Term 4 Week 3 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, Jessica Rivett and Danielle O'Brien
- Sporting News by The PE Department
- News from our Partners
- Community News
Public Speaking Awards
What a successful week we have had! Last Tuesday we had the Lions Public Speaking Competition where 6 dedicated MHSS students competed. Our students achieved outstanding results as follows:
- Year 5 - 1st place – Franco
- Year 5 – 3rd place – Wontaa
- Year 6 - 2nd place – Anika
- Year 6 – 3rd place – Areesha
Shout out also to Johan and Fathima for their wonderful presentations too. Special thanks to Mrs Koch for her work preparing students and to Mr Winney, Ms Balaam and Ms Ihde for their assistance on the night.
Peninsula Music Festival Awards
Last Tuesday on Wednesday our instrumental music students performed at the Peninsula Music Festival and also achieved wonderful results including:
- Gold Award for Junior Strings
- Silver award for Junior Band
- Bronze award for Senior Strings
- Bronze award for Senior Band
Congratulations to all students involved and a special thanks to our instrumental teachers Mrs Nicolopoulos, Mr James, Mr Stylianou and Mrs Newey.
Showcase Awards
I was thrilled to receive two awards for our school at the Department of Education Showcase Awards for Excellence last week.
Our work in the Critical Friend’s Network improving literacy outcomes for students won the state award for Excellence in Early & Primary School Award. This is a credit to our fantastic staff who have shown such a growth mindset to continually work to improve their teaching and open up their classrooms for visitors to observe and learn from. I am so proud of our fabulous staff!
And of course, I was humbled and delighted to win the state award for the Jack Pizzey Award for Excellence in Leadership. Thank you for the many supportive comments and emails. I truly appreciate your support and your kind words mean a lot!
Wakakirri Success
After a week of awards, we were delighted on Monday to win a Wakakirri National Award for Excellence in performing arts and raising awareness about Mental Health. I am so delighted for all the students, staff and parents involved. What an honour!
Special thanks to Mrs Kostoglou and Ms Sheehan for their work leading our dance troupe!!
Excellence in Practical Experience Mentoring
Congratulations to Mrs Gardner who has received an excellence award for the work she has done supporting and guiding pre-service teachers. What a super-star!
School Opinion Survey Results
Last week we received our School Opinion Results with some wonderful celebrations. Thank you to the parents, students and staff who completed the survey to provide feedback to help us improve. We will use this information to help us gauge satisfaction levels and plan for areas we can strengthen.
The positive highlights are below.
Diversity Day and Diwali
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 Friday we will celebrate our school’s annual Diversity Day parade and in class, students will celebrate Diwali. The official date to celebrate Diwali across the world will be 24 October. Did you know there are two other special days at the end of October that are marked across the world?
Children’s Week is a national celebration of children’s rights, talents and citizenship held on the fourth Wednesday of October in Australia to coincide with Universal Children’s Day. Each year the theme of Children’s Week highlights a particular Children’s Right. The theme for 2022 is based on Article 27: You have the right to food, clothing, a safe place to live and to have your basic needs met. You should not be disadvantaged so that you can’t do many of the things other kids can do. There are many community organisations who can help if your family is experiencing hardship. We encourage you to reach out and get support if required.
Celebrated annually in Queensland on the last Sunday in October, Grandparents Day recognises the significant contribution that grandparents make to their families and communities. Grandparents Day is a chance for grandchildren, children and the community to thank grandparents for their love and support. On behalf of the Mango Hill State School community, we want to thank all the grandparents and people in the community who are just like grandparents to our students – caring for them, dropping them off at school and doing pick ups, volunteering in classrooms and so on.
Focus of the Week
The Care Class focus that will be delivered this Friday is Respect – Happy Diwali Day. We will be consolidating this focus throughout next week.
We will be learning about how to respect cultural diversity and celebrate the "festival of lights" - Diwali Day (Monday 24). We celebrate and value diversity as it adds to our community and enriches our lives. We care for self by, being proud of the things that make me who I am. We care for others by appreciating everyone and respecting difference in others.
What is Diwali?
Diwali, the festival of lights is indeed the most awaited and the most celebrated festivals of India. People in every nook and cranny of the country welcome the festival with enthusiastic gestures. This wonderful festival is the celebration of five days. On the third day of the celebratory occasion, the key rituals of the Diwali festival take place. Lighting of Diyas and candles all around the house, worshipping the Laxmi Ganesha to summon health and wealth and bursting crackers are the chief rituals of the festival.
BYOxLink - Company Portal: parent drop-in sessions
Is your child having trouble accessing Reading Eggs, Matific or AR while at school? The information below is for you!
To support the continued roll-out of the Company Portal app across the school, our IT officer, Mr Laurie, and Head of eLearning, Mr Mills, will be available every Tuesday afternoon in the Wandani Centre (in the Piazza, opposite the tuckshop) between 2.30 and 4.30pm, from Weeks 4 to 7, to support parents and carers who are having difficulties connecting with the app.
Bring your child’s iPad, school username and password along and we will help you get onboard!
Upcoming End of Year Concert Details – Prep and Year 6
We are very excited to inform you about our End of Year Mango Hill State School Concert which will be held on Tuesday 29 November in our school’s Gigum Hall. The concert will be a celebration and showcase of the students’ performing arts skills and talents and it will be a great opportunity for all our students to be on a stage in front of a large audience!
We look forward to seeing you all on the night!.
Student Resource Scheme (SRS) 2023
The Queensland Government supports students’ education by providing funding for instruction (e.g. teachers, facilities, buildings, amenities, furniture) and administration (e.g. staffing and resources to administer the operations of the school).
Funding does not extend to individual student resources such as textbooks, computer or musical equipment for personal use, and many items used/consumed by the student in the classroom. Supply of these items is the responsibility of parents.
The scheme ensures that students have the resources required for them to engage with the curriculum for their education, and saves parents time and money in sourcing the prescribed materials elsewhere. The scheme’s operation, resource inclusions and participation fees were approved by the school’s P&C Association.
A parent’s participation or non-participation in the scheme will continue as per their previously completed Participation Agreement Form. A parent can opt in or out of the scheme in subsequent years by completing another Participation Agreement Form. In 2023, the Student Resource Scheme will be $100 per student. This covers e-learning subscriptions, art and craft consumables, photocopying of class resources and administration of the scheme. You will be invoiced shortly for this fee.
Payment of the SRS is required in full by Friday, 31 March 2022. If you are unable to make payment by this date please contact us for a payment plan at Accounts@mangohillss.eq.edu.au
If a parent has opted out of the scheme the parent is required to provide the educational resources listed above for their child by the start of the school year. Please contact us for the detailed list at bsm@mangohillss.eq.edu.au
Being our best self
We are working on “being our best self” in Prep Land. As we end our first year of school and transition to Year 1, we know we will be successful when we try our best, problem solving and utilising all the resources that we know how to use. When we have a go, it’s surprising what we can achieve!
So, when we are writing, we know we can use the following to have a go and be the best writer we can be.
*our sound mat
*our sight word wall
*our Bump It Up wall and 4
* exemplar
*our individual scale
When we are completing our maths problems, we know we can use the following to show our mathematical thinking in a range of ways.
*concrete materials
*number lines and number boards
*part-part-whole boards
*drawings and pictures
In the playground and in the classroom, we know we can use the following to show respect and to be the best friend we can be.
*our words, to share with our teacher how we are feeling and when we might need a break to reset
*the High 5, if we have a problem with a peer
*our calming strategies to regulate like take a deep breath, get a drink of water and go for a walk
*find a trusted friend or adult to help us
We use the Four Cares language every day. You can help us at home by talking about how we can do the following.
*Care for Self
*Care for Others
*Care for Learning
*Care for the School Environment.
Deputy Principal - Prep
mwhit37@eq.edu.au
Becoming authors in Year 1
This term the students in Year 1 are on a quest to become authors by learning to write their very own narratives. The students are reading the books in Lighthouse Keeper’s series to help them learn how narratives work. They are learning that narratives are made up of three main parts. These parts include a setting, a problem and a resolution.
The children are also learning how their choice in words can help show how a character is feeling. To do this, the children are studying the character of Mr Grinling, the lighthouse keeper. Rather than saying ‘Mr Grinling was angry’ the children are learning how to cleverly use verbs to show how the character is feeling by writing things like, ‘Mr Grinling stomped his fit and banged his fists. “Oh botheration” he yelled in a booming voice.’ How clever is that!
Talk to your child about how characters might be feeling when reading stories at home. Discuss the clues in the text and pictures that help them to know. Talking about the facial expressions of the characters and their actions can help when doing this.
We can’t wait to read the children’s final stories later in the term.
Ditto Show
On Thursday 27 October the Ditto Show will be coming to Mango Hill. This is a fun, interactive show presented by Bravehearts. The show aims to teach young children personal safety skills using age appropriate language. Please ensure you’ve completed a permission form so that your child can attend and pay $9 through the school office.
Learning in Year 2
I have been joining many of our Year 2 classes for Math over the past couple of weeks. Students are learning about Money and solving word problems involving money. If you use coins and notes at any time, it’s a great opportunity to involve your child in “problem-solving” with you. Teachers are ensuring that problems involve information and questions presented in unfamiliar ways.
Here are some photos of students learning …
Respect in Year 2
This term, our Team Mango theme is Respect. We know you will have been teaching your children about respect since they were tiny. This term, our teachers are helping students understand what respect at school looks, sounds and feels like. I invite you to ask your children how they show respect for other community members at school (and likewise, the things that community members do and say that let your child know they are respected). Sometimes, understanding some things that are not respectful is a start for example, swearing at others is not respectful, solving conflict by hurting others is not respectful, not giving others their turn is not respectful.
Special events
Special events in Week 3 and 4 are as follows.
- Diversity Day parade – students in Year 2 and 3 will come together in Gigum Hall at 9:15 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. If you have a child in another year level, you are able to order for them too. Please see our FB page and this newsletter for details.
- Day for Daniel – students wear red on Day for Daniel and donate a gold coin.
- Swimming on Thursday – please pack everything your child will need for swimming.
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
Generating Ideas for our Poems
Our Year 3 classes this week did a super job brainstorming and 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 to brainstorm a range of language features that set the mood of their poems. Teachers across our school often use this routine as a way for every child to make their thinking visible. It is a great way for students to generate ideas together, inspire one another and extend on each other’s thinking. I was so excited to see our students applying their ideas into their poetry writing this week. They did a super job picking the noun and verb groups that matched the mood of their poem!
Have a great week
Michelle Alcorn
Deputy Principal- Year 3
malco14@eq.edu.au
Year 4 are off to camp!
The wait is over and Year 4 finally made their way off to camp today! There were lots of excited faces as students boarded the bus this morning, many experiencing their first night away from home tonight. Our students have made an excellent start to the day and as expected, are representing Team Mango brilliantly.
Already we’ve had students doing stand-up paddle boarding, beach games, archery, laser tag, Indigenous games and team challenges. Our bellies are full after lunch and we are looking forward to the delicious food on offer at dinner.
I am looking forward to seeing our students thrive while away at camp over the coming days. No doubt there will be many wonderful stories to share with parents upon their return, as well as lifelong memories made!
Exploring forces in Year 4 Science
Over the past week, a number of Year 4 science lessons have caught my eye as I have wandered past class rooms. What looked like a party in some rooms with balloons, straws and ping pong balls spread across desks, soon turned into scientific exploration as students engaged with different types of pushing forces. Throughout the term, students will learn about push, pull, friction and air resistance. The will use their understanding of these forces to provide scientific explanations about the movement of different objects.
Have a super week
Ben Mills
Deputy Principal – Year 4
bxmil3@eq.edu.au
Care for Learning in Years 5 and 6
I had the pleasure of visiting 6C this week to be a part of their Maths lesson on solving real-world, number problems using algebraic rules. I loved the way Mrs Carlson used a formative assesment question to check for understanding at the start of the lesson in the form of a MoveNProve question. Once she ascertained the mastery of the use of algebraic rules she then organised students into reciprocal teaching teams. Evidence suggests that the strategy of reciprocal teaching has nearly two years of growth for every year of school – meaning it has a huge impact on student outcomes. I really appreciated how collaborative and supportive the teams were as they aimed at ensuring all students succeeded. Great work 6C!
Transition to Secondary School – North Lakes State College Italian Immersion Program and Dakabin State High School
As we continue to work in partnership with local secondary schools in ensuring our Year 6 students make a successful transition to secondary learning, both North Lakes State College and Dakabin State High School have reached out to offer transition opportunities. North Lakes State College are advertising their Italian Immersion program. The program is open for students who achieved an A or B in English, Maths, Science, Humanities and Italian. Application and information are included in this week’s newsletter. While Dakabin State High School are offering an early transition opportunity for students enrolled at the school. Information is also included in this week’s newsletter.
Year 5 - Student Leadership
Last week I distributed the Student Leader Passports to all Year 5 students. In order to be considered for a leadership position students need to have this completed and handed into the office by the end of Friday the 4th of November. Please encourage your child to engage with this process. It is a fantastic way to celebrate their achievements so far at school and also set them up for a great opportunity to demonstrate their leadership. For anyone that needs the passport or if your child misplaces their copy I have attached the passport to this newsletter.
Chess Competition at St Columbans
Well done to all of our students that competed in the Chess Competition at St Columbans on Tuesday. It was fantastic to hear about the commitment of our students as well as their care for others by demonstrating great sportsmanship. Well done!
Martin Winney
Deputy Principal –Year 5 & 6
mwinn7@eq.edu.au
Accelerated Reader
We are very excited to announce that this week we have had lots of our AR friends reach their goal of 1 million words. Congratulations to Cormac, Johan and Scarlett who have all been working extra hard to reach 1 million words this year! Such a super effort!
Congratulations also to Amaan who late last week reached 5 million words! This is an extraordinary achievement and he is still reading – goodness knows how many words he will read this year!
We have added the photos of these super readers to our special AR display in the Hub. Pop on down to see them all and also to find a book for yourself. The Hub is open every morning from 8.15am and until 3pm every afternoon. See you soon!
Transition to High School
For our Year 6 students, this will be their last term at Mango Hill State School. For some the transition to high school can be a little daunting. Sometimes reading stories can be a great way to think about and reflect upon what it is like to navigate change. We have put together a collection of super novel that explore what it is like to be the new kid, start high school, head to a school where you know nobody, feel different, worry about being different and so much more. These books have all been recommended for children aged 9 to 15 and can be borrowed for students to read by themselves and/or with their parents. Some of the titles include the following.
- All the little tricky things
- How to spell catastrophe
- The goodbye year
- August and Jones
- Wonder
- The little wave
- The boy at the back of the class
- Fish in a tree
- Blubber
Pop on down to the Hub and have a look at these super titles. You never know – someone else may have experienced all the feelings that you are having, and reading about their experience may help you.
Book club
Don’t forget that the Scholastic Book Club orders need to 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.
Visit from Rob Proffitt-White
We were very lucky last week to have a visit from Maths and Numeracy director, Rob Proffitt-White. He worked in some of our classes across the school to support our teachers to use innovative ways to teach the four proficiencies in mathematics. Our students participated in some complex open-ended problem-solving tasks and despite the challenge our students were eagerly engaged in the lessons. Rob will continue to work with Mango Hill to help make mathematics more accessible and enjoyable for all learners; teachers and students.
Have a fantastic week
Suzette Holm, Jessica Rivett and Danielle O'Brien
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
- AFL QLD Auskick Program
- 3-4 AFL Training Program
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
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.
