Newsletter Term 1 Week 3
From the Principal
Thank you to all the families who prepared their children so well for the school year with all of the necessary stationery and resources required to start a successful year of schooling. We appreciate you working with us so that your child can make the most of their time here. Runcorn State School has high expectations for our students wearing their uniform correctly and proudly, to show that they are part of our wonderful school community. Being part of such a strong community is a great start. You can help by:
- Ensuring your child to attend school every day - because every day counts
- Supporting your child to wear the full and correct school uniform
- Becoming involved in our school community - our community is as strong as your contribution. A great way to be a part of our community is to join the Parents and Citizens (P&C) Association
Thank you for supporting us at our hidden gem of a school.
Student Leader Induction
The new Student Leaders for 2024 received their badges at the Leaders' Induction Ceremony this week. Congratulations and well done to these students on your selection. Thank you to the families and friends that were able to join us for the ceremony and afternoon tea that followed.
Chin Wag and a Snag and Inquiry afternoon
Thank you to the families that came and supported the Inquiry afternoon and chin wag and a snag. What a fabulous community afternoon. Teachers opened their classrooms, students engaged in our signature pedagogy of inquiry and then shared informal chats at the chin wag and snag event that followed.
Playgrounds and Nature Play areas
It is wonderful to see students on our playground equipment and enjoying the interactive natural elements of the nature play space. We would like to remind parents that these play spaces are unsupervised before 8.45am and at the end of the school day, from 3.00pm onwards. It should be noted that community members, parents or guardians cannot provide supervision at these times, even for their own child/children, unless a request to use school facilities has been submitted and approved. This is because Jabiru (Before and After School Care) providers have access to our play spaces at this time, supervising the registered students only. We thank you for your cooperation.
E Block Refurbishment
The much-anticipated refurbishment of the E block classroom (above the tuckshop) will commence next week. This project marks a significant step forward in our commitment to providing an inspiring and conducive learning environment for our students and educators. The refurbishment is estimated to take approximately 8 weeks to complete (weather and availability of supplies permitting), during which time we will be working diligently to ensure minimal disruption to our daily activities. Mrs McNamara and her 5/6M students have been working in N1 in preparedness for these works. I know they are looking forward to returning to their ‘proper’ classroom when the refurbishment is completed. We understand the importance of maintaining continuity in our educational programs and will strive to keep any inconveniences to a minimum.
Meg McClure
From the Deputy Principal
NAPLAN 2024
Why do students do NAPLAN?
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake.
NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards.
NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress.
NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.
Your child will do the NAPLAN tests online
Online NAPLAN tests provide more precise results and are engaging for students. The tests are tailored (or adaptive), which means that each test presents questions that may be more or less difficult depending on a student’s responses. This helps students remain engaged with the assessment.
Tailored testing allows a wider range of student abilities to be assessed and measures student achievement more precisely. A student’s overall NAPLAN result is based on both the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly. Your child should not be concerned if they find questions challenging; they may be taking a more complex test pathway.
All Year 3 students will continue to complete the writing assessment on paper.
What does NAPLAN assess?
NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through their regular school curriculum.
Students sit assessments in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. The questions assess content linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics.
All government and non-government education authorities contribute to the development of NAPLAN test materials.
Participation in NAPLAN
NAPLAN is for all Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students. ACARA supports inclusive testing, so all students have the opportunity to participate in the National Assessment Program.
Adjustments are available for students with disability who have diverse functional abilities and needs and we will work with parents/carers and students to identify, on a case-by-case basis, reasonable adjustments required for individual students with disability to access NAPLAN. Adjustments will reflect the support normally provided for classroom assessments.
To help inform these decisions, you may consult the NAPLAN public demonstration site, the Guide for schools to assist students with disability to access NAPLAN (PDF 96 KB), and our series of videos where parents/carers, teachers and students share their experiences in using NAPLAN adjustments.
Students who have recently arrived in Australia and have a non-English speaking background, may be granted a formal exemption.
NAPLAN 2024 Families are invited to enter the NAPLAN Public demonstration site with their children to explore NAPLAN functionality and familiarisation.
Public demonstration site
https://nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site
The public demonstration tests show the types of questions students will answer and the functionalities that are available in NAPLAN tests. Read more about the tools and navigation in Understanding online assessment.
To ensure the demonstration tests function and display as intended, check that your browser and device meet the minimum technical requirements.
Students can do the standard tests or they can do a test with accessible alternative items:
- The visual alternative tests include some items with simplified images (numeracy and reading).
- The tests with audio alternative items have text-based items instead of audio dictation items (conventions of language).
- The colour theme tests have different coloured fonts and backgrounds (all domains).
It is recommended that students, their parents/carers and schools discuss the best way for students with disability to access NAPLAN. Visit Accessibility to learn more.
While these demonstration tests are not tailored tests, example branching messages are included for familiarisation. Branching messages (PDF 344 KB) advise students whether they may go back to previous testlets to change their answers, or not.
To try the demonstration tests, use the buttons below to choose a year level and then a NAPLAN domain: writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) or numeracy. Please note that answers are not provided. As all Year 3 students complete the writing test on paper, there is no Year 3 writing demonstration test.
For all online tests, once ‘finish’ is selected or time has run out, the student’s responses will be submitted and will no longer be able to be viewed.
What’s new in the demonstration tests?
There is now a narrative task and a persuasive task for students to practise. Only one of these tasks will be tested each year, and this will be revealed on the day of the assessment.
Students will now start the conventions of language test with the spelling items and finish with the grammar and punctuation items.
There are now different narrator voices for the audio items. Some students may benefit from listening to the voice change from one item to another. They can do so by listening to the numeracy items or the audio dictation items in the conventions of language tests.
Roberta Matlock
From the Head of Department - Inclusion
Learning Differences
A specific learning disability is characterised by persistent difficulties learning a key academic skill. This academic underachievement is unexpected, and is not the result of a more general learning difficulty, such as an intellectual disability.
There are a number of specific learning disabilities that have the potential to impact on a student’s school performance:
- A specific learning disorder with impairment in reading, often referred to as dyslexia.
- A specific learning disorder with impairment in written expression, often referred to as dysgraphia.
- A specific learning disorder with impairment in mathematics, often referred to as dyscalculia.
Dyslexia is a disorder that affects language processing: reading, writing, spelling and speaking. Information is processed differently. For example, letters may be reversed, word order in sentences changed, words may move on the page, words or letters may take on a three dimensional appearance. The person may have difficulty reading from left to right or tracking down a page. He/she may have difficulty understanding abstract ideas, even jokes or puns.
Dysgraphia is a disorder that affects writing, spelling and handwriting. The person with dysgraphia will often find it difficult to write his/her thoughts on paper although he/she may communicate well verbally.
Dyscalculia is a disorder that makes math calculations, the memorization and application of math facts difficult. The person finds the processing of numbers extremely difficult.
The main learning difference observed between individuals with a specific learning disability and those without is the length of time it takes them to learn particular academic subskills. Individuals with specific learning disabilities often require more time and more repetition in order to master these skills. However, once they have mastered the skill, or developed an understanding of the new concept, they are likely to perform as well as, or possibly even better than, their peers. It is also the case that although individuals with learning disabilities have difficulty in specific areas, they will often excel in others.
Jillian Chittenden
Norman's News
What an amazing ‘Pawtnight’ we have just had at Runcorn! From helping to settle students into their new school routines, to working in classrooms with Mrs Schooth, to providing a writing prompt for some very keen Year 3 writers and then to being amongst our community at the “Chin Wag and Snag” afternoon on Tuesday (although disappointingly there were no sausages dropped on the day), my tail has not stopped wagging! I just love my job at Runcorn!
As always, should you have any comments or questions for me, please do not hesitate to contact me via Mrs Schooth at jscho128@eq.edu.au
Until next time,
Big licks and tail wags,
Norman
Music Matters
Save the date:
Save the date:
Anzac Day Ceremony Term 2 Week 2 24 April – Band and Choir
Karawatha Music Program Term 2 Week 5- 13-16 May – All Band and Strings students
Instrumental Music
Thank you to the Instrumental Music community for being so organised with paperwork and payment of levies, it’s a great start to the program and we are excited about the amazing music we will be creating this year!
Rehearsals for Ensembles start next week:
Band (Monday) Strings (Tuesday)
7:35am for a 7:45am start. Senior Strings 7:30am
Lessons during the school day. Junior Strings- 3:00-4:00pm
Lessons during the school day.
Please don’t send your children to rehearsal prior to start time as supervision cannot be guaranteed.
Can everyone ensure that they read the emails that Mr Biedermann sends out each week as they contain important information on what to practice.
Senior Choir- Wednesday 8am
Senior Choir began this week. We have had a very large sign up yet again this year which is very exciting! Senior Choir members will soon be asked if they can commit to attending the Singfest excursion in Term 3 as the school is required to purchase tickets up front. Information about this will go out shortly, so please keep at eye out for this.
Ms Mariel Hopper (mxhop2@eq.edu.au)
Health Happenings
Our assembly awards focus this fortnight are the Getting Along Key and the Collaborator Learning Asset.
Getting Along at Runcorn State School looks like:
- Students working cooperatively with each other in and out of the classroom
- Students solving/resolving problems in a calm and friendly manner
- Students making responsible choices
- Students being friendly and patient to those around them
- Students listening while others are speaking
- Students helping those in need
Effective Collaborators at Runcorn State School are:
- Empathic
- Compassionate
- Reliable
Staff across Runcorn State School will be actively looking for students displaying skills of getting along and collaboration. Congratulations to all students who have been acknowledged so far! Getting along and collaboration makes Runcorn State School a better place to learn and grow.
Sheridan Stirling
Prep C
Inquiry in Prep C : We are reading The very hungry caterpillar!
It helps us see, think and wonder about caterpillars and butterflies…
Environment Club News
Dear Runcorn Community,
Welcome back to school in 2024 and thankyou to all the families that have supported the Environment Club in the past. We are hoping to continue the enthusiasm throughout the year. We will start with some old favourites – paper recycling and Containers for Change. Throughout the year we will also have some other collections to try and make a difference. If there are any families who could support the Environment Club in any way, it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Jenni McNamara on the email below.
PAPER RECYCLING
The Environment Club has resumed paper and cardboard recycling last week. Somewhere in your child’s classroom, there will be paper recycling bin like the ones pictured below. To support the HASS curriculum, Year 4 students will quietly collect these bins and recycle the paper and cardboard in the appropriate yellow bins. This will usually happen on a Thursday or Friday. Please talk to your child about ONLY paper and cardboard going into these bins. In 2023, some classes found placing this bin separate to the general waste bin helped students to remember.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IP0Ch1Va44&t=20s
Above is a cute video for Prep to Year 2 families that is about paper recycling. It could be a discussion starter to help your child to understand why the bin is in the classroom. There are plenty of other types of videos available for upper school students that are worth a look as well. Just head to Youtube.
CONTAINERS FOR CHANGE
Collection of plastic bottles, poppers etc for the Containers for Change program will also resume. Year 5/6M students will place clear containers in both junior and senior eating areas each day. We raised much need funds for the school in 2023 and hoping to raise more in 2024. We still have the Wave of Change wheely bins in the school (pictured), and hoping all Runcorn State School families will access the green bins appropriately as well. We have also left the Runcorn State School Scheme ID if that is easier for families to use. There is also a picture of the type of containers that are accepted in the green bins.
Please remember NO STRAW, NO LIQUIED and NO LID!!!
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 and Mrs Jenni McNamara
From the Administration Office
Runcorn State School's Admin team are available between 8.00am and 3.30pm each school day. You can contact us on 3323 8777 if you have any queries. Student absence texts can be sent to 0429 928 611 or a voice message can be left on 3323 8777 and press option 1.
If students arrive to school from 9.00 am onwards they are to present to the office to collect a late slip. This ensures that our rolls are marked correctly and prevents parents from receiving incorrect absence texts.
We would like to thank all of our families for prompt responses to the beginning of year forms and payments.
Student Resource Scheme (General) 2024
The mission 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. Invoices will be sent to parents in the coming weeks.
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 13th 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 in the coming weeks.
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
Do you suddenly find yourself with some spare time now your youngest is off to big school?
Do you have new, fresh fundraising ideas?
Do you want to make a difference to your child’s school experience?
Is 2024 the year YOU make a difference?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, we would LOVE to chat to you about the upcoming P&C Executive Committee positions.
P&C Meetings
Some highlights from our first P&C meeting for the year last week include:
- Exciting events coming up including the free NAPLAN Breakfast for all year 3 and 5 students, and the Election BBQ which will be a fundraiser for Norman’s insurance expenses
- The P&C will be donating whiteboard markers, erasers, and playdoh for the students starting Prep in 2025
- The P&C will be generously subsidising every student to attend a science program incursion or excursion this year
Our next P&C meeting is the Annual General Meeting (AGM) which will be held on Monday 4th March at 6:30pm, followed by a general meeting afterwards. The AGM is the meeting in which all executive positions will be vacated, and nominations and voting will be done for this year. If you are keen to get on board and make a difference to our school, please think about becoming a member, or nominating and taking up a position. Some positions only require a few hours of effort per month, whilst others are a little more involved. Some of our Executive Committee have been in their positions for several years and would be happy to discuss what’s involved. If you have any questions about any of the roles involved, please contact Rachael (Vice President) at rsscpcvicepresident@outlook.com.
Election Day BBQ & Fundraiser for Norman
To help raise funds for Norman’s therapy dog insurance expenses, we are hosting an Election BBQ on Saturday, 16th March in which we will sell hot food, baked goods, and snacks. If you can donate any baked goods to sell for this fundraiser, that would be greatly appreciated. Further details about what is required and when donations of baked goods will be accepted will be provided closer to the date.
Norman’s 3rd Birthday & Community Picnic
To celebrate Norman’s 3rd birthday, a community picnic will be held in his honour on Wednesday, 27th March 3pm. Bring your picnic rugs, afternoon tea, and money to spend as a coffee van will be organised for this event.
P&C MEMBERSHIPS
P&C memberships for 2024 are now open, and it is FREE to join. You can pick up a form from the school office, or request a copy of the form by contacting Nadera (Secretary) at rsspcsecretary@outlook.com, who can also answer any further questions you may have about becoming a member of the P&C.
Benefits of joining the P&C include:
- Getting to know your school community better, including meeting more people and making new friends
- Feeling a stronger sense of belonging to the school community
- Being informed of what happens at school, including any changes
- Keeping up-to-date with the various school-related events and activities
- Voting at P&C meetings about school-related decisions (including spending of P&C funds)
- Receiving the minutes/notes after each P&C meeting
- Receiving the reports and reminders before each meeting
- Sharing your talents, skills, ideas, and expertise to help achieve positive outcomes for your school
- Getting involved as little or as much as you like – being a member does not automatically mean you have to volunteer or have extra jobs to do
- Seeing our students benefit from our efforts
There is no obligation for P&C members to attend meetings, volunteer time, or participate in activities, but membership is essential if you want to be involved in any P&C decisions during the year, including how the money we all raise is spent.
TUCKSHOP
Contact: tuckshop@runcornss.eq.edu.au
Operating Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday (8:30am - 1:45pm)
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.
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.
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
It’s easy to volunteer in the tuckshop!
- 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
It's an excellent way to help out in your community by providing an important service to students and staff
How to sign up to volunteer : AEmail tuckshop@runcornss.eq.edu.au with your preferred days and times that you can assist.
UNIFORM AND STATIONERY SHOP
Contact: rssuniform@outlook.com
Operating Hours: Monday (2:45pm–3:15pm) & Tuesday (8:15am–8:45am)
Stationery
The Uniform Shop has a small amount of stationery for sale.
Volunteers Needed in the Uniform Shop!
You can help in one or more of the following ways:
Making sales
Cash handling (not necessarily expected)
Assisting families to select and/or try on appropriate sizes
Retrieving stock from the shelves If you are able to assist, please contact Zoee (Uniform Shop Coordinator) at rssuniform@outlook.com.
P&C WISHLIST 2024
Community News
Jabiru offers before and after school care and vacation care at Runcorn State School. Our team includes a range of friendly people who are into craft, sport and outdoor exploration, so there’s something for everyone at Jabiru Runcorn.
