Term 2 Week 7 Thursday 31 May 2018 PRINCIPAL'S PAGE

Regional Fanfare Music Competition The Regional Fanfare competition happens every two years. The students compete against a standard, rather than other teams. The standards are Gold, Silver and Bronze, with Gold being the highest standard. Parents are to be commended for their commitment to our music program as they work hard to maintain regular practice at home and attendance at rehearsals. Thank you to the instrumental music teachers, Mrs Helen Hurst, Miss Deb Body and Ms Jemma Losada, who have been supporting students with their learning and rehearsals in preparation for the competition. Thank you to class teachers who have supported students with attending their lessons and rehearsals. Thanks also to Admin staff and teacher aides who have helped with preparations and supervision during the competitions. Congratulations to all our bands and ensembles. The results for the competition are: Senior Strings- Gold Intermediate Strings- Silver Junior Strings- Gold Senior Band-Silver Junior Band-Bronze Our whole school community will have the opportunity to see these performances as well as the school choirs at our Magic of Music night in our Performing Arts Centre on Wednesday 20 June.

Sensory Program Merrimac State School is an inclusive school that embraces diversity. As part of our support for students with special needs, the Special Education Program (HQ) designs programs to support the needs of the children in their care. One of these programs is the ‘Sensory’ program that happens every Friday afternoon for identified students. It is a chance for students to relax and be involved in a variety of hands on activities which cater for a range of sensory experiences.

The Special Education Team has accessed a workshop to support our families with students that may be identified with anxiety, behaviour or other needs that put pressure on families. Merrimac is hosting a “Coping with the Tough Stuff’ workshop on Wed 13 June 1.30-3pm by wellness presenter, Petris Lapis (see flyer at the end of the newsletter for more information) Please RSVP by8 June for this free opportunity. Term Two Staff Leave The following teaching staff have leave coming up in Term Two:

Dr Pointing 21 May

– 8 June

Ms Hall (A/Princ), Mr Boff (A/DP),

Mrs Conder (A/School Engagement

Officer), Mrs Claudia Buntine (SEP

Teacher)

Mrs Taffs 22 May

– 8 June

Mrs Jan Beggs

Mrs

Patterson

13 -15

June

Ms Sarah Folo

Mr Elliott 25 – 29

June

TBA

Mrs Johns 25 - 29

June

Ms Rachel Goldfinch

Mrs Reid 28 - 29

June

Mrs Powell

Merrimac State School Newsletter

Historical Community Events We often talk about our wonderful community events. Here is what our community was doing in 1920: The annual sports held in Hart’s paddock were wonderful. Everyone entered into the spirit of the day and enjoyed it immensely. Entries were predominantly local and ponies were not trained intensely thus providing humour and good fun. Clive Nielsen’s ‘Goldie’ was an outstanding performer. Maypole dancing by the children provided great colour to the day. A day of sports and bullock riding and camp drafting was held in Wilson’s paddock in conjunction with the Nerang Show Society. The early farmers took great pride in their horses and had them trimmed with great style for the annual show. The ploughing competitions produced great rivalry and teams competed as far away as Murwillumbah with the horses having to be walked all the way. Mr Parr and Mr Tucker were great rivals and on one occasion they could not be separated. Mr Parr was eventually declared the winner after working his team without the use of reins. The horses responded entirely by vocal instruction. Duck shooting attracted many keen shooters and Bert Napper will be long remembered for his exploits in this sport.

Merrimac Community in the 1920’s

2017 Woolworths Earn and Learn Scheme Our students and teachers would like to thank parents and community members for choosing Merrimac State School to receive your Woolworths earn and learn stickers. A range of exciting resources have been purchased with “points” we received. These include:

- Construction kits (Mobilo and Lego) - Science kits (class sets of torches and mirrors) - Games (Upwords) - Literacy (Story Book with interactive doll) - STEM (Makey Makey kits)

Alert-On-line Gaming There is a well-researched and proven link between the behaviour children engage with online, to the behaviour they engage in social situations. Children do not find it easy to distinguish what is acceptable when exposed to high levels of violence, offensive language and violence against women online. These behaviours are then seen when they are interacting and ‘playing’ with their peers. It has come to our notice that many of our primary school children are engaging in this type of game online. Sometimes they are also part of a team environment in programs such as ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘Fortnite’. Both of these games are age restricted to above primary school age. Often if a team member is ‘assassinated’ online, students become angry and the violence carries over in aggression or abuse at school. The offensive language is also normalised as this is how the characters interact and team members talk to each other. Please be aware if older siblings are engaged in these games, they are well away from their younger brothers or sisters.

Teacher Twilight Professional Development Last night, teachers were involved in a ‘Twilight’ Professional Development session where they stayed until 6pm to strengthen their understanding of ‘Reading’. Merrimac’s Improvement Agenda includes a focus on the teaching of Reading. Wendy McKay, a Regional Australian Curriculum Coach, will be supporting teachers to consolidate knowledge about reading routines and practices. Merrimac teachers and the leadership team have been working in this area for the last three years. Teachers’ knowledge of student data, how to analyse this to determine students’ reading goals and then plan and provide targeted teaching has grown exponentially over the past three years. Wendy built on this knowledge and clarified the Region’s

approach to the teaching of Reading. Mrs Boff’s Prep Students

Prep Hearing Screening This week all our Prep students are involved in a screening process for their hearing with specialists from ‘Hear and Say’. Merrimac State School is funding this service as any loss of hearing has detrimental effects on a child’s speech and language development which can lead to learning difficulties. Reports will be sent to the school to be distributed to parents. If there are any issues, a referral will be included in the report so families can follow up.

Students are constructing interesting sentences in Year 2. Mrs Bird and Mrs McCarthy have been taking their year 2 students on an amazing journey of writing. Students have been working hard to improve their writing by adding interesting adjectives and more exciting sentence starters to create paragraphs that are exciting for the reader. Keep up the great writing 2D and 2E!

Canberra Payment Information The 2nd instalment for the Canberra camp is now overdue. Payment will be accepted at the finance window tomorrow, Friday 1st June or as a direct deposit into the school’s bank account, details as follows: Account Name – Merrimac SS Account Number – 00090019 BSB – 064 445 Reference – Student Name/Canberra Year 5 Lightning Carnival The Year 5 Lightning Carnival will be held on Thursday 7 June. These carnivals provide the opportunity for our children to visit our local high schools for a fun day of sports. This is a traditional event for our Mid Coast Community of Schools giving our girls and boys a chance to mix with other neighbouring primary schools and to experience the high school culture.

Year 5 Camp Next week, our Year 5 students head off to camp from 4-6 June at the Runaway Bay Sports and Recreation Centre. I’m sure that they will have a fantastic time. We wish them and all the accompanying staff all the best for the three days. Any Year 5 students who are not attending camp will be assigned to a class and fully supervised at school. From the desk of Ralph and Rosie Merrimac State School Focus of The week Over this past week, the children at Merrimac State School have been examining what resilience is and why it is important to develop. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and keep moving forward when times get tough. In their classes this week, the boys and girls at MSS have been asked to engage in discussions, role plays and class demonstrations on resilience. Congratulations to 2D, 2E and 3B for receiving the Ralph and Rosie Class Award of the Week. 3B received their award for sitting quietly and eating their morning tea. 2D and 2E received their award for keeping their bag racks tidy and lining up perfectly to enter classrooms. Congratulations to all boys and girls for remembering to be Safe, Respectful Learners.

Ralph and Rosie

Merrimac Wildlife When Merrimac Students were suggesting rules for the playground, they said, ‘Be kind to wildlife’. Merrimac School is proud of its beautiful setting and the wildlife that lives amongst us as we are engaged in our learning. With the gorgeous winter

days, we are seeing ‘Ralph and Rosie’ sunning themselves on our paths and enjoying the gardens. Premier’s Reading Challenge Premier's Reading Challenge is on again this year - a great way to encourage reading in your child’s life. The Premier is challenging all students from Prep to Year 6 to read/experience an allocated number of books at their level between 14th May and 24th August. Prep to Year 2 is to read or experience 20 books, Years 3 & 4 are asked to read 20 books and Years 5 & 6 to read 15 books. Most children will probably fulfil these requirements at school alone, perhaps with the exception of the upper school. Please let teachers know if your child/ren would like to participate. Children receive a certificate at the end of the program. Enquiries to Mrs Boff in P3. For further information visit www.education.qld.gov.au/schools/readingchallenge

Term Two Reporting To Parents Report Cards will be emailed home on Wednesday 27 June for all year levels. Please ensure that we have your current email address on record at school. As parent/teacher interviews for Prep to Year 6 were held at the end of Term One, it is expected that there will be few parent requests for interviews. If needed, interviews can be arranged with the class teacher. Children Leaving School at the end of Term Two If your child/children will not be returning to Merrimac for Term Three please notify the school office as soon as possible. We have a number of new enrolments for the start of next term and early notification of students leaving our school will assist with class placement of new students. School Website and QSchools Smartphone App The QSchools app is available to the school community as a free download via the Apple iTunes store and Google Play. Ensure you update regularly to access the latest features. New date for Year 3 Excursion – Mudgeeraba Light Horse Museum The Year 3’s will now visit the Mudgeeraba Light Horse Museum on Thursday, 7th June. Student School Banking Due to a tightening of regulations within the banking industry, and the legal ramifications to both parents and the volunteers involved in the program, we will no longer be able to fill in any missing details in the students bankbooks. ALL details on the slips must be filled in by the student or parent, or we will have to send the book back home with the money still inside. We do appreciate that sometimes you are in rush in the mornings but this is something we have to be strict with. We really appreciate your help in this matter and thank you for your patience over the next few weeks as everyone tries to remember and hopefully no-one has thier book sent home.

We would appreciate any parents/carers that could help out for a couple of hours on our Wednesday banking mornings. Please contact the school office if you can! Prep Enrolments for 2019 This year we currently have 104 Prep students. Prep is an extremely important part of our school. We are already getting inquiries regarding Prep for 2019. In October each year our school holds a morning and evening orientation session for our new families. In November we also hold Prep experience days for our future Prep students. Enrolments for Prep for next year can be made at the school’s office. Parents of Prep students for next year are encouraged to start enrolling their children. Early enrolment allows the school to be better prepared for the 2019 school year. Now that our school has an official enrolment boundary, all families especially those residing outside our catchment area, are encouraged to get their Prep enrolments in as early as possible. All enrolments must include the enrolling students’ Birth Certificate.

Breakfast and Fitness Program The Breakfast/Fitness Programs continues this term, on a Wednesday, for interested Years 3 to 6 students. There are 100 places available. Students need to commit to attending each week from 8.00am to 8.45am to be part of the program. The program will run through till the end of Term Two. I’m sure that Chappie Steve will appreciate any staff and parent help in running this program this year. We certainly appreciate the support from Coles Worongary, Tina Nenadic (Gold Coast Property Sales & Rentals), the P and C Association and the Genesis Church who are ongoing supporters of the Breakfast/Fitness Program allowing us to buy the various breakfast requirements. Parent Fitness (Boot Camp) Program – free for Merrimac Parents Thanks to Tina Nenadic, from Gold Coast Property Sales & Rentals, we are continuing this term with the free fitness program for our parents. Simone Doyle is the fitness instructor who runs the sessions weekly in the MPC/Tennis Court area each Thursday from 1.45pm to 2.45pm. It is completely free. I’m sure that there are many parents who would be interested in being part of this program. Any parents who wish to be involved in the fitness program can contact Tina direct on 0402984898. Simone can only cater up to 20 in the session so please register your interest with Tina as soon as possible. The Parent Fitness has recommenced for the term and will run throughout Term Two. Koala Joeys - Term 2 Koala Joeys is an early years literacy and numeracy oral language program. The program is suitable for children of all ages. As part of our school’s commitment to early years’ development, Koala Joeys will be held at Merrimac State School. The program will run each Friday morning and continue for the term. When: Friday mornings Where: PAC Time: 9.00am – 10.00am

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to the following students of the week: Brax W P1, Gracie A P1, Zakariya G P1M, William D P1M, Chelsea P P2, Jayce G P2, Ruby W P3, Zara W P3, Edmond C P4, Asher D P4, Bryce R 1B, Indigo C 1B, Roman E 1C, Broc Mc 1C, Coco C 1D, Jai R 1D, Aisha S 2A, Dante M 2A, Ayden H 2B, Madison E 2B, Kyce P 2C, Anja B 2C, Leon O 2D, Riley K 2D, Jackson K 2E, Mia J 2E, Allegra L 3A, Demi S 3B, Josie T 3C, Lyla G 3D, Bianca E 3E, Anderson H 4/5M, Elizabeth G 4A, Peyton M 4B, Kaden M 4D, Si T 5/6M, Neva S 5A, Bella H 5B, Kotaro M 5C, Kian T 6A, Ryunosuke N 6B, Jayden R 6C, Mia R 6D

MUSIC NEWS

Term 2 Rehearsal Roster

DAY TIME GROUP

MON 7.45 – 8.45am 3.00 – 4.00pm

SENIOR CHOIR---- Years 4,5,6 SENIOR BAND -----Years 5,6

WED 1.00 – 1.45pm 3.00 – 4.00pm

STAGE BAND ------Years 5,6 JUNIOR BAND ---- Year 4

THURS 8.00 – 8.45am 7.50 – 8.45am 3.00 – 3.40pm

JUNIOR CHOIR --- Years 2,3 INTERMEDIATE STRINGS - Yr 4 SENIOR STRINGS - Years 5,6

FRI 7.50 – 8.45am BEGINNER STRINGS – Year 3

Magic of Music Concert 6.00pm on Wednesday 20th June - Week 10 The Magic of Music Concert is always a very special occasion for our Instrumental and Choir students. It is an exciting opportunity for them to perform and show parents and friends the fruits of their hard practice. Students are required to wear their Music Uniform to the Concert. Music Polo Shirts are currently in the process of being given out. Please ensure your child has long black pants, not tights, black shoes and black socks. Instrumental Lessons at Merrimac Instrumental lessons are offered to students in Years 3,4,5 and 6. Year 3 is Strings only. Recruitment is done in 4th term each year. Any new students who play an instrument and are interested in joining a program must contact the music department.

JAPANESE NEWS

The CHAMPIONSHIPS are here! Language Perfect championships, touted as the largest online languages competition on the planet, started at 4pm on Monday afternoon! This is a great opportunity to learn new vocabulary and a fun way to revise grammar. It’s fast paced, exciting and very competitive. All of our students in

Years 4 to 6 at Merrimac State School are registered to compete in this event. More than 300,000 school students around the world will be participating in a cyber-battle to become the world champion of language. Students earn points for producing correct answers to vocabulary and grammar questions. There are over $100,000 in awards and prizes on offer from Language Perfect as the competition will find the world’s most multilingual country, top languages department and top language student. As well as some great prizes from Language Perfect, we are awarding the student with the most points at Merrimac SS with an iTunes voucher but all students who score over 500 points will receive a Language Perfect Certificate! The class with the most points will win a Pizza Party! This year we are again competing against over 1000 schools worldwide! It’s fast paced, exciting and very competitive. Let’s all participate and compete not only for ourselves but for our class and for our school!!! Are you up for the challenge? Let the Championships begin! Good luck to all Merrimac students and staff! Ganbatte! Marshall Sensei

PE NEWS

Interschool Sport Years 5 and 6 - Ordering Lunch Students who go to Interschool Sport of a Friday, are encouraged to order their main big lunch at Morning Tea time. Students have very little time before the sports buses leave at 12.00pm and they are not allowed to eat on the buses.

INTERSCHOOL SPORTS DRAW FRIDAY 25 MAY Rugby League at Firth Park, Mudgeeraba 5B v St Vincents on Field 2 @ 12.45pm 6B Merrimac Sky v Burleigh on Field 1 @ 12.45pm 6B Merrimac Royal v Elanora on Field 1 @ 1.30pm Netball at Firth Park, Mudgeeraba 6B v Broadbeach on Court 7 @ 1.20pm 6C v Hillcrest on Court 6 @ 1.50pm

Girls Oztag at Marymount College 6A v Marymount on Field 8 @ 1.35pm 6B v St Vincent’s on Field 13 @ 12.45pm Boys & Girls Soccer at Robina Common, Ron Penhaligon Way 6B Boys v Marymount on Field 2B @ 1.35pm 6B Girls v St Vincent’s on Field 3A @ 12.40pm 5A Boys v Caningeraba on Field 4 @ 12.40pm 5B Boys v Marymount on Field 3B @ 1.35pm

BOOKSHOP and UNIFORM SHOP NEWS

Bookshop Opening Days Book/Uniform shop operating hours: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8.00am – 9.00am.

FINANCE NEWS

Please note the finance window will be closed Monday 4th June, Wednesday 27th June & Friday 29th June.

We are currently collecting money for the following:

Participants Event Cost Payment due date

All Scien-Tastic $7 First 300

Year 6 Graduation Shirt $36 22 June

Selected Students

Canberra Trip $450 Instalment 2

Over Due

Selected Students

Band/Strings Program

$100 Over Due

Selected Students

Instrumental Hire $120 Over Due

MONEY IS ACCEPTED IN PERSON AT THE FINANCE

WINDOW MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS FROM 8AM – 9.30AM – DIRECT DEPOSITS CAN BE MADE ON

RECEIPT OF INVOICE (VIA EMAIL) If you do not wish to wait in line at the finance window we encourage you to pay online. Please note that the Dept of Education has advised schools that we can no longer accept credit cards over the phone or written on permission slips. Any credit card payments must be made in person at the finance window. Important Information on Invoicing When the school system creates invoices for excursions all parents/caregivers of participating/invited students who have an active email on our database will receive an invoice. If your child is participating you can make payment but be sure to complete the permission form and return to the finance window for verification. If paying online please send the receipt with the permission form to verify payment. Look on the top right hand side of the invoice for the excursion description. Important information: when the payment date for an excursion closes and we cancel unpaid invoices, if you did not pay for this excursion you will receive an adjustment notice email, this is not an invoice please open and read to verify this. This email only goes to those not participating and can be ignored.

RALPH & ROSIE’S KITCHEN NEWS

Kitchen Roster for week commencing 28 May 2018:

Date Volunteers

Mon 28/5 Teena, Helper needed please

Tue 29/5 Kylie, Tracey

Wed 30/5 Peta, Kristy

Thurs 31/5 Maria S, Helper needed please

Fri 1/6 Peta, Kristy

MEAL DEAL FOR THURSDAY 31st MAY 2018 • Hot Dog with

sauce • Paddle Pop • Fruit Tub • Bottled water

(250ml)

A huge thankyou to our helpers for our functions this week. Feedback was excellent. if any parents, carers, grandparents have any spare time, please drop in to see us, we need our volunteers to be able to provide our homemade choices. Please give us a call on 5530 3961, drop in or email us on epear136@eq.edu.au. Liz & Jill

2018 UPCOMING EVENTS TERM 2

Mon 4 – Wed 6 June

Year 5 School Camp

Thurs 7 June Year 3 visit to the Mudgeeraba Light Horse Museum Year 5 Lightning Carnival at Miami SHS and Merrimac SHS

Mon 11 June 5.30pm Merrimac IEC Meeting (Katsuragi Visit)

Mon 11 May 9.00am Merrimac Outside School Hours Care meeting

Mon 11 June 6.30pm P and C Meeting

Mon 18 June School Performances of “Scien-tastic”

Wed 20 June Magic of Music evening

Fri 22 June Last day of Interschool sport

Mon 25 – Thurs 28 June

Regional Music Camp (selected students)

Tues 26 June NAIDOC Celebrations and performances

Wed 27 June Report Cards to be emailed home

Fri 29 June Last school day for term

Mon 16 July School Resumes for Term Three

SCHOOL PERFORMANCE TOURS PRESENT

SCIEN – TASTIC

Years: Prep - 6

Monday 18th June 2018 12.00pm (P-2) and 1.45pm (3-6)

Cost $7.00 per child

The drama, conflict and comedy of theatre are all combined in Scien-tastic to peak students’ interest in the wonderful world of Science today. Filled with thought provoking wacky experiments, Scien-tasitc shows that Science is for everyone, educational as well as loads of fun.

Closing Date for Payment is Wednesday 13th June - payment in cash to the finance window – Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 8am to 9.30am.

Limited numbers……. First 300 only (per session)

Scholastic Book Club

New Book Club brochures have been given to students in class. The closing date for Issue 4 is Friday, 8 June. Please use the guide down the side of pages to select age appropriate books,

as all students receive the same brochure. If you wish to make a purchase, please follow these instructions:- Cash Orders - - Complete the order form on the back of the brochure. At

the top fill in the student’s name, class and phone number

- Clearly label an envelope with “Book Club Order”, the

student’s name and class

- Into this envelope, place the order form together with

correct money or cheque payable to Scholastic

- Place the envelope in the box at the school finance window

(open Mon/Wed/Fri mornings)

Credit Card Orders – Our school is registered to use the LOOP Ordering System for Book Club credit card payments. Instructions on the brochure order form and Scholastic website will assist you to complete your credit card order.

BOOK CLUB ORDERS CLOSE - 9.30AM FRIDAY, 8 JUNE

How to Mindfully Cope with the

“Tough Stuff” Presented by Petris Lapis

Discover easy practical strategies for coping with the tough stuff at work and in life.

� Practice some mindfulness tools which help you be more self-aware and

patient with yourself when difficult things happen.

� Learn how to recognise the initial stages of the stress cycle and explore the

keys to surviving and thriving I the challenging situations that are part of every

life.

This is a very practical introduction to mindfulness and the positive ways it can help

your outlook, well-being and capacity to cope with the tough stuff when it happens.

When: Wednesday 13th June 1:30-3pm

Where: Science Room at the end of the PAC

Who: Parents and carers are welcome

RSVP: Elisa Perry eperr62@eq.edu.au or ring on 5569 1564 by the 8th June

About Your Presenter Petris has trained with the world’s leading international mindfulness organization and

consulted to business, government and schools for many years. She is an author and

international conference presenter.

Petris is also the mother of a child with a mental illness and understands what it is like to

cope with difficult stuff in life. She is warm, approachable and will help you laugh at some of

the things we worry about and the funny things we choose to do to cope with them.