Newsletter No 6 17 April 2024

From the Principal

Dear Parents & Carers

I hope you enjoyed the Easter break with your family and friends.

There’s been quite a few changes around the school through the holidays. The early works program is in full-swing:

• 2/3C have moved to room D03
• 4/5Z have moved to room A02
• 4/5H have moved to room A01
• Music has moved to Room A10
• Inclusion/Learning Support has moved to room A09
• OSHC has been based in the hall for over a month

• D Block: access works are currently  underway (ramp/lift) -  photo below

• The Prep Playground (oval) is progressing well - photo below

  My sincere thanks to staff and students for their cooperation with these moves and being observant of the works being undertaken. We will continue to consult with contractors to ensure disruption to student  learning is minimised.

  A development application for Buranda State School and Narbethong Special School (including Martin Street upgrade) has been submitted for consultation  by the Queensland Government and Department of Education. Follow the link to see  current plans for both schools and to have your say on the proposals.

  Additionally service access to the pool has been achieved with a compliant set of stairs installed over the holidays. The project was completed yesterday.

  Next Wednesday 24 April we will hold our Special ANZAC Assembly at  10 am. Students are encouraged to  bring a flower from your garden-but please do not feel you have to buy flowers. The flowers/greenery will be used to construct class wreaths to be used during the assembly. Weather permitting we will conduct the assembly, outdoors, in front of the flags. Lest we Forget. Please remember that next Thursday 25 April is the ANZAC Day Public Holiday.

  We have to Pre-service teachers on practicum currently. We welcome Mr Young (3/4W) and Mr Whitehand (4/5H) to Buranda State School.

  Monday was the first day of teaching for Ms Matheson in 1/2M. Eliza started work as a teacher aide at Buranda in 2017. After completing her Bachelor of Education recently, we are delighted to have Ms Matheson on our teaching staff, she will make an excellent addition to our wonderful cohort of teachers!

  Please refrain from having children play on the playground at the oval after school. This impacts significantly on our After School Care Service, who rely heavily on all cover outdoor areas for their service delivery. It is extremely difficult to manage their students with children playing on the equipment after school. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this.

  Finally, please be patient and safe when using Martin Street for drop off and pick up. There is a high volume of cars parking and using Martin Street each day. It is important to keep all users of the area safe- particularly our students. Again, if you need to enter the school for drop off or pick up- please use Gladys Street and walk over the bridge.

  We look forward to a highly productive term 2.

  Kind regards

  Simon Vaseo

  Principal

D Block, Prep playground, Proposed Development

From the HOD-C

ANZAC Day

For those of you who wish to participate in ANZAC Day activities on Thursday, the Brisbane City Council and RSL Queensland have activities listed on their websites.

eSafety Commissioner Message

The eSafety Commissioner has information on their website about dealing with distressing content online. They refer specifically to information for parents and carers. Remember the off button; also, very powerful way to restore equilibrium.

Earth Day – Monday April 22

Earth Day is a reminder of the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability, encouraging us to come together and take action for a healthier planet and brighter future. The practical thing that our students can do is to reduce their plastic use and litter around the school. On Earth Day, Monday 22^nd April, please make a special effort to send Nude Food lunches and help your children reflect on their plastic usage and disposal.

Rosie Scholl

Head of Department - Curriculum

Upcoming Excursions/Incursions

School Photo Day

School Photo day is on Wednesday 1 May. Please see flyer below for details on how to order online.

Philosophy Corner

From Inclusion

A Journey of Self-Discovery

Why is it we are often blind to our own strengths? Why do we easily see positive character traits or skills in others, but find it difficult to recognise and acknowledge them within ourselves?

Is it an inability to see ourselves the way others see us?

Is it because our strengths are often things we find easy?

Or is it that our strengths are hard, so we don’t feel they are a strength?

Are our strengths weaknesses too?

Is it a narrow viewpoint about what a strength is?

Or is it the inability to stop social comparison.

For the neurodiverse members of our community, recognising our own strengths can be even more problematic. When a diagnosis of Autism, Specific Learning Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder etc. is viewed through a ‘disability-focused’ view, our thinking focuses primary on deficits and those behaviours and ways of thinking that may not be performed as well as individuals without a diagnosis.

Having a strength-based viewpoint of neurodiversity means we look at differences in behaviour and brain function as variations in a population, rather than viewing them as disorders. Although neurodivergent individuals are a minority, their cognitive and behavioural differences should not be viewed as disease of deficit, but as a diversity in a population full of diversity.

Although a complex subject, a strength-based approach to neurodiversity allows the Buranda community to focus on the strengths of all individuals, while acknowledging the challenges inherent in a community with difference.

Our goal, with a strength-based model, is inclusion, which is the fulfillment of each individual’s potential, with emphasis on connection, balance, wellbeing, contentment, and satisfaction.

Last year the children started to think about their own individual strengths. As we embark on a new term, we will continue our journey of self-discovery. Building on the work from last year, we will delve deeper into exploring our strengths and unique abilities.

Our children have been creating shield characters that symbolize their strengths. These characters serve as a visual representation of their inner warriors. This theme will persist throughout the term, reminding us of our inherent strength and potential.

In a world where anxiety seems to be prevalent amongst both children and adults, we want our children to be warriors, not worriers. Our aim should be to equip them with the tools to face challenges head-on and to believe in their abilities.

Next time: Embracing Challenges: Empowering Our Children

Katherine Austin

Inclusion Teacher

From the Music Room

Our music room is in need of some friends to help our younger singers develop confidence with their singing voices. I’d like to put a call out for donation to the music room of unwanted soft toys, if you have any lying around at home.

I am looking for soft toys that are:

• In decent condition (e.g. no tears or mould)
• Around the size of a regular teddy bear (no oversized toys or tiny soft toys please, think of your average teddy size)
• NOT really precious to any current students at the school (we don’t want fights over “That’s MINE” when sharing these friends out in lessons)

If you would like to donate a toy please send it in with students on their music lesson day and they can give it to me at the start of the lesson. Class days are below:

Thursday: 2/3C, 3/4O, 3/4W, 4/5Z, 6H, 6BP

Friday: PB, P/1T, 1/2M, 1/2S, 4/5H

Thank you!

Ms Tafra

Music Teacher

Buranda Station quarterly update

From the P & C

Tuckshop

Tuckshop this Friday, 19 April, has lots of sushi options, bento boxes and other yummy things.

Orders close pm Qkr! at 8pm tonight.

We need volunteers to make the tuckshop run. The roster for the coming term is looking bare. If you can spare a couple of hours on a Friday please sign up at this link.

Swimathon raised over $8,500

Last term’s Swimathon raised $8,511.88, which is a big help towards the P&C’s annual donation of $15,000 to the school to pay for the Environmental Program and school garden, as well as new musical instruments and other things.

Thanks to all of the students and parents who did such fantastic work fundraising.

Special thanks too to Ms Julie Wain for running the Swimathon. Julie is amazing!

Easter Raffle raised over $2,000

The Easter Raffle raised $2,188.50. A huge thank you to Ludivine and Hanna for organising the prizes and running the raffle.

New dishwasher for the tuckshop

We’re using the funds raised in the Easter Raffle as a contribution to purchase a new commercial dishwasher for the tuckshop to ensure hygienic cleaning of plates and other things used for serving food.

Helping Hands is also donating $3000 to the new dishwasher and Cass (our tuckshop convenor) has found one that is suitable on special ($6600 down from $12,000).

Collection of Easter Raffle prizes

Anyone who hasn’t already collected their Easter Raffle prizes can collect them from Ludivine at the Uniform Shop.

New garden beds

Mr Bryant, the Environment Program teacher, is building two new garden beds behind A-Block (i.e. the main administration building) as some classes want to grow their own veges there. The P&C is donating $900 for the new garden beds and fresh soil.

These are just some of the ways the P&C uses the funds raised to contribute to the school and our kids’ education and wellbeing.

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

From the Community