Term 1 -Week 5 10 March 2022

Principal's Message

Well term one is certainly throwing some surprises at us with the addition of recent weather events.  I mentioned on Monday that it did feel like it was our third opening for the year, albeit without a mask and now into the Covid normal environment after the delayed start plan. 

Our normal environment means that we can re-engage with Precinct and Whole School Assemblies (noting that Whole School Assembly day is now every second Wednesday afternoon at 2:00pm), face to face meetings return, and all excursions can go ahead. 

Wynnum State School fared very well in comparison to a lot of other schools in the Brisbane LGA.  We’ve had some leaks, but no major concerns.  I hope any members of our school community that have experienced damage recently are on their way back to some normality.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Toward the conclusion of 2021, a number of changes were made as a result of consultation.  This included reduced commentary in the report card process, moving from 'next step' classes to mixed ability class groupings, and announcing class groups prior to the end of year to support stronger transitions for all students. Feedback from 'Step Up Day' sings of its success. 

We are trialling a new way to conduct Parent-Teacher interviews at Wynnum State School this year, with a focussed 10-minute session that highlights learning celebrations, challenges and next steps of your child's journey.  It doesn’t replace the ongoing communication you may have with your child’s Homeroom teacher, but rather gives you a snapshot, whilst building productive partnerships between home and school. It is also part of our overall strategy in reducing teacher workload. 

Although Parent-Teacher Interviews are exactly that (parents/carers and teacher), we understand that in some cases, it may be necessary to bring your child/children to the interview.  If your child/children will be attending, please be reminded that they are required to be under your supervision while on site. 

Our Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held on Wednesday 23 March from 3.20-6.20pm in the Auditorium. Each parent/carer will be able to book in a ten-minute interview spot via the SOBS online booking system. 

Please find the link below.

https://eq.sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=70389

Bookings are open now and will close on 21/03/22. If you have any questions, please contact the office or your child's Homeroom teacher. 

Planning for a safe and supportive school community

On Friday 18 March 2022, Wynnum State School is participating in the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA). The NDA is Australia’s key bullying prevention initiative, connecting schools and communities to find workable solutions to prevent bullying.

The theme for the 2022 NDA is Kindness Culture. Wynnum State School will demonstrate Kindness Culture by engaging in class-based discussions around a range of short videos for all classes, to get a strong understanding of the definition of bullying, and to promote inclusiveness, respect and community belonging for all students.

Planning for a safe and supportive school community requires a whole-school community approach. Whole-school responses to bullying prevention build positive and supportive school environments by incorporating strategies for intervention at all levels, inclusive of students, teachers, parents and carers.

Three key characteristics outlined in the national definition of bullying distinguish bullying behaviours from other forms of peer aggression behaviours which do not constitute bullying.

The key characteristics of bullying include:

1. power imbalance
2. deliberate intent to cause harm, and
3. ongoing and repeated behaviour.
   

While the following behaviours of peer aggression do not constitute bullying, these behaviours may still be serious and require intervention at home and at school:

• arguments and disagreements (where there is no power imbalance)
• single acts of social rejection or meanness, or
• isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation or violence. 

It is important for our entire school community, including our staff, parents, carers and students to have a clear understanding of the definition of bullying to be able to distinguish these behaviours from peer aggression, and correctly identify and respond to incidents of bullying.

P&C Annual General Meeting

The 2022 AGM and General Meeting will be held on Thursday, 31 March at 6pm. I would like to sincerely thank the current P & C Executives for their work at Wynnum State School.  At each AGM the executive positions are open for re-election.

The Wynnum State School P&C has an important role in addressing a broad range of issues.  It is not only a great way to involve yourself in the community, network and make friends; but to ensure a positive voice is heard in areas such as strategic school planning, school policy, financial planning, grants to support school initiatives and fundraising to name a few. 

Membership forms for this year can be found here and presented at the upcoming meeting to accept new members.

wynnumss.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Documents/membership-form.pdf

Mark Ionn
Principal 

Whole School & Precinct Assembly information

Whole School and Precinct Assembly days and times:

Weeks 6, 8 and 10
Prep to Year 1 Precinct Assembly: Mondays at 2:15pm in MEGA Central
Years 2 to 3 Precinct Assembly: Wednesdays at 2:15pm in MEGA Central
Years 4 to 6 Precinct Assembly: Fridays at 11:15am in MEGA Central
Weeks 7 & 9
Whole School Assembly: Wednesdays at 2:00pm in MEGA Central

Habit of Mind and Loving Literature Link with Ms Connell

Our Habit of Mind for Weeks Five and Six is Persisting. This Habit encourages us to Stick to it! This means persevering with a task through to completion, remaining focused and searching for ways to reach a goal when you are stuck. It is about not giving up.  

The online book to bring this Habit to life is The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. In this story, the main character has to draw on the Habit of Persisting when her plans don’t exactly go to plan. Click on the link below to share the story and don’t underestimate how much your Wynnum Warrior/s would also enjoy a real-life story of a time when YOU had to persist to achieve something. Enjoy!

Ms Connell 

Literacy Update with Ms O'Donoghue

Enjoy every opportunity to READ

It is imperative for us to let our children know that reading is part of our everyday life.  It is how we learn, how we communicate, how we interact with others and how we understand how to do things in our normal lives.  By sharing how important reading is to YOU then your children will see that it is important for them to be good at it too.

Here are some examples of where you can take some opportunities to read with your child.

Library Buzz with Mrs Sutton and the Library Team

The library will be again managing the Scholastic Book Club. Catalogues are distributed twice each term to all students. Spare catalogues are available at the library circulation desk. Orders for the second catalogue will close on Thursday 17 March.
Thank you to those families who have placed their orders on time, there were certainly some great reads to be had. Ordering can be done on line or cash orders
can be handed to the library. You can always check our Qschools app for notifications of closing times. By placing book orders through Scholastic our school earns points, which are spent on more books and resources for classrooms and the library. Take some time to look through the next catalogue.

Happy Birthday Dr Seuss! (Born 2 March 1904)

Fun fact…The Cat in the Hat only uses 220 different words throughout the whole book - and none of them are more than five letters long except for the world “SHOULD”. Cat in the hat is considered one of the all-time best-selling children’s books.
Also…did you know… His all-time best-selling book was created on a bet.

Dr Seuss’ editor Bennett Cerf bet him he couldn’t write a book using 50 or fewer words. The result was 1960’s “Green Eggs and Ham.” The story is about the character Sam-I-Am, trying to convince an unknown character to eat green eggs and ham!
Here are the 50 words used…
a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car,
could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good,
green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like,
may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say,
see, so, thank, that, the, them, there, they,
train, tree, try, will, with, would, you!

Think and Wonder, Wonder and Think (Dr Seuss)
Just keep reading!

Mrs Sutton and the Library Team

Prep - Year 3 Science News with Mrs Crowe

Throughout all the current disruptions to usual routines, our resident insects, crustaceans and amphibians in the P-3 Lab have been keeping to their usual timetables. This had our young scientists gathering data through all senses and helped them keep it real as they learnt that living things in our natural world continue to be steady and adapt during unpredictable times. Engaging with the processes of the living things around us calms anxiety and builds resilience when faced with uncertainty.

Our young Wynnum Warrior scientists witnessed actual lifecycle stage changes in front of their eyes! Firstly, one of our Common Crow butterfly larvae split out of its caterpillar skin and began changing from the larval stage to the pupal stage. The chrysalis then hardened and turned a very shiny shade of gold. Such a wonderful process to observe in action as we usually never see this happen! This observation experience was excellent for Year Two, who are studying metamorphosis and comparing lifecycle stages of living things. So many questions were posed and their developing brains lit up! We also have an Orchard Swallowtail Butterfly and Monarch butterfly peacefully developing in their chrysalises too.

Secondly, more exclamations of Wonderment and Awe were echoing from the P-3 Lab as visiting classes also witnessed our resident blue crayfish shed his exoskeleton again and watched him eat it! Our Cray-Cray is looking very cool in his new blue suit now!

Thirdly, we have frog tadpoles to observe as they grow and change. They love eating boiled lettuce and we love watching them! We cannot wait to observe metamorphosis in action!

Each class enjoyed the challenge of What is this Mystery Creature? during the week. You are invited to make your prediction too. Look at the photo of the specimen below (Please instruct your Year One or Year Two scientist NOT to tell you what they know until you have made your prediction). Year Three will make their predictions next week. What is this creature? Do you know? Cryptic clue: You may have played with these when you were a child but possibly never saw them! The answer will be outside the P-3 Science Lab next week.

Unfortunately, World Science Festival Brisbane in person experiences have now been cancelled due to the flooding. Online experiences are still available. Such a worthwhile event to be involved with so please check the website below again.

https://www.worldsciencefestival.com.au/

Mrs Crowe
P-3 Science

Year 4-6 Science News with Mr Legge

This week, the Year 4 students looked at the impact of the flood on our local marine environment. With the pollution in the water, sea grass will struggle to survive creating a temporary imbalance in the mangrove biome.

Mr Legge
Year 4-6 Science

Sport Update with Mr Blair

Swimming

It was nice to start the week with some sunny weather in the pool. Let’s hope it continues for the rest of the week.  From the start of next week (14 March) Year 5's and 6's need to bring a long sleeve t-shirt (cotton) shorts/ tracksuit pants (that can fit over togs) and socks with them as we begin the assessment for survival scenarios.

Unfortunately, there have been many changes to Bayside District School Sport of late because of the storms. For all the most up to date information regarding the rescheduling of trials please navigate to the Bayside District School Sport Facebook page.

Cross Country will be held on 18 March, so encourage your children to practice their running in the weeks leading up to a challenging morning.

Approximate running times for year levels are as follows:

9:10am – Yr 6 Boys
9:20am – Yr 6 Girls
9:30am – Yr 5 Boys
9:40am – Yr 5 Girls
9:50 am – Yr 4 Boys 
10:00am - Yr 4 Girls
10:10am – Yr 3 Boys 
10:20 am – Yr 3 Girls

*These times are a rough estimate.

The big news is that the NRL season starts this Thursday. GO THE STORM!
Haydn Blair
PE Specialist

Snoop Dog School Therapy Dog Update with Mrs Collingwood

Snoop Dog our school Therapy Dog has been out and about helping us all settle into our very interesting start to the year!

The question we are asked most is – What does Snoop do? Snoop’s number one job is to support children and staff wellbeing. Research supports that positive interactions with a dog can help with reducing stress and anxiety. It can also assist with school engagement, communication and behaviour. As a certified Therapy Dog, Snoop can do all of these amazing things simply by being the friendly, calm and sociable dog that he is. Snoop visits classrooms socially and as requested. The children are instructed how to engage safely with him and also how to indicate if they don’t want him close. If you have any concerns with your child’s interaction with Snoop please let your class teacher know.

How to say hello to Snoop:

As with all dogs, it is important to ask before you pat.

Only 1 person should pat Snoop at a time – imagine all those hands!

If Snoop is saying hello to someone, please give him space, don’t crowd around or pat unexpectedly from behind.

Walk calmly toward Snoop rather than run.

Follow the direction of Mrs Collingwood, she will let you know if he can stop for a hello or if he is busy/needs a break.

If you would like more information about the role of a therapy dog, please see our website www.wynnumss.eq.edu.au/support-and-resources/student-services-and-support-programs 

Dogs on school grounds

While we love all dogs, only dogs that have approval from the Principal are allowed to enter school grounds. We adhere to the following policies that allow Snoop to come to school:

• The Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dog Act, 2009
• Department of Education - Assistance Animals and Support Animals in School Procedure
• Department of Education – Animals in Queensland State School Procedure
• Department of Education – Inclusive Education Policy
  

Mrs Collingwood 

$Fiver for Flood Relief

In the Brisbane region, there are schools that have been affected greatly by the recent flooding. To raise funds for one of these schools, Rocklea State School, the Student Leaders will be hosting a fundraising event called ‘Fiver for Flood Relief’.

Throughout Week 6 (next week) students can order a sausage on bread, with their choice of sauce for $5. This sausage is a token of thanks for the generous donation. Orders and money will be collected by Student Leaders in MEGA Central each morning of Week 6 from 8:15am till 8:40am. The sausage sizzle will be in held in Week 7 on Tuesday 22 March. Order forms will be sent home this week.

We are also seeking support on the 22 March to assist in cooking the sausages. If you are available to help on the day, please email Stephanie Bennet sbenn183@eq.edu.au.

We look forward to our Wynnum Warrior community stepping up to support other communities in need. Let’s make this a real Wynnum WOW!

Lismore Clothes Drive

We are all aware of the devastation that has affected various communities in Queensland and New South Wales by the recent flooding event. We probably would all know someone who has been impacted in some way by this natural disaster.  While there is an emotional impact on everyone, some have had their possessions lost or destroyed. We would like to support the community by collecting specific goods.

The Lismore Region is in need of immediate basic supplies. The following list has been identified by this community:
• Boy’s and men’s clothing
• New underwear
• Shoes, thongs in good condition
• Cleaning supplies (eg. Dustpans/brushes, brooms, cleaning cloths, buckets)
• Toiletries (eg. deodorant, soap, shampoo, conditioner)
• Towels and sheets
• Pillows and blankets
Please drop these items off at the school office. They will be collected until the end of Week 6 with
a priority delivery being this week end. The desperation is real. 

Prep enrolments for 2023 now open!

Prep enrolments are now open for 2023.  Please pick up an enrolment pack from the office or phone 3893 5111 for further information. 

P & C - Tuckshop call for Volunteers

Do you have an hour or more a week to volunteer in our school tuckshop? The P & C  would love to hear from you.  The tuckshop is open for full day menu every Monday, Thursday and Friday and are particularly needing volunteers to help  on Thursdays.  Please register your interest with the school office asap on 3893 5111.  The P&C appreciate and value your support. 

P & C News - Uniform and Tuckshop Update

We hope everyone has been keeping safe in this crazy weather over the last weeks.

Due to the unforeseen events, the Executive Team has made the decision to postpone the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to Thursday, 31 March, at 6pm in the Administration Building.

At the AGM the P&C Executive Committee positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary are newly elected for the year and general memberships are accepted or renewed. If you are interested in any of the Executive positions and keen to get involved, please do not hesitate to contact us for further information about the roles and to obtain a nomination form.

All parents, staff and other citizens of our community are welcome to attend the AGM and any of the other P&C meetings (you do not need to be a member to attend any of those meetings). If you have any questions about the P&C and / or how to get involved, please do not hesitate to contact us on wynnumss.pandc@gmail.com.

In terms of membership for the P&C, please complete this form if you wish to renew or join for 2022: wynnumss.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Documents/membership-form.pdf

For further general information on our P&C, please refer to https://wynnumss.eq.edu.au/SupportAndResources/FormsAndDocuments/Documents/pandc-information.pdf

Mega-Bite Cafeteria

What a crazy week it has been for the Tuckshop with our school suddenly needing to close for some of our Tuckshop days. Thank you very much for your understanding and your support!

Thank you to those who have expressed an interest in supporting our lovely ladies at the Cafeteria and also to those parents and caregivers who have already volunteered their time so far this term. As anyone can appreciate, with lots of hungry mouths to fill, any extra helping hands are very welcome! If you are free on a Monday, Thursday or Friday, even for just an hour, please contact Tricia on 0449804427. They would love for you to join them. Please note that all volunteers at our school will need to be vaccinated in line with the Government’s Health Direction.

If time is difficult to donate you may like to consider an item for donation such as:

• Coles or Woolworths vouchers
• Paper towel
• Dishwashing liquid and hand soap
• Small freezer bags or zip lock bags
• Balloons

Tuckshop Easter Meal Deal 

With Easter approaching the Tuckshop will be selling a Meal Deal on Friday 25 March. 

$7 Value Meal Deal will include the following:

•    Chicken nuggets
•    Corn on the cob
•    Gingerbread Easter bunny biscuit
•    Zooper Dooper
•    Pop top Water 

Please pre-order and pay for your child's Meal Deal via the flexischools app or at www.flexischools.com.au 

Also a new Tuckshop menu has been created based on the feedback and suggestions from last term and it is available on Flexischools. Please make sure to update our child’s class before placing your first order.

Uniform Shop

Thank you again for your patience over the first week while we were still waiting for stock to come in. While we may not have received all stock as desired, we are 'back in business’, so hopefully everyone has now been able to purchase their uniform.

QSchools App

Don't forget to download the QSchools App to your Iphone or Android device.  The QSchools App is another great way for Wynnum State School families to receive and read our fortnightly school newsletter and also receive important notifications regarding school events.  Simply download to your phone and 'star' Wynnum State School as your 'favourite' school.  

Community News

Brisbane State High School | Year 7, 2023, Academic Selective Entry Test Day

Brisbane State High School is a public school that is committed to providing opportunity for students.  For students who are out-of-catchment, this opportunity comes in the form of selective entry places. We proudly uphold the best of public education values; opportunities to excel regardless of personal circumstance. We believe that partnerships across the whole state school sector provide a network of support and bring richness to the school experience.  Selective entry opportunities allow students from a range of disciplines to further develop and grow these talents at our state high school.