2 December 2022

Newsletter Articles

MESSAGES FROM THE ADMINISTRATION TEAM

So many Thank-You’s!

The end of a school year is a perfect time to pause and reflect on all we have achieved, seen and learnt, but also and just as importantly, it’s a time to stop and give thanks to everyone who has helped to make our year such a wonderful one.

Thank you to each and every family who has tirelessly washed uniforms, packed lunch boxes and done the school run to maximise learning time for their children. Thank you to parent volunteers and to those cheering and clapping to support us from home. To our School Crossing supervisors, tuckshop ladies, Breakfast Club volunteers and other volunteers who regularly give of their time, we thank you. To our school staff regardless of your role, the time, energy and dedication you give to our school makes it the very special place that it is. Thank you for all you have done throughout the year. And to our students, thank you for coming to school and showing us and each other your very best selves, for trying new and difficult things, for meeting challenges, asking for help and supporting each other all year – thank you.

A big thank you and goodbye to Tracey Dean, the lady with all the answers and a very ready smile for everyone. Tracey, we will miss you and wish you so much happiness in the adventure that next awaits you. We have been so lucky to have you call our school home.

2023 will also see Mrs Harch on long service leave for the year. We will miss your presence greatly Barbara, and wish you all the very best for the year ahead. May it be full of travel, adventure and cuddles with your Grandbabies!

Have a wonderful and safe holiday break. We all hope that you may enjoy the festive season with family and friends and return to school energised and ready for a memorable and exciting 2023.

Pomona In The Park

What a show! Pomona in the Park is a long-held tradition of our school and is one that brings our community together in the most wonderful way. A night in the park sitting with friends and family and taking in the sounds and sights of the show is a most spectacular way to the end the year. This significant event is only possible thanks to the efforts of our P & C who organise our raffles, food, lights, sound etc and our class teachers who manage to choreograph dances, build props, design and make costumes and manage hair and make-up with the help of class parents. Undergraduate teacher training doesn’t come close to developing the skills you need for Pomona in the Park, so to our teachers, thank you! And of course, the show wouldn’t be what it is without our learners. To perform in front of such a large crowd asks a lot of our students, many of whom are working well outside of their usual comfort zones. Stress levels and excitement run high, and it’s wonderful to see children experience all of this and still perform, building resilience, confidence and capacity in themselves to do ‘hard things’ and be more than ok! The feelings backstage as they finish performing and are elated in themselves and their friends is wonderful!

Meet the Teacher

On Tuesday of Week 10, learners will get the chance to meet their teacher and class mates for 2023. This is an exciting time for everyone, and I am sure your child will come home with stories of their new teacher and classroom. Please keep in mind that teachers have spent a great deal of time considering friendships, learning and group dynamics and make choices about classes based on many factors. Groupings may be different to what people expect, but in every case, please trust the judgement teachers have made. New adventures await us all next year, and we can’t wait to rest, refuel, and rebuild over the holidays, ready to get started with zest and energy next year!

School Pool

Thank you so much for your patience as we have worked with teams to finish construction of our new pool fence. It has been a long process, and we look forward to a busy Term One next year, packed full of swimming during PE lessons!

Lost Property

We have worked hard to wrestle the beast that is Lost Property this year. We cannot keep any items over the holiday break. On Wednesday of Week 10, all named items will be returned to learners, and anything un-named and unclaimed by the end of the day will be donated to charity. Please take the time to check this for any belongings you may be missing.

Holiday School Watch

As the school closes over the holiday break, it can unfortunately be a target for vandalism and trespassing. Should you be out and about on the holidays, if you take a drive past our school and notice anything suspicious, please phone School Watch on 13 17 88. Of special note is our school pool. This is NOT open to the public and is not available for swimming. Chemicals and water treatment is not kept up over the holiday break, and so water is unsafe for swimming. As a school pool without a licensee, it is unable to be used by anyone except school students during timetabled lessons throughout the school year. Please help us keep it ready for swimming as soon as we return to school by keeping an eye and ear out to make sure it stays safe.

Parent Library Book Selection

To finish our year off with a spotlight on our Parent Library, I have a range of books to show you, all focused on Asperger’s and Autism. These books, along with many others are a great resource and support. It’s amazing what you will find on the shelves in the parent library. I hope to see you there next year, perhaps if you have some time at pick-up or drop off. If you have titles or magazines that you find valuable as a parent, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I’d love to bolster the shelves with fresh material for us all to read in 2023!

DATE CLAIMERS

CONTRATULATIONS TO OUR STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

WYTHES AWARD RECIPIENTS

MESSAGES FROM THE P&C

• Tuckshop will be closed on Friday 9th December for stocktake & cleaning.
• Uniform shop will open prior to term 1 2023 starting on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th of January between 8.30 - 11.30am. QKr and cash sales only.
• 2nd hand uniforms / Specialty shirts. Anyone who wishes to donate their school uniforms or specialty shirts for music and Robotrec, please drop off to the tuckshop by Thursday 9th Dec.

ICAS RESULTS FOR 2022

Each year students from Year 2 through to Year 6 can elect to participate in ICAS. ICAS is a school competition that inspires and challenges millions of school students across Australia, New Zealand and the world.

The competition questions are set in modern, real-world scenarios where the students are assessed on their ability to apply classroom learning to new contexts, using higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. The subjects span Literacy (English, Writing and Spelling) and STEM (Mathematics, Science and Digital Technologies).

Each online assessment is developed by a team of former teachers and psychometricians, and is based on the curricula for the relevant year.

Congratulations to everyone who participated. It was wonderful to see many of our children challenge themselves by stepping out of their comfort zones. We have received some pleasing results which reflects the high standard of teaching and learning in our school. The following students have achieved higher than a participation certificate and many of their scores are in the top 10% of Australian students. We are thrilled to acknowledge that three of our students are ranked in the top 1% of Australian students in their cohort for particular subjects.

We look forward to participating in the ICAS competitions again in 2023.

Kathy Lavender
ICAS Coordinator

A MESSAGE FROM TRACEY

I don’t normally write for the newsletter so it must be serious! I’m just wanting to let you all know that I have accepted a promotion at another school so will be leaving my current position at Pomona SS when our 2022 Year 6’s finish on Friday 9 December.

I have learnt so much here at Pomona SS (mostly through stuffing things up on you, sorry!) but during that learning I have absolutely loved every day, maybe not every minute of every day as those vomiting days were not quite loved. I am going to miss you all.

I wish you all the very best in whatever your future holds and will remember my time here with fondness. Who knows our paths may cross again at another school.

My best wishes will always be with you.

Tracey

MOSES MBYE 2022

On Wednesday the 9th of November the annual Moses Mbye rugby League development day was held at Noosa Pirates grounds Cooroy. Pomona nominated 1 team made up of keen year 3 and 4 students into the year 4 development age group.

The boys had an outstanding day which they had been training hard for, giving up 3 lunchbreaks a week since midway through term 3. They successfully won 4 out of their 5 games with wins against Tewantin, Kuluin, Noosaville and Yandina, only going down narrowly to St Thomas Moore.

The boys agreed that hard work pays off and had a great time representing our school in what was a very well run event. Thanks to all the parents who transported kids to and from! Very much appreciated!

Yours in sport
Mr Byrne

LANDCARE TRAINEESHIP OPPORTUNITY

Want to grow your knowledge and skills in natural resource management? Why not join our next Cert 1 Conservation and Ecosystem Management trainee team!

This traineeship is designed for people currently unemployed OR underemployed (working less than 15 hours per week).

Starting 16th January 2023 for 22 weeks.

This is a temporary permanent position with training provided to assist your transition to ongoing employment.

Wages paid under Schedule E (National Training Wage) of the Miscellaneous Award.

To learn more about the traineeship and access the application visit -

Please share this with anyone who may be interested.