Newsletter 20 - 27 November 2024

From the Principal

Dear Buranda Community,

As we wrap up another fantastic year, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your cooperation, flexibility, and support throughout 2024. Together, we’ve achieved so much, and your involvement has been invaluable in making our school a vibrant and welcoming place for all.

A huge thank you goes out to our incredible staff—teachers, teacher aides, administration, cleaners, support personnel, and our hardworking groundsman. Your dedication and commitment make Buranda the wonderful school it is.

We bid farewell to Mrs. Alicia Wilson (Instrumental Music), who has done an outstanding job during her two years with us. Best wishes for your future endeavours, Alicia!

Next year, we will miss Mrs. Zali Eason-Coutts and Ms. Camilla Tafra, who will be on leave. Additionally, Mr. Vincent Higgins will begin a new chapter in Mount Isa from 2025. We thank all three for their exceptional contributions to our school and look forward to welcoming them back in the future.

Furthermore, teacher aide Ann O’Brien, has finished up with us this term. Most recently Ann had worked as a teacher aide but has over the years been a member of our teaching staff. I thank Ann for her significant contribution to our school over a long period. Firstly as a parent and then as a valued staff member. On behalf of our entire staff and community, I wish Ann and her family all the best in the future.

I’m finalising staffing arrangements with our Regional HR team and will provide detailed staffing and class information early next week. Buranda State School will begin 2025 with 10 classes, and class lists will be emailed to families on Friday, 6 December. Report cards will also be distributed on the Wednesday 4 December.

Upcoming Events and Highlights:

• Year 6 Graduation: Tuesday, 3 December, 6:30 PM in the hall. Families are invited to gather in the amphitheatre from 5:45 PM for a pre-graduation pizza celebration.
• Final Assembly: Wednesday, 4 December, 1:30 PM in the hall. Award winners’ families have been notified.
• Swimming Carnivals:
• Junior (Years 1-3): Tuesday, 3 December (Prep swimming: 11:45 AM – 1:15 PM)
• Senior: Wednesday, 4 December (during first and second sessions)
  Note: Unfortunately, due to limited space, parents cannot attend the swimming carnivals.
• Music Concert: Thursday, 5 December, 11:45 AM in the hall. Huge thanks to Ms. Tafra for coordinating this memorable event.

Other Key Dates:

• Free Dress Day: Friday, 6 December
• Week 11 Activities: Monday, 9 December – Friday, 13 December. The school will remain open, offering a range of supervised activities. Note: The tuckshop will be closed this week.
• Last Day of School: Friday, 13 December
• First Day of 2025: Tuesday, 28 January

Farewell, Year 6
To our graduating Year 6 students and their families: thank you for your contributions to Buranda over the years. You’ve enriched our school community, and we will miss you. A special shout-out to the family with the longest association—12 years and counting!

Your resilience, kindness, and community spirit are shining examples of what Buranda strives to instil. We can’t wait to see the amazing things you will achieve.

Finally, I’d like to extend my appreciation to the P&C, tuckshop, and uniform shop volunteers, and all the parents who have supported classrooms, events, and initiatives this year. You are the heart of our school.

Wishing you all a joyful holiday season. May your Christmas and New Year be filled with family, friends, and relaxation.

Simon Vaseo

Principal

Upcoming Excursions/Incursions

Head lice

Head lice have been detected in the school. The parents/carers of all students are being notified via this letter.

It is extremely important for you to check your child’s head for head lice and/or eggs TODAY.  Keep checking every 2 days until there are no head lice found for 10 consecutive days. 

If you do find head lice and/or eggs, commence effective treatment immediately and be sure to complete the process of treatment.  This will help prevent head lice from spreading.  Teachers will reduce head-to-head contact activities while head lice are known to be around.

Swimming Carnivals

Junior Swimming Carnival - Year 1 – Year 3 will be held on Tuesday 3rd December from 9 - 11am.  

Prep Swim Carnival – Tuesday 3rd December from 11.45-1.15pm. 

Senior Swimming Carnival - Year 4-6 will be held on Wednesday 4th December from 9 - 1.15pm. 

Children will need togs, bathing cap, sun shirt and two towels (one to sit on) 

N.B. Year 6 house captains will be involved in the junior carnival and will need their swimming gear on Tuesday. 

Please note that spectators are not permitted at swimming carnivals due to limited space. 

Julie Wain 

Physical Education Teacher 

From the Music room

We are so excited to share what the classes have been working on at the End of Year Concert next Thursday! Please come along and support these wonderful young musicians: Thurs 5 Dec, 11.45am – 1.15pm in the school hall.

KABOOM PERCUSSION INCURSION

Kaboom Percussion visit last week was an absolute hit with both staff and students. An hour jam-packed with an array of instruments, all made using recycled goods; virtuosic performances by the percussionists; and lots of laughs all round. Rocko, Ella and Mikey were lucky enough to take to the stage themselves. You can hear a bit of the performances, including Ella and Mikey’s contributions in this little snippet, and enjoy some of the photos below https://youtu.be/4RtHF0fL900

On a sadder note, many of you may have heard from the students already, but I will be leaving Buranda at the end of this year, taking leave for 2025 and relocating to regional NSW with my family. As I have said to many of them, if I could take the school with me I would! I have appreciated all the support from the school community for the music program and have loved working with the students at this school both as a classroom teacher and music teacher. I’m grateful to have been part of the Buranda School community over the past 4 years and I will carry everything I’ve learnt from colleagues, students and families with me into this next chapter.

Ms Tafra

Classroom Music Teacher

Kaboom Incursion

From Inclusion Teacher

Helping All Children Find Balance

With the holidays approaching and 2025 to consider, we all want what’s best for our children. However, it’s easy to unintentionally over-schedule their time with extra-curricular activities in an effort to provide enriching experiences. Let’s explore how over-committing can impact children and steps we can take to support their development in a balanced way.

Why Do We Over-Commit Our Children?

Sometimes, the best intentions lead to packed schedules. Here are a few reasons why this happens:

1. Keeping busy: We want to ensure our children are active and not spending too much time on screens.
2. Supporting their interests: When children express interest in activities, like joining soccer with friends, we want to encourage their enthusiasm.
3. Keeping up with others: It’s easy to feel pressure when other parents share how involved their children are in numerous activities.

Recognising the Signs of Over-Commitment

It’s important to watch for signs that your child may be overwhelmed. These include:

1. Physical fatigue: Your child may look and feel tired.
2. Declining academic performance: A drop in grades may indicate they’re intellectually overworked.
3. Emotional changes: Mood swings can be a sign of emotional exhaustion.
4. Social anxiety: Feeling anxious about activities may reflect social exhaustion.

If you notice these warning signs, it’s crucial to take them seriously. Children need balance to thrive in all areas of life.

Steps to Bring Balance

Here are some ways to help your child maintain a healthy schedule:

1. Set limits: Be firm about the number of activities your child participates in. Avoid feeling pressured by your child or other parents.
2. Evaluate activities: Consider the overall value of each activity. Look for programs led by experienced and well-trained facilitators that provide structured, meaningful experiences.
3. Prioritise: Focus on activities that align with your child’s development—physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially.
4. Stay committed: Once you’ve chosen activities, stay engaged and supportive to help your child make the most of their experiences.

Balancing activities and downtime can be challenging, but it’s worth the effort. By thoughtfully managing your child’s schedule, you can ensure they have time to grow, relax, and enjoy being a child.

Philosophy Corner

Update from the P&C

There’s lots going on in the last few weeks of the year!

YEAR 6 GRADUATION

Year 6 graduation will be held on Tuesday 3 December starting with pizzas at 5.45pm in the school amphitheatre followed by the graduation ceremony in the school hall from 6.30pm.

Year 6 families can order their pizzas via Qkr! We are making a group order through Pizza Hut to be delivered to the school.

DISCO

Join in the fun on Friday December 6 with the junior disco from 5pm and the senior disco from 6.30pm. We strongly encourage everyone to pre-pay for entry wristbands and food via Qkr!. Wristbands and food tokens will be sent home with students on Thursday December 5. Please remember to bring these with you to the disco.

Please note that parent supervision is required, this is not a drop and go event.

We can't run a successful event without the help of the school community. So, with that, we are asking for volunteers to help on the night as well as donations for the stalls. You can sign up at the below links or if you would prefer not to use the online system, please contact Cass via email tuckshop@burandasspandc.org.au with details of when you can help or what you can donate. 

Please sign up for Volunteers School Disco 2024!

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

1. Click this link to go to our invitation page on SignUp: https://signup.com/go/tFgGuPk
 2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on SignUp)
3. Sign up! Choose your spots - SignUp will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

Note: SignUp does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.     

Please sign up for Donations 2024 School Disco!

Here's how it works in 3 easy steps:

1. Click this linkto go to our invitation page on SignUp: https://signup.com/go/MszuiVT
2. Enter your email address:(You will NOT need to register an account on SignUp)
3. Sign up!Choose your spots - SignUp will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!

Note: SignUp does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually. 

TEA TOWEL

With the help of the school we have organised printing of a tea towel with self-portraits of all students and teachers for 2024. You can see the design below.

You can order tea towels on Qkr! with delivery by the end of term.

TUCKSHOP

Tuckshop this Friday, 29 November, has Beef Bolognese Pasta Bake, Chicken and Ham Fried Rice and lots of other yummy options.

Orders close on Qkr! at 8pm tonight.

Next week - Friday 6 December, will be the last tuckshop for the year.

P&C MEETING POSTPONED

Because next week is so busy with graduation and the disco, we have postponed our monthly P&C meeting until Wednesday 11 December commencing at 6.15pm in the school library. 

If you can't make the meeting in person, please join us via this Microsoft Teams link

UNIFORM SHOP

Finally, the uniform shop last opening day will be Wednesday 11 December, for deliveries, purchases and donations. On Thursday 12 December it will be closed for stocktake.

Warm regards

Chris McGrath

P&C President

E: president@burandasspandc.org.au

M: 0432899097

P&C website: https://www.burandasspandc.org.au/

P&C on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BurandaPandC

Booklists - Order now!

Remember to order your book packs for 2025! Parents have already been emailed the booklist details, but you you can also download and print a copy via 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
  
• Afterpay facility – Available in store now and online from 1^st October 2024.

Further details can be found on the booklists.