Barkly Highway State School - Term 2 Week 6
Principal's Welcome
ANNUAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN - PRIORITY AREA 2
Our Annual Improvementn Plan, Priority Area 1 - Engagement and wellbeing through student voice was highlighted in our previous newsletter.
Priority Area 2, Teaching and learning of focused reading, has a continuing focus through weekly informal reading evaluation, which is used by teachers to identify the next steps for the teaching of reading skills required by individual students. Formal reading evaluation will then be occuring over the next few weeks.
Reading every day is important – so pick up a book and share it!
Don’t forget to support participation in Premier’s Reading Challenge!
What constitutes a conflict of interest
As departmental employees, Barkly Highway State School staff are entrusted by the government and the community to work on their behalf and in the public interest. The Queensland Code of Conduct helps staff to understand how to put the principles and values into practice. At our school we continue to reinforce our department’s core values and commitment to working with integrity.
There are many situations and circumstances where a conflict of interest may arise. Having a conflict of interest is, in itself, not unusual or wrong, when it is declared and managed. A conflict of interest occurs when a public sector employee's interests potentially conflict, or do conflict, with the performance of their official duties and responsibilities. It is solely the responsibility of the employee to identify and disclose any actual, perceived or potential conflict of interest by completing a record of declaration of the conflict of interest in the department’s Conflict of Interest Declaration form.
Academic Reporting
This semester we will be moving to Academic Reporting being sent to families by email.
Currently we are doing an audit of our students’ email contacts. If you know of families who do not receive a newsletter, encourage them to contact the school to see if their email address is correctly recorded. According to our records we only have a small number of families without email contacts and we will contact those families about this.
Deputy's Report
Celebrating Classroom Work
Year 5/6 Mathematical Inquiry Grand Challenge (Measurement and Geometry):
This Grand Challenge to engage our year 5/6 students and deepen their understanding of applying an inquiry approach when solving problems in measurement has been running for 3 weeks so far this term. Our 5/6 teachers have sent home parent/carer consent forms to allow our students access to the websites being used throughout this challenge.
The children are enjoying learning using new technology. This challenge is being taught in collaboration with the Regional Science Technology and Mathematics (STEM) Champion, Maree Flynn and the Deputy Principal: Global Tropics Future Project from Thuringowa State High School, Wendy Bode on Wednesdays from 11:30-12:30 online using the iSee application.
Our students are working on answering this Inquiry Question: What is the best box to hold 2 different sized items that are packaged as pyramids? We have had three online lessons, so far.
- In the Discovery phase of our inquiry in our first online lesson, our students:
- were challenged to design the best box to hold 2 different sized pyramids
- connected to their previous learning about three-dimensional shapes
- explored nets of three-dimensional shapes
- In the Devise phase of our inquiry in our second online lesson, our students:
- planned how they could solve the problem. They began planning, designing and making their pyramids that they are going to package – a square based and triangular based.
- discussed the information they would need to consider to design and developing their packaging to hold their two different sized pyramids.
- In the Develop phase of our inquiry this week, our students:
- reflected on their learning so far
- discussed what would be the best package/box shapes to hold the two different sized pyramids and the evidence they will need to convince others that their package is the best.
Safety in our car parks
We are working with our students on responsibly and safely entering and exiting the school grounds and ask for your support to keep our students safe.
Recently there have been incidents where parents and carers have been collecting their children in the teacher car parks after school. For the safety of our students, we encourage our parents and carers to collect their children from the Stop Drop N Go area.
The safety of all students will be ensured when everyone consistently and persistently work together to guide students to follow these school expectations.
Let’s work together to keep our children safe at our school
Cheryl Gallagher
4 Blue on the Green for Learning
Last week 4 Blue conducted a golf day to use lots of different mathematical concepts from the current unit and previous units. The day was a fun opportunity to explore how to apply scale, compass orientation, money, multiplication and more concepts into a game setting. Students chose clubs, rolled dice and measured out their shots on maps of the golf course. While there were a couple of hole in ones and some others finding their way into the rough, all the students did a great job. Later in the day was an opportunity for the class to test their skills with the clubs and settle the debate for distance. 4 Blue took to the oval with some junior club sets and drove the ball for distance. The golf day was well enjoyed by the class and has set the stage for 4 Blue’s upcoming Olympics day, which is the class’ chosen positive behaviour reward from term one. The day will involve students representing countries and competing in small games and challenges. The students will again use their maths skills in the hopes to gain gold for their countries. From the results of the golf day, the olympic competition in 4 Blue is sure to be fiercely contested as well.
Library News
What a busy term it has been!
Book Club Issue #3 orders arrived and were sent home with students. Book Club Issue #4 brochures will be handed out Monday Week 7 and orders are due back that Friday please, if you wish to purchase from Book Club.
Book Week this year is celebrated from 20-26 August. We have our traditional Book Week Dress-up Parade planned for Term 3, Friday 26 August from 8:25.
Who is your favourite Book Character? Is it the Wimpy Kid or Pig the Pug? Or maybe Alex Ryder in one of his adventures? Or possibly a historic character like Captain Cook or Ned Kelly? Or a Fairytale figure like Rapunzel or the Gingerbread man? Or…or..or
Let your imagination soar!
Our school has seen so many imaginative and exiting costumes, that students (and grown-up helpers😊) created over the last few years. We are looking forward to your wonderful and cleverly made Book Week costumes once again!
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or queries you may have.
Kind Regards,
Svenja Spitzner-Lewis
Class Dojo
This week, teachers discussed the increasing use of ClassDojo. There are a number of facets of Class Dojo that have been identified by our school that are not to be used.
The main purpose of Class Dojo at our school is an electronic communication tool for the sharing of information by teachers, both whole school and classroom events so families are kept informed. It also has reduced the paper and printing resource usage overtime.
It is not a forum for continuing dialogue about student behaviour nor to have a conversation online. For these discussions, teachers and parents are to organise a phone conversation or face-to-face meeting.
To support teacher wellbeing and to assist separating school and home life, parent contacts via Class Dojo will be between 7:30 – 4:30 (school days only).
This is whole of school decision and we thank you for your understanding.
Mrs Roberts - Fanfare
On Friday, I had the pleasure of supervising Barkly Highway State School Instrumental Music ensembles (Concert Band and String Ensemble) at Fanfare.
A biennial state wide festival for bands and orchestras in Queensland state schools showcasing the outstanding music making that occurs in school ensembles.
On the day, our String Ensemble received a Silver Award for their performance and the Concert Band received a Bronze Award.
Well done to all the students who attended Fanfare!
Chappy Sue
Barkly Highway State School would like to thank Chappy Sue for the amazing work she does within our school, organising games and activities for our students to enjoy and running our Brekky Club every Friday. The children miss seeing you around the school Chappy Sue and look forward to seeing you again next term.
Events & Flyers
Want to know what's happening within the school? Check out our School Calendar to keep up to date.
https://barklyhighwayss.schoolzineplus.com/calendar/1
Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barklyhighwaystateschool
Band Ensemble Monday, 30 May - CANCELLED
Wind & Percussion Instrumental Music Lessons moved to Thursday for Week 7. Please remind students to bring Instruments on Thursday.
