Term 4 Week 2

Principal's Report

Dear families

Welcome to Term 4, and what an exciting term it will be! We are all looking forward to the many community events coming up, kicking off with our very popular Coolum Carnival! I have had the opportunity to meet and work with the amazing Denise French and her team and can assure you all that this Coolum Carnival will be outstanding! We genuinely appreciate the fundraising that this event generates for our school and students, but the opportunity to host a large community occasion is definitely a significant positive too. Our students feel so proud and connected to the Coolum Carnival, I would like to extend my thanks to the many sponsors, community partners, P&C and school staff in the lead up, for the hours of work already committed.

I have been talking to students about this term being the ‘final quarter’ of our year and it is the time for them to put everything in- for a strong finish to the year. On parade I talked about students needing a GROWTH MINDSET to get this done. With a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work- and that their intelligence and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. It might seem like the end of the year is the time to ‘cruise-on-through’, but it is the end of the season where we need to really dig deep and lift our thinking. A Growth Mindset is where student’s train their inner voice to support them to continue to try hard, learn from mistakes and persist with challenges. Ask your child if they have used a growth mindset this week.

I have received an update from Department of Transport and Main Roads that the traffic lights will be operational by the end of October. Prior to this occurring, the education and safety team from TMR will be presenting a road safety talk to our students during a parade. This will support our students making safe choices whilst using this new crossing. I will share this information to our parents also when I receive it. Thanks must go to the Department of Traffic and Main Roads for incorporating a new fence along our OSHC service where the new footpath is. This will assist in keeping our students safe with the more open area around the path. Mrs Judith Moore has also been working with the council on some new trees to be planted around this area and also in our school. A great initiative!

Kind regards

Shannyn Taylor
Principal

Dig Into Reading

Welcome back to the regular Dig Into Reading articles. This week we encourage Prep to Year 2 parents and carers to watch the DOE and P&C Qld Twilight Reading Session via the link below.

Click here to access the Department of Education and P&Cs Qld Twilight reading session for parents and carers. The session provides information on Queensland’s Reading Commitment and how to support your child’s reading at home. Click here for a fridge poster outlining ways to support your beginning reader.

News from 2M

2M have had a very busy year so far and the students are enjoying all aspects of their school life. Last term we learnt all about informative texts and this term we are going to be reading, speaking and writing about persuasive texts.

The students were particularly lucky last term to go on an excursion to Wildlife HQ. Here are some of the student’s thoughts about that day.

I was in Mrs. Morris’s group. I saw a meercat and a Tasmanian devil. I also saw a fox, an echidna, a bilby and a long legged fox. By Sage.

My day there was so much fun because I saw the Big Pineapple and there were so many animals to see. I saw a spider monkey, a venomous snake and a snapping turtle. I loved all the animals and I saw more animals. There was a koala and a Tasmanian devil. They have lots of animals that were amazing. They look so much like you can play with them. By Maia.

I loved it. It was amazing. I loved the monkeys. The snakes were cool too and it was good weather too. The Big Pineapple was enormous. The snapping turtles were cool. At first I couldn’t see them in their tank. By Tex .

I liked the sounds of the animals. Some animals were funny. I really liked the reptile section. By Finn.

At Wildlife HQ we saw our favourite animal the red panda!!! They are incredible animals. They are fluffy and cute. They are everything to us. We love them. They are adorable and the best. At Wildlife HQ we saw a koala!! They are adorable and fuzzy. We love them. They are an amazing animal to us. We need to keep them safe from their predators so they can live. We love them. We love the people who help all the animals if they are in danger. We love animals. Thanks for helping them all. By Mia and Perrie.

My day at Wildlife HQ zoo was great. I saw a bunch of animals like a sun bear and Tasmanian devil. When I saw the meercats it was funny. By Jacob.

To Wildlife HQ. Thanks for an awesome day at the zoo. My favourite animal was the koala. Koalas are so fuzzy and cute. The spider monkeys are so cute. They keep climbing on their cage. The turtles were so cool. They have green, rock hard shells. They also have flippers to swim. Me and my friend Isla patted the deer and the emu together. The sun bear was so cool. It had a marshmallow, yellow tummy and black fur. The possum was cool too. It hung upside down. By Luka.

My day at Wildlife HQ was amazing. We got to see heaps of incredible animals. One of my favourites were the koalas. They were cute and cuddly. And the bearded monkey was so small and adorable. I loved it when we got to see the other groups and talk about the things we both saw. When we were heading to the show me and Luka saw a deer and an emu. We got to pat it. The deer felt wiry and stiff but the emu felt feathery and soft. We went to the park and waited for the bus to come. When we were at the park we played tag with the other groups. The Wildlife HQ was amazing. I loved how nice the zoo keepers were and feel grateful for how much they have done for the animals and for letting us come to see them. By Isla.

I loved it at Wildlife HQ because I loved the little park. We all played tag and it was so much fun. I also loved the bus ride because it was so fancy and cool. I and everyone in my group saw turtles. They were kind of scary. We saw a snake in the pond and it wasn’t even meant to be there. I also saw the spider monkey. I think it was the funniest animal there. I saw the koalas and a baby koala. They were so snuggly and adorable. We also got strawberry and raspberry icy poles. I had a great time there and I hope you do too. And when we were about to hop on the bus with our icy poles another group came and they did not have icy poles and so our helper said there was a bear to distract them from our icy poles but there was no bear. Have fun. By Saskia.

At Wildlife HQ I saw lots of animals like snapping turtles and porcupines but my favourite animals were the raccoons and the koalas. Also me and my group got to go to the park and we played tag. It was so much fun to be with all my friends. I also loved the spider monkeys and the bus ride because the bus was so fancy. There was even kangaroos, emus and red pandas at the zoo. It was fantastic as my group and me got to get icy poles on my way back to the bus. By Scarlett.

Thanks for your thoughts 2M and it is great to see how much you enjoyed Wildlife HQ. It sounds like you also gained a great deal from your experiences at the zoo. Your appreciation of your friends is also very pleasing to hear. Wildlife HQ is a fabulous place and a really terrific place to visit.

Brad Casey
Teacher of 2M

News from 4B

Wow, what a year it has been!  We feel so grateful for many things in 4B and always try to be positive, have lots of fun and be kind to each other.  Here is a snapshot of all the fun we have had so far…….We enjoyed sports day where all our true colours came out!  It was great having swimming lessons in Term.1 to cool us down on those hot summer days!  We also had an amazing time doing the Rainbow Run at our school to end off a busy Term 3.                                                                                                                                

In Science we have learnt about natural materials, rocks and erosion, forces and made our own upgrade to Tickle Park playground and this term we are looking forward to learning about life cycles and endangered animals.  We’ve written our own travel pitches about a place of our choice, written stories, welcomed new students into our classroom and had fun taking part in Bike Education.  We had a fabulous time on our Year 4 camp adventure days where we participated in many activities that were quite challenging and came home exhausted after each of the 2 days of non-stop action!  4B loved dressing up as our favourite book characters for Book Week and enjoyed Kindness Day to send on important messages to one another.        

We have made tangrams and painted beautiful pictures in Art and did some Excel during ICT lessons. During Japanese, we made origami and learnt more about Japan and its people.  From singing new songs and playing new instruments in Music, to learning new games in PE, we have had a brilliant time!  The most fun we have as a class is when we have Funday Friday reward day on the last Friday of every month.  We play team games, make cubby houses, create shops and bring our own games in from home to play with our friends. Last term, we participated in the Bike On program and this term we are looking forward to a Science Spectacular presentation with Dr Rob for Science Week, as well as a talk about turtles and an information session on recycling.  We’ve had some great achievements in our talented class and their enthusiasm to participate and represent our school does not go unnoticed….various team sports, Choir and Eisteddfod, Spelling Bee, Premier’s Reading Challenge, World of Maths and Instrumental Music.  As well as all of this, we kept on top of learning, but remembered to have fun along the way!  

We enjoyed filling each other’s buckets by saying and doing kind things for one another and loved learning about different countries and places, as well as creating beautiful art pieces of the many wonderful landmarks around the world.  This term, we look forward to learning more about information texts and writing our own information reports on a chosen animal.  Everyone in 4B cannot wait to perform their Parade Item in a couple of weeks, advertising our amazing Coolum Carnival! Wow, what a busy, fun year it’s been already!!! Well done 4B, keep up the great work!!

Sam Bollard
Teacher of 4B

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Sing Out

This Sunday, our Beat Boys and Junior Voices will be taking part in a very special community event in our PCC hall on Sunday 13 October. "Sing Out" is an annual event by Coolum HeARTs in support of Mental Health Awareness Week. "Sing Out" brings together many amazing musicians from our community, to promote the benefits of music and the Arts, and its positive impact in bringing people together and supporting one another through good times, and the not so good. It is a free event, held in our PCC hall, and everyone is invited to attend! 

We are so proud of our young singers and their participation in this event and we know that they will do our school and themselves proud! Well done Beat Boys and Junior Voices, and many thanks to Miss Sharise and Mrs Mackay for all your efforts with our choirs. 

Year 6 Legacy Gift to Coolum State School

This week some of our Year 6 cohort got together to celebrate the newly completed yarning circle. This circle was started by the 2023 cohort. and now complete, is a gift from the Year 6 students to the school. 

It is hoped that many current and future students will find this a useful space to sit and enjoy each others company and to watch the world go by. It is already a popular spot for parents to wait to collect their children after school.

Thank you again to all those students who bought cakes at last terms 'Legacy Bake Sale' fundraiser enabling the purchase of the blocks and commemorative plaque.

Regards
School Council

Environmental News

Our Environmental Team are doing a great job in school supporting students and teachers to be more responsible for the way they are treating the planet. Our goal this year is to reduce the amount of plastic used in school. We are continuing with this in term four with our plastic free lunchboxes, beach and school clean ups, changes to booklists to remove some plastic items, and further investigations into other ways we can be more sustainable in school.

But did you know one of our Environmental Team is doing great things outside school too? Last term Arwen from 6G was told she was a winner in the Fantastical Sharks and Rays Art Competition run in conjunction with the Marine Conservation Society Australia, Australian Museum, the Humane Society International and Dr Leonardo Guida. 

Arwen entered a picture that she had created of a Greenback Stingaree, a member of the Stingray family whose population has fallen in the last 30 years and won. Her artwork was then transformed into a sculpture by Rosie Deacon and put on display at the Australian Museum. Arwen was fortunate to be able to fly down to visit the sculpture in person with her brother and mum and spend the day exploring the museum We are very proud that one of our Coolum Students is a winner and promoting the conservation of endangered species.

Find out more about Sharks, Rays and the competition here https://sharkchampions.org.au/fantastical-sharks-and-rays/

Not only this, but Arwen, and her brother Kerby, recently acted as ambassadors at the Kids in Action Environmental Conference on the Sunshine Coast. Arwen spent some time acting as an MC and they both got to support students from a variety of schools on the coast. The Kids in Action conference this year was all about listening to Country. Arwen and Kerby, do a lot of environmental audio recording with their mum and were asked to take part in collecting sounds and interviewing kids, over the two days. 

If you want to hear more of the amazing work Arwen does in the environment, then you need to head to Maroochydore Wetlands where you will be able to hear her voice as part of a guided walk.

If you do something to help the environment please share with the team so we can celebrate your successes too, every bit helps.

Spelling Bee

Last Term 6 of our amazing Coolum students pitted themselves against some of the best spellers in the country and entered the State Finals of the 2024 Premiers Spelling Bee. Unfortunately no one progressed to the National Round but we are very proud of how well they did.  From these select few our Year Level Champions and 2024 Coolum State School Champion was named.

State Finalist and Year 3 Champion - Zoe K 3E

State Finalist and Year 4 Champion - Seb B 4M

State Finalist and Year 5 Champion - Harry R 5C

State Finalist and Year 6 Champion -  Ronin D 6Q

A huge congratulations goes to Seb B in year 4 who was crowned our School Champion for 2024. He narrowly beat Ronin, our 2023 Champion, by 3 seconds.

Special mentions go to Jonathan B, 4O, and Finn W, 4B, who were State Finalists.  

Thank you to everyone who entered in 2024.

Japanese Culture Festival

Prep 2025 Enrolments

Prep 2025 enrolments are now open. Please collect an Enrolment Pack from the office. Our Enrolments Officer Katie will be happy to assist you with any questions or queries that you may have.

Japanese Word of the Week

Sumimasen (すみません) – Excuse me

Excuse me is an important expression in any language, and Japanese is no exception.

The word for excuse me in Japanese is sumimasen. Chances are you’ll also be using this one quite a bit, so if you can try and memorize it! It’s a doubly useful word, as it can be used both to get a person’s attention, and also to apologize.

For example, use sumimasen at an izakaya (a Japanese-style gastropub) to get a waiter’s attention. At izakaya, it’s often called out as sumimaseeeeee~n! On the other hand, if you accidentally walk onto a tatami floor with your shoes on (something you’re likely to do at some point) you can use sumimasen to say I’m sorry.

Brad Yaxley
Japanese Teacher

Dental Van News

RideScore Active Schools

Register Now

Do you live close to school?

1. Does your child have a bike or scooter?
2. Would you like your child to get an active, healthy and fun start to the day?
3. Would you like a system that tells you automatically when they have arrived or left school?

If you answered YES to these questions, then RideScore is for you!

We are one of 11 Sunshine Coast schools that are enjoying RideScore Active Schools Program funded by councils Transport Levy.

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 will be open to students who are able to ride a bicycle or scooter to school.

Participating students receive a personal sensor (beacon) to attach to their bicycle or scooter. The school bicycle storage facility has a Bluetooth reader that detects the signal from the beacon and sends a notification to the nominated contact to inform them that the student has arrived at/or departed the school. 

Each trip is recorded by the RideScore app, providing incentives when the students reach their milestones. Earn great prizes:

• 20 Trips – Mystery prize
• 70 Trips – Movie ticket
• 120 Trips – Bli Bli Aqua Park voucher

Activities will be planned throughout the school year to promote and encourage riding and scooting, including fun events and bicycle skills classes for all year 4 students.

This program was developed in 2022 with a Federal grant funding from the Move it AUS program, with the support of Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and Stockland.

How do I register?

Step 1 - Download the app (search ‘RideScore’), complete your registration details

Step 2 – Receive your sign on bag (posted within 1 week) that will include:

• Your child’s beacon & instructions on how to pair and fit
• A scorecard (your app will also keep a live score)

Step 3 – Start riding and scooting!

Visit the RideScore website for more information, great resources and safety tips.

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.

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 . 

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.