Newsletter Term 4 Week 7
From the Principal
Remembrance Day
On Friday November 11, in a moving service, our school remembered generations of Australian servicemen and women who have defended our values and freedoms in wars, conflicts, and peace operations. It was obvious to me that a great deal of time and effort was put into the lead up of the morning to ensure it was a respectful service. The manner in which our students conducted themselves during the service was a credit to those involved. It was lovely that our Adopt-a-Cop Constable Moh, and his partner Constable Gavin, were able to join us for the service.
In Flanders’ Field the poppies blow
Between the Crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
Community Newsletter
Our once a term community newsletter is being delivered to letter boxes over the next couple of weeks. Keep your eyes open for it as we have highlighted some great things that our happening at Runcorn that provide opportunities for our students to fly high.
Year 6 Camp
It was my great pleasure to join the Year 6 students on their camp to Hervey Bay this week. We made the most of the stunning natural surroundings and enjoyed taking part in activities that included swimming, a Fraser Island tour, a steam train ride and whale watching! The staff who accompanied the students were so proud of how they represented their families and Runcorn State School. Throughout the five days our students demonstrated many qualities of great leaders; including kindness, empathy and a willingness to undertake new experiences. My sincere thanks go to the staff who had time away from their own families to enable this camp to take place.
First Nations Learning Walk
Our school hosted a First Nations learning walk last week. Twenty staff from eight schools across our region attended. The learning walk was designed to allow those schools thinking about or at an early stage of developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to hear about key resources and see practical examples of actions. The participating schools sent a teacher champion and a leader to help progress this work in their schools. Staff from Runcorn shared their cultural work and progress on our RAP. Many thanks to the staff involved in representing our school so well.
Don’t forget to share your kindy transition statement
We are preparing for all the new families and children starting school next year, and we want to support you and your child to plan your transition from kindy to school. Your child has learned so much at kindy, and you have lots to share with their new school. You can share the Kindy transition statement by signing the transition statement consent form provided to you by your Kindy.
Returning in 2023
Thank you to those families who have informed us that your child is returning or departing in 2023. A reminder to let the school know of your intentions for next year if you haven’t already. This is a vital part of the process to assign students to classes and predict our future staffing, along with ensuring we receive the right funding. Class teachers will start to allocate students into classes over the coming weeks along with preparing for your child on “Step Up” Day in the last week of term.
Day 1, 2023
Attending every day of school is important to ensure students have the very best start in life and learning. At times families are away and that leave may extend into school time. Please phone, email or visit our school before Friday 9 December if you know your child will not be at school on January 23 2023 - Day 1 of Term 1 but will return shortly after.
School Events
Keep an eye out for the following events that are taking place at our school this term:
2023 Prep Orientation Day: Friday 18 November - 9:30am
Community Picnic: Friday 18 November - 3:00pm
P&C Meeting: Monday 21 November - 3:15pm
Academic and Music Awards parade: Tuesday 22 November - 9:30am
End of Year concert: Wednesday 23 November - 5:00pm
Year 6 Graduation lunch: Wednesday 30 November - 9:30am
Prep Ngutana Lui: Thursday 1 December
Year 6 Wet and Wild: Friday 2 December
Year 3 -6 Swimming Carnival - Tuesday 6 December
Meg McClure
From the Deputy Principal
Prep 2023
On Friday Week 7 we welcome our 2023 Prep students for their Orientation session.
This will be an opportunity for children to visit the Prep classrooms and amenities as part of our commitment to providing a Great Start for All Children. The Prep 2023 students will be given Library bags donated by the P&C. These bags are filled with information and resources to assist with learning and wellbeing for next year. While the children are experiencing their Orientation session, Parents and Carers will be discussing the importance of learning though play and routines for Prep.
Four Essential Life Skills to Help your Child Succeed at School and in Life
Young people today are faced with a complicated world and unique challenges that could not have been imagined even decades ago. There are four essential skills your child needs to develop, to help them succeed at school and in life. The first two were in our last newsletter, Grit and Self-Control. In this newsletter we will unpack Critical Thinking and Resilience.
Critical Thinking - The ability to think critically is more important than ever given the enormous amount of information young people must make sense of in our complicated world. Generally, critical thinking is regarded as the ability to think independently, clearly and rationally and be able to reflect on an idea or problem, apply reason and make logical connections between ideas. Research has found that critical thinking skills are among the most highly valued attributes that employers seek in job candidates. You can help develop your child’s critical-thinking skills at home by asking them questions that push them to think more deeply about their positions on things. For example, a simple question like, ‘How do you know this?’ can encourage your child to reflect on their statements, assess where they got their information, and provide evidence to support their point of view. Critical thinking is also a skill children are encouraged to develop at school so by reinforcing it at home, you can help them learn better at school. These advanced thinking skills can take time and practice to develop and with the rapid growth in teenagers’ brains, it can help to have routines that promote structure and predictability at home.
Resilience - Resilience is the ability to bounce back and adapt to difficult circumstances, and even thrive, despite challenges life might throw at you. As a parent, there are things you can do to help your child develop their resilience. Your child can gain strength from you and other supportive and trusted adults in their lives. Research has found that young people who have mentor-like relationships with trusted adults are more likely to complete the tasks they start, remain calm in the face of challenges, show interest in learning new things, and engage in activities at school. Positive thinking can also help your child build their resilience as they learn to keep things in perspective by focusing more on facts and less on negative emotions. And achieving healthy and positive habits can help build resilience, especially in teenagers who need structure and predictability to help them thrive.
Roberta Matlock
From the Head of Department - Curriculum
Academic & Music Awards Ceremony - 9:30am
On Tuesday 22 November 2022, we celebrate and acknowledge our high achieving students and those who strive to be their best. The following awards will be presented to students in each cohort: Excellence in English, Excellence in Mathematics, Overall Academic Achievement and School Spirit. Students are selected by teachers through analysis of achievement data (both summative and diagnostic assessments). Parents of students receiving awards have received a letter of invite.
There will also be performances by our Senior Choir and Senior & Junior String ensembles. I look forward to seeing you there.
Rachel La Sala
Music Matters
Save the Date - Term 4:
- Tuesday November 22nd- Academic and Music Awards Parade, 9:15am start
- Wednesday November 23rd- End of Year Concert- Sunnybank SHS
End of Year Concert
On November 23rd we are holding our End of Year Concert at Sunnybank State High School. This is a whole school evening concert where each year level will perform 2 songs for the school community. The focus of Classroom Music this Term has been to prepare their repertoire for this concert, so it is encouraged that all students attend.
To help us with numbers please book your tickets through Schoolzine following this link. Please note there is a 6-ticket limit per family.
https://runcornss.schoolzineplus.com/event/235
The P&C will be raffling off hampers on the evening and there will be food and drink available for purchase from 5pm. It will be a fabulous evening and a fun way to close off our year!
End of Year Concert- Helpers
In preparation for the End of Year Concert we need to put out roughly 700 chairs! If you’re available from 3:30pm to help unload some stacks of chairs at Sunnybank SHS it would be greatly appreciated
Music and Academic Awards Ceremony
On Tuesday 22nd November we are holding a combined Music and Academic Awards ceremony starting at 9:30am. The Year 6 Instrumental Music and Choir medals will be handed out at this event and there will be performances from our Senior Ensembles and Choir. Parents are welcome to attend.
Year 3 and 4 Strings Afternoon Concert
On Tuesday 22nd November at 3:20pm our Year 3 and 4 Strings students will be performing an afternoon concert for their Parents and Carers. This will be held in the Music Room. We look forward to seeing everyone there.
Instrument Returns
All Band and Strings students are to return their loaned school instruments to Mr Schilling and Mr Biedermann after their Week 8 lessons/concert.
2023 Instrumental Music Recruitment
Selections for Instrumental Music (Band and Strings) students for 2023 are currently being allocated. Students who have been successful in learning to play an instrument next year will be advised later in the Term.
Senior Choir
Choir has now finished for the year following the final performance at the Academic and Music Awards. There will be no Choir rehearsal in Week 8.
Ms Mariel Hopper - mxhop2@eq.edu.au
From the Administration Office
Incursion/Excursion/Camp Payments
Runcorn State School is now a cashless school. Thank you for continuing to pay for your children's incursions/excursions/camp payments via our preferred methods:- BPoint and EFTPOS. If you require any assistance paying via BPoint, please contact the school office. Unfortunately we are unable to accept payments over the phone.
Newsletters
Don't forget that you can always collect a hard copy of the current newsletter from the office. You can also view/download it from our website: https://runcornss.schoolzineplus.com/enews?nid=23 You can also download the Schoolzine App from your App Store. Once downloaded, search for Runcorn State School and use password 4109, when prompted. Happy reading.
Sports & Co-Curricular Group Photos
Dear Parents/Carers,
The school sports and co-curricular groups (see below) are now available for viewing and purchasing.
Acacia Boys Touch Football | Beginner's String Ensemble Year 3 | Library and Environment Captains |
Acacia Cricket | District Athletics | Music Captains |
Acacia Girls Touch Football | District Cross Country | School Captains |
Acacia Netball | District Swimming | Senior Band |
Banksia Boys Touch Football | House Captains | Senior Choir |
Banksia Cricket | Junior Band | Senior String Ensemble |
Banksia Girls Touch Football | Junior Choir | Student Council |
Banksia Netball | Junior String Ensemble | Year 6 Cohort |
Parents/Carers would have received an email on purchasing instructions. If you have not received an email regarding the above photos, please contact the school office.
If you place your order before 29/11/2022 you will get a 20% early order discount. Just click on the link below:
https://www.advancedimage.com.au/PublicPortal/BrowseGroups.aspx?nbnhmHqqedAzqenYYPw4k8y+ceJwx6RC
Please note the discount will be automatically applied at checkout. Images can also be viewed by visiting www.advancedlife.com.au entering the code: RJY QRZ J39 and clicking on “Group Photos”
Important
- Sports and co-curricular group photos can only be purchased online, PLEASE DO NOT return payment to your school
- Photos will be returned to your school for distribution in Term 1, 2023.
advancedlife would like to express our appreciation to Runcorn State School for placing your trust in us. Please remember we offer a 100% money-back guarantee on our products to ensure your peace of mind. We would also love to receive your feedback or resolve any issues you may experience, to ensure your satisfaction. If you have any questions, comments or feedback relating to your advancedlife experience, please contact us at www.advancedlife.com.au/contact
From the Health Teacher
At the end of Week 5, a handful of students were recognised for consistently displaying the You Can Do It Keys to Success of Persistence, Confidence, Getting Along, Resilience and Organisation. The following students celebrated with an afternoon tea with the Principal, Ms McClure - Aurora, Chloe, Emily, Hashir, Yilin, Tilda, Metta, Mehdi, Amanda, Shizuku, Alessandra and Sebastien.
With only three school weeks to go, we are encouraging students to continue to try their best in and out of the classroom and persist through challenges with confidence, organisation and resilience. Ms McClure will be hosting the final Principal’s afternoon tea of the year at the end of Week 10. Keep going Runcorn students! You Can Do It!
Zoya Daryau
Miss Jodie’s Fishy Problem
They're used for just a few moments, then tossed. They are difficult to recycle, so they end up clogging landfills and, in the ocean, – sadly ironic given their shape. These tiny fish are a symbol of our wasteful, single-use economy.
Be a researcher and design a way to provide soy sauce with sushi without it being fishy.
The big problem with the little soy sauce fish
The iconic soy sauce fish packets used with sushi are loved around the world for their cuteness and convenience, but they are an environmental disaster that needs to be stopped.
Miss Jodie would like a better way of delivering soy sauce for Sushi Tuckshop Day without ruining the planet. Can you help? Miss Jodie is happy to even add an incentive of 2 x free sushi rolls to the clever-cookie that proposes the best solution.
Runcorn Reading Club
Runcorn Reading Club
When: Wednesday morning before school 8:15am
Where: outside 2IH classroom, D Block
The Runcorn State School little library book exchange trolley is out and available for all students to enjoy during reading club. It is loaded with beautiful books donated by Runcorn families.
How it works:
Take a book - If children see a book they’d like to read they can take it with them to read at home or in class. Once they have finished with it they can return it to the trolley.
Give a book - if children would like to keep the book. They can bring one from home to leave on the trolley in it’s place. Happy Reading!
Mrs Irons
Norman's News
I can’t believe it’s Week 7 already and it is nearing the end of my second year at Runcorn. What an adventure it has been! This fortnight has seen me working hard with small groups of students, in and out of classrooms, and I have even been fortunate enough to have had some “exploration” time in the Nature’s Play Area and on the beautiful grassy oval! Runcorn is so lucky to have such beautiful green spaces to play in.
I will be looking forward to seeing you all on Friday afternoon at the Celebration Picnic. I will work hard with Mrs Schooth not to be distracted by your afternoon tea picnic (that’s a big hint for Mrs Schooth to have plenty of healthy treats on stand by for me!) and will look forward to lots of pats and chats with those of you who make it.
Until next time,
Big licks and tail wags,
Norman
P&C News
NATURE PLAY CELEBRATION PICNIC – November 18, 3pm
We invite all families to come and enjoy a picnic on the oval on November 18 from 3pm – 5pm. This is to celebrate the opening of our new nature play area. Bring your picnic rug and afternoon tea. More information to come!
FINAL P&C MEETING - 21 November 2022
Our final P&C meeting for the year will be held in Girrawheen Place on 21st November at the special time of 3.15pm.
At this meeting the Student Resource Scheme (SRS) for 2023 will be discussed. All Parents and Carers are welcome to attend. There will be Lego and quiet games provided for children of those parents/carers who wish to attend.
END OF YEAR CONCERT RAFFLES
Friday, 18 November, is the last day to get your donations into your class baskets.
We are needing volunteers to help wrap these baskets on Monday, 21st of November from 1:00 pm. If you can help, please contact rsspccom@outlook.com. In this instance, ‘many hands make light work’.
We would also like to thank Pinot and Picasso at Browns Plains and Morris Brothers Musical Store for their kind donations of vouchers to be raffled at our End of Year Concert next week. Great prizes to win just in time for the holiday season.
TUCKSHOP
Operating Hours
- Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (8:15am - 1:45pm)
- Monday and Tuesday (over the counter sales only, 11:15 – 11:45)
We would love to welcome some more volunteers at the Tuckshop. Please contact Jodie or Etsu at tuckshop@runcornss.eq.edu.au if you are available or simply sign in at the office and head to the Tuckshop on Wednesday, Thursday, or Fridays.
Jobs include putting order stickers on bags, food preparation, baking, packing orders. No experience is necessary. Everyone welcome.
Did you know you can order for your child's Term 4 birthday? Don’t forget Cupcakes and Ice Block Buckets are available to order via Flexischools. Get in early and secure your spot so you don’t miss out. (Cupcakes only available Wednesday-Friday).
UNIFORM AND STATIONERY SHOP
Operating Hours
Monday 2:00 pm – 2:30pm
Tuesday 8:15am – 8:45am
New Price List as of the 19 November 2022
Get ready for 2023! With only three weeks of school left, it is now a great time to update your uniforms for next year. You can visit during opening hours, or alternatively, you can email orders to rssuniform@outlook.com. These orders will be fulfilled and delivered to your child’s classroom as soon as possible. Order forms are available from the website Uniform shop (eq.edu.au)
A small amount of new and used stationery items are also available for purchase. Prices are extremely competitive and it’s a great opportunity to refill empty pencil cases for the remainder of the year or grab a bargain for next year.
As the year is drawing to an end, if you have any uniforms or stationary items in good condition that you would like to donate, please send them in with you child. Please let us know at rssuniform@outlook.com so we can arrange collection from your child’s classroom, or they can be dropped to the Uniform Shop during opening hours.
2023 PREP UNIFORM ORDERS
Special opening times
The Uniform Shop will be open tomorrow for the Prep Orientation Day. This will be the last time 2023 prep students will have the opportunity to purchase uniforms outside regular trading times. This is for 2023 Prep students only.
After this date uniforms will need to be ordered during regular opening times of Monday 2:00pm – 2:30pm, and Tuesday 8:15am – 8:45am or via email to rssuniform@outlook.com.
Year Level Facebook Groups. Press on the link to join now.
Prep - RSS - Prep 2022 | Facebook
Year 1 – RSS - Grade 1 2022 | Facebook
Year 2 - RSS - Grade 2 2022 | Facebook
Year 3 – RSS - Grade 3 2022 | Facebook
Year 4 - RSS - Grade 4 2022 | Facebook
Year 5 – RSS - Grade 5 2022 | Facebook
Year 6 – RSS - Grade 6 2022 | Facebook
Prep 2023 - RSS - Prep 2023 | Facebook
TO KEEP UP TO DATE – FIND US ON FACEBOOK at Runcorn State School P&C Association | Facebook