2 February 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to the 2018 school year. We have experienced an incredibly smooth, if not hot, start to the year. We were very excited to welcome 900 students to Coomera Springs and get everyone settled into classrooms. This year we have welcomed over 130 new prep students as well.

Each year every Education Queensland school submits their active enrolments to Central Office on days 4 and 8. It is on the basis of these numbers that staffing is determined for each school. At times, schools can either lose or gain a teacher, or hopefully maintain what is in place.

At this time, we also re-evaluate class numbers and ensure that we are meeting the required ratio and the spread of students is as even as it can be. Any students who have had to make a move in this process have had this message communicated to families. Whilst it can be frustrating to make a change, this is part of the overall process and we work professionally and supportively in managing this.

Our whole school newsletter comes out each fortnight on even weeks, so please take the time to read all of the information made available to you and keep an eye on all of the important dates.

BEFORE SCHOOL PROCEDURES

If your child arrives to school before 8.30am and is unaccompanied by an adult, they need to make their way to the under covered area near the tuckshop. Supervision is provided from 8.15am. Students are not able to wander around the school or wait near their classrooms.

If your child is accompanied by an adult, they need to wait with you and cannot play on the adventure playgrounds during this time.

DIGITAL LEARNING AT COOMERA SPRINGS

Coomera Springs State School has a very extensive ICT program, and our 1:1 program has evolved significantly over the past 5 years. We work diligently in developing the digital citizenship of our students, and fortunately Education Queensland has very strong filters that block any suspect sites and applications.

But I know that as a parent, this can be a daunting job on ensuring that our children stay digitally safe and do not experience and/or join in with cyber bullying. Each newsletter, I will endeavour to share pertinent articles with our community over a range of issues. This week I will share a fantastic insight on how you as parents can work with your child in navigating the digital world.

Staying Relevant in a Digital World – by Martine Oglethorpe (taken from Parenting Ideas)

As technology continues to advance and our lives become more immersed in everything digital, the challenges faced by parents can often feel overwhelming.

We know that the technology is here to stay and we also know the many benefits that we can reap from the digital world. There are amazing ways we can connect and collaborate, raise awareness, create, learn and share. We are also frequently made well aware of the dangers and pitfalls of this connected world. We hear often about the predators, the seedier side, the gaming obsessions, the screen-time addictions and the cyberbullying.

So how do we ensure that our kids are getting the very best that the technology has to offer whilst avoiding those negative elements?

One of the best ways we can do this as parents is to remain relevant. But how do we stay relevant in a world that seems to move so fast? In a world where our kids already seem to know so much?

It starts by taking the time to get to know the world your children are growing up in and work to understand the challenges they face. Because kids do face challenges and they will make mistakes. We need to ensure that those mistakes are ones they can learn from and aren’t life changing.

BE THE WISE ONES

Well they may well have a lot of knowledge when it comes to all things technical. But they are not necessarily wise like us. Now I use the word ‘us’ very loosely here in referring to the adult population, because anyone who has spent any time online knows there are many adults who are not wise. But generally speaking, adults have a lot more understanding of the intricacies of interactions, relationships and the complexities of human behaviours than kids do. Our kids are interacting and connecting with others in a world that is often beyond what they are developmentally and emotionally ready for. We need to help them with that.

PLAY AND INTERACT

Sure we all love the lure of an iPad to ensure we can finish our coffee whilst it’s hot or get the dinner cooked uninterrupted. But if we also take the time to play and interact with our kids and their devices, we get a different perspective about what they enjoy. We get the bonus of the interactive element as well as time to bond and enjoy something together. We also put ourselves in a much better position to set relevant boundaries and help them understand those boundaries.

LISTEN TO OTHERS AND LISTEN TO YOUR CHILD

If your friend’s child is playing a game, has an account on social media or enjoys certain websites, then there is a good chance your child does too. Just as we would play at the park or hang out at the milk bar when our friends were young, so too our kids will hang out where their mates are playing. So listen to those parents in the playground. Listen in to which popular apps and games are spoken about in the media. Listen to your child. Ask them what they like to do. Ask them about their concerns or their challenges. You may never keep up with every single app or site that your child visits, but if you have a good understanding of the way kids are using technology and the sorts of things the technology is capable of, then you are in a much better position to help them use it safely and smartly.

BE OPEN AND HONEST ABOUT WHAT IS OUT THERE

Whilst there are times we certainly lament the passing of the good old days where screens, and social media were not such an integral part of our lives, we cannot afford to be in denial about the role technology is and will continue to play in the lives of our children. So rather than shut it down and try to avoid it, we need to be ready to have conversations that we may prefer not to have.

So seek out knowledge, interact, talk to your kids and put yourself in the best position to remain relevant to your child’s world. Be the one they come to should things go wrong. Be the one they come to, to share the positive experiences they have online.

Our role as parents is not to shut down the accounts and take away the screens, but rather to ensure we are giving them the skills, the understanding and the thinking to make the very best decisions every time they go online.

CHOOSE KIND

Bulling, cyberbullying and the very sad outcomes of this have been over the media these last few weeks. This is a very real issue for our children and one that all of us need to be active in.

Just like the article above, it starts with us as parents. Our children learn from our behaviours, our words, our actions and interactions. They see and soak up a lot.

I recently read that 1 in 5 children/teenagers will experience cyberbullying. Which can be relentless in a world where our children cannot switch off.

At Coomera Springs we are a Positive Behaviour for Learning School. You can find our School’s Responsible Behaviour Plan on our school website. At time of enrolment you sign to agree to this document. We focus on explicitly teaching the positives and both rewarding and celebrating this behaviour.

When required, there is also a pathway for dealing with behaviour infringements. These matters are always discussed with parents.

You may have heard of #choosekind. It’s a simple philosophy of essentially finding the good, being positive and actively making the decision to choose kind and enact this choice.

What do you do each day to #choosekind? How do you actively model #choosekind to your child? How do you #choosekind for yourself?

Why don’t you take this challenge on and make it your daily act to #choosekind!

Exposing Kids to Challenges Helps Prevent Anxiety in Later Life – By Michael Grose (taken from Parenting Ideas)

Two important Australian studies released recently support what teachers and mental health experts have been saying for some time: that exposing kids to safe challenges in childhood promotes resilience and better mental health in later life.

The results of a study into children’s wellbeing by mental health organisation beyondblue found young people who were able to talk about their emotions and who were exposed to failure and loss at a young age are better equipped to deal with a variety of challenges as they grow.

Similarly, findings of a Macquarie University long-term study into children’s mental health found that children who were exposed to safe risks were happier, less anxious and more able to handle everyday problems such as rejection, teasing and failure.

Both studies point to the need for children to experience failure, to be involved in play with peers and to be encouraged to face their fears rather than avoid them. With one in six Australian children and teenagers experiencing anxiety on a regular basis it’s essential that kids of all ages are provided with the skills and experiences they need to develop mental resilience. Let’s kick off this process with the following five strategies:

1. Encourage kids to spend more time with other children
   When children spend more time among themselves they rely less on adults to solve problems for them. In fact, when kids play among themselves they take on the authority of adults in their absence. They negotiate about what and how to play. They will often make up the rules of their games, modifying them as they go along and challenging other children’s interpretations. “You’re not playing by the rules” is a common childhood retort, but the important thing to remember is that, left to their own devices, kids will generally resolve such conflict situations more creatively and with more finality than if adults become involved.
2. Help children be good losers and gracious winners
   In recent years there’s been an aversion to exposing kids to losing, particularly when it comes to the sporting field. Some codes, in an effort to improve the participatory experience for kids, don’t keep scores and give prizes for participation rather than achievement. However, these practices prevent kids from experiencing both the resilience-building disappointment that comes with a loss and the confidence-building satisfaction that comes from winning. More significantly, they prevent kids from refining the art of being good losers and gracious winners, both important skills to learn for future development.
3. Encourage kids to talk about emotions and feelings
   It’s important that children become comfortable with unpleasant feelings such as disappointment, fear and nervousness rather than be debilitated by them. We need to allow children to experience events that lead to unpleasant emotions. We also need to feel comfortable ourselves with our children’s unpleasant feelings. Enabling children to verbalise their unpleasant feelings helps them process and make sense of their emotions. Healthy families and safe classrooms work on the principal that there’s nothing so bad that we can’t talk about it in the right way, but that there are behaviours we won’t tolerate.
4. Model calm and rational thinking
   High emotions are very contagious. When a child is angry, fearful or upset we can easily feel the same way. It’s vital that we manage the ways that we react to our child’s emotions so that we can provide an effective, empathetic response. The best way to manage our own reactivity when kids are upset is through breathing. Taking a breath gives us a moment to regain control and remain calm. We can then ask questions and logically think our way through the situation rather than catastrophising and letting our thoughts run amok. Adults who model calm, thoughtful behaviours in the face of stress show children and teenagers how to respond in safe, effective ways to stressful situations rather than reacting at an emotional level.
5. Encourage children to become independent problem solvers
   When adults solve problems for children and young people, we not only increase their dependency on us but we teach them to be afraid of making mistakes and to blame themselves for not being good enough. That’s fertile ground for anxiety and depressive illness. When your child brings a routine problem to you and expects you to solve it (such as leaving lunch at home or sorting out a friendship dispute), step back and invite them to resolve the problem for themselves instead. We don’t want to deter kids from coming to us for advice when they have a difficulty, but we do want to encourage them and teach them to work through their concerns themselves.

Stepping back and allowing children and teenagers to experience many of life’s challenges, whether social, academic or physical, can be a difficult thing to do for well-meaning adults. However, part of growing up means that children and young people need to develop the skills and aptitude they will need to manage a range of challenging situations well after they have left the safe confines of school and family.

As the research is telling us, the best way for them to do this is to allow our kids to navigate their challenges by themselves, surrounded by supportive, rather then over-protective, adults.

FEEDBACK FRIDAY

At the end of 2017 I mentioned that we will be bringing back Feedback Friday sessions. This was the article I wrote:

Feedback Friday Sessions are making a comeback in 2018. In the past, we have invited parents in to have an informal conversation about different matters involving school life. These conversations form part of gathering feedback and thoughts on how we can strengthen those imperative links between home and school. The topics will be focussed around important aspects of school life. Whilst there will always be an open invitation, I will also be sending home some personal invitations to families to join me for a coffee and chat. Don’t panic if you receive one of these, it’s an informal process, but an invaluable process. We will be looking to host a minimum of two sessions per term. Really exciting times ahead in continuing to move our school forward.

The first Feedback Friday session will be held on Friday 9th February at 2.15pm. We will hold this at Ellie’s Café and we will be chatting about the School’s Responsible Behaviour Plan. This term we are reviewing this document and it will be great to have your input to this review. We look forward to having you join us.

Have a wonderful week!

Kind Regards
Martine Gill
Principal

SAFER INTERNET DAY

This year's Safer Internet Day (SID) celebrations will take place on Tuesday, 6 February 2018. The 2018 theme, "Create, Connect and Share Respect: A better internet starts with you" is a call to action for every stakeholder to play their part in creating a better internet for everyone, in particular the youngest users out there.

Classes at Coomera Springs State School will engage in activities to increase our student’s ability to be respectful online participants that operate in a safe manner. If you would like to work with your child to further strengthen these skills please access the below links.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP INDUCTION

Over the past fortnight our Year 4 to 6 classes have completed the election process to elect their Student Council Representatives. I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to all students who were brave enough to ‘throw their hat in the ring’. Regardless of the outcome of the voting, their desire to lead and represent others is a testament to their commitment to our school community and being the best version of themselves. I would also like to extend my congratulations to all successful candidates. We will acknowledge their achievement along with the 2018 School Leaders and Sports Leaders formally on Wednesday 14th of February 2018 at 11:30am in the Hall for the Student Leadership Badge Ceremony.

Ben Morris
Deputy Principal

YEAR 6 SENIOR SHIRTS

This fortnight our Year 6 cohort have voted and decided upon the design of the 2018 Year 6 Senior Shirt. They are currently trying on sample shirts so they know the sizing they will use when ordering the shirt when the note and order form go home. Please return this form by or before the date outlined on the form to ensure the order gets to the supplier in a timely fashion. Orders after that date will not be able to be filled.

iPAD TIPS N HINTS

As we have a considerable number of family owned devices travelling to and from school each day we thought it may be helpful to offer some hints and tips with the device safety, security and operation.

• Have your child keep their device in their school bag or carry case when they are travelling to and from school.
• Schedule a specific day or time for your child to clean their device-
• Cleaning guidelines: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204172
• Remind your child that they are not to utilise Facetime or imessage while at school. If they are required to contact you they must go to the office and speak to the office ladies.

ATTENDANCE – EVERY DAY COUNTS

All schools in Queensland are committed to providing safe and supportive learning environments for all students to address their educational needs.

Research shows that in Queensland, higher student attendance is associated, on average, with higher student achievement. Additionally, attending school every day helps children to build social and emotional skills such as communication, teamwork and resilience. Attendance means not only attending school every day, but also arriving at school on time and remaining at school for the entire day.

From our close observations, students who are continually late, often become anxious about walking into a class that is already settled, hence creating a situation where the student would rather not come to school. The risk of missing instructions for core lessons is high and there is often disruption to other students’ learning and settlement when a student enters the class late.

Under the law, you must make sure your child is enrolled and attends school on all school days unless there is a reasonable excuse. Schools are mandated to monitor attendance of students and follow up with parents and caregivers any unexplained absences.

Coomera Springs State School is committed to promoting the key messages of the Queensland State-wide initiative Every Day Counts which promotes four key messages:

• All children should be enrolled at school and attend school every day.
• Schools should monitor, communicate and implement strategies to improve school attendance
• Truanting can place a student in unsafe situations and impact on their future employability and life choices
• Attendance at school is the responsibility of everyone in the community

HoSES NEWS

A very warm welcome back to school to all our families for the commencement of Term 1, 2018.

We hope you have had a restful break and ready for another fabulous year.

Our SEP team for 2018 is as follows;

Prep, Grade 1/2: Connie McLean
Grade 2/3/4: Sandra Button
Grade 4/5: Charmaine Jeffrey
Grade 6: Linda Miranda (Mon-Wed)

All of our wonderful teacher aides, Vicky Giles, Kylie King, Janine Mare, Rebecca Mulheran and Lena Diaz will continue to work alongside and support our students in class and on the playground.

With the support of our SEP teachers and teacher aides, our students have been settling into their new class routines and getting to know their new classmates. It has been wonderful to see their smiling faces and hearing about their exciting holiday adventures.

Activity Zone is open again this year in the mornings from 8:10am to support our students in the SEP. Students will have access to fine motor, construction and/or social skill activities. It is supervised by our wonderful teacher aides.

If you have any questions, please either contact your child’s case manager or myself.

Connie McLean
Head of Special Education Services

PE News

Music News

CLASSROOM MUSIC NEWS

Music classes began this week, and we are looking forward to next week, when we will hold sign-ups for our Performance Groups for 2018. We welcome a new Classroom Music Teacher, Mr Kieran Lewerissa, who comes into Music after teaching our Year 4 COE class last year. Mr Lewerissa will be teaching Classroom Music to Year 2, 3, 4, 5 and Year 5 COE Music Class (Monday, Tuesday Wednesday, and Friday). Mrs Murray will teach Prep, Year 1, 5, 6 and Year 4 & 5 COE Music classes, and coordinate the Instrumental Music Program (Monday to Friday).

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC NEWS

Our Band and Strings students had the opportunity to “touch base” with their Instrumental teachers this week, to ensure everyone is prepared for a fantastic year of music making. Timetabled Lessons will begin in Week 3. Please return your contracts and SRS payment forms promptly and make the necessary arrangements for payment of your Instrumental Music Levies when you receive your invoice. This year we welcome a new Strings Teacher (Miss Stephanie Williams) at CSSS on Monday afternoons (Intermediate Strings) and Wednesdays (Beginner and Senior Strings), and our Band Teacher (Mrs Alana Russell) is at CSSS on Thursdays. Please check your timetables for lesson and rehearsal times.

MUSIC SHIRTS

Our performing ensembles look amazing in their Music Shirts. If your child is in Band, Strings or Choir now is the time to order your Music Shirt for 2018 – available from the uniform shop for $28. Music Shirts can also be worn to school on Thursdays this year.

UNIFORM SHOP

The Uniform Shop is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8.15am – 9.00am. Payment methods accepted include Eftpos and Credit Card.

Once your child is enrolled, orders can be placed via FlexiSchools www.flexischools.com.au

TUCKSHOP

We are excited to be back this year with our newly renovated Tuckshop and new Café Menu.

We are opened from 7.30am until 3:00pm for all your breakfast and lunch needs. Coming in week 3 we will start our home meal orders. We cannot wait for you to taste some of our delicious fresh home made meals and for the price of $15 to feed a family of 4 we think it’s a great bargain.

Keep an eye out for more information!

FRANKIE’S TUCKSHOP MENU

The tuckshop is open Monday - Friday and offers a range of healthy choice options, please refer to our Tuckshop Menu for more information.

Orders can be placed at the tuckshop between 8.15am - 8.40am or online via FlexiSchools

BINGO! – 23RD FEBRUARY

Ready to Bingo! Book a table of 8 to get a free platter. $1000 and $500 Jackpot up for grabs. A huge thank you to LJ Hooker Coomera City for the $1000 jackpot sponsorship. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

These tables book out fast so make sure you get in quick!

For bookings contact the ladies at the Tuckshop or email Sharon Sharp coomeraspringspresident@gmail.com

COLOUR RUN – 23RD MARCH

Our colour run is coming up towards the end of term and is a great way to finish term 1! Awesome new prizes and online portal to order! Your sponsorship forms will be coming home soon. Minimum $2 sponsorship (donation) to participate in the colour run.

P&C NEWS

AIR CONDITIONING UPDATE

As you know we are madly fundraising for air conditioning and yours and our efforts have not gone unnoticed. We are organising the next install to be completed over the next school holidays. We hope that if we can get on board with as many parent helpers for our fete in October we will raise enough money to complete the 3rd install in one of our 2 story blocks at the end of the year.

We appreciate all the fundraising contributed by our parents and friends and would not be able to do this without your support. If anyone would like more information or want to know how they can help, please feel free to drop me a line.

NEXT P&C MEETING

Our next P&C meeting is being held on Wednesday 14th February 2018 at 3.15pm in the Teachers Room next to the Library. We look forward to seeing parents at these meetings. We hope to see you there.

Sharon Sharp
P&C President
coomeraspringspresident@gmail.com

SCHOOL TERMS 2018

School Term for 2018 are as follows;

SCHOOL DIRECTORY

ARE YOU SUBSCRIBED TO OUR NEWSLETTER?

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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)

COMMUNITY NOTICES

UC PHYSIO

UC Physio offers physiotherapy services including musculoskeletal, paediatric

(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), 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.

Level 1, 21 Coomera Grand Drive, Upper Coomera QLD 4209
Phone: 55 618 111 Fax: 55 618 344
Email: admin@ucphysio.physio

GOLD COAST HEALTH ORAL HEALTH (DENTAL) SERVICES

Please note: The dental van is no longer at CSSS, you will need to phone the Oral Health Client Service Centre # 1300 300 850 to make a time to receive a free dental check-up & any follow up treatment required.

To arrange an appointment for your child telephone:

The Oral Health Client Service Centre

Number: 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 and must be eligible to receive Medicare benefits.

Further information on public funded oral health services can be accessed via the link below.

The Mobile Dental Clinic will be returning to Coomera Springs State School the week commencing 4 June 2018 , please refer to the attached Oral Health Service Provision Schedule for further details

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