BILOELA STATE SCHOOL

48 Rainbow Street. PO Box 395, Biloela Qld

4715 PH: 4992 8888

Mon - Fri 8.00am - 3.30pm

ad-

min@biloelass.eq.edu.au https://

biloelass.eq.edu.au/

September

P&C Meeting 14

School Holidays

21

October

Monday Public Holiday

5

School resumes 6

Biloela State School Newsletter 10 September 2020

Principal’s Message

Today is R U OK? Day, Are you reluctant to ask the question for fear that you will not know what to say or do following the response? Don’t be! This year more than ever, it is important to ask the question to your friends and family, “R U OK?” Remember you don’t need to be an expert, just a good friend and a great listener. P&C meeting 14 September Reminder to families our next P&C meeting is Monday at 3:30pm in Melton Park. At the meeting we will be discussing and sharing ideas for the Year 6 graduation and Awards Day. All ideas are welcome and it will be great to see some new faces. Swimming Term 4 Swimming will be offered in Term 4 for students in years 1-6. Swimming will commence in week two and be completed by the second last week of term, week 9. Due to changes in co-ordinating swimming this year, students will participate with their class not as a whole year level. They will get changed at school and walk to the pool and return to school at end of the les-son. Here, students will change back into school uniforms. Due to time constraints, our Prep students will not be swimming this year. The school has been able to secure a Sporty Schools grant which along with the Department’s subsidy for students, will see no cost for swimming this year. If your family or child has a season pass for the pool, can you please inform the school to assist in lowering total swimming costs for the school. A note will go home with students next week. Student Code of Conduct The school is currently working with the department on the Student Code of Conduct which will replace the Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students in 2021. Further information will be communicated during Term 4. It is important to acknowledge that schools are a place of learning and not just in an academic sense. There is continual learning of social-emotional skills so that our students develop into caring, community and global citizens. It is truly a testament to the parents and, in fact, the entire school community that we have minimal issues with inappropriate student behaviour. Our students do a great job of following the school expectations around

Respect

Safety

Communication

Attitude to Learning. However, it is not unusual for children to ‘push the boundaries’ from time to time, seeing how far they can go. We see this begin to occur around the year three and four age group, where their confidence begins to grow along with their desire to be independent. Often it presents as students using inappropriate language or becoming physical, because they think it is ‘tough’ or will win them friends and influence amongst their peers. No child is im-mune to behaving in such a way. At some time, they will all try to push the boundaries. We would be foolish as guardians and parents to think otherwise. If it is not using inappropriate lan-guage, it may be excluding others from a game or trying to monopolise a friendship etc. Children are still developing their pre frontal cortex, therefore will not make decisions with the clarity and maturity of an adult; although we can still see this behaviour occur amongst some adults in social and work settings! I am sure you have all experienced it at one time or another. In relation to what occurs at school, it is important to take a moderate view and response to what your child comes home and tells you. If something has gone wrong it is always helpful to ask what happened beforehand and use it as a teaching moment to develop skills for life – conflict resolution, how to make amends, accepting consequences to name a few. Our children come from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. Some are impacted by domestic violence or traumatic family events and this influences the way they behave and interact with others. We all have a role to play in supporting our young students in developing respectful relationships, dealing with emotions in appropriate ways and solving conflicts peace-fully. If you have a concern, please bring it to us and allow the school to investigate the issue. The first point of call is with the class teacher. If you hear that there is an issue through parent chat in a coffee shop, at the front gate or an informal gathering , keep in mind that it is ‘hearsay’ and may not be the ‘big’ issue that it seems to be, nor accurately reflect what occurred. The best way to find out is to go directly to the source if you feel it concerns you. Will we always manage to get it right or get to the truth of the matter? In many instances we manage to resolve an issue and find the middle ground, which is often where the truth lies. On other occasions, the story from a variety of witnesses and those directly involved can be so conflicting, that we have to make a balanced judgement and apply consequences which are ap-propriate and equally measured. We do, however, always spend a significant amount of time trying to ensure that all voices are heard and what is fair and reasonable becomes the basis for resolving the issue. On any given day, we will deal with multiple minor and occasionally major incidents involving student conflict or disagreements. It’s simply a fact of life when there are some 400 students all sharing a space. If we were to report every transaction between students, it would take all day, every day and probably drive most parents to distraction, along with the staff in the school. Naturally, we want to work alongside parents to ensure that school is a safe, happy and positive learning environment for every child. We do acknowledge there will be challenges with be-haviour. Children learn from these experiences, as this is a true reflection of what will occur in society. It is how we deal with them together and help our children to learn from the experienc-

es that will make them stronger, more resilient and better equipped to face the challenges that come their way as they progress through to adulthood.

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of

this land and pay our respects to the elders,

past, present and future, for they hold the memories, the

traditions, the culture and hopes of

Indigenous Australia.

Guess whose legs?

PHOTOS FROM CRAZY HAIR AND SOCK DAY

FUNDRAISER FOR YEAR 6 CAMP

PHOTOS FROM CRAZY HAIR AND SOCK DAY

PHOTOS FROM CRAZY HAIR AND SOCK DAY

T20 Biloela On Friday 28th August we sent 4 teams to compete at the annual Interschool T20 Cricket carnival. We nomi-nated 2 teams in the boys competition and 2 teams in the girls division. Mr Hill and Mrs Stewart attended the carnival to manage and umpire games throughout the day. All teams performed well on and off the field. It was great to see our students work together in their teams to do their best in the games. In the end, our Year 6 girls team won the girls competition with a win over Thangool in the finals. If everything goes to plan they will compete in Rockhampton against the winners of other towns in the area. I would like to thank everyone that helped out at the carnival. It was a great day and I know our kids had fun challenging themselves in the game of Cricket. Congratulations to all Biloela SPS students that attend-ed, as you displayed great sportsmanship to your team mates and other teams throughout the carnival.

CHIL-

DRENS EDUCATION FUND The Children’s Education Fund (CEF) supports families experiencing genuine financial hardship who need assistance to pay for education related expenses. Families may have students attending all year levels (P -12) of Catholic, Independent and State schools with education

related expenses.

1 August – Application round opens 18 September – Application round closes

NO LATE NOMINATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED

Early December – Parents will be informed of application outcomes

Applicants please phone 4992 2909 for an appointment after the round opens.

Biloela Valleys will be hosting an Accredited 3 Day Youth

Soccer Camp over the September/October school holidays.

This year Valleys will be offering an early bird special as out-

lined in the flyer.

For further information please do not hesitate to message,

email or call to discuss the camp further.

Lunch and snacks will be provided during the 3 days, (please

outline dietary requirements when registering) as well as

individual player soccer kits as part of registration package.

Valleys will continue to abide by COVID regulations outlined

by QLD Health Directives, Football Qld and Football CQ to

ensure everybody’s health and safety.

Community events

Biloela Cricket Club Junior Blasters Program Please see attachment with the newsletter for further information