Dear Parent and Caregivers,

This term is really charging on as we are in Week 4 already. The weather is heating up and the end of the year is in sight. Please ensure your child is bringing a water bottle to school to ensure they can stay hydrated in the classroom whilst learning continues.

MUSIC FEST

It was wonderful to hear that our Strings ensembles performed beautifully at the Music Fest last weekend. A huge thank you to the parents who transported students and their instruments to the event and cheered them on and also to Mrs Harle for all of her hard work and also Mrs Hall for assisting with staff supervision at the event.  Our Junior Strings Ensemble were awarded a Gold Award on the day and our Senior Strings Ensemble were awarded a Silver Award. 

It was great to see our Senior Strings in their full performance uniform of our new Performing Arts polo, black dress pants, all black school shoes and black socks. They looked so smart. This is the new standard performing arts uniform for all performing groups next year. The shirts are on sale now through QKR for students performing at Arts On Stage to purchase.

ARTS ON STAGE

Our annual performing arts culminating activity Arts on Stage will be held in EPAC on Thursday evening on November 9.  All of the performing arts groups will be performing on the evening.  These will include the Snr and Jnr Strings, Snr and Jnr Choir, Wakakirri, Drama, Recorder Band, Robo Cup, and Snr and Jnr Dance Ensembles.  Our Performing Arts staff are working really hard to prepare the students for the evening.  Please make sure you read all communication that goes home re the evening.

Food will be available from 4pm on the evening with doors open from 6pm and the show commencing at 6:15pm.  All tickets and food sales must be pre-ordered through QKR.  All tickets are single tickets to ensure seating capacity in EPAC, therefore adults are $5 and children not performing $2. Students who are performing will be supervised by school staff in the library for the evening and walked to EPAC to perform and back to the library after their performance, to be collected at the end of the evening.  The concert only goes for about 1 ½ hrs, so is never a late night. Please keep an eye out for communication and ticket sales information for the evening.

LEARNING CURVE FORTNIGHTLY FOCUS

Each week as part of our Learning Curve wellbeing program we focus on a category and wellbeing skill builder.  This week our focus is from the Meaning and Purpose category and the wellbeing skill builder is Problem Solving.  This focus is around providing students with the skills to solve problems with their peers in a respectful and reflective manner.  As part of the process each week students are taught the why, the how and what they need to do.  This week I went though the process with the students on assembly in the hope that they can reflect on a recent problem and then apply this to future problems.  This is a particularly handy skill to have at this time of the year, when tensions start to fray and bubble between students.

WHY: By learning how to solve problems that you have with others fairly and quickly, you will protect both their and your wellbeing.

HOW: Look at the part you played in the problem first, by asking yourself, ‘What was I thinking at the time to say or do what I did?” Then think about the impact it had on the other person.  Personal problems need to be sorted out because they are big energy users and tie knots in your heart.

DO: Think about a recent problem and how you could have dealt with this better by trying to solve the problem.

WORLD TEACHER’S DAY/DAY FOR DANIEL

A reminder that this Friday is World Teacher’s Day where we take our hats off to our teachers and the wonderful work they do in guiding our students.

This is also Day for Daniel where we will be honouring the Daniel Morcombe Foundation with a Dance for Daniel at 2^nd break. We encourage our students to wear red accessories on the day and to  bring a gold coin donation for the Foundation.

YEAR 5/6 CAMP

Our Yr 5/6 students and staff are heading off on Camp to Luther Heights at Coolum next week. We wish them all the best as they enjoy three days of activity to develop their leadership, resilience and cooperative skills. Much thanks to Mrs Burrows and Mrs Hall who have spent many hours organising the camp.

CLASS PREFERENCES 2024

The parent class preference request form, where parents have an opportunity to provide some feedback around class placements for their children for next year, is attached to this newsletter.  The form needs to be returned to the office either in hard copy or digitally to the admin@enoggerass.eq.edu.au by Friday November 10, to be considered, as we commence the process with teachers in readiness for next year. 

This is not about selecting a teacher, as we do not have staffing finalised or teacher placements finalised until later in the term, but it is an opportunity to make us aware of any special information around learning styles, style of teacher and style of classroom and also re students to be placed with or otherwise. Whilst we take on board the feedback, of course there is no guarantee that all requests can be actioned, as ultimately, we have to make the best placements conducive to teaching and learning for all students. 

QUADRENNIAL SCHOOL REVIEW PARENT SURVEY

A separate email will be sent shortly with some general survey questions to support the consultation and work this year around preparing for our next Strategic Plan 2024-2027.  We have a range of data sets already synthesised by staff and leaders, including the sets below, but we are also keen to hear some more specific feedback from our parent community around our school.

The feedback will be in the form of the traffic light system which is Green- what are we doing well and should keep doing; Amber- What needs to be tweaked to be more effective and Red - What should we stop doing.  The surveys will follow this format but are around a range of topics which parens can pick and choose from to engage with.

I apologize for the delay in getting this survey out to parents, as we had planned to do it last term but have had issues with the survey platforms and have had to investigate some different options such as survey monkey, my survey and the survey/form functionality in Schoolzine.

Data Sets

-School Review Recommendations

-Academic Data

-Behavioural and Wellbeing Data

-School Opinion Survey Data from staff, students and parents

NUT ALLERGY AWARE

We are seeking your help to support the students in our school who are at risk of anaphylaxis.  Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening. The most common causes of anaphylaxis in schools are food and insect allergies. The only way to prevent allergic reactions is to avoid being exposed to the allergen.

Our school is supporting students at risk of anaphylaxis in the following ways:

• training staff,
• reminding families to be mindful of not sending food to school that could cause an allergic reaction
• encouraging students with food allergy to wash their hands before and after eating,
• encouraging students to wash their hands after eating something their classmate/friend is allergic to,
• teaching students not to share food with friends who have food allergy,
• teaching students the importance of getting help immediately if their friend with allergy looks sick,
• educating students about allergies and anaphylaxis, and
• teaching students that teasing someone with an allergy is not acceptable behaviour.

Food allergy is now common in school aged children. Children can be allergic to any food, and it is not possible to completely remove all foods from our school. To help manage food allergies, our school is following the National Allergy Council Best Practice Guidelines (2021) which do not recommend banning foods as this is difficult to enforce and can bring a false sense of safety. Instead, we have chosen not to stock nuts and nut products in our tuckshop as these foods are not staple foods in the diet. We request that parents also consider not sending nuts to school, especially for younger students.

We ask you to support the school’s risk minimisation strategies outlined so that we can increase safety and provide an environment that meets the needs of all our students.

2024 ENROLMENTS

We have completed our Prep Enrolment Meetings for next year and have over 60 students enrolled for three Prep classes for next year.  If you are in catchment and are still wishing to enrol and have not had an enrolment meeting as yet, please contact the school office to make an appointment. Likewise, if you know of anyone that is still to enrol for next year, please encourage them to get their paperwork in and to make a booking.

Our Prep Transition mornings are on Friday, November 3 and 17.  On those mornings the 2024 Prep students will participate in a morning of activities in class. The parents will participate in Prep Information sessions in EPAC, followed by morning tea outside EPAC provided by Camp Australia, our OSHC provider. The uniform pop-up shop on November 3 will be conducted by our P and C.  The Transition mornings go from 9-11am on each of the days.  Parents and their pre-prep student should meet outside EPAC at 9am.   Reminder information will be emailed out to all parents with students enrolled for next year.

2023 YEAR BOOK

A reminder that again this year we are producing a Year Book of the 2023 school year at Enoggera State School.  This book is a great memory book of the year and is available to purchase by our families.  It includes class pages and pages on all of our school events and activities throughout the year.  It also includes a special focus on our graduates. The book is gifted to our graduating students at the graduation ceremony in the last week of school and will also be available for collection for families who order and pay for one prior.  The cost this year is $30 as it is a little larger than last years book at 90 colour pages. 

If you wish to purchase the year book please complete the order form attached and return to the office with payment by Friday, December 1, so that you do not miss out. We will have 62 available this year for the first 62 families that order to receive their copy before the holidays.  A further order can be placed after that for delivery at the start of school next year. 

CYBER-SAFETY

We have engaged the company Safe on Socials, who specialise in educating young people on cyber safety, to come to our school and run an age-appropriate session for our Yr 3/4 students and Yr 5/6 students and another session in the evening for parents around how to keep safe on online.  The session will be held on Tuesday 7th November, 2023, in the EPAC.  During the sessions, the presenters will facilitate opportunities for students to interact and clarify their thoughts with their peers and teachers.

To make the link with the students’ understanding of these topics, we highly encourage parents/guardians to attend the adult presentation. Note that this session will not permit children attendance due to some of the adult topics on the agenda. The parent session will also be held in EPAC from 5:15-6:15pm.

The program is based on the following topics:

• Safeguarding Personal Data
• Nurturing Online Relationships (social media and chat),
• Bullying, Grooming, Scams, Hoaxes, Deepfakes, Identity Theft and Misinformation.
• Protecting Privacy and Legal Responsibilities.
• Safe Gaming.
• Creating a Positive Online Presence

 Till next time,

Mrs Anne Robinson

Principal

The term is progressing very quickly and it is almost time for the Year 5/6 Camp.  I am lucky enough to be heading to Luther Heights Camp at Coolum again this year with the Year 5/6 teachers, Mr Woodrick and the senior students to enjoy 3 days of outdoor learning.   I am excited about the opportunity to spend time with the senior students in a different environment, although walking up the steep hills are not something I look forward to!  I hope everyone has a great fortnight.  Remember to check out our Facebook Page events for all the upcoming events in this busy term.

Calendar Dates

Dates to mark in your calendar:

Friday 27^th October – Day for Daniel

Monday 30^th October – Friday 1^st November – Year 5/6 Camp

Friday 3^rd November – Prep 2024 Transition Morning #1

Friday 10^th November – Book Fair Opens

Thursday 16^th November – Student Leader 2024 Applications due

Friday 17^th November – Prep 2024 Transition Morning #2

Friday 24^th November – 2pm School Captain Speeches

Wednesday 29^th November – 9am Senior Swimming Carnival

Thursday 30^th November – 9am Junior Swimming Carnival

Monday 4^th December – 9am Principal’s Awards Assembly and School Captains 2024 announced

Wednesday 6^th December – 2pm Roll Up Afternoon

Thursday 7^th December – 9:30am Year 6 Graduation; 3pm Year 6 Guard of Honour; Report Cards emailed

Friday 8^th December – Last Day of Year

These dates and other events can all be located in the newsletter calendar and on our school Facebook Page.

Pillar Practice

Our three school pillars including Safety (Be Safe); Relationships (Be Respectful); and Learning (Be a Responsible Learner).  Each fortnight at Assembly, a Pillar Practice is shared with staff and students that becomes our focus behaviour improvement.  This fortnight, our Pillar Practice is around our Relationships Pillar focusing on good manners and greeting others.

• Consistently using manner including Please; Thank You; Excuse Me; I’m Sorry and You’re Welcome
• Greeting staff appropriately
• Using manners to request help – many of our younger students are forgetting to use words and manners to ask for help with opening lunch wrappers, doing up shoelaces or during class activities.

 

 

Facebook

Our school has a very active Facebook page with daily posts to keep our school community informed of what is happening in our school.  Our events are posted throughout the term to allow parents time to be prepared for the term ahead.  Click on the more tab and then the events tab in the dropdown menu to go to our events. 

The more you interact with the page by liking and commenting on posts, the more our page will appear in your newsfeed.  A reminder that Facebook is not the best platform to ask questions that you need immediate or urgent replies to, as we don’t always see questions in the comment sections of a post.   This is best done by emailing the teacher/admin or calling the office.  Facebook is also not a site for posting complaints or negative comments about staff or school processes.  If you have some constructive feedback for the school or an issue that you would like to raise, we would respectfully ask that you make an appointment to speak with the Principal to discuss your concerns.   Any inappropriate or derogatory comments will be removed from the platform. 

Please remember to never make comments on the page referencing a child’s name for privacy reasons.

Student Leaders 2024

Last week, Mrs Robinson and Mrs Burrows launched the ‘Student Leadership Process’ for the 2024 leadership positions. Students were provided with an information package to apply for a position including School Captain, House Captain, Arts Captain or Student Council Chairperson (Vice Captain).  The students will be required to write a letter of application and complete a criteria card to submit.   They have also been provided with a handout to assist with the formal letter writing.  Applicants are encouraged, but not expected to attend leadership workshops with Mrs Robinson and I from Week 3 – Week 6 on Thursday at second break.  Good luck to all of our aspirational leaders!

Student Council News

Day for Daniel

Once again, Enoggera State School Student Council will be supporting Day for Daniel on Friday 27^th October.  Students will be permitted to wear a red shirt and/or socks to school on this day in support of Day for Daniel and the Student Council will collect gold coin donations from students to donate to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.  There will be a “Dance for Daniel Disco” on the AstroTurf in front of the Prep A veranda and our Chappy Twinkee will get everyone dancing from at second break.  Students are reminded that they cannot colour their hair for this event or bring red balloons to school.  Thanks for your support of Day for Daniel.

 

Uniform Reminder

A reminder that students are required to wear ALL black shoes to school as part our Dress Code.  Socks should be white only.  As we begin our last term of the year, it is important that we maintain our dress code at all times.   For our older students who are interested in applying for leadership positions, adherence to the dress code is taken into account in their application. As the weather warms up, please ensure that your children are bringing their water bottles and hats to school every day!  

 

Safety on Socials

On Tuesday 7th November, 2023, students from Year 3-6 and parents are invited to attend a “Safe on Social” Cyber safety presentation in the EPAC.   A consent form was emailed out this week.

Session One – Year 3 & 4 at 12:00pm

Session Two – Year 5 & 6 at 2pm

Session Three – Parents only at 5:15pm – 6:15pm

*Please note - there will be no child minding available and children will not be permitted into the session, however Camp Australia is open for care until 6:15pm.

To make the link with the students’ understanding of these topics, we highly encourage parents/guardians to attend the adult presentation. Note that this will session will not permit children attendance due to some of the adult topics on the agenda.

Over the last few years there has been a massive increase in the importance and reliance on digital devices in our everyday lives. Unfortunately, some digital experiences may not always be positive. The effects of these negative experiences can be devastating to our young people. The program is based on the following:

• Safeguarding Personal Data
• Nurturing Online Relationships (social media and chat),
• Bullying, Grooming, Scams, Hoaxes, Deepfakes, Identity Theft and Misinformation.
• Protecting Privacy and Legal Responsibilities.
• Safe Gaming.
• Creating a Positive Online Presence.

During these sessions there will be opportunity to learn from experts from “Safe on Social” - a group that specialises in educating young people on cyber safety. During the sessions, the presenters will facilitate opportunities for students to interact and clarify their thoughts with their peers and teachers.

The presentation is being held in the EPAC and the cost is $20.00 per student. The parent session is free of charge. Payment is to be finalised by Tuesday 31^st October. Please note, late payments will not be accepted past this date.  However, if there is an issue with payment please discuss payment options with the Business Manager. Invoices will be available for payment via QPARENTS (preferable option) or BPOINT (details located on the bottom section of the invoice).  Please ensure you complete the emailed Activity Consent Form that was emailed to you and return it to the office by Tuesday 31^st October.  Please also RSVP on this form if you are going to attend the Parent Information Session.

Chappy Radio

Last Friday, our very own Chappy Twinkee launched her Chappy Radio Show at second break.  It was wonderful to see so many of our younger students enjoying a dance on the AstroTurf.   Chappy Twinkee is setting up on the veranda outside of Prep A and students are dancing on the AstroTurf around the gardens.   Year 5/6 students were attending their last Gala Day, and we hope to see them joining in this Friday to support Chappy Twinkee!

Ms Tina Burrows

Deputy Principal

Mango Trays

The Mango Drive is back by popular demand!!

You can purchase 4.5kg tray(s) of Bowen Special mangoes (better known as Kensington Pride) on the QKR! App for $25 per tray.

This year friends, families and your workplace can get in on the action. Either scan the QR code or send them the Try Booking link to purchase https://www.trybooking.com/CMFAF

If you haven’t ordered the mangoes before they come directly from the farm to you without being held for long periods in storage…they are a taste sensation, so so good!

Order by 27 October with a delivery window around the last week of November/ 1^st Week of December (exact delivery date will be known a week prior). You will be sent a notification on the collection date.

Bring on the mango smoothies and daiquiris!  Just in time for those summer days!

Arts on Stage

The P&C will be running the annual canteen at the Arts on Stage evening on Thursday 9^th November from 4.00pm.

Ticket sales close on Tuesday 7th November at 8pm- performers are free.

Food & Drink sales close on Wednesday 8th November at 12noon

Frozen Fridays

Term 4 means the return of Frozen Fridays!

Join us at the tuckshop every Friday from 3pm-3.15pm for $1 ice blocks.

If you would like to help with Frozen Fridays please send an email or Facebook message to the P&C.

End of Year Movie Night

The P&C are hosting an event to celebrate the end of year which will include students performing carols, followed by a movie. Mark your calendars for Friday 1^st December.

VIP beanbags are available to purchase via the Qkr app, get in quick before they all sell out.

From 4 pm, food trucks - will be onsite and ready to provide dinner for families. There will also be a food van from the movie provider with hotdogs and popcorn available for light refreshments. Our very own Fairy Floss machine will be running once again.

This year there will also be a Christmas min handmade market on the multipurpose courts from 4pm-7pm. Expressions of interest will be going out to students who would like to take part in this with their business (with parental supervision).

 Remember to bring you picnic rug, or camp chairs if you don’t hire beanbags, so you can relax with your family and friends at this much anticipated and fun event. We look forward to seeing lots of families there to kick off the festive season.

Tuckshop

Volunteer opportunities for TERM 4- 2023 in the Tuck Inn are now available.

The tuckshop roster has weeks 2 to 9 listed for specific “Year Levels”, where we are seeking volunteers, whose children are in that year, e.g., Prep; Year 1; Year 2; etc. This is a great opportunity for parents to meet other parents as well as experience the school tuckshop, or for a group of friends to sign up and have some fun for a couple of hours. Hopefully you will enjoy it to sign up on a regular basis for each term!

Please click on the following link to go to the signup sheet. All parents and grandparents are welcome to volunteer. Don’t be put off if the dates don’t suit, if you are available to volunteer on specific dates please sign up as we do not want to miss out on your help!

volunteersignup.org/4X7JE

If you’re unable to help out in the tuckshop but have some time to bake, please sign up to the Home Baking roster.

volunteersignup.org/FA7FM

P&C Meeting

Join us on the 28^th November for our next P&C meeting. With the year coming to the pointy end and some of our current Exec members finishing up, if you’re interested in being part of the P&C now is the time to come along and see what the P&C is all about. Our P&C only runs if we have people at the helm and those around to help.

P&C Executives

The Enoggera State School P & C meets every 4^th Tuesday of the month – next meeting is 28 November, 6.15pm in the staffroom.

Keep up to date on all things P&C via our Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/EnoggeraSSPandC