Term 3 Week 10
Principal's Report
Thank You
Thank you all for a wonderful term 3 that has been filled with many student accomplishments in classroom, on sporting fields and on stage. Each week we are thrilled to share the latest updates from our school and the remarkable student engagement initiatives that are making our classrooms come alive with enthusiasm and creativity.
At Coolum State School, we are committed to providing our students with an enriching educational experience, and we believe that engaged students are happy students who thrive academically and personally.
- Interactive Learning Experiences: Our teachers have been hard at work this term, crafting innovative lessons that captivate students' imaginations. Whether it's a hands-on science experiment, a historical re-enactment, or an excursion, we're ensuring that every day is an opportunity for students to learn through active participation.
- Student Clubs and Activities: We are proud to have a flourishing array of student clubs and extracurricular activities that cater to diverse interests. From our dance club to the stem club, choirs and bands, games room to gardening enthusiasts, students are encouraged to explore their passions and collaborate with like-minded peers.
- Student-Led Initiatives: We empower our students to take the lead in creating change. Our Student Council has been instrumental in organizing community service projects, fundraising events, and awareness campaigns that contribute positively to our school and the wider community.
- Engaging Events: Throughout the school year, we organise exciting events that promote teamwork and creativity. Our annual Kindness days, Coolum Got Talent and Sports days are just a few examples of occasions where students can showcase their talents and interests.
- Writing and Communication Skills: Writing is an essential skill, and we're nurturing young authors and journalists. Our students have the opportunity to share their creative writing pieces, and participate in competitions.
- Parent Involvement: We value the partnership between our school and parents. We encourage parents to participate in school activities, attend parent-teacher conferences, and support their children's learning journey.
At Coolum State School, we understand that an engaged student is more likely to excel academically and develop essential life skills. We are committed to fostering a dynamic learning environment where every student can thrive.
We invite you to stay updated with our school's vibrant activities and achievements through our website, social media channels, and newsletters. Together, we will continue to provide our students with a rich and engaging educational experience.
Thank you for your support in our programs and being a part of our school family, where learning is a joyful adventure! Happy Holidays.
Electric Scooters
Last year, the Queensland Government introduced clear rules regarding the use of e-scooters in order to keep all members of the community safe. At Coolum State School, we welcomed the introduction and enforcement of these rules, as a way of ensuring the safety of our students on their way to and from school. Unfortunately, we are starting to see a return of some students riding e-scooters to school, and some students are not complying with the rules surrounding their use. In addition to this, the school has received some complaints from community members about students riding dangerously on the roads, sometimes narrowly escaping injury, and not wearing helmets.
As a reminder to all parents and members of the Coolum community, I would like to draw your attention to the rules surrounding the use of e-ecooters. The Queensland Government’s rules regarding personal mobility devices, which includes E-Scooters, came into force on 1 November 2022. In particular, riders must be:
- at least 16 years of age, or 12 with adult supervision
- wear an approved bicycle helmet, that is securely fitted, at all times (unless an exemption has been granted for medical or religious reasons)
- not carry passengers
- not use a mobile device
- have a working flashing or steady white light on the front, and a red light and reflector at the rear when travelling at night or in hazardous conditions.
Increases in fines also applied from 1 November 2022:
- up to $1,078 for dangerous offences involving speed, use on prohibited roads, and holding a mobile phone while riding.
- Fines for speeding over the relevant speed limit:
- 1-13km/h = $143
- 14-20km/h = $215
- 20-30km/h = $359
- greater than 30km/h = $575
Please be advised that Coolum State School students will not be permitted to store their e-scooters in the school bike enclosures, and staff will be working with the Queensland Police Service to ensure that our laws keep everyone in our community safe.
We ask that parents and students are well acquainted and comply with the new rules which can be found on the Queensland Government website – Queensland Government E-Scooter Rules
Anthony Ryan
Principal
Coolum Carnival - save the date!
Its the biggest and best evening of the year and its not long away now!!
Coolum Carnival will be held on Friday 27 October from 3:30pm to 8:30pm. It is the school’s annual main fundraising event for the year where proceeds will be going towards an exciting new Senior Playground for our students. Some attractions for this year include Rides, Pedal Karts, Showbags, Mini Golf, Petting Zoo, Cake Competition and Fabulous Food just to name a few.
We would love your donations for our Second-Hand Stall. If you have any great clothing, books, small furniture or baby items that you no longer need we would love to have them. We are also after Lucky Bottles for our Lucky Bottle Stall. When students bring in their donations to the library, they go into the draw to win prizes and vouchers to use at the Carnival.
We can’t wait to see you all there for the best fun you can squeeze into a few hours!!
News from 5T
Term 3 has certainly been a busy fun packed time with learning both inside and outside of the classroom.
There have been so many achievements to celebrate from 5T including the spelling bee, music awards and huge sporting commitments all round!
We have been learning how to write a historical narrative from the perspective of a character living during the Australian Gold Rush times.
Part of this experience lead us to the amazing historical town of Gympie to experience first hand what it was like to try and strike it rich in 1867. We explored the old school house, tired panning for gold, watching the blacksmiths in action and learned how the mine shafts worked.
Here’s what the 5T students had to say about the excursion:
Milly – My favourite thing from the Gympie Gold Rush Museum was learning about the historical information and how the mineshafts were used.
Mateo – When we went to the amazing Gympie gold fields, I panned for gold and I even found some!
Ivy – Looking at all the old room’s and the shops, houses was my favourite thing. I learned that the Gympie got it’s name from the Gympie Gympie Plant.
Ollie – I learned that they worked long hours.
Indigo – I loved when we travelled to the top of the bridge and the guy told us all about the mining shaft that was underneath the structure and how they would push the mine cart down the lift, fill it up with rocks and then people at the top would check it for gold.
Joel – Finding gold and fools gold and learning about the Gympie Gympie plant.
Lochlan – Gold Panning because it was cool to experience what the miners of 1851 would do.
Alice – My favourite part was when we were looking at the olden day houses and schools and I thought it was cool when we walked along the track where the mine carts used to run on.
Anarki – I learned that Gynpie got it’s name from the Gympie Gympie plant.
Brody – Panning for gold and fools gold and watching the old machine work.
Milla – I loved panning for gold and finding gold. Gold can be really small and hard to find and most of us found fools gold.
Olivia – Gympie was fun and very old. It was cool to learn how to pan for gold.
Arne – My favourite thing I did in Gympie was panning for gold and even finding some gold!
Ocean – Looking at the gold experiencing to pan for gold I learned that they worked harder than I thought.
Hunter – I loved panning for fools gold and learning about the schools that they went to.
Luca – I loved looking at the old machinery and how old fashion schools are. I learnt that there are still mine shafts under the ground that take bits off houses.
Atlas – I went to the old Gympie gold fields and experienced what panning for gold is like.
Elijah – Panning for beautiful extraordinary gold.
Quinn – My favourite thing was panning for gold because we got to learn how people in the gold rush used this strategy to find gold.
Asher – I liked finding gold.
Ronin – I liked finding pyrites.
Alix Tinkler
Teacher of 5T
News from 5K
5K's Gympie Gold Mine and Museum Impressions
Hamish- The thing I liked the most was pretending to be in prison because it felt funny and it was really fun. We also went into an old school with a cane. I liked everything we did and how they made it. Thanks Mrs Kotzur and Mr Kerr.
Kai- On our Gympie gold excursion, I really enjoyed being given the opportunity to experience what it would be like to do alluvial gold mining back in the 1950’s. We got to see so many old inventions including many steam machines and shafts. They were very interesting and I am glad to have been able to go there.
Charlie- We got to pan for gold and look at lots of old artefacts. I learnt that they used steam to power things.
Holly- I learnt that Gympie’s roads and paths have gold in them. I found gold when I was panning.
Matilda- It was fun. I learnt where students sat in old classrooms.
Cayden- My favourite thing that I learnt is that when you wanted to see if it was ok to open the door to put more wood in the fireplace, you would have to look through a peep hole.
Violet- Panning for gold was hard work and there is a thing called fool’s gold that would trick you into thinking it was real gold and it wasn’t worth anything. Fool’s gold was shiny and a little bit silver.
India- I learned that panning for gold was harder than it looked. In the gold rush there was this type of rock called fool’s gold and people got tricked a lot. It was like gold but a bit more silvery.
Marley- I learnt that was was really hard to pan for gold and also find gold and that you had to be very patient if you wanted to find gold, otherwise all the gold would rush out of your pan.
Indi- We got to pan for gold. It was really hard. I learnt that alluvial gold came from the mountains and it was really hard to find gold.
Issy- At the Gympie gold mines I learnt about who was the first person to find gold in Queensland (it was James Nash) and how expensive it was. They used a steam powered gold crusher to uncover all of it. Fool’s gold is like gold except it doesn’t even cost a cent.
Sunday- At the Gympie gold mines it was really fun to learn how hard it was to pan for gold. I found ‘fool’s gold’.
Ayla- I learnt that panning for gold is a lot harder than it looks. Also that Gympie’s roads have gold in them.
Avalon- I learnt that if fire is blue it needs air.
Jeremy- We learnt the dangers of shafts and mining gold. We also learnt how rock was crushed to find gold.
Lyra- Panning for gold was fun, even though I didn’t find any.
Isla- I liked panning for gold but it was harder than it looked. We also saw a steam engine which made a big loud whistle noise which hurt my ears, but was also funny because no one knew it was coming.
Braxton S- I like when we heard the interesting story’s that they told us. I liked the old machinery that we saw. Ps it was amazing!
Jett- I liked doing the gold panning and keeping the gold I found. It was fun going into the buildings and seeing what it looked like.
Max- My favourite thing about the Gympie goldmine museum was seeing and experiencing how the steam powered machinery worked while it was turned on and learning what they were used for.
Taj B- I found out it was really hard to find gold.
River- I learnt that fool’s gold and alluvial gold is a thing. They had steam powered machines.
Izaak- It was actually pretty fun because we saw some creepy manikins.
Mary Kotzur
Teacher of 5K
Kindness Environmental Challenge
At parade out Environmental team set the students challenges to help be kind to the environment.
Which one will you try?
Challenge 1 -Pick up rubbish around the school each day until we break up.
Challenge 2 - When you are out in the community pick up five pieces of rubbish.
Challenge 3 – Choose a plastic free option. When you are shopping ask mum or dad to choose loose fruit not fruit in plastic bags, it can go into a basket then straight in to a shopping bag.
Challenge 4 - Take you empty cans and bottles to the containers for change depot. You can raise money for your family or donate to our school. Our school code is C10190364.
Challenge 5 – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Poetry Competition Reminder
If you are looking for something to do in the first week of the holiday there is still time to get involved in the POEM Forest, click here. Write a short poem and send it in online. All entries will have tree planted in their name and there are some great prizes to win, good luck.
Enjoy your holidays and remember, ‘The Earth will thrive if we pick up 5!’
Thanks, from the Environmental Team
Year 6 Legacy Gift Fundraiser
Thank you to all the students, staff and parents who were involved in making our Bake Sale a huge success last week. The awesome year sixes (and related adults) supplied tasty baked treats and our purchasers brought in their gold coins to buy and then devour tasty treats.
This event a real treat and we are pleased to announce with your help we raised a fantastic $1123.
Next term we will work with our Year Six students to decide exactly what the gift to our school will be. Some suggestions have been made, but if you have any thoughts, you should pass them on to your Student Councillor for consideration.
Many thanks
Judith Moore, Myschell Albrecht and the 2023 Year 6 Student Councillors.
Japanese Word of the Week
お会計をお願いします (o-kaikei o onegaishimasu) : Check / Bill please
This phrase is used when you are ready to pay after finishing your meal. Onegaishimasu means please when you want someone to do something for you. In this case bring you the bill.
Brad Yaxley
Japanese Teacher
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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