Term 3 - 2024 Week 2 Newsletter

Principal's Message with Mr Ionn

Welcome back to Term 3

After a well-deserved winter break, our Wynnum Warriors are all back in classrooms ready for new learning. Despite the chilly mornings, it has been warm smiles and excitement to kick off the new term.

NAIDOC Week

Held across the country annually from 7-14 July, NAIDOC Week celebrates and recognises the history, culture, resilience and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year’s theme chosen by the National NAIDOC Committee, Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud.

For all Australians, NAIDOC Week is a chance to listen and learn, to hear and understand and to celebrate and be inspired by the excellence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and language.

It also a time to tune into the leadership of care - Care for country, for people, for communities and beyond. The school engaged in NAIDOC themed experiences. All Years 4 – 6 students engaged in a day of celebration at MBEEC, hosted by Uncle Matt Burns. This will be an ongoing commitment to our program each year in regard to learning and understanding culture on country. 

At our NAIDOC themed assembly for Term 3, we wished all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people celebrate well and that our school is committed to take the time to listen, learn and celebrate and walk together.

School Opinion Survey

This year’s School Opinion Survey runs from 22 July to 16 August. Parents, caregivers and students are encouraged to participate. Your insights will help us know what our school does well and how we can improve. Participants will be emailed a link to access the survey the week before it opens. Survey responses are confidential. The survey usually takes less than 10 minutes to complete. More information can be found on the School Opinion Survey webpage or by contacting the school.

Learning for Life

During the holiday break, as a part of my commitment to ongoing learning for life, I concluded my formal doctoral studies and celebrated at my graduation. I’m pictured with my partner Sonia, my supervisor Associate Professor Joan Conway and the Chancellor of USQ, Mr John Dornbusch. So, for the very first time in this newsletter, I can sign off as Dr. Mark Ionn.

Term 3 Parent-Teacher Interviews

In addition to providing academic reports, at least twice a year, schools offer parents and carers the opportunity to discuss their child’s achievement and progress. Our Term 3 Parent Teacher interviews for most classes will be held on Wednesday 24 July in the Auditorium. If your child is in 1LH, interviews will be held on Tuesday 23 July in the Front Office. Bookings close Friday evening 19 July.

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

Miss Lennie 1LH - https://eq.sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=70389 

Save the date!

Please see below for important upcoming events. Please note there will be more dates added as we move through the term.

School arrival time

Reminder that students should not be on school grounds before 8:25am unless they are attending the PCYC before-school service, band, choir or sporting practice. From 8:25am, students are required to wait in MEGA Central, where they will be supervised and released to their designated areas. Classrooms will not be unlocked until the 8.40am start of school bell. Thank you for your support in ensuring the safety of your child. Wynnum State School. PCYC currently has morning and afternoon spaces available. Phone: 0429 879 913 Alternate Phone: 3915 1726 Email: wynnumsac@pcyc.org.au.

2025 Prep Enrolments Now Open

Library Matters with Mrs Sutton and the Library Team

After-School Engineering, Robotics, and Electronics Highlights!

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P-2 Science and Technology with Mrs Crowe

'Earth and Space Sciences’ began this week, in coordination with NAIDOC Week. P-2 scientists engaged in experiences that demonstrated how our First Nations people were the first true astronomers. The children loved discovering the “Emu in the Sky”!

Students viewed the video Before Galileo: ABC Message Stick.This informative video, from 2009, shows the genuine collaboration of scientists with our first nations people. It celebrates the sharing of the deep collective understanding of astronomy from both participants, who still continue this work together today.

This collaboration has continued to build over the last fifteen years (and will continue into the future) with the Murchison Radio-Astronomy Observatory (MRO) and The International Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project in Western Australia. The SKA site has been officially named Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, meaning "sharing sky and stars" in the Wajarri language. Find more information here https://research.csiro.au/mro/.

P-2 Earth and Space Science Investigations for Term Three:

Prep - ‘Weather in our World’ (Identifying Weather Patterns)

Year One - ‘Changes All Around’ (Seasonal/ Environmental Changes)

Year Two - ‘Water Works’ (The Water Cycle)

It certainly will be an exciting term ahead for our young meteorologists, climatologists and hydrologists as they investigate climatic and environmental changes on earth and the importance of Earth’s precious resources. Look up, look around and discover science happening in your world every day!

Sports Report with Mr. Blair - PE Teacher

Over the holidays I received some news of some student sporting success! We had Griffin H be accepted into the U13 State Ice Hockey comp and will be travelling to Newcastle to play from 16^th July to 22^nd July. All the best Griffin!

Over the holidays we had some students compete at Winterfest which is the state’s largest junior football carnival. Elissa C notably played very well an age group UP in her competition. Bershka H also was part of the same team and also travelled up to the sunshine coast. Apologies to any other students who I have missed as I am sure from the soccer talent I see at lunchtimes and during PE that there would be some students who would’ve been invited but who didn’t share with me their participation last week.

Was nice speaking with Dexter B who was excited to share he ran a new PB at Parkrun over the holidays. It is great to sometimes see students and their families at the free local event on Wynnum’s Foreshore out enjoying the supportive atmosphere. If your family has time on Saturday mornings, the 5km fun run/ walk is a nice way to challenge yourselves and watch the sun climb over the water. One of their rules is however, if your child is under 11 years old they must be accompanied for safety reasons.

The NAIDOC assembly last week was very special and was nice to see some Alumni preform dances to our students as part of the Brisbane Bayside State College traditional dance troupe. For timing reasons, unfortunately I wasn’t able to recognise those students who had qualified for the district athletics team. Therefore we will be sure to recognise these following students during the week 10 assembly as well as this newsletter as their efforts are commendable.

Please note that ribbons on the day did not guarantee a spot in the athletics team as there is a minimum qualifying time/ height/ distance for the district carnival events and selections was not just based off of my discretion as the PE teacher. Every student who tried their best on the carnival should be proud of their efforts and those lucky enough to win a ribbon also.

Please also note that this is not the final team as there are still opportunities such as the 1500m event and some 100m & 200m sprinting spots to be finalised. 

Olympian visited Wynnum SS!

On Friday 12 July, our Year 4-6 students had the pleasure of being addressed by Olympic medallist Kylie Palmer. Kylie, an Australian swimmer renowned for her success in freestyle events, gained international acclaim by winning a gold medal in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a silver medal in the same event at the 2012 London Olympics. She has also secured multiple medals in World Championships and Commonwealth Games, showcasing her talent and significant contribution to Australian swimming. Kylie shared stories with the students about her career highlights and the sacrifices she made to achieve success. She encouraged the students to pursue their dreams regardless of what others may say or think about them. Additionally, Kylie answered many questions and gave students the opportunity to touch her Olympic silver and gold medals. Kylie's visit was truly inspiring, and we extend our heartfelt thanks to her for taking the time to come and speak with us.

100 Days of Prep!

In Term 3 Week 1 our Preps celebrated a very special milestone - 100 days of learning.

Students participated in many different and fun learning activities that related to the number 100. During first break they had the chance to play old-fashioned games with the Student Council. Games included duck duck goose, skipping, hop scotch and What’s the Time Mr Wolf.

We loved seeing the students and teachers being dressed up as if they were 100 years old. 

Molly & Isla M

Student Council

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Year 6 Parliament House Excursion

Year 6 students visited Parliament House as part of the civics unit, which looks at the different levels of Government and the process involved in passing a Bill.

During the tour students learned about the Legislative Council (Red Chamber), the Honour Boards, the Mace, the Wind Yarn (the Parliament's didgeridoo), the leadlight window, and, on non-sitting days, the Legislative Assembly (Green Chamber).

Students also visited the Botanical Gardens to eat lunch and explore the gardens.

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Year 5 Passion Learning

Wow! What a turn out. Parents, family and friends celebrated the students’ presentations as they became the audience for the Year 5 Passion Learning Extravaganza on Wednesday 12 June.

As part of our Year 5 Wisdom Wednesdays, the students have been on a learning journey within the Yr 5 Health curriculum which focuses on student well-being and self-reflection.The Yr 5 teaching team facilitated self-directed learning, creativity and discovery within a broad set of guidelines that encouraged the students to incorporate their own interests, their passions.

Throughout this learning journey, the students develop an awareness of the learning dispositions, and the people, places and tools that best support their learning. Passion learning has been about choices and decision making. It is a rich, authentic, student led learning process of RESEARCHING, CREATING AND PRESENTING.

Once students selected their passion, they developed a driving question. These inquiry questions became the focus of the research stage. The topics for Passion Learning are inherently personalised for each student. Students were asked to make decisions and choices about the people, places and tools that would best support their learning each week as they planned for each session and recorded what they were able to achieve.

At the creating stage, students were required to make decisions about how they would share their learning. Their creations were then presented at the Passion Learning Extravaganza. Students were then asked to reflect on what they discovered about themselves as a learner and what they could do to further support their personal growth and well-being.

Year 3 Street Science Incursion

The term kicked off with a bang as we welcomed Street Science for an exciting incursion. We enjoyed a captivating science show filled with amazing experiments, followed by an opportunity to conduct our own experiments. This experience reinforced the Year 3 students' Term 2 science unit on solids, liquids, and gases, leaving them with a newfound love for science!

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Snapshots of Year 2 NAIDOC Murals

Wynnum Warrior!

Isabella P competed at the Future Stars Dance Competition at the QUT Gardens Theatre on Friday 12th July. Isabella's Jazz "No Excuses" routine received a Special Mention Award and earned 10th overall highest scoring for her age group. Well done, Isabella! 

Guidance Officer Message - Mrs. Manning

Welcome back to Term 3!

We hope you all had a refreshing break and are ready for a wonderful term ahead. We're delighted to welcome both returning families and new members of our school community.

This term, we're thrilled to introduce our new Student Wellbeing Officer, Rachel, to our Student Wellbeing team. We're confident she will be a wonderful addition to our team, helping to ensure a positive and nurturing environment for all. Please see Rachel’s message below. Please join us in welcoming Rachel to Wynnum State School.

Should you have concerns with your child’s wellbeing, please speak to your classroom teacher who will, in turn, refer them to the Wellbeing team.

Services to keep in your contact list should you need support at home:

• Police / Ambulance – 000 (emergency)
• Lifeline provides 24hr telephone counselling for people in crisis or emotional distress on 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline is a free 24hr counselling service for Australian kids and young people 1800 55 1800
• Parentline provides confidential counselling for parents, from 8am-10pm, 7 days a week 1300 301 300

Let's work together to make Term 3 an exciting and fulfilling experience for everyone.

Have a fantastic fortnight.

My name is Rachel Vidler and I’m joining Wynnum State School as the Student Wellbeing Officer. My role is to provide support across the school community and help monitor the wellbeing of students while being an additional role model. Feel free to come and say hi and introduce yourself, as you’ll find me around each morning.

You may recognise me if your child attends PCYC outside school hours care as I’ve been an educator for five years while studying psychology at university.

I’m excited to be stepping into the Student Wellbeing Officer role as I’m passionate about all things mental health and creating meaningful connections with children and families.

Creative Dance Eisteddfod Results

On June 30th, Wynnum Creative Dance students competed in the Unite Eisteddfod and performed exceptionally well. The Junior Hip Hop team took 1st Place, the Senior Hip Hop team also secured 1st Place, and the Ballet/Contemporary group achieved 3rd Place.

We are incredibly proud of our dance students. They were amazing!

P&C News

The countdown is on for the Trivia Night and teams are busy planning how to win the best dressed table. There is still time to purchase your tickets whether as a group or individually. 

MEGA Bite Cafeteria is on the lookout for some new faces this term with volunteer opportunities available on a Monday and Thursday. Please send us an email if you are interested. On the day you volunteer you receive a complimentary lunch, and your children receive a free icy pole or slushie!

Student absence process

Each parent of a child who is of compulsory school age has the legal obligation to ensure their child is enrolled and attends school every school day unless the parent has provided the school with a explanation for absence. 

If your child is going to be absent from school, please report to admin via one of the following options (remember to include student name, reason for absence and length of absence):

• Qparents (attendance tab)
• Text our absentee line - 0429 467 361
• Call and leave a message on our absentee line - 3893511 (press 1)

If your child is going to be absent for more than 10 consecutive days please ensure to make contact with the office staff to complete an exemption form.

Thank you for your cooperation with our student absence processes. 

School Facebook Page

Please visit the page via this link https://www.facebook.com/WynnumStateSchool  and click Like!

Qparents

Have you downloaded the Qparents app?

QParents is a secure, online portal that has been created to provide parents/carers of Queensland state school students with 24-hour access to their child's information.

Qparents allows you to securely access information about your child and communicate directly with your child's school.

Features of Qparents:

• attendance details
• report cards
• invoices
• payment history
• excursion permissions

Currently we have roughly 80 percent of parents/carers on Qparents. If you haven’t already made an account with Qparents, new invitation codes have just been emailed home.

Any further questions please contact the school office.

Absentee Line

To notify the school of your child's absence, please text your child's name and reason for absence to 0429 467 361.

2024 School Term Dates

School Bus Services

Just a reminder that we have a bus service that runs from Wynnum State School. Below is a link to both services.

https://jp.translink.com.au/plan-your-journey/timetables/bus/T/815

https://jp.translink.com.au/plan-your-journey/timetables/bus/t/819/outbound/2022-05-31

A Go Card will need to be purchased to be able to utilise this Translink bus service. The following link lists retail outlets of where to purchase a Go card https://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/go-card/locations 

PCYC - Before/After School Hours Care

Community News