2023 Term 1 Week 4

From the Principal's Desk

This fortnight has seen much happening around the school. It is great to see that students are arriving on time for school and being prepared for learning! Thank you again to all parents for making sure your child/children are wearing their school uniforms with pride every day. Teachers continue to monitor eating times closely to ensure students are eating their healthy foods first. If possible, please help us minimise the amount of sugary foods at school and only place one 'red food' (sugary treat) in your child's lunch box. If your child does not eat all of their food, we make sure that it is sent home with them so that you know what has been eaten each day.

Swimming lessons commenced this week, with our Prep / 1 students heading off on the bus first to Kandanga Pool, followed by the older students. These lessons are an important component of water safety for our students and it is wonderful to see everyone participating. If you need to collect your child/children from the pool after the lessons, please make sure you inform a staff member prior to departing. Thank you.

Over the last two weeks, Amamoor State School has conducted two emergency procedures. Both a 'Lock Down Drill' and a 'Fire Drill' are conducted each term to ensure that students and staff know exactly what to do in case of an emergency at the school. Our first practice drills for the year went very smoothly, with our new 'Preppies' following instructions beautifully and being safe.

Later in the newsletter, you will find photos and stories about a couple of clinics that have been running at Amamoor State School this week. Students from Years 2 - 6 have been accessing a football (soccer) clinic weekly as part of their PE lessons, while all students have been able to access an 'after-school' cricket programme at no cost to parents. If your child would like to access the after-school programme, simply follow the instructions on the flyer (located later in the newsletter).

Just a reminder that the P&C has its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Monday 27 February at 3:30pm. As the name suggests, the P&C is a committee for parents and community members to come together to support the school.  Aside from elected positions such as secretary and president, we would love to welcome new (and old) parents to join and help this important body to work together to provide even more opportunities for our students. Monies raised last year were spent on excursions, incursions, assistance with camps, bus travel to different events, purchasing our new football (soccer) goals, surf skills and musical instruments, just to name a few. 

As mentioned last newsletter, our school will be undergoing a review in a couple of weeks time. Each school in the state takes part in this process every four years, with reviewers working with staff, students, parents and the broader community to gain a greater understanding of our school's systems and processes. Using this knowledge, as well as analysing various school data sets, reviewers will then report back to the school to help shape our strategic direction for the next four years.

Just a gentle reminder that at the end of each school day, teachers will walk students down to the front of the school to meet parents for collection. We do not allow children to simply depart, or cross the carpark unaccompanied to waiting cars. Please ensure you exit your vehicle and collect your child. This simple measure will ensure the safety our students - especially our younger ones.

We have included many photos in this newsletter edition, so that all parents can see what has been happening at Amamoor lately.

Enjoy your weekend and I look forward to seeing you around the school.

Kind regards,

Tony Benzie

Prep/1 Classroom

2/3 Class

4/5/6 Class

Around the Library

Kitchen / Garden programme

This week, students have been busy weeding the garden, learning about new plants and how they grow, as well as cooking up some yummy food!

Visual Arts Programme

Students of the Week...

Congratulations to our Week 2 winners: Delilah, Maddie, Indy, Flynn, Joey and Emily

And to our Week 4 winners: Xanthe, Jaylah, Grant, Blaze, Makayla and Hartley

Swimming

Today, students from Amamoor State School commenced their swimming lessons at Kandanga Pool. First of all, instructors from the Cooroy Dolphins spent time with  the Prep/1 students, teaching safety in the water and basic techniques. After the junior students had finished, students from Years 2 to 6 focused on learning more advanced swimming strokes.

Please make sure that students bring their swimmers, towel, rashie, goggles (optional) and sunscreen each Friday. The school also provides sunscreen for all students and checks that each student has applied it prior to departing.

After-School Cricket Programme

This Friday, Nick from Brisbane Heat Cricket Club, will commence an after-school cricket programme for students from  Amamoor State School. Being the only school in the valley offering this opportunity, our students are very fortunate indeed to have this free coaching initiative provided. Once registered via the QR code link, students will be able to access the programme each Friday until the 10th of March.

Football clinic...

During the month of February, Korey from K3 Football Club, has been spending time with our students during PE lessons. He has been teaching students in Years 2 - 6 important skills in football, such as how to control the ball, proper kicking techniques, and game strategy.

Homework Centre

Just a reminder that our Homework Centre is running again for this year. The centre is open every day, from 3 - 4:30pm. While many students have already enrolled to access this facility, if you should need to place your child, please contact the school office for a form. The Howework Centre is completely free of charge for all, with students provided time for homework, play and a healthy snack!

P&C News

Hard to believe that we’re up to Week 4 already.

 The school disco, with a 'meet and greet' appeared to be enjoyed by all who attended. It was a great opportunity for the kids to relax and have fun while the parents/adults met with members of our schooling community: from teachers and staff members, P&C members and other  families.

Unfortunately, our first P&C meeting for the year, which was also our AGM, had to be postponed. The new date for the AGM and general meeting will be Monday, the 27^th of February. The AGM will start at 3:30pm in the multi-purpose (Playgroup) room, with the general meeting to follow straight after. All current committee positions will be vacated before nominations and voting for the new 2023 P&C committee. The positions are President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Uniform Coordinator and Tuckshop Coordinator. A brief summary of what an executive position entails follows:

Roles and Responsibilities of Executive Committee

The following describes the key functions of the Officers of the Association:

• The President provides leadership and is the accountable officer of the Association. Their role is to act as a representative of the Association, encourage communication between the Association, School administration and the community and encourage participation in the Association. The President will be the Chair of meetings and conduct them in an efficient and timely fashion, being familiar with the rules, constitution and other documents governing Association operations. The President is an official member of the school council for the school, if one exists.
• The Vice-President provides essential support for the President and possibly other members of the Executive Committee. They will Chair those meetings from which the President is absent and carry out any duties that have been delegated by the President. They should also be familiar with the rules, constitution and other documents governing Association operations.
• The Secretary collates the agenda papers for each meeting, (including subcommittee reports) and assists the President in preparing an agenda for each meeting. They prepare and present minutes of the Association’s meetings, record and deal with correspondence in/out as directed and generally organise, record and maintain information pertaining to the activities of the Association.
• The Treasurer has the overall responsibility for the financial management of the Association, including all subcommittee accounts. In their role they must comply with the Accounting Manual in all respects. They prepare an annual budget and annual operational plan for the Association in consultation with other members of the Association’s Executive Committee. It is the Treasurer's responsibility to keep accurate accounts of receipts and expenditure.

If you require any further information as to what the positions may entail, then you can find that on the P&C Qld Info Place website.

This year looks to be another busy year with the teachers already organising some amazing opportunities for our students. Being part of the P&C and fundraising events means that all students can participate in these fantastic events at low or no cost due to our fundraising efforts. Please help where you can. If everyone does just a little bit, it all adds up to big rewards and opportunities.

Looking forward to seeing you at the AGM/general meeting next Monday 27^th .

Rachael Howard,

President