Newsletter No. 8 - 17 May 2023

From the Principal

Hi everyone,

This week is National Volunteer Week (the Change Makers). The week-long event recognises the vital support that the millions of volunteers in our country provide to their communities and encourages people to consider volunteering. To all Volunteers in our community we thank you for the role you play in supporting our students and the school.

This Friday 19 May  is Walk Safely to School Day. I spoke on assembly about the positive benefits of walking to school on our health and reducing traffic around schools. There will be a walk to school from Hanlon Park at 8:30am (meet at the hut near Cornwall St). Many thanks to Laura Klein for offering to lead the walk.

Coorparoo Secondary College are hosting their open day on Thursday 25 May - 3:30pm.

We have work being carried out to update our sandpit/long jump pit on the oval. Children are unable to use the sandpit until project completion. It will be great when finished.

Have a great week.

Simon Vaseo - Principal

May 2023 Finance News

Monthly Statements

Parents/Carers that have responsibility for payment of student accounts will start to notice that statements will be sent out around the last week of every month via email. The attachment will have ‘invoice statement; as part of the title, this is not an invoice but a statement of the students account.  So that you do not miss out on any correspondence from us, could you please check your junk mail periodically, as some parents have indicated that emails received from us are going to their junk mailbox.

If you have any queries regarding your statement please email bsm@burandass.eq.edu.au.

Receive a statement with a negative amount as the total?

If you have received a statement with a negative amount as the total, this means that you have a student account in credit and no payment is due. Please do not pay the negative amount on your statement. Any credits will be applied to future invoices; please only pay the balance of the statement or invoice.

DET Preferred Payment Method - BPoint

Please use the CRN (Customer Reference Number) located on the bottom left-hand side of your invoice. Payments can be made through the Payment Portal: https://www.bpoint.com.au/payments/dete

This is a secure site and receipts are issued immediately. Our records are updated within 24 hours.

Payment Plan Via eDDR (Electronic Direct Debit Registration)

Contact bsm@burandass.eq.edu.au or phone 3435 1222 to speak to our Business Manager, Doreen Holland to discuss a payment plan.

Website Payment Page

We are currently updating our website with a payment page, this will have details relating to how to make payments, refund policy etc. We will update all parents with a link to the page in the newsletter once it has been published. 

Doreen Holland - Business Manager

From Inclusion - Becoming Allies Part 2

Everyone experiences anxiety and fear – they are human emotions that help us deal with danger. Some people’s experience with anxiety however, is ongoing and distressing, and can interfere with their daily lives. 

As mentioned in ‘Becoming Allies – Part 1’, anxiety is a common experience for those who are neurodiverse. One HUGE step we can all take in becoming allies is to understand what contributes to their anxiety and help mitigate its impact.

Over the coming weeks we are going to explore ways to support children, which will in turn, help ease anxiety. We are going to look at Sue Larkey and Tony Attwood’s tips for supporting the neurodiverse, beginning with:

Neurodiverse people don’t have to look at you all the time.

Avoiding eye contact is often a characteristic behaviour of a neurodiverse child. It may seem as if they are ignoring you, but some children find making eye contact extremely difficult. They can also find looking and listening at the same time hard to do.

Looking is not listening. Listening is about processing. Some children look down or to the side when they are processing, some fiddle, and some need repetitive motion to process what they are hearing. If you make a child give eye contact when they find it difficult, it can contribute to anxiety. A child may give you eye contact, but may not be processing what they need to be. If you are concerned a child isn’t processing, check-in and see if they know what has been said. More often than not, they’ll tell you.

Technology Update

Our Technology lessons are in full swing with all classes having completed their theory and are currently working on their practical tasks and having loads of fun while learning the following new and exciting skills:

• Prep/1 – Coding Beebots through mazes and maps and writing code prior to inputting.
• Year 1/2 – Producing tables in a document and inputting data that they have collected. Coding Beebots and learning how to produce a word document.
• Year 2/3 – Learning block coding in Junior Scratch to produce a Quiz Game based on information they have learnt in a classroom subject.
• Year 3/4 – Using Scratch 3, a more advanced version, to produce a learning tool Quiz Game based on one of their units of work being studied in class.
• Year 5 – Planning a “Trip of a Lifetime” where they are required to produce an Excel Spreadsheet with details and costing of a trip through 4 major cities. They will include flight, train, ferry, accommodation and entertainment details and costings. The students are running a Powerpoint Presentation with snipped details beside an Excel Spreadsheet to collate their data. They are completely committed to the task and will be able to help you plan your next big trip. I have to keep reminding them that they are not really going on this holiday as they are so invested in the task.
• Year 6 – Using Photoshop to edit, mask, resize photos, save documents as JPEG and PSD files and produce a year book. The book will be commercially printed and located in the Resource Centre as a keepsake. Details of the order will be given to parents who wish to purchase their own year book.

Julie Wain - Digital and Design Technologies Teacher

Upcoming Event - Philosothon

Buranda is fortunate to enter the annual Philosothon which will be held on Tuesday 20 June 2023. This is open to all students in year 5 and 6 only. Two teams of 4 students can participate (8 in total), so auditions are under way for students who are interested.

What is a Philosothon?

A Philosothon is an event that encourages school students to investigate philosophical questions and ideas through a series of discussions with students from other schools. The event aims to help students develop critical thinking and reasoning skills and to promote a sense of community.

Some things to consider:

• Students have to commit to a training session every week which will be Thursday mornings at 8:30am  
• This competition falls in the last week of term 2, students will be required to be in attendance on this day.
• The Philosothon takes place at Hillbrook School at Enoggera. Students will be absent from Buranda school that day. 
• There will be a cost involved for this excursion which will include morning tea, lunch and a taxi. Once the teams have been selected permission slips and costs will be organised.

Desley Alexion - teacher

Physical Education Update

We are currently in the middle of a Balls Skills Unit and will be moving on to Athletics in a couple of weeks in preparation for our Annual Sports Day to be held on Friday 23 June (the last day of this term).

• Prep -2 - Circuits which introduce new skills each week including skipping, basketball, striking and kicking skills utilising different apparatus, throwing and catching.
• Year 2/3 – Grip Ball TBall unit which teaches the children how to catch with their non dominant hand while learning the basic rules of TBall and the skills required to play the game.
• Year 3/4 – Tball using gloves and full rules and tactics to play a game.
• Year 5/6 – Badminton with a Qld Badminton Coach

Julie Wain - Physical Education Teacher

Sporting Schools Grant

This term I applied for and received a Sporting Schools Grant which I have utilised with our Year 5 and 6 children for Badminton. We currently have a coach supplied by the Queensland Badminton Association running a 4 week unit with our students. The grant money has allowed us to purchase equipment to run the program and purchase further resources and equipment to benefit all grades.

Sporting Schools is an Australian Government initiative designed to help schools increase children's participation in sport and connect them with community sport opportunities.

Since 2016 our school has received $34,000 from Sporting Schools funding which has been spent on coaching and resources for Prep – Year 6. We have also had an extra $10,000 in Community Grant money which was utilised for after school coaching sessions for children in Prep to 6.

Julie Wain - Physical Education Teacher

From the Wulonkoppa Committee

This year on National Sorry Day, we at Buranda will be raising money to donate to the Healing Foundation. We would like to contribute to healing and recovery for the estimated 33,600 First Nations children who were forcibly removed from their families during the Stolen Generations, and to the healing of their families and communities.

Sorry Day is in Week 6, on Friday 26 May. Students are encouraged to bring a cash donation into school that day which will be collected from each class before first lunch. Families can also make a donation online here.

 Camilla Tafra - Music teacher

Buranda Bush Care is back next week

We welcome all ages as we together to re-create this beautiful little patch of riparian shrub near the school bridge on Norman Creek. Who remembers all the weeds that were here?  

Come down and Caring for Country…especially this busy corner of Yuggera Country… and it’s a wonderful way to connect to nature and good mental health.

We supply everything you need: gloves, tools, happy people, local knowledge and a way to fight climate change….your very own carbon sequestration and nature connection project!

 Our next event is on Sunday 21 March from 8-11am…. but come anytime!

If interested please text Bryn on 0439 300 375 or better still, follow and respond on the facebook page (search Buranda Bush care)   https://www.facebook.com/BurandaBCC/   

From the P & C

Tuckshop 

Our new Tuckshop Convenor, Cass Somers, starts this Friday but to keep it simple for her first week we’ll be offering baked goods.

You can order via Qkr! up to 8pm on Wednesday.

Cass still needs parent volunteers each week to help. You can sign up for your class’s allocated week to help with tuckshop at this link.

Cass has created a short survey for families to give suggestions on tuckshop meals. You can complete the survey at this link. 

 Winter Solstice

Planning for the Winter Solstice on Saturday 17 June 2023 is well underway. The program is:

• 2-4pm – working bee in the garden
• from 4pm – music, food, drink, sweets, face painting, hip hop display, school choir and band
• 30pm – whole school winter song and dance
• 01pm – lighting the bonfire at sunset
• 30-7pm – live rock band

We plan to cook lots of yummy food and if you can volunteer or donate ingredients, we’d love your help. You can volunteer to help cook or to donate ingredients via this link.

All students will be performing, so bring along family and friends.

We hope to see you and your family there.

WhatsApp class groups

If you haven’t already joined the WhatsApp group for your child class, you'll get all the news and stay in the loop if you text your coordinator and ask to join:

Prep B – Laura 0401 555 459 (Billie’s Mum)

Prep 1 W – Lauren 0434280609 (Evelyn's Mum)

1/2 S – Ruby 0431 139 102 (Aiva-Rose’s Mum)

1/2 B – Katie 0416 248 107 (Harrison’s Mum)

2/3Z Anna 0449 641 632 (Lucas’ Mum)

2/3C – Hannah 0417 781 684 (Millie’s Mum)

3/4 O Ludivine 0432 257 248 (Jules’ Mum)

4 W – Amy-Lee 0403 728 011 (Henri’s Mum)

5H Nadine 0412 003 316 (Mikey’s Mum)

5C Deanne 0422 060 199 (Daisy’s Mum)

6BA Laura 0403 818440 (Harry’s Mum)

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