6 June 2018

Newsletter Articles

Across the Principal’s Desk…

Where will we be in 2030?

If I could predict the future, I would be a very popular and rich man! There is no certainty about where the future will take us and in particular the lives of our children. For those who began prep this year, they will complete their formal schooling in the year 2030. It seems like a long way off, but trust me, it will fly by very quickly.

I have recently learned of some very interesting statistics that are generated by private enterprise in terms of the skills and abilities, they are most concerned about for the future workforce and society. The focus will increase on, an increase in dealing with people, problem solving and creative thinking with a reduction in manual tasks. Their skills need to be portable and transferable.

No longer will it be one job for an entire career, more likely it will be some 17 jobs across five different industries over a person’s working life.

The statistics show that the future of work life will be-

100% more time spent solving problems
30% more time learning on the job.
26% more time engaging in self-directed work.

Employer needs have shown an increase by percentage in the following-

Digital Literacy- 212% - this relates to the ability of their employees to interface with digital technology and use it in the most efficient and effective ways for the specific role they undertake in the workplace.

Bi-lingual- 181% - this relates to not just the ability to speak another language, but even more so to negotiate their way through a global society where the understanding of how to interact with other cultures within Australia and beyond is critical. It’s about being able to engage in diverse environments and contexts.

Critical Thinking- 158% - this relates to employees being able to have really well developed problem solving and teamwork skills.

Creativity- 65% - this relates to employees being able to speak and communicate with others, in the workplace and with those whom they service as clients.

Employers are increasingly turning their focus to skills, not scores. What may have once been viewed as ‘soft skills and capabilities’ are now equally weighted with university scores or other forms of external study. There is a clear shift from purely content led to capability/competency driven. So what does this really mean for the future of schooling and education in general? If we look to the recent Gonksi 2.0 Review, there are some key recommendations which align with how we need to be shifting our focus within schools and it should not be new news to our school community, as these are aspects I have spoken about and as a school community, we have been working towards enacting for some time now.

Central to the report’s findings and subsequent recommendations is an acknowledgement of several key considerations:

the need to change the 19th century “industrial” education model
a refocusing on meaningful teacher-led assessment is required, rather than point-in-time tests such as NAPLAN
there should be a place for students in designing and leading the learning process
The review focuses on three priority areas and contains 23 recommendations

The three priority areas are to:

deliver at least one-year’s growth in learning for every student, every year
equip every child to be a creative, connected and engaged learner
cultivate an adaptive, innovative and continuously improving education system.

To achieve these priorities, the report recommends that the following are necessary.

Laying foundations for early learning by: promoting high-quality early learning and transition to schools; engaging parents and carers as partners in learning; and ensuring students can be partners in their own learning.

Equipping every student to grow and succeed in a changing world by: introducing new reporting regimes; revising the Australian Curriculum; prioritising the acquisition of foundation skills in literacy and numeracy in the early years; enhancing the acquisition of critical and creative thinking and personal and social capability; strengthening community engagement.

Creating, supporting and valuing a profession of expert educators through: providing more professional collaboration, observation, feedback and mentoring; developing an online and on-demand student learning tool for formative assessment and tailored teaching; providing high quality professional learning experiences; developing a national teacher workforce strategy; implementing effective induction programs; creating meaningful career pathways which keep excellent teachers teaching.

In so many ways, we as a school are committed to ensuring we are already moving these priorities forward through our School Strategic Plan. I am heartened to see so much of what is contained in the Gonski 2.0 Report is already underway within our school. We have always been at the forefront of educational excellence and will continue to push the boundaries in how we approach the education of your children. In future newsletters, I would like to elaborate on these key points to outline some of the work we are already doing and planning to do based on the Gonski findings and recommendations.

MET NORTH BASKETBALL WINS GOLD!

Congratulations Joel M and the Met North basketball team who won Gold Medals at the recent State Championships. It was a huge tournament, they played 10 games in 4 days!

This is the first time Met North Basketball 12yr Boys team has ever won Gold! Well done to all the boys who played in the championships.

Joel M

Grant Baker
Principal

RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR & CODE OF CONDUCT

WATCH OUT FOR THE BLOCKERS…what self-talk can you use to bounce back?

Feeling Very Down - (like “Sad Sally”) means that when something negative happens to you – such as when someone is mean to you, you have a break-up with a friend, you have not achieved a good result in your school work, sport or other extra curricula area, and you feel very unhappy – you can, at these times, feel lonely. You might feel hopeless and inadequate believing that everything is bad and will always stay that way. Sometimes, if you feel very down for a long time, you can lose your motivation to work, lose your appetite, and find it hard to get out of bed.

Feeling Very Worried - (like “Worried William) means that you worry a lot about whether other people like you and what your friends and others think about you. You can also feel anxious about your school work or other achievements and you can spend a lot of time worrying about mistakes or having to do things perfectly.

Feeling Very Angry - Misbehaving (like “Angry Annie) means that you may lose your temper easily when faced with people who block you from getting what you want. You may act defiantly towards people in authority. You may break important rules at home and school even if property is destroyed or people get hurt.

Not Paying Attention - Disturbing Others - (like “Nathan Nuisance) means that you may have trouble paying attention for a long period of time, listening and following instructions, and may find yourself easily distracted. You may or may not have a lot of energy with the result that you may be fidgety, move around the classroom at inappropriate times, or talk excessively, and you may have difficulty working or playing quietly. You may blurt out answers, interrupt others, begin an assignment without waiting for instructions, and have trouble waiting your turn.

Procrastination (“Feeling Lazy”) - (like “Larry Lazy”) means that you put off doing tasks and chores because they are frustrating, boring, or hard even though you see the disadvantages of delaying. You give up easily after having started something that is difficult or boring to do. You may rush to finish your work so that you can do fun things.

We talk about and discuss strategies for eliminating Blocker thinking! Each “Blocker” has negative habits of mind associated with it. Negative habits of mind have corresponding positive habits of mind. We use these “positive” habits of mind to help eliminate the blockers!

GO FOR GOLD! Time is running out for Semester 1 Silver or Gold!

Our Whole School Responsible Behaviour Plan has been developed around students’ behaviour choices and their commitment to our school rules, beliefs and values (Respect for Self; Respect for Others; Respect for the School). Bronze (C- Satisfactory), Silver (B- often very good), and Gold (A- consistently excellent) levels are achieved when students achieve specific criteria. These criteria are related to the school beliefs and values about RESPECT and the development of the 5 keys to success and happiness, CONFIDENCE; PERSISTENCE; ORGANISATION; GETTING ALONG; RESILIENCE. All students (except Prep who work through the Early Years program) begin on Bronze at the beginning of the year and may apply for Silver (after 4 weeks on Bronze) and Gold (after 6 weeks on Silver) as the year progresses.

Students may progress up, or down, these levels as a result of the choices they make. Again, being a Silver or Gold student reflects an awareness and understanding of our schools’ values and beliefs about Respect and the development of the five foundations. It is the responsibility of each student to follow the process when applying to become a Gold/Silver student. This process includes completing an application, demonstrating that they meet the criteria of behaviours, negotiating with classroom teachers and acquiring the necessary signatures to confirm that they demonstrate each of the criteria.

The school acknowledges positive role models of behaviour in many ways throughout the year (merit badges; public acknowledgements; ACE awards). This year, we will celebrate students’ efforts and achievements in class and at special parades throughout the year.

UNDER 8’s DAY 2018…what a wonderful celebration!

Last Thursday May 24th, the children in Prep to Year 2 participated in an activities morning to celebrate Under 8’s week.

Under 8’s week is dedicated to celebrating the early years of school and this year’s theme was 'Children Exploring Language and Culture'. Children in Prep-Year 2 as well as parents, siblings and visitors from local Kindergartens had a wonderful morning of fun and early learning. We had face painting, a jumping castle maze, fruity necklaces, a visiting author and many, many more exciting activities. See the slide show below for some of the highlights! Thanks to everyone who came along and to our wonderful teachers and parents for supporting the early phase of learning!

Gala Days

Sport is an integral part of our school curriculum. This Friday is the final Term 2 Interschool Sport Gala Day. Each student in Years 4-6 must have paid $12 per day, for each Gala Day, and returned a completed permission slip to participate. It is crucial that the buses leave on time so that students do not miss games, so we ask that all Year 4-6 students arrive at school promptly on Friday. Supervision will be provided at the hall from 8.30am. We will begin boarding the buses at 8.50am and the buses will not wait for late arrivals.

HOW DO YOU ENSURE A HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL GALA DAY?

Playing by the Rules means thinking that by following school rules, school will be a better place to live and learn, and that you will stay out of trouble and be more successful if you do.

Thinking First means that when someone acts badly or unfairly, before you take action, you (a) think of the alternative courses of action; (b) think of the consequences of different actions you can take; and (c) predict the impact your actions may have on the feelings of the other person.

Being Tolerant of Others means thinking that, when someone is mean to you or is different from you, he or she is not a totally bad person. It means thinking that you need to find out more about the person. It also means not wanting to “get back” at the person.

Social Responsibility means thinking that it’s important to be caring, to try hard to do your best, to be fair to others, to make sure that everyone has the freedom to say what they think and feel without fear, to be honest and tell the truth, to have integrity by making sure that you do what you say you’re going to do, to respect others and have nice manners, to act responsibly by making good choices, to sort out problems without fighting, to care about nature and other living things, and to be understanding and include others who are different.

Please remember to send sunscreen with your child to reapply throughout the day. It is important that they take responsibility for their personal sun-safety.

Coming Soon…Athletics Carnivals!

On Wednesday 27 June and Thursday 28 June, we will be holding our Year 3-6 Annual Athletics Carnival as part of our Physical Education Program. Students will be involved in both track and field events. The Carnival aims to increase children’s skills, develop team work and enhance our school culture.

Year 3-6 students will be walking, with staff, to and from Windsor Park, Grafton Street, Windsor on both days. Parents may take children home directly from the park after signing them out with the class teacher. Students must wear House Sports Shirt, School Pants, Joggers and School Hat. It is important that everyone bring a water bottle and apply their own sunscreen before school. There will be frequent reminders to reapply throughout the day. Students are required to bring their own lunch; tuckshop may be ordered and will be delivered to Windsor Park.

Year 3-6 permission forms will be emailed home shortly, via a Schoolzine Newsflash, and are due back at school by Monday 18 June. No child can attend without returning the consent form as we are leaving the school grounds. There will some paper copies available for those who do not have email or use the internet.

Also, on Friday 29th June (final day of Term 2), the Prep-Year 2 students will complete in their Athletics Carnival from 9am to approximately 1:00pm on our school oval. Parents are invited to attend, as spectators, and share in a sausage sizzle throughout the day.

Further information about these events, including an approximate program, will be sent home prior to the final week of school.

ACTIVE SCHOOL TRAVEL

Road Safety Assembly

Active School Travel’s larger than life AST Crew visited our school assembly on Monday 21th May.

While they were here, the AST Crew reminded students, teachers and parents how to safely cross the road. The Crew’s four steps to safely cross the road are:

STOP - at least one metre from the kerb
LOOK - right, left and right again
LISTEN – for the sound of close traffic
THINK – is it safe to cross and am I holding and adult’s hand?

Parents, please practise these steps with your children EVERYTIME you cross the road.

As adults, we lead by example so it’s essential that we do the right thing when we cross the road. This year, everyone will have more opportunities to practise their road crossing skills when they leave the car at home and actively travel to and from school.

Remember: Driveways can be dangerous places. Make sure your children stop, look, listen and think before crossing a driveway.

So be active and healthy, and actively travel to school!

Walking Wheeling Wednesday EVERY Wednesday! Let’s get active Windsor!!

The classes with the most Active Travellers last fortnight are:
Week 7: 3rd 3B, 2nd 6A and 1st: 3E
Week 6: 3rd 2A, 2nd 3A and 1st 3D
Congratulations!

Children can claim their AST prizes by presenting their AST passports at the office after checking by their class teacher. Don’t forget to choose an active way to travel to school that keeps the cars off the road!

INSTALL THE SCHOOLZINE ‘SZAPP’ ON YOUR PHONE?

Our newsletter is now available each fortnight either via email or by accessing the Schoolzine app. Details on how to download the app are available on the attached file.

Any families who are unable to access either the emails or app, please contact the school office.

QParents

Have you registered for QParents yet?

QParents is a secure app that provides parents of Queensland State School students with an easy avenue of communication with the school. Join the thousands of parents who have already registered to gain 24 hour direct access to your child’s information and communicate with school easily and efficiently.

Don’t have time to go in to school and pay an invoice? Have a family holiday coming up and need to let the school know you’ll be away? Want to have access to your child’s report cards quickly and easily? With the QParents portal, you have access to everything via a single, clear student dashboard.

You can also request updates or changes to student details such as providing reasons for past unexplained absences, advising the school of future absences, notifying the school of changes to student address and medical conditions and viewing and paying outstanding invoices.

Parents receive an invitation email and a Student ID card containing an EQ ID number to register.

QParents is also the means by which parents access Student Reports. It is important to register now as printed reports are no longer sent home at the end of each Semester. Help us become more ‘paper-less’ by registering for QParents now!

If you do not receive an invitation (QPAO), please contact the office on 3866 4333 if you require any further information or assistance.

Follow Windsor SS on Facebook & Twitter!

Get the most up-to-date information and school alerts by following Windsor State School on Facebook and Twitter @Windsor_SS

You can also access important school information and alerts, including Facebook/Twitter, via the QSchools app! Download it now and keep informed of everything that is happening at our school.