Wynnum State School eNewsletter

Principal's Message

Dear Parents/Caregivers

In Term 4 we will be welcoming Mark Ionn to Wynnum State School as the permanent Principal. In a previous email I had advised that I would be returning to the Deputy Principal role for the Senior Precinct. This has changed, as I will be taking up the position of Acting Principal at Carbrook State School in the South East Region for Term 4. I am pleased to advise that Tanara Turvey will again be stepping into the Deputy Principal role. Mr Trent Fairweather will be Mrs Turvey’s replacement and he is looking forward to working with our Wynnum Warriors, supporting their transition to high school. Mr Fairweather has already met 6TT, will be planning with the Year 6 Team tomorrow and meeting up with 6TT again before the end of term.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to you, the Wynnum State School Community, for your support this year. Thank you to the P&C for their commitment in organising events and fundraising for the school. Their investment in the students is always appreciated. The staff at Wynnum SS are amazing, as you all know, and I have valued their professionalism, commitment and support. Our Wynnum Warriors, whose energy and enthusiasm are a constant inspiration, are always a delight and pleasure.

I am very proud of all that our school offers and I am very proud to have been a Wynnum Warrior.

In this final newsletter for Term 3, I would like to acknowledge the achievements of all of our staff in working towards our Annual Improvement Plan goals to Deepen Teacher Knowledge of the Australian Curriculum and to promote Inclusivity. Over the next two weeks the teachers will be released in their year level teams to engage in professional learning and to plan and review assessment items for next term. Two articles included in this newsletter acknowledge results as evidenced in the NAPLAN reports shared by Mrs Lentakis and Inclusivity articles shared by Mrs Collingwood.

Over the coming weeks staff will analyse the NAPLAN results in greater detail to look closely at the areas where we can build on our performance. Although NAPLAN results form a useful piece of information, they are not the total picture upon which to judge a school’s success. It is important to remember the results represent a point-in-time test over a few hours each May. The NAPLAN results are important but are only one of the many pieces of information our school uses to improve learning outcomes for our students.

Schools are measured against many markers of success, not always academic performance. Education researcher Michal Fullan challenges us to use the context of the pandemic to drive system change and move toward “global competencies.” He describes four drivers that, when used together, are promising drivers for system change and are worthy of consideration.

Wellbeing and Learning (essence)
Social Intelligence (limitless)
Equality Investments (dignity)
Systemness (wholeness)

We are the village that raises the child and our future citizens; Democratic, Creative, Eco, Healthy and Informed.

Sonya Wilson

A/Principal

Habit of Mind & Loving Literature with Ms Connell

The Habits of Mind are a set of 16 thinking skills that intelligent thinkers use to solve problems in which the answer is unknown. Created by Arthur Costa and Bena Kallick, these thinking skills or habits, are present in the best decision makers. This fortnight’s Habit of Mind is Finding Humour.

Understanding humour requires thinking flexibly — finding novel relationships, observing oddities in images and making analogies. People who engage in humour can see situations from a new vantage point or come up with the unexpected. Furthermore, we now know that laughter alters brain functioning and boosts production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with the brain’s reward and “feel good” system. It reduces cortisol, the brain’s stress hormone, and may even improve memory.

The Loving Literature Link to bring this Habit of Mind to life is “I Want my Hat Back” by Jon Klassen. Enjoy!

Giggle Day Friday 17 September

It’s time to dust off Winter and bring on the smiles and frivolity that a change in the seasons deserves. On Friday the last day of term, the Student Council will again be hosting Giggle Day. This day is held to support Canteen, an organisation that supports individual children and their families going through a cancer journey. On this day, students are able to dress in anything that makes them feel happy or brings a smile to the faces of others. Suitable slogans on T-shirts and appropriate, safe footwear for school need to be a consideration when creating an outfit. No gold coin donation will be collected at the school entrances this year, but donations are welcome to the event page set up via the following link. Remember that any donation to a charity of over $2 is tax deductible and a receipt can be requested upon donation. What a positive way to celebrate the end of Term 3!

https://fundraise.campquality.org.au/fundraisers/WSSStudentCouncil/wynnum-state-school-giggle-day

School Colour Fun Run - Tuesday 12 October

A School Colour Fun Run Flyer with sponsorship booklet will be sent home this week to all students.

Click here to download School Colour Fun Run Flyer

Library Buzz with Mrs Sutton and the Library Team

Book Week 2021 was celebrated at Wynnum State School along the theme of Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds. Our wonderful staff and students acknowledged many of our talented authors and illustrators from across the globe by designing, sourcing materials, crafting, glueing, glittering and embellishing costumes that did take us into many worlds. The Habit of Mind of creating, imagining and innovating, was definitely in action. Audible gasps of wonderment and awe rippled through out school community as students and staff streamed down onto the school oval past proud and smiling families.

Here's a little of what Book Week looked like at Wynnum State School 2021.

Book Week in the Library

Our Wynum State School Staff (it's no secret that our teachers love a dress up!)

Our students listened to Anemone is not the Enemy by Anna McGregor that was made into a digital animation by our talented Mrs Sam Hind. Please enjoy the video below and see if you can recognise any of the voices.

Thank you Wynnum school community, for celebrating books and Book Week to make it another Wynnum Wow!

Science News with Mrs Crowe

Our Year 3 Astronomers experienced feelings of Wonderment and Awe with investigations of how shadows occur. Each class Gathered Data through all Senses as they observed shadows around the school and recorded their observations. When our Year 3 Wynnum Warriors created their own ‘Sundial’, and placed it out in the sun, there were resounding expressions of amazement as the time of day appeared on their own shadow clock!

Our Year 2 scientists also continued their investigations into the water cycle with further data gathering. Each class compiled a graph displaying data on ‘Our Favourite Uses of Water’. After much Questioning and Problem Posing, throughout Science lessons, each young hydrologist reflected on their favourite use of water, with other team members, and recorded their result on a picture column graph. Each class was extremely proud of their own graph, which prompted further collaborative discussions during all classes.

This week is ‘Electricity Safety Week’! Look out for the display outside the Science Lab. P-3 Science classes will engage in interactive learning during part of their weekly Science lesson. Years 4-6 classes will use resources within their class time.

In Week 10, all P-3 Science classes will engage in ‘Clean Up Australia Day’ experiences during their weekly Science lesson (postponed from March). Each Prep to Year 3 environmental scientist will use proper equipment, to clean up a designated area of their school environment, and record their rubbish for data collection.

We have so many eager scientists here at Wynnum State School!

Triple P Parenting - "Resilient Children"

Thank you for the positive response from parents regarding this seminar.
Details are as follows:
Monday 18 October at 5:00pm in the school staffroom
There will be no cost for the event.
It is not too late to register to attend this seminar. Please send an email to the.principal@wynnumss.eq.edu.au or let the office staff know if you are interested.

Numeracy and Literacy Matters with Mrs Lentakis

NAPLAN Online- School Readiness Test

Last week all Year 2 and Year 4 classes participated in the NAPLAN Online School Readiness Test. This was a great opportunity for students to become familiar with the digital platform, and provided invaluable feedback for teachers and technical ICT support staff to forward plan, leading up to NAPLAN Online in May 2022 for Years 3 and 5. There will be further opportunities before then to build the required skills.

For further information and to check out a sample of the online tests, use this link.

Public demonstration site (nap.edu.au)

2021 NAPLAN Results for Years 3 and 5

NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia. According to the NAPLAN 2021 summary information released, ‘The global COVID-19 pandemic has had no significant impact on students’ literacy and numeracy achievement at the national or state/territory level.’

At Wynnum State School, results for Year 5 Reading, Numeracy, Grammar and Punctuation were similar to the national cohort. Writing and Spelling mean scores were below the national cohort. Results for Year 3 Reading, Writing, Spelling, Numeracy, Grammar and Punctuation were similar to the national cohort. Numeracy mean scores were below the national cohort. All our participating Years 3 and 5 students attained NMS (national minimum standard) and above on all tests. A Wynnum wow! In Numeracy, Year 5 students achieved above the nation for students in the Top 2 bands. In Grammar and Punctuation, Year 3 students achieved above the state for students in the Top 2 bands. More Wynnum wows!

NAPLAN reports have arrived and will be sent home today.

Snoop Dog update with Mrs Collingwood

Congratulations to Snoop Dog (and Mrs Collingwood) for passing his accreditation as a Therapy Dog! This accreditation recognises that Snoop has the temperament and skills to interact with young children in a calm and engaging manner. Snoop is a very popular presence at school and brings a smile to the face of all that see him. Mrs Collingwood doesn’t get much attention any more!

How to say hello to Snoop:

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

Only one person should pat him at a time – imagine all those hands!

If Snoop is saying hello to someone, please give him space.

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.

It’s exciting that Snoop will be with us for a long time. If you don’t get to say hello everyday – please be patient, you will get a chance!

If you would like more information about the role of a therapy dog, please see our website (https://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

Braille LEGO comes to Wynnum State School

Thanks to LEGO and Vision Australia the school has just received two Braille LEGO kits.

The LEGO are designed to help children who are blind or visually impaired learn the Braille system of reading and writing, where characters of the alphabet are represented by the raised dots of a braille cell. On the new Braille LEGO the studs on each brick are arranged to correspond with the letter and numbers of the Braille alphabet.

The bricks also contain print, so that students who are blind or visually impaired can learn and play alongside their peers.

Below, Prep student, Harlen is using the LEGO bricks to create a “number staircase”. The braille symbol for 1 is one brick tall, his pattern continues up to the number 9, which is 9 bricks tall.

Year 2 student Payton has used the bricks to construct a simple sentence in braille, that can be shared and read by her classmates.

During October, all students will have the opportunity to explore using the Braille LEGO. It will be available in the library during break times. October 15 is International White Cane Day where we will be celebrating the achievements of people who are blind or have low vision, and the symbol of Independence – the white cane! Information about other fun activities that will be available on the day will be shared in future newsletters.

Music with Mr Morgan

Choir Reminder - Don't forget, Choir is back on!

Junior Choir (Year 1-3) rehearse First Break on Thursdays.

Senior Choir (Year 4-6) rehearse 8:00am on Wednesdays.

Year 4 Camp - Luther Heights

Year 4 awoke early on Monday September 6 to depart from school for our annual camp at Coolum. The camp objective was team building skills and we were all put to the test! We were challenged with flying foxes, rogaining, koala climb and exciting group games. Luther Heights camp was not only exciting, but also in a beautiful place where some of us even spotted the whales migrating north.

Isabella B

Camp was so fun. There was a flying fox. It was so much fun at camp. We also got to do crate climbing and we had to see how high we could get.

Rory M

The thing that I most liked about year 4 camp was the flying fox. At first it looked scary but as soon as you do it, it was so much fun. Every activity was exciting and the food was amazing. A message for the year 3’s, it will be a great learning experience for them.

Indianna P

The students have lots of fun at camp. They did lots of challenging activities such as zip lineing, crate climbing, games and more. The students opened their taste buds with lots of different options of food. They had nachos, chicken schnitzel, waffles, bacon and toast. For dessert they had chocolate and strawberry ice-cream. We thank Luther Heights for letting us stay.

Maya D

I enjoyed camp because we got to see kangaroos and many different kinds of birds. I also had lots of fun on the activities which included zip line, koala climb and crate stacking just to name a few. Not only were the activities great, the staff were so kind and helpful. All up I loved year 4 camp and I wish I could go back some time soon.

Sport News with Mr Singleton

Runcorn Blues Touch Cup

On Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 September, a boys and girls Wynnum State School team competed in the first touch football competition for the season. Both teams played three games each on Saturday to qualify for Sunday’s finals. The girls won two of their three games and qualified for the top 12 in 8^th out of 20 teams. The boys won all three of their games, also qualifying for the top 12 in 5^th out of 20 teams. On Sunday the girls began with a narrow 1-nil loss, followed by a win and finishing the day with a close 2-1 loss. Although they did not get the results they wanted, the weekend was a tremendous success as this was the first touch football competition for most of the girls. Their improvement from the first game on Saturday through the three games on Sunday was visible for all to see and will hold the girls in good stead heading into two more competitions in Term 4. The boys began Sunday with wins in both the qualifying and quarter finals, to make the semi-finals for the second year in a row. Their semi-final was against last year’s semi-final opponents and Blues Cup winners, Algester. This game was of great importance to the boys, as Algester have not been beaten in the last four years. In true Wynnum Warrior style, the boys played the intense 25min game with a determination and focus that allowed them to win and demonstrate what is possible through working interdependently. Although they lost the grand final in extra time by one try, this competition was still a complete success as they accomplished their goal of defeating a respected and undefeated opponent. Everyone looks forward to the next tournament in Term 4.

Boys team after defeating Algester in the semi-final

AFLQ Schools Cup Final

On Tuesday 7 September, the Wynnum State School boys AFL team competed in the second round of the AFLQ Schools Cup at Sandgate. After already being postponed due to COVID, the team was keen to play against both State and Private schools. They knew the day would be more competitive with many of the schools playing AFL for sport. However, as Wynnum Warriors they were looking forward to the challenge. The morning began with games against Mango Hill State School and Holland Park State School. Both games were tight losses, with Mango Hill taking the first game by a single goal in the final minute of play. Their third game was a quarter final against St Thomas More. Although they lost to the team that went on to play in the Grand Final, they showed determination and competed the whole game only losing narrowly. The boys would like to thank former student, Koby Corten for his coaching expertise on the day and the parents for driving all the players to and from the venue.

Extension and Enrichment with Mrs van Fleet

Sadly our final E & E for 2021 will take place on Friday 10 September. It has been a different E & E this year with the three week break between the first three sessions and the last three but nevertheless a wonderful opportunity for our students to either enrich their experiences by taking part in and learning a new activity or to extend themselves participating in an activity they are already familiar with.

I would like to thank all the staff who have been part of the E & E program, their organisation and communication with the students ensures that we are able to facilitate over 400 students each session.

Thank you also to Sophia Holt and PCYC, Father Michael and Justin Lim of Iona College, Kim Mackay and Jeffrey Barnett of Brisbane Bayside College for the community support given to Wynnum State School and Wynnum High School.

We ask for your support in ensuring students have any equipment and/or clothing required for participation in their final activity and that applicable fees are paid by the completion of the program.

Creative Technologies with Miss Ward and Mrs Hind

This term, 24 students enjoyed participating in the E&E activity of Creative Technologies and Movie Making. Students explored camera angles, storyboarding, Claymation and the fundamentals of stop motion animation. Some of our year 6 students shared their knowledge of alternative animation apps with the younger students and supported their learning. All the students worked creatively and collaboratively to produce entertaining short films.

Champions for the Bay with Mrs Colledge

Cameras have been at the ready as our ‘Champions for the Bay’ have explored the natural and built environment of Moreton Bay. Students have been looking through the lens with their creative eye to discover the amazing array of colours, shapes and textures of our local area. The highlights of our exploration certainly has to be sighting a dugong from Wynnum Jetty, seeing ibis chicks being feed in their nests, watching the flying fox colony tussle for roosting spots, traipsing through the mudflats at low tide with the mud whelks and walking the mangrove boardwalk. The students have developed their photographic compositions and learned to ‘notice the extraordinary’ in our world.

STEM with Mrs Romeril

This year fifteen students from Wynnum State School had the opportunity to travel to Wynnum State High School to explore the world of STEM which included activities in the subject areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. They created keyrings using the 3D printer, coded interactive games using microbits, extracted DNA from strawberries and made a successful Rube Goldberg Machine using momentum, kinetic and potential energy. We once again thank Wynnum High State School for providing this opportunity to our students.

Kilometre Club with The Student Council

Well done Wynnum Warriors! The Kilometre Club has been running (pardon the pun) before school on most mornings of this term has been a great success. Not only has student engagement and fitness been the winner but so has one of our school houses! Every lap run has contributed to our House Competition and every point represents one lap. Together we have run an outstanding 6,459 laps of our oval. Booangun ran in third with 1,872 points and Kanni second with 2,049 points. Congratulations to Mirrigimpa with an outstanding 2,538 points.

P&C - Trivia Night

Wynnum State School 10^th Birthday

Help us celebrate our school’s 10^th birthday by joining us at our Trivia Night (adults-only). We hope to see as many parents, carers and Wynnum State School supporters as possible to have a night of fun, with lots of laughter!

When & where: 16 October at 6pm in our Auditorium

Theme: Birthday (fancy dress). Prizes for the best dressed.

Trivia: There will be several rounds of trivia with intervals in between. Question styles and topics will vary, with opportunities to ‘buy’ points to help lift those scores and get ahead of the competition.

Raffle: Amazing prizes can be won on the night by purchasing raffle tickets to support fundraising efforts. Starting at just $10 for 10 tickets. Prizes have been donated by our valued community businesses.

Food: Grazing platters will be available to pre-order for 4 or 8 people for $50 or $80 respectively. Alternatively, you can bring your own food.

Drinks: Alcohol and soft drinks can be purchased from the bar.

Tickets: Tickets are $20 for one or $120 for a table of 8.

Tickets, including platters, can be purchased through

Flexischool
Payment via bank transfer to BSB 633 000 - A/c 174222315 (use trivia + your surname as a reference)
At the Tuckshop via eftpos.

Please email us on wynnumss.pandc@gmail.com to confirm your payment and to allow us to keep track of who is coming.

Please note that we will have a COVID-safe plan for the event. In the very unfortunate case that we will not be able to hold the event due to changes in circumstances, we will refund your ticket.

P&C - Wynnum Wahoos Swim Club

With the warm weather and Term 4 fast approaching, we are excited to announce that the Wynnum Wahoos Swim Club is starting up again. We hope to see many of our Wynnum Warriors joining in.

Swim Club is every Friday with gates opening at 6pm and swimming starting at 6.30pm (sharp).

Further details:

Season Commences: Friday 8 October 2021.
Registration will open 24 September 2021 (via Swimlynx). Link to be advised via Wahoos Facebook Page.
Fees: Full Year (terms 4, and 1): Family $90. Single Child $50.
When / Where: Swim Club is every Friday at our Wynnum State School pool, with gates opening at 6pm and swimming starting at 6.30pm (sharp).
Full details will be provided in the Annual Handbook which is provided at Sign On.

For any questions, please contact: Paul Sheather via email wynnumwahoos@gmail.com

P&C News

Tuckshop update

We are excited to welcome Tricia to our tuckshop as our new Convenor. Tricia is looking forward to meeting all the students and parents and working with Julie and June. A bit about Tricia:

“I moved to Wynnum eleven years ago and could not imagine living anywhere other than our amazing suburb to raise my three daughters. I have been a chef for 21 years working my way from Melbourne, Hamilton Island, Townsville and a few of our own local clubs here in Wynnum. I am looking forward to getting to know the students, faculty and of course the amazing parents and caregivers that make up this great community. Please feel free to drop by and introduce yourselves and I look forward to any suggestions that you may have”.

P&C Information Links:
https://wynnumss.eq.edu.au/our-community/pandc
(Who we are/Membership Form/Tuckshop Menu/Uniform Price List)
Tuckshop: https://wynnumss.eq.edu.au/facilities/canteen
(Tuckshop opening hours/menu/contact)
Wynnum Wahoos: https://wynnumss.eq.edu.au/extra-curricular/clubs-and-societies

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Term 3 Week 9 - 8 September 2021