Term 4 Week 8

Principal's Report

Wow, here we are almost at the end of a fantastic school year! There has been so many highlights of the year from school camps, student achievements in learning, excursions, STEM activities, musical, dance performances, a plethora of individual and group sporting achievements, Coolum Carnival, Paint the Town Read and Book Week.

Thank you to our fantastic community of parents, grandparents, staff, P&C and local businesses for the wonderful contributions you make in enriching the lives of our students. Every one of you has an impact and whilst the children may not always appear to realise it, they certainly do reap the benefits of it.

Now that the holidays are approaching, it’s time to think about keeping the kids entertained on those long, hot, summer days. There are many activities you can do with your children which are inexpensive and good fun. All of these experiences help children learning about the world around them. Teachers can use these experiences in their teaching to make school relevant to their world. You don’t need to entertain them every moment of every day, but if you plan a couple of special family activities with them, it helps to break the monotony as well as building relationships with them. Have you taken the kids fishing lately or tried rollerblading or bike riding with them? What about yabbying or a picnic by the river, lake or beach? Had a barbeque in the bush recently? Take a picnic lunch to the local gardens and relax under the shady trees. Throw in the frisbee for some fun and games with them. Have you been out on a boat with them? Try canoeing or kayaking or a cruise on a paddle steamer. Or just lie on the banks of a river and watch the boats float by.

You can do some very simple activities with them on those rainy days when you are stuck inside. Consider these ideas: write or email a friend to come over and play; write a shopping list together; draw a map of the neighbourhood, your house or the way to Grandma’s; plant some seedlings; look at photo albums and tell stories about when you were a child; design, make and fly a kite; estimate, compare and count collections of things; visit the local library and borrow a book, or buy a new one to share; teach them to play hopscotch or a board game; ride a bike, throw a ball, kick the footy; cook some biscuits together or make a yummy fruit salad.

Most importantly…..TALK, TALK, TALK with your children.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday and enjoy spending time with your children; they’re incredible young people! I look forward to welcoming you all back for the start of the 2024 school year on Monday 22 January 2024.

School bell times commencing 2024

After consideration and consultation with school staff, we will be adjusting the school day structure to facilitate more focused teaching and learning times. The start and finish times of the school day will not change. The duration of break times will not change but the time breaks start will change. Please see below for our new bell times for 2024:

Should you need to collect your child during the school day please avoid break times. Please present yourself to the Administration Office and our administration staff will arrange for your child to meet you at the office.

School Captains for 2024

This week our year 5 students voted for our School Captains for 2024. We heard speeches from 4 boys and 10 girls yesterday morning. All of the students did an outstanding job and would be worthy School Captains. However, we can only select four.  Congratulations to our 2024 School Captains who are:

Eadie Ashenden, Jeremy Samson, Hamish Woodward and Isabelle Zimmermann.

Next week we will vote for House Captains.

Anthony Ryan
Principal

Prep Enrolments 2024

If you have a child starting Prep in 2024 and haven’t yet submitted your Enrolment Application to the Administration Office, then please do as soon as possible.

Our Enrolments Officer Katie, will be happy to assist you with any questions or queries that you may have.

World Kindness Day – creating a culture of kindness

Last Monday we celebrated as a whole school 'World Kindness Day'  It was such a wonderful day with singing, face painting, lunch time kindness activities and spreading the important message of Being Kind and the lasting ripple effect it can have. When students were asked the question ‘How do you see kindness?’ There were many wonderful responses. Here are just a few.

'Kindness is hoping you make a difference.'

‘Kindness is being the best part of someone else’s day.’

‘Kindness is THE BEST feeling in the world.’

‘Kindness is leaving the world in a better place than you found it.’

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our gold coin donation. We were able to raise over $750 for the Salvation Army Christmas Appeal which will go towards gift cards. This means making a difference in the lives of others and spreading a little happiness and cheer to the ones who need it most this Christmas.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 23

Next

News from 6G

As our primary school days are coming to an end, our class, 6G would like to reminisce over the most memorable experiences of year 6. First of all, school camp. Ah, to look back on these days causes the sense of nostalgia to become overwhelming. The days when we barely knew one and other, but school camp brought us together. Next, sports day. A day of fun, competition and exhilaration, where we awoke in the morning, ready to try our best in every event we could. Then, the Colour Run. It was an amazing experience being able to run not once but twice, the second time with our energetic prep buddies. And then, the swimming carnival. A day we will never forget, as us year 6’s took part in fun but competitive swimming races and watching each team smash the dance past. Finally, Coolum Carnival. What an excitement it was to experience our last carnival of grade 6 with our close friends and family. Thank you to all the Coolum State School Staff, community and teachers that have supported us when times get tough, encouraged us when we were feeling like we cannot go on, and most importantly, teaching us the significant skills and abilities needed in later life. After all, that’s what school is all about. So thank you, for all you have done for us and thank you, for making these first 7 years of our education, as memorable, and as enjoyable as possible.

Anneken and Jesmine 
on behalf of 6G

News from 6N

All Hail the Emperor’s New Clothes!

Last Friday, 6N and 6Q performed their amazing parade item, 'The Emperor’s New Clothes'. This was the culmination of the students’ Art unit for Term 4. Students had to audition for the lead parts, learn stagecraft, learn choreography and work as a team. The results spoke for themselves as 6N & 6Q wowed the crowd and brought the old tale to life, albeit with a modern twist. Bravo, 6N and 6Q!

Jo Nix
Teacher of 6N

STEM Extravaganza

As part of our school focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), enrichment days were planned this term, facilitated by the Sunshine Coast Environmental Education Centre. Invited students were nominated by their classroom teacher based on their outstanding achievement in the areas of Science, Technology and Mathematics in Semester 1 to engage in a number of student-centred experiments.

During these enrichment days, students engaged in a series of captivating and hands-on design experiments, showcasing their ingenuity in STEM fields. From constructing earthquake-proof structures that withstood simulated tremors to crafting catapults that demonstrated principles of physics and engineering, these activities not only fostered a deeper understanding of scientific concepts but also highlighted the students' exceptional creativity and problem-solving skills.

Congratulations to all students on a wonderful day of learning. Students who didn’t attend this event will have the opportunity to engage in similar activities in lunchtime STEM groups.  

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 19

Next

P&C News

Lost Property

Please check the lost property cupboard before the end of the year.  It is full of all types of winter jumpers and jackets, as well as lunch boxes and water bottles that aren't named. The lost property is cleared at the end of the year, with clothing items taken to a charity shop.  In the case of unclaimed uniform items, these are put on our donated item rack. Lunch boxes and water bottles are disposed of for health and safety.  Please make sure all items brought to school are marked clearly with first and last names, as this makes it possible to return to the student.

P&C Meeting

The final P&C meeting for the year will be on Wednesday 29 November at 6.30pm in the P&C Centre/Uniform Shop. You are welcome to attend in person as always, or please let us know if you would like to attend via Teams, email us at PandC@coolumss.eq.edu.au or phone 5471 9371.

Tuckshop

The Tuckshop will be closed for week 10.

Carols Night

Join us on Monday 4 December for our fabulously festive Carols Night from 4.30pm - 7.30pm. Please see full details below on the flyer.

Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop will be open the week before school starts back for term 1 2024. Monday 15 January - Friday 19 January 9am-4pm, with opening until 6pm on Thursday 18 January.

Thank you for your fabulous support throughout 2023. Wishing you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and New Year!

Coolum State School P&C

Japanese News

Japanese Word of the Week

いくらですか？(ikura desu ka?): How much is it/this?

Use this phrase to ask the price of items. When you want to know the price of a specific item, you can point at it and ask “Ikura desu ka?” If you want to ask the total price of several items, you can ask “Zenbu de ikura desu ka?” (全部でいくらですか？; How much is all of this?)

Brad Yaxley
Japanese Teacher

Year 6 2023 Legacy Gift

Earlier in the year, our Year 6 Student Councillors devised a plan a way to fundraise to create funds for a gift that the 2023 Year 6 cohort could leave behind. This represents a thank you to Coolum State School for everything they have done for them over the years.

In term 3, a bake sale was held and the students raised a fabulous $1183. Ideas were then shared on what to do with the funds. It was decided that a stone yarning circle where students could sit and reflect would be a perfect gift.  Stones were organised, delivered and placed in a crescent with the support of Clint from Onslaught Mini Excavations, a previous student and parent. A plaque has been ordered and will be installed; it lists the 2023 year 6 students.

It is hoped that this will be a place for students to enjoy a yarn and that in 2024 the next year 6 students will finish off their work and fundraise to complete the circle.

Thank you to all our wonderful year six students and best wishes for your next adventure.

Mrs Albrecht and Mrs Moore
Student Council

Urgent Job Vacancy

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!

1. Do you live close to school?
2. Do your children have a bike or scooter?
3. 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