Translate

Newsletter Term 4 Week 9

From the Principal

This will be our last newsletter of year. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the whole school community for a positive year with so many things to celebrate. Thanks go to our P&C for their ongoing support throughout the year. Congratulations to the P&C executive and a heartfelt thank you to all of the volunteers who have supported our amazing school this year.

Thank you to all of our students for a successful year, full of fun and learning. They are not afraid to make mistakes, support their friends and their teachers, and are always willing to have a go and try new things. Our learners are always filled with encouragement of their friends and a generosity of spirit. The staff and I are very proud of them all. Farewell to Year 6, our current school leaders, who had their graduation this week. It was lovely to see them dressed up for the occasion and we enjoyed the strings players. Farewell to any of our families who are moving onto other opportunities. We wish you all the best.

Thank you to our amazing staff, who demonstrate daily, expertise in their fields. I appreciate every individual, for as individuals we create a strong team. I appreciate the commitment found in our teachers who continually strive to do their very best to ensure our children learn. It is seen in the long hours our teachers put into our school often at the expense of their own families. It is seen in what they do above and beyond the call of duty. With students at our core our staff have been well equipped to meet the needs of every student. Our focus for 2024 will continue to ensure that every student is known, valued and cared for.

Please take the time to rest and recoup with your family over the break, and I look forward to another successful year in 2024.

Farewell

Farewell to staff who will be heading to other roles next year and taking with them a piece of Runcorn magic:

Ms Daryau (2/3D) and Mrs Godson (GO).

We farewell these lovely ladies who have made a real difference to our school and your children. Thank you so much for the energy and support you have given us here. We will miss you, but wish you all the very best.

2024 School Captains

Runcorn State School Student Leadership Program involves a rigorous selection process each year which begins with viewing the ‘Runcorn Reels Student Leadership’ recording. This is available on our website for our whole school community to view. Aspiring student leaders then prepare a written application. Applications are reviewed by our Year 5 class teachers, specialists and the leadership team. On Monday 13 November twelve Year 5 students had their school captain interviews. A huge congratulations goes to the students who were shortlisted. Mrs McNamara, Mrs Hedley and I had the privilege of speaking briefly with all of the shortlisted students individually as part of the process and we were incredibly impressed with their maturity and leadership potential. Eight of these students were then shortlisted to deliver a speech to the Year 5 cohort on Wednesday November 15, this was followed by Year 5 students and school staff voting. Once these positions were announced all other extra curricula position processes were undertaken.

Congratulations go to our incoming 2024 student leaders.

School Captains: Sophia and Feng
Vice-Captains: Frankie and Leo
Sports Captains Acacia: Amanda and Rothy
Sports Captains Banksia: Sarah and Lachlan
Sports Captains Grevillea: Yuna and Kai
Strings Captains: Iris and Jack
Band Captains: Erin and Riley
Choir Captains: Leah and Conor
Environmental Captains: Toa-Liuanga and Erving
Library Captains: Mia and Yilin

Student Council Representatives: Tiana, Nevaeh, Olivia, Isabella, Anab and Steve

Our outgoing student leaders have a lot to be proud of. They represented Runcorn with pride and integrity. I would especially like to thank our four school captains who have been positive examples to the rest of our student population.

A handover parade occurred on Thursday November 30. The 2023 student leaders officially handed their duties over to our incoming 2024 student leaders. The formal induction ceremony will be conducted on Monday January 29 2024. Congratulations and thank-you to all students who submitted an application for a leadership position next year. An extra special thank-you to our Year 5 teachers Mrs McNamara, Mrs Cramb, Ms Daglish and Ms Duffy who worked incredibly hard in the background organising the leadership process and assisting students.

Congratulations Eric

Eric in 3K has just received a High Distinction A+ for his AMEB Grade 3 Double Bass exam. He shows incredible musicianship and achievement for this level of double bass. He has a bright future in Music ahead.

End of Year Concert

What an amazing night, music at Runcorn continues to thrive! We are truly fortunate to have such a dedicated music team led by Mrs Hopper. The work put into running a night like this is extraordinary and she did a marvellous job. It was also terrific to see this night so well supported by our school community.

Thanks also to our choir riser spotters, Mr France for coordinating and supervising the sound and lighting, Mrs Schooth and Mrs McNamara for helping backstage, Ms Duffy for putting together the PowerPoint, the P&C and school community for the amazing catering and hampers, Mr Simiana for transporting our choir risers to the venue and our captains Renae Espinosa, Yuto Katsuta-Hung, Shizuku Netting and Alvin Chen for the professional compering of the night. Many hands make light work.

We would like to thank the Pyo family for their kind donation of flowers.

School Events

Keep an eye out for the following events taking place at our school this term:

Prep Ngtana Lui: Monday 4 December
Year 3 -6 Swimming Carnival - Tuesday 5 December
Year 6 Big Day Out: Wednesday 6 December

Meg McClure

From the Deputy Principal

As this is our final newsletter for 2023 I wish you all a safe and restful holiday.

Swimming 2024

There will be some changes to the swimming program in 2024. The 2024 Senior Swim Carnival will be held T1 W1 Wednesday 25/1/2024. 2024 Swimming consent forms will need to be completed and returned to school prior to this date for students to be able to compete.

The 2024 Swimming Consent forms will be sent home with students Thursday Week 9 2023. Please make a point of completing these forms and returning to school this year to avoid confusion and last minute rush in the first week of 2024.

Share the Dignity

Runcorn State School is proud to now have a Share The Dignity free sanitary items machine in a female toilet. We thank the Share The Dignity Foundation, an Australian charity that distributes sanitary items to women and girls for providing us with the machine.

Roberta Matlock

Outside School Hours Care

From the Head of Department - Inclusion

School Holidays are nearly here!
"Mum, Dad, I'm bored."
How many parents or carers have heard this from children? It may make you feel like you’re not doing enough for them and need to find something to do, or simply, get a little annoyed that children seem to find it challenging to entertain themselves.
Don’t worry, a little boredom can be a good thing for children and adults. Boredom forces your brain to search for its own stimulation and let your mind wander. It gives you a chance to imagine, reflect on the past, and think about the future. It can simulate creativity and problem-solving, while giving the brain time to recharge.
It’s ok to be bored!
However, if you are looking some things to do with the children to break up their ‘boredom’, follow the link below for some great activities happening in Brisbane.
https://www.familiesmagazine.com.au/whats-on/month/?hide_subsequent_recurrences=1
Thanks for a great year Runcorn community. Wishing you all a safe and restful holiday.

Jillian Chittenden

Norman's News

This pawtnight has been filled with adventure and fun in and out of the classroom and I am beginning to dream about the final week of school and then, ahh, the school holidays! What fun. A generous mix of pros and cons.

Pro: Time with my hooman family

Con: ALL that time with my hooman family!

Pro: I will be around to help more

Con: I will help in my (not that helpful) way – with the gardening; some cushion rearranging; maybe even some removal of food items from the bench!

Pro: No need for rigid routines

Con: Late nights and the constant need for my hoomans to be entertained

Yes, the school holidays can be a mix of emotions for us all! One minute I am loving the extra time I have, and the next I’m hearing words like “I’m bored” and “there’s nothing I want to do”. And yes, sometimes those words come from Mrs Schooth – not just her children!

My hope for you all over the holidays is that you can find some wonderful activities to share in the great outdoors – like the walks that I go on in our nearby Karawatha Forest. I also hope that you find some time for relaxing with friends and family so that 2024 can become your best year yet! I will look forward to greeting you all in the new year and welcoming any new students to Runcorn in January!

I would also like to give a huge bark-out to Paws Only Grooming who have kept me looking sensational this year and wish you all the best in your new premises at Stones Corner!

Until next time,

Big licks and tail wags,

Norman

From the Head of Department - Curriculum

Congratulations to students moving into a new year level next year.

Report cards will be emailed to parents in Week 10. Well done to all the students for a great effort on your schooling year.

I know it can be difficult at times to ensure that your child is continuing to read over the holiday, but it’s so important to maintain their literacy skills. Here are some dun ideas to help nudge your child into action.

Play Word, Board and Card games

One effective way to consolidate children’s learning is to play games. It’s reading that doesn’t feel like reading! A game of I Spy in the car helps kids practice associating letters with objects in the real world.

Early Years: Bananagrams and Hangman

Middle Years: Taboo and Conversation Starter Games

Senior: Articulate and Scattergories

Audiobooks

Children can find themselves captivated by a narrated story. Music and sound effects are also part of the production and make listening to an audiobook a truly immersive experience. Even though it’s not technically reading, audiobooks support reading and literacy skills by building vocabulary and modelling fluency.

Audiobooks are fantastic for long car rides to holiday destinations or to use when your little ones need to wind down at bedtime.

Early Years:

Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne, narrated by Stephen Fry
Charlotte’s Web by E B White, narrated by the author
The Faraway Tree By Enid Byton, narrated by Kate Winslett
Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl, narrated by Chris O’Dowd

Middle Years:

Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, narrated by Stephen Fry
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, narrated by Tatiana Maslany
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein, narrated by Rob Ingli
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, narrated by Tim Curr

Senior:

Lord of the Flies by William Golding, narrated by Martin Jarvis
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, narrated by Bahni Turpin
Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia by Anita Heiss, various narrators
The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed, narrated by Kiersey Clemons

Podcasts

Podcasts are another way that children can consume content without actually having to read printed material. There are thousands of podcasts available on topics ranging from animal conservation, to sport, to true stories, to fairy tales. What podcasts do, particularly for teenagers, is open up a wider range of opinions and knowledge about the world and how different people think about the world.

Early Years:

Wow in the World – Stories about science, technology and innovation
Circle Round – Folk stories from around the world

Middle Years:

Storykids podcast – This podcast encourages children to write their own stories and submit them so they can be produced and read out by professionals.
Short and Curly is a fun podcast which encourages listeners to pause and think about ethical and social topics relevant to children.

Senior Years:

Global News Podcast – for up to the minute news and stories from around the world. Young adults will gain a global perspective of world events.

This American Life – for excellent, riveting storytelling

One of the very best things that parents can do is to show their children how much pleasure they get from reading. So, grab yourself a book, settle down to read and enjoy the holidays!

You can find MAGIC wherever you look.

Sit back and RELAX all you need is a BOOK.

-Dr Seuss.

Happy holidays and happy reading!

Farah Anderson

Music Matters

Instrumental Music offers for 2024

Students who are successful in receiving a place in the Strings and Band Programs for 2024 have received their offer letters. There was much interest with not so many places available so we apologise to those who were unsuccessful this time. In 2024 Year 3 will go through the recruitment process to find out who will be in the Band program in Year 4 in 2025.

End of Year Concert

What a night! Students were amazing. Ms Hopper and all the teachers are so proud of how brilliant the student performances were. Thehe hard work in your rehearsals paid off.

Congratulations.

Senior Choir 2024

Invitations will go to all Year 4-6 students early Term 1 and Choir rehearsals will begin Week 3 next year.

Looking forward to seeing everyone next YEAR!!!

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

Health Happenings

Our assembly awards focus this fortnight are the Confidence Key and the Thinker Learning Asset.

Confidence at Runcorn State School looks like:

Students striving to do their best
Students not feeling afraid to make mistakes
Students willing to try new things
Students actively communicating their feelings, thoughts and ideas in and out of the classroom
Students showing independence in different activities
Students taking pride in themselves, their learning, and products of their learning

Effective Thinkers at Runcorn State School are:

Open minded
Flexible
Persistent

Congratulations to all students who have been acknowledged for demonstrating the above skills and have received tickets and/or awards from staff.

Sheridan Stirling

Sports News

Swimming Carnival

Tuesday, December 5^th, will be our Senior Swimming Carnival. Students from years 3 to 6 are encouraged to participate in all age appropriate 25m races with students who are keen to challenge themselves encouraged to strive for ‘swimming age champion’ where they will be competing in all 4 strokes (Breaststroke, Backstroke, Freestyle and Butterfly) over 50m.

Please find the program below:

Luke Brady

Swimming Timetable

Lost Property

There is a large amount of lost propertyunder B Block. Can you please ask students to look for any lost items. Parents are welcome to look for any items your student may be missing.

Any items that have not been collected before Wednesday of week 10 will be donated to charity.

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:

Please inform the school regarding your student's intentions regarding 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 (General) 2024

The aim of Runcorn State School is to achieve the best learning outcomes for all students. Each year, the school asks parents to contribute to the payment for classroom consumables and other resource items as deemed necessary by the teacher and school.

It was unanimously agreed at the P&C Meeting held on 13 November 2023 that the cost of the SRS Scheme for 2024 will be a flat fee of $40.00 per student with no family discount as per departmental guidelines. This remains the same amount as this year.

Forms and invoices will be sent to parents at the commencement of the 2023 school year.

A reminder also, that, from 2021, the Participant Agreement Form that parents/caregivers sign are valid for the duration of your child's enrolment at Runcorn State School unless parents/caregivers inform the school otherwise by completing a new participation form.

Student Resource Scheme (Instrumental Music) 2024

The SRS for Instrumental Music was also tabled at the P&C meeting on 13^th November 2023.

It was unanimously agreed that the IM SRS levy for students with their OWN instruments be increased to $60.00 per student and students with a SCHOOL OWNED instrument be increased to $100.00

Please DO NOT send any money for these schemes. You will be invoiced early in 2024.

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

A big THANK YOU to the Runcorn State School Community who have supported and been involved in the P&C events, fundraising, and meetings this year from supporters to volunteers to school staff – we greatly appreciate all the contributions made. Without volunteers the wonderful events that the community enjoys so much would not be possible. All events and fundraising activities raise greatly needed funds for resources to enrich Runcorn students learning journey. We look forward to another great year in 2024. Stay tuned for some exciting events coming up next year.

End of Year Concert & Raffles

Our End of Year Concert was a wonderful night of celebration bringing together our community for food, prizes, and performances. Thank you to all those who wrapped raffle hamper baskets, helped transport these hampers to the hall, organised and cooked the BBQ, served and sold food, and sold raffle tickets.

Well done and thank you Runcorn State School families for your fabulous contributions for our “mega” raffle for the End of Year concert. We raffled 29 hampers/prizes on the night, which was our biggest to date. Thank you also to Jenni McNamara and The Athlete’s Foot Garden City for the generous prizes that you donated.

Mango Fundraiser

Thank you to all those who ordered delicious Mangoes through our Fundraiser. 96 trays were sold resulting in a $958 profit. This supports both North Queensland mango farmers, and our school.

P&C Meetings – Save the Dates

Our next meeting for will be on Monday 29^th January 2024 at 6:30pm (week 2) with our Annual General Meeting and March General Meeting to follow on Monday 4^th March 2024 6:30pm. Please contact rsspcsecretary@outlook.com if you would like to find out more about P&C meetings. We look forward to your ongoing support in 2024.

TUCKSHOP

Contact: tuckshop@runcornss.eq.edu.au
Operating Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (8:30am - 1:45pm)

***Please note that the Tuckshop will be open on Wednesday of Week 10 (the final week of Term 4) with a limited menu, and will be closed on the Thursday and Friday of week for Stocktake.

How to order from the Tuckshop:

Register with Flexischools (see graphic below)
All orders must be placed online via Flexischools

The Tuckshop also offers over-the-counter purchases Wednesday to Friday where students can bring cash to purchase ice blocks, drinks, and slushies.

Birthday Orders

Don’t forget that Cupcakes and Ice Block Buckets are available to order via Flexischools. Get in early and secure your order so you don’t miss out (Please note that cupcakes are only available Wednesday to Friday). All birthday orders must be placed at least two days prior.

Volunteers Needed in the Tuckshop

You can help in one or more of the following ways:

Putting labels on bags
Filling drink orders
Preparing food
Baking
Washing up
Placing orders into bags, and allocating to class tuckshop delivery boxes

Volunteer under the guidance of the Tuckshop Convenor (Wednesdays to Fridays from 8:30am) - no experience is necessary
All volunteers who work a two-hour shift receive a complimentary lunch from the menu
An excellent way to help out in your community by providing an important service to students and staff

How to sign up to volunteer with one of the two options:

- Click this SignUp online link: https://signup.com/go/iBhmPbC. Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like. (you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp. SignUp does not share your email address with anyone)

- Email tuckshop@runcornss.eq.edu.au if you prefer not to use your email address on SignUp so that we can manually add you to your preferred shift/s.

Please note that the tuckshop will be open on Wednesday of week 10 with a limited menu, and will be closed on the Thursday and Friday of week 10.

UNIFORM AND STATIONERY SHOP

Contact: rssuniform@outlook.com
Operating Hours: Now closed for 2023 and will re-open in 2024

***Please note that the Uniform Shop will be closed for Term 4 Week 10 for Stocktake.