a
whole session. I am pleased to report that over 90% of students are able to do this.
Well done, Prep!
This week, our sound focus has been on the letter ‘p’ but we have also introduced
n, m, ck, r, h and e. We have been learning about the number 5 and comparing
objects using the words heavier and lighter. In our Science unit, we are looking at
the 4 basics needs of living things- air, water, food and shelter. Thank you to the
students who have been bringing in items for our Discovery Table. Wednesday
afternoons are our “Discovery Discussions” where students can talk about the items that they have brought in.
News from the Year 1/2 Classroom – Mrs McCarthy
This week in the year 1-2 class we have been working in our new
reading rotation groups. We have been lucky enough to have had a
parent helper come in to read to the kids. Any other parent helpers
are welcome to help out. Our reading groups are between 9:10 and
10:10 each day, please let us know if you would like to assist.
The Sapphires, Emeralds, Jaspers, Rubies, Pearls and Amethysts
have been trying their best to earn the most points this week.
Pearls are still in the lead with 22 but the Rubies are catching up
quickly.
I would love to see some more students consistently reading at
home. Thank you to the students and parents that have been
reading at home each night and returning the folders each day.
Eden, Yr 2, reading a book to his reading group.
News from the Year 3/4 Classroom – Miss Roe
It is now officially half way through the first term of 2017, a very busy time for both students and teachers. Reading
has become a constant priority throughout the day in 3/4 with most students finishing around 5 books a week which is
quite impressive. I’m glad to see students reading a lot at home as well! I have sent home a reading log to be signed
every night with a comment section if you have any. Last week and stretching into this week, we have been learning
and revising the different types of language features Roald Dahl uses in his writing. We have discovered that he uses
very unique language features to describe characters and behaviours which makes the text extremely entertaining. I
find that when I read ‘The Twits’ or ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’, students are absolutely enthralled because of Roald Dahl’s
ability to story tell, he is a great writing role model. Every day in Maths, we look at Number of the Day where students
answer 25 questions focused on a large number in which they practise rounding, counting, adding and subtracting to a
name a few basic facts. With students almost finished their first piece of assessment, we are now focusing on new
topics including Number and Place Value, Patterns and Algebra and Chance and Data. In Art, students have been
operating the right side of their brain to create beautiful pieces including self-portraits inspired by Pablo Picasso,
origami cranes inspired by the story of Sadako and the 1000 Cranes and homemade rock monster paper weights
which will be very useful in class. It has been a wonderful week, I’m continually impressed with my class on their work
ethic and behaviour and because everybody achieved WOW face status, Tuesday was a fun day of games and
sweets. Well done to my class. I hope you have a great week!
News from the Year 5/6 Classroom – Mrs Newcombe
This week students had to make sure they were
using complex sentences in their writing. They also
had to double check they were using capital letters
at the beginning of the sentence and full stops at
the end. In Maths students posed questions,
collected data, analysed and interpreted
information. Science gave students the opportunity
to learn about camouflage and conduct an
experiment where they had to find green sticks
scattered on the grass!
Remember to bring in Reading Logs every Friday!
Year 5/6 searching for green sticks and learning
about camouflage!
Outside School Hours Care
P: 0456588886 E: [email protected]
Last week we made plastic bottle planter heads! We recycled
plastic bottles, gave them a personality with some googly eyes
and a fuzzy nose and planted either lettuce, basil or coriander
in them.
We also made melted plastic bead designs. Plastic pony beads
P: 0456 588 886
are arranged on a tray and then placed in the oven to melt.
These could be turned into colourful jewellery or mobiles.
David and the kids have revamped the compost bin and built
a more suitable habitat for the worms and other creatures.
Vacation care: booking forms for the upcoming school
holidays are available in the office or OSHC room.
Alternatively, I can email one out to you. Our program will be
available in the next couple of weeks.