School Newsletter Term 3 - 31 August 2020

Dear Parents and Caregivers, Welcome to Week 8. It has astounded me how quickly this term has progressed; it feels as though we only recently returned to school after winter recess, and yet we have just three weeks until spring vacation. As always there is yet still so much to complete before the commencement of the school holidays. Schools are such dynamic places and Hambledon State School is no exception to this so flexibility

and resilience have been the two behaviours that we have become very good at managing this year. In week 7 some changes were made to the classes in upper school due to operational needs. Thank you once again to the families, students and teachers for their understanding and flexibility As some of you may know, Mrs Hermes will be commencing her maternity leave on the 7th of September. Unfortu-nately, Cairns is experiencing a shortage of quality teachers and I was unable to employ a suitable applicant. As a team, we explored our options, considered current class numbers and class compositions and determined that the best way forward was to reconfigure a few classes in the year 4 – 6 area of the school. As of Monday 24th August: The year 6 students in Ms Lawrence’s class were relocated to the year six classroom as there was capacity in these classrooms for them. Students in the year 4/5 class with Ms Brennan were dispersed to the other year four and year five classes as there was the capacity to place these students within these existing cohorts. Ms Brennon transitioned into Mrs Hermes room as the teacher. Ms Brennan is working alongside Mrs Hermes so that routines, expectations and teaching and learning will continue as seamlessly as possible. The Admin team worked collaboratively with the teachers in all year levels, including the teachers from the POD, and considered the dynamics between students to ensure that the decisions that were made resulted in minimum dis-ruption. To ensure continuity of your child’s learning, the teachers will all continue to be supported by our Head of Curricu-lum, the teachers within the cohort and the Administration team. The students are already adjusting well to the transitions.

The next meeting of the P&C is scheduled for Tuesday 15th of Sept 9:15am. Please RSVP so we can ensure we meet all Government Health Guidelines. pandc@hambledonss.eq.edu.au

Additional Staff changes With mixed emotions we are letting you all know that our Business Manager, Teresa will be going on leave from Hambledon State School as of the end of this term. Teresa had always planned to move to Brisbane with her daughter at the start of next year, however a job was offered to her at a large school in Brisbane. Unfortunately for us, the opportunity was too good to refuse so she has accepted. Teresa will be on leave for the next twelve months, as she is able to return if it doesn’t work out for her. In the meantime, her job is being advertised as an EOI. I will keep you posted as to who will be taking the chair and attempting to fill her shoes! Teresa has worked at Hambledon State School in various office roles for the past 24 Years. She has been instrumental is sup-porting the school, not just through the budget and financial management, but with facility upgrades, HR and staff wellbeing. She has worked collaboratively with the many leaders who have passed through the door, learning their idiosyncrasies and their personality and management styles. Her flexibility with adapting to change is to be admired. Teresa has also been willing to leap out of bed at the early hours of the morning to respond to school alarms and security is-sues. She has never complained about doing this even though there have been many nights where she has been robbed of sleep. In the early days Teresa also played many a role on the P&C and supported fund raising activities and community events. From working with Teresa since the beginning of last year, I can assure you that Hambledon has been blessed to have such a wonderful Business Manager. While her feet are not big, the shoes she leaves behind to fill are enormous. Teresa, on behalf of Hambledon we cannot thank you enough for all you have done for our school and school community. All the best on your new adventure and career. Re-member, you are welcome back at any time. Megan Coles will be on leave for the rest of the year. Her transfer to the South East corner has been approved. Thank you Me-

gan for the service you have provided to Hambledon during your time here. All the best with your relocation.

Positive Behaviour for Learning The high expectations at Hambledon State School are that every child works to their potential through effective teaching and learning, explicit lessons and support. Our four values of Respect, Resilience, Being a Learner and Being Safe underpin every-thing we do each and every day. These values do not just exist within our fence boundary, but are the values which are trans-ferable across our neighbourhood and the broader community. When the students breach these rules, the school enacts the responsible behaviour plan. A copy is available on our school website. Recently there has been an increase in inappropriate physical contact from one student to another which frequently results in a suspension. All students at this school have the right to learn in a safe supportive environment. We teach students strategies to deal with conflict through our weekly Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) lessons, and discuss the schools expectations with families and students upon reentry to the school after a suspension. Individual students have support plans – academic and social - to assist them to be successful. I ask that all parents support the school values and discuss appropriate strategies with their child when they are faced with conflict. It is only by working together that we can support the communities most valuable asset - the children. They are our future citizens. Let’s teach them to do the right thing. The above information only refers to a small percentage of our school student population, I therefore think it is important to note that we have many, many outstanding students with exemplary behaviour who always follow our school rules, are re-spectful and focused students, and who always do their best.

Pupil Free Day

Friday the 4th of September is a Pupil Free Day. Please ensure arrangements are made for child care as no staff will be available for supervision on this day.

Domestic and family violence – help is available

Many of us are spending more time at home as a result of COVID-19 — but for some, home is not a safe place. Help is available if you or someone you know is experiencing domestic and family violence. The Queensland Government’s DFV Support website provides key services and useful information.

Sports Day The current Pandemic has had a marked impact on many milestones and events for many people, in many contexts. Hambledon State School is no exception. I understand that many parents would like to see their children participate in sports day., However we are following the EQ guidelines as requested. The HSS COVID-19 safety plan is to have only have 100 visitors through our gates at any one time. This number must include volunteers, specialist teachers, support agencies and health workers who support our students. With 600 students in our school, we are currently exploring how we can be fair to all, meet the guidelines and still pro-vide students some of the experiences they would have had in a “normal” year. As a team, we are exploring how we can share the memory of this day through another medium and will keep you up-dated as to how we will proceed.

Unfortunately, Parents, family and caregivers will not be permitted to attend.

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, students who do place 1st, 2nd or 3rd will not progress through the representative

pathway this year as all athletics and Cross-Country based representative events have been cancelled in 2020.

Students must have covered shoes, a hat and a water bottle. All students are encouraged to wear sunscreen and their

house shirts for the day. First, second and third will receive a ribbon in the event they place in, with first place overall

receiving an age champion medallion.

Book Fair

Book Fair finishes Tuesday 1st September at 3:30pm

Make sure you come down and check it out before it is gone.

Parents and Carers are welcome to come in, open 8:30am-9am and 3pm-

3:30pm

Located in C Block

Attendance

He/ She is only

missing just…. That equals…. Which is…..

and over 13 years of

schooling that’s...

10 minutes per day 50 minutes per week Nearly 1.5 weeks per

year Nearly Half a year

20 minutes per day 1 hour 40 mins per

week

Over 2.5 Weeks per

year Nearly 1 year

Half an hour per day Half a day per week 4 Weeks per Year Nearly 1 and a Half years

1 hour per day 1 day per week 8 Weeks per year Over 2 and a Half years

“Attend today and Achieve tomorrow” Unknown

Missing school in the early years can have a snowball effect. It sets children up to fall behind in the foundation reading skills they need in order to move on to more complicated work.

For some kids, frequent absences can become a long-term habit. Research shows that kids who are allowed to miss school when they’re young are more likely to skip school when they’re older.

What you can do

It’s important to keep track of how many days your child is actually missing. There are also things you can do to help your child want to go to school, or at least not try to avoid it:

Talk with your child. Try to find out the reason for missing school.

Develop morning and evening routines, using visuals if required.

Call the school and talk with an adult who knows your child, like their class teacher or school administrator. Find out what the school can do to support you and your child.

With 15 learning days remaining until the end of term, attendance at school is necessary unless your child has a sniffle or is unwell. Please advise the school of the absence reason so we can accurately record this information on our sys-tem. Attendance is important as when it comes to school, Every Day Counts! One of our focus areas with attendance this term is to reduce the number of unexplained absences. A huge congratulations and thank you to the parents who are notifying us and providing reasons.

Parking We are excited to announce that over the next few weeks we have local businesses sup-porting the lucky Positive Parent Parking Voucher. A huge thank you to Banjo’s Bakery Cafe for offering vouchers for a free sausage roll and coffee for 2 lucky winners for the next 3 weeks.

Congratulations The lucky winners of our Parent Parking

Vouchers donated by Banjo’s Bakery Café are:

Luka, Year 2

Kate , Year 5

Ivy, Prep

Lily, Year 6

Thank you for keeping our students, families and staff

safe by following the road rules.

If it wasn’t you, don’t be concerned. Simply park correctly again and go into the draw this coming Friday.

Thank you again to Jackley’s Bakehouse for all of your support.

Kindergarten Transition Statements We have commenced our Prep enrolment process and it has been wonderful to see the future Prep students of Ham-bledon State School. It is now easier for families to share their child’s Kindergarten Transition Statement with the school. The statements are a great way for our Prep teachers to get to know the children in their class before the first day, so they can prepare to welcome them and plan for their ongoing learning and development. Kindergarten teachers, parents, carers and children develop Transition Statements together near the end of the kindy year. The Transition Statement gives Prep teachers a snapshot of each child’s strengths, interests and learning through Kindy. Parents and carers can choose to share the transition statement with their child's new prep teacher and/or other rele-vant staff at their new school, or they can consent to it being passed to the school by the kindergarten teacher by sign-ing the transition statement consent form. It is anticipated that this will increase the number of Transition Statements that we receive to support each child’s posi-tive transition to our school. Follow the links for more information about transition statements and the parent/carer consent form For more information about transition statements, visit the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority website.

Thursday 10th September is R U OK Day

We ask that all of our Students, Staff and Families wear yellow to

support this cause.

On this day our children are encouraged to GET CREATIVE: Draw

a happy picture or write a happy song, story or poem. Then

share it with your class.

Thursday 10th September

Show care for others. Let’s make RUOK day – everyday!

Wear yellow and bring a gold coin donation. Please remember to always

wear sun-safe and school appropriate clothing

If you have a nagging feeling that someone you know or care about isn’t

behaving as they normally would, trust your instinct and act on it. All you

need is to follow four simple steps:

1. Ask

2. Listen

3. Encourage action

4. Check in

You can make a positive difference to someone in need. To learn more vis-

it https://www.ruok.org.au/ and follow the guidelines for asking R U OK

Take 5, get out alive Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) firefighters put out almost 2,000 house fires last year. To make sure everyone gets out safely, Queensland families are urged to take 5 minutes to check their smoke alarms and

make a home fire escape plan together. Resources on the QFES Home Fire Safety website include a page just for fam-

ilies to help parents and carers create an escape plan with their children, including tips to make practising it fun. Taking a few minutes to talk about home fire safety may just save their lives.

3 WAY CONFERENCES 3 way conferences have been postponed this term as we have only recently sent out report cards. We will be scheduling parent interviews early next term. In the meantime, parents do not have to wait for these conferences to take place. If you wish to meet with your child’s teacher, please email them so a suitable time can be made for both parties. Please do not request meetings on a Tuesday afternoon as our School Improvement Meetings are held after school at this time. These 3-way conferences allow parents and the school to work together to maximize and celebrate student learning out-comes. More information about this will be sent out before the end of the term.

Reef Guardians

The Reef Guardian Committee has been working hard to organise a new recy-cling program for our school. With the fantastic support of the P&C, our school will now be able to recycle even more waste, preventing it from going to landfill. The Reef Guardians would like to thank the P&C for their continued help and support with our environmental endeavours. Keep an eye out for new recycling bins coming to classrooms soon! We are currently seeking some community support to continue our recycling efforts. If you own a Ute and would be willing to support the Reef Guardians once a term, could you please contact Mrs McGowan through the office or by emailing jxfel1@eq.edu.au

No Card, No Start

The new No Card, No Start laws governing the blue card system commenced on 31 August 2020. A summary of the key changes are available on the Blue Card Services website A quick reminder that the new No Card, No Start blue card laws commence this Monday 31 August 2020. In support of this, a new Working with children authority procedure is now available. It includes a refreshed guideline and flowcharts to support Principals, Managers and employees to comply with their obligations. While not an exhaustive list, important key changes are as follows: A person cannot commence working with children unless they hold a valid blue card linked to the organisation (No

Card, No Start). Existing employees cannot continue working with children if their blue card expires. It is imperative that blue cards

are renewed prior to expiry (No Card, No Continue). New obligations in relation to Restricted Persons and Restricted Employment, which prohibit persons who have

been disqualified from holding a blue card to rely on an exemption provided to certain volunteers (eg. parents of a student at the school).

New online application process. Further, two new terms, restricted persons and restricted employment, will be introduced, as well as associated offences, meaning that certain people will not be able to rely on the current exemptions to work or volunteer with children.

Jane’s Jottings Now that information is so accessible, in fact, working memory is more important than ever. That's because now

we need to know what to do with all that knowledge. It's less important to memorize facts than to actually know how to apply them efficiently. As long as students know the principles behind scholarly instruction;

Reconsider video games. By the same token, you might want to take a second look at the value of video games your child is playing. Of course, playing several hours a day isn't healthy. But games with lots of navigation through different scenes have been shown to improve visual-spatial working memory scores. And, espionage video games that involve strategy or planning can also improve working memory. That's because you have to execute an action without guidance and remember the consequences of the action.

Play other games, too. Here's a low-tech way to work that working memory. Grab a newspaper or magazine and give your child 30 seconds to circle all the letter A’s or all the instances of a particular word. "This kind of quick visual scanning is linked to working memory or, when on a road trip, have your kids say aloud the kinds of cars they see. Then have them recall the names in reverse order. "Remembering something in backward sequence is a key feature of working memory.

Memory Games Concentration. A venerable card game where you place matched pairs of cards face down and players turn over

two at a time looking for matches. Vary the number of pairs depending on the age of the player. Make technology an aid. In an age of programmable cell phones and electronic calendars, you may wonder

whether technology has become more of a crutch than compensation, but it can actually help students more effi-ciently manage the massive amounts of information they're expected to handle these days.

WHAT MAKES INDEPENDENT & SUCCESSFUL READERS? Taken from Anne Bayetto—Read, Record, Respond

Introducing a book is necessary for children of all ages. As adults, we do our own introductions when we’re selecting what to read. We read the blurb, look at the number of pages, the size of the font, the author’s name (familiar and com-fortable, or new and intriguing), and glance at the photos, illustrations, diagrams and so on. Children need to be intro-duced to this process as well. It’s much easier to read a book if you already know something about it. If your child has already read the book, then your discussion about it may be short. You may just like to ask your child what you can expect to hear him or her to be reading about. A new book may need a longer conversation. You can do this in a range of ways; Talk about the title, author, pictures and blurb (you may like to read the book dedication and wonder who the

person/people might be and why it was dedicated to them) who would your child dedicate a book to? If your child has read another book about the same topic or by the same author, discuss what seems to be the

same or different about this book. Discuss how to pronounce the names of characters and places in the book. Ask your child to predict what the book might be about, using the information from your earlier conversation. What should I do if my child can’t work out a word? When listening to your child read, it’s tempting to correct the mistakes he or she makes. While this may seem helpful, your child doesn’t need to be reminded about how much you know. Being interrupted can also cause your child to lose his or her place or to become distracted. You need to give your child time to work out an unfamiliar word or, if the attempt is unsuccessful, for you to share strategies that can be used. IF your child pauses while reading, wait for five seconds to allow time for them to work out the word. Then give a helpful prompt, for example: What do you know that could help you work it out? What do you already know about this word? Does the word look like any other words you already know? Look for a part of the word that you know.

Try breaking the word into syllables. Look at the first letter. Look at the last letter. Look at the letters in between. What do you think the word might

be? Try slowly sounding it out. I’ll say the first part of the word so you can work out the rest of it. It rhymes with...What do you think it could be? Read to the end of the sentence. Any idea what the word might be? You said…. But it doesn’t sound right in the sentence. Have another look at it. Look at the word again because what you said doesn’t match what is on the page. If the word was… what letter would it start with? What letter does this word start with? Try the word...Does that sound right? Choose carefully! Not all strategies will work for all words. If your child hasn’t worked out the word after two prompts, name the word. Then ask your child to say the word again, start the sentence from the beginning and continue reading. When the book has been finished (or your child has had enough), always talk about what was read so you can be sure he or she understood what the author was saying. What if my child ‘reads’ the pictures? Most children go through a stage of looking at the pictures in order to ‘read’ the book, but at some point there will be fewer or no pictures in some books. If your child appears to read the pictures, you may like to use the following strate-gies to encourage them to focus on the words: As a page is turned, cover the picture(s) and have your child read the words on the page. Ask your child: What

do you think the picture(s) will look like? As a page is turned, cover the words and ask your child to look at the picture(s). Ask your child: What do you

think the words will be? Uncover the words then have your child read the words to check whether their predic-tions were correct.

Talking for Understanding Sometimes it is useful to ask a question while your child is reading, to confirm his or her understandings or to suggest a strategy, for eg. What do you think this says here? Find the part where it says that… On this page, I can see a word you’ve learned. Can you find it? What word on this line tells you that…? Listen while I read a line. See if you can find it (Hint: Select a line near the bottom of the page). How do you know that…? Find the words starting with the letter...on this page. Do you see any of the letters in your name on this page? Find the words with...on this page, for example, ‘in’ With your finger, cover a word that can be predicted. What word do you think it might be? Show me the part that tells us about the picture What if the book seems too hard or too easy for my child to read? A book may be too difficult for your child if he or she hasn’t been introduced to it or if it’s written in an unfamiliar style. For example, your child may easily read a fiction book but find it difficult to read a non-fiction book. If a take-home book seems too difficult and your child is getting frustrated, then it’s time to stop. You can ease out of the situa-tion by making one of the following comments: This seems like hard work. Let’s read something else. How about I finish reading the book and you can be ready to tell me what it was about? Teachers introduce new reading strategies by using books at a slightly challenging level. They are not generally used as take home books but on occasions a take-home book may seem too difficult. Be sure to let the teacher know. Reading easy and familiar books at home helps your child to develop confidence and skills.

Prep Orientation

Tuckshop Reminder from the Tuckshop to please have all orders for first lunch placed by 9:30am. Please note, phone calls can not be accepted at the Tuckshop between 10:30am-12pm as we are busy packing lunches and serving children at the counter. Thank you for your understanding. Alana