15 May 2019

Newsletter Articles

Across the Principal's Desk...

2019 NAPLAN (14-16 May)

This week, our Year 3 and 5 students will be participating in the NAPLAN Testing. The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) assesses literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students will participate in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy tests.

The assessment provides parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process - it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance. NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are meeting important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

The assessment provides parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process - it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance. NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are meeting important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

The best way to help prepare your child for NAPLAN is by reassuring them that NAPLAN is just one part of their school program, and by reminding them on the day to simply try their best. Teachers have ensured students are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and will provide appropriate support and guidance. If your child is absent for any of the tests, we will arrange for individual students who are absent at the time of testing to complete missed tests at another time during the school’s test schedule. Friday 17 May is a designated ‘catch up day’ for any tests that have not been completed due to illness etc.

Online Safety Course for Parents

The internet is an amazing place for children to learn, connect and play. Every child, no matter their age, needs to know they have a trusted adult they can talk to about their online experiences. You are the person who can teach them how to be safe.

To support you in this, Internet Safe Families have created a collection of courses specifically created to support parents with resources, skills and training materials to help parents build an open and supportive environment for their children at home.

Windsor State School has purchased a 12 month school license so our community can access these government certified (The Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner) courses.

Please click on the link below for relevant course information.

Loose Parts Play Benefits in our New Playground

If you speak with any student from Yr2-6, they would agree that our new playground at the end of ANZAC Terrace looks amazing! This playground includes a variety of sandstone blocks, balance logs, stepping stones/logs and some newly erected totem poles. Each totem pole is different in its appearance and represents – Erosion, Wetlands, Riverstone and Rainforest. Many thanks to the wonderful Student Council who assisted with this project and also to the Bottomley family who donated their company’s time to complete these works over the Easter holidays.

We will soon be including some ‘loose play’ materials into this area. Research shows that the introduction of recycled loose parts materials such as ropes, wood planks, pipes, tarps, buckets etc into school playgrounds; can contribute to a range of positive cognitive benefits to children. Positive outcomes include increased creativity levels and problem-solving skills, teamwork and negotiation skills as well as improving fundamental motor skills and increasing physical activity rates. A recent study conducted at Windsor State School last year reported that the addition of outdoor loose parts materials to play created complex collaborative behaviour amongst groups of year 5 students.

The Theory of Loose Parts

The theory of “loose parts” first proposed by architect Simon Nicholson in the 1970's, continues to influence child-play experts and the people who design playspaces for children. Nicholson believed that it is the 'loose parts' in our environment that will empower our creativity. During ‘play’, loose parts are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. They are materials with no specific set of directions that can be used alone or combined with other materials. Loose parts can be natural or synthetic. In an outdoor environment we can provide an array of loose parts for use in play such as stones, stumps, sand, gravel, fabric, twigs, wood, pallets, balls, buckets, baskets, crates, boxes, logs, stones, flowers, rope, tyres, balls, shells and seedpods. Having "loose parts" available in a playspace allows children to use these materials as they choose.

Often you will find that children would rather play with materials that they can use and adapt as they please, rather than expensive pieces of play equipment. Encouraging children to use resources as they choose can provide a wider range of opportunities than one that is purely adult led. Children playing with loose parts are using more creativity and imagination and developing more skill and competence than they would playing with most modern plastic toys. It may take a very open mind on our part (there is often a lot of cleaning up involved as materials end up in places you would never expect them to be) but when children cross play materials and areas in creative ways, it is our responsibility to support and encourage their work and ideas.

Loose Parts should –

• Have no defined use and playworkers must support the children when they decide to change the shape or use of them.
• Be accessible physically and stored where they can be reached by children without having to ask the playworkers. The children should know that they can use them whenever and however they wish.
• Be regularly replenished changed and added to.
• ‘Loose parts’ theory is about remembering that the best play comes from things that allow children to play in many different ways and on many different levels. Environments that include ‘loose parts’ are infinitely more stimulating and engaging that static ones. The play environment needs to promote and support imaginative play through the provision of ‘loose parts’ in a way that doesn’t direct play and play opportunities, but allows children to develop their own ideas and explore their world.

If anyone has any unwanted plastic materials in their homes that they would like to donate to the loose parts container in the playground, please bring these items to the office. This can be anything water proof and without sharp edges, that can be a good tool for play. For example small containers, buckets etc. Using recycled materials will also send a positive message to the students about sustainability. In fact, the overall concept behind using recycled materials is to reuse common objects in our community as play tools, which might otherwise end up in land fill.

Senior Track & Field

I would like to thank the students, staff and parent helpers for making our 2019 Senior Track & Field carnival a success last week. The students demonstrated persistence and resilience over the two days to complete the events to the best of their abilities. Age Champions were announced and celebrated on the day but congratulations once again to;

8 Year Old Age Champions
Sylvester from 3B and Isobel from 3A

9 Year Old Age Champions
Joshua from 4C and Coco from 3B

10 Year Old Age Champions
Luc from 4/5 and Natalie from 4C

11 Year Old Age Champions
William from 6C and Louisa from 6C

12 Year Old Age Champions
Hudson from 6B and Katrina from 6C

House points at the end of the Year 3-6 carnival are;

Lutwyche on 4171 points,
Maynard on 4334 points, and
Wilson on 4377 points.

The overall winning house will be announced at our Semester 1 ACE Awards whole school assembly after the Prep – Year 2 carnival later this term.

Years 4, 5 & 6 Gala Sports Days

Gala Sports Days for Year 4, 5 and 6 students will be held on the following dates:

31 May (week 6)
7 June (week 7)
14 June (week 8)

Gala Sports Days are an opportunity for students to represent their school in tag league, soccer, rugby league and netball. Students participating have commenced training sessions under the guidance of the 4-6 teachers. Students will travel to and from the games by bus. Please be aware that buses may not arrive back at school until 2.45pm or slightly later on these days. This is due to the logistical nature of many buses and students from the City Cluster of schools all departing the venues at the same time. The aim of the day is participation and enjoyment.

Permission forms will soon be sent home to parents along with information regarding venues, what to wear, equipment required and most importantly what sport their child is playing. Please note that children playing hockey and rugby league must wear mouthguards. If you have any questions about Gala Day please do not hesitate to contact your child’s classroom teacher or Miss Canestrini.

City Cluster Leadership Team Conference

Last Thursday and Friday Mr Keong, Miss Canestrini, Mrs Wallace and I attended a two day City Cluster Advance conference on the Gold Coast. The City Cluster is the name of our very strong network of schools that has been in operation for the past 12 years. Schools included in our cluster are Windsor SS, Wilston SS, Wooloowin SS, Eagle Junction SS, Milton SS, New Farm SS, Newmarket SS, Kelvin Grove College, Queensland Academies Creative Industries, West End SS and Brisbane SHS. Dr John Edwards, from Schools That Deliver, guided the 75 participants from across the City Cluster through the theme of Collective Efficacy through Intentional Collaboration. John is actually a Grandfather of a student in Year 1 at Windsor and said publicly to the group that he was very proud of the things we are doing at Windsor - which was lovely to hear :)

Over the 2 days, Dr Edwards covered many topics including - having strategic conversations and giving feedback, harvesting staff collective efficacy, the importance of triangulating data, the learning pit, ladder of inference, frameworks for future learning and growth, leadership vs management and innovation models for teaching and learning.

John is doing some amazing work with schools across Australia and New Zealand - all whom are producing some fantastic results. I have invited him to school to have a look around and have some more discussions with the Leadership Team.

Electronic Report Cards

Report cards will be emailed directly to all parents in Week 1 of Term 3. If you have recently changed your email address, please ensure you have updated your details at the office. Please add Application.ONESCHOOL@dete.qld.gov.au to your list of safe senders to ensure report card emails aren’t sent to your ‘junk’ mail folder.

Enrol for Prep 2020!

If you have a child born between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2015 please see the office to complete an Enrolment Form or you can visit:

Woolworths Earn & Learn

Earn & Learn is back for 2019! Woolworths is once again helping students across Australia to get exciting new equipment for their schools. Please start collecting your stickers and pop them in the boxes located outside administration.

Collect as many stickers as you can between now and the 25 June 2019!!

Grant Baker
Principal

From the Deputy Principals’ Desks…

Under 8’s Day 2019

On Thursday 23 May, the children in Prep to Year 2 will be participating in an activities morning to celebrate Under 8’s week. This day is dedicated to celebrating the early years of school and the theme this year is 'Celebrating Diversity of Languages within Home, Culture and Community'. Parents of children in Prep-Year 2, you are invited to come along and have some fun with your child while they take part in the morning.

Some of the fun and exciting activities that will be running on the day include face painting, a jumping castle maze, fruity necklaces, a local guest author…and lots more!

This year, the children are invited to wear free dress. Due to the nature of some of the activities, it would be great if they could come dressed in clothes that they can get messy in. This year there will be a cake stall running to help raise funds for P-2 resources. After all the fun activities you are invited to share morning tea with your child at school. A Coffee Van will also be on-site throughout the morning.

As teachers are responsible for a particular activity, children will require supervision. To ensure the day’s success we need as much parent assistance as possible. If you are able to come along on the day to assist your child or a small group of children, please complete and return the form sent home by your child’s teacher. The festivities will begin at 9am and will finish at 11am (first break). We look forward to seeing everyone at the festivities.

NAPLAN

This week, our Year 3 and Year 5 students will sit the NAPLAN tests. The dates of these tests are outline below:

The 2019 NAPLAN Information for Parents and Carers brochure is available to download below and further information about the NAPLAN tests is also available on the NAPLAN website.

Click here to open the 2019 NAPLAN Information for Parents and Carers brochure

Follow this link to the NAPLAN website for additional information

NAPLAN is important, but also a very small part of two hundred days in a school year. Some children may feel anxious or worried about the tests due to the hype surrounding them.

Much has been said and written about NAPLAN. In our experience, if parents or teachers over emphasise the importance of NAPLAN to children, there is great potential for children to become excessively stressed and likely not complete the tests to the best of their ability. Our students complete tests/assessments very regularly, so why treat these tests differently? Please help us reassure the children about the testing, build their confidence and trust in their ability to do well.

Like ACARA, we certainly do not recommend the use of any commercial products, such as booklets and practice tests, to help your child prepare for NAPLAN tests. None of the commercial products currently on the market are endorsed by ACARA and the use of these or services by coaching providers are not recommended by Windsor SS nor ACARA. The best way you can help your child prepare for NAPLAN is to reassure them that the tests are just one part of their school program and to encourage them to simply do the best they can on the day.

Some students may feel anxious about NAPLAN, but it’s up to the adults in children’s lives to help keep NAPLAN in context. It’s a test that is only taken four times in a child’s schooling life – over three days, there are four tests that take around one hour each. NAPLAN tests what students should already know from their everyday learning, and there are no prizes or repercussions for doing well or not so well in the tests. NAPLAN doesn’t test everything that happens in a classroom – it isn’t intended to – but it does look at the critically important areas of literacy and numeracy – skills that your child will take with them to their adult life. (Robert Randall, ACARA CEO, 2017)

How to Strengthen Children & Teens Against Anxiety After News of World Trauma

By Karen Young

The world is seeing too many days where humanity is shaken by another catastrophic world event. Catastrophic trauma comes with ripples. The world is such a small place now, and when breakage happens, the news can easily and quickly travel to our children, wherever they are. This can breathe life into anxiety and unfathomable possibilities. ‘What if something happens while I’m not with you?’ ‘Could this happen to us?’…

Read more of Karen Young’s article by following the link below:

Responsible Behaviour Plan 2019-2022

In 2018, our School Culture committee reviewed the Responsible Behaviour Plan for 2019-2022. The final document will be endorsed by the School Council and P&C at their first meetings of the year. The updated plan is embedded below for all parents/caregivers to read and will be uploaded with all attachments to the school website post endorsement. Please take your time to read the embedded document carefully and have conversations with your children at home. Thanks for your support!

Pastoral Care: Social Emotional Learning @ Windsor SS

Universal Support for Students

Through our Whole School Pastoral Care program, we teach and assist children in developing the 12 Positive Attitudes (previously known as Habits of the Mind) and 5 Social-Emotional skills (Getting Along, Organisation, Persistence, Confidence and Resilience) they need to reach the top of the triangle. The ultimate goals (see above) are for all children to achieve to the best of their ability, develop positive relationships and behaviour and experience the highest levels of wellbeing.

For all young people to reach the Goals at the top of the triangle, they need to also have moral Character; that is, possess Values/Strengths, positive attitudes as well as social and emotional learning skills. Values generally indicate the degree of importance of some thing or action, with the aim of determining what actions are best to do or what way is best to live, or to describe the significance of different actions. The 6 Strengths are what positive psychologists refer to as ‘Virtues’; categories consisting of different character strengths (see the button below). There are 24-character strengths (virtues) that are incorporated under the six categories:

1. Wisdom and Knowledge: creativity, curiosity, judgment, love of learning, perspective
2. Courage: bravery, perseverance, honesty, zest
3. Humanity: love, kindness, social intelligence
4. Justice: teamwork, fairness, leadership
5. Temperance: forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation
6. Transcendence: appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humour, spirituality

Environment is extremely important; therefore, the efforts of family, school and community are recognised as important in helping young children to attain positive outcomes. The unique contribution of this YCDI! Education is in strengthening the mindset and social-emotional strengths all children need to realise their full potential.

Connie Confident; Oscar Organisation; Pete Persistent; Gabby Get Along; Ricky Resilient help students understand the positive attitudes they need to be successful

The You Can Do It! Education Social and Emotional Learning frameworks (see “The Windsor Way” below) address aspects of the psychological functioning of young people that lead to poor learning, behaviour and social and emotional outcomes. Negative Attitudes and under-developed Character (values and strengths) create negative Social-Emotional Blockers (Anger, Worry, Feeling Down, Procrastination, Not Paying Attention).

Symmetrically, the frameworks also represent the corresponding Positive Attitudes and Character (values, strengths) that support five essential Social-Emotional Skills all contributing to positive Social-Emotional Skills (Getting Along, Organisation, Persistence, Confidence, Resilience). It is important for students to fully understand both sides of the framework to be able to counteract the blockers and develop the positive attitudes and skills (see below).

“The Windsor Way”- based on YCDI Education!
Social & Emotional Framework

Code of Conduct @ Windsor SS

Behavioural Expectations

Behaviour at Windsor State School is NOT simply related to compliant/obedient children, our goal is to fully develop all positive attitudes and social emotional skills. Behaviour results on end of semester report cards are directly linked to each student’s ability to achieve a particular Behaviour Level (A = Gold; B = Silver; C = Bronze). Students are encouraged/coached to use the Code of Conduct criteria sheet to strive for positive growth and excellence.

The behavioural expectations criteria (see WSS Code of Conduct below) are used by teachers to teach, encourage, reinforce and coach students to improve and become happy and successful. Teachers use these criteria to directly assess and assign a Behaviour rating at the end of each semester. (see our new Code of Conduct & Positive Behaviour poster below)

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

Religious Instruction

We would like to inform you about the religious instruction (RI) arrangements in 2019. If you wish to make any changes to your current preferences regarding your child’s participation in RI or other instruction, please complete this online form. A hardcopy version form is also available for download on the school website. If there are no changes to be made, there is no need to return a form to the school.

Queensland state schools embrace a multitude of cultural, religious and non-religious beliefs. Under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, schools are to provide RI each week if approached by a faith group seeking to provide RI and students of that faith attend the school.

RI informs students about the beliefs and values of a particular religion. It is delivered by volunteers of a faith group using instructional materials approved by that faith group. These materials are not part of the formal school curriculum and are not endorsed by the Department of Education.

All RI instructors must hold a blue card and participate in compulsory Student Protection and Code of Conduct training. RI instructors are only entitled to deliver the RI program outlined below. A school staff member will be present during the delivery of RI.

Participation in RI is not compulsory. Any student (except Prep students) may participate in RI if a parent has given consent and indicated a religion on the Application for Student Enrolment Form or in other written advice to the principal. A parent, regardless of their own faith (if any), may choose to give consent for their child to participate in one of the RI programs listed below.

Any child not participating in RI, or whose nominated religion is not represented within the RI program at the school, will receive other instruction by a qualified member of school staff in a separate location during the time RI is held. Other instruction will relate to subject areas that have already been covered in class.

At any time, parents may provide written instruction to the principal to change their preference for their child to participate in or be withdrawn from RI. If a parent does not update their consent by completing and returning this form, their previous written instructions to the school will continue to apply.

The faith groups that provide religious instructors to deliver the program at our school are listed below, including links to the website for materials to be used in RI at our school. Please note that at this stage, Christian RI is the only RI program on offer at Windsor SS.

The aims and objectives of the co-operative Christian RI program is to inform students about the basic beliefs of the Christian faith. Lesson aims and overviews for each of the RI programs to be used in this agreement are available via the links in the table above.

Further details about our school’s RI program and other instruction are available on the school’s website and in the school’s parent handbook. You may also wish to access the Department’s RI policy statement available at:

In 2019, there is no cost for the activity book that participating students will use in RI. Each year, parents/carers will be notified if there is a cost for the purchasing of student workbooks and the associated payment options.

You will also be notified of any changes to RI or other instruction.

Our school’s Christian RI Coordinator Mrs Karen Grenning is available to answer any questions you may have about the program. You can contact Mrs Grenning at grenning@bigpond.net.au or you may make an appointment to meet with her in the school office. Copies of the RI Teacher’s Manuals and Student Workbooks are also available now in the school office for parents to peruse.

If you would like further information about RI or other instruction at our school, or require assistance with completing the online or hardcopy form, please contact us at admin@windsorss.eq.edu.au.

Active School Travel!

National Walk Safely to School Day

Friday 17th May is National Walk Safely to School Day. Now in its 20th year, National Walk Safely to School Day (WSTSD) is an annual event when all primary school children will be encouraged to walk and commute safely to school. It is a community event seeking to promote road safety, health, public transport and the environment.

To celebrate Walk Safely to School Day, our school is encouraging everyone to wear “Crazy Socks” when they walk to school!

Being part of the Active School Travel program, we are already leading by example and encouraging our students to actively travel every week. Being part of a national day also shows our students they are part of a much bigger, international movement encouraging healthier habits and a greener environment. Active School Travel is one of the easiest ways to incorporate physical activity into everyday life for all children.

For families who do not live close to school, you might consider driving and parking a short distance away so that you too can walk or scoot and participate in this event. The safety of our students is paramount on this day so please do not let students walk alone to school and make sure they cross roads at the appropriate place.

So join in the fun, be active and healthy, and walk to school with your child on Friday 17th May!

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

QParents

Our school also has QParents. Parents will receive an invitation email or letter to register this week. Prep parents will also receive a Student ID card containing an EQ ID number to register.

If you do not receive an invitation (QPAO), please advise Admin ASAP. QParents is one of the ways we communicate with parents, get on board to enjoy the ease and convenience that QParents offers.

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!

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.

Curriculum Corner

Term 2, Week 4

Planning for Writing

Planning is a writing process in which students take the time to understand a task and organise their ideas. During this time they have an opportunity to record their initial thoughts and ideas before refining them and sequencing them appropriately. As has been identified through collaborative staff workshops, students tend not to recognise the importance of planning and therefore miss the opportunity to prepare for their writing tasks effectively in order to demonstrate their strengths.

When preparing for writing, students are required to plan for the task and we provide scaffolds/organisers to assist in sequencing their ideas. We encourage them to use images, diagrams and key words/phrases and to brain dump thoughts. They then refine and enhance that plan as they write. As planning is a learned skill, we usually model the process for a specific task and practise with students before they apply those skills independently.

In demand-style writing tasks such as NAPLAN, students are given a very short time for planning (5-10 minutes). In order to be successful in these types of contexts, it is crucial that they are able to quickly draw on their learned writing skills and experiences to produce ideas with some automaticity. Teachers provide opportunities to practise these skills regularly through quick writes as well as the modelling and scaffolding associated with longer writing tasks.

Curriculum Coordinators,

Anna Thygesen (Prep-Yr2)
Lisa Heard (Yr3-Yr6)

Student Council

This week we will hit the ground running with our drive to collect toiletries and non-perishable foods for our charity of choice, Homeless Connect.

The Student Councillors launched this drive at assembly on Monday and have meet with all the Student Leaders and School to follow up and distribute posters to be displayed in classrooms.

It would be great if you could encourage your children to bring in canned foods and toiletry items. (Non-perishable items should be well within their use by date).

Our goal is to collect at least 1 item per student over the month. The drive goes from Monday 13 May to Friday 14 June.

The Student Councillors will bring the collections down to the hall each Thursday at second break to be stored at a central location.

Instrumental

Helping Hands

National Simultaneous Storytime

Calling All Students!!

Bring your lunch to the Library at the start of first break on Wednesday 22 May for National Simultaneous Story Time!

Let's make our contribution to the target of a million kids’ reading the same story at the same time!

Uniform Shop

Uniform Shop is open during the School term on Mondays 2:30pm – 3:30pm and Wednesdays 8:30am – 9:30am. Uniform Shop orders can be placed online using the online ordering system, Munch Monitor. Online orders can be picked up from the Uniform Shop or delivered to your child’s class for them to bring home.

Signing up is very simple; a Munch Monitor fact sheet is available here. As an external supplier with a dedicated account management team they are able to assist with your account enquiries via help@munchmonitor.com.

Please provide any feedback regarding uniforms to the retail sub-committee at retail@windsorsspandc.eq.edu.au