Newsletter 16 25 May 2022
From the Principal
Hi everyone,
It is a big week.
National Sorry Day will take place on Thursday 26 May 2022, with National Reconciliation Week following from 27 May to 3 June.
The 2022 Reconciliation Week theme is ‘Be Brave. Make Change.’ Reconciliation Australia is challenging individuals, families, communities, organisations, and governments to address ongoing reconciliation and make change for the benefit of all Australians.
National Sorry Day acknowledges the intergenerational trauma caused by the Australian Government’s policy of removing First Nations children from their families; these children became known as the ‘Stolen Generation’.
Students have created a collection of hands to acknowledge Sorry Day tomorrow- the hands will be placed out around the school by all classes.
The Hanlon Park Underpass is Open
It was fitting that my first trip through the underpass had me bumping into Laura Klein and Harry.
Please see Laura’s update below. It has been a long time coming and I sincerely thank all those members of our school community for their input into seeing this come to fruition. Again a special thank you to Laura Klein- it is a great result for our students and our community!!
We have purchased new 100L wheelie bins for students’ general lunch time waste. These bins should be animal proof, keeping the birds in particular out of the bins and helping us to keep our areas tidy. It should also keep our rubbish out of the creek. I’ve spent some time talking about the Take 3 for the Sea initiative with our students on assembly this term- it is by no means a new idea but and easy one to carry out for us.
Due to a request at one of Mr Cipollone’s circuit schools, instrumental lessons and band practice will be on Monday next week (not Wednesday).
Our oval is still sodden - the AFL clinic for this afternoon is cancelled again. AFL training has be extended to run for the next 2 weeks (Wednesday 1 June and 8 June) - weather permitting.
We will start looking at Prep 2023 enrolments next term. If you wish to register your child for prep next year please contact the office on 3435 1222.
Have a great week.
Simon Vaseo - Principal
Booking Parent Teacher Interviews
The portal for booking Parent Teacher Interviews will open at different times. Please see dates and times for teachers below:
Mrs Bright, Ms Border, Miss Bryant and Ms Santoro - portal opens Friday 27 May at 8am and closes Friday 10 June at 8pm.
Mrs Curry, Mrs Cetinic, Ms O'Dempsey, Ms Walters, Ms Coutts and Mrs Blanchfield - portal opens Monday 6 June at 8am and closes Friday 17 June at 8pm.
Teachers will email a link and instructions directly to parents/carers in the coming weeks. Please follow the instructions to book an interivew time. You will see the available dates and times, for your child's teacher once you have logged in. To change a booking please contact teachers directly.
Parent Volunteers
Reminder that all parent helpers must sign in at the office on arrival and sign out when they leave. It is very important that we know who is on the school grounds at all times, in case of any emergencies (fire/lock down).
There is also a Key Messages Guide that all parents must read prior to helping out in your child's classroom. This can be done just before you volunteer in class - please allow 10minutes for this.
Hop, Hop, Hopping Along
When teaching one of the junior classes last week, I asked the students to hop to the door to go out for lunch. Although there were some keen hungry hoppers who made it to the door, quite a number of students struggled to balance on one foot, let alone hop any distance.
This observation prompted me to look up what gross motor skills I should expect from the 4-5 year age group. Here are some examples below:
- standing on one foot for up to 5 seconds (10 seconds for 6 year age group)
- walking up and down stairs with alternating feet
(carrying and object for 6 years age group) - climbing on jungle gym and ladders
- pedalling a tricycle
- kicking a ball
- throwing overarm
- catching a ball that has been bounced (catching small ball with hands only for 6 year old age group)
- jumping 10 times in a row, maintaining the height of jumps (jumping forward without falling for 6 year age group)
- hopping on one foot
As 5 to 12 years need at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day, why not get them outside, or inside with this rain, practising these skills.
Below is a great diagram outlining the benefits of being active. I know it’s an American source, but the diagram was clear and the health benefits apply to us all:
(Source: Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2nd Edition)
Katherine Austin - Inclusion Teacher
Premier's Reading Challenge
The 2022 Premier's Reading Challege (PRC) has begun! A record form has already been sent home with your child.
- Prep - Year 4 (students need to read 20 books)
- Year 5 and 6 (students need to read 15 books)
Please ensure your child's name, class and grade are filled out on the form. Parents must also sign the form before returning them to the library by Friday 26 August.
Ms Stacey - Library Manager
From Helping Hands
Hello from Helping Hands,
It is time for me to start reminding you to get your holiday bookings in so we can attempt staffing. As you can imagine, we are fairly short staffed and so we need to lock in staff for the holidays. I am pretty good at guessing what numbers we are likely to have, but please do me a favour, and don't make me guess. Excursions are back on and we are going to Laser Force and Chipmunks. We also have Tie Dye and Fit Kids coming to us. So book early and secure your child's spot for a fun packed Vacation Care.
Sue Chiswell - Buranda Helping Hands Co-ordinator
0429 528 206 - buranda@helpinghandsnetwork.com.au
From the P & C
The next major P&C event is the Winter Solstice on Saturday 18 June 2022. We’re finalising the yummy food and entertainment that will be on offer and will advertise those details next week along with a sign-on sheet for anyone who wants to volunteer to help.
We’re still looking for convenors for the uniform shop and for the tuckshop. We’d very much like to restore the weekly tuckshop as soon as possible but haven’t succeeded so far.
Our next monthly meeting will be next Wednesday, 1 June 2022, at 6.30pm in the school library. Everyone is welcome to come along to share ideas for helping the school.
We need to update the P&C Constitution to reflect a 2022 version of the Model P&C Constitution for Queensland. Notice of the special meeting for that is given below. You can see the proposed changes to the constitution at the link provided.
Chris McGrath - P&C President
E: president@burandasspandc.org.au
P&C website: https://www.burandasspandc.org.au/
P&C on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BurandaPandC
Hanlon Park Underpass is Open!
After 9 years of advocacy, the underpass in Hanlon Park is open.
Our community finally has a safe passage to Buranda SS and beyond.
This will have a positive impact on 1000s of people and families every week. Well done BCC and Councillor Fiona Cunningham for fast-tracking the opening.
A great piece of infrastructure - thanks to everyone in our community for all your support over the years!!
And yes, I got down on my knees and kissed the concrete!!
See the video update at www.facebook.com/stonescornerroadsafety
Our next project is to advocate for the upgrade of O'Keefe St roundabout.
Laura Klein - 0403 818440