Translate

Newsletter Term 4 Week 1

From the Principal

Welcome Back

A big welcome back to all students and families. When I walk around the school I see students learning in calm and organised classes and high-quality teaching taking place. Our school has a lot to be proud of regarding the effort that we’re making towards improving student learning outcomes. There was a lot to celebrate during Term 3. The music showcase delighted everyone that attended and we also had the science fair that was a resounding success.

Term 4

Term 4 is always an exciting term for students with swimming, concerts and end of year celebrations. However, we will continue to focus on quality teaching and learning and strike a balance between the events and the core business. During the course of the term, the school will begin to prepare for the year ahead. We will meet the 2024 prep students as well as other students joining us in the new year. Sadly, we also say goodbye to our Year 6 students and other families that might be moving away from Runcorn. To this end, if you know that you are not returning in 2024, please notify the office by email by 30 October on admin@runcornss.eq.edu.au . This will help us predict, as accurate as possible, our numbers for next year.

Requests for specific teachers will not be considered

When organising class groupings for the upcoming year our staff commit a lot of time to working out the best combinations. This takes many weeks and many drafts of classes as well as matching teachers to class groups. I believe and trust that our teachers will do the best they can to make sure classes are balanced and have the right combinations for teaching and learning in 2024. If you have any considerations regarding classes for 2024, please see your child’s teacher. These requests will be considered when class lists are being formulated. Teachers may be changing year levels so please do not put in any requests for specific teachers. We thank you for your support with this process. Next year we are expecting approximately 450 students and 19 class teachers.

Meg McClure

From the Deputy Principal

2024 Uniform and Stationery List Information

Welcome back to Term 4 2023, looking forward to a wonderful term transitioning 2024 preps and our 2023 year 6 students to their exciting next level of education.

When purchasing new shoes for your children, please be reminded that the School Uniform Policy requires plain black shoes and plain white or black socks with no colours or logoes permitted.

2024 Stationery Lists will be sent home with students in the upcoming weeks. Our current Stationery Pack supplier, School Stuff provide a lay by option to assist with spreading the total cost burden over a number of payments.

Roberta Matlock

From the Head of Department - Inclusion

What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that changes the way the brain processes the written language. People with dyslexia can have difficulties recognising, spelling and decoding words. It is not linked to intelligence, but a genetic condition that is neurological.
Dyslexia Awareness Month 2023 will run from 1 October – 31 October, with this year's theme, 'Stronger Together' as when we work together, we can achieve great things.
How can I support my child with dyslexia?
As well as showing awareness and a thorough understanding of what dyslexia is, it’s important to understand how to help those who might struggle with it. This is not only the case for Dyslexia Awareness month of October, but the whole year round, too!
One simple way that parents can help children with dyslexia is by reading books to them. This will help them enjoy books and stories without having to read themselves. As well as fostering an interest in telling stories, you’ll also be familiarising them with imaginative vocabulary and helping them get a stronger, more confident grasp of spoken language. And, it’s an opportunity to spend more quality time with your child!

Jillian Chittenden

Norman's News

If you can read my smile in these photos you will be able to see that I had a barking fabulous holiday! I really hope that you did too and that like me, you’re ready to hit Term 4 running. No doubt it will be another wonderful term of learning and growing as we continue with our Inquiry Learning across all year levels.

Just based on these holiday snapshots I already have a long list of “wonderings”:-

Why does my tennis ball get buried in the sand when I push it down in the water?

How long will it take my hooman to pat me if I hang my head over their shoulder when they’re driving?

Where do I need to put my body on a stand up paddle board so that I scare my hooman into thinking we are both going to fall off?

Where do I need to put my feet so that I can stay upright on a swing?

What is the purpose of this levelled contraption on the playground?

How can I use my tail to slow me down when I use the slippery slide?

Until next time, Big licks and tail wags,

Norman

From the Head of Department - Curriculum

Welcome back to Term 4 – how the year has already flown!

Term 4 always brings a flurry of excitement as classrooms gear up for end of year events and celebrations, the last units of learning before transitioning to new year levels and multiple chances to show their thinking skills through assessments for Semester Two report cards. Check out your cohort newsletters for more information on all of the exciting things your child will be exploring this term.

Australian Curriculum Version 9

You may have seen information in the media that the roll out of Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum has been slowed from all schools implementing the updated English and Maths requirements in 2024, to a more stretched timeline, with schools given flexibility to now implement in 2025. Runcorn State School will spend all of 2024 continuing our preparations to ensure that all Teaching & Learning opportunities including assessments, are adjusted to align with the new curriculum and ready for all students come 2025. If you wish to view Version 9 find it here https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/ . Feel free to contact me on rlasa2@eq.edu.au if you wish to discuss this further.

Rachel La Sala

Music Matters

Save the date:

Term 4:

Week 6 Friday November 10- Remembrance Day parade- Senior Choir
Week 8 Tuesday November 21- Music and Academic Awards- Senior Choir, Band, Senior strings
Week 9 Wednesday November 29- End of Year Concert
Week 9 Friday December 1- Graduation- Year 6 Strings and selected others

Strings- Mr B away Week 2- No rehearsals or lessons

Mr Biedermann will be away next Tuesday 10^th October therefore there will be NO REHEARSALS OR LESSONS. Students need to follow their practice plans which are sent weekly on email.

There will be rewards for a minimum 200 minutes of practice in Week 3.

Ensemble and Choir Rehearsals

Please sure you are attending all rehearsals this term for Band, Strings and Choir as there are a number of performances this term.

Instrument Hire- Year 3 and 4

As we need to allocate instruments to students who begin their Instrumental Music journey in 2024, the students who have been using a school provided instrument in 2023 will need to purchase their own instrument for 2024. The following guide indicates availability of school hire instrument or need to purchase.

A list of preferred suppliers is listed below. See one of the Music team if you require guidance with this.

All school instruments will need be returned by the end of Week 8.

Looking forward to seeing everyone next week.

Ms Mariel Hopper (mxhop2@eq.edu.au)

Health Happenings

Welcome back to our wonderful Runcorn Community. I trust that you had a relaxing holiday and that the students are ready to tackle the new term. Our focus at Runcorn State School this fortnight are the Organisation Key and Self-Manager Learning Asset.

Organisation at Runcorn State School looks like:

Students having all supplies ready to do school work
Students safely and quickly lining up in their correct area after the music plays in the morning and break times
Students ensuring necessary stationery and belongings (including books, pencils, hats and water bottles) are ready every day and for each lesson
Students ensuring bathroom breaks occur before school and during break times
Students ensuring library books are returned to school on time
All learning tasks are completed in a timely manner both in and out of school

Effective Self-Managers at Runcorn State School are:

Resilient
Responsible
Reflective

Staff across Runcorn State School will be actively looking for students displaying organisation and self-management skills. Each week, one student per class will be awarded with a certificate to acknowledge their dedication to consistently displaying these skills.

Sheridan Stirling

Sports News

Please find our term 4 swimming timetable below.

All students must bring the following items:

A swimming cap (preferably not blue in colour)
A one-piece swim suit or shorts and a long sleeve sun safe shirt (not singlet)
A towel
Thongs or sandals for walking to and from the pool
SPF 30+ broad spectum sunscreen
swimming goggles are optional
Students with open or infected sores or abrasions are not able to swim in the pool. Bandaids and dressings can't be worn in the pool.
Jewelry is not permitted including any earings

Runcorn State School is very proud of our four students who were chosen as District Representatives for the Eastern Taipans District Sport Team. Students were presented with a certificate at the final parade of Term 3.

Luke Brady

Bandanna Day

October 27 is Bandanna Day and Wear Red for Daniel Day. The student council will be raising funds for Canteen, a group that supports families living with cancer by selling $5 bandannas. These will be available for purchase outside of the tuckshop before school from Monday, October 23.

Students are also encouraged to wear red in support of Day for Daniel, a program that emphasises the 3 R’s – Recognise, React and Report when students are faced with uncomfortable situations. There is a awareness day and does not require a gold coin donation to wear red.

Student Council

Scholastic Book Club

Scholastic Book Club is back this term! Keep an eye out for new brochures coming soon. Help us keep our library resources well stocked by earning rewards for Runcorn State School every time you purchase from Book Club. Remember Online Loop payments only -NO CASH

Happy Reading!

Mrs Bayle
Book Club Coordinator

Horizons Writing Excellence Program

Runcorn State High School invited four of our students to attend their Horizons Writing Excellence Program. The students learnt a range of history skills including chronology and timelines. as well as the components needed for an effective short story.

Environment Club News

The Environment Club has continued paper and cardboard recycling. This has been happening on a Thursday or Friday. So far, the collection has been going well with most classes remembering to only put paper and cardboard in these bins. Just a reminder that tissues must not be placed in the Recycling Bins.

We have now re-established the Heritage Garden beds by planting tomato and lettuce seedlings kindly donated by Bunnings, Underwood. The 5/6M and Prep C students lovingly planted these seedlings during Buddies and will work together to water and tend to them. Hopefully, we will start supplying salad for the Tuckshop. Lettuce and tomato are the most frequently used items in the Tuckshop.

Ever heard of GREENWASHING?

Be Inquirers and investigate this concept with your class or families. Another space where we need to be THINKERS!!

Looking forward to working alongside everyone to make a difference to the thinking around the Environment and Sustainability within Runcorn State School.

The Environment Club

Mrs McNamara and Mrs Anglim

jmcna155@eq.edu.au sangl1@eq.edu.au

From the Administration Office

Parent reminder: Check and make sure that we have your most current and correct email address on file. This will ensure that you receive your child’s report card at the end of the term. Contact the front office to make any changes.

Students leaving at the end of 2023:

Planning is well on the way for establishing class placements for the 2024 school year. To ensure that we allocate placements as equitably as possible, we kindly request your assistance in informing us of your intentions regarding your child's enrolment status for next year.

If you are definitely leaving Runcorn State School at the end of the 2023 school year, can you please email office@runcornss.eq.edu.au with the following details:

Name of Student:
Current Class:
Name of school your child will be attending in 2024:

If you are unsure about your plans for next year, please let us know your current status, and you can update us as soon as you make a decision.

Student Resource Scheme (SRS) 2024

The school will be submitting its report on the 2023 SRS at next Monday’s P&C meeting.

Our final P&C meeting for the year will be held in the library on Monday 13^th November at the 6.30pm.

At this meeting the Student Resource Scheme(SRS) for 2024 will be discussed. All parents and carers are welcome to attend.

First Aid Processes

If children are injured or become ill at school they will receive treatment within the classroom or in the Health Room. Parents/Carers will be contacted if necessary. Please note that staff must give Parents and Carers a courtesy contact home for all head related injuries (no matter how minor).

When a student is considered too unwell to remain at school, parents will be contacted to collect in a timely manner. If a student's condition deteriorates while waiting to be collected an ambulance may be called if deemed necessary.

If a student presents to the health room with a suspected allergic reaction, parents/carers will be contacted. As per Education Queensland policy, if a student requires an EpiPen to be administered parents will be notified. An ambulance must be called and student will be transported to hospital for further treatment. Children with known allergies will have their own school based EpiPen. We also hold a school EpiPen for any unforseen emergencies.

Medication must be prescribed by a doctor or dentist and may only be administered to students by school staff. The medication must be taken to the school office in its prescription container and administered according to the doctor’s instructions.

Non prescribed oral medication such as Panadol and cough mixtures can only be administered by school staff with a pharmacy label and medical aurthorisation. Education Queensland prohibits students from carrying their own medication to school and requires Parents/Carers to deliver the prescribed medication to the office and collect after school or before weekends as needed. A school register of all medicines administered is kept.

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.

DID YOU KNOW?..... that using BPoint is a convenient and secure way to pay for your child's school invoices. BPoint is a user-friendly online payment platform that enables you to pay your school invoices quickly and easily, without having to worry about sending cash or cheques through the mail or visiting the school in person. It can also be done by phoning the school on 3323 8777, choosing Option 2 which will redirect you to the BPoint payment platform.

By using BPoint, you can make payments from the comfort of your home or office at any time, day or night. You can also track your payment history and receive email receipts for each transaction, making it easier to keep track of your expenses.

BPoint offers a secure and reliable payment system, ensuring that your personal and financial information is protected. It also helps reduce administrative costs for the school, which ultimately benefits the entire school community.

We strongly recommend giving BPoint a try for your next school invoice payment. It's an efficient and hassle-free way to pay your school fees.

We have also included some easy to follow instructions. If you still require further assistance with the process please contact our friendly Admin team!

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.

P&C News

Our Halloween themed disco will be held on Friday 13th October from 5.30 - 7.30pm at the basketball courts. Entry fee is $3. Non school siblings are free. Come in your best Halloween costume.

Food and drinks will be for sale on the night.

Volunteers are needed to make our event a success. Please email rsspcevents@outlook.com if you can help make this a wonderful night for our Runcorn State School students.

P&C General Meeting

The next P&C meeting is being held in Week 2 on Monday, 9^th October at 6:30 pm. This meeting will be held in the Resource Centre/Library. We look forward to seeing you all.

END OF YEAR CONCERT RAFFLES

Each year at our end of year concert, the P&C organise a “mega” raffle with donations from each class for a hamper full of goodies. Raffle tickets can be purchased to win the hampers.

There is one raffle basket for each class and class teachers will choose their own theme. It is hoped that students will contribute an item (or more if you wish!) which compliments the class theme and will add to the excitement of the raffle. More information on this and what the class themes are will be coming home the beginning of next term.

UNIFORM AND STATIONERY SHOP

rssuniform@outlook.com

Operating Hours

Monday (2:45pm – 3:15pm)
Tuesday (8:15am – 8:45am)

If you would like to order online, you can do so using our online service.

Order forms can be found on the school website. Download from here: Uniform Shop Order Form (eq.edu.au)
Email you completed order to rssuniform@outlook.com
Your order will be fulfilled and delivered to your child’s classroom.
If you require an exchange, please advise via email, and send your order back to school with your child to be collected and exchanged.

Contact Us

If you have an enquiry, would like to offer feedback or suggestions or you would like to become a member of the P&C, please reach out using one of the following email addresses:

Vice President – Rachael - rsspcvicepresident@outlook.com
Secretary – Nadera – rsspcsecretary@outlook.com
Treasurer – Zoee – rsspctreasurer@outlook.com
Community Operations Manager – Angela – rsspccom@outlook.com
Events Coordinator – Andrew – rsspcevents@outlook.com
Social Media Coordinator – Rahnia – rsspcfacebook@outlook.com
For any fence advertising enquiries please contact, Zoee – rsspcmarketing@outlook.com

Year Level Facebook Groups. Press on the link to join now!