Newsletter Term 2 Week 7

From the Principal

As we near the end of term, we understand that this is an important time for students as they complete their remaining work to wrap things up. Teachers are now in the middle of compiling and finalising reports and talking with students about their assessments. This feedback process is very important as our students understand what they have done well over the term and what might become a focus for Semester 2.

Australian Curriculum Update

You may be aware that ACARA (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority) has released an updated curriculum. At Runcorn SS, we are following an implementation plan that helps our teachers to familiarise themselves with the updated version 9 curriculum requirements. During this year, we will be digging into the changes and modifications of Australian Curriculum version 9 and planning for effective implementation of English and Mathematics in 2025.  The updated curriculum includes:

1. A Focus on Real-World Skills: Australian Curriculum version 9 places a significant emphasis on developing real-world skills that will prepare our students for the challenges of the future. The curriculum encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, collaboration, and digital literacy.

1. Streamlined Content: The updated curriculum has undergone a streamlining process to ensure a more focused and manageable learning experience for our students. This means that while maintaining essential knowledge and skills, the content has been refined to provide clearer learning outcomes and reduce unnecessary overload.

1. Cross-Curricular Connections: Australian Curriculum version 9 promotes meaningful connections across different subject areas. Students will be able to explore and understand concepts holistically, recognising the interconnectedness of knowledge.

1. Digital Technologies: With the rapid advancement of technology, it is essential for our students to develop digital literacy skills. The updated curriculum integrates digital technologies across various subject areas, enabling our students to become confident users of technology, creative problem solvers, and responsible digital citizens.

The other learning areas of the Australian Curriculum (Science, Humanities, The Arts, Technologies, Health and Physical Education) will be rolled out over the coming years as per the Queensland Department of Education implementation schedule. If you would like more information about version 9 Australian Curriculum, please visit https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au

Loose Parts Play

Children see possibilities in everything and a loose parts play space allows them to create something incredible, all with just the power of their imagination.

The benefits of playing with loose parts include:

• Increased levels of creative and imaginative play
• Children play co-operatively and socialise more
• Children are physically more active
• Loose parts facilitate communication and negotiation skills
• Curriculum outcomes occur through informal play with loose parts

Runcorn State School is working towards having a loose parts play space that will be accessible each day during first break. Currently Mrs Sinnott opens the space every Thursday and recently she has been joined by one of our parents, Renae Powell. Renae has a wealth of experience in this space and is passionate about sharing it with us.  

Keep your eyes on our Facebook page as will regularly share photos of children in our loose parts play space.

Playworkers visit

On Friday May 31 we welcomed Playworkers from Melbourne to our site to view what loose parts lunchtime play looks like. Renae hosted a ‘pop-up’ space to demonstrate how children engage with the space and what multi-age play looks like when loose parts are involved.

Prep Enrolments for 2025 now open 

Recently, we welcomed families a morning tour of the school. There are still opportunities to access tours this term and in term 3.

Parents are invited to complete an enrolment form and collect an enrolment package from the front office. To help your child prepare for Prep in 2025 there are opportunities for our new students to join our get to know you and pre-prep sessions in Term 3 and Term 4. As well as our orientation day later in Term 4.  This program is a great way of connecting and engaging with our school in preparation for next year.

We encourage you to enrol your child early, to ensure your place is guaranteed for 2025 and to give us a clear idea about the number of classes we can form. All enrolments will require an interview.

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.

QParents will be introduced to Runcorn State School 2024 Semester 2. As part of this process, can you please ensure your email and contact details are up to date with the Office. We will provide guidance on QParents app registration in the upcoming weeks.

 Roberta Matlock.

From the Head of Department - Curriculum

National Simultaneous Storytime at Runcorn

Last Wednesday Runcorn participated in National Simultaneous Storytime, we joined libraries, schools and childcare centres around Australia in reading ‘Bowerbird Blues’ all at the same time.  We celebrated around Runcorn in many different ways.

A beautiful display in the Library was created to showcase this amazing book.

1T found a blue glue lid in their Bowerbird nest and created their own Bowerbird Values nest.

Mrs Wooller worked with some of our EAL/D students on activities about bowerbirds. As many of the EAL/D students have not yet witnessed satin bowerbirds in the wild, they spent some time building up background knowledge. The students used their skills in retelling stories that they have been practising in the past few weeks, writing some speech bubbles for the different birds in the video they watched. They did an amazing job.

3A created some lovely illustrations for the book. 

Jillian Chittenden

Head of Department - Inclusion

Meet Mrs Louise Henderson – Inclusion Teacher at Runcorn

Our students are our priority at Runcorn and as educators we are focused on fostering inclusivity and support for all students to support them in their learning. As such, we are fortunate to have Louise Henderson as one of our Learning Support Teachers. Mrs Henderson has worked in a number of schools as a classroom teacher, with experience teaching Years 1-3. This is her fourth year at Runcorn State School and her second year with the Inclusion Team. Louise works closely with students and teachers to identify individual learning needs, develop personalized support plans, and implement strategies to promote student success. Louise works on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday each week and supports small groups of children in Years 2, 4 and 5 with their reading and writing skills.

Julie Schooth

Norman's News

I think one of the most rewarding parts of my role at Runcorn is when I am directly involved in learning activities with students. This week I was “pawtunate” to have been invited to join the Year 2 students in their learning journey around “forces”. Ms Daglish had created the most extraordinary “dog feeding machine” which used gravity and motion in tandem with the end result being a dog treat delivered straight from the table to my eagerly awaiting mouth. I have to say the drool factor was real as the ball went through the angled tube, set the MAB blocks in motion to push the car into the treat and off the table. Count me in any time when there’s a demonstration involving food.

Not involving food treats, but utilising my big floppy listening ears, I was also pleased to be a part of some Year 1 reading groups as I visited classrooms throughout the week. Learning is such a joy at Runcorn.

I have continued to keep active in my participation in the CANTEEN 63kms in May challenge also. Mrs Schooth and I have been fortunate to have been supported by many of the teachers of Runcorn in our fundraising efforts and have managed to raise over $600 which will go towards supporting young people affected by cancer. A big thank you to the students who have also encouraged us along the way and joined in on our walks around the school at lunch time and after school.

Until then,

Big licks and tail wags,

Norman

Music Matters

Save the date:

Term 2 Week 10  Monday June 17- Band on Parade, Tuesday June 18- String afternoon concert.
Year 3 are performing at 2:30pm and Junior Strings are performing at 3:20pm 

Term 3 Week 1  Monday July 8- Nexus Arts whole school Naidoc incursion from 2pm

Instrumental Music

Strings and Band are right in the thick of assessment at this point of the term. Students please make sure you are practicing so you are ready for your assessment.

I get to witness the Strings practicing on Tuesdays and it’s so exciting to see the students so committed to playing their instruments. Keep up the good work.

Classroom Music

Year 6 and 5/6M have been performing their versions of Sesere Eeye in music class. Sesere Eeye is a Torres Strait Islander song and the year 6s have been aiming to incorporate the characteristics of Torres Strait Islander music in their performances. These include high energy, a nasal tone for females and a mellow tone for males, repetition and lots of movements such as clapping. The performances have been of a very high level. Well done Year 6 and 5/6M.

Ms Mariel Hopper (mxhop2@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 upcoming sports carnival (June 6th and 7^th) with Week 1 and 2 of this term focusing on shot-put training for all year levels, Week 3 and 4 have been javelin and long jump training, once again, for all year levels and the Week 5 and 6 we have focused on sprints - 100m and 200m.  This week we are focusing on high jump and I aim to run a lunchtime discus session next week.  Unfortunately, I have run out of time this term to teach discus during class lessons. 

In our gross/fine motor lessons for grades prep to 3, our ball game focus has built upon our knowledge/skills of Over-Under, Tunnel Ball and Captain Ball.  We are now playing all three ball games during our lessons in preparation for the junior sports carnival which is Friday, 21^st June – the final Friday of this term. 

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. 

A quick update on how Runcorn students have been going at a regional level. 

Mehdi competed at the Met West Football (soccer) trials this past Tuesday and was very unlucky not to be selected in the Met West Team.  He received some very encouraging feedback from the selectors and looks forward to next years trials. 

Kai competed at the Met West Cross-Country trials on the 22^nd of this month and ran an outstanding race and finshed within 2 mintues behind the race winner competeing the 3km course in just over 12minutes.

Achieving selection in any Eastern Taipans team is an incredible achievement.  Well done.

Our final house captain, Amanda from Acacia, was presented her house captain shirt on parade on Monday.  I am extremely impressed with all my captains, not just the dedication to their roles and the associated responsibilities, but who they are as humans.  I am very lucky to be able to work with an amazing bunch of young people. 

Finally, it seems like I am writing a novel today 😊, below is the program for the Senior Sports Carnival.

The first image displays the program for Thursday. 

The second image displays the program for Friday.

I will endeavour to get through all events over the course of the 2-day carnival but events like the Runcorn Rapid 6 are ‘fun’ events and are only conducted if we have time.  The senior sport carnival is our opportunity to select the althletic team to represent Runcorn State School at next term’s Eastern Taipans Track and Field Carnival.  Below are the minimum height requirements for the field events.  

As always, any questions please email me.

Have a great fortnight.

Mr Brady
lbrad101@eq.edu.au 

Health Happenings

Our emphasis at Runcorn State School this fortnight are upon the Resilience Key and Communicator Learning Asset.

Resilience at Runcorn State School looks like:

• Students bouncing back from daily challenges 
• Students adopting a Growth Mindset and thinking positively
• Students working independently and/or together to solve problems 
• Students using strategies to help keep them calm and focussed 

Effective Communicators at Runcorn State School are:

• Confident
• Responsive
• Respectful

Staff across Runcorn State School will be actively looking for students displaying communication and resilience skills. Over the next fortnight, one student per class will be awarded with an assembly award to acknowledge their dedication to consistently displaying these skills. 

Sheridan Stirling
sstir16@eq.edu.au

LOTE

Nagashima Sensei
jxnag0@eq.edu.au

Under 8's Day

On Friday 17^th May the Prep to 2 students along with their younger siblings and students from Guardian Sunnybank celebrated Under 8's Day. The theme was 'Connecting to Culture through Play'. There was lots of fun to be had with sensory play, loose parts play, origami, craft and more. A huge thank you to all staff and community members that supported making this event possible. An extra special shout-out and thanks to the P&C who very generously funded the face painter (a hit on the day) and ran a last-minute bake sale. We could not have done it without you.

We look forward to creating an even bigger community event for next year.
Miss Welch 

Year 4 Drama

Year 4s from 4K, 4R and 3/4C have been enjoying practising and performing their Drama plays based on the Dreaming story Tiddalik the Greedy Frog. It is so much fun to see students transform into animal characters just by using their faces, bodies and voices. We all know it takes a lot of confidence to perform, so well done Year 4s.

Corrina Cox

Resource Centre

Student Council

The Student Council are proud to announce Runcorn State School will be holding their annual Jersey Day on Wednesday 5th June.  Wear a jersey to support your favourite team.  A gold coin donation will be collected and all monies raised will be donated to the P and C. 

Environment Club News

The Environment Club and Mrs Jenni McNamara

jmcna155@eq.edu.au       

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

G'day Runcorn State School Community 

We've got some exciting news: the stocks are counted, the room has been cleaned and the second-hand uniforms have been washed and hung. Which means that the P&C has officially taken back the reins of the uniform shop from the school. Big shout out to our amazing school admin for holding down the fort while we were bouncing back.  Your help has been nothing short of legendary.

We're currently prepping the shop for a proper re-opening, but in the meantime, we're having a little soft launch. Got any enquiries, need to place an order, or just fancy saying hi to our fab new uniform shop convenors? Shoot us an email at rssuniform@outlook.com.

Stay tuned for more updates, and we can't wait to see you all at the shop soon.  Remember to follow our Facebook page, search for 'Runcorn State School P&C Association' and slap that follow button as hard as you can so you will get the hottest, juiciest and freshest news from the P&C crew delivered to your morning feed. We know you want to.

The P&C Execs
pandc@runcornss.eq.edu.au 

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.