2023 Term1 Week 10
From the Principal's Desk
Congratulations to all of our Prep students who have now finished their first term of primary school. And a very busy term it has been! Just this week we have had our PBL Rewards Day, Cross Country Carnival, finalised assessment, finished off parent/teacher interviews, and finally, the P&C Easter Egg Hunt. Thank you to everyone involved in helping us achieve all of our extra curricular activities.
In support of Harmony Day, students at Amamoor State School each drew a chalk pastel 'hand' which was then adhered to the newly painted port racks outside of B Block. This new art piece is our students' representation of 'Everyone Belongs' which is this year's motto. Thank you to everyone involved, especially Mrs Alford, again at school incredibly early to ensure it was finished!
Invoices have recently been sent home for outstanding payments for Term 1 swimming at Kandanga Pool. Payments can be made at the Office either by Cash or Eftpos, or through the QKR App. If you require extra time to allocate payments, please see Amanda Tombs in the Office to organise a plan. Please remember that our school aims to keep all costs to the barest of minimums to help parents. The P&C works alongside the school in this endeavour as well. If your child/children miss a swimming lesson, payment is still required as fees are based on bus and instructors costs per student. Thank you for your understanding and to all of you who have already paid or contacted the Office.
Health and Well-Being will become a particular focus area for Amamoor State School during 2023. Professional Development will be provided to staff around Respectful Relationships and student well-being. The school will also have students from Years 4 – 6 participating in the Queensland Engagement and Well-Being Survey during Term 2, with data from this survey being analysed by staff to help prioritise particular areas of student needs/concerns.
Student behaviour continues to improve, with poor behavioural data continuing to be very low. Our PBL Reward Day was to celebrate good behaviour across the school for the term. Each class voted on their favourite choice for the reward, with one of these chosen at random. Although there continues to be room for improvement, it is pleasing to observe a continuation of positive behaviour and respect across the year levels.
Attendance during 2022 was very low at 85%. For the first term of 2023, we have improved this to 90.3%. Unfortunately, we still have a few students with high absenteeism, which undermines our efforts. We completely understand when sickness or family responsibilities prevent a child from attending school, however, we continue to encourage parents to support us with improving overall attendance. Our target for 2023 is 93% - 'every day counts!'
All mandated safety drills have been completed for Term 1, 2023, as well as our Workplace Health & Safety meeting. Well done to our Prep students especially for learning how to react quickly and sensibly in the case of an emergency.
Last year we suffered a fire in our groundsman's shed. While the majority of the equipment lost in the fire has been replaced, we are now only waiting on the new high jump equipment, which is still on order. This is due to arrive in the first week of Term 2 (ready for the athletics carnival later in the term). Facilities branch is currently working on the final quotes for both the shed and tennis court repair work. They have advised me that they will have an answer regarding these repairs over the next few weeks.
The Homework Centre continues to operate in 2023 as in previous two years. There is no charge to parents to access the centre. Mrs Donna Story, Mrs Debbie Alford and Mr Benzie are rostered on to provide supervision. The centre is open from 3 – 4:30pm daily. Homework reading is supervised and signed. Students are also provided with a healthy snack and play time. If you would like your child to access this service, please contact the Office.
Commencing in Term 2, our Arts programme will be expanded to also include choir. Mrs Annie Wilson will be taking choir each Friday, starting with the 2/3 students. Each term, a different class will be rotated through this programme. Visual Arts will also continue through to the end of the year, with Miss Broome working with the P/1 and 4/5/6 classes during Term 2.
As mentioned earlier, another focus area for 2023 will be student well-being. As such, Chappy Mark will be working with small groups of students from Years 3 – Year 6 each week, with George continuing to work with teachers to provide a Kitchen-Garden programme.
In support of our instrumental music programme, Amamoor State School now owns two flutes and one clarinet, which are loaned to students. We have just budgeted to purchase another clarinet and have requested the P&C purchase an extra instrument. This continuing purchase of instruments will provide the basis for Amamoor SS to be able to support all students with their musical education at no cost to parents. Thank you to the P&C for your ongoing support.
Our Leadership Camp at Barambah Environmental Education Centre was attended by all Year 6 leadership aspirants, with all costs met by parents and the school. This camp is designed to improve leadership qualities, resilience and respect. Thank you to Ms Broome for attending camp and to Ms Howard for assisting with transport. Staff are currently investigating options for a senior camp later in the year. Also in Term 4, selected students from Years 4 - 6 will be able to attend a Writers and Illustrators camp. More information on this process later.
Our first whole school excursion has been booked for Term 3. We will be attending ‘The Twits’ stage show, which is booked for 16 August at Caloundra. Costs are still being worked out for students, with the P&C already commiitting to assist with the funding.
Our first term water safety programme comes to an end this Friday. Term 4 will see Weeks 1 – 5 at Kandanga Pool with lessons, with Week 6 being our interschool swimming carnival. During Weeks 7 – 10, our students will be visiting Noosa Main Beach each Friday to participate in our Surf Skills programme. More information later.
Students in Years 3 and 5 have completed the annual NAPLAN tests last week. There were no issues during this time with testing, with all students completing the tests on time. Well done to everyone involved for trying your hardest!
Notes went home this week for the annual Prep Vision Screening programme. Registration is done via QR code or online. Assessments will be conducted on 26 April, next term. If you missed the letter and registration code, a copy is included later in this newsletter.
Congratulations to all of the students who participated in our Cross Country Carnival. We had some fantastic run times on our new course, with plenty of parents also in attendance. An extra special congratulations must be extended to Leila, Brock and Brady for being selected to represent our school at District level early in Term 2. Thank you to all involved in setting this up.
Term 2 commences on Monday 17 April. If you should notice anything unusual in the school grounds during the holiday period, please do not hesitate to contact School Watch on 131788.
I hope you all have a happy and safe holiday period and I look forward to seeing you around the school shortly.
Tony Benzie
Prep/1 Classroom
Free Prep Vision Screening
2/3 Class
4/5/6 Class
Visual Arts
Around the Library
Kitchen/Garden Programme
The Years 2/3 made a salad using some of the ingredients from the school garden.
LOTE
Leadership Parade
The Year 6 students presented their Leadership Speeches on Parade last week. Presenting in front of Students, Staff and Parents.
Leadership
Swimming
Swimming has come to an end for Term 1. Thank You to Georginia and Andrew for providing quality swimming lessons to the students.
Chappy News
Hi Everyone. I'm Chappy Mark, I'm the new school Chappy. Thank you to all those students, staff and families that have made me feel so welcome. I have really enjoyed getting to know the students. It has been amazing!
Chaplaincy provides such an important role in both Primary and High School. Did you know - School Chaplains provide support to 2,132 classes every week.
- 15% of conversations with students focus on friendship issues
- 12% on Bullying/Harassment
- 10% Mental Health such as anxiety and depression
Every year School Chaplains have a total of 668,480 Conversations with students about a variety of issues. If you would like to have a chat some time please contact the School Office. I will be at school every Friday and alternate Wednesdays in Term 2.
Have a great break over Easter. Stay Safe.
Regards Chappy Mark
Music
The students have been practising playing Hot Cross Buns on the Marimabs. Thank You to Sharon Valamis our Music Teacher.
Community Events and News
