Term 1 Week 5 2023
- Principal's News by Tracy Egan
- Team Mango We All Belong!
- Prep News by Michelle Alcorn
- Year 1 News by Melinda White
- Year 2 News by Kylie Vaughan
- Year 3 News by Ellaine Warner
- Year 4 News by Danielle O'Brien
- Year 5 News by Martin Winney
- Year 6 News by Emma Crawshaw
- Curriculum News
- Sporting News by The PE Department
- News from our Partners
- Community News - Copy
Congratulations Student Leaders
It was a pleasure to induct our 2023 Student Leaders into their positions at our ceremony on Friday. Congratulations to our School Captains, Sustainability, Sports, Diversity, Reconciliation and Performing Arts Captains and our Student Councillors from Year 4 & 5. Each of these students were selected by their peers and we are so proud of them.
Special thanks to the Honourable Steven Miles Deputy Premier, Cr Jodie Shipway Deputy Mayor and P & C President Amy Swalwell for their attendance and support of our school. Thank you also to all parents, carers and extended family members who joined us for this special event.
Deliberate Decisions for Clarity
I have enjoyed visiting a range of classes over the past week and speaking with students about their writing. We are focussed on students having clarity about the writing expectations and how they can improve their writing by having a good understanding of the elements on the scale.
Teachers at Mango Hill SS make learning visible through Learning Walls and Bump It Up Walls. This helps students have clarity about how to strive for the highest results and realise their potential. Each time I am going on a “Learning Walk and Talk” I take some colleagues so we can discuss what we are seeing and hearing, celebrating with students and staff the success and identifying areas for support and improvement. I am so proud of our teachers and their growth mindset as they continue to strive for the best outcomes for students.
The photos below some of the students and staff engaged in writing clarity.
Can you help?
Volunteering in Canteen
We are looking for more volunteers for our school canteen. If we have volunteers we can increase the service and reduce overhead costs of staff. Please go to this link and select which days you are available to volunteer.
https://volunteersignup.org/3J3DC
Pantry Drive
We are looking for donations towards our pantry drive.
Perhaps you cannot help in the canteen because you work or have little ones at home. You can help in another way! We would love donations of the following.
- Butter/Margarine/Nuttlex
- Vegemite
- Jam (Strawberry/raspberry)
- Dried Pasta and rice
- Cheese slices
- Grated cheese
- Jatz crackers
- Plain / Self raising flour
- cooking chocolate
- Oats
- Golden Syrup
- Desiccated Coconut
- Cream cheese
Students or parents can take donations to the canteen and their names will go into a raffle each week which I will draw on virtual parade. The winner will come to the canteen to choose a prize.
Other canteen news
As advised at the end of last year we have moved away from Flexischool and we are now using QKR.
Please make sure to download the QKR app and update your child's classes.
Please be advised QKR has a cut off time of 8.00AM
As we have grown in size as a school so have the canteen orders and we only have a limited time to cook and prepare.
We no longer have the capacity to take orders over the phone or at the counter.
If you miss the cut off you will need to arrange an alternative meal option for your child.
Have a wonderful week
Tracy Egan
Principal
tegan4@eq.edu.au
Focus of the Week
The Care Class focus delivered on Friday, is ‘Problem Solving using the High 5.’ This topic has the purpose of developing Care for self and Care for others. Our students will learn about solving problems with peers by using the High 5. Below are some strategies students can use.
Talk Friendly: Use a calm voice, maintain eye contact, confident body language.
Talk firmly: Use an assertive voice, slightly raised, tell them to stop it.
Ignore: Do not make eye contact, count to five in your head slowly, take deep breaths.
Walk away: Stand tall, head up high, walk away with a friend to a safety zone (teacher or other peers).
Report: Walk away and tell a staff member
QParents - Term 2 paper copies of permission forms will cease
All parents are strongly encouraged to sign up to QParents.
QParents is a user-friendly portal accessible via app or web browser, providing parents with secure online access to information about their child’s schooling.
In Term 2 we will no longer print permission forms for excursions and incursions. This decision was made to not only made to support our sustainability efforts by saving paper and electricity but now that forms can be signed electronically via QParents it will save parents and carers time!
Simply follow the links from your email invitation sent to your email each week. Complete the verification process or drop in and see our staff to verify your identity and then you will have access to your child’s :
- Electronic permission notes
- Invoices - pay online via the links
- Attendance – you can advise us via the app if your child will be absent
- Report cards.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call the office.
Team Mango - Volunteering at Mango Hill
At Mango Hill State School we are proud of the partnership we have with our parents, careers and community. Part of this partnership is the rich experience our volunteers provide our school. If you would like to volunteer and contribute to our school there are many ways you can. You can volunteer in a classroom to help support learning. You can volunteer through the P&C. You can volunteer by assisting in the canteen. You can volunteer in the Hub to assist with resourcing. The opportunities are endless. The school is holding a series of induction sessions for people interested in volunteering. Prior to volunteering you need to attend one induction session. Thank you to the large group who attended last week’s induction session. Below are the dates and times of upcoming sessions.
- Friday 10 March at 8:45am
- Monday 20 March at 2pm.
Building Strong Muscles
We are busy little Preppies as we continue to strengthen our fine motor skills as we learn to draw and begin learning how to start forming some letters. But for us to have the strength and control with our fine motor skills we need lots of opportunities to practise to help us increase our confidence, and build our stamina and control. There are lots of ways that you can help at home to help further develop fine motor skills which will in turn support success at school!
Here are some fun and easy ways to incorporate the development of fine motor skills, within the home environment:
- Serve dinner with tongs.
- Draw pictures together. Use thicker, wider pencils, pens and crayons to assist and share your thinking about the details in your drawing as you draw. Be curious and ask about what they are drawing and encourage them to add details, I wonder what might be missing?
- Play dough with rice or hidden toys.
- Be patient when they are getting ready for school or going out and encourage them to button up their shirts.
Formal Friday – Parade Day!
This Friday we have our very first, in person parade! On our parade days we always wear our formal uniform. Please help your little person be ready and prepared for the upcoming change and be sure that they are in the right uniform for this special event. Talk about it, be excited about it! Our Prep teachers this week will be helping them get ready for parade and the change in routine by sharing with them a social story to set them up for success. It is our first Parade, so we would love to see you there as we welcome our 2023 school leaders!
Have a great week
Michelle Alcorn
Deputy Principal- Prep
malco14@eq.edu.au
Language Skills
How do we help our young learners develop language skills?
By talking with them and listening to them share with us!
In the busy-ness of life and the never ending work / life juggle, it can seem tricky to make time for connection with our kids - free of the distractions of screens and devices and the never ending to-do lists.
In our family at the moment, we are trying hard to make the most of our Saturdays before the soccer season starts. We’re trying to plan mini adventures that introduce us all to new experiences - and therefore, new words.
So in the spirit of adventure, on Saturday we went to Coochiemudlo Island for the first time. I’m a Brissie girl since birth… but I’ve never been there before? 40 mins drive + 10 mins on a barge and we’re on an island?!! Yes please!
We had a fabulous day, and then of course we had to recount this fabulous day full of fabulous experiences, with family and friends - further solidifying our use of all the new vocabulary we’d learned. There was also practice in recounting what happened in sequence, such an important skill. We called Poppy and Jo-Jo to share about the barge ride and the three lifesavers on duty at the calmest beach we’ve ever been to. Uncle Tony called us to ask who on earth devised such a random adventure (spoiler alert: me) and then we had to tell him all about the barge and the lifesavers and the soldier crabs and the shell collecting.
Some adventures take a bit more effort than others. A simple walk in your neighbourhood with your little ones, is a lovely way to stimulate conversation. Nature is calming! Look at the clouds, discuss the shapes, count the steps from one house to another. Lay on the trampoline and sky gaze. Watch the bats fly past at dusk. Our children think all adventures with us, are adventures, if we give them our undivided attention.
And if anyone decides to plan an island adventure soon, I’d love to hear about it!
Have a great week
Melinda White
Deputy Principal- Year 1
mwhit37@eq.edu.au
Exploring Shape in Year 2
The Year 2s have been exploring the features of two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes in Maths. Two-dimensional shapes are those that have the dimensions of length and width. Some common two-dimensional shapes are squares, rectangles, circles and triangles.
Three-dimensional shapes on the other hand are those that have the dimensions of height, width and depth. Some common three-dimensional shapes are cones, spheres, cubes and rectangular prisms.
The children have also been using geometrical language to describe shapes. Two-dimensional shapes can be described using the number/types of sides and corners. Three-dimensional shapes can be described using faces, edges and vertices.
Ways you can help at home…
- Play Eye Spy and spot shapes in the environment… ‘I spy with my little eye an object that is shaped like a cylinder.’
- Make shapes with playdough.
- Cut shapes out from junk mail and magazines. Sort them into groups and name them.
- Play ‘What shape am I?’ ‘I have 6 square shaped faces. I have 12 edges and 8 vertices. I look like a dice. What shape am I?’
- Build with different shape blocks and name the shapes you build with.
Look at the children in 2W learning all about two-dimensional shapes. Each person in the class got their own card and then had to find other children who had clues about the same shape.
Swimming
This week we started swimming lessons at Grace Lutheran College. In Week 1 the instructors work with individual students to find out what they can do in the water. This helps them to ability group the students for the remaining lessons. From now until the end of the term, instructors will work with each group to develop the skills needed to help each child move more confidently in the water.
Look at these superstars from 2P and 2I at their first lesson.
Have a wonderful week
Learning in Year 3
This is a big week for our Year 3 students as they do their practice test for NAPLAN this Thursday. The main purpose of this practice is to ensure our students can log on and that they have the opportunity to navigate around a NAPLAN-like page on their iPads. It also allows us to test the network. However, it will still be a new experience for our students. If you have ongoing concerns or questions about NAPLAN, please check in with your child’s class teacher, our Inclusive Learning Teacher, Ms Tanner, or with me.
Our Year 3 students have started their writing assessment and their Patterns assessment this week. I had the pleasure of reading the start of some of the 3K narratives yesterday. Ms Krosman and Ms Linanne are feeling super proud of their children’s efforts.
Playing in Year 3
Three times a week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday second break), Year 3 students have Ball Games Club. One of our PE teachers leads the students in some thrilling games. I had fun just watching last week! Like all of our Clubs, students meet play time expectations such as sharing and turn taking, kind hands, feet and words.
Before school
Well done to our students who are waiting in their correct waiting areas in the morning. Year 3 students may either wait in the Piazza or on the Oval.
After school
The middle years undercover area is no longer a meeting point for OSHC each afternoon. This means that all parents waiting in the Middle Years zone can now wait comfortably in the Middle Years Undercover area. Therefore, please wait in the designated waiting areas of either the Piazza or the Middle Years Undercover area. We will place some signs to assist parents select the waiting area. Thank you for showing your care for our learning.
Take care and have a wonderful week
Ellaine Warner
Deputy Principal- Year 3
ewarn23@eq.edu.au
Learning in Year 4
We are mathematicians in Year 4! This term in Maths, we are exploring measurement and using scaled instructions such as thermometers, scales, rulers, measuring jugs and measuring tapes to measure and compare length, mass, capacity and temperature. It has been fabulous seeing students solving open-ended real-world problems, applying their knowledge to contextual problems. We remind our students that when solving mathematical problems, it is okay to be in the learning pit. We build our resilience, and this is when great learning can occur.
Some practical ways you can support your child at home...
- cooking together
- measuring your height or the length of a table
- measuring the temperature of a room, water or ear
- measuring the weight of someone, vegetables or fruits.
Collaborative Learning and Team Building in Year 4
It has been fabulous seeing collaborative learning in our Year 4 classrooms. When children are given the opportunity to actively collaborate with one another, we know that their engagement in learning increases. Take a look at our 4H super stars who were given the STEM challenge of building the strongest tower. It was fabulous hearing students encourage each other and listen to each other's ideas, working collaboratively to achieve great results.
Have a wonderful week
Danielle O'Brien
Deputy Principal- Year 4
dxobr0@eq.edu.au
Care for Learning in Italian
What I have really enjoyed over the last five weeks of the school year is how excited students have been to attend their Italian lessons! The benefits of learning a second language is well documented and include the positive effect on a child’s word awareness in English. Although I am excited by these positive impacts, what really excites me is the engagement of our students so far this year in Italian. I have had the pleasure of visiting classes and working with our fabulous Italian teachers – Ms Verster, Ms McEvoy and Ms Victor – and have observed the extensive opportunities students have had in collaborating with one another. Hearing students talk about their learning of Italian has been wonderful. I had the opportunity to hear from one Year 4 student last week who said that his last Italian lesson was “the best Italian lesson he has ever had”. Great work Squadra Italiana!
Martin Winney
Deputy Principal –Year 5
mwinn7@eq.edu.au
Hello from Mrs Crawshaw While Mr Mills is on leave for the last 6 weeks of this term, I have the privilege of acting as Deputy Principal for Year 6. This week I have enjoyed visiting classrooms and seeing our students so engaged in their learning. I am really looking forward to working closely with our Year 6 students, families and teachers.
Student Leadership
Last week it was a pleasure watching our Student Leaders receive their badges in front of our school community. Our leaders have made a great start to their leadership journey. On Monday the students ventured into Brisbane to attend the Halogen Leadership conference. They listened to national and community leaders and connected with other student leaders. They discussed and developed their own sense of what it means to be a good leader. Our student leaders are visiting classrooms across the school and celebrating the great achievements of each class each week. They collect the golden tickets from each class as part of this celebration. Each lunch time a collection of student leaders assist the teachers on duty and run clubs. They are building great connections across our school.
Have a super week
Emma Crawshaw
Acting Deputy Principal – Year 6
ewils209@eq.edu.au
Hub Display
This week in the Hub we have a special Museum display, highlighting the importance of being prepared for natural disasters. We even have a full stocked first aid kit. This is such a good reminder for all of us to think about how we might react in an emergency!
Accelerated Reader (AR)
We are so excited to see so many eager readers visiting the Hub to borrow their AR books. Don’t forget to bring your library bag to make sure our precious books are kept safe and dry. The Hub is open every morning from 8.15am and until 3pm every afternoon.
This week we also celebrated with Avery who reached her next goal of 2 million words! What an amazing start to the year Avery has had!
We look forward to welcoming lots more AR Millionaires as the year progresses!
Have a fantastic week
Suzette Holm, Jessica Rivett
shol0@eq.edu.au
Pine Rivers District Sporting Trials (10-12yr Old’s)
Pine Rivers District School Sport offers 10-12 Year old students the opportunity to compete at Metropolitan North trials and carnivals, with the possibility of selection into teams competing at State events. Students must be nominated by their school in order to attend a district trial or carnival.
Students who express an interest to trial can collect forms from our PE office. They will be given the Pine Rivers District forms and the relevant trial information. Completed district forms are to be returned to the PE office by the due date. Once the forms are collated, students will be nominated for the trial. Forms are then handed back to students and must then be taken to the coach/manager at the District Trials. Students will NOT be allowed to trial if district forms are not handed in completed. Unless specifically organised by the school, it is the parents’ responsibility to transport students to and from district trials.
Most Pine Rivers District trials are limited to students turning 11 or 12 years of age and who are considered at a high level in the sport e.g. Div. 1 or A Grade. Cross Country, Athletics and Swimming trials however are open for students turning 10, 11 and 12 years of age. Sports that students are able to trial for include the following.
- AFL
- Basketball
- Cricket
- Football (Soccer)
- Golf
- Hockey
- Netball
- Rugby League
- Rugby Union
- Softball
- Squash
- Tennis
- Touch
- Triathlon.
Mango Hill can normally nominate up to three students for each district sport trial. If more than three students wish to be nominated Mango Hill will select the three best candidates for the trial. The selection of these students may be either based on past performances/current club form or through a selection trial at school.
If you are interested in your child trialling for Pine Rivers District more information can be obtained from the Mango Hill State School newsletter, with regular trial updates listed. You can also contact Mr Nick Hills - nhill96@eq.edu.au (MHSS PE Teacher) so he is aware of your intention to attend the trial.
MHSS Cross Country (Year Prep-6)
All students from Years Prep to 6 will be competing in the 2023 MHSS Cross Country Race. This is completed in the morning and or middle session of school with students competing in a long-distance race with their age group peers. More information regarding the Cross Country will be available later in the term. Dates are:
- Year Prep-2: Thursday Week 9 - 23 March
- Year 3-6: Friday Week 9 – 24 March
AFLQ Schools Cup Trials
Please see the information below regarding the AFLQ Schools Cup trials for students in Year 4-6.
Pine Rivers District Swimming Results
Mango Hill competed in the Pine Rivers Swimming Carnival last Wednesday at Lawton Swimming Pool. 7 students aged 10-12 years competed as part of the Mango Hill State School team. Students competed in various stroke events ranging from 50m to 200m. While some of our swimmers only competed in 1 or 2 races we had others competing in up to 8 races on the day.
Overall, Mango Hill had some amazing success. From our 7 swimmers, 5 were selected in the Pine Rivers District Swimming Team to compete at the Metropolitan North Swimming Trials. Congratulations to the following students on selection:
- Matthew B – 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 200m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly, 100m Backstroke
- Amelia D – 50m Butterfly, 50m Breaststroke
- Ariella D – 50m Butterfly, 50m Breaststroke, 50m Backstroke, 50m Freestyle
- Lachlan M - 50m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, 100m Freestyle, 200m Individual Medley, 50m Backstroke, 50m Breaststroke, 200m Freestyle
- Brooklyn R – 50m Butterfly, 50m Breaststroke, 50m Backstroke
We wish you all the best at the upcoming Met North Regional Trials held at the Sleeman Sports Complex next Monday.
Some other notable efforts were Hyunjun Cho, who only missed selection in the Pine Rivers team by one place and Leah Olckers, who both swam fantastically! All students should be proud of their results, their sportsmanship and conduct during events was wonderful.
2023 AFLQ Schools Cup Trial Information
The AFLQ Schools Cup is a statewide AFL competition amongst primary schools, with Mango Hill competing initially in the Brisbane North Regional playoffs. AFL QLD coordinates the competition with all matches played under the Laws of the game promulgated by the AFL.
In 2023, Mango Hill State School will again be entering a Primary Boys and Primary Girls team in the AFLQ Schools Cup competition. These teams are open for all students from Year 4-6. The Brisbane North Regional Playoff date will be in Term 2.
Trials
Trials for these two teams will be conducted via lunchtime AFL Clubs on Thursday week 5 and 6, at 2nd break on the MHSS Oval. There will also be an afterschool trial at 3.00pm-4.00pm on Tuesday 21 February (wk. 5). Attendance at either the AFL Club or afternoon trial will help your child gain selection in our initial training squad. A final team to attend the AFLQ Schools Cup day will be selected later in Term 1.
Students interested in trialing can add their name to the signup sheet which is located on the PE notice board in M Block (in front of PE office).
Equipment/Uniform
If selected, a Mango Hill State School AFL jersey, shorts and socks will be provided for competition days at no cost. Students will need to provide their own protective equipment (mouthguard) and will require football boots (no metal tags).
Training
If selected in the team, there is an expectation that students commit to attending AFL training, which will be held Thursday afternoon 3.00pm-4.00pm and during AFL Club lunch breaks.
Costs:
There are no initial costs associated with the competition. If teams progress further in the competition travel and playing costs may apply.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact team manager Nick Hills (nhill96@eq.edu.au).
Mr Hills & Mr Newell, Miss Richards and Mr Lisha
Physical Education Teachers
PCYC Update
The PCYC students had lots of fun this week using the school's outdoor facilities.
Opening Hours
Monday - 8:00am-10:30am
Wednesday 1:30pm-4:00pm
Thursday 1:30pm-4:00pm
Friday 8:00am-10:30am
With some exciting school events coming up - is your uniform ready? School photos are happening in March and all students are expected to wear formal uniform. Now would be the time to try it on, make sure it fits, and pop in to see us if it needs some sprucing up, or you need the next size up.
Cross country is also on the way! Students are expected to have the inside lining of their hat match the house they are allocated to, Flynn is blue, Walker is orange, and Barton is green. On cross country day the hats get turned inside out for a wonderful wave of colour so all students match the house they're in. We are still waiting on our Barton hat delivery, we will get them out to everyone who has one on order as soon as they arrive.
We also offer online orders. Orders can be placed through our website any time at www.wearitto.com.au/schools/mango-hill-state-school
Orders are packed through the uniform shop during our opening hours and an email is sent to let you know when your order is ready to be picked up, or, if you'd like your student to bring the uniforms home with them, email us at mangohill@wearitto.com.au with your student's name and class name and we can get it to them.
Mango Hill State School - Schools - Wearitto
Wearitto delivers high quality uniforms in a way that makes things easy for schools and parents. We create clothing for school, work and play.
