Term 3 Week 2
Principal's Report
Welcome back to a jam-packed term 3. Amongst many events we have huge focus on reading with Book Fair, Book Week and Paint the Town Read. Reading is an important skill which is developed through experiences with a wide variety of texts. This includes reading books and magazines, posters and charts, pamphlets and packets, letters and postcards. It also includes viewing multimedia texts such as movies and documentaries.
Children make progress at their own pace; some pick up new skills quickly and some need more time for learning and practising the new skill. All children need to be ready to learn and to have the best conditions for learning new skills. At school, teachers create safe, happy and stimulating environments where children are encouraged and praised for ‘having a go’.
You can create a similar learning environment at home with the following ideas:
- Make a regular time to read together and don’t stop reading TO your child when they can read themselves; they love listening to a competent reader.
- When you introduce a new book to your child, discuss what it could be about, talk about the pictures or text and then read it to each other. With older children you can encourage them to make predictions and pause occasionally to confirm or reject their original thoughts.
- Read and follow directions together such as when making a recipe or instructions for playing a game or assembling a new piece of furniture or toy.
- Read magazines and newspapers together and talk about the pictures as well as the text.
- Listen to audio books or story tapes and watch movies together. Once you’ve seen the movie, discuss it and then read the original book together.
Most importantly make sure your children see you enjoying reading.
Active travel to school
With this wonderful winter weather lets make the most of the opportunities for active travel to school. If you haven’t taken the opportunity to sign up to the RideScore program please make time to do so. It is a great program for the children to receive incentives to be active and provides parents piece of mind as they receive communication that their child has arrived safely to school.
Curiosity Questions
Curiosity questions (from Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen) usually (but not always) begin with the words, “What” and “How.” Curiosity questions, also know as “powerful” or “open-ended” questions, are an excellent coaching tool because:
- They spur people to think: about cause and effect, possible outcomes, and possible solutions
- They invite a person to listen to and draw from their inner wisdom
- They create a sense of ownership because the answers to these questions come from within
- They help people explore the consequences of decisions
- They create trust in both oneself and in the asker (the implication is that “the asker wouldn’t ask if she didn’t think I had an answer – she must trust that I do”)
There are many ways to use curiosity questions. As an alternative to commands, curiosity questions help a child feel more intrinsically motivated to follow through with simple tasks as in the following examples:
Traditional Approach (Telling) | Using Curiosity Questions (Asking) |
“Stop playing your computer games” | “What was our agreement about computer games?” |
“Brush your teeth” | “What flavour of toothpaste would you like to use tonight?” |
“Get your shoes on now” | “How quickly can you get your shoes on?” |
“Stop fighting with your brother” | “How can you and your brother solve this problem?” |
“Do your homework” | “What is your plan for getting your homework done?” |
“Hurry up or you’ll miss the bus!” | “What can you do to be sure to catch the bus on time?” |
Curiosity questions can also be used in more complex situations to help children explore the consequences of their own actions. Try using curiosity questions at home with your child to try promote more positive outcomes to everyday situations.
Anthony Ryan
Principal
News from Prep R
Last Friday the Prep students celebrated 100 days at school. The theme this year for our students was ‘100 Days Brighter’. It was a wonderful day spent participating in range of 100 themed activities such as making crowns, arts and crafts, counting various collections of 100 items, and completing 100 second challenges with the Year 6 Buddies.
Prep teachers, teacher-aides, Mr Ryan and the Admin team, also participated in the festivities and were dressed as 100 year olds!
The students celebrated and reflected on how much they have learnt, and what they have enjoyed most during the 100 days at Coolum State School. Here are their responses.
Lillah – “I like learning about words and animals. I like reading stories too!”
Nash – “I like learning numbers and outdoor play.”
Aria – “Learning to write my name and about animals has been fun!”
Kai – “I have learnt how to read and write some words. I’ve learnt lots about animals. I have made new friends.”
Sam – “ I’ve learnt about Tasmanian Devils and Crocodiles! I have learnt lots about our school. I like art and making new friends.”
Finn – “I have learnt to write and I have made new friends”.
Dusty – “Under 8’s Day was so fun! I love learning about Science and rhyming words”.
Harry – “I like going to the Computer Lab and Outdoor Play.”
Elliott – “I like subitizing and being a Wildlife presenter!”
Bailey – “I love reading. Under 8’s Day was so much fun, so was the Sports Day!”
Ollie – “I had so much fun at Under 8’s Day! I have learnt how to write some words. I love drawing too!”
Macy – “I have learnt to blend sounds. The monkey bars are so much fun!”
Leni – “I have learnt count to 100. I love spending time with our buddies!”
Azaliyah – “I love drawing and art.”
Kye – “I have learnt to write. I like doing work on the IPads”.
Callie – “I have learnt how to write words and sentences. I love Outdoor Play too!”
Boe – “I have learnt to write letters. I love playing games and drawing!”
Thea – “I love learning to read! Under 8’s Day was so fun!”
Frankie – “I have learnt to read some words and write. I love going to the big play ground.”
Millie – “Under 8’s Day was so fun!”
Jameson – “I have had fun drawing and playing outside!”
Bohana – “I have learnt to write letters. Under 8’s Day was really fun!”
Tessa Rofe
Teacher of Prep R
News from Prep L
What a great start back to Term 3 the Prep L students have already had.
The ‘100 Days Brighter’ Day last Friday was one to remember and the children had a fabulous time. We were very excited to move back in to our newly renovated classroom on Monday. It is looking amazing.
It's time to dive back into the swing of things as we gear up for another exciting and eventful term in Prep.
Upcoming Term 3 events for Prep L include, Book Week dress-up, Father’s Day Afternoon, Paint the Town Read and the Rainbow Run.
Never a dull moment at Coolum State School, just the way Prep L like it.
Have a great week.
Miss Lisa, Miss Angie and Miss Karen
Prep L team
Book Fair
Our annual Book Fair is on Monday 24 July to Friday 28 July and will be held in the Activities Hall.
We will be open Monday to Thursday from 8:00am to 8:30am and 2:40pm to 3:15pm and on Friday we will only be open in the morning from 8:00am to 8:30am.
It is a great opportunity to support our school as a part of the sales goes towards rewards to be used to purchase resources for the school. So come along and pick up some wonderful books for your children or presents for relatives and friends. We hope to see you there.
Coolum gets a facelift!
The BE KIND WALL
Have you seen our stunning new ‘Be Kind’ mural on the rebound wall, beside the Junior oval? We owe a huge thank you to Josh Harris for donating his time to support our Student Council’s effort to brighten up our school. It looks amazing! At the end of Term 2 our councillors joined Josh to uplift the dirty concrete wall to a vibrant message that we hope will inspire our community to think of others. Keep your eyes open for further murals popping up during the year. Josh is the dad of Archie in 1F and you may remember that last year he helped Owen Cavanagh create the wonderful mural on the side of the senior toilets. Owen and Billie Baxter created two awesome murals that have been proudly hanging inside the toilet block.
The Senior Toilet Refurbishment Project is complete
Over the last holidays the QBuild painters came in to school to repaint the inside of the Senior toilets next to the tuckshop. These have been freshened up to complete the School Council’s 2022 Toilet Refurbishment project. The doors have been painted in bright multicolours to match the amazing murals that were donated at the end of last year by Billie and Owen. Grant has kindly rehung them on the walls and already our students have been saying what a great improvement there has been and how lucky they are to have the best toilets on the coast.
Thank you to everyone that was involved in this project, Josh, Owen, Billie, the School Councillors from 2022 and 2023 and the P&C who part funded the project.
Judith Moore and Myschel Albrecht
Student Council
Japanese Word of the Week
これをお願いします(kore o onegaishimasu) : I’d like (to order) this, please
You can easily order something by pointing to it on the menu and saying, “Kore o onegaishimasu” (I would like to order this).
Brad Yaxley
Japanese Teacher
Environmental News
Before the holidays Mr Ryan reminded our students of our Environmental Team motto – for the Earth to thrive you need to pick up 5. He asked our students to pick up 5 pieces of rubbish every day. How did you go?
This month is ‘Plastic Free July’ and the Environmental Team have turned their attention to plastic. Recycling was our focus in Semester One but this week we’ve been thinking, how we can avoid using plastic in the first place. The Clean Up for Australia website has been showing us how we need to get in to the habit of expanding how we refuse, reduce and reuse items, before we consider recycling. What does this mean to us and how can you get involved?
Refuse – use a cloth bag to put your fruit in when buying them instead of a plastic bag. Buy loose fruit and vegetable whenever possible to avoid plastic bags. Take a keep cup with you to the coffee shop.
Reduce – think about what’s in your lunchboxes. Make it plastic free. Swap plastic wrap for reusable boxes. You could buy a big bag of chips and put them into small reusable boxes. Is there a need to buy individual bags of popcorn or chips?
Reuse – make junk models or plant pots out of packaging, give unused clothes to friends, family or the op shop.
Recycle – separate your waste, take bottles and tins to the Containers for Change depot.
This week, Coolum’s Environmental Team made personal pledges to help. They thought about how they could help the environment and encourage their family and friends to do the same. Their pledges are here. But they have a challenge for you too. What pledge will you make to help the environment this month? You are welcome to send in photographs of your families pledges and we will showcase some in the next newsletter.
For more information check out these links:-
Plastic Free July small steps campaign
Soft plastics what has happened - https://www.cleanup.org.au
Remember – For the Earth to survive we need to pick up 5.
Have a great week.
Judith Moore and Tom Zimmermann
Environmental Team
P&C News
July P&C Meeting
The next Coolum State School P&C monthly meeting will be on Wednesday 24 July 2023 at 6.30pm. All are welcome - stay warm at home by joining online. Register your attendance by noon on Wednesday at: pandc@coolumss.eq.edu.au
Comedy Night Cancellation
Coolum State School P&C Association wishes to thank those parents who purchased tickets, however insufficient sales forced the cancellation. Coolum OSHC is still running evening care this Friday from 6pm-10pm, with 'Aloha' themed dinner and games. Should you like to book and have any enquiries, please call 5446 2026.
Denise French
P&C Manager
Other News and Events...
Reporting your child's absence
If your child is absent from school it is important that you notify us as soon as possible. To report your child’s absence please either complete the short form available on the website at https://coolumss.eq.edu.au/our-school/absences or telephone us on 5471 9300.
Absences may be reported both on the webform and on the telephone in advance for planned absences.
We thank you for your assistance.
QParents
Did you know that the QParents portal is available for Coolum State School? QParents enables schools to offer parents secure access to information about their child. Parents can communicate directly with the school and update their child’s address and medical conditions and submit reasons for absences.
QParents is available to all families and not just our new families! If you would like to receive your unique invitation code and child's EQ ID please email us info@coolumss.eq.edu.au to request this.
Contact details
Have you changed your mobile number recently? Have you moved house?
It's important that we hold up to date contact details for you and your nominated emergency contacts. If you would like to update your details please pop in to the Administration Office or email us at info@coolumss.eq.edu.au .
RideScore Active Schools
REGISTER NOW!
- Do you live close to school?
- Do your children have a bike or scooter?
- Would you like peace of mind knowing your children have safely arrived at school?
If you answered YES to these questions, then RideScore is for you!
What is RideScore?
RideScore is an incentive-based program delivered by Sunshine Coast Council and We Ride Australia to increase active travel to and from school. The program is open to all students who ride a bike or scooter to school, as these can easily be fitted with beacons.
Participating students will receive a personal sensor (beacon) to attach to their bike or scooter. The school bike storage facility will be fitted with a Bluetooth reader that detects the signal from the beacon and sends a notification to the nominated contact that the student has arrived at or departed the school gate. Please note that the beacon is not a tracking device, it only records school arrivals and departures.
Data is collected by the online platform, enabling incentives to be offered at certain milestones.
Activities will also be planned throughout the school year to promote and encourage active travel, including cycling education classes for all Year 4 students.
How do I register?
Step 1 - Download the RideScore App (Search for ‘RideScore’ in the App Store or on Google Play)
Step 2 – Receive your sign on bag (will be distributed via the classrooms) that includes:
- Your child’s beacon & instructions on how to pair and fit
- Bike Lock
- Scorecard
- Road Safety Information
Step 3 – Start riding or scooting
Step 4 – Visit the RideScore website for great resources and safety tips
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