Every child, every day, learning to be their best Telephone: 3813 5222 Corner Omar and Keogh Streets, West Ipswich Qld 4305 Facsimile: 3813 5200 Absences: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/Ipswichwest Website: www.ipswichwestss.eq.edu.au
16 August 2016
Newsletter
From The Principal Year 3 and 5 Literacy and Numeracy Results Our school community has been working on advancing our students’ literacy, especially reading, over the last few years. Our staff set year level expectations for the knowledge and skills students need to read and write effectively. Each term we check that students are on track to building the knowledge and skills that they need, and plan support and extension where needed. We have implemented highly effective programs and practices to equip our students with the skills they need. You have supported with at-home practice. We see the
significant progress our students are making. This year, our NAPLAN results for Year 3 reflected this.
For the first time since NAPLAN began in 2008, our Year 3 students achieved similar to the national cohort for all literacy performance measures – the average, the percentage of students in the top two bands (the high achieving measure) and the national minimum standard (what all capable students should be achieving at or above) – in all literacy test areas – reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation. While advancing numeracy has not been our focus (we can only effectively focus on a few areas at a time and literacy, attendance and positive behaviour have been our focuses), our Year 3 students achieved similar to the national cohort for the percentage of students in the top two bands and achieving the national minimum standard for numeracy. Also of note, 100% of our Year 3 students achieved the national minimum standard for writing and 50% were in the top two bands for grammar and punctuation. I must mention that our Year 3 teachers, Miss Kealley, Mrs Gough and Mrs Moore, and Miss Tether voluntarily attended writing professional development on a Saturday to further develop their writing teaching and I think this is reflected in our students’ learning.
Our Year 5 students’ NAPLAN results will take longer to be impacted, as they are further into their schooling. They still achieved similar to the national cohort in five literacy performance measures – the percentage of students achieving the national minimum standard for reading, in the top two bands for writing, in the top two bands and achieving the national minimum standard for grammar and punctuation, and achieving the national minimum standard for numeracy.
The Department of Education’s Metropolitan Region leaders have recognised our students’ achievements and their remarkable progress. I am so proud of our school community and the combined efforts of our students, parents and staff.
There is still work to do. For example, 23 of our students miss on average 1.5 days every two weeks (less than 85% attendance) and 27 students miss on average 1 day every two weeks (less than 90% attendance). The students with improved attendance over the last few years have shown significant improvement in their literacy—coincidence? Definitely not.
Congratulations and thank you for the very important role that you play – getting your children to school every day, valuing learning and focus at school, following up at home, investigating learning difficulties when needed, and working with your children and their teachers to ensure they fully access the education we are providing.
Our focus is to ensure that Ipswich West State School is its best and we are well on the way to that. It is an honour and privilege to unleash the amazing potential in our school community.
Cate Whiting Principal
2015: 91.9% 2014: 89.7% Goal: 95%
This year
Year 3 is
similar to the
nation in all
literacy
areas!
BOOK WEEK Our dress-up parade is Wednesday 31 August, starting at 9am in the undercover area—get those book inspired costumes ready! This year’s Book Week theme is … “Australia! Story Country”. Not only would we love to see all of our students dress as their favourite book character, we would also love to see lots of parents dressing up. We had some great parent costumes last year. Please do not go to any expense with the costumes, just use what you have at home. We are again asking for a gold coin donation this year for the Make A Wish Foundation. This year our donation will be for a young lady called Meggan who is 15 years old. Her wish is to become an author and have her book published. For more information, visit makeawish.org.au. We look forward to seeing you all for a fun morning!
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Tue 23 Aug 10.00am Bus It Safe Program—in the library
(students who travel by bus) Fri 26 Aug Premier’s Reading Challenge ends Mon 29 Aug Pre-order forms due for P&C Father’s Day Stall Wed 31 Aug 9.00am Book Week Parade—in the undercover
area 31 Aug-2 Sep P&C Father’s Day Stall—in the office courtyard 31 Aug-7 Sep P&C Book Fair—in the library Fri 2 Sep Library books due Wed 14 Sep 2.00pm P&C Meeting & Afternoon Tea—in the
Prep courtyard Fri 16 Sep Return swimming permission slips Jump Rope for Heart Jump Off Day Last day of Term 3 Tue 4 Oct First day of Term 4 Term 4 Swimming—14 Oct-2Dec (Prep-4/5); 4 Nov-2 Dec
(5/6J & 5/6T) Recurring Events Assembly 8.45am in the Undercover Area Mondays—Years 3-6 Tuesdays—Prep-Year 2 Garden/Kitchen Skills 9.30am Mondays—Years 4 & 4/5 Student Tuckshop 11.00am Mondays Uniform Shop 2.45-3.15pm Mondays & Tuesdays Breakfast Club 8.00am Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays Senior Choir Tuesdays—second break & Fridays—first break Music Bus Thursdays Thursdays 1.25-3.00pm Extension Art Workshops—Selected
students (from 4 to 25 August) Cooking Classes 1.30pm Thursdays—Years 4 & 4/5 who opted in School Banking Fridays Tuckshop Fridays Interschool Sport Fridays—Years 5/6 (starting 12 August)
LIBRARY BOOKS
Please return all library books to the library by Friday 2 September. Thank you!
SWIMMING PROGRAM
Swimming lessons will be commencing in Term 4, on Fridays at the Leichhardt Swimming Pool for 8 weeks (5 weeks for 5/6J and 5/6T due to Friday afternoon sport commitments), for approximately 30 minutes per lesson. The children will be travelling to and from the pool by bus. Lessons will commence on Friday 14 October until Friday 2 December (5/6J and 5/6T from Friday 4 November to Friday 2 December). Detailed information and consent forms will be sent home with students this week. Please complete these forms and return them to the school office before Friday 16 September (last day of Term 3).
The cost for the term will be $40 (Prep to Year 4/5) and $25 (5/6T and 5/6J). This cost has been subsidised by the school. It is preferable to pay this as a lump sum at the commencement of swimming. Alternatively, you may pay $5 per week which is to be paid to the school office. Swimming lessons will not commence until full or part payments have been made. Invoices will be sent out with students during the next week.
We look forward to the children developing their skills and confidence, and we are sure they will enjoy their time in the water!
STUDENTS OF THE WEEK P/1 Gracie, Patryk, Seth 1 Emmett, Telicka-Starr 2/3 Chelsea, Charlie, Ava 4 Kitana, Alexander 5/6J Owen, Quyarnie ART Kitana, Kayla, Ella, Jonah, Madison, Nicole, Ruby, Blake, Kyrin, Zander 100% ATTENDANCE ON AT LEAST ONE DAY Prep, 5/6T 150 STAMPS—BIG PRIZE! Connor, Alex, Kiarra, Jessica, Charlie
Congratulations and thank you for helping our school
We cannot believe we are already in week three of the
Eat Smart B Active challenge. It’s wonderful to see the
students embracing the skipping challenge and counting
each skip as well as being so passionate about their
lunches. Each morning, they have been looking at their
own lunches and rewarding themselves a point for
packing foods from the five food groups. This week and
next, the challenge will only run for one day each week
before all the reward points are tallied by the Eat Smart
B Active team, putting our students and school in the
running for some amazing prizes. If you would like a
fundraising form, please collect one from the office or
ask your child to grab one for you. This gives you the
opportunity to purchase the live recording of the Eat
Smart B Active show which our school participated in last
month, as well as other Eat Smart B Active merchandise.
10% of all proceeds comes back to the school too, so it’s
a great way to support both the program and the school.
On Tuesday 23
August, the
students who use the school bus service
will attend a Bus it Safe presentation in
the school library at 10.00am, where
they will learn about bus safety and
etiquette. On the day, your child will
also bring home an information sheet so you can sit with them
and discuss what they have learnt during the presentation. As
a parent/carer, you play a very important role in further
developing your child’s knowledge, by reinforcing what they
learn. The presentation will be delivered by our school Adopt-a
-Cop Constable Skinner and Ms Carlotta.
On Friday our new Adopt-a-Cop Constable
Skinner visited the school and delivered a
couple of presentations to our students
about the effects of stealing. It was great
to see the students engaging, asking so
many great questions. Constable Skinner
then stayed for first break and played some basketball, hung
around with the juniors in the sandpit and received many high
fives from our wonderful students. Constable Skinner will pop
in from time-to-time and assist with delivering presentations to
our students as well as participating in school events.
Welcome Constable Skinner, it’s great to have you on board at
Ipswich West State School!
Term 3 Student Tuckshop is
becoming increasingly popular and we
thank you for supporting our students
who participate in the student
tuckshop. The freshly made snacks
are available to the whole school each
Monday at first lunch. Please try and pre-order your child’s
snack at the tuckshop Monday morning to ensure they don’t
miss out. Snacks generally range between 50 cents - $1.00.
From Carlotta Graham Community Support Worker
Ipswich West State School Email: [email protected]
President: Leanne Cawthorne Telephone: 3813 5222 Secretary: Anne Wright Fax: 3813 5200
P&C Committee Meeting — Our next P&C meeting is on Wednesday 14 September in the Prep courtyard at the special time of 2pm. Come along and enjoy a complimentary afternoon tea with the P&C and see what happens at our meetings. No obligations —just come and try!
P&C Executive Committee are looking for a Treasurer. Do you have some extra time on your hands and would like to be part of a dynamic group of people? On the job training will be provided but would require about 1 hour of your time each week to write cheques, reconcile the monthly bank statement and prepare the books for the annual audit. If you are interested in this position, please contact Leanne Cawthorne on 0415 644 902.
Book Fair — Our annual Book Fair is on from Wednesday 31 August to Wednesday 7 September in the library for children and families to purchase books for home. This year's theme is “Australia! Story Country”. There will also be a Book Week Parade on Wednesday 31 August for students to come dressed as their favourite book character. Vouchers will be awarded to the best dressed. The Book Fair will be open for sales after the parade and then every day after school until the following Wednesday. Students will also come through in class time on Thursday 1 September. Students will be able to bring home their wish list forms or parents are welcome to visit the Book Fair too. It is a great way to get your children excited about books and reading. Payments by cash or EFTPOS. Volunteers to help at the stall are greatly appreciated. Please let Leanne Cawthorne (0415 644 902) or email [email protected] with your availability.
Father’s Day – Our annual Father’s Day Stall will be held from Wednesday 31 August to Friday 2 September (or until stock is sold out) in the courtyard in front of the school office. Opening times are as follows:
Wednesday 31 August – 8.00am to 8.30am Thursday 1 September – 9.00am to 10.30am (classes will be able to purchase during this time) Thursday 1 September – 2.45pm to 3.15pm Friday 2 September — 8.00am to 8.30am
A copy of the order form has been posted on the Facebook page for your reference. Due to technical issues with the photocopy machine, the quality of the Father’s Day letter and order form is not 100% (our apologies).
Student Banking has been a huge success! It's not too late to open an account at any Commonwealth Bank branch. All you need to bring is your current identification as well as your child's birth certificate. If you are an existing Commonwealth Bank customer and have NetBank, you can open an account online at commbank.com.au/schoolbanking. Our commission for the last quarter was $319.33— great work students!
Remember, deposit books are to be brought to school on a FRIDAY only and put into the class banking satchel, not given to the office staff. Deposit slips are to be filled out by parents/carers or students. Thank you for supporting School Banking!
“Loose Change Fundraiser" — Send your 5₵, 10₵, 20₵, 50₵, $1 and $2 coins to school through Term 3 and have them placed in the special container in your child’s class. The class that collects the most loose change at the end of term will be rewarded with a pizza party!
Currently sitting in first place is Year 1 ($99.10), followed by Year 2/3 in second place ($55.75), and Year 4/5 in third place ($41.10). Next tally counting day will be Friday 19 August.
Kennedy Street – A reminder that the Kennedy Street drop off/pick up zone is strictly a 2 minute loading zone, from 7.00-9.00am and 2.00-4.00pm on school days. This is not a parking area and is subject to fines. Parents/carers who want to park their car, please find a space in Keogh Street (either side of Omar Street) or further up Kennedy Street. Please be aware of the parking restrictions surrounding the Kennedy Street drop/off pick up zone. Directly opposite the drop off/pick up zone is a no standing zone from 7.30-8.30am and 2.30-3.30pm on school days. Reminder to all parents/carers: you can drive through the pick up zone after 3.00pm (visor label not needed).
NEWS 16 August
Uniform Shop – Opening Hours: Monday & Tuesday 2.45pm to 3.15pm
