9 August 2016

Newsletter Articles

Principal's Report

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to the next instalment of our school wide newsletter and to the end of week 4. So much happening around the school, so please make sure you keep up to date with all of the information, and if in doubt, contact the school.

2016 NAPLAN

On Wednesday all school's received their 2016 NAPLAN results. These results will be shared with our community in our next newsletter so we can see how we are tracking against our school improvement agenda.

Individual student reports should have been received by now. If you have not received your child's, or there is an error, please contact your child's sector Deputy Principal (Mr Gegic – Year 3 and Mrs Raffin – Year 5).

Respect our Staff, Respect our School

Violent or abusive behaviour will not be tolerated in our schools.

It's not just a courtesy. It's the law.

The Respect our staff, respect our school campaign aims to create safer and more respectful communities in Queensland state schools.

The campaign is part of the Queensland Government's commitment to tackle the issue of violence and continue to provide a safe and supportive learning environment for all students and school staff.

We all have different beliefs, expectations and experiences, so there are inevitably going to be times where conflicts or disagreements occur in schools.

How we handle those conflicts can make a significant difference to the learning and development of our students and the positive environments we aim to foster.

The safety of our students and staff is the number one priority and everyone in the community plays a part in ensuring learning environments are safe.

All members of the community are encouraged to work together to prevent abuse and violence directed towards school staff. I extend this to not only verbal communication, also, written communication.

Celebrating Literacy Across Our School

In term 3, our school engages in an enormous celebration of National Literacy Week. During this term we will host multiple events to celebrate and promote the importance of Literacy, in particular, reading for all of our students.

This year we are incredibly excited to open up to our community our now completed outdoor learning classroom. This concept was completely thought of and designed by our very own Mr Haley. What a transformation to this area and what a way to showcase our love of everything to do with reading.

One of our large community events that we started last year is our Real Men Read event. This will once again be happening, so mark in your calendars for Wednesday 31st August at 3.00pm. We have some fantastic displays organised for our community to enjoy, as well as the Gold Coast Mobile Library coming along again.

Our P&C have organised for some food to be available for sale on this day.

There will be a story teller in our outdoor classroom, as well as a jumping castle and face painting.

But even though we have organised for some great attractions, the real focus remains on gathering our community to celebrate and promote the importance of reading, and showcasing that our very important male role models read and read every single day.

And…. One of our other very exciting events is our Book Character Parade. This great event will be happening on Wednesday 24th August starting at 9am in our hall.

This year we would love to extend the invitation to our parents to join in the fun of making characters come to life. So please parents, choose your character and come along dressed up and ready to strut your stuff on the catwalk.

Pyjama Day – Fundraising for Coomera Springs State School

Coomera Springs State School will be holding a 'Pyjama Day' on Friday, 12th August, 2016. Please come to school dressed in appropriate warm pyjamas for the day. Remember to bring a gold coin donation. This is a general fundraising day to support student learning.

Have a wonderful week!
Martine Gill

News from Our Deputy Principals

QParents

Coomera Springs State School is proud to be one the first schools in Queensland to offer QParents.

The QParents web and mobile application provides a more convenient, easier way for parents and legal guardians of Queensland state school students to interact with their child's school. Parents will have secure, online access to their child's student information, anytime, anywhere, through a smartphone, tablet or computer.

QParents allows parents to connect instantly with their child's school to access and manage their child's student information, including:

• Attendance and absence details, as well as the ability to notify the school of an absence
• Behaviour information
• Academic report cards
• Class timetables
• Viewing unpaid invoice details, payment history, and making payments online
• Viewing and updating student details, including medical conditions and address
• Enrolment details

QParents will assist both staff and parents in sharing and responding to information in an efficient and effective way.

It won't replace the traditional ways you communicate with our school, but it will provide another way to communicate with us.

The benefits of QParents

Convenience and time savings for parents

• Parents can view or update their child's details without having to contact the school
• Secure 24/7 online access.
• Available anytime, anywhere — access QParents on your smart phone, tablet or computer.

Greater transparency of information

• Improves accountability between parents and schools by providing parents with timely access to their child's information online.
• Allows parents to engage more deeply in their child's schooling

Improved administration efficiencies for schools

• Allows schools to streamline their administrative processes and cut down on printing

What is a QParents Account Owner (QPAO)?

The school will nominate one parent or legal guardian for each student to be the QParents Account Owner (QPAO). The QPAO will be able to register for QParents to access and manage the student's information online. A student's QPAO will be able to view the student's information and submit requests to update some of the student's details.

The QPAO will also be able to invite other people (such as another parent or family member), to view the student's information. Once invited, these people can register for QParents as "delegated viewers". A delegated viewer can see the student's details, but cannot make updates.

Registering for QParents

Prep parents will receive an invitation email or letter from us containing your unique invitation code in week 3 with all remaining parents receiving an invitation in week 7. Simply follow the instructions in that email or letter to complete the QParents account registration process.

If you do not want to register, you can just ignore the invitation and your child's student information will not be available to anyone through QParents. Or, if you want another parent to be the QPAO, you can advise us and we will send them an invitation email or letter with their own unique invitation code.

Identity verification

When registering as a QPAO, you will need to verify 100 points of identity documents online. The 100 points can be made up of documents in the following list:

If you only have 60-90 points of the above ID documents you can still register for QParents, but you will need to attend the school for an additional check after you have registered online.

If you don't have sufficient documents, you might like to nominate another parent as the QPAO.

For more information on the online identity verification process, see the link below.

Where does the information about my child come from?

All of the information that is presented in QParents comes from the IT system that is used by all Queensland state schools. Schools will continue to manage student information in this system, and the information will be extracted and presented in QParents.

Will my child's information be secure?

Yes. QParents is a secure portal that meets strict industry standards. Only people with the right to access information about their child will be given an account; no one else.

If you don't want to register for QParents, your account will not be created and your child's information will not be made available through QParents.

Help and contact information

For more information see the link below.

For help, visit https://qparents.qld.edu.au/#/help or call 13 QGOV (13 74 68)

All remaining year levels will receive a formal invitation through email in week 5

Triple P

Upcoming Triple P Seminar's:

Parents all over the world have the same kinds of problems. Toddler tantrums, fighting at home or at school, a child who won't go to bed, a defiant teen, or one who never seems to listen. The good news is the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program can help.

Triple P is a parenting program that helps make raising kids (and teenagers) easier. It gives you tips and ideas to help you deal with the big and small problems of family life. Triple P is NOT "one size fits all". You can do as much, or as little as you like. Parenting is usually lots of fun. But every parent has times when things can get a little tricky. Like when your toddler won't eat his/her dinner. Or your five year old won't pick up their toys.

Coomera Springs in partnership with the Benevolent Society will be running three 90 minutes seminars starting at 3:15pm in Term 3

Session 1 – Wednesday 10th August,
Session 2 – Wednesday 17th August,
Session 3 – Wednesday 24th August which will cover three main topic:

• The Power of Positive Parenting
• Raising Competent, Confident Children
• Raising Resilient Children

The three sessions will be held in our school library and we hope to see as many parents in attendance as possible. Stay tuned for further information.

2017 Prep Enrolments:

Prep enrolments for 2017 are now open. Coomera Springs State School has an exciting transition program so if you have younger siblings, friends or family ready to start Prep please don't hesitate to enrol your child sooner rather than later.

Year 1 and 4 IPad classes for 2017

Just a friendly date claimer for our second 1:1 iPad information session for all Year Three and Prep parents who have children entering Years 1 & 4 in 2017.

An Expression of interest will be e-mailed out this week. This will help determine possible staffing/ classroom structures for these year levels in 2017 and is a vital part in the iPad program process.

• When: Tuesday 16th August @ 5:30pm
• Where: School Library

The session will be used to discuss the following information:

• 21st Century Pedagogies
• Expression of interest
• Device specifics
• Purchasing Portal & Price Point
• Contract and Agreements

Do not worry if you are unable to attend the session as all information covered will be emailed out to all Prep and three parents the following morning at 9:00am. This email will include details of the EOI (Expression of Interest) process and information covered in the PowerPoint presentation during the session.

NAPLAN ONLINE - TRIAL OF THE NEW ONLINE ASSESSMENT PLATFORM

You may have heard that NAPLAN Online is being introduced from 2017, with an aim for all schools to be administering NAPLAN online by 2019.

NAPLAN Online will provide better assessment, more precise results and faster turnaround of information. Your child's results will be returned to you faster, within a couple of weeks rather than a couple of months.

Our school has been selected to trial the new assessment platform (the computer system the test will be taken on). This trial shouldn't be seen as a 'test' of content; it is a chance for the new platform to be tested in a real-life classroom environment. This trial is called the Platform Trial and Readiness Test (PTRT).

During August 2016, students in Years 3 and 5 will participate in a trial of the assessment platform, by undertaking one online readiness test that includes examples of the new NAPLAN online questions. This test will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.

Participating in this trial is important as it will help us ensure we have adequate internet connectivity, and whether students have access to sufficient number of devices for NAPLAN testing. During the trial, schools will have the opportunity to practice managing the classroom logistics for an online assessment and the new test administration processes.

Feedback from schools participating in the trial will inform transition to the online assessment as well as provide valuable feedback to shape the final development of the NAPLAN Online platform.

The readiness test has not been constructed to assess curriculum knowledge, but rather to provide students an opportunity to experience the types of questions that will be included in the new online assessment.

Participation in this trial is a key step to ensuring a successful NAPLAN online experience.

Taylor Haley/ Elvis Gegić/ Acting Deputy Gabby Raffin

News from our Head of Special Education Services

Hi Everyone,

This term the SEP team continues to work through the EAP (Education Adjustment Program) with some families.

The department's EAP is a process for identifying and responding to the educational needs of students with a disability who require significant educational adjustments related to the specific impairment areas of;

• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Hearing Impairment
• Vision Impairment
• Physical Impairment
• Intellectual Disability
• Speech-Language Impairment

The EAP process initiates an ongoing cycle of documented data collection, planning, program development, intervention, evaluation and review.

Verification is the process of confirming that a student's identified impairment and the associated activity limitations and participation restrictions which require significant educational adjustments meet criteria for one or more of the six EAP categories.

If a review of your child's verification is required a member of the SEP team will be in contact to discuss this process with you.

If you would like further information on the EAP or verification process please do not hesitate to contact me.

Connie MClean
Head of special Education Services

News from our Chaplain

Chappy News

This week I will have been away for SU QLD Staff conference but am looking forward to the "Mini Men Shed" starting up. So if you have any old bikes or scooters that you or someone you know that no longer wants, feel free to contact me via email at benf@chappy.org.au. Also, I am wanting to get the breakfast program back off the ground. So far I have been coming in with fruit to hand out which is pretty basic. But I want to be able to be able to do toast and warm things for the kids. So if you are interested in helping out, then feel free to contact me via email.

Food for thought

So a couple of weekends ago I had the opportunity to compete in the 96km Kokoda Challenge. Unfortunately I had to tap out at the 48km mark due a injuring my knee but that 48km trek was one of the hardest things I have ever done physically and mentally. I seriously take my hat off to Martine Gill who completed the entire track! But one of the things I learnt and also observed about other on the track was that we had to keep telling ourselves to keep going. It really opens your eyes as to what perseverance is and how we often don't like the word let alone like to persevere through things that are hard. All too often I have found myself wanting to tap out of something because it is too hard or I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. But one thing I have really been challenged on is that when we do push through the hard things in life, getting over our tantrum (I throw a lot of tantrums myself) and start to focus on the end goal, we surprise ourselves when we reach the end result. So my challenge to us all is to keep persevering through whatever it is that your struggling with and ask for help if you think it is beyond you!

News from our IT Department

Dear Parents and Carers,

Are you subscribed to our newsletter?

Do you see it off the website, emailed from the school or our Facebook or twitter accounts?

Would you like to get it emailed to you as soon as it is released…?

Please click on the link below to receive it via email as soon as it is released!

Further into the Sign Up process is the option for you to choose your association with the school (e.g. Staff, Parent, and Student)

News from our Music Department

Footsteps to Fame

Our bi-annual talent show, Footsteps to Fame, is here!

There will be a Junior and a Senior competition, with three categories students can enter: Singing, Dancing and Mix It up (Comedy, magic show, juggling, instrumental music etc).

Auditions will be commencing in week 5, Semi-finals will occur towards the end of Term3, and the Grand Final will be in week 2 of Term 4. The winners from the Grand Final will be performing at the school fete in October!

There are prizes for the Grand Final winners, more details about that to follow soon!

There are a few rules, please see below:

1. Each act must be no longer than 5 minutes
2. Students may only enter in ONE category, and ONE performance group. In other words, each student is only allowed to perform ONCE.
3. Students in the dance category are NOT to perform any type of flip or aerial stunt. Safety comes first!
4. Students performing in the Grand Final must have performed in the auditions and semi-finals as well. A new student may not join a group that has already performed just for the Grand Final.

We are very excited about this bug event and can't wait to see all the talent!!!!

MUSICAL SHOWCASE EVENING

This term we are having a special Music Showcase Evening. This will be a fantastic evening where all of our Music extra-curricular groups will have the opportunity to show off what they have been learning this year.

The event will be catered, and there will be a small entry fee applicable. We also hope to have teacher performances and some visiting high school performers as well.

The date is Wednesday the 7th of September at 5:30pm.

Please put it in your diaries now!! More details to follow.

News from our Librarian

Dear Parents and Carers,

Please don't forget about our Annual Book Character Parade. Every Year to celebrate book week Coomera Springs has a wonderful Book parade. This year will be no different.

It is being held on Wednesday 24th August 9am in the hall.

Happy Reading,
Sue Marriott.

News from our Classrooms and around the School

We love to show you what is going on around our school and in our classrooms.

Grade 2

In Year 2 WALT make paper in Science to learn about recyclable materials.

Grade 3

On Monday 1st August, Year 3 headed off on an adventure to Jellurgal Cultural Centre in Burleigh Heads.

When we arrived we walked down to beautiful Tallebudgera Creek for a very special performance. Members of the Yugambeh language group performed a traditional ceremony involving aspects of indigenous culture. We separated into groups for a guided tour of Jellurgal (Burleigh Heads National Park) where we stopped along the way to discover ancient sites of significance. The students had opportunities to ask their tour guides specific questions to guide their knowledge and understanding. After our trek we made our way back to the centre where we watched a presentation on indigenous culture and looked at some indigenous artefacts that were on show. At the end we all participated in yarning circle where students were able to ask personalised questions and fill in their workbook.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience that gave us engaging learning experiences that helped us to gain a great insight into indigenous culture and way of life. Thank you to Miss Hargrave for organising the excursion as well as the staff and parent helpers who came along.

News from our P&C President

Air Conditioning Update

We are so excited to announce that the first instalment of air conditioners will commence installation in the September school holidays! This is a huge achievement and on behalf of the entire P&C, I would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support. We are pleased to announce that the demountable classrooms (10 in total) will be air conditioned before the summer heat hits.

School Fete – Save the Date!

Our fete is fast approaching. In the coming weeks you will start to see things popping up with regards to the fete.

It is being held this year on Friday 21st October 2016 from 4pm – 8pm. There is so much being planned including a fireworks finale. We hope to see everyone there.

Uniform Shop

We are in need of a builder/carpenter to quote for some work we need done at our Uniform shop. If you are/know of a registered ABN business who is able to help with some minor changes please ask them to contact Sharon on coomeraspringspresident@gmail.com.

Please note as of the end of this term all 2nd hand uniforms received at the uniform shop will be donated to the school for use.

We will no longer have a 2nd hand uniform rack with items for sale in the uniform shop. You are still able to use the notice board to advertise 2nd hand uniforms or there is a facebook page that has been created by parents of the school –Coomera Springs State School Pre-loved Uniforms which you are able to advertise/buy from.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to speak to Kylie or any of the P&C Executive

P&C Secretary and Next Meeting

We currently have an opening on our executive team for a P&C Secretary. If you would like to be involved in the P&C and would some more information please contact the P&C for more information.

Our next P&C meeting will be held on Wednesday 10th August at 6pm in the staffroom, next to the Resource Centre. We would love to see you there. If you have any questions or would like to assist the P&C in any way, please do not hesitate to contact me at pandcpresident@coomeraspringsss.eq.edu.au.

Sharon Sharp
P&C President

Community Notices

Upper Coomera Physio

What is UC Physio?

UC Physio offer physiotherapy services including musculoskeletal, paediatric, women's health (pre & post-natal), neurological, pre and operative rehabilitation and respiratory conditions. We are able to offer a range of exercise programs that improve and maintain physical strength and function.

Sprains & Strains
Aches & Pains
Sports
Children
Pre & Post Pregnancy
Incontinence
Clinical Pilates
Hydrotherapy
Aqua Bump Classes
Where is UC Physio?

Level 1
21 Coomera Grand Drive
Upper Coomera QLD 4209

We are opposite the trade entrance to Masters in the Coomera Grand Complex

Phone: 55 618 111
Fax: 55 618 344
e-mail: admin@ucphysio.physio

PO Box 327
Upper Coomera QLD 4209

General Physiotherapy

• Musculoskeletal problems
• Spine (Back/Neck)
• Shoulders
• Poor posture
• Sport Injuries
• Pre & Post-Operative Rehab
• Respiratory
• Osteoporosis (vibrodisc)

Women's Health

A Women's Health Physiotherapist will help people with pelvic floor issues (eg. Incontinence, prolapsed), pregnancy discomforts (eg back, pelvic, and leg pain), and post pregnancy issues (eg abdominal separation, mastitis and breastfeeding issues).

Kids Physiotherapy

Babies and children often require specialised assessment and treatment that can't be effectively assessed unless the clinic is specially set up to look at these i.e. developmental delay, movement disorders and neuromuscular conditions.

Workcover, DVA and Third Party

With appropriate referral from your doctor we are able to assess and treat, and report back to your referring doctor.

Clinical Pilates

Clinical Pilates is an excellent way to manage poor posture and ongoing chronic problems. It is especially effective in the hypermobile and post-operative populations. Specific DMA assessment and treatment is also very effective at treating dysautonomia when there is a spinal contribution.

Aquatic Physiotherapy

Aquatic physiotherapy programs can be used for joint pain, gait re-education, strengthening, postural control, fitness and balance. It is suitable for many conditions including muscular dystrophy, arthritis, chronic pain conditions, rehabilitation post injury and post-surgery.

Phone: 07 5561 8111

Gold Coast Health Oral Health (Dental) Services

Please note the Dental Van is no longer at Coomera Springs. To find your nearest van please call 1300 300 850 and to arrange an appointment for your child call:

The Oral Health Client Service Centre
1300 300 850
Monday – Friday 8.00 am – 4.30 pm
Excluding Public Holidays

Child Dental Benefit Schedule Vouchers are accepted. When your child's $1000 cap is reached, there will be no out-of-pocket expenses provided your child meets *eligibility criteria.

* Eligibility – All Queensland resident children aged four years or older who have not completed year 10 of secondary school.

Junction Café

Junction Café is located in Coomera Square shopping centre. We are open for breakfast, lunch and Thursday night for dinner.

Open from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm 7 days
Thursday from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm

Plenty of room for mums to come in with pushchairs and enjoy a coffee while the kids plays at their own little table.

We are looking at hosting small cooking demonstrations on a week day morning with our Chef utilising pantry staples with a few simple chef twists. Afterwards there will be a Q&A with the Chef over a coffee or tea for those that are interested please phone 5580 0060.

Our menu has the good ol' classics for breakfast with some added favourites, like, overnight oats, omelettes, lifestyle choice and the iconic hash stack. This runs all day

Lunch has a street food vibe, which has bagel burgers, soft shell tacos, street wings, Thai salad, BLT and a lot of mouth-watering favourites to offer.

We also offer fresh made to order sandwiches, wraps, Devonshire teas, toasted sandwiches and a few gluten free alternatives, to name a few.

Our Devonshire teas and ham, cheese, tomato toasted sandwiches are on a permanent special at $5.00.

We are a Pay it Forward café. So what does this mean? We collectively pool tips and donations, which are topped up from sales. This is given back to the community by way of tokens. These can be exchanged for a meal or drink for those that are finding it a little tuff.

We also host morning tea and scones for residents of the local aged care facilities with the Pay it Forward programme.

Follow us on Facebook:

Follow us on Instagram: #junctionatcoomera

Coomera Cubs Baseball Club

Gold Coast Lego Brick event

The Gold Coast Brick Event will be at the new Gold Coast Event Centre at the Racecourse on the 17 & 18 September will be a fantastic event for all ages with over 30 dioramas and LEGO exhibits, LEGO play areas and much more. This is an event not to be missed.

Choose how to add this event to your calendar:

Apple Calendar iPhone, iPad, Mac - Download .ics file

Outlook Desktop Outlook - Download .ics file

Android Calendar Android devices - Download .ics file

Other Calendar Google Calendar, Yahoo, etc. - Download .ics file

Download Event