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Boonah State School Established 1878

Principal’s News The first order of business for this week is to thank the P&C volunteers who organised our wonderful 140th bush dance on Saturday night. Special thanks must be extended to Christine White, Jolene Banks and Leanne Kleier who took on the lion’s share to ensure everyone enjoyed a safe and enthralling evening. Thanks also to Errol Worley and the Prenzler family who cut our cake and represented the 6 generations of their family who have attended our school. Those who attended have shared that they had a memorable time celebrating our school’s birthday. A number of past students were full of praise for the presentation of classrooms and the developments the school has undergone.

Cross Country

I was incredibly proud of our students who participated in our school cross country with such enthusiasm and determination under warm conditions. The atmosphere was one of excitement and encouragement. There were many great stories of children reaching their goal for the event and many more stories of sportspersonship. Well done to all who attended, officiated or supported. Special thanks to Mrs Richters for her hard work in preparing the event and the children.

ANZAC Day

Last Wednesday I proudly marched alongside over 100 students to commemorate ANZAC Day. I particularly enjoyed being joined by staff, parents and siblings to highlight our family atmosphere to the community. Our Student Leaders and choir members are deserving of particular praise for their valuable contributions to the service. Our presence in the community event was warmly received.

SEAT Presentation

This Wednesday our children will be attending a presentation by a member of the Spinal Education and Awareness Team. The purpose of the presentation is to highlight the importance of road safety by demonstrating the potentially devastating consequences when things go wrong on, or around, our roads. My hope is that our children will develop a healthy respect for the dangers of the road and change some risky behaviours.

Year 5 Emu Gully Camp

Our year 5’s will be attending camp at Emu Gully next week. We have always had rave reviews of this camp so I know that each of our students are excited. Parents, please note that the bus will leave our school at 7:30 AM SHARP. Don’t forget to return all notes and money to the office by Thursday. Late money cannot be accepted without prior approval as per the camp’s policies and guidelines.

Annie – BSHS Musical

All families (except year 5 who are on camp) will have received an invitation for children to walk to Boonah State High School next Thursday 10 May to enjoy the matinee performance of their musical “Annie”. To ensure your child does not miss out on this wonderful local experience, please ensure you return the yellow activity family consent form.

Staff Professional Development

I wish to share with our community the commitment that our staff have to your children. Every staff member of our school is regularly involved in attending professional development sessions and professional reading to ensure they are up-to-date with the latest research in supporting children. Many have already attended, or will recently attend, sessions on Behaviour Support, the teaching of reading, integrating Digital Technologies, using data to inform planning and developing quality assessment. They are also regularly involved in moderation tasks within the school and with other schools to ensure consistency in their judgement of student’s work and assessment. We are lucky to have the staff that we do.

NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy is looming large on our calendar. While this is an opportunity to compare the performance of our students against others across Australia, I need to point out that it is just one point in time snapshot. Daily, our teachers gather a whole range of information about your child’s performance in Literacy, Numeracy and other key learning areas, but also in their attributes and aspirations. Your child’s portfolio of work and assessment in class provides a more comprehensive determination of your child’s performance. While we wish our year 3 and 5 students the very best of luck, we want them to know that their best makes us proud. They have been well prepared by their teacher through quality teaching and learning of the curriculum. NAPLAN is often a cause for great celebration in our community as it means “NAPLAN Breakfast”. We often have well over 150 children (some with their families) arrive at school each morning of the tests to enjoy a breakfast feast. Our whole school community is invited to join us from 8am until 8:30am in the covered area on Tuesday 15, Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 May. We will be serving toast, fruit and Milo on Tuesday, pancakes on Wednesday and sausage sizzle on Thursday.

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Boonah State School Principal: Mark Winrow

3 Park Street, Boonah Q 4310 Ph: 5460 6333 Fax: 5460 6300 Web Site:

www.boonahss.eq.edu.au Email:

principal@boonahss.eq.edu.au Report Absences: by phone,

written note, in person or email absences@boonahss.eq.edu.au

Every Day Counts at School

01/05/2018

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LABOUR DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY - MONDAY 7TH MAY

MAY 2 SEAT Presentation 3 Mothers’ Day Stall for Year 5’s only 4 Zone Cross-Country - Boonah Golf Club 7 Labour Day Public Holiday 8-11 Year 5 Emu Gully Camp 9 Mothers’ Day Stall 9 District Cross-Country – Limestone Pk Ipswich 9 P&C General Meeting 7pm @ Uniform Shop 10 BSHS Annie Matinee Performance 11 Dental Van arrives 15-17 NAPLAN & NAPLAN BREAKFAST 21-24 Life Education Van visits 22 School Photos 23 Prep Open Day 30 Kambu – Indigenous Health Checks JUNE 1 Show Ed 6 Future Dreaming – Arts Performance 6 Kambu – Indigenous Hearing Checks 7 Half-Day Inter-house Athletics (AM) Yrs 3-6 7 P-3 Yulunga Games (PM) 12 Full Day Inter-house Athletics Carnival 13 Prep Open Day 13 P&C General Meeting 7pm @ Uniform Shop 18 Historic Motorcycle Club Visit 20 Boost & Attendance Parties 22 Academic Awards Parade 27 Reports Home 29 Gala Day

2018 Results for Cross Country

Champion house- Flinders on 345 points

Cook on 342 points Cunningham on 294 points

Age Champions

5 years- Kiarnah and Cooper 6 years- Sophie and Jesse 7 years- Kate and Sam 8 years- Ileisha and Blake 9 years- Mikayla and Cody 10 years- Mia and Fraser 11 years- Brianna and Adam 12 years- Gabrielle and Elijah

Celebrating Diversity Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a diagnostic term for severe neurodevelopmental impairments (you may see these as difficulties with physical activities, language, memory, learning and behaviour) that result from brain damage caused by alcohol exposure before birth.

For more information visit: https://www.fasdhub.org.au/

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ICAS International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS)

ICAS Testing for Students This year, students at Boonah SS have the opportunity to nominate for ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) tests in the areas of English, Maths, Spelling, and Writing. ICAS is a national, independent, skills-based assessment testing program which recognises and rewards student achievement. Tests are designed to challenge a student’s knowledge and understanding over a variety of levels of difficulty. Parents can nominate their child/children in one or all of the areas being on offer and testing will take place at school. Nominations for all tests close Tuesday, 8 May and need to be accompanied by a completed entry form and fees. Some students will be given forms based on classroom achievement but if your child did not receive a form and you would like them to sit one or more of the tests, forms are available from the office. Parents and students can view the ICAS website to access a variety of practice materials and past tests.

YEARS 3 & 5 STUDENTS Tuesday 15th May

Language Conventions Writing (persuasive/narrative)

Wednesday 16th May

Reading

Thursday 17th May Numeracy

NAPLAN BREAKFAST UNDERCOVER AREA 8:00AM TO 8:30AM

ALL FAMILIES WELCOME

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The One Million Stars installation was presented by the

Museum of Brisbane in King George Square, recently as

part of Festival 2018 during the during the Gold Coast 2018

Commonwealth Games (GC2018).

BOONAH BRILLIANCE

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

Safe Responsible Respectful An Active Learner

Abigail – Abigail showed persistence and determination during

cross-country. Well done Abigail! Addyson – During cross-country, Addyson used encouraging

words to cheer on her class mates. Alexi – Alexi always gives her best in both learning and

relationships. She is a pleasure to teach. Austin – You bring a bright spark and positive energy to our

room. You are a joy to be around. Brianna – Brianna showed her best in learning, behaviour and

relationships Cailin – Cailin shone with “Boonah Brilliance” this week by

being an exceptional friend to all. Caitlin – You are showing leadership qualities both in the

classroom and playground. Keep it up. Charlee – Congratulations on outstanding improvements in your

spelling and reading. Chase – Chase has been working diligently and staying focused

on all tasks this week. Declan – Declan has settled into Term Two, very well and is

showing us what a lovely young man he is. Ellie – Ellie has had a great start to the term with her positive,

hardworking attitude. Emma – Emma’s positive approach to all tasks has resulted in

huge improvements in maths and writing. George – Thank you for sharing insightful ideas in all lessons.

You are an asset to our class. Hudson – Awarded for having a great first week and getting

straight back into his learning. Isla – Awarded for being a respectful and active class member Jai – Your hard work has resulted in brilliant results in your

spelling and writing. Logan – You have a very positive attitude towards all learning.

You strive to do a little better each day. Matthew – Congratulations on an outstanding achievement in

your reading and writing. Oliver – Well done Oliver, for showing such a pleasing interest

and improvement in your writing. Quinn – Quinn constantly tries his best with his school work

making him an active learner. Riley – Riley shows “Boonah Brilliance” inside and outside the

classroom. Ryan – Ryan has demonstrated brilliance through his consistent

engagement during class this year. Sam – Sam is always actively involved in all learning

experiences. He always presents his work neatly. Savannah – Awarded for being a respectful friend and a diligent

learner. Sophie – Sophie’s creative, kind and gentle spirit is a huge

asset to our lovely class. Tana – Awarded to Tana for excelling in all aspects of learning.

Keep up the good work. Tahliah – Tahliah constantly demonstrates “Boonah Brilliance”

every day in and outside the classroom. Taylah – Taylah follows all expectations with a big smile and

positive attitude.

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Name withheld – This student showed great sportsmanship

through helping a friend that was struggling during cross-country.

ANZAC DAY ANZAC Day is one of the most significant dates in our annual calendar. It is an opportunity to educate and involve students and communities to develop an understanding and respect for those who have served our country to help create the society we now enjoy. I would like to acknowledge all of the school ceremonies that were held last week and also the many students and staff who participated in community events. John Norfolk, Regional Director, South East Region

PARKING IN BUS ZONE Parents/Carers are reminded that the Bus Zone at the front of the school in Yeates Avenue operates from 8am to 9am on school days. Parking in this area during this time will endanger the lives of children.

HOMEWORK CLUB

Open Tuesday & Wednesday mornings from 8am-8:50am in the Library. Mrs Stephan will be there to help students with homework. All students from Prep – 6 are welcome.

REMINDERS FROM ADMIN Sausage Sizzle Held each Friday at first break. $2.00 each for sausage on bread with sauce. Orders taken by class teachers

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Welcome to the first edition of the Master Teacher Message! A significant part of my role at Boonah State School this year is to analyse reading data and work with teachers to design and implement termly action plans to foster individual reading improvements and

achieve set targets. The amazing work completed by our dedicated and skilled teaching team, with our hard working students during term 1 has been truly amazing, too amazing to keep to myself! Each newsletter 2 classes will be

celebrated with a summary of their reading successes, and their latest identified targets and goals. Please keep an eye out for your student’s class in the coming weeks and I encourage you to find a time to

personally acknowledge the hard work our teachers put in to ensure every student in their class is succeeding.

Here are your first two classes!

Miss Hogan’s Year 3 Term 1 achievements

Successful implementation of QAR (Question-

Answer Relationship) strategy to provide students with focussed comprehension

questioning related to their identified needs. All students demonstrated progress on termly

Pre v Post tracking documents in regards to identified learning goals. Some students

demonstrated total improvements of up to 70%!

Excellent reading rotations designed to integrate QAR and identified comprehension

activities to meet student needs.

Term 2 goals Ensure student Term 2 Pre v Post test data

improves by focusing on targeted modeling and think alouds as well as comprehension

strategies – author’s purpose, fact/opinion.

Mr Mel’s Year 5/6 Term 1 achievements

Successful implementation of QAR strategy to

provide students with focussed comprehension questioning related to their

identified needs. Targeted inference work fostered excellent Pre v Post Term 1 student reading results where all

students demonstrated improvements. Excellent reading rotations where activities

and questioning was tailored to meet specific student needs.

Term 2 goals Ensure student Term 2 Pre v Post test data improves by focusing on comprehension strategies: author’s purpose, main idea,

summarising and inferencing Ensure QAR strategies continue to facilitate

class improvements.

‘Master Teacher Message’ By Charlie Moncada

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Head Of Curriculum News

Imagine being asked to draw a house and then told you were going to be assessed on your drawing. After completing your beautiful drawing you are then marked on your drawing. It is only then you find out there was 1 point for having a path, 1 point for having a porch, 1 point for having pot plants on your porch, 1 point for having a path leading up to your porch and 1 point for having a surfboard shaped letterbox out the front of your house. As you can see I failed that test miserably. What chance did I have to succeed when I only became aware of the success criteria after the task had been completed – if only I had known the criteria before I started the task I would have been able to experience success! Towards the end of last term each teacher had the opportunity to sit down with me to plan their English assessment tasks for Term 2. The teachers worked on developing a Learning Wall for the English assessment task. This learning wall will be growing and developing in your child’s classroom throughout the term. As each aspect of the assessment task is taught it will then be placed on the learning wall. Some of the elements that will be appearing on the Learning Wall will be the assessment task, the audience, criteria needed to succeed, success ladder checklists for students to use to see if they have all the elements needed, exemplars of a C standard and an A standard piece of work, vocabulary specific to the task just to mention a few. The purpose of the wall is so that students can independently go and consult the wall to help them to be active learners and help them to complete the task to the best of their ability. Ask your child about the learning wall in your child’s classroom or pop in and visit your child’s classroom and get your child to explain what is on the wall and what it means.

By Geraldine Stephan

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P&C NEXT GENERAL MEETINGS

Wednesday 9th May at 7pm – Venue: Uniform Shop

Wednesday 13th June at 7pm – Venue: Uniform Shop

UNIFORM SHOP

Convenor – Claire Sourivong

Regular Opening Hours:

Monday: 3pm to 3:30pm &

Friday: 8:30am to 9:15am

TUCKSHOP

Volunteers are needed. Please enquire at Tuckshop

or the school office.

COMMUNITY NEWS

BOONAH SHOW COOKERY SECTION

With the Boonah Show just around the corner why not get involved! Junior cooking is free to enter and all receive an encouragement certificate. It's a great activity to assist your child with - they can measure, pour, mix and ice. Schedule and entry forms are available on the show website with entries due by midday 29th May and baking to be dropped off by 9am on 31st May. It's fun, is great learning for your child and will be exciting for your child to see their entry displayed at the show. Top tip - READ the schedule CAREFULLY for info like how many items to present, what size plate to use etc. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact the stewards as they are happy to help...and don't forget parents can enter the novice or open sections yourself too!!

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