Term 1 Week 6 2023

Safe and Supportive School Environment

At Mango Hill SS we are committed to providing a safe and supportive school environment.  We explicitly teach students how to follow rules, get along with others, look after their mental health, manage disagreements and conflicts using the High 5 and we provide a large number of wellbeing strategies and positive play options. 

At Team Mango we have been working hard to challenge the status quo and to learn from evidence the best ways to teach students to self- regulate. Some of the terms you may hear us refer to include the following.

• Consistent Predictable Adults: Our moral imperative is to help students manage their emotions. To do this we need to be able to self-regulate ourselves so we have the capacity to co-regulate with our students. We need to lend our calm rather than join the chaos they may be feeling. They mirror us and a calm response will assist them to de-escalate and begin to regulate their emotions.
• Consistent Predictable Routines help create a sense of security, safety and belonging through establishing clear expectations. We can have clear routines for entering a classroom, routines for when students are in a room, exiting a room, transition routines, fun routines (like Ready to Learn Breaks) and routines for when we or our students are not ready to teach or learn.
• Unconditional Positive Regard means every day is a new day. When our students walk into our school we see them as a whole person and separate the student from their behaviour. Each of our students deserve to hear their name said with kindness and care every day.

Some students need additional support to manage their behaviour. This may be due to anxiety, health needs or many other factors.  This year we will continue to focus on high standards of behaviour while providing appropriate adjustments and support to students who require a differentiated approach. We are excited by the wellbeing strategies we have been learning through the Berry Street Education Model PD and further strategies to build regulation in students.

ALL students benefit from learning strategies for their social and mental wellbeing and our staff have been using a range of strategies to support students. One strategy we use frequently are Ready to Learn (R2L) breaks. These are student-centred, short-burst, regulatory activities that support students to ready the brain for learning. These breaks may be energy-up breaks with movement and action; or a calm-down break like meditation and breathing to de-escalate the energy.

We look forward to working in partnership with parents and students to build a safe and supportive environment helping every student learn to manage their big emotions and develop tools for self-regulation. Look at these students engaged in R2L activities!

Let’s work together!

I would like to thank the vast majority of parents and carers who show consideration and courtesy toward each other in the carpark and surrounding areas. We understand the frustration of congestion, however it is vital that we all work together to ensure students are safe.

Our Safe School Travel Committee met again yesterday and celebrated the achievements to date. We also discussed next steps. Special thanks to Cr Shipway and the team from MBRC, The Office of Steven Miles, TMR, Translink, our P & C President and DoE representatives who are all supporting our school and community to improve the safe travel options for students.

We are currently focused on ensuring the infrastructure is in place to promote active travel. The vast majority of students and families live close enough to utilise active travel options and we are working with MBRC and TMR to ensure the facilities and crossing supervisors are best placed to promote safe and active travel.

A few ways that you can help include the following.

• Please be considerate of neighbours and do not park across their driveway or on footpaths or block the path to and from their home.
• Stick to the speed limit around the school and keep an eye out for children.
• Leave disabled car spaces for those with permits.
• Only pick up or drop off in appropriate places. Stopping and dropping in the middle of the carpark is dangerous for children and inconsiderate of others. Why would you put your child at this risk when there is a designated drop off zone? Is it worth the risk?
• Discuss the route your child will be taking if they travel actively. Please discourage crossing at Topaz Drive. It is best that students use the crossings where there are supervisors to assist them. At the back of the school, students should not be crossing the road near the roundabout. Help your child plan the safest route if using active travel!

I appreciate your continued support as we focus on safe travel for all students.

Helping our Planet!

Our Year 5 and 6 students are about to embark on a push to recycle containers within our school. Once they are underway we will extend this down to P-Year 4 classes in the coming months and play our part in helping recycle.

You can also help! If you take containers to a ‘Containers for Change” collection point, you can choose to donate this money to the P & C who have traditionally given this money back to our Eco-warriors for further projects to enhance the environment and address sustainability concerns. Please consider donating to the Mango Hill State School Parents and Citizen Association - Active Account: C10139236. 

Have a wonderful week 
Tracy Egan 
Principal
tegan4@eq.edu.au

In maths, we’re learning to partition numbers in different ways. Partition is a maths word for “break into parts”. When we can think flexibly about a number, we deeply understand the value of that number.
So… 56 is 5 tens and 6 ones.
56 is also:
10 10 20 10 6
16 10 10 10 10
26 30 40 10 6

 When we can quickly and fluidly break up numbers into parts, we are learning the true value of that number. We are also learning to add and what’s more or what’s less.

And if we can do this with numbers to 100, then we are in the very best place to build our mathematical understanding for when the numbers get bigger!

How can you support us at home? By helping us to practise counting in all the different ways! If we are confident with counting and we can count in 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s it helps us to be super efficient when we’re working with numbers. We are also often “right” the first time and don’t have to recount because we mistrust our count.

Take a look at students in 1R breaking numbers into parts!

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 2^nd 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).