Newsletter Term 3 Week 3

From the Principal

Term three has well and truly begun. Our school has always prided itself on its inclusiveness, strong values, and commitment to providing an exceptional education. Our dedicated teaching staff have been working hard to create stimulating and engaging learning opportunities both in and out of the classroom. It was wonderful to see so many families come along to the 100 Days of Prep event and connect.  The Preps did such a wonderful job of their song and it was lovely to see so many of them dressed up.

Mobile Phones

If students have mobile phones at school, they must be handed in to the office when students arrive. Should students wear smart watches, they MUST be set to school mode. Remember that calls/messages should not be sent during school time and the taking of photographs with personal devices is not permitted.

School Opinion Survey

Thank you to all of those who have already completed the Parent/Caregiver Survey. If you have not had a chance to complete the survey yet, please note that the online surveys will remain open until Friday, 16 August 2024. This is your opportunity to provide feedback about what our school does well and how we can improve. To have your say, check your email for an invitation from the Department of Education titled School Opinion Survey for parents and caregivers, 2024.

Can’t find your invitation?  If your family has more than one parent/caregiver, check that they haven’t received the invitation and/or check your junk email folder.

Meg McClure

From the Deputy Principal

Instrumental Music Information Evening

Instrumental Music program 2025 information night will be held at Runcorn Heights State School Hall on T3W6 Thursday 15/08/2024 at 6.00pm.

If your child will be in Year 3 for the strings program in 2025 or Year 4 for the Band program in 2025 please attend this information session as part of the recruitment process to register your expression of interest which will be followed at school by an aural skills test, consideration of classroom music results and effort and behaviour in music and general classroom, consultation with the classroom teacher, family support and interest and physical testing for instrument suitability.

Parents and Caregivers please be reminded that school finishes promptly at 3.00pm and students are to be picked up at that time.  If families require After School Hours' care please reach out to Jabiru.

https://jabiru.org.au/outside-school-hours-care/locations/jabiru-runcorn/ 

School staff are unable to provide care for students after 3.00pm.

 Roberta Matlock.

From the Head of Department - Curriculum

Book Week 2024

Book Week will be here before we know it. This year’s theme is “Reading is Magic”.  We will be celebrating all things books and reading at Runcorn by decorating our classroom doors, sharing short listed texts and our course, our annual book character parade!

DATE CLAIMER Book Character Dress up Parade:

Tuesday 20 August 9:00-9:30am on the Basketball Court. Come dressed as your favourite book character.  Families are welcome to join us in celebration.

Jillian Chittenden

Head of Department - Inclusion

Promoting Wellbeing: Nurturing Healthy, Happy Children

Ensuring the well-being of our students is essential not just for their academic success but for their overall happiness and development. As educators and guardians, we play a crucial role in supporting their emotional, social, and physical wellbeing. By working together and focusing on some of the following, it is hoped we can create a nurturing environment where are children feel safe, supported and valued.

Emotional Support

1. Encourage Expression: Create an open, supportive atmosphere where children feel comfortable to talk about their feelings and have their experiences validated.
2. Teach Coping Strategies: Help children develop healthy coping mechanisms for managing stress and emotions. This can include deep breathing exercises, mindfulness activities, or journaling.
3. Promote Positive Relationships: Teach empathy and kindness through modelling and structured activities.

Social Development

1. Encourage Collaboration: Provide opportunities for children to work with you on projects and activities. Collaboration helps them develop communication skills, teamwork, and respect for others’ opinions.
2. Celebrate Diversity: Embrace and celebrate differences in culture, abilities, and backgrounds. Teach children to appreciate diversity and learn from each other’s unique perspectives.

Physical Health

1. Promote Active Lifestyles: Encourage regular physical activity through structured play, sports, and outdoor recess. Physical exercise not only promotes fitness but also improves mood and concentration.
2. Healthy Eating Habits: Provide nutritious meal options and educate children about the importance of balanced nutrition. Encourage healthy eating habits both at school and at home.
3. Ensure Adequate Rest: Advocate for a consistent bedtime routine to ensure children get enough sleep. A good night’s sleep is essential for physical growth and cognitive development.

Creating a Supportive Environment

1. Listen and Respond: Take time to listen to their concerns and address them promptly and appropriately. Show empathy and provide guidance as needed.
2. Educate and Empower: Provide opportunities for your children to learn about mental health and wellbeing. Teach them strategies for self-care and resilience that they can apply in their daily lives.

By working together—educators, parents, caregivers, and community members—we can prioritize wellbeing and empower our students to grow into confident, resilient individuals who are ready to face life’s challenges with courage and positivity.

.

Julie Schooth

Norman's News

What a busy “pawtnight” it has been.  I have had lots of “oppawtunities” to be in classrooms where students like to have some time playing with me, but also working hard to listen as students demonstrate their fabulous decoding skills. It is always exciting for me to see students using “duck hands” to stretch out the sounds in words, and then to blend those sounds together to make a word.

I also really enjoyed “Pawjama Day” on the 19^th July. Winter is the perfect time to snuggle in PJs and raising funds for The Pyjama Foundation is a cause very close to my heart. Mrs Schooth sent off a whopping $430 from the kind donations of students and staff – what a pawsome effort.

I would also like to woof-out MustCare Vet at Compton Road who are going to help out with my Vet visits as Vetlove at Kuraby have recently relocated to a new premises which is a little far away from my home and school. At my recent visit to MustCare I received a good report – but was reminded about the importance of good dental hygeine for the future. Lucky my humans enjoy brushing my teeth so much.

Until next time,

Big licks and tail wags,

Norman

Year 4 - Street Science Incursion

In Year 4 this term we are exploring contact and non-contact forces. We had the privilege to host Gelson from the Street Science team for an amazing incursion on Wednesday 24 July. Here’s what some 4R students had to say.

Students memorable moments were…

• Getting hit in the face with the air bazooka, because it was relaxing.
• Feeling the foam cloud, because it felt nice.
• When he put the fire on his hand, because it looked like a fire bender, and it’s very rare to have fire on your hand without it burning (even though we know the trick, ha ha).
• Launching mini decorated rockets made by the students that went to the incursion, because they flew and kind of exploded and the sight was really incredible.
• The air gun when he added the smoke to it, because it looked really cool and was really fun.
• The dry ice, because it is dry but turns into gas and education.
• The gigantic cloud, because it was the first time we saw a cloud this close to the ground and it was very ghostly.
• When he said to call him “jelly,” because it was pretty funny.

Music Matters

Save the date:

Term 3 Week 5 Junior Band on Parade
Term 3 Week 6- Instrumental Music Information Evening- at Runcorn Heights State School
Term 3 Week 7- Singfest (Senior Choir)
Term 3 Tuesday Week 9- Music Showcase Concert Sunnybank SHS (Band, Strings, Choirs)

School photos- Week 4

School photos are next week. All students in Senior Choir, Band and Strings are required to wear their formal uniform and all Instrumental Music students are to bring their instruments. Strings and Choir photos are Tuesday 30^th July and Band photos are Wednesday 31^st July.

Instrumental Music and Choir rehearsals

Please ensure you are in attendance at all rehearsals this term. Our Music Showcase concert is in Week 9 of this term and all ensembles and choirs will be performing. It is also very important that Choir students attend each week so that you are very familiar with all the Singfest repertoire for Week 7.

Expression of Interest

An Expression of Interest (EOI) form will be sent out this term. If you wish for your student to be considered for the IM program this form will need to be returned. Students who do not submit a EOI will be unlikely to be considered. For more information contact Ms Hopper- mxhop2@eq.edu.au

Instrumental Music Information Evening- Change of date- Thursday 15^th August

If you are interested in being a part of the Strings or Band program in 2025, an information evening will be held at Runcorn Heights State School in Week 6, Thursday August 15th at 6pm. It is highly recommended that you attend this information evening as all information about recruitment will be covered along with opportunities for meeting the teachers and asking questions.

Singfest- Senior Choir

Singfest is coming up for Senior Choir members in Week 7. If you have returned an expression of interest form in Term 1 or Ms Hopper has spoken to you, you will have received a consent from through QParents. You will need to have registered to QParents so please ensure you have done this. The due date is August 1^st.

Music Showcase Concert

Our Music Showcase Concert will be held at Sunnybank State High School in Week 9, Tuesday 3^rd September at 6:30pm. Performing at this event will be all Band students, all Strings students, Senior Choir and Year 3 Choir (all Year 3 students). More information will be provided closer to the date for all students.

Classroom Music- Games

Music games are a fun way to develop and reinforce skills in beat, pitch, collaboration, taking turns, cooperation, taking leadership roles, decision making, aural hearing and resilience. We have some great games in music for every age group which compliment our more formal learning.

Prep A playing Ikka Bakka Soda Cracker and Prep W playing Fishes in the ocean

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

Sports News

I hope you and your family have been staying warm during the past fortnight. 

27 students participated in the recent Eastern Taipans Track and Field Carnival held at QSAC.  The school is incredibly proud of the determination and resilience shown by our students.  The caring and supportive nature of our athletes toward each other and those from other schools. Displaying this empathy and support to others is just as important as results.  

Below are some standout achievements fr0m our athletes.

Thank you to the parents and staff who supported at the carnival and took some of these great photographs.

As always, any questions please email me.

Mr Brady
lbrad101@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
sstir16@eq.edu.au

Japanese News

• Year 4

Students have learnt family members in Japanese. They will learn to describe the number of family and who is in their family.

• Year 5

Students have learnt cheering vocabulary in Japanese. It’s great to hear them speaking Japanese to cheer their mates.

• Year 6

Here is a photo of some of the letters that we received from Kokubunji the 10^th Elementary School in Japan. Students have been writing a personal letter back to their penpal in both Japanese and English.

Nagashima sensei
Japanese Teacher

School Photos

2024 School Photos are scheduled for Term 3 Week 4 - Tuesday 30 July and Wednesday 31 July.  Please find the class phot schedule below:

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

Community Day Picnic 

Join us on Friday, 2nd August, from 3pm to 5pm for a fun-filled Community Day Picnic! Enjoy a free sausage sizzle, with drinks available for purchase. It's a great opportunity to meet and greet the P&C committee and for parents to relax while the kids explore the new loose play area (supervision required). Mark your calendars – we can’t wait to see you there.

Need to move? Choose Brisk Transport and support our community.

Not only will you receive $30 off for local SE QLD moves or 10% off for interstate moves, but Brisk Transport will also donate a portion of the proceeds to our P&C. This means you get top-notch moving services while also giving back to our community. It's a win-win. So, if you have any moving needs, why not make the move with Brisk and support our school at the same time? 

Save the Date! Father's Day Afternoon 

Mark your calendars for a special Father's Day Afternoon on Thursday, 29th August. Join us for an afternoon of fun, food, and festivities as we celebrate all the amazing dads in our community. More details to come, but for now, save the date and get ready for a fantastic time.

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.