Term 4 Week 2 2022
- Principal's News by Tracy Egan
- Team Mango We All Belong!
- Prep News by Melinda White
- Year 1 News by Kylie Vaughan
- Year 2 News by Ellaine Warner
- Year 3 News by Michelle Alcorn
- Year 4 News by Ben Mills
- Year 5 and Year 6 News by Martin Winney
- Curriculum News by Suzette Holm and Jessica Rivett
- Sporting News by The PE Department
- News from our Partners
- Community News
Excellence Awards
Semester 2 Awards
We have a number of awards that will be presented at the end of Semester including the Principal Excellence Award, the Academic Excellence Award and the Deputy Principal Encouragement Award. The criteria for these awards are attached below.
Gold Badge Awards (Year 3-6)
At the end of each year, students in Year 3-6 can apply for a gold badge for academic, sport and/or cultural excellence. Students should read the nomination form (below) and apply for one or more badges if they wish to. Students who meet the criteria will be awarded a Gold Badge. Nominations are due no later than next Friday 21 October.
Year 6 Awards
Students in Year 6 may also be considered for some of the special awards. Further details below in Mr Winney’s section.
Award Ceremonies
The Year 1-6 Award ceremonies for Semester 2 are scheduled for the following days and times. Parents are invited to join us!
- Year 1 Monday 5 December at 8.30am
- Year 2 Wednesday 7 December at 8.30am
- Year 3 Tuesday 6 December at 8.40am
- Year 4 Monday 5 December at 9.30am
- Year 5 Tuesday 6 December at 9.40am
- Year 6 Wednesday 7 December at 9.30am
World Class Facilities
It is exciting to see our senior area reach completion with the opening of the additional mini soccer field and senior playground. Year 3-6 students were very excited to utilise this space over the past few days!
Our Junior playground is about two weeks away from completion. We cannot wait to open up the entire space and provide multiple positive play options and spaces.
The pathway joining the Bonnet Parade Park to Kinsellas Road East is making good progress. This area will also have an additional bike enclosure and will provide a direct and safe route from Capestone into the school. It will also provide a pathway to link the high school students to Kinsellas Road East without having to cut through our school. We look forward to this project being completed for the 2023 school year!
Team Mango – We all Belong
Our annual MHSS Diversity Day will be celebrated at face to face sector parades and followed up with Diwali activities in Care Class on Friday 21 October. Our community values and embraces diversity and one of the ways we celebrate this is through our annual Diversity Day parade. Class teachers will be leading Diwali activities in Care Class and will be seeking parent volunteers to assist. If you are available to volunteer, please get in touch with your child’s or children’s class teachers.
Our Diversity Day parade will commence at the following times.
8.30 am: Prep and Year 1
9.15 am: Year 2 and Year 3
10.00 am: Year 5 and Year 6
Our Year 4 students will be on camp, however any Year 4 students at school should attend with the class they are allocated to on that Friday. All parents are welcome to attend one of the parade times.
Students and parents who are from a cultural background with a traditional cultural dress are welcome to wear traditional cultural dress. All other students should wear formal school uniform for this parade. Whilst this means that not all students will be in traditional cultural dress themselves, all students share in the enjoyment of seeing some of their friends, teachers and other community members in their cultural dress. In alignment with our Term 4 theme of respect, we ask students not to attend in dress up or soccer kits etc.
This week has seen Team Mango recognised by the Queensland Education Committee as part of the Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools.
Winning the award for Excellence in School Leadership was our very own Tracy Egan. This is such a well-deserved award celebrating Tracy’s role in successfully leading and shaping Team Mango. Congratulations Tracy!
The North Coast Cluster of Schools that Mango Hill State School is a part of also won an award for Excellence in the Early and Primary Years. This is an acknowledgement of the great work our teachers and leaders do as part of Team Mango but also as part of the wider team of schools within the North Coast Region.
Focus of the Week
The Care Class focus that will be delivered this Friday is ‘Sun and Water Safety”. We will be consolidating this focus throughout next week.
Summer is here so it’s a great time to remind students about sun safety and the five S’s of summer- slip, slop, slap, seek and slide. Most of us know we need to slip on sun-protective clothing, slop on SPF30 (or higher) broad spectrum water-resistant sunscreens, slap on a broad-brimmed hat, seek shade during peak UV exposure times and slide on sunglasses. It’s important to also be aware of heat related illness, and be sure to ‘sip’ hydrating fluids to prevent dehydration.
Students will also be learning about how to be safe around water. They will discuss key areas include.
- play and walk safely around and in water
- let adults know where you are
- be supervised or in a safe area.
A great catchy tune for kids to remember can be found on the following link:
Maths in Prep
In Maths this term we are diving into addition and subtraction. This seems easy to parents because when we were at school we just learned sums off by heart and then tried to apply them when we saw the question that we knew the answer to!
What we now know about mathematics is that learning all those rules and rote learning how to do everything, doesn’t make us clever at thinking like mathematicians. Some of us made the leap because thinking like a mathematician came naturally to us. Others (like me!) were brilliant at primary school maths where I could memorise all the things and regurgitate all the answers… but fell apart when that wasn’t possible anymore in the high school years because the concepts were too complex.
Now that we know this, we think like mathematicians, right from the start!
So in our Prep classrooms, we are learning to show addition and subtraction in different ways. We need that deep understanding of what it means to add and what it means to take away, so that when the concepts in Year 1 and beyond become more tricky, we have this solid foundation to help us. We use lots of concrete materials because using concrete materials helps us to understand the abstract. Then we learn how to represent our thinking using pencils and paper.
The Dos and Don’ts of helping at home include…
- Do practise counting using objects; as one to one correspondence is key.
- Do practise writing digits the right way around and finding the corresponding sight word that matches the digit.
- Do give us think time. Sometimes we can work it out… if you let us have some think time!
- Don’t practise the regurgitation of answers too much.
- Don’t take away the materials and the objects; we actually need these far longer than you think!
In other brilliant news, it seems we haven’t lost too many pairs of underpants so far across our two lessons of swimming. Our Preps are taking responsibility for their own belongings and working hard to change themselves and to remember to put all of their belongings where they need to go. We can track how well they are doing this, by counting how many pairs of lost underpants and socks we find at the end of a swimming day? So far, we’re doing well!
Deputy Principal - Prep
mwhit37@eq.edu.au
Exploring Money in Year 1
This term the Year 1s are exploring money. They are learning to recognise each of the Australian coins, order them according to their value and to count them.
One of the ways our students are learning about the value of coins is to make them using different materials. By doing this, students can soon see that despite being one of the smallest coins, $2 is actually 200c and worth the most. Look at some of the great ways the children have been representing the value of the coins.
There are lots of ways you can help your child develop their confidence with money and coins.
- Allow your child to play with money at home. Give them an opportunity to explore the coins in their money box.
- Do a coin rubbing by placing a coin under a piece of paper and rub a crayon over the top. Talk to your child about what animals they see and who is on the back of each of the coins.
- Allow your child to pay for items at the shop. Show them the coins you are using to pay for items.
- Count pocket money and money in your child’s money box. Talk about which coins could be traded in for a coin of the same value (e.g. 4 x 5c coins could be traded for 1 x 20c).
Respect
This term our classes will be focusing on teaching about respect and acknowledging students who demonstrate this value both in the classroom and the playground. Look at this great thinking from 1H where the students drew pictures to show all the ways they demonstrate our Mango Hill value of respect.
Celebrating Diversity
On Friday 21 October we will be celebrating Diversity Day and Diwali. Children from different cultural backgrounds are invited to come to school dressed in their traditional dress. We look forward to celebrating at our P-2 parade that will be held at 8:30am in Gigum Hall.
Learning in Year 2
Thank you to all parents who have attended meetings with their child’s teacher over the past few weeks. Our partnership with each and every one of our parents is valued by us. We know that students achieve best when we are build and sustain strong partnerships. This week, in recognition of Queensland Mental Health Week, I want to highlight the learning students do in Connection at school. We teach students about wellbeing every day through our Behaviour and Wellbeing universal actions and weekly through our Care Class lessons. Our school focus “Deepen Connection and Clarity by design” signals the balance we value between Connection and Clarity – recognising that student wellbeing and student learning go hand in hand and are embedded in each other. By design means that we take deliberate actions to support and promote both Connection and Clarity.
Swimming in Year 2
It’s official. Year 2 loves swimming. This continues this Thursday and then each week until Thursday of Week 6 (10 November). Check out the action in the attached photos!
Special events
We have a number of events to add to your calendar for the next few weeks.
- Jump rope for Heart – Year 2 students have a special incursion on this Friday when students from another school are demonstrating their skipping skills and drills for us at 9:00 am in Gigum Hall.
- Diversity Day parade – Students in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 will come together in Gigum Hall at 8:30 am Friday 21 October for this special annual parade celebrating cultural diversity.
- Italian Gelati Experience for Year 2 students – we are all looking forward to this incursion held over 26 and 27 October.
- Day for Daniel – students wear red on Day for Daniel and donate a gold coin.
Attendance
It is so important for your child to attend school as much as possible. We understand that there are times when students are unwell or on family visits etc. However, if you are having difficulty getting your child to school for other reasons, we want to support you. Please let your child’s teacher know of any concerns so we can work together to maximise your child’s attendance.
Take care and have a wonderful week
Ellaine Warner
Deputy Principal- Year 2
ewarn23@eq.edu.au
Let's go shopping!
This term, the children in Year 3 are learning about calculating change along with understanding and comparing money values. They are learning to count money values and solve multi-step problems which involves representing the answer using the least amount of notes and coins.
Look at these superstars in 3M who are making their thinking visible, by showing how they can solve multi-step problems by pretending to go shopping at the tuckshop and calculating how much change they would be given in return.
There are lots of different ways you can promote this learning at home.
- Look for opportunities to talk about money in everyday situations. For example, you might say, ‘You earned $20 pocket money this week. If you spend $2 on a treat and buy a toy car for $6, how much change will you have? What will that look like? Is there another way to show that total?
- Have them count loose coins.
- Real world opportunities are the best opportunities. Seek those incidental moments to get them talking about money and calculating money when you are out and about doing your weekly shop.
Have a great week
Michelle Alcorn
Deputy Principal- Year 3
malco14@eq.edu.au
A new space to play
This week there was great excitement at our new senior playground opening up. Year 4 students love having the opportunity to play in this space every 2nd break each day. I’ve been really impressed by the way they follow the Four Cares as they take turns, play safely and look after the new equipment. I am sure there will be lots of fun experiences had in this new area over the remainder of the year.
Camp at Runaway Bay
Camp is just 1 week away now and the Year 4 students are very excited! Teachers are doing lots of work with their classes to help prepare them for what to expect while we are away. If you haven’t started yet, we recommend you begin getting everything organised to start the packing process this week.
Deepening connection in Year 4
Our staff work incredibly hard to not only support our students to achieve excellence in learning, but to also support student wellbeing. There are a range of ways in which actively ensure this is done across our school. I saw some examples of this during the week in Year 4, with classes doing Circle Time, learning about the Term 4 theme of Respect, and connecting with each other during learning time to support and encourage.
What an honour it is to be a part of Team Mango!
Have a super week
Ben Mills
Deputy Principal – Year 4
bxmil3@eq.edu.au
Care for Learning in Years 5 and 6
What an amazing start week 1 was to our final term. It was great getting into classrooms to observe the work teachers and students are doing in deconstructing the purpose of their classes’ new writing unit and then co-constructing their Bump-It-Up Wall. I had the opportunity to visit 6H and observed students collaboratively discuss the Year 6 writing unit purpose and reword it into their own language. This helped students develop a deep understanding of what is ultimately required of them. I loved observing students in 5I participate in a similar activity in which students used a Jot Thoughts thinking routine and collaboratively discussed the Year 5 writing unit purpose. In 6V it was great observing students utilise a different part of the scale and act as detectives and find evidence of four and three star elements in the writing exemplar. Students then swapped groups and taught others about what they found. All of this work then went on to the Bump-It-Up Wall. Well done Year 5 and 6!
Year 6 Awards (document attached)
Each year we recognise the contributions our Year 6 students have made to Mango Hill State School through a series of special awards. These awards includethe following.
- The Petrie Shield sponsored by the Office of Luke Howarth
- The Lions’ Award for Growth Mindset sponsored by the Lions Association
- The Innovation Award sponsored by the Office of Steven Miles
- The Axel Baiju Teamwork Award sponsored by the Moreton Bay Regional Council
Attached is a summary of each award. Please discuss with your child the type of behaviour and achievements that they need to commit to in order for them to be positioned to receive an award. We look forward in celebrating the achievements of our future recipients at the Year 6 Awards Ceremony later in the term.
Martin Winney
Deputy Principal –Year 5 & 6
mwinn7@eq.edu.au
Scholastic Book Club
This week we have distributed the latest Scholastic Book Club brochures to all of our students. Book Club is a great opportunity to purchase some new books as well as help our school. For every book purchased, we receive a contribution towards the school library fund. This means we are able to purchase some more books for our Hub collection. Your support is greatly appreciated.
We only accept online orders (i.e. cash orders are not possible) and all orders must be finalised by 20 October.
Once the book orders are received back at school we will be needing several willing volunteers to help us deliver the books to the correct classes. If you have a few hours to spare to help with this task, please email Suzette (shol0@eq.edu.au) and we will be able to find a time that suits.
Accelerated Reader Millionaires
Over the last week we have had a flurry of AR Millionaires reach their goals. How fabulous to see that these eager readers were super busy over the holidays and have now had time to complete some quizzes to boost up their word count.
Congratulations to Jesani and Jack who both reached their 1 million goals! This is a fabulous milestone and shows what commitment and persistence can achieve.
This week Rocco also reached 2 million words and Amaan reached 4 million. We were very excited for both these boys whose smiles show how proud they are of their efforts!
We are very proud of all of these students and have added their photos to our special AR display in the Hub. Pop on down and have a look at the photos of Jesani, Jack, Rocco and Amaan – super work!
Learning in English
This term our students from Prep to Year 6 will be busy continuing to develop their understandings in English. For all year levels this means building on their reading and writing skills. It is always with great joy that we watch students by Term 4 really start to develop their writing skills. In Prep, students will be working on persistence in writing as they retell a whole narrative. In Year 1 and Year 2 students will apply their own ideas as they create some original narratives – complete with problems and resolutions. In Year 3 students will try their hand at writing poetry and in Year 4 they will have a first turn at writing an argument. In Year 5 students are learning how to persuade others with an analysis of ‘Storm Boy’ and in Year 6 students will write diary entries that convey a particular place and time.
For all of these writing tasks students need good ideas and an opportunity to draft, edit and rewrite if necessary. We can help students build their confidence and resilience with writing by encouraging them to write at home too. Perhaps there are some family members or friends who would love a letter, a postcard or a lengthy email? Why not encourage your children to write their own stories, songs or even a film script? The more we write the better we get, and maybe there are even a couple of future authors in our midst!
Premier’s Reading Challenge
This week we received back our certificates from the Premier for all those students who participated in the 2022 Premier’s Reading Challenge. The certificates will be distributed this week. Congratulations to all of those students who participated and joined in with the other 900 schools who have been busily reading this year. Don’t forget to continue reading throughout the term!
Have a fantastic week
Suzette Holm and Jessica Rivett
shol0@eq.edu.au
A reminder of our big dates this term in PE.
Big PE Dates in Term 4
- 1 December (Thursday, Wk 9) – MHSS Swimming Carnival (8-9yrs)
- 2 December (Friday, Wk 9) – MHSS Swimming Carnival (10-12yrs)
Clinics and Extra-Curricular Opportunities
In term 4 we are lucky to have several class clinics and after school extra-curricular sporting opportunities for students. Please keep an eye out in the coming weeks for more information. This will include the following.
- Brisbane Roar Soccer Program (see below flyer)
- AFL QLD Auskick Program (paid after school program, see below)
- 3-4 AFL Training Program (free after school program, see below)
AFL Auskick Program
NAB AFL Auskick is a fun fill program for kids age between 5- 12 yrs. In weekly sessions kids will explore the world of AFL, building football skills and playing in a safe and super fun setting.
2022 Term 4 NAB AFL Auskick at Mango Hill SS
Day: Wednesday
Time: 3.05pm - 4.05pm
Session Duration: 60 minutes
Program Length: 6 weeks
Start Date: Wednesday 19 October (Week 3)
End Date: Wednesday 23 November (Week 8)
Cost: $80 direct from participant to AFL Queensland
Benefits: Football, backpack, footy cards and more provided to participant at program
Sign up information was sent home with students last week at school. If you require more information please contact AFLQ participations and programs officer Madi-Crawley-Long (madison.crowley-long@afl.com.au)
Yr. 3-4 AFL Training Program
At Mango Hill State School, we have a program for students in Year 4-6 called the “AFLQ Schools Cup”. Each year a MHSS AFL boys and a girl’s team is selected with students completing training at school and then playing in the AFLQ Schools Cup competition throughout the year.
In Term 4 we will be running an optional afterschool 5-week training program for year 3 and 4 students to develop the skills (punting, handballing, marking….) as well as AFL game rules and awareness to prepare then for the competition trials next year. While some students have been selected by the PE team to attend and already have forms, this program is open to any interested students in Yr. 3-4.
Dates/Times: Tuesdays 3.00pm-4.00pm (25 Oct, 1, 8, 15, 22 Nov)
Venue: MHSS Oval
Supervision/Pick Up: Students will be supervised by MHSS staff during the training time. Students will then be dismissed from the oval at 4.00pm. Please make necessary arrangements for your son/daughter to get home/be picked up.
Cost: Nil
Forms: If your son/daughter is interested, a permission form needs to be collected from Mr Hills in the PE Office and returned prior to the first session.
Activity Risk: Medium - Students will be playing a modified game of AFL (touch). Mouthguards are not compulsory for AFL training sessions, but are recommended.
Equipment/Uniform: No equipment is required but it is advisable for students to wear a change of clothes if they like. Students can also provide their own protective equipment (mouthguards) and can wear football boots (no metal tags), but again this is optional. If they do not have football boots, normal shoes can be worn.
Aspley Cup Football Competition
MHSS have finished runners up in the Aspley Cup Football (Soccer) competition held last week.
Group Stage Results:
- MHSS 7 - Aspley SS 0
- MHSS 3 - Stafford SS 1
- MHSS 0 - Aspley SHS 0
Semi-Final Result:
- MHSS 5 - Bald Hills SS 1
After going through the day undefeated, Hilder Road proved too good in the Grand Final winning 5-0.
The team should be immensely proud of coming second out of 16 teams after entering the Aspley competition for the first time. Thanks to Aspley SHS for convening this fantastic event.
North Lakes Eels – Boots for One and All
Do you have “Good” or “Great” condition footy boots or joggers that don’t fit any footy feet in your house anymore?
Our AFL partners, the North Lakes Eels, have “Kicked Off” their boot drive to get your preloved boots into communities that will give them a season or two more, with some kids that will really appreciate them!
Over the next week a collection bin will be at the front of the MHSS PE Office (M Block). It’s as simple as making sure they are clean and leaving them in the bin for the collection.
From there the North Lakes Eels will do the rest and get them to our friends at Boots for one & all community.
Mr Hills & Mr Newell, Miss Richards and Mr Lisha
Physical Education Teachers
P & C News
The P & C would like to thank all the parents and volunteers who have helped fundraise towards our $50,000 donation to the school. Over the school holidays we have transferred the $50,000 to the school.
Thank you to our school community's amazing fundraising for the Colour Explosion. We raised $29 000.
Congratulations to 1O who fundraised the most towards the Colour Explosion. Keep an eye on information from your teacher for your class party.
Congratulations to Eden G who is our top fundraising student. She will be receiving a medallion for her achievement.
Canteen Update
We would love to see some volunteers in the canteen!
If you have any spare time after school drop off we would love some help. Please either just pop into the canteen and see us or email Louise at mhsspccanteen@gmail.com
Pantry Drive
We are looking for donations towards our pantry drive.
We would love donations of the following.
Butter/Margarine
Vegemite
Jam (any flavour)
Dried Pasta and rice
Cream cheese
Sour cream
Cheese slices
Grated cheese
Jatz crackers
Plain / self raising flour
cooking chocolate
Anyone who donates will be placed into a raffle. Ms Egan will pick weekly winners to recieve a prize.
Have a great week
Mango Munchies
Uniform Shop News
Uniform Shop hours during the term are.
Monday - 8:00am-10:30am
Wednesday 1:30pm-4:00pm
Thursday 1:30pm-4:00pm
Friday 8:00am-10:30am
Do you have a new prep student starting next year? Appointments are now open for uniform fittings in term 4. They are being run after each of the transition sessions on a Friday morning and are designed to save you long queue times. Bookings can be made at Wearitto Mango Hill SS | Scheduling and Booking Website (simplybook.me)
Online 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.
