Newsletter 8 15 May 2024

From the Principal

Hi everyone

I hope this message finds you well and thriving as we progress through Term 2.

Congratulations to Ethan T for his outstanding achievement at the Redlands Eisteddford Piano Recital! Ethan finished second overall and was highly recommended for his Grade 4 solo performance. This is a testament to his hard work, dedication, and talent. Well done Ethan! You have made our school incredibly proud.

In other news, the booking system for our Parent/teacher interviews will open soon, these will take place at the end of Semester 1.  This is valuable opportunity for you to discuss your child's progress and development with their teachers. Please ensure you book your appointments early to secure your preferred time.

We are also excited to announce that the new junior playground on the oval is nearing completion and will soon be ready for use. While there will be a short period where students need to stay off the newly laid turf to ensure it settles properly, we anticipate it will be fully accessible in time for our sports day at the end of the term. This new facility will provide a fantastic space for our younger students to play and engage in physical activities.

Lastly, I would like to provide an update on the access works to D Block. We are making steady progress, and further details will be shared in the coming fortnight. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time and are committed to ensuring the safety and accessibility of our school environment.

Have a great week

Simon Vaseo

Principal

From the Head of Department - Curriculum

Oral language Skills and Literacy Success

The Queensland Department of Education provide a number of resources to help parents understand and support their child/ren’s early literacy success. This series of videos starts with an Introduction to Oral Language Development and gives adults tips for interacting with young children as they develop oral language and literacy skills. Children develop thinking and speaking skills when they are supported by adults and mentors who are patient listeners, giving them time, space and encouraging feedback when they speak and share their thoughts.

Philosothon Practice

Listening to children’s thinking and speaking are some of our most delightful and memorable moments. Last Thursday morning Mrs Alexion, Mrs Cetinic and I listened to the Year 5s and 6s at Philosothon Practice talking about what a leader is and is not, and the difference between talking and advising. We learnt that a team doesn’t necessarily need a leader, but a leader needs a team; and whilst leaders might advise often, it is up to the listener to think for themselves and decide whether the advice is good or bad, useful or not.

The thoughtfulness these students display in year 5 and 6 is built on those early years of parents listening to them babble and then responding appropriately; of their parents, teachers, friends and other mentors engaging with them in conversation and thoughtfully responding to their ideas, suggestions and questions. These students have become articulate and confident in the expression of their ideas, even their half-built and mis-shapen ideas. They trust that others will interact with them in supportive ways that build on and respectfully challenge their oral language and thinking skills. Working with them and listening to them is a pleasure, particularly when the expression of their ideas is coherent, cogent and eloquent. I want to thank all the people in their lives who have helped have carefully listened to, supported and encouraged the thinking and speaking of students in our school.

National Simultaneous Storytime 2024

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, family day cares, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. Now in its 24th successful year, it is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children's book that explores age-appropriate themes, and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Foundation to Year 6.

ALIA is delighted to announce that the National Simultaneous Storytime book for 2024 is Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker.

NSS 2024 will be held on Wednesday 22nd May 2024 at the new time of 12pm (AEST).

Follow this link to register for National Simultaneous Storytime 2024 and participate in your own home.

Upcoming Excursions/Incursions

Parent Teacher Interviews

Parent Teacher Interviews will be held in the last week of Term 2 Monday 17 – Friday 21 June.  Our booking system is now online. Bookings will open at 9.00 am on Monday 3 June and close 9.00 pm  Friday 13 June and teachers will send parents a link and instructions on how to book.

Headlice

Head lice have been detected in the school. 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.

Philosophy Corner

From Inclusion

Warriors seek help. Worriers create obstacles. 

Clarification first: Worriers are warriors.

In reality, worriers are among our bravest and strongest children. For children who worry, the everyday requirement of attending school demands courage. Our job as parents and educators, is to help all children find their strengths and recognise their inner warriors, so they can face the challenges they will inevitably worry about.

While awareness can be beneficial, excessive worrying can become paralysing. As parents and educators, we often don’t recognise this paralysis as worry, but view it as obstructive and disruptive. Unfortunately, children often conceal their worries from parents and educators. This tendency arises because we naturally try to find solutions for a child’s problems or tell them not to worry. This approach has limitations. Telling children not to worry or attempting to solve their problems only provides temporary relief. Over time, children may internalise a different message – it’s unacceptable to feel worried, sad, or experience negative emotions. This unintentionally hinders their emotional processing.

As challenging as it may be, allowing children to experience both positive and negative feelings is essential. Validating their emotions communicates that it’s okay to feel a range of emotions. Rather than solving their problems or distracting them, we must acknowledge their feelings without trying to fix everything. It’s a delicate balance.

Once children have the space to have feelings without worrying about what others think, they gain the strength to ask for assistance. If they know they won’t get into trouble, or be considered petty, they will seek assistance in working through a solution. Eventually you will work out when to offer help or ask what assistance they need.

As part of our Reboot Program we ask the following questions:

1. How do you FEEL?
2. What do you NEED?
3. How can I HELP?

Most importantly however, we must make space for them to find their own solutions, in their OWN time, and with empathy and validation they will turn from worriers into a warriors!

Next time: The value of discipline and hard work. 

From the P & C

Winter Solstice

We are planning the annual Winter Solstice for Saturday 15 June 2024, starting with a working bee at 2pm then the solstice from 4pm. The solstice is a great annual event and lots of fun for the kids and whole family.

So far we have volunteers for the Food, Finance, Health and Safety, and Marketing/Sponsors coordinator roles.

We still need to find volunteers to coordinate beverages and the entertainment, as well as an overall coordinator. We’ve put up posters and asked in the WhatsApp chat groups for volunteers but no one has yet put their hand up for these roles.

These roles each have specific tasks intended to be manageable for busy parents:

• The Entertainment Coordinator books and liaises with the band and teachers about student performances, as well as coordinating the run sheet for performances and the speakers/music system.
• The Beverage Coordinator organises donations or purchase of alcohol and soft drinks, hot chocolate and mulled wine, plus the set up on the day.
• The Winter Solstice Coordinator works with the other coordinators to coordinate the overall event.

If you can help in any of these roles, email me and I can explain what’s involved. Cass and Ludivine are very happy to help you too.  

If we don’t find a coordinator by this Friday, 17 May, unfortunately we are considering cancelling the Winter Solstice. We will be disappointed for the whole school community if the Solstice doesn’t proceed. Please step forward to volunteer for a role!

Winter Solstice poster competition

Thank you for all the students who have entered their fabulous posters for the Winter Solstice poster competition (which has been advertised through the class WhatsApp groups). There is still time to deposit an entry until Friday 17^th May, posters are to be bought to the office.

Tuckshop

Tuckshop this Friday, 17 May, has hotdogs and lots of other yummy things.

Orders close on Qkr! at 8pm tonight.

Thanks for everyone who has volunteered to help the tuckshop so far.

We still need more volunteers to make the tuckshop run. If you can spare a couple of hours on a Friday please sign up at this link.

 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