BBBLACKWATERLACKWATERLACKWATER NNNORTHORTHORTH SSSTATETATETATE SSSCHOOLCHOOLCHOOL Newsletter No. 1

6 February 2019

NEWSLETTER William Street BLACKWATER 4717 PO Box 327 BLACKWATER Q 4717 Email: admin@blackwaternorthss.eq.edu.au Web Site: www.blackwaternorthss.eq.edu.au

From the Principal

� 4980 5333 � 4980 5366 (absences only) � Fax: 4980 5300

Dates To Remember

Hello Everyone What a wonderful start to the year we have had. Students have been proactive learners within their classrooms, and teachers are con-ducting excellent teaching and learning sequences. It is wonderful to hear from every student that they are here to learn and they are able to verbalise this within their classroom lessons!

I would like to welcome the following staff to our outstanding team of dedicated and hardworking staff for 2019: Miss Kayla Fabila; Miss Emma Webb; Mrs Min Lau; Miss Jessica O’Connell; Mrs Katrina Inonda; Miss Shannae McGurk; Mrs Lisa Donohue; Mr Ryaed Owens; Mrs Tegan Blair and Mrs Nicole Woods. Mr Rixon has been taken off class and is now our STEAM Facilitator for 2019 and will work on, but not restricted to, Makerspace and our STEAM Hub. Watch this space for some exciting events to be held throughout the year. Reading Please make sure your children are reading every night. If this is becoming a problem at home then please contact your class teacher. They are hap-py to assist in working with students reluctant to read. Reading is the most important homework that children can do. Partnership Afternoon It was wonderful to see so many parents in and meeting with their child’s class teachers for 2019. There was certainly a very positive and optimistic atmosphere for the coming year and ensuring that there is open communication between home and school is critical. We will be hosting a parent infor-mation afternoon on Wednesday 20 February in the hall. Each class will set up a cohort ‘stall’ and parents will have the opportunity to visit each ‘stall’ to discuss any queries you may have. We are very much looking forward to the year ahead with your sons and daughters. Please don’t hesitate to contact class teachers with any queries regarding the start of the year. We are incredibly lucky to have such a team of dedicated teaching professionals who have your child’s best interest at heart. Parking Concerns It has been bought to my attention that although most of our parents are fabulous and patient, recently there are some parents not following the rules. • The circular driveway at the rear of the administration building is a loading zone. No other vehicles will be permitted in this area. This includes

dropping students off in the mornings/afternoons. There is parking available in Williams and Park streets with crossing supervisors operat-ing on these streets before and after school. There is also the carpark located on Park Street.

• Some parents have been parking in the staff only car parks located on Williams and Park streets. Please refrain from parking in these areas as staff are restricted in parking availability.

I ask all parents to please ensure that they do not drive into the school grounds, or illegally park when waiting for the children, this will result in a fine. Even worse than that, you may be responsible for causing an injury to one of our students. Student Safety and Welfare

• Please be punctual in collecting your child from school each afternoon.

• Clarify alterations to collection arrangements with your child prior to their arrival at school and if possible notify your child's teacher of these ar-

rangements to avoid confusion and distress.

• Children should not be on the premises before 8.00am or after 3.30pm. Please make arrangements with an Outside School Hours Care pro-

vider who may offer a service for families. Please see the director, Regina Walker, from Live Better if you require the use of this service.

• Please insist that your child, whether walking or riding to and from school, obeys all traffic rules and is at all times sufficiently observant to avoid

danger and unnecessary accidents. The school has instituted supervised safety crossing areas in Williams Street and Park streets. Please ensure the safety of your child as well as

others by: Complying with crossing regulations. Observing signed travelling speeds in the school environment, especially at the critical times 8.00am - 9.15am and 2.30pm - 3.30pm. Refraining from parking or stopping to let children off in any no parking areas.

No playing on school playground equipment before and after school as we do not have staff supervision available.

School Photo Day Mon 11 March

Planet Rhythm Incursion Wed 20 March

Last Day T1 Fri 5 April

Parent Information Afternoon

Wed 20 Feb

PARENT INFORMATION AFTERNOON : WEDNESDAY 20 FEBRUARY

Uniform Shop Opening Hours: Tuesday 9-10am

Thursday 8-9:30am

Cyber Safety It is important that the school communicates openly with our community. Part of this process is using a variety of means to share upcoming events etc. such as Facebook, the school website, newsletters, emails and texts. I am sharing information in relation to Facebook to ensure all parents understand the parameters around using this as a mode of sharing information in relation to children and staff at our school. Please see some snippets below from a cyber fact sheet that I am happy to share if requested. • Parental and community feedback is important for schools and the department. If you have a compliment, complaint or enquiry about an

issue at school, the best approach is to speak directly to the school about the matter, rather than discussing it in a public forum. • While many schools use social media to update parents of school notices, the department prefers that parents contact schools directly with

a compliment, complaint or enquiry due to privacy considerations. Imagine if your doctor, accountant or banking institution tried to contact you to discuss important matters via Facebook.

• If you have raised an issue with a school or know that another person has, consider refraining from discussing those details on social me-

dia, particularly the names of anyone involved. • Keep comments calm and polite, just as you would over the telephone, by email or in person. • If you encounter negative or derogatory content online which involves the school, hinders a child’s learning and/or affects the school com-

munity at large, contact the school principal. • Taking a few moments to think about the content you are about to post could save upset, embarrassment, and possible legal action.

Attendance

All children should be enrolled at school and should attend every school day. It is a parent's responsibility to ensure that their child attends school on every school day for the educational program in which he/she is enrolled. A parent of a young person in the compulsory participation phase is obliged to ensure their child is participating full-time in an approved education or training option. Any time a student is not attending or participating in their educational program it is considered an absence and must be explained. Every Day Counts is a state wide initiative. The following are interesting facts relating school attendance directly with academic improvement and achievement: • Every extra day attended increases a student’s likelihood of achieving at a higher level and reaching higher post schooling outcomes. • Early establishment of good attendance behaviour is likely to have lasting benefits for students. • Year 1 students who attend less than 85% of the time are more likely to repeat this attendance pattern at Year 2 and Year 3 and more likely

to perform poorly on their Year 3 NAPLAN tests. • Students not present in school are more likely to miss critical learning building blocks and are, as a result, less likely to feel a sense of mas-

tery over the curriculum and their own learning. • The recommended attendance range is between 95 and 100% attendance rate. • Over a 12 year period a student who attends 92% of the time will have lost almost 1 year of school contact. Students who arrive late feel disorientated and unsure. They require redirection from the classroom teacher and this interrupts the learning that is currently happening for other students. They have missed learning, it takes them time to settle to learning and this is not giving them the best chance to learn and improve. We all want the best for our children and a very simple way towards this is ensuring they are at school on time for the whole day so that they can engage, learn and achieve their personal best! I look forward to working with you all in 2019. Yours in Learning Karryn Brunetto Principal

We are currently experiencing a high incidence of ticks

in and around the school.

Unlike our usual suspects, these ticks are very large,

flat, brown and round.

As they appear to be fast-moving we are asking parents

to be vigilant and check your children regularly and

thoroughly.

Perhaps a spray with insect repellent around their

shoes and socks will aid as a deterrent, although we

remind you that spray cans and insect repellent are not

allowed at school.

DEPUTY DIRECTIONS with Nicole Hello everyone! Welcome back and an extra special welcome to all our new families. We have a few new families and teachers to our school in-cluding myself. I began my teaching career in Sydney before moving to North Queensland and teaching there.

Eight years ago I moved with my family to Blackwater. I have completed numerous acting jobs as both Guidance Officer, HOC, Principal, Deputy Principal and Special Education Teacher at schools in Capella, Dingo, Em-erald and Rockhampton over the years.

I hope all our new families have settled in well and are learning the new routines of a different school. Each year is different for students regardless of how long they may have been in a school: new teacher, different classmates, new and exciting ways of learning. I have been very impressed with the way our young students have settled so well into their new learning environments, made new friends and connected with their class-room teachers.

To those that I know and have met already, I thank you for the very warm welcome to your school and com-munity. To those I’ll meet in the future, thank you for your patience as I get to process the many names, connections and faces. I look forward to meeting more of the community as school progresses with all the events and activities at Blackwater North State School during this very busy first term.

My door is always open to you. If there are any issues, queries, concerns or conversations you would like to have, please make an appointment so I can give you and our conversation the time it deserves.

Welcome back to the 2019 school year. I’m sure it will be a terrific one.

Nicole Woods A/Deputy Principal

Kayla Fabila (Prep D) Kayla is a Brisbane gal and Blackwater is her first experience away from the

city. Kayla reports that the kids in her class are amazingly gorgeous and she

has found our town to be very welcoming.

Thomas Watson (6B) Blackwater North SS is the first perma-nent posting for this Bribie Island local. Both of Tom’s parents are teachers and he loves sports, especially AFL. First impressions of Blackwater?: The people are very nice and the school community has been welcoming and sup-portive.

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Ryaed Owens - Music We have a concert pianist in our midst! Ryaed has a Master of Music from the Queensland Conservatorium where he studied piano performance with distinguished Australian pianist, Max Olding. Ryaed has performed in many concerts as well as solo performances, and is affiliated with esteemed german pianohouse, Schimmel. Ryaed grew up on the Sunshine Coast and comes to Blackwater after 5 years at Somerset College on the Gold Coast.

Jess O’Connell (Prep C) Jess has taught Prep in the Sunny Coast area for the last two years and is passionate about teaching. Jess loves the beach but is looking forward to the change in scenery. She enjoys travelling, adventure and exploring new places.

Shannae McGurk (1C) BNSS welcomes another Sunshine Coast native in Shannae. Blackwater is Shannae’s first teaching post and so far she has found it a bit of an adventure, but a good one. Shannae is an accomplished dancer and loves all styles.

Emma Webb (1A) Emma grew up in Bundaberg and began her teaching career there. Last year she taught year 3. Emma absolutely loves fishing and spectator sports, especially the NRL and AFL. Her partner enjoys his work in Blackwater and they are planning to make Blackwater home. They love the sense of community and friendly people.

Tegan Blair (5/6C) Tegan is married with two children and also hails from Bundaberg. Tegan has taught high school at Kepnock State High for the last 14 years and is finding Blackwater a lot quieter than what she is used to! FUN FACT!!! Tegan taught Miss Webb in year 8… and began her teaching career alongside Mr Chad-bone in Eidsvold.

This year students and teachers will be given further opportunities to develop their skills in critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and innovation. Through the

continuation of the Makerspace program, the students will have increasing opportunities to ex-

plore, create and solve problems. They will continue to develop their understanding and implementation of multiple technologies. Some of those technologies are film production, coding, electrical engineering,

and design thinking.

Here at Blackwater North we are looking to build on our collegial collaboration across the local cluster of

schools to develop a STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Mathematics) Hub. Some activi-ties that it will be looking to embark on this year are STEAM challenges, coding, robotics and drone clubs and activities, incursions from the wider community about the importance and the relevance of STEAM in

our society. The reason for this is that the fastest growing occupations require STEAM related skills and

knowledge. The STEAM Hub will look to deliver extension and extracurricular opportunities for our

students and teachers.

Daniel Rixon STEAM Facilitator

WEBSITE CONSENT FORM

We are circulating the pink website consent form to all students, and yes - everyone needs to complete the form. Our ICT teacher, Mr Rixon, has updated the websites on

the form, therefore even though new families may have signed a consent form recently,

it has now changed. Please assist us by completing the pink form when it

comes home, and returning it to the school at your earliest convenience.

Your cooperation is appreciated.

We are proud to present our school leaders for 2019. Congratulations to (l-r) Bradley Russell and Macey Evans (Captains) and Noah Sherwell and Karissah Guse (Vice-captains). Our leaders will be presented with their badges at Investiture on parade in the near future.

2019 SCHOOL CAPTAINS

DOES YOUR PREPPIE HAVE A COPY OF THIS

BOOK?

STUDENTS ARE NOW USING THIS WORKBOOK

IN THE CLASSROOM HOWEVER THERE ARE

STILL MANY STUDENTS WHO DO NOT HAVE ONE.

THIS BOOK IS A

REQUIREMENT OF THE PREP BOOKLIST AND IS

AVAILABLE AT THE OFFICE FOR $15.90.

SPORTS SHIRTS CAN ONLY BE

WORN TO SCHOOL ON

THURSDAYS!!

OUTSIDE OF THE SPORTS CARNI-

VALS STUDENTS ARE ONLY

PERMITTED TO WEAR THEIR

SPORTS SHIRT TO SCHOOL ON THURSDAY, IF THEY SO DESIRE.

WE ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO WEAR THE FULL AND CORRECT

SCHOOL UNIFORM AT ALL OTHER

TIMES.

WE APPRECIATE PARENTS

ADHERENCE TO OUR UNIFORM

CODE.

A NOTE FROM YOUR SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHER

School photos are almost upon us again! The school has engaged MSP Photography to create our school records this year and you are invited to purchase prints of your child.

On photo day, every student will be photographed regardless of whether you are purchasing or not. Your child will bring home a personalised order envelope from the photographers. Please take care to read and follow all the instructions carefully. This will ensure your order is processed smoothly and efficiently

and will help you to avoid any late fees. You will have the option to order online or with cash in your student’s envelope. Please take care to follow

the instructions carefully. Additional order envelopes are available from the school office for separated parents, blended families

and grandparents. You will need to collect these on or before photo day and give it to the photographer on photo day. Be sure to write “Mum’s order” or “Dad’s order” on top of your envelope.

To order a sibling or friends photo, please collect Sibling and Friends Order Envelope from the school

office on or before photo day, or order it online at least 24 hours in advance. Please note: Sibling photos are only for siblings who all attend the school.

If your child has been photographed in a special group (i.e. sports team or leadership team), order envelopes will be available in the weeks following photo day. Please watch this newsletter for information

when they will be available. As school staff are unable to help with photography enquiries or payments, please direct your questions and

comments directly to MSP Photography by phoning 4921 3355.

Thank you for your co-operation and we look forward to a great photo day.

Keep smiling!!!

MONDAY 11 MARCH