Newsletter Term 2 Week 9
From the Principal
High Standards for Learning - Sharing Students’ Progress
The next formal opportunity to share your child’s learning and progress is when report cards are released in Term 2 Week 10. If you would like to discuss your child’s report card with their teacher, please make an appointment time with them via email. We encourage parents to ensure that they have updated all contact details, especially email addresses, as soon as possible. Our report cards will be sent to parents via email on Wednesday June 19.
Inaugural International Day of Play - June 11
So many activities were on offer on Tuesday as our school participated in the first International Day of Play. All classes were outside exploring the activities on offer as well as enjoying the company of different year levels who were out at the same time. In the morning we had a special visit from a T-Rex.
Free play is when a child decides and controls their play following their own instincts, imagination and interests. They play without being led by adults. There’s no right or wrong way to play. Freely chosen play improves children’s health, well-being and development. Play improves the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and young people. Through play, children learn about the world and themselves. They also learn skills they need for study, work and relationships such as:
- confidence
- self-esteem
- resilience
- interaction
- social skills
- independence
- curiosity
- coping with challenging situations
A huge thanks goes to the staff and parents involved led by Mrs Sinnott and Mrs Powell.
Every Day Counts
Every day and every minute counts - I remind parents and carers that regular, continual and punctual attendance at school is a significant factor in achieving better academic and social outcomes. New concepts and skills are taught and reinforced each day by teachers. If students miss the introduction or the reinforcement of these concepts and skills, they are likely to have gaps in their learning.
Regular school attendance gives students a better chance at life. Students achieve better when they go to school all day, every school day because:
- they have increased access to learning opportunities
- they maintain friendships
- they stay connected to the curriculum progression
- they develop self-efficacy as a learner
- they have better long-term life outcomes.
Establishing good routines around school can assist with regular school attendance.
These include:
- a set time to go to bed
- preparing the uniform and school bag the night before
- a set time for starting and finishing breakfast
- setting a regular time for daily homework activities
- speaking about school positively
- sending your child to school every school day, including their birthday
If you are experiencing difficulty in sending your child to school, contact the school for advice and support.
Thank you all
As we move forward towards the end of the semester, I want to express my appreciation for our dedicated teachers, staff, and parent community.
Thank you to our staff, who go above and beyond for our students each and every day. It takes a team to make this such a great school, a team where every member pulls in the same direction. Thank you to our Runcorn Students for your efforts and dedication to your school. Finally, thank you our parent body, community and P&C for your support. I hope all staff, students and parents have a healthy and relaxing break. Enjoy this time with your loved ones and rest up for what will be a busy and exciting Semester Two. Stay safe and see you all back for Term 3 on Monday 8 July 2024.
Keep watch on our school these holidays
With the holidays fast approaching, we are asking you to look out for after-hours crime in our school. If you see anything suspicious, please remember to call the School Watch number – 13 17 88. The School Watch program is a partnership between the Department of Education and Training, the Queensland Police Service and the State Government Protective Security Service. It aims to reduce vandalism, theft and arson in Queensland schools.
Meg McClure
From the Deputy Principal
All Parents at Runcorn State School have been sent an email invitation to register for QParents. If the invitation is not in your inbox please check your junkmail.
You can only register by using the unique invitation code that has been sent in the email, registration information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v-yzYhFl8I
Roberta Matlock.
From the Head of Department - Curriculum
Report Cards
Semester 1 report cards will be distributed in the last week of Term 2.
Distribution of Achievement
A Distribution of Achievement graph will be included on all student’s report card. The graph will show the percentage of students in your child’s cohort that achieved each reporting level for each Learning Area.
Overall Comments
Overall comments of each student will reflect the individual learning behaviours your child has demonstrated throughout Semester 1. You will notice that the language of The Learning Assets (Collaborator, Communicator, Thinker, Self-Manager & Researcher) have been included to also reflect our use of inquiry teaching and learning throughout the school. If you wish to further discuss your child’s progress in any Learning Area/s, please do not hesitate to contact your classroom teacher and/or sign up for a Three- Way Reporting conversation being held in Term 3 Week 2.
Subjects on Report Card
A few years ago there were changes made to the Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework in relation to the mandatory and recommended time for teaching and assessing each Learning Area. While elements of all Learning Areas are taught every term in every year level, you may notice subjects such as The Arts and Technologies have not been included in your child’s report for Semester 1, they will appear in Semester 2 and vice versa.
If you have any further questions regarding academic reporting feel free to contact myself or your child’s classroom teacher.
Jillian Chittenden
Head of Department - Inclusion
Meet Annelies Bowie – Inclusion Teacher at Runcorn
At Runcorn, we strive to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within our school community. As such, we are grateful for the role of Annelies Bowie, one of our Learning Support Teachers, who always works to create an environment where every student, regardless of their background, abilities, or challenges, can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Annelies has worked for a number of years at Runcorn doing Relief work, and joined the Inclusion Team in Term 1 of this year. Annelies is enjoying her role working in classrooms with students on Mondays and Tuesdays each week, and is finding it a great compliment to her current studies towards a Graduate Certificate of Education (Autism).
Julie Schooth
Norman's News
It’s definitely a dogs life. This pawtnight has been dog-gone sensational in terms of allowing me to be in the great outdoors, watching and cheering on students at the Senior Athletics Carnival and pawtaking in many activities, including dressing up, on our fabulous International Day of Play. And who could forget the magnificent Queenslanders first State of Origin game which I was fortunate to watch with Harvey?
Mrs Schooth and I will be away from Runcorn in Term 2 Week 10 as we are taking some time off to spend with our family. We both hope you have a wonderfully restful break over the School holidays and we will look forward to some more fun when Term Three commences.
Until next time,
Big licks and tail wags,
Norman
Music Matters
Save the date:
Term 2 Week 10 Monday June 17- Band on Parade
Term 2 Week 10 Tuesday June 18- String afternoon concert Year 3- 2:30pm and Junior Strings 3:20pm
Term 3 Week 1 Monday July 8- Nexus Arts whole school Naidoc incursion 2pm
Term 3 Week 5 Junior Band on Parade
Term 3 Week 6- Instrumental Music Information Evening
Term 3 Week 7- Singfest (Senior Choir)
Term 3 Tuesday Week 9- Music Showcase Concert Sunnybank SHS (Band, Strings, Choirs)
Instrumental Music
Congratulation to all Instrumental Music students on doing so well getting through your assessment. You should be proud of your efforts. Keep the momentum going till the end of term! Both Senior Band and Year 3 and 4 Strings have performances coming up.
Senior Band- Parade performance in Week 10
Year 3 Strings- Tuesday 18th June 2:30pm in the Music room
Junior Strings- Tuesday 18th June 3:20pm in the Music room
Senior Strings will be recording their Celtic Strings repertoire in their rehearsal
Classroom Music
Our Boomwhackers, generously provided to the Music department by the P&C last year, are always a huge hit with all year levels. Lots of classes have been enjoying playing along with lots of different songs and seeing how the notes fit together to make different chords. Here are Year 3 playing some Imagine Dragons songs.
International Play Day
The Music station on International Play Day was such a fun place of creativity and engagement. It was wonderful seeing students take the reigns with their play while collaborating and creating together. Many new bands were formed and new songs written.
Ms Mariel Hopper (mxhop2@eq.edu.au)
Sports News
Welcome to my final newsletter for this term.
Once again, we have had an extremely busy fortnight with lots of sporting events at Runcorn.
Thank you to all the parents/grandparents/carers that came and supported their child/ren at the week 8 Senior Track and Field Carnival. Overall, I was very happy with the event and certainly learnt a few things that I need to change for next year to ensure both days run smoothly. I would also like to say THANK YOU to the incredible staff at Runcorn who without them, the day wouldn’t have been as successful as it was for all the students.
I would like to acknowledge some talented artists we have here at RSS who provided art work that was displayed at each field event gazebo and the sports house gazebos. Lucas, William and Asher provided the Acacia artwork. The Grevillea art work was from Enoch and Eric and Willow provided the Banksia artwork. For those that missed these pieces of art, I have provided them below.
We keep records of all our field event results. This year I introduced two new events – discus and javelin – and we will be keeping records for discus. Congratulations to all the students who placed first as you are now the current record holder.
We won’t be recording javelin results. I have introduced this so that students have an idea of how to throw the javelin before they go to high school. At present, primary school age students cannot compete at representative level for javelin.
Speaking of records, a 20-year-old high jump record was broken last Thursday. Former Student, Roydon Boyd, in 2004, jumped 1.33m in the boys 11-year-old high jump. This year this record was broken. Congratulations to Kai Tsunoda who jumped 1.34m and is the new 11-year-old boys high jump record holder. I wonder how long this record will stand for?
Term 2 Week 10, Friday the 21st June will be the Junior Track and Field Carnival. If you have read my previous newsletter article, you will be aware that the Prep to year 2 children have been preparing all term for their moment to shine. All parents/grandparents/carers etc are encouraged to attend as it makes a massive difference to the students competing. Below is a copy of the run sheet for the junior track and field carnival.
Last Sunday 5 Runcorn students competed at the Handball Australia schools tournament. Charlie (5/6M), Emily (3/4C), Ye Ha (3/4C), Mirabelle (2N) and Alayna (3A) all gave up their Sunday afternoon to play 4 square handball with over 50 other primary and high schools at Sleemen Sports Complex. From all reports, the students had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed the competition. Joseph from 4K is already signed up for the Spring competition next term. I will provide further details when I receive more information in case your child is interested in joining Joseph.
Thank you for your support this term and I hope you and your family have a safe, enjoyable and relaxing holiday.
As always, any questions please email me.
Mr Brady
lbrad101@eq.edu.au
Health Happenings
Our parade 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. Our Principal Ms McClure is eagerly anticipating the upcoming Principal’s Afternoon Tea in week 10.
This event is a special occasion where lucky students have the opportunity to attend based on a draw that took place during Monday’s parade. It's an enjoyable and rewarding experience for the selected students, as they'll have the chance to spend some quality time with our principal and engage in discussions and activities during the afternoon tea. This event recognises and rewards students for their achievements, efforts and positive behaviour. Fantastic effort Runcorn.
Sheridan Stirling
sstir16@eq.edu.au
Environment Club News
The Environment Club and Mrs Jenni McNamara
School Photos
2024 School Photos are scheduled for Term 3 Week 4 - Tuesday 30 July and Wednesday 31 July. A photo schedule will be released at the beginning of Term 3.
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
When the show must go on...
The tuckshop was short-staffed and with more than 150 meal deals ordered plus the normal orders, the tuckshop was in a bit of a pickle. (pun intended, see what I did there?)
Good thing we have super parents coming in and smashing out all the orders like true troopers to ensure our little athletes are well looked after with their sports fuel.
Thank you, legends.
Now that you’ve been inspired, would you be the next tuckshop hero? Slip us a DM or chat with any of the committee if you’ve got some ideas. We are always looking for volunteers to help with meal prep for our little one.
Thank you for all the generous gold coin donations on Jersey Day which raised a total of $187.10!
More importantly, we've seen the proud parents' faces beaming as they showed off the phenomenal artwork by our Year 6 students. Aren't they just amazing?
Did you know research has shown that regular yoga practice offers numerous health benefits, including increased cardiovascular fitness, improved muscular strength, and normalised blood pressure? Yoga is also a renowned antidote to stress and promotes better sleep patterns.
Partnering with local businesses for International Yoga Day Term 2 Week 10 on 21st June, Peak Physique Hot Yoga has kindly donated three vouchers for 5 free sessions to be raffled. Use them for yourself or gift them to someone special. Raffle tickets are $2 each or $5 for 3, and will be sold before and after school until 21st June. The raffle will be drawn by Christine, the owner of Peak Physique Hot Yoga, on Sunday, 23rd June, and the winner will be announced via our Facebook page.
Keep an eye out on our parent squad at the Girraween place from Term 2 Week 9 Thursday 13th of June at 8.30am and from 3.00pm.
*All funds raised will go to Norman's Social and Wellbeing program.
Our online ordering platform is https://runcorn-state-school-parents-citizens-association.square.site
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.
