WILLIAM DUNCAN STATE SCHOOL · 2020. 6. 12. · William Duncan State School FINANCE OPEN MONDAY, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY 8:00AM – 10.00AM TERM 3 STUDENT RESOURCE SCHEME FEES NOW DUE

Email: [email protected] Website: www.williamduncanss.eq.edu.au Phone (07) 5581 4888

William Duncan State School

WILLIAM DUNCAN STATE SCHOOL

11 June 2020

Term 2 Week 8

_____________________________________________________

Dear Parents and William Duncan Community

As we move closer to the end of Term 2 with ninety to ninety-five percent of our students at school,

we continue to navigate the emotions of COVID-19, be it the practical considerations of safety, hygiene,

drop-off and pick-up of students, our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of our staff, community and

students, our vulnerable staff, and finally, leading learning and all things in between.

The ten week term may feel like a fifteen week term to many of you. How do we manage our energy

to ensure that we continue to show up with courage, empathy and connection? As a school

community, it’s vital that we pace ourselves and stay PATIENT. Don’t treat it like a sprint, treat it like a

double marathon with plenty of water stations along the way.

At this stage our operating guidelines and current processes for social distancing will continue to be

maintained. We will update them if any changes are announced. As always, keep up the great work

and thank you for your ongoing support of our school.

Zones of Regulation

“LIFE IS 10% WHAT HAPPENS TO US AND 90% HOW WE REACT TO IT.” - CHARLES SWINDOLL

Self-regulation is something everyone continually works on whether or not we are cognisant of it. We

all encounter trying circumstances that test our limits from time to time. If we are able to recognise

when we are becoming less regulated, we are able to do something about it to manage our feelings

and get ourselves to a healthy place. This comes naturally for some, but for others it is a skill that

needs to be taught and practiced. This is the goal of The Zones of Regulation (or Zones for short).

What are the Zones?

The Zones is a systematic, cognitive behavioral approach used to teach self-regulation by categorising

all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete coloured

zones. The Zones framework provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of and

independent in, controlling their emotions and impulses, managing their sensory needs, and improving

their ability to problem solve conflicts.

By addressing underlying deficits in emotional and sensory regulation, executive functioning, and

social cognition, the framework is designed to help move students toward independent regulation.



THE FOUR ZONES: OUR FEELINGS & STATES DETERMINE OUR ZONE

The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions. A

person may be elated or experiencing anger, rage, devastation, or terror when in the Red Zone.

The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions,

however one has more control when they are in the Yellow Zone. A person may be experiencing stress,

frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or nervousness when in the Yellow Zone.

The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as happy,

focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone. This is the zone where optimal learning

occurs.

The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness and down feelings such as when one feels sad,

tired, sick, or bored.

The Zones can be compared to traffic signs. When given a green light or in the Green Zone, one is

“good to go”. A yellow sign means be aware or take caution, which applies to the Yellow Zone. A red

light or stop sign means stop, and when one is the Red Zone this often is the case. The Blue Zone can

be compared to the rest area signs where one goes to rest or re-energise. All of the zones are natural

to experience, but the framework focuses on teaching students how to recognise and manage their

Zone based on the environment and its demands and the people around them. For example, when

playing on the playground or in an active/competitive game, students are often experiencing a

heightened internal state such as silliness or excitement and are in the Yellow Zone, but it may not

need to be managed. However, if the environment is changed to the library where there are different

expectations than the playground, students may still be in the Yellow Zone but have to manage it

differently so their behaviour meets the expectations of the library setting.

At WDSS, our staff and students are becoming increasingly aware of the Zones and how they help us to

keep on track.

The Arts Room

In 2020, a number of year levels have been introduced to the Arts by Ms Kill. Students have been

introduced to and are experiencing amazing opportunities to expand their knowledge and

understanding of the Arts with much of our focus being on Visual Arts. We have attached some photos

of the Art space and wish to acknowledge the passion and commitment of Ms Kill in growing the

opportunities and skills of our budding artists.

School Uniforms

The uniform shop is once again operating out of the LIC where they have previously operated. At this

stage the Uniform Shop will be cashless until further notice due to COVID-19.



Uniform shop operating hours are every Wednesday between 8:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. in the morning

and again between 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon. All items are now back in stock including

our new zip-up jacket and are available to be purchased from The School Locker website at

https://theschoollocker.com.au/schools/william-duncan-state-school. Orders can be placed online for

click and collect or delivery to a home address.

S.T.A.R Bonze Awards

This week we continued to present our S.T.A.R Bonze Awards to students who have demonstrated our

school values of Safety, Trust, Achievement and Respect for a period of ten weeks. Our teachers are

tracking our students each week and getting feedback from our Specialist Teachers, Relief Teachers

and Playground Duty Staff to ensure our students are demonstrating our values in all settings.

We will continue to present Bronze Awards each week to students who have achieved 10 weeks of

STAR Behaviour. We have many students who have almost achieved the goal. We encourage these

students to keep persisting and giving their best effort to reach the Bronze Award. We will ensure that

students who return to school next week will receive their awards.

Students who have achieved their Bronze Award are now working towards their Silver Award and then

ultimately Gold. Congratulations to all of our recipients.

Semester 1 Reporting

Reporting for this semester will look quite different to other semesters of schooling due to the unusual

circumstances we find ourselves in. Guidance from the Queensland Department of Education is that

schools should:

• Report on English, Maths, Science and one other learning area.

• In Years 1-6 provide a grade for achievement. (No grade is required for Prep)

• Indicate that all levels of achievement are based on evidence of work in Term 1, when students

attended school face to face, and the evidence of work from both the home-based learning

program and face to face teaching program in Term 2.

As students return to school, staff will ascertain where students are and ensure that learning for all

students commences. As always, our staff will communicate with families as we move forward and can

discuss where our students are in terms of their learning and discuss our way forward together. Report

cards will be emailed home at the end of this term.

Online safety

Social media influencers are people who have established credibility in a specific industry and have the

power to influence other people’s decisions. Most commonly associated with YouTube and Instagram,

‘influencers’ will usually have a large number of followers and be viewed as authentic by their

audience. It is for this reason that many influencers are often paid by big companies to promote their

products in the hope of persuading their followers to purchase those goods. We thank you again for

your continued understanding, patience and support. Restrictions are slowly being lifted so please

continue to do the right thing.

Have a great week!

Regan Gant

Principal





SOME OF OUR BRONZE STAR AWARD RE CIPIENTS



MUSIC NEWS Music Report – Ms Melissa Cole

Just a little reminder that as the students have returned to school our Instrumental Music lessons have also commenced. Under the present EQ Operating Guidelines we are unable to have rehearsals at this time, so there will be NO rehearsals (before school) for the Choir, Band or String Ensembles, only lessons. Please ensure all band and string students bring their instruments and music books for their lessons each week with Mr. Rae and Miss Marten.

Term 2 Instrumental Music Fees are due now!

These fees are essential in providing funds for us to repair and care for our instruments to maintain their high quality. Your co-operation in this matter is greatly appreciated. If problems exist, please contact me at the school on 5581 4888.

Music Joke…. ☺



FINANCE

OPEN MONDAY, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY

8:00AM – 10.00AM

TERM 3 STUDENT RESOURCE SCHEME FEES NOW DUE

TERM 2 STUDENT RESOURCE SCHEME FEES OVERDUE

SCHOOL BANKING NEWS

Following the recent easing of Coronavirus restrictions, we are currently assessing options to resume our

School Banking program. The health and safety of our communities and our people remain our priority and

so we have engaged Principals to complete a short survey to help provide further insights to help us with

this decision. Each state is different and some schools are still operating with a mixture of home schooling

and face to face learning which creates further challenges in resuming the program.

After we receive the survey results, we will communicate the recommencement date of the program. Until

that time, the School Banking program will remain on pause.

Kind Regards,

Veronica

Veronica Howarth Head of School Banking Commonwealth Bank





Documents

WILLIAM DUNCAN STATE SCHOOL · 2020. 6. 12. · William Duncan State School FINANCE OPEN MONDAY, TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY 8:00AM – 10.00AM TERM 3 STUDENT RESOURCE SCHEME FEES NOW DUE