10 August 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

How great is our weather of late? You would easily be forgiven for thinking we have slipped into an early spring. Still some chilly mornings, but they open up to some great blue sky.

We have had so much going on around our school these past two weeks and a lot ahead of us. So keep reading your emails, checking the calendar and newsletter.

Outstanding School Review

Our reports are in and I have had the Executive Summary uploaded onto our school website for your reference, but also have included this in the newsletter.

After spending three days in our school, our three external reviewers interviewed a total of 42 teachers, all teacher aides, 3 cleaners, 43 parents and 78 students. As I mentioned in our previous newsletter, the summary provided on the exit interview was extremely positive and all three reviewers gave overwhelmingly positive feedback to the school.

The purpose of the review is to also provide the school with recommendations to be considered in developing our 4 year strategic plan.

Please take the time to read the attached Executive Summary and take time to feel proud to be a part of this wonderful school community.

Music is in the Air

Our students have been incredibly busy rehearsing for a myriad of performances at recent eisteddfods at both Beenleigh and the Gold Coast, along with the mammoth production of our Musical Showcase Evening.

Their efforts are to be praised and highly so. This year, under wonderful tutelage, our Senior Strings Students placed FIRST at the Beenleigh Eisteddfod, our Junior Choir placed FIRST at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod and our Senior Showcase Choir received a Highly Commended Award at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod. As I am writing this, we still have several performances to happen over the coming weeks, and I wish all of our students the best of luck.

We also held our Musical Showcase Evening last week and what a night of talent. A number of years ago, we introduced into our school signature programs the Centre of Excellence Music Class, and we also committed to putting on school musicals and talent shows.

To see how far our music program has progressed over this time is nothing short of a dream. Our teachers work incredibly hard to make these moments happen, and I know our students are learning so many life lessons in this process. So again, thank you to all involved, including our parents who have to keep encouraging the rehearsals at home.

Book Week is Coming

We will be celebrating Book Week from the 20th – 27th August and that means it is also time for our wonderful BOOK CHARACTER PARADE.

This parade will be held on Wednesday 22nd August and I know that many of our classes are already working on their costumes. We hope that as many of our parents can come along and enjoy the fun!

Before School Supervision

At Coomera Springs we have a number of processes in place for before school supervision. Lately, we have had some parents ask if their child can be collected by another parent from the undercovered area before school and go and sit with them. Unfortunately, this is not a practice that we allow at school. There are quite a number of reasons, but safety is right up there. This practice could result in a significant number of students being in different areas around the school and the potential for accidents is too high a risk.

So, if your children arrive to school prior to 8.35am, and they are not accompanied by a parent/carer, they need to make their way to the undercovered area for supervision. When in this area, they will not be released to the care of someone else.

Parenting Kids Who Want to be the Boss

Parent Article by Michael Grose

If you are locked in a power struggle with a child or youngster, then you’ll be forever battling to get some cooperation unless you make some adjustments. The coercive approach won’t cut it as they’ll refuse outright, or just dawdle along on their own terms.

Any of these situations sound familiar?

You are trying to get a child to do something and they just won’t play your game. Your request for help is met with an excuse, or worse, an argument. Reminders about bedtime are met with a defiant, ‘NO!’ or worse – dawdling. “I’ll go to bed later,” is the response from some children. It’s infuriating!

Most families will have at least one child who insists on getting their way and doesn’t like to be told what to do. I call them, ‘Make me’ kids because everything about their demeanour at times wants you to ‘Make them’ do what they’re told. These kids value power and don’t shy away from a fight.

Some kids refuse to cooperate when the tone and language of coercion is used. These kids value control and want autonomy, so you need to communicate in a way that doesn’t trigger their need to wrest control from you.

Avoiding power struggles

Power struggles between parents and children are common. Often, “Because I said so” becomes more important than the issue we are fighting or arguing over.

The key reason for this battle of wills between parents and difficult kids fundamentally comes from a desire for control. 
If you are locked in a power struggle with a child then you will forever be battling with them for cooperation unless you take a different track with them.

Forget the “Do this and do it now!” approach with these kids.

It may have cut it in the past and it may be effective with ‘Well-behaved’ kids, but it doesn’t cut it these days, particularly with kids who want to be the boss.

These kids refuse to cooperate when the tone and language of coercion is used. These kids value control and want autonomy, so you need to communicate in a way that doesn’t trigger their need to wrest control from you.

Such kids respond well to the language of cooperation, which involves giving them a choice, and is more about asking for help than demanding compliance. You don’t have to grovel, but you do need to watch your language with these little power-seekers and remember that cooperation is won, not demanded!

Taking a different approach

Here are some strategies that will increase the likelihood of getting cooperation from kids who like to be the ‘Boss’:

1. Don’t fight over every issue: Cut the little ‘Boss’ some slack and let them make some decisions themselves. If you want a say in every area of their lives then you’ll soon find yourself locked in power struggles over relatively inconsequential issues like clothing, bedroom tidiness and food. For instance, if a young child doesn’t want to wear a jumper in winter then so be it. There are bigger parenting fish to fry! I see parents exhaust themselves over minor battles so that when big issues come up, they just give in!
2. Tell them what you will do: Most of us tell kids what to do, which they promptly ignore. It’s far better to tell them what action YOU will take. This subtle shift in language has a huge impact in terms of getting some cooperation from ‘Make me’ kids. 
Next time you want to tell you child what to do, catch yourself. Instead, tell them what you are going to do. 
Here’s some examples: “I’ll serve ice cream when you are seated at the table.” 
“I’ll listen to you when you have calmed down.” 
“I’ll drive when you are quiet.” 
Get into the habit of focusing on what you will do, rather than on what they should do and you’ll start to see a shift in terms of getting cooperative behaviour almost immediately.
3. Let consequences work their magic: Of course, you need to stop nagging kids about their behaviours and allow them to experience the consequences of some of their poor choices. This removes you from the power struggle and let experience be their teacher.

Power-hungry or bossy kids challenge parents who are authoritarian by nature, or who were raised in very authoritarian ways. These kids need smarter handling if we are going to get cooperation from them. They are often referred to as stubborn, disobedient, pig-headed and argumentative. The flip side is that they can be strong-willed, assertive and determined individuals.

Either way they can present difficulties to us as parents as we manage them on a day-to-day basis, particularly when they directly challenge us. But with a little change in parenting style, they can grow into wonderful kids who are confident in their abilities and comfortable making independent decisions.

Kind Regards
Martine Gill
Principal

Born to Read – 18th September

Born to Read is Coming!!!!! Mark your calendar and get ready to celebrate READING!!!!!

Coomera Springs State School, is organising a massive ‘Born to Read’ afternoon to promote the importance of reading and celebrate those who love to read. The afternoon will be held on Tuesday 18th September 2018, beginning in classes at 2:15pm at Coomera Springs State School. It is set to be the biggest celebration of reading at Coomera Springs yet. Make sure you don’t miss the fun, mark the date in your calendar now and prepare to have a blast. During the afternoon go into the draw for amazing raffle prizes, jump on the jumping castle, read with GCCC Library and be entertained by the main stage and Rebel FM. It is set to be an awesome afternoon, we look forward to seeing you there.

Is your business interested in being involved with BORN TO READ?

We are delighted to offer you the opportunity to choose how you would like to be part of our celebrations. There are a number of ways you can select to become part of the event. You may choose to:

• Enjoy the stalls and activities as a general member of the public
• Be a financial sponsor (be included in our physical promotion and social media promotion campaign)
• Set up a stall at the event
• Hold a demonstration on the main stage
• Have your business contribute items to our raffle.

If you are interested in offering sponsorship, contributing to our raffles and/or setting up a stall please email bmorr133@eq.edu.au or contact the school office to speak to Deputy Principal Ben Morris.

Cybersafety Team Visit

On Tuesday 7th August, all Year 4, 5 and 6 students attended cybersafety sessions to further develop their understanding of safe online behaviours and acknowledge what it takes to be a positive online citizen. Thank you Bridget and the Cybersafety Team, your messages are extremely important in our heavy digital culture.

Join the Dots with Bravehearts and the Queensland Family and Child Commission

Have you and your young ones checked out the Join the Dots online reporting tool yet? Join the Dots is keeping our young people safe online, allowing kids to report suspicious behaviour which may be making them feel unsafe. The information provided by kids is assessed by Bravehearts and then if required, anonymously reported to the Queensland Police Services for investigation. If your young ones are often online, help them become familiar with Join the Dots and encourage them to report any behaviour they (or their friends) might be worried about. Together we can help keep our kids safe from harm.

National Science Week- Pop-Up Science Centre

What - Pop-Up Science Centre
Where - Night Quarter – Helensvale
When - 11am to 3pm, 19th August 2018
How much - Free

To celebrate National Science Week 2018, Education Queensland, The Department of Education and Training- South East Region and Griffith University will host the 4th annual Gold Coast Schools Pop-up Science Centre, showcasing STEM in South East regional schools.

The 4th annual Pop-Up Science Centre will be our grand finale event for 2018's National Science Week!

Want to know what a science centre would look like on the Gold Coast? Come along for a day filled with the Coast's very best hands-on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) activities, demonstrations, science shows and special guests.

To celebrate National Science Week 2018, Education Queensland and Griffith University will host the fourth Gold Coast Schools' Pop-up Science Centre, showcasing science in the South East Region.

Last year's event was a huge success, with over 5000 members of the public attending the four-hour event and we look forward to making the Gold Coast Schools Pop-up Science Centre even bigger and better for you in 2018.

Open to all ages and FREE ENTRY!

For more information please contact: Randall Hall rhall23@eq.edu.au Ph: 5552 7627

We look forward to you being part of this outstanding opportunity to showcase STEM education in South East Queensland!

Year 6 Camp – 13th - 17th August 2018

Our Year 6 students are busily preparing and readying themselves for their school camp to Tallebudgera Beach School. Over the course of the 5 days they will be participating in a number of teambuilding and healthy living activities including:

• Surf Awareness
• Burleigh Mountain Walk
• Sustainable practise to protect the environment
• Indigenous perspectives
• Beach Challenges
• Tobogganing
• Canoeing

We wish our students the best of luck and look forward to seeing them grow throughout the week as they develop resilience and overcome the many challenges they will encounter in their time at The Beach School.

A few things to remember for our students staying at The Beach School:

• Refer to the provided packing guide when preparing for camp
• Return medical forms ASAP if not already done so
• Students are to wear their Year 6 shirts on the Monday of camp
• Medication to be provided to teachers first thing Monday camp morning

School Opinion Survey

Parents/Caregivers, school staff and a random sample of students are encouraged to have their say in this year’s suite of School Opinion Surveys by providing their opinions about what this school does well and how this school can improve. Each of the online surveys will open until Friday, 24th August 2018.

Access details for the Parent/Caregiver Survey have been sent home with students. The survey can be completed via computers, tablets or smart phones with internet connection.

If you haven’t received any survey access details by the end of this week, please contact Petrina Lewis at plewi27@eq.edu.au.

Coomera Springs State School- Reading Competition

Coomera Springs State School is holding their inaugural Reading Competition. This competition promotes the importance of reading and celebrates all those who love to read. The competition will be held during Week 7, Term 3, with a specific date to be advised. Students have signed up to lunch time workshops to improve their reading fluency and expression in order to read confidently in front of an audience. There will be three place getters across each year level, with the winner of each year level being invited to read at ‘Born to Read’, our school’s annual celebration of Reading.

The student workshops are Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30am in the 3E classroom. Teachers have encouraged students to bring along the text they would like to read on a piece of paper. This is so teachers can work with the students to physically highlight parts of the text to remind them to use more expression or do an action to increase engagement.

The students have engaged extremely well in the workshops so far and it has been fantastic to see a variety of ages attending. The students also provide each other with feedback, this supports a collaborative and positive atmosphere during the workshops.

PE Department News

Gala Sports Day - Tuesday 4th September – Years 4, 5, 6

This term students from years four, five and six have chosen which sport they would like to play for Gala Sports Day – soccer, touch football and tee ball. Students will play against Park Lake SS and Highland Reserve SS.

Students will need to wear: their school sports uniform, hat, sunscreen and running shoes – NO Football boots.

Students will need to bring: two water bottles, packed lunch and morning tea – NO TUCKSHOP facilities are available. They may also bring a towel to sit on while they are eating or resting.

If your child’s contact details or medical condition has changed since term two, please contact your child’s teacher ASAP.

Broadwater District Athletics – 21st August and 22nd August

From the results of our School Athletics Carnival last term, the following students have qualified to compete at the Broadwater District Athletics Trials. The competition will be held over two days at the Gold Coast City Athletics Centre, Griffith University.

We wish these students GOOD LUCK!

Mrs Hodder
PE Teacher and Sports Coordinator

Music Department News

Date Claimer – Music Coe Class (Year 4, 2019) Parent Information Session

We will be holding a Parent Information Session for parents of our current Year 3 students who are interested in applying to be a part of our Music Centre of Excellence (COE) class for Year 4 and beyond.

The Parent Information Session will be held in the Music Room 3.30-4pm on Tuesday 28th August. If you are unable to attend the meeting but would like further information about applying for the Music COE please email Mrs Alison Murray amurr51@eq.edu.au

Music Showcase Evening

What a wonderful night of entertainment we had last Wednesday! The students impressed everyone with their behaviour and musical playing, and it was evident that many students had put in some extra practice – well done!

Thanks to our staff, the tuckshop and P & C helpers for all their help on the night, it was greatly appreciated.

Term 3 Eisteddfod Performances

Congratulations to our Junior Choir and Senior Showcase Choir who performed at the Eisteddfod this week – well done everyone, you looked and sounded fantastic. Special thanks to Mr Lewerissa and Mrs Eckford, for all their help with rehearsing the Choirs, and to Ms Talbot for making the wonderful masks worn by the Senior Showcase Choir. Our Senior Showcase Choir received a Highly Commended Award – well done. Special congratulations to our Junior Choir who received FIRST PLACE in the Prep – YR 2 choir category! It was an amazing performance, and we are very proud of all of you!

Please take note of the dates and times for our remaining group performances at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod. The times shown below are either section start times or the time we have been asked to arrive by – it is impossible to predict exactly how long the sections will go or what time our students will be on stage.

Tuesday 14th August – Intermediate Strings at HOTA (9am start time)
Monday 20th August – Junior Band at HOTA (9am start time)
Tuesday 21st August – Drumline at HOTA (2.30pm start time)
Thursday 23rd August – Senior Band at HOTA (6pm start time)

Alison Murray
Music Coordinator

P&C News

P&C Meeting

Our next P&C meeting will be held on Wednesday 12th September, at 3:15pm in the resource centre next to the library.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Raffle Tickets

Raffle tickets are due back on Monday 13th August. Please return all tickets to the tuckshop.

Sharon Sharp
P&C President

Uniform Shop

The Uniform Shop is open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 8.15am – 9.00am.

Tuckshop

Ellie’s Café

We are open from 7.30am until 3:00pm.

Frankie’s Tuckerbox Menu

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

School Terms for 2018

School Directory

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).

Community Notices

Gold Coast Health Oral Health (Dental) Services

The Mobile Dental Clinic will be servicing Coomera Springs State School from the 7th June until the 4th October. Please refer to the attached Oral Health Service Provision Schedule for further details.

To arrange an appointment for your child, telephone The Oral Health Client Service Centre on

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.

For children to be eligible for free public oral health services they must:

• Be Queensland residents or attend a Queensland school; and,
• Be eligible for Medicare*; and,
• Meet at least one of the following criteria:
  - be aged four years or older and have not completed Year 10; or,
  - be eligible for the Medicare Child Dental Benefits Schedule; or,
  - hold, or be listed as a dependent on, a valid Centrelink concession card

* Eligibility for Medicare includes holders of green or blue Medicare cards but excludes yellow Medicare cards which are issued to visitors from countries with reciprocal health card agreements.

Further information on public funded oral health services can be accessed via URL:

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