Barkly Highway State School - Term 3 Week 6
Principal's Welcome
Welcome to Week 6!
Last Friday, on our student-free day, teachers were involved in teacher-led professional learning as aligned to our Annual Implementation Plan and Explicit Improvement Agenda.
The sessions on Friday were chosen to build the capability of teachers, an area identified by the department in the School Improvement Model and more specifically the School Improvement Hierarchy; the middle layer commonly known as the “engine room”, in the domain “expert teaching team”.
Kylie Toms and Tanya Madden introduced teachers to inclusive and assistive technologies to use when planning classroom teaching and learning and also revisited maintaining personal learning plans. While Sariah Tamihana-Ratana and Jade Appelkamp shared how they integrated school processes, including Positive Behaviour for Learning and Reboot, throughout their successful teaching and learning of mathematics that engaged all learners.
For the afternoon session, all Mount Isa primary school teachers, attended workshops at one of the schools. Bec Samios presented to interested Mount Isa teachers how she has built our school’s engagement in mathematics throughout Prep to Year 6, using her lower school Age Appropriate Pedagogy experiences to develop teaching and learning with individual students as the focus to develop activities. Thank you to each of our teachers who presented these workshops.
This week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, Cheryl Gallagher and I have attended the Principal Business Meeting in Mount Isa. Our Regional Director, Lyall Giles, set the focus by presenting the current North Queensland Region’s and Mount Isa’s data sets. The expectation was stated that on our return to our schools, to review and analyse school budgets set at the beginning of the year and ensure the targeted money is spent on the students in the school this year.
Regards,
Fiona Kropp
Deputy's Report
SCHOOL OPINION SURVEY
Thank you to all the parents/caregivers, students and school staff who completed this year’s School Opinion Survey. We look forward to sharing our survey results with you when we receive our school report later this year.
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS AND ASSESSMENTS FOR SCHOOLS (ICAS)
The ICAS Assessment dates are listed below. Please see the proposed schedule for our students in Years 3 - 6 (Writing Year 4 – 6 online) whose parents have paid for them to participate in these assessments.
REGULAR SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
Did you know? Research shows that in Queensland, higher student attendance at school is associated, on average, with higher student achievement.
Why is regular attendance at school important?
Regular school attendance will mean that your child has a better chance in life. Your child will achieve better when they go to school all day, every school day.
• They learn better
• They make friends
• They are happier
• They have a brighter future.
Please see attached article for further information on how to support your child to attend school. It provides information on these topics:
· What should I do if our family is going on a holiday in school time?
· Do I need to let the school know if my child has been away from school?
· Are you having problems getting your child to school for some of these reasons? If so, a set routine can help
· What should I do if my child won’t go to school? We are here to help.
Library News
What a busy time it is in the Library!
Our Book Fair is in full swing and very well received by students and families alike. We are still open today until 3:00 and tomorrow from 8:00 - 11:00. So, come along and have a browse!
National Book Week is next week and on Friday August 27, we will celebrate with our traditional Book Week Dress-Up Day Parade. We can’t wait to see all the wonderful costumes our students and families conquer up!
Our Premier’s Reading Challenge will come to an end on Friday August 27 and all completed Reading Record sheets must be returned. Entries will be collated and participants who have completed the challenge will receive a certificate later in the year.
Book Club Issue #6 will be handed out on Monday, with orders due back on Friday August 27. If you wish to order Book Club you can use the highly popular LOOP online option, or you may fill in the order form and return with money to the office no later than Friday.
As always please don’t hesitate to contact us with any queries you may have.
Kind Regards,
Svenja Spitzner-Lewis
P&C News
The P & C recently applied for a Yates Life Education Growing Good Gardens Grants. We are proud to share that from 740 applications, ours was one of 10 successful grants. As a result, the garden in the Prep Precinct will be upgraded and renamed as Lehmann’s Legacy Garden.
The P & C have been investigating the option of adding a school dress into the uniform selection. In the coming weeks, you may notice a few blue and yellow dresses around the school. A small group of children have been selected to trial the dress. The children will wear the dresses and together with their parents share feedback on them. At the end of the year, the P & C will discuss the pros and cons of the dress and make a decision as to whether the dress will be added into the uniform selection for 2022.
Please remember that the tuckshop is always looking for volunteers. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please contact the P & C on pandc@barklyhighwayss.eq.edu.au and use the same email address if you have other feedback or suggestions for the P&C.
IMPACT
On Wednesday 18 August, 15 Year 4 students completed 12 weeks of SOLVE IT - an online mathematics project delivered by IMPACT Centre. Each Wednesday the students would meet Mrs Roberts at the library and participate in a web conference. Yesterday the students were asked by their online teacher what they enjoyed in the program:
- It was so much fun, I really looked forward to Wednesday afternoons. SOLVE IT taught me new strategies for math.
- I will miss IMPACT lessons. Can we keep playing the online math games? They are fun!
- You have been a great teacher for SOLVE IT.
- I don't want SOLVE IT to finish, I enjoyed the break out rooms and working on problems.
Book Week & Book Week Parade
What is Book Week?
Each year, schools and public libraries across Australia spend a week celebrating books and Australian authors and illustrators. Classroom teachers, teacher librarians and public librarians develop activities, offer competitions and tell stories relating to a theme to highlight the importance of reading. This year’s theme is “Old worlds, new worlds, other worlds”.
Book Week Parade
Friday, 27th August, students have the opportunity to come to school dressed as their favourite book character. At 8.30am, everyone will gather in the Undercover Area for our Book Week parade. The two best dressed students from each class will win a prize. Book prizes will be given out on parade and the certificates will be handed out on Monday’s parade. I can’t wait to see all of the fantastic costumes and the students of Barkly Highway State School transform into their favourite book characters on Friday.
Ms Donna Freestone and Mrs Svenja Spitzner-Lewis
BHSS Virtual Reality Street Parade
This year’s rodeo spirit was captured in a video made by Rebecca Samios staring our students and staff. It’s the people in our community that light up our City was our interpretation of the Rodeo theme Country Road meets City Lights. A big thank you to Ciemon Scotney who painted the wonderful City Road backdrop used in our video.
Rodeo Foyer Display
During Rodeo week, Barkly Highway State School entered into the Chamber of Commerce Best Dress Premises for 2021. With a massive effort put in by Staff we managed to win the People's Choice Award. Thank you to all families that voted for our foyer display. Hopefully we can go bigger and better next year!
Road Safety
On Tuesday 17 August, Barkly Highway State School had a special parade presented by our school Adopt a Cop Constable Daisy and our schools PLO George Leon in regards to Road Safety.
Students and Staff learnt so much.
Hannah Lovett learnt, “When you hop in a car always put on a seat belt.”
Kailan Turner said, “I learnt that we always need to look both ways when crossing the road.”
Breeanna Toms explains, “We learnt about the road signs, what they mean and what to do at them.”
Mrs Freestone said, “I learn’t how important it was to always be responsible to and from school especially about safety such as helmets and walking with someone older and responsible.