Barkly Highway State School - Term 1 Week 4

Principal's Welcome

I was incredibly proud to witness our first formal parade, where student leaders were presented to the school community. It was a special moment, made even more meaningful by the families who attended and supported our students. The event showcased our leadership spirit and the strong partnership between the school and our families, setting a positive tone for the year ahead. Thank you to the P&C Association for providing the morning tea and Mrs Roberts who organised the program for the morning.

COMMUNICATION

In today’s digital age, effective communication between schools and parents / caregivers is more crucial than ever. Newsletters have played a significant role in facilitating this communication, providing updates, announcements, and insights into school life at Barkly Highway State School. Since 2020, we moved from a PDF created newsletter, to an electronic platform Schoolzine, which currently costs the school $1 300.00 /year. On Thursday of each even week (fortnightly), our school newsletter is collated and forwarded by email to our families. Paper copies are available from the office, on request. Below is recent data of families accessing the school email and reading the newsletter.

Newsletter Release Emails to families Email opened Link to newsletter clicked

Over the next few weeks, we will be sending home a survey, to hear if families still find the newsletter effective and relevant in today’s digital age knowing that the information released is generally released or available via other communication tools such as social media (Facebook), Class Dojo, class newsletter / homework sheets, Class Overviews.

Kind regards,

Fiona Kropp

Mrs Roberts' Report

Life Education

Permission forms were sent home during week 1. If you have not completed the form, please return it to the office as soon as possible. Life Ed offers a range of age-appropriate primary school modules aligned to the Australian and state-based curriculum across the Health and Physical Education Learning Area and General Capabilities. Each module is designed to inspire and empower students, providing knowledge, skills and strategies around topics of physical health, safety and social and emotional wellbeing, all through interactive learning experiences. Life Ed will be visiting our school early next term. 

NAPLAN - National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy

The NAPLAN testing window is from Wednesday 12 March - Monday 24 March. The purpose of NAPLAN is to assess the literacy and numeracy skills your child is already learning at school. NAPLAN is about assessing learning progress and is not about passing or failing. Encouraging your child to do the best they can on the day is the best approach for preparing your child. Excessive preparation or the use of NAPLAN coaching is not necessary or recommended.
Practice tests are available for students and schools participating in NAPLAN. They are the primary opportunity for familiarisation of students and test administrators with the test format, question types and online testing experience prior to NAPLAN testing in March. These tests also support schools with their technical readiness checks.

Year 3 and 5 will be sitting their practice tests next week on Wednesday and Thursday, timetable attached. 

Engagement & Wellbeing Support - Attendance

Regular school attendance is crucial for student success. Consistent participation in class ensures students stay on track with their learning, build strong relationships with peers and teachers, and develop essential habits for their academic journey. It’s important that when your child is away, to notify the office. To help keep everyone on track, this year we will be sending home a note when there are unexplained absences, which parents are required fill out and return. By prioritizing attendance, students maximize their opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed in school and beyond.

Maths in 5/6 Blue

In 5/6 Blue, we've been working hard in Maths this term! We’ve learned a new and exciting way to do multiplication using the Lattice Method, which has helped us solve problems in a more visual way. We’ve also been extending our knowledge of coordinates by pairing up to create pictures on grids. One student reads the coordinates to their partner, who then places coloured cubes in the correct spots to form the image. It’s been a great way to practise our coordinate skills, build confidence in our new skills and work together as a team!

Hearing Health Program

The Maternal Child Youth Health Service Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Hearing Health Team will be screening for hearing loss and ear disease problems in children at Barkly Highway State School on the 17-20 March.

 Children who are eligible for the screening program are those in:

Prep, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3 and Grade 4.

 Your consent will provide the Hearing Health Team with the authority to screen and review within a twelve (12) month period.

Any follow-up procedures will include a letter home, phone calls and/or home visits.

If your child is away from school on the day of screening or they have not returned their consent form, they will not be able to participate in the school hearing screening or review until the consent form is received.

 The screening tests

There are three (3) screening tests conducted on your child. The tests include otoscopy, tympanometry and audiometry. All tests will be explained to your child before staff commence.

Otoscopy

Otoscopy is a simple and painless ear check using a special torch called the otoscope.

Tympanometry

Tympanometry is a test of middle ear function. The tympanometer is held at the opening of the ear canal to obtain an airtight seal.

Audiometry

Audiometry is a painless and simple test using an audiometer. The test helps to find out if your child has good hearing for normal speech & language development. Some young children are not able to participate in this due to age and understanding of process.

 Please return consent forms by Friday, 28 February.

QParents

Did you know that you as parents can have instant access to your child's student information through the QParents portal? Parents will have received an email last week about how to register. To find out more, visit https://education.qld.gov.au/.../school-information/qparents

If you did not receive an email and would like to register please contact the office on 07 4437 3633 or email admin@barklyhighwayss.eq.edu.au

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