20 June 2018

Newsletter Articles

Across the Principal’s Desk…

Peter Pan Musical is THIS WEEK!!!!

Be quick as tickets are almost sold out!

Thursday night - tickets are available online and a small number for purchase through the school's Administration office.
Friday night – ALL TICKETS SOLD OUT.

Where: Windsor SS Hall.
When: Thursday 21st & Friday 22nd June @ 6:30-8:30pm
Sausage Sizzle and Bar available before the performance from 5pm-6:15pm.
$2.00 Sausage and bread
$2.00 Soft Drink
$1.00 Water

Lollies and snacks will be available for purchase and beer & wine also available for adults.

You can purchase tickets for Thursday night's performance in the link below.

See you at the show!

**Based on the Disney film and J.M. Barrie's enchanting play, Disney's Peter Pan JR. is a modern version of the timeless tale about a boy who wouldn't grow up... with no flying required! The score includes new arrangements of classic Disney songs and a story featuring one rousing adventure after another.

Wendy Darling loves to tell stories to her brothers, Michael and John. But when her father announces she must move out of the nursery, Peter Pan comes to visit the children and whisks them away to Neverland. Their journey introduces them to the Lost Boys, Mermaids, Indians and even the infamous pirate, Captain Hook!

It’s Peter to the rescue when Wendy is taken captive by the dreaded captain, who has his own sinister plans in mind for our hero. Disney's Peter Pan JR. is a magical story with countless opportunities for clever staging and design, and large ensemble numbers featuring cliques of classic characters.

ACE Awards

Each Semester we recognise and celebrate the outstanding efforts of students who have displayed exceptional commitment to learning and our school values. Our ACE awards recognise students’ efforts and encourage all students to strive to do their best.

The term ACE originally came from the following acronym of awards that we first gave out.

A – Academic      C – Citizenship      E – Encouragement

At the end of Semester 1, Years 1–6 are presented on assembly with awards for:

Commitment to Learning
Citizenship

For the Semester One Awards each class teacher nominates someone in their class for these awards, and students receive a certificate. At the end of Semester 2, Years 1–2 continue with these awards and Years 3-6 receive Achievement and Academic awards for each KLA across the year level.

Our Semester One ACE Awards will be presented at a special parade on Monday 25th June at 9.00am in the Hall. All parents are welcome to attend and will be contacted if their child is receiving an award.

Gala Day Sport

Having had an opportunity over the last couple of Fridays, I have enjoyed watching our students from year 4-6 interact with each other and multiple other students from across the CITY District schools. I witnessed for myself, and also heard stories of great sportsmanship, skill building and great enjoyment. I cannot thank enough the staff and parents who have assisted in making this a truly enjoyable learning experience for all students. Special thanks must go to our HPE teachers Mr Goddard and Mr Ross who spend a significant amount of time organising the teams here at school. It is no mean feat to ensure several hundred students make their way to sport over the six Friday sessions we have for Gala Days. Big thanks to the teachers who are engaged in undertaking training for the various sports in the lead up and during these days. Many schools do not engage in interschool sport for a variety of reasons, which makes it such a joy to see the engagement and commitment shown by staff and students at Windsor. Congratulations to all for setting a great example to others within our district.

Grant Baker
Principal

RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR & CODE OF CONDUCT

STEPS TO PARENTS MANAGING STRESS… from Michael Bernard PhD.

Parenting is one area where it’s easy to feel out of control… we are constantly tapping into our physical and emotional reserves and/or limited life experience in raising children.

‘Don’t Think of Pink Elephants!’ – The Secret to Replacing Negative Thinking with Brave Thinking.

by Karen Young, psychologist

Negative thoughts are pushy little mojo-stealing pirates. They are persuasive, intrusive, and powerful. Our thoughts will influence how we feel, which will influence what we do and how we see ourselves. For our children and teens, negative or anxious thoughts can shrink their world and dilute their capacity to own their very important place in it. Negative thoughts will do that with all of us.

Negative thoughts are pushy little mojo-stealing pirates. They are persuasive, intrusive, and powerful. Our thoughts will influence how we feel, which will influence what we do and how we see ourselves. For our children and teens, negative or anxious thoughts can shrink their world and dilute their capacity to own their very important place in it. Negative thoughts will do that with all of us. Check out Karen Young’s full article by following the link below, it is a really interesting read…

Semester 1 Silver or Gold…last week for Semester 1 reporting!

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.

Silver and Gold applications for Semester 1 reporting close this Friday 22nd June 2018. Applications will not be accepted at the office next week.

Japanese Performance Artist

On Tuesday June 26th, Jarrod Hoare will be visiting Windsor State School. He is a bilingual performance artist. Our students will have the opportunity to enjoy and participate in a lively and interactive performance which will include:

• Traditional Japanese comic storytelling (Rakugo)
• Traditional Japanese comic theatre (Kyogen)
• Traditional Japanese artwork storytelling (Kamishibai)

This will be a great opportunity for our students to explore Japanese language and culture beyond the classroom! If you wish for your child to participate, please complete the online form that has been sent via Schoolzine.

If your child is in Prep, Year 1 or Year 2, you have previously been invoiced for this event, combined with the Under 8s Day cost.

In order to participate, students in Years 3-6 are required to bring $2.00 to school on Monday 25th June to cover the cost of this excursion. This money will be collected by the class teacher.

Payment must be received for the student to participate in this incursion.

Next week…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 have been emailed home, via a Schoolzine. Please complete this form if your child is/is not attending this event. 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

Car-pooling $aves time and money!

Most cars travelling to and from school only carry one family. So why not reduce the number of car trips to school and car pool with a friend?

Car-pooling has lots of benefits. Sharing a lift to or from school will save you time, money, and wear and tear on the family car. RACQ estimate that a medium size car costs an average of $202 a week to run when you consider everything from fuel consumption to maintenance.

Many of our families live very close to each other – often in the same street. Lots of families also have children in the same sporting or music groups. So why not save time and money and car pool instead.

Talk to your friends and neighbours to find opportunities for car-pooling – it’s as easy as asking someone if they are going your way. It’s yet another way you can join us actively travelling to school every Walking Wheeling Wednesday!

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

The classes with the most Active Travellers last fortnight are:

Week 9: 3rd 3E , 2nd 4A and 1st 3B
Week 8: 3rd 3B, 2nd 3E and 1st 3A
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!

VIRTUOSI SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Special thanks to the Virtuosi School of Music for donating funds to support our school production of Peter Pan Jr. this semester.

Established in 2005, Virtuosi School of Music aims to be one of Australia’s premier resources for providing joyful music education experiences that promote artistic excellence. All programs are given in easily accessible, attractive and comfortable spaces that enable maximum musical enjoyment by both participants and teachers alike.

Virtuosi offers students tuition in a large variety of disciplines – violin, viola, cello, guitar, piano, flute, clarinet, saxophone, voice, percussion and music theory. In addition to private lessons, students are given regular performance opportunities as well as the possibility to take part in our various ensemble programs.

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.

WindsorFest

Side Show Alley Prize Donations

With the EOFY sales commencing, please keep a look out for new items that can be used as prizes for the WindsorFest Sideshow Alley Prize Stall. People play side show alley games to win prize tickets, save those tickets up and they claim a prize of varying value/size. We will have prizes for just 1 ticket right up to extra-large sized prizes worth 30+ tickets.

Prizes worth 1 prize ticket are things like gel pens, a small pack of hair accessories (like 2 or 3 ponytail holders) etc. with values of up to $2 or $3. We need a range of items, item sizes, and multiples of one type of item are fine. Sometimes you can get better deals if you buy a bunch of one thing, if you ask the sales people. Prizes don’t have to be only toys. Hair accessories, stationery, board games, sports gear (balls, handballs, jump ropes), inexpensive jewellery (like little earrings, fun bracelets), and outdoor gear (small torches, backpacks), are all great prizes. We would rather prizes be good quality - something that might last and you wouldn’t mind seeing your own child bring home from a school fair!

Please place the items in the cardboard boxes labelled “Prize Stall” at the School Office.

Thanks in advance!

Rides, Rides, Rides!

We are excited to announce the rides for this year’s WindsorFest. We have some great rides, including traditional family favourites and a ride that’s new to QLD! The Kamikaze is a ride for thrill seekers and not often seen at school fairs.

Silent Auction and Raffle

We’re still looking for donations of:

• vouchers for restaurants
• vouchers for kids sports/music/activities
• beauty product gift packs
• sporting equipment
• vouchers for massage
• vouchers for hair or beauty treatments
• gym memberships
• tickets to sporting events or local attractions

Do you frequently visit a shop/restaurant/gym? We have a pre-written letter below that you can use as a template to approach businesses, just add the name at the top! Remember the event isn't until 15th Sept, so please ensure there's a long expiry date on any vouchers.

We have such a fabulous Windsor community, and this is a fantastic opportunity to promote local businesses within our school community. The business/prize donation will be promoted on our WindsorFest website which will be online until after the event and through the P&C facebook page.

If you can help at all or receive any donations, please send the details to windsorfest@windsorsspandc.com.au.

A legitimate excuse to scare kids!

If you would like a legitimate excuse to scare children then we have an excellent opportunity to offer you. Please contact Amanda Keane at info@amandakeane.com.au if you would like to offer your assistance as a ‘scarer’ in our Hogwarts inspired haunted house.

Jam Jars

Can you please start collecting empty jars for jams and chutneys? We’ll let you know where you can drop them off soon. Alternatively, if you’re a whizz in this department, start making jams and chutneys for the P&C stall.

Call out for all plants and/or cuttings that you might be able to donate

• Do you have any plants that can be pulled out of the garden and placed in a pots, e.g. Agapanthus or Bromeliads, succulents or orchid pups, even mondo grass
• Any cuttings such as Dracaena, Frangipani, Geraniums, Yucca, Cordyline
• Pineapple tops or avocado seeds are welcome too

If we haven't mentioned a plant, or you think you might be able to help but are not sure how, please just send us an email. We are happy to answer any questions.

If you can pot them and look after them until the fair, we have plenty of pots to share. If you can provide the plants but are unable to care for them, then we are happy to accept your donation.

If you would like to donate plants or cuttings or require further information please contact:

Angela Kenyon 5A on angkenyon@hotmail.com
Katie Robinson PD on kr284@uowmail.edu.au

Get Involved!

If you want to know more about WindsorFest or want to get involved, please feel free to come along to our next planning meeting on Wed 27th June, 7pm in the Library.

We thank you for your support.