14 May 2021

Newsletter Articles

PRINCIPAL’S NEWS

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

I am very excited to let the school community know that A-Space will be supplying and installing our new adventure playground for years 4, 5 & 6 students. Works will be undertaken in the final weeks of the term. This has been a long-term project of the school, P & C committee and Student Leaders for many years. It is wonderful to finally announce that it will be on the ground very soon for our upper years students to enjoy.

We have other major facilities projects planned for this year that have been many years in the making as well.

Our telecommunications system is currently being upgraded, with new fiber optic cable, switches and phone handsets. We will change over to the VOIP system on the 10th June with minimal disruption.

Air conditioning in our classrooms is another long-awaited upgrade and will commence this term. This project will cause disruption to classes. Each block will need to be vacated to other spaces in the school for a 2 to 3 week period. Staff will relocate all necessary resources during this time. As we have no spare classrooms, classes will be relocated to the library, music block and hall. The short-term inconvenience will be rewarded with nice cool classroom this summer.

The next P&C meeting will be Tuesday the 18th May at 5:30pm in the school library.

PARENT/CARER CONTACT DETAILS

Have you moved or changed contact numbers? Please ensure our office have your correct contact details – telephone numbers (for us to contact you – particularly important in the case of an emergency with your child), and email address (for invoices, newsletter, etc). Please also ensure that your child/ren emergency contacts are up to date.

NAPLAN 2021

Our students in Years 3 and 5 have begun completing NAPLAN tasks. Year 3 students have outlined they are enjoying the online experience.

RUNNERS’ CLUB

Thursday the 13th May will be the first Runners’ Club afternoon with Ms Saunders at the Lions’ Den in Pomona. Please ensure if your child is participating that Ms Saunders has your child’s completed permission form. A documentary is being filmed of the King of the Mountain, please ensure you have returned the media consent form to Ms Saunders.

MORE THAN A WORD. RECONCILIATION TAKES ACTION.

Reconciliation Australia’s theme for 2021, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action, urges the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action.

Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing or part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.

2021 marks almost three decades of Australian’s formal reconciliation process.

Find out more about National Reconciliation Week

NATIONAL SORRY DAY – MAY 26TH

National Sorry Day is observed every year on 26 May. It’s a day for people to come together and share honestly about the steps that are being taken to heal the trauma associated with the forced removal of children from their families and communities – children who lost their cultural and familial identities and many of whom never saw their families again.

On 26 May 1997, "Bringing Them Home", the final report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families, was tabled in federal parliament. As a result, National Sorry Day has been recognised since 26 May 1998.

The report recommended that Prime Minister John Howard make a public apology to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Stolen Generations. Howard decided against making the apology.

It was not until 13 February 2008 that then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd issued a full apology in his "Sorry" speech: “We apologise for the laws and policies of successive parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

"We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities, and their Country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind we say sorry”.

This apology does not mean that this complicated area of Australian history is a thing of the past, that somehow an apology should mean that we never have to revisit this history, or we should cease to feel pain from its impact. The apology gives us all a strong platform to inform non-Indigenous Australians about the continued impact of the Stolen Generations and open a dialogue promoting truth telling around the history of Australia.

As Australians who were not directly affected by the forced removal of their children, it is easy to forget, ignore or just not think about what it would be like to be a First Nations Australian whose family has been torn apart by these policies, or a First Nation Australian who lives with the inter-generational trauma of forced removal from Country.

But the effects of the Stolen Generation still live in the hearts and minds of every Indigenous Australian. National Sorry Day is there to remind all Australians that our stories matter. It is a day to remind all of us to find a compassionate way to honour the trauma that First Nations Peoples now hold in their cultural story

STUDENT RESOURCE SCHEME

Thank you to all parents who have paid their SRS or have made arrangements to make payments with Carol our Business Manager. Participation in this scheme provides access to various learning materials and resources including Reading Eggs and Mathletics. If payments are not up to date your child will not have access to resources provided by the SRS.

CAMP QUALITY PRESENTATION – ‘THE CAPED CRUSADER’

On Monday 31st May Camp Quality will be presenting a stage performance ‘The Caped Crusader’ to all students. Vivacious and loveable puppets, Kylie, Dean and Melissa will visit our school to dispel myths and misconceptions that are commonly associated with cancer. Performing at schools across Australia, the puppets tell an interactive, engaging narrative that explains:

• The ins and outs of cancer
• Why their peer who has undergone treatment may look a little different (due to the side effects of chemotherapy)
• Why it’s important to be supportive of their classmate who is either living with cancer or has a family member with cancer
• That cancer isn’t contagious, so it’s ok to play
• The importance of recognising our own strengths and the power of positivity
• The show helps to reduce the likelihood of bullying, confusion, exclusion and anxiety that can follow a cancer diagnosis — for children living with cancer this makes the transition from hospital back to school a little less daunting. For children who have a family member with cancer, it helps them relate to their peers who gain an understanding of what their family is going through

Alyson Covey
Principal

PROCEDURES FOR…….

DATE CLAIMERS

CONGATULATIONS TO OUR STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

PE NEWS

On Wednesday the 5th May (week 3) we held our annual Cross Country. The day was a fantastic success with mass participation and effort from all students representing the Kendall, Lawson and Paterson house teams. The overall winner of the day for the second year in a row was PATERSON!!! Well done! A big thanks to all students and staff for helping to make the day so great and thank you also to all families who came to support the kids.

Winners were as follows:

5 years: Evie F & Jack M
6 years: Mia P & Amos H
7 years: Poppy C & Riley L
8 years: Thea P & Heath W
9 years: Portia B & Liam M
10 years: Macey H & Tyson S
11 years: Slade G & Aaron F
12 years: Maddi B & Kai H

On Friday the 7th of May, 12 Pomona students selected from lunch time trials held in week 1 of term 2, attended the Noosa District Cross Country Trials held at Noosaville State School. These students were:

10yrs – Tyson S, Baeden B, Harry B, Macey H and Mason G
11yrs – Aaron F, Angus H, Atticus H, Willow S & Scarlet S
12yrs – Maddi B & Kai H

The challenging course required students to run either a 2km (10 years) or 3km race (11/12 years), through nearby bushland and parts of the school. All of our Pomona students tried extremely hard in the hope of finishing in the top 6 so that they could represent Noosa District at the regional trials. We were fortunate enough to have Macey H finish 2nd in the 10 years girls’ race and Maddi B finish 3rd in the 12 years girls’ race! Macey and Maddi will now compete at the regional trials held at Maroochydore on Tuesday the 1st of June. Well done to all of our Pomona runners! Big thanks must go to Ms Laird for managing the team, Sandy Nicholson for assisting on the course and all parents who transported students and cheered them on!

Our attention in HPE is now on athletics with our school carnival scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday the 15th and 16th of June (week 9). Tuesday the 15th of June is only for students turning 9, 10, 11 and 12 in 2021 and is a full day. On this day students participate in their field events, including shotput, high jump, long jump and 200m heats. On the following day, Wednesday the 16th, we have our full school carnival where all ages do their sprint races. After first break the lower school (ages 5 – 8) have their own junior carnival and the upper school (ages 9 – 12) finish off the day with ball games and relays. Please note that on Wednesday - the second day, the lower school usually finish their junior carnival by second break and the upper school go all day, with the champion house and age champions announced at the end of the day. Hope to see many families there once again!

Finally, Congratulations to Oliver G for successfully making the under 11 Noosa District Rugby League team! Great to see so many talented kids from our school making district teams.

Ben Byrne
HPE

CASUAL RELIEF CLEANERS WANTED

We are looking for casual cleaners to replace our permanent cleaners when on leave. Our cleaners currently work split shifts 5.00am – 8.00am and 2.30pm – 5.30pm. You may be required to work one or both shifts depending on the cleaner absent.

If you think you may be able to help keep our school clean please drop your resume outlining previous job history, cleaning experience and referees to the school office.

All prospective employees must have a Paid Working with Children Blue Card.

All enquiries should be directed to: Carol Crump, Business Manager on 54808222 or call in and see me at the school office.

2/3DS NEWS

We are having an industrious and exciting beginning to our term in 2/3 DS. Everyone is captivated by out new units in Science and Drama particularly. Learning about the biological world is never dull and we are all able to share and inquire about aspects of animals and plants that we are interested in. Who doesn’t enjoy a bit of drama as well! The elements of drama will be explored in small groups with lots of fun and active interactions, to learn more about techniques such as freeze frames, mime and role-playing. Dramatic interpretations of Fantastic Mr Fox characters will also feature in our learning, to express knowledge of procedural and persuasive language features. Even our mathematical ideas can be presented through the Year 2 ‘Shopping Fun’ drama unit. The children are keen learners and always approach each day with enthusiasm and wonder – perfect!

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND THE ARTS IN TERM 1

What a fun and adventurous time students in Years 3-6 had in Science, Technology and the Arts in Term 1! Our students were exploring their solar system.

Year 3 and 4 students took a learning journey around the Earth, Moon and the sun. They were busy making observations about day and night, sunrise and sunset and shadows. They identified observable and non-observable features of Earth and compared its size with the sun and moon. They also made observations of the changes in sunlight throughout the day and investigated how Earth's movement causes these changes.

The Year 3 and 4 students worked very hard to put all of their new knowledge into helping them to conduct an investigation about shadows. And that’s not all…. Our wonderful students then became engineers for a day during their STEAM Challenge. Their challenge was to design, make, evaluate and reflect on a Mars Rover that responded to wind energy. Students really rose to the challenge with some fantastic designs to enter into the Mars Rover Race at the end of the day.

Our upper school students in Years 5 and 6 also went on a space exploration around their solar system. They utilised their research skills to describe the key features of our solar system including planets and stars. They discussed scientific developments that have affected people's lives and described details of contributions to our knowledge of the solar system from a range of people. At the end of the term our Year 5 and 6 students put together their new knowledge in an adventurous and dramatic way to devise and perform a drama that combined a tableau drama story to tell a space themed scenario. All performances were out of this world!

SCHOOL BANKING CEASES

School banking services will cease to be offered in our school and all Queensland state schools from 31 July 2021. In line with several other states and territories, the Department of Education’s decision is in response to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) Review of School Banking Programs report in December 2020. Students will be able to maintain their banking relationship directly with their bank. Consumer and financial literacy will continue to be delivered to students as part of the Prep to Year 10 Australian Curriculum, including Moneysmart and the BuySmart competition.

LADIES SOCIAL NETBALL IS BACK!

Thursday 9.30- 11.00am
Creche available- pre-bookings essential
Noosa Leisure Centre
Wallace Park Noosaville
Ph 5329-6550

BARK IN THE PARK

ROVING RESTORERS PROGRAM - NOOSA CHAPTER - FRIDAY 21ST MAY 2021

When: 8:30 AM, 21 May 2021
Where: Kin Kin

Join us to assist the property owner removing weeds along the banks of Kin Kin Creek, which will help in protecting the health of the creek, and reduce weed seeds moving downstream.

Please contact Noosa Landcare Project Officer – Tamara - projects9@noosalandcare.org for further details.

Participants will be notified the day before the event of the address of the property on which the work will be undertaken.

This program is proudly supported by Noosa Council.

NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY WEEK