Newsletter Term 2 Week 3
From the Principal
Students are in class settled and busy working. Over the last couple of weeks, I have visited several classes and watched the learning taking place. I am also grateful to have many students come to the office and share with me, the great work they are doing.
Anzac Day Parade and Service
What a fabulous morning at the Sunnybank RSL ANZAC Day march and service. Thanks Mrs Schooth and Mrs McNamara for coordinating and supporting the students who came to represent the school. It was lovely to have staff present and to have families bring their children to the march and stay on for the service. Thank you to our four school captains who represented our fabulous school so well, proudly laying wreaths at the service. Lest we forget.
Pickup and drop off zone
One of our biggest challenges as a school is the safety and efficiency of the Drop-Off and Pick-Up procedures for our students. We thank our families for their understanding and adoption of practices currently in place around the school – in particular, before and after school. Below are listed some reminders for our families at these busy times of the school day.
- The school’s Drop-off and Pick-up Zone is only a 2-minute zone. Please be aware that the purpose of this zone is purely to: “Stop – Drop – Go”. Make sure your child has their bag ready so that they can get out of the car quickly. Stopping to get bags out of the boot, put jackets on and etc., slows the traffic down and adds to congestion.
- During supervised times 3.00pm - 3.30pm, a staff member will direct children exiting the school to the cars.
- It is important not to ‘cut in’ to a space you think is available but wait in the line for cars to move forward. We are aiming to make this a safe area for all families moving in and out of the school.
- Please remember that the Drop and Go Zone is a two-minute zone. Any longer than this and you are likely to be asked by a staff member to move on and re-enter the Pick-up queue.
- During supervised times, parents are asked to move off from the Drop-Off Zone straight away.
- Please do not park in the drop of zone and leave your car. This causes delays and frustrations for other families.
- Please do not wait across driveways whilst in line or double park
- Please remember, NO three point turns from the pick-up line. This is extremely dangerous and causes a halt to the collection process.
We are very conscious of the safety of the students and ask that families keep reminding their children that they need to be alert and be thinking of others at these times of the day.
Runcorn Rhino Beatles
At parade on Monday the fabulous Runcorn Rhino Beatles performed once again. Their rendition of Cold Play's Viva la Vida had the audience tapping their toes and singing along. The loud applause was a sign of thanks to the group for sharing their talents. A big thanks to Ms Hopper and Mr France for their support and encouragement of our Rhino Beatles.
Mother’s Day
Sunday 12 May is Mother’s Day. We wish all our amazing mum’s, grandmas, aunties and carers a fabulous and happy Mother’s Day. I know we all wish for happy kids on this day so I hope your wish comes true.
Meg McClure
From the Deputy Principal
Building a national picture of child health
From May 2024, our school, along with thousands of others across the country, will participate in the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).
The AEDC is a teacher-completed census (similar to a questionnaire) which provides a comprehensive picture of how children have developed by the time they start their first year of full-time school.
The AEDC is an Australian Government Initiative and is completed nationally every three years.
Children don’t miss any class time while the AEDC is completed, and parents/carers don’t need to supply schools with any new information.
The data collected through the AEDC is used by schools, communities and governments to better understand children and families’ needs, and identify the services, resources and support they need.
AEDC data is reported at a school, community, state/territory and national level. AEDC results for individual children are not reported and the AEDC is not used as an individual diagnostic tool.
Some teachers have found that completing the AEDC made them more aware of the needs of individual children and their class, and that the data was useful for planning for transitions to Year 1 and developing programs.
Participation in the AEDC is voluntary, however the AEDC relies on all schools with children in their first year of full-time school participating in the collection. Parents/carers don’t need to take any action unless they choose not to include their children in the census.
To find out more about the AEDC and how it is being used to help children and families visit: www.aedc.gov.au.
If you have any questions, you can contact Ms Matlock on rmatl2@eq.edu.au.
As part of our NAIDOC Week celebrations, the P&C have generously funded the cost of a performance by Lucas Proudfoot for all students on T3W1 Monday 10/7/24 in Girrawheen Place.
Lucas Proudfoot is one of Australia’s most dynamic children’s entertainers. A proud First Nations man and dad, Lucas performs original compositions using his guitar, didgeridoo and
stomp box as part of his live touring show, delivering a contemporary Indigenous-Australian music and storytelling experience.
Thank you to the Runcorn P&C for providing this opportunity for our students.
Roberta Matlock.
From the Head of Department - Curriculum
The Big Write
Thanks to our amazing teachers, the Big Write is still happening each week on a Thursday. Below are some of the creative prompts our teachers have chosen for the children to write about. Have a read of some of the outstanding writing our children have produced recently.
Jillian Chittenden
Head of Department - Inclusion
GUIDANCE OFFICER WEEK!
It’s Guidance Officer Week from 22 April – 3 May 2024!
Please meet our Guidance officer Catherine Atkin. Catherine is at our school every Thursday and every second Wednesday (even weeks). She currently works across our school and Eight Mile Plains School.
Catherine’s role is essentially one of a “helping professional.” She works with students, parents and staff to advocate and support students’ academic, social & emotional well-being needs and is often the liaison between external supports and our school.
Catherine plays an invaluable role within our school and we thank her for all of the hard work, dedication and compassion she shows to our students, staff and school community. Contact with Catherine is organised through the School-Based Inclusion Team.
Julie Schooth
Norman's News
Runcorn State School has a long association with Canteen Australia with our Student Council showing their support to Bandana Day each year in October. This year, Canteen are extending their fundraising efforts to include a challenge for furry friends! Woof! Woof!
Mrs Schooth and I are going to take up this challenge and will be walking 63kms in May in support of young people impacted by Cancer. Current statistics report that Cancer impacts 63 young people aged 12-25 every single day in Australia. That’s why we have decided to take the Challenge – hopefully to raise some funds, but also to raise awareness of the amazing work that Canteen does to “pawsitively” impact the lives of young Australians facing cancer.
As such, I am excited to say that we will be walking approximately 2km each and every day in May! I am hoping that this means a lot of different adventures around our beautiful community, but we also thought that some laps around our school oval after school might be fun!
If you would like to join Mrs Schooth and I on a Monday afternoon walk, please meet us on the oval (with your family) at 3.10pm on Monday 13th, 20th and 27th May! I hope you will understand that no other furry friends are allowed to join us at school – but if doing this challenge with your own pooch interests you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Mrs Schooth at jscho128@eq.edu.au for further information!
Does anyone want to guess how many laps around the oval we will need to do to reach our daily 2km goal?!
Until then,
Big licks and tail wags,
Norman
Music Matters
Save the date:
Year 3 Choir on Parade: Term 2 Week 4 Tuesday 7th May
Karawatha Music Program Term 2 Week 5- 13-16 May – Band and Strings students
Instrumental Music- Karawatha Music Workshop
Karawatha is coming up for Band and Strings students in Week 5. A reminder that students need to be dropped at Runcorn State High School in the mornings and not at Runcorn State School. Also, please do not bring Music stands along to Karawatha as they will be provided.
Anzac Day- Choir and Band
Congratulations to our Senior Choir and Senior Band who performed beautifully at the Anzac Day ceremony last Wednesday. Thank you to Mrs Wong who supported the choir with her piano accompaniment on the day.
Keogh Imamura
A huge congratulations goes to Keogh Imamura who received Honours on his AMEB (Australian Music Examinations Board) Practice of Music testing which he recently completed. Amazing work Keogh!
Runcorn Rhino Beetles
Well done to the Runcorn Rhino Beetles Rock Band for their fabulous performance on parade on Monday, performing Viva La Vida by Coldplay. You are all very impressive and the school community can’t wait to see what else you create this year. Congratulations Conor McDonald (Vocals), Erin Bayle (Drums), Riley Willmett (Guitar), Jack Callaghan (Bass Guitar), Daniel Hardwicke (Percussion) and Leo Stewart (Percussion).
Classroom Music- Year 4
This year our Year 4 students have been learning the recorder. Commonly the recorder has a bad reputation due to most of the music learnt involving nursery rhymes and much squeaking. But in our music classroom we are learning to play it without squeaks and with more modern repertoire. Year 4 are learning to play a song called Going West which they are playing along with a video of the Woodwind section of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. The students have learnt 6 notes along with how to read the notes of the Treble Clef.
Ms Mariel Hopper (mxhop2@eq.edu.au)
The Senior Concert Band will be performing at the school’s ANZAC Day Ceremony on Wednesday 24th of April. All Year 5-6 Band students are required to wear their formal on the Wednesday, and attend the following rehearsals with their instruments and music.
Monday 22: Band rehearsal @ 7:35am and lessons, as normal.
Tuesday 23: ANZAC Day Ceremony practice during school hours.
Wednesday 24: ANZAC Day Ceremony performance during school hours.
If you have any questions, or concerns, or you know that your student will not be available, please let Miss O’Callaghan know ASAP via email at aloca1@eq.edu.au.
Sports News
Welcome to another busy fortnight in the sporting world at Runcorn State School!
We have continued to prepare for the up coming sports carnival Term 2 Week 8 with the first two weeks of this term focusing on shot-put training for all year levels. We have now begun a week of javelin training, once again, for all year levels.
In our gross/fine motor lessons for prep to year 3, our ball game focus has just moved from 2 weeks of over/under to tunnel ball.
I am really pleased how well the students are comprehending the techniques associated with each discipline and am enjoying the friendly rivalry that some groups are having.
In Term 2 Week 2 I had the please of taking 32 students to the Eastern Taipans District Cross Country Trials. All 32 students amazed me with their determination to compete and do their best in some trying conditions. If any parents would like some photos from the day, please email me (lbrad101@eq.edu.au) and I’ll email you the photos I took.
Special mention to the following students who excelled in their races:
Yuna who came 19th out of 74 competitors
Jackson who came 16th out of 87 competitors
Tia who came 19th out of 80 competitors
Kai who came 3rd out of 84 competitors
Kai has now been selected in the Eastern Taipans Cross Country Team and will compete for a place in the Met West Team on Wednesday, 22nd May at John Paul College. We wish you the best of luck Kai and I’m sure you will do Runcorn State School Proud.
Finally, as part of my authority over PE here at Runcorn, I have introduced House Captain shirts for my 6 captains. My ideology behind this is that each captain is now more visible and therefore more responsible for not only their behaviour, but also for their house’s reputation. It also provides students of any grade, a visual representative for any sports questions etc they have. I thank Mrs McClure and Mrs Matlock for supporting me in this new direction.
As always, any questions please email me.
Have a great fortnight!
Mr Brady
Health Happenings
Our parade 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
sstir16@eq.edu.au
Resource Centre
Under 8's Day
Environment Club News
The Environment Club and Mrs Jenni McNamara
From the Administration Office
Student Resource Scheme
We would like to thank all of our families for supporting our Student Resource Scheme. The monies raised helps purchase learning materials used in each of our classrooms and specialist lessons. Your assistance enhances our student's learning outcomes.
Attendance
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.
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 their student 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 the 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 authorisation. 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 Association
The Runcorn State School P&C Association had our Special General Meeting recently and elected our new Executive Teams. Make sure you say 'g'day' when you see them around the school. We are keen to get to know the people in our community! Stay tuned for a few more announcements including the newly appointed convenors and the very first event for this new P&C crew!
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.
