Newsletter 17 - 16 October 2024

From the Principal

Dear Buranda State School Community,

As Term 4 progresses, we are heading into one of the busiest and most exciting times of the year. There are several important events and initiatives coming up, and I wanted to share some key information with you all.

Year 6 Graduation Ceremony and Final Assembly
We are fast approaching the end of our Year 6 students' time at Buranda State School, and we look forward to celebrating their achievements at the Year 6 Graduation Ceremony. This special event will be held on Tuesday 3 December at 6:30pm. More details about the ceremony and how you can be involved will be sent home soon. We hope to see all of our Year 6 families there to commemorate this milestone.

Our Final Assembly will be held on Wednesday 4 December from 1:45pm. We acknowledge our year 6 graduates and present various awards across the school. Further details will be sent to families in the coming fortnight.

QParents introduction and trial for Year 6 families
We are excited to announce that Buranda State School will be trialling the QParents app with current Year 6 families. This digital platform will make it easier for you to manage your child's information, from attendance to report cards. Year 6 families are encouraged to participate in this trial, and more details on how to get started will be provided in the coming weeks.

Day for Daniel – 25 October
Our school will once again be supporting Day for Daniel on Wednesday, 25 October. This National Day of Action raises awareness about child safety and honours the memory of Daniel Morcombe.

We invite all students and families to join us at 8:15am for a community walk starting from the playground in Hanlon Park. Please wear red, and there will be red-themed foods, generously donated by Rock’n’roll Fruit Shop.

To support the vital work of the Daniel Morcombe Foundation, a QR code will be available for donations. Any contributions, big or small, will go directly to promoting child safety initiatives.

A big thank you to Ludivine for her wonderful coordination of the event. Your dedication to ensuring this day runs smoothly is greatly appreciated!

Lastly, I’m pleased to share a video of the Martin Street Construction project. Wiley have produced this video to include construction timeframes across the project’s key stages. This link will shortly be included on our webpage too. Please be aware that the reference to the construction staff and school staff parking area (on Logan Rd) is temporary, for use during the construction and refurbishment period. Consultation about the long-term use of this land will occur at a later date.

I look forward to seeing many of you at these events, and I want to thank our school community for your ongoing support. Let’s make the final 8 weeks of this term memorable and meaningful for our students.

Kind regards,

Simon Vaseo - Principal

Upcoming Excursions/Incursions

From the HOD-C

Swimming

Queensland state schools are required to provide a water safety and swimming education program in Prep to Year 6. Schools are encouraged to implement the program as part of the delivery of the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education.

At Buranda State School we are so fortunate to have a pool as a resource for our students. In term 4 all students (P-6) will be swimming in their PE lesson and for a second swim with their classroom teacher. Please encourage your child/ren to engage in swimming, mainly because it is fun, but also because there are many Health benefits of swimming and it is important that we all learn about Water safety for children

Please clearly label all togs, towels, goggles, swimming bags and school uniforms to minimise confusion and help us return misplaced items to their owner.

Aussie Bird Count: 14-20 October, 2024

Each year Birdlife Australia organise the Aussie Bird Count.

Held over National Bird Week from 14‒20 October, the Aussie Bird Count is one of Australia’s biggest citizen science events. Every year, tens of thousands of Australians of all ages and experiences join us in observing and counting the birds we live with. In 2023, over 60,500 participants counted a staggering 3,608,545 birds ‒ and you can help us make this year’s count our biggest yet!

The instructions for How to take part in the Aussie Bird Count are on the Birdlife Australia website.

Grandparents Day

In Queensland, Grandparents Day is celebrated every year on the last Sunday in October. In 2024, it will be Sunday 27 October. It's a day for Queenslanders to say ‘thank you’ to their grandparents for their care and support and for sharing their knowledge, experience, and traditions with younger generations.

Rosie Scholl - HOD-C

From Inclusion Teacher

Somewhere between 5 – 20% of children will have difficulty with their fine motor skills, affecting their writing ability. These children are known as our:

Delectable Dysgraphics

When children first learn to write, they typically start with scribbles. Over time, these scribbles evolve into lines, slants, and circles. As they gain control, these basic shapes are used to form letters, which are then combined to create words and sentences. For most children, this progression happens naturally with specific guidance and instruction.

However, children with dysgraphia face more challenges in developing these skills. Dysgraphia is a learning difference that affects the ability to write, particularly in how letters and words are formed on paper.

According to the International Dyslexia Association, "dysgraphia" comes from Greek roots: *dys* meaning "impaired," *graph* referring to writing, and *ia* meaning "condition." In simple terms, dysgraphia is the condition of impaired handwriting—specifically, difficulty in producing letters and words by hand.

While children with dysgraphia can express their thoughts and ideas verbally, the physical act of writing these ideas down is where they struggle. This challenge with transcription slows down the writing process, which can, in turn, affect their ability to fully express themselves on paper. Dysgraphia can occur on its own or alongside other learning differences such as dyslexia or ADHD.

Common Signs of Dysgraphia

If your child is struggling with writing, they may show signs of dysgraphia, including:

- Awkward pencil grip

- Fatigue or discomfort when writing, with a sore hand

- Poor letter formation

- Mixing uppercase and lowercase letters

- Struggles with spatial organization on the page

- Difficulty with sentence structure when writing, but not when speaking

- Challenges with spelling

Strengths of Children with Dysgraphia

Though dysgraphia presents challenges, many children with this learning difference also have distinct strengths that can be nurtured:

Good listening skills:  They often excel at understanding and remembering what they hear.

Strong memorization abilities:  They can recall details and information easily, especially when it's spoken.

Great storytelling:  Many are natural storytellers, capable of engaging others with their words and ideas.

Social skills:  They tend to be outgoing and can connect well with others.

Creative problem-solving:  Growing up with challenges has made them resourceful, often finding inventive ways to work through problems.

Leadership potential:  Their ability to read situations and foster group cooperation makes them natural leaders.

Oral memory:  Relying on verbal cues, they often have a strong ability to remember information shared verbally, rather than written.

As with any difference, understanding and nurturing your child's strengths, while providing the right interventions, can help them thrive in both academic and social settings.

Katherine Austin - Inclusion teacher

Philosophy Corner

Update from the P&C

Tuckshop

Tuckshop this Friday, 18 October, has Beef Bolognese Pasta Bake, Lentil Bolognese and lots of other yummy options.

Orders close on Qkr! at 8pm tonight.

Mango Drive

Our annual Mango Drive is underway. Order on Qkr! before 29 October. This year we have 7kg trays for $30 (last year was 4.5kg for $24 so better value).

Chris McGrath- P&C President

Booklists

The 2025 booklists have now been emailed to all parents. They have also been uploaded to our school website. Please click the link below to access:

https://burandass.eq.edu.au/support-and-resources/forms-and-documents/documents

Olympia have added a couple of additional features this year. 

• QR Code – located on the top right hand of front page of booklist– Scan to order
• Early Bird Ordering – Order by 20^th November and go in a draw to win your bookpack for FREE.
• Afterpay facility – Available in store now and online from 1^st October 2024.

Further details can be found on the booklists.

From the Community