Term 3 Week 7 Thursday 25 August 2016 PRINCIPAL'S PAGE

Gold Coast Show Holiday A reminder to all students and parents that tomorrow Friday 26th August is a Public Holiday for the Gold Coast Show Day. Please note the Merrimac Outside School Hours Care will not be operating on this day. Gold Coast Eisteddfod Performances Congratulations to our Senior Choir who performed on Tuesday evening at the Eisteddfod. After a beautiful performance they gained a 3rd place. Thanks to Mrs Powell for her excellent work with the Senior Choir children. School Sores Alert A few cases of school sores have been confirmed in the lower school. Advice has been sought from Queensland Health. It is recommended that children with school sores be excluded until the appropriate antibiotic treatment has commenced. Also sores on exposed areas must be covered with a watertight dressing. Parents are asked to check their children for any sign of school sores and seek medical advice for any concerns. Senior Strings Students Perform at Parliament House Ms Hurst, our Instrumental Teacher for string instruments took both Merrimac SS and Robina SS senior students to a biennial music festival called Fanfare this year. Both groups were awarded the highest Gold standard at the Regional event. Ms Hurst went with the combined group of children to Brisbane last Friday where they were able to perform in a prestigious venue in front of some very distinguished guests to celebrate music in Queensland State Schools. Congratulations to Ms Hurst and all the students who took part for their delightful and entertaining performance. Term Three Reporting to Parents - Parent Teacher Online The PTO website closes today at 3pm for parents so don’t forget to log on, register and book your student appointments. All appointments after today must be made or amended through the office, please email admin@merrimacss.eq.edu.au if you need to book or change an appointment please include your child’s name, class, Eq Id number and a contact number if we need to call you. Jump Rope for Heart Fundraiser for Years 4 and 5 On 15th September we will be having a “Skip Off” where children will skip for up to an hour improving their own heart health and practicing these new skills. Fundraising has been made much simpler with online donations. This is a great way to collect sponsorships from near and far with the children having their own donation page where they can write messages and thoughts about their personal experiences. Your child in Year 4 or 5 has been given as easy to follow brochure so they can get started raising money as soon as possible. All donations are to be brought into school by Monday 12th September. Finally the best part for the children is the great prizes they can earn. Those that choose the online fundraising strategy receive extra bonus prizes at different levels. We hope you will

encourage your child to have a heart and get behind this worthy cause. Upcoming Staff Leave We have a number of staff who have leave in the last part of this term. We have started to source replacement teachers.

Dates Staff on leave Replacement

15 Aug – 16 Sept

Mrs McClavey Miss Noni Rolfe

7 to 16 Sept Mrs Prentis Mrs Lamburd/Mrs Sue Pieroz

12 to 16 Sept Mrs Hall TBA

5 to 16 Sept Miss Sam Jacobs

Mr Boff/Miss Lauren Hutton

5 to 16 Sept Miss Nicole Jacobs

Mrs Boyd

5 to 16 Sept Mrs Sloss Miss Alison Ross

7 to 16 Sept Miss Serediuk Miss Noni Rolfe

12 to 16 Sept Ms Parker TBA

12 to 16 Sept Mrs Conder Mrs Amanda Hutton

14 to 16 Sept Miss Kitching TBA

15 to 16 September

Mrs O’Mullane Mrs Chipp

Life Education The Life Education Van will be visiting our school during this term from 2 to 16 September. Many thanks to Ms Conder who is coordinating the Life Education Program visit to our school. A parent session is being held on Friday 2 September from 2.00pm in the Life Education Van. Parents are invited along to find out more information on the Life Education Program. Years 4 to 6 Breakfast and Fitness Program (Term Three) Chappy Steve and Mr Epiha continue their before school breakfast and fitness program each Wednesday morning throughout Term Three for students in Years 4, 5 and 6. Students need to commit to attending each week from 8.00am to 8.45am to be part of the program. We rely on the support of staff and parents to assist with the program and we thank the P&C, Carrara Woolworths and Merrimac McDonalds for their ongoing support of this program. Year Four Bicycle Education Program Each class will attend separately and the schedule is below. Permission notes have been sent home with each Year 4 student, and should be returned the classroom teacher by Friday 4th September at 9.30am. No cost this year.

Class Date Times To bring: 4D 5 Sept 9.00am-2.00pm MT/Lunch 4B 6 Sept 9.00am-2.00pm MT/Lunch 3/4M 7 Sept 9.00am-2.00pm MT/Lunch 4C 8 Sept 9.00am-2.00pm MT/Lunch 4A 9 Sept 9.00am-2.00pm MT/Lunch

Merrimac State School

Newsletter

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 the personal benefits of meditation and peace. In their classes and on parade, the boys and girls at MSS have been asked to engage in discussions, role plays and class demonstrations on meditation and peace and the benefits that they bring. Congratulations to 6C and 2E for receiving the Ralph and Rosie Awards this week. 6C received their award for being courteous and respectful students whilst walking around the school. 2E received their award for respectfully lining up for their class teacher after lunch breaks. Well done to all the boys and girls for being Safe, Respectful Learners. Parents you may be interested to know that FABIC have a variety of workshops coming up. � Anxiety - Bringing Understanding & Lasting Change

27 AUGUST 2016 Cost $125 Fabic Centre, Gold Coast Available Online via Live Webinar and Delayed Telecast

� The Impacts of Perfectionism on Our Lives. Thursday 22nd

September 2016. 6.30pm to 7.30pm at FABIC Worongary

Shopping Centre.

Please contact FABIC on 55 305 099 for further information. From Ralph and Rosie

Koala Joeys Family Program The Koala Joeys Family Program – a Transition to School program - has been specifically created to deliver in all primary schools for families with children under school age. The KOALA JOEYS FAMILY PROGRAM focuses on empowering parents and carers to use nursery rhymes, songs, dance, movement and stories as a tool to form secure attachments. WHERE: Merrimac State School MPC Conference Room WHEN: Every Friday 9.00am—10.00am

Scholastic Book Fair Thank you to all the students and parents who supported our Book Fair this year. Reading is a wonderful way to share time with your child and develop imagination. Books also can provide a window into the knowledge of our world. Many thanks to Mrs Jenks and Mrs Parker and their helpers for all of their work with this year’s Book Fair. In total over $12000 was taken in sales. Our school receives 35% of the sales in books as resources for our Library. Our Library will benefit from these additional resources gained through the Book Fair. I’m sure that the students also enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the Book Fair. Premier’s Reading Challenge The Premier's Reading Challenge finishes tomorrow. Prep Enrolments for 2017 We are now accepting enrolments for Prep 2017. On Tuesday 25 October our school will hold a morning and evening orientation session for new families. In November we also hold Prep experience days for our future Prep students. These are scheduled for Tuesday 15 November and Tuesday 22 November. Enrolments for Prep next year can be made at the school office. Parents of Prep students for next year are encouraged to enrol their children now. Early enrolment allows the school to be better prepared for the 2017 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 student’s Birth Certificate. In catchment enrolments require two forms of proof of address.

Parent Fitness (Boot Camp) Program – free for Merrimac Parents Thanks to Tina Nenadic, from Harcourts Real Estate, we will be 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. Any parents who wish to be involved in the fitness program can contact Tina directly on 0402984898. Simone can only cater up to 20 in the session so please register your interest with Tina as soon as possible.

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. Update regularly to access the latest features.

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to our Students of the Week: Aidan M P1, Bradley P P1, Zane D P2, Molly B P2, Charlotte R P3, Kingston H P3, Kobi M P4, Owen C P4, Riley K P5, Liam V P5, Kahu P 1A, Cooper M 1A, Kahu S 1B, Josie T 1B, Lakai C 1C, Lucy J 1C, Declan W 1D, Sage C 1D, Thomas B 1E, Hiyori T 1E, Riley C 2A, Solitaire F 2A, Jayden H 2B, Cooper K 2B, Emily P 2C, Heathan S 2C, Cooper G 2D, Charli M 2D, Nathan O 2E, Stella S 2E, Cullen H 3/4M, Alexander S 3A, Crystal H 3B, Anderson H 3C, YiRu L 3D, Carmi T 4A, Jacob B 4B, Sariyah D 4C, Riley-Jaye P 4D, Bella W 5A, Cameron K 5B, Jeremy M 5C, William B 5D, Angelina H 6A, Jesse B 6B, Patrick G 6C, Brodie B 6D.

FINANCE NEWS

Important Invoicing Information Invoices for events are emailed to all parents/caregivers of participating/invited students who have an active email on our database. For example: All Year 4-6 students were invoiced $70 for

interschool sports because they may have nominated a sport. Only students playing interschool sports need to pay this amount. Please be reminded if payment is made online then a receipt should

be sent to the finance window together with the permission form for verification. For those children who are doing school based sports, parents are advised that this invoice will be adjusted in the first week of term 4 and they will receive an adjustment note via email. We are currently collecting money for:

Participants Event Cost Payment due date

Year 2 Currumbin Sanctuary

$35 31 Aug

Years 4-6 Interschool Sports $70 29 Aug

FINANCE HOURS MON, WED, FRI 8.00AM – 9.30AM.

MONEY IS NOT ACCEPTED OUTSIDE THESE TIMES

Please have correct money as we do not carry change. Also, EFTOS/Credit Card minimum $10

COLLECTIONS FOR WELL BEING DAY

We are seeking a variety of resources for an art activity (weaving) we are having on our Wellness Day. What are we collecting: Any material that could be used for weaving • Material scraps-shiny , colourful, any size

• Wool-bobbly, colourful, string

• Old scarves

• Old Christmas decorations like baubles to add onto the

weaving, tinsel

• Feathers

• Hoola hoops

• Plastic string for threading beads, beads for threading

• Macramé string

Where to deliver resources: Mrs Lamburd P5 Who: If you work in any businesses like upholstery, clothing alterations, curtains, home crafts and you may be able to help us with our collection please contact Mrs Lamburd at school. We are still collecting cleaned bottle caps and they can be delivered to outside HQ or the Chappy Hut.Thank you.

PE NEWS

Interschool Sport Last Friday students in Years 4 to 6 nominated a sporting group to participate in for the summer season which starts 2 September. Payment and permission forms need to be returned by Monday 29 August. Some sports are on a first in first served basis, coaches have informed children if this is the case. If your child nominates a sport that is cancelled due to viability they will be offered another sport where numbers permit or they will be given a request for refund form for you to complete and return to the school office within 10 school days. Children who selected school based sports at no cost will be engaged in sports activities at school each Friday afternoon during the season. Please note: The Year 6 Boys Basketball Team and the Year 5 Girls Touch Team are now FULL Oz Tag Competition – how they went On Monday 22 our school entered a boys’ and a girls’ team from each year level across years 5 and 6 in the annual Oz Tag competition. All students had a great time and represented Merrimac with pride. The Year 6 boys team did extremely well.

On Monday a Year 6 Oz tag team went to a Gala day. Our team played extremely well. We won the quarter finals and lost the semis by just one point. On behalf of all the children that attended the Gala day we would like to thank Mr Epiha, Mr Singh, and Mr Elliott for allowing us to attend the day. We all had a great time. Thank you.

~ Rhys and Tem ~

Rugby League Gala Day On Tuesday, we had 15 boys compete at the Year 4 Rugby League Gala Day. The boys learnt and practised Rugby League skills, teamwork and above all had fun. All students represented Merrimac well and had a thoroughly enjoyable day. Special thanks to the parents for transporting the boys on the day.

P&C NEWS

Fun Run Fundraiser The P&C is planning to conduct a whole school Fun Run on Wednesday 26 October which is in Week Four of next term. This will be a major fundraiser to support the purchase of replacement Interactive White Boards for the classrooms at school. More information will be sent home with students in Week Nine this term. This will include details of prizes and sponsorship forms for students. There will some great prizes for the highest individual and class fundraisers as well as participation prizes. Entertainment Books – last chance to purchase The P&C is running an Entertainment Book fundraiser. These entertainment books are always very popular and we encourage parents to support this P&C fundraising activity. Type into your address bar – https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/144d320 Fathers’ Day Stall The P&C committee is again holding a Father's Day stall with some fantastic gifts for purchase on 31st August, 1st & 2nd September. This event is a school community service and gives children the opportunity to purchase something for dad that they choose themselves at a very reasonable cost. All classes at school will be given a 15 minute timeframe to shop between next Wednesday and Friday in the Old School Building. Students can also purchase from the Bookshop during normal opening hours next week. Cost for gifts is between $1 and $5.

BOOKSHOP and UNIFORM SHOP HOURS

During the school term the bookshop opens Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8am – 9am.

MUSIC NEWS

Choir rehearsals for Term Three:

Senior Choir – Monday mornings 8.00am – 8.45am (Mrs Powell) Senior Choir Altos – Tuesdays 8.15 – 8.45am (Mrs Powell)

Senior Choir Sopranos – Wednesdays 8.15 – 8.45 (Mrs Powell) Junior Choir – Friday mornings 8.00am – 8.30am (Ms Sharpe)

Senior Band – Tuesday 3.00pm – 4.00pm Junior Band – Wednesday 3.00pm - 4.00pm Senior Strings – Thursday 3.00pm – 3.45pm

Intermediate Strings – Thursday 8.00am – 8.45am (Inst Room) Beginner Strings - Thursday 8.00am – 8.45am (Music Room)

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC NEWS

Students in grade 3 have all received an expression of interest note about joining the Instrumental Music - BAND program for 2017. Recruiting will commence in week 7 this term. Only students who have returned their note will be tested. Learning a musical instrument makes a difference. Music is a wonderful skill for any child, but new research shows how learning music can help your child in so many more ways. · Improved reasoning capacity and problem solving skills · Improved maths and language performance · Better memory · Great social and team skills · Developing creativity · Team building · Cultural appreciation Notes are available at the office.

DEB BODY "Music can be heard with our ears but it is felt with our

hearts". (Beethoven)

Eisteddfod Our music department has just emerged from three very exciting and rewarding weeks of performance at the 2016 Gold Coast Eisteddfod. Congratulations to ALL students involved. It has been wonderful to see our music students build their sense of team work, confidence and resilience through these performances. A big vote of thanks go to our students for their dedication and hard work and their parents for all their support. The results for our performances are: Chamber Strings: 3rd Place String ‘n Things: 1st Place Senior Strings: 1st Place Intermediate Strings: 3rd Place Beginner Strings: Highly Commended Junior Band: 3rd Place Senior Band: Honors Senior Choir: 3rd Place

Performance at Parliament House On Friday, a small group of Merrimac senior string students joined forces with some Robina string students for a performance at Parliament House in Brisbane. I can't tell you how proud I was of these students. They delivered a fine performance to a receptive audience and received a standing ovation on completion of the final piece. My thanks goes to all the students involved and their parents for the support I received in making this performance happen. ~ Ms Hurst ~

UPCOMING EVENTS

22 Aug to 16 Sept

Years 4 and 5 Jump Rope

Fri 26 Aug Gold Coast Show Holiday

Fri 26 Aug Last day of Premiers Reading Challenge

Tues 30 Aug School Captains to Parliament House

5 to 9 Sept Year 4 Bike Education

2 to 16 Sept Life Education Van at school

Wed 7 Sept Parent/Teacher Interviews

Wed 7 Sept Last week of Breakfast/Fitness Program (Yrs 4 – 6)

12 to 16 Sept Canberra trip

Mon 12 Sept P&C Meeting

Mon 12 Sept MOSHC Meeting

Mon 12 Sept IEC Parent Meeting

Thurs 15 Sept Jump Rope for Heart – Jump Off Day (Years 4 and 5 students)

Friday 16 Sept Last Day for Term Three