Term 4 Week 3 2020
- Principal's News by Tracy Egan
- Whole School News
- Prep News by Melinda White
- Year 1 and Year 2 News by Gabrielle Douglas
- Year 3 and Year 4 News by Michelle Alcorn
- Year 5 and Year 6 News by Martin Winney
- Inclusive Learning News by Ellaine Warner
- Curriculum News
- Sporting News By Nick Hills
- News From our Partners
Focus on quality teaching and learning
Our leadership team continues to focus our time and energy on monitoring student progress and supporting our teachers to be their best. We are so very fortunate to have teachers who strive to keep getting better and learn from research and in collaboration with knowledgeable others.
Recently I have visited a number of classrooms with Deputy Principals and Heads of Department. At these visits, we ask students a series of questions to determine their understanding of the learning expected and to see if they are clear about the learning intentions, success criteria and their next steps for improvement. The leadership team then collaborate to identify how we are tracking and areas we need to develop further with our staff.
It is such a pleasure to talk with students, see their learning and celebrate their success!
School Photos next week
A reminder that next Tuesday and Thursday we have our annual school photos. All students should have received an envelope which they should bring on the day of their photo. If you would like to arrange a sibling photo, please collect an envelope from the office. Siblings should then come to the hall together with their envelope between 8:00am-8:30am on either Tuesday or Thursday for this photo.
Photos will be back before the end of the school year.
The timetable is below.
Have a wonderful week
Tracy
tegan4@eq.edu.au
Focus of the Week
This week, teachers have been following up our Care Class lesson from Week 2 regarding Sun and Water Safety.
Sun and Water Safety is part of Caring for Self.
In care classes, students learned about:
- wearing a hat and sunscreen when outside to play
- staying undercover if not wearing a hat
- wearing sun safe clothes and shoes all the time
- drinking enough water.
Some of the things that were discussed about water safety were:
- be safe around water at beaches, rivers and pools
- swim between the flags at the beach
- always be supervised by an adult.
For further beach safety information here is the link to lifesaving Australia:
https://www.lifesaving.com.au/safetyinfo
Have a great week
Peta and Kara
Student of the Week
Using our Knowlwdge of Books in Prep
We are in the thick of our writing unit of work for this term! We are using our knowledge of books to write something new that could happen next in the story. We’ve been having lots of fun writing new events for the story Harry the Dirty Dog. We are looking for our students to use feeling words, capital letters, full stops and to add new events to the narrative.
Take a look at some of our written work. Some of these pictures show our writing at the start of the semester and then now. Our improvements are so exciting to see!
Have a happy week
Melinda
mwhit37@eq.edu.au
Developing Independence
Term 4 is a great time of the year to really promote students developing independence. You can help your little people develop this by:
- Having them make choices about what is packed for lunches – encourage them to participate in the making.
- Ensuring that your child packs and carries their own bag (a visual of what to put in the bag may help). This could include swimming items on swimming day.
- Encouraging your child to unpack their own belongings when they home from school.
- Prompting to encourage your child to place homework in their bag on the correct day.
This will give them a great start to transitioning to Year 2 or 3 and help make them feel like they have more control of their belongings and actions.
Focus on the Learning - Maths Learning Goals
The students have been introduced to the learning around their Maths goals this term. It has been exciting to visit the Year 1 and 2 classrooms to see how the children are working towards their goals.
In Year 1 the students’ first Maths goal for term 4 is: I can identify representations of one half. Students are learning to represent one half of a shape and a collection by using hands on materials to physically break items into half as well as using counters and other manipulatives to make collections and split into two equal parts representing a half. The students are now also working on being able to justify why they have two halves of a collection. It is great to see them using their reasoning skills to justify. Maybe you could encourage this discussion about halves at home?
The Year 2 students are working on their first Maths goals for this term: I can count and order small collections of Australian coins and notes according to their value. This learning has involved heaps of hands on use of money, both to count amounts using their knowledge of skip counting as an efficient strategy and to use these amounts to evaluate more and less amounts. The students have been excited about this learning, as the teachers are explicitly able to link it to their real life experiences. This of course is becoming more of a challenge with the reliance on card transactions and pay waves however, all would agree such important math concepts for all children to understand and with which to become fluent. I would encourage you to ask your children to show you what they already know about notes and coins at home!
Have a great week!
Gabrielle
gdoug7@eq.edu.au
Sharing Thinking in 3B
Every student in Ms Blacks' class this week shared their thinking about how to create the most descriptive and captivating noun and verb groups to be used in their poetry writing. With images up on the big screen and music playing students moved around the classroom engaging in a Chalk and Talk Thinking Routine. Ms Black used this routine in her classroom as a way for every child to make their thinking visible. It is a great way for students to generate ideas together and grow on one another's ideas as the gain confidence from reading what their peers had written. It was lovely to not only see how engaged the students were, but how creative their noun and verb groups were to match the setting and mood of the poem!
Well done 3B.
Have a great week
Michelle
malco14@eq.edu.au
Care for Learning in Year 5 and 6
This week I had the opportunity to observe some great work in Year 6 as they continued their work on their shared reading task. I observed students and teacher co-constructing success criteria taken from our shared reading scale. Students collaboratively deconstructed diary entries to synthesize ideas from various parts of the book to describe a character’s traits. It was great seeing students use a range of collaborative structures to talk out their thinking and make meaning. It was also great seeing students so engaged in reading, particularly during Bookweek.
Transition to Secondary School
On Wednesday 26 October at 5:30pm in the administration block, myself and members of the Mango Hill State Secondary College will be facilitating a parent forum to get the thoughts of families as they approach their child transitioning to secondary school. I would like to invite any parent of a child currently in Year 6 to attend. We will be discussing the current transition program and look to improve the support we offer our students as their enter they next phase of learning.
This term we have a range of transition days at local secondary schools. These schools will provide further information directly to families in the near future. However please be aware of the following dates. These events are for students enrolled at the relevant schools.
- Murrumba State Secondary College is running academy transition days from the Monday 23 November to Thursday 26 November – depending on which academy a student is in.
- Murrumba State Secondary College is running a full transition day on the Monday 30 November
- Mango Hill State Secondary College is running a full transition day on the Monday 23 November.
Year 6 Graduation – Election Day BBQ
Thank you to all of the families who have contacted me to lend their support to the fundraising for Graduation. A reminder, that if you wish to assist, there are multiple opportunities for you to donate money, goods or your time. All help is appreciated and will go to funding the Year 6 Graduation. This opportunities include:
- volunteering at the Queensland Election Day on Saturday 31 October from 8:00am-2:00pm. I will be sending a roster at the end of this week
- baking goods (please include a list of ingredients) that can be sold as small goods on Election Day. As well as donating cans of soft drink to be sold at the canteen on the day. Please bring the baked goods to the school the day before and drinks can be donated to the office at any time
- donating goods to your child’s class hamper which will be raffled off on Election Day
- buying and selling raffle ticks to go into the draw to win a class hamper.
Have a good week
Martin
mwinn7@eq.edu.au
Dyslexia Awareness Month
This month is Dyslexia Awareness Month. Dyslexia is:
- a neurological condition
- most commonly characterised by difficulties with learning to read, write and spell
- occurs at all levels of intelligence from average up to highly gifted.
Dyslexia is NOT:
- a condition that has a quick fix or can be cured
- due to a lack of effort or laziness
- a visual problem.
People with dyslexia often have unique abilities in thinking outside the square and being creative. With the right adjustments and intervention, students with Dyslexia can learn to read, write and spell successfully. For more information, visit the following websites:
https://dyslexiaassociation.org.au/
Take care
Ellaine
ewarn23@eq.edu.au
Celebrating Books
This week is a special one for all of those who love books and libraries. On Tuesday we celebrate School Library Day and all week we have been celebrating Book Week. In the Hub we have a special display of all of the short-listed and winning Book Week books. There are some super titles so pop on down to have a look. We love seeing all of the students dressing up as their favourite book characters, and even more we love seeing their joy when they find a new book to read. The Hub is open every morning from 8.15 and until 3pm every afternoon, as well as lunchtime clubs at every first break… plenty of time to find your next book.
Accelerated Reader
This week we also congratulate two of our eager readers from Year 6. Recently Axel reached one million words in Accelerated Reader after working hard in the last few months to achieve his goal. This week also saw Arman reach 6 million words. This is an outstanding acheivement and such a great example of what consistent reading and persistence can achieve. We are very excited to add photos of both Arman and Axel to our special AR display. Congratulations!
Have a good week
Suzette
shol0@eq.edu.au
MHSS Swimming Carnival Information: Years 3-6
Due to the increase in student numbers at MHSS, our traditional swimming carnival which was held for all year 3-6 students on one day was becoming unmanageable. Our goal is to ensure all students can participate in a variety of swimming races and have an enjoyable day with their peers. With the increase in numbers, this was becoming more and more difficult with the limited time students were getting in the water and the time pressure placed on MHSS staff.
In 2020, we have made the decision to split our carnival over 2 days. Students in Years 3-6 who are turning 8 and 9 years old in 2020 (Born 2012 and 2011) will compete on the first day, which will be Friday 20 November (Week 7). Students in Years 3-6 turning 10, 11 and 12 years old in 2020 (Born 2010, 2009 and 2008) will compete on a second day, which will be Friday 27 November (Week 8).
Students compete at sporting events, including at representative levels, in age groups, not in year levels. Therefore, our carnival days run to align with this process.
Below is the initial parent information for both days. Students will receive more information at school in the coming weeks. This will include a permission and race nomination form, which will need to be returned for your son/daughter to attend. There is no cost for parents associated with the swimming carnival days.
Spectators – Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are unsure at this stage if parents and spectators will be able to attend our two carnival days. There are COVID Safe Plans from Education QLD as well as the Deception Bay Aquatic Centre that we will be required to follow. As these plans can change quite regularly, a decision on parents and spectators will be made closer to the carnival dates.
Sporting Schools for Term 4
Metropolitan North Softball Success for Jordyn
Mango Hill SS had a representative, Jordyn from Year 6, in the u12 Met North Regional Softball Team who competed at the QLD State Softball Championships earlier this term. This is an extremely high level of competition with Jordyn playing with and against the best Softball players in the state over a 4-day tournament.
Jordyn had a successful competition playing as the team short stop, 2nd base and then team catcher. We are extremely pleased to announce that Jordyn’s Met North team placed 2nd overall in the competition which earnt her a stunning 2nd place silver medallion. The MHSS community is very proud of your efforts Jordyn!
Have a great week
Nick
nhill96@eq.edu.au
P&C Meeting Minutes
Helping Hands Update
Canteen News