“Striving for great things” Page 1

Moura Minor

26th

April, 2018

In this edition:

NAPLAN Testing

Class Newsletters

Parent Teacher Interviews

Dear Students, Parents/Caregivers and Friends Firstly this week, a huge thank you to students (and staff) for refocusing on bookwork and on shirts being tucked in for learning time and special occasions. You are doing a great job on these two tasks, Team Moura SS. High Expectations and Presentation are two of our 6 Givens so shirts and bookwork are important subsets of these Givens. ANZAC Day resonates with each of our families differently. This time each year is definitely a great chance to reflect on our history and what sacrifices were/are made during war times. It is the past wars, especially World War I, that have helped shape us as a nation. Congratulations to all involved in both 2018 ANZAC Day services (ie the school and community services). Everyone conducted themselves very well and there were plenty of compliments being given about our students at both occasions. We had over 100 students participate in the community ANZAC parade and service which is a wonderful effort (an increase

on 88 students last year) – thank you!! An extra congratulations to Scout and Tahley as our school leaders on their great job in leading our school service and standing out the front at the community parade. Many thanks to our Moura SS staff members for their contributions to this year’s ANZAC services. Further congratulations are extended to our Cross Country runners who participated in the DV Trials at Bauhinia last week. We now have 7 of them selected to represent the Dawson Valley schools at the GRD trials in Rockhampton on Tuesday 01 May –Heidi Swaffer-Selff, Coen Saxby, Sam Gassman, Makalah Hewitt, Garreth Walkube, Bella Hutchinson and Arianna Hanson. A top effort! Good luck to you all. It is wonderful to see the number of parents who have been taking the opportunity to meet with class teachers this week in our formal parent-teacher interview period – thank you! The communication is important as student learning is a team effort. Remember a chat with your child’s teacher can occur at any stage throughout the term. Just make an appointment through the Office. Teachers will also contact you for a discussion re your child’s learning. I will be taking some leave next week to enjoy ‘grandparent’ duties so Mrs Michelle Lang will be Acting Principal in my absence. Thank you, Michelle. CLASS NEWSLETTERS Term 2 class newsletters are being distributed by teachers. Please keep an eye out for these in your children’s school bags. These newsletters outline what is happening in individual classrooms around learning for the term. They also provide reminders

Gillespie Street, PO Box 182 Moura QLD, 4718. Telephone 4997 5222 Fax 4997 5200 Absence Line 4997 5260

Website http://www.mourass.eq.edu.au Email principal@mourass.eq.edu.au Office open 8:30am – 3:30pm Page 2

about homework expectations, absences, Library days, and so on. YEAR 3/5 NAPLAN TESTING Year 3/5 students across the nation will be completing national literacy and numeracy tests on 15/16/17 May (Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday). It is important that all our Year 3/5 students are in attendance on these days. Absent students have the opportunity to catch up with any missed tests on Monday 21 May. Miss Fiedler, Ms King and the Year 6 students are organising breakfast for these students for testing days. A note about requirements for the breakfast will be distributed to relevant families. A note has already been distributed to Year 3 and 5 students asking for their breakfast orders. Information about NAPLAN tests is further in the newsletter plus an information pamphlet will be sent home with Year 3 and 5 students. GENERAL REMINDERS

1. NO HAT, NO PLAY! A hat is one that has a broad brim – not a cap.

2. Student Absences: It is a requirement that student absences are explained. This can be done by phone call, note or email – either before the absence if it is a planned one, or after the event. Unexplained absences are recorded in the student’s records. MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT.

3. ALL GEAR NEEDS TO BE NAMED! 4. Jewellery: The only jewellery items allowed

to be worn at school are sleeper or stud earrings, signet rings and medic alert necklaces/bracelets.

5. Temporary tattoos/makeup: These items are not permitted. This includes fingernail polish.

6. Arrival time at School: If children arrive before 8:30 am, they are to sit and wait quietly in the bus line area until the 8:30 am bell when they are free to play quiet games.

7. Mobile Phones/Ipods/personal digital assistants/etc: Students are discouraged from having these items at school. If one comes to school, it needs to be named and placed at the office. They can be collected from the Office at 3:00pm.

8. Lunch packaging - NO tin cans or glass!!! 9. Winter uniform – no hoods or jeans. Blue

coats/jumpers, black bottoms. RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR PLAN FOR STUDENTS Organisation means setting a goal to do your best in your school work, listening carefully to your teacher’s instructions, planning your time so that you are not rushed, having all your supplies ready and keeping track of your assignments’ due dates. Examples of organised behaviour include making sure you understand the teacher’s instructions before you begin work, having all your school supplies ready at a neat desk, recording your assignments and their due dates, and planning when you’re going to do your homework so that you have enough time. Positive Habits of the Mind that help develop a young person’s Organisation include: • Setting Goals - thinking that setting a goal can help me to be more successful at a task. • Planning My Time - thinking about how long it will take me to do my schoolwork and planning enough time to get it done. www.youcandoiteduction.com.au THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused. - Anonymous

Yours in Education

Laurel

Gillespie Street, PO Box 182 Moura QLD, 4718. Telephone 4997 5222 Fax 4997 5200 Absence Line 4997 5260

Website http://www.mourass.eq.edu.au Email principal@mourass.eq.edu.au Office open 8:30am – 3:30pm Page 3

NAPLAN TESTS

On Tuesday 15, Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 May, students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will take part in the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy, or NAPLAN, as it is commonly known. Skills that will be tested include: reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. These tests are done here at school and are considered just another part of the curriculum. It is important for you and your child to know that NAPLAN is not a pass/fail test. It simply looks at what level students are achieving in literacy and numeracy against National Standards and compared with student peers throughout Australia. NAPLAN cannot be studied for and students are not expected to do so. The best way you can help your child prepare for NAPLAN is to let them know that it is just a routine part of their school program, and to urge them to do the best they can on the day. All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are expected to participate in NAPLAN testing. Later in the year we will send you an individual student NAPLAN report that you can use to view and monitor how your child is progressing. More information is available on the NAP website. If you have any concerns, please contact Laurel Bowkett, PRINCIPAL

Apr 23rd Mon –

Apr 26th Thu Parent Teacher Interviews

May 7th Mon Labour Day Holiday

May 15th Tue – May 17th Thu

NAPLAN Testing

May 18th Fri Biloela Show Holiday

May 15th Tue – May 26th Sat

Biloela Eisteddfod-Music

May 28th Mon – May 31st Thu

Biloela Eisteddfod -Speech & Drama

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK Prep F Ella Gilliland Prep/1 H Chloe Harmer 1/2C Philippa Walker 2W Jackson Hutchinson 3U Kendra Broadhurst 3/4B Annaka Hanson 4/5S Brendan Kincaid 5H Levi Whatman 5/6K Heidi Hutchinson 6F Aponi Biggs

BIRTHDAYS

22nd April – 28th April

Xavier Elgowhary, Summer Krebs

BRONZE CERTIFICATES

Audrey Caballero, Mitchell Harmer

COMINGS AND GOINGS - 251

BEE AWARDS

At our school, we want children to

Be Learning Be Responsible Be Courteous

Be Safe

Bee Award recipients this week:

Noah Keddie, Alex Hinchliffe, Nevahya-Rose

Twaddle, Ken Cole, Hayden Gray, Jackson

James, Cash Hodgson, Harrison Corr, Nadine

Scorgie, Macy Francis, DJ Mardon

Gillespie Street, PO Box 182 Moura QLD, 4718. Telephone 4997 5222 Fax 4997 5200 Absence Line 4997 5260

Website http://www.mourass.eq.edu.au Email principal@mourass.eq.edu.au Office open 8:30am – 3:30pm Page 4

Sports News CROSS COUNTRY

Congratulations to all the runners who

competed at the Dawson Valley Cross

Country in Bauhinia on Friday. All students

competed well for the school in testing

conditions.

Nathan Adams Ned Coady-Lohman

Arianna Hanson Clare Marendaz

Eden Heath Coen Saxby

Garreth Walkube Ashley Keddie

Tom Mactaggart Heidi Swaffer-Selff

Macy Francis Saige Bellert

Jacinta Gray Sam Gassman

Makalah Hewitt Stirling Macrae

Cash Hodgson Stevie-Lee Gosling

Bella Hutchinson Reagan Hartley

Annaka Hanson

A special mention to the following students

who came top three in their race and are

eligible to compete at the RDSS Cross

Country in Rockhampton on Tuesday 1st May.

1st-Coen Saxby, Heidi Swaffer-Selff,

Sam Gassman

2nd – Garreth Walkube, Makalah Hewitt

3rd - Bella Hutchinson, Arianna Hanson

Greater Rockhampton District Soccer Trials

10-12 years Boys

Monday 30th April 4-6pm

Capricorn Coast Football Club (APEX Park)

P&C News

Our next meeting will be held on Monday 21st May at 2:00pm in the Moura SS Library. Please note that you will have to sign in at the office prior to the

meeting.

Sports News cont.

Greater Rockhampton District Soccer Trials

10-12 years Girls

Thursday 3rd May 4-5pm

Bouldercombe State School

Greater Rockhampton District

Softball Trials

10-12 years Boys and Girls

Wednesday 2nd May 4-5.30pm

Rockhampton Softball Grounds (Kele Park)

If interested, please contact Mr Chantler.

Bus Variations and Student Absences

Phone 4997 5260

Please phone to advise your child/rens absence from school. This

number is also the one to phone for any variations to bus travel. Please use this number to notify the school out of hours or during

school time. Messages can be left.

Absences/Change of Details

Please notify the office with regards to absences and

change of contact details as we may need to contact

you in an emergency.

Gillespie Street, PO Box 182 Moura QLD, 4718. Telephone 4997 5222 Fax 4997 5200 Absence Line 4997 5260

Website http://www.mourass.eq.edu.au Email principal@mourass.eq.edu.au Office open 8:30am – 3:30pm Page 5

Hi Everyone, Hope you had a great holiday. Term 2 has already started with the horse riding program up and running. The reports from students has been very positive. The Biloela Community Resource Centre (CRC) run the program for SWD to support their social skills.

April is National Autism Aareness Month and it is a great time to embrace those around us with Autism and hear their success stories and learn more about ASD. Below are some links worth viewing.

Amazing Things Happen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JdCY-cdgkI&t=264s

I Can Network #awetismrethink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb-oWX5O6Ic\

Autism Spectrum Disorder: 10 things you should know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZXjJVrm1Jw

BBC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejpWWP1HNGQ

A quick tip is that people with Autism generally are literal so when instructions are vague they can be confused. For example, one student I supported wrote three sentence paragraphs and became anxious when asked to write more sentences. When the student was questioned, they responded saying that the teacher had said a paragraph contains three sentences, so that was all they had to do. Just remember that students with ASD have feelings and want to have friends but at times struggle with social norms and need explicit instruction and role plays to practise the skills. Finally, as ANZAC Day is close, it is a time to reflect on how lucky we are to live in a country with so much freedom and to take the time to remember those men and women who fought and in some cases died for this freedom. Regards, Judy Galos, HoSES, Moura Cluster

Gillespie Street, PO Box 182 Moura QLD, 4718. Telephone 4997 5222 Fax 4997 5200 Absence Line 4997 5260

Website http://www.mourass.eq.edu.au Email principal@mourass.eq.edu.au Office open 8:30am – 3:30pm Page 6

Anzac Day 2018