8 September 2017

Newsletter Articles

UPCOMING EVENTS

September/October 2017

PAYMENTS DUE

PRINCIPAL’S NEWS

Finish Term 3 strongly

With only one week until the conclusion of this term, it is important that we focus on the main priority – maximising student learning until 3pm on Friday 15 September.

There are many activities taking place across the school next week including BrainWays, Music Muster and the Eagles Cup. We wish participants well for the challenges ahead in these activities next week.

In classrooms, we see students learning and engaging with their curriculum work, completing assessment tasks and finalising projects that act as a culmination of their learning this term.

Battle for Australia

Aspley State School was represented by Mrs Donna Boaler at “The Battle of Australia Commemorative 75th Anniversary service”. This service honoured those who served on land and sea in the south and south west pacific campaigns of 1942-1945 repulsing the direct threat to Australia. Mrs Boaler laid a wreath on behalf of Aspley State School.

Staffing update – Term 4 2017

Earlier this week, we received confirmation that Ms Devanai Naidoo has been appointed as the Head of Special Education Services (HOSES) at McDowall State School. This is a permanent position, commencing in Term 4 2017.

We will officially farewell Ms Naidoo at the whole school assembly on Monday 11 September 2017.

Thankyou Ms Naidoo for your 16 years of dedicated service to the students, staff, parents and community of Aspley State School.

RACQ Streets Ahead program

In Week 1 of Term 4 (Tuesday 3 – Friday 6 October), the RACQ Streets Ahead program will be conducted at Aspley State School.

Students from Prep – Year 6 will participate in a 45 minute learning experience with the staff from RACQ. The highlight of the week’s activity will be on Friday morning when the CareFlight Chopper will land on the Aspley State School Oval (weather permitting).

On the morning of Friday 6 October, following roll-mark at 8:40am, all classes will move to the tiered seating on the oval. Classes need to be seated by 9am sharp in preparation for the chopper to land at approx. 9:20am.

Parents and community members are welcome, provided that they remain along the concrete apron along the Western Hall and away from the assembled classes due to health and safety provisions.

Further information will be provided through your class teacher once the learning experience timetable is confirmed.

Respect our staff, respect our school

The Queensland Government is committed to tackling the growing issue of violent and abusive behaviour across school communities. The Respect our staff, respect our school campaign aims to create safer and more respectful communities across Queensland state schools.

We all have different beliefs, expectations and experiences, so there are inevitably going to be times where conflicts or disagreements occur in schools.

How we handle those conflicts can make a significant difference to the learning and development of our students and the positive environments we aim to foster.

The safety of our students and staff is the number one priority and we can all play our part in ensuring that our schools are safe and respectful places to be.

Violent or abusive behaviour will not be tolerated in our schools. It's not just a courtesy. It's the law.

Launching the Aspley Eco-Warriors!

Six weeks ago, a group of Year 3 students approached Mr Smith with a plan – to implement a new ‘club’ for students to focus on enhancing the environment of Aspley State School……

Introducing the Aspley Eco-Warriors!

The Aspley Eco-Warriors is a new club in our school to achieve our purpose – to Sustain, Enhance and Protect the environment.

Over the next few weeks, we will advertise for members of the Eco-Warriors club.

To start the club, we require students to make a commitment of 1 – 2 lunch breaks per week to make a difference to the environment of the school.

Students interested in joining the Aspley Eco-Warriors are invited to attend a sign-up session next Tuesday at both first and second breaks outside the Office (weather permitting).

Triple P to stay free for all Queensland families

Free access to world-renowned parenting program Triple P is here to stay for the next three years.

More than 85,000 parents, carers and grandparents have picked up new positive parenting skills and strategies since the free program was first offered two years ago.

And new funding means parents of both younger children and teenagers can continue to access specialised Triple P programs anywhere in Queensland, online or in person.

To find out m ore, register for seminars and groups, arrange one-on-one support or do the program online.

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S NEWS

Messages to students

While we understand that pick-up arrangements may change from time to time, our students are in class and learning up until 3pm. When the classroom teacher is required to pass on messages to students, it interrupts the learning process.

We respectfully request that parents only contact the office and ask for a message to be passed in in the event of an emergency only. As you can appreciate in a school with 720 students, it is not possible to accommodate every request.

One strategy that can be used to remind students of the pick-up arrangements after school is to give a note to the classroom teacher or leave a post-it note in their lunchbox. In this way, students’ self-management is developed as well as reducing this extra role from the office staff.

2018 Senior Leader process

Students endorsed through the Round 1 Expression of Interest received their Senior Leader Booklet. This comprehensive series of tasks is to be completed and submitted to the Office, after final endorsement from Mrs Griffith-Baker, by 3pm on Friday 6 October 2017.

Students who were unsuccessful in obtaining endorsement in the Round 1 process have been provided with specific feedback for improvement prior to the Round 2 process in later Term 1 2018.

Officeworks

Officeworks Aspley kindly donated writing packs to the school (notepad, pen and permanent marker) that have been distributed to classroom teachers. We thank Officeworks Aspley for their ongoing support of the students and teachers of Aspley State School.

BrainWays

Brain Ways commences on Tuesday 12th September and concludes on Friday 16th September. The program will run from 9:15am – 2:40pm. This has the potential to make our drop off and pickup zones more crowded than usual. The school will be monitoring this to avoid any difficulties, however as a part of this we ask that families adjust their pick up times in the afternoons to accommodate the increased flow of traffic.

Prep 2018

We have limited vacancies for out of catchment placements still available. If you are aware of any families for prep placements for 2018, please advise them to contact the school office on 07 3863 9111 or email on admin@aspleyss.eq.edu.au.

MEET OUR STAFF

Leanne Youitt

Master Teacher

Origins

A Queenslander through and through, I studied in Brisbane and am enjoying a most rewarding career in Queensland’s state school system, spanning in excess of thirty years. I have had the opportunity to teach in small schools as a teacher of multi-age classes, large regional country centres, new schools and schools that have celebrated over 100 years as a place of learning. In various regional roles in Literacy Education, I have visited countless schools and love sharing my passion for teaching and learning. I have a dream job as Master Teacher at Aspley State School as it combines my love of teaching whilst working with teachers to help ensure consistent pedagogical practices in the teaching of writing.

Hobbies

I am a keen reader and it’s encouraging to see there is an increase in published Brisbane authors. I love writing, especially when on holidays, in my favourite sleepy beachside town of Woodgate. I also enjoy going to live theatre, splashing around a little grout as I mosaic, cooking and walking the family cavoodle, Montey.

Educational Philosophy

Knowing where students are in their learning is an important starting phase to learning as is building a classroom climate that ensures students view themselves as learners. I want all students to enjoy learning. Providing a real purpose and audience for learning is paramount to engaging students in the Australian curriculum. That is why you will hear students talking about their learning, helping teach their peers and see student writing samples on display as an important acknowledgement of learning when I teach your child. All students have different interests and learn best in different ways and at a differing pace, so it is very important to have a repertoire of teaching strategies that can be adapted to student need. Ongoing feedback is essential in students knowing how to improve their learning. I firmly believe that a student’s learning journey is enhanced when school works hand-in-hand with family. As the school creed in my very first school said, “As many hands build a house, so many hearts make a school.” That still rings true today.

YEAR 4 Camp

On Monday the fourth of September our fellow Year Four students at Aspley State School went to the Alex Park conference centre for their annual camp. We stayed there for three days and two nights.

At the year four camp, a company called Character Builders helped to develop our leadership and teamwork skills. In the mornings we would do team building rotational activities and in the afternoons beach activities. The Character Builders team left on Tuesday afternoon.

On the first day we did an activity called the amazing race. There were six sub-activities including:

• Stumps(where you had to throw a ball at a single cricket stump),
• Marble pipeline(where you have to roll a marble down a line of half industrial pipes, and if the marble touches the ground or your fingers you have to restart)
• Peas and carrots(where we had to roll a marble at golf tees turned upside down)
• And bucket head (where you were wearing a bucket on your head and you had to bounce a ping-pong ball on the cement and land it in someone else's bucket).

For lunch we had lasagna and salad. In the afternoon we went down to the beach. That night we had a quiz night that included speed conversations and pictures of famous people's faces that we had to name.

However, even though the beds were comfortable, most of us found out that you never get a good night's sleep at a camp (everyone likes to chat too much for that to happen).

The next day we were doing three different team building activities. One was launch-a-thon (where we had human-sized slingshots and tried to catch plastic balls launched from the slingshot), Balloo Balloo, where we had to make the tallest tower entirely out of balloons and the third activity was called Domino Theory, where you had to make the longest line of Dominos, without knocking them down.

Later that day, we did an activity called Photo Treasure Hunt, where we had to take a picture of the objects on the sheet that we got, but, you got more points if you were more creative or added all the members of your team.

The second day beach activities were the most fun. Sandology was one of them and you had to sculpt sand into different shapes such as a titanic (the ship which crashed into an iceberg) and a shark. But it had to start with A or S for Aspley and State School. So, to fix the problem with the titanic, sandy was added in front of the name. Another one of the activities was a blind relay, where you had to guide a person with a blindfold using only your voice around a marker and back to the line. That afternoon we also waded in the sea. Later that night we went bowling.

On the final day, we had breakfast in our togs and went straight to the beach. When we got to the beach we went into the surf club and learnt beach safety. Then we went down to the beach and got started on the activities. These included boogey-boarding, body-surfing and flag races. Over all, the main purpose was to develop our leadership skills. We had hamburgers for lunch and then hopped on the bus to go home. The food, cabins and weather was great.

As you can see, the Year Four camp was both fun and tiring. Most of us went to bed early because we were so tired.

Written by Brendan M and Charles S in class 4DA

A massive thank you to Mrs Dooley, Ms Curtis, Mr Pentis, Mr Wickham and Mrs Rhys for sacrificing time away from their own families to benefit our students.

Curriculum News

Literacy Planet – Word Mania

Wow! What an entry Aspley State School students made in Literacy Planet’s word building competition Word Mania! While it is a fun game, Word Mania involved a lot of complex literacy skills such as phonics, word families, rhyming and root words, prefixes and suffixes, spelling, vocabulary, word recognition and word knowledge. The average Word Mania game score, which reflects a combination of the literacy and cognitive skills involved, increased by 36% and the average number of correct words per game increased by 20%.

Aspley State School received many participation and skills awards across the two preliminary competition rounds with a special mention to Year 1, 2, 3 and 4 students.

The grand final skill round saw Aspley State School’s Year 3 students come fourth on the National Leaderboard. Congratulations Year 3 students! With this very positive entry into the national competition, we look forward to 2018’s competition round!

Math’s Tournament

Have a look at the smile on these faces!

Aspley State School fielded two Year 6 teams at the Metropolitan North Math’s tournament at Albany Hills State School. Their huge school hall was packed with school teams and it was a joy to see so many students enjoying a morning of mathematical problem-solving. Our students worked very conscientiously, showing tenacity on some very challenging problems. Congratulations all who attended worked enthusiastically and represented our school admirably.

2018 BOOKLIST- ONLINE ORDERING

We are finalising negotiations with Direct Stationery to introduce ONLINE booklist ordering for 2018. Parents will now deal directly with the book distributor, placing an online order through to free delivery if ordered before the 2nd of December. Instructions of how to do this will be issued next week through a note home and details will also be on the school website.

6F World Peace Day 2017

Thursday, 21st of September

The International Day of Peace, sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day, is a day observed annually all around the world!

It is a day dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence.

The students of 6F all signed a ‘Peace Pledge’ to World Peace Day 2017!

The students were asked to draw pictures, write letters, send introductions and messages of world friendship (through the ‘Peace Crane Project’) to a reciprocal class in another part of the world, as a part of this year’s World Day of Peace celebrations.

This year 6F ‘buddied up’ with a grade 4 class from Merry Mount Primary in Massachusetts, U.S.A

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS

Literacy Olympics success

Congratulations to our participants at the Wavell SHS Literacy Olympics, held on 7 September 2017.

Our Year 6 team of Luciella S, Amelia C, Saskia P and Sanuli E finished as runners-up – bringing home silver medallions and a beautiful trophy! Well done!

Well done Lucas!

Lucas, one of our Aspley students, has been selected for the North Regional soccer team. He will be playing in QCSA. STATE TITLE ZONE carnival held at Beaudesert on 16th September. Well done Lucas.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT NEWS

EDUCATION QUEENSLAND SINGFEST 2017

Congratulations to the Aspley State School Senior and Boys Choral Members in Years 4 to Years 6 who last week participated in the Education Queensland SingFest 2017 on Tuesday 29th August. What wonderful ambassadors for Aspley State School. Students you should be very proud of your conduct through-out this workshop day, it was marvellous, as was your participation in rehearsals with Ms Justine Favell. Mrs Macca is very proud of your efforts! A very big thank you to parents Mrs Iselin-Shea, Mrs Mulrooney and our wonderful Teacher Aide Mrs Rhys who accompanied the students on this excursion. We appreciate your support in making this a wonderful experience for all involved.

Please read below three recounts of this fabulous musical day had by our wonderful choristers:

“My Sing fest experience “ By Ruby

‘Singfest was great, I enjoyed it a lot. It is a time for children from different schools to come together, have vocal training, be exposed to new songs, meet different people and of course have fun! Our hard work payed off at the end of the day because we had a brilliant concert and performed in front of many people. I am grateful for the opportunity and being part of such a big choir of 320 people. I made lots of friends and it brightened up my day even more, and music lightens up our lives’.

“ Sing Fest” By Rianna

Last Tuesday I participated in Singfest. It started at 8.30am and ended at 6.00pm. We travelled to the Old Museum by a double decker bus. When we arrived we had a quick snack and got ready to start singing. Once we were in the Old Museum we all got seated. We were then told some rules and introduced to the conductor. We sang some warm ups and then got stuck in to our work. Altogether we had three breaks. On our last break we got changed into our performance clothes and started to count the moments. Before we knew it the stage lights were beaming down on the stage and the pianist started to play. Before a blink of an eye we were heading home tired, exhausted and ready for bed. What a marvellous day.

“SINGFEST” BY DYLAN , 4DA & BOYZ CHOIR MEMBER

Looking back at Singfest, it must have been lots of fun for me because my dad says I sang all the way home in the car! Then I sang in the shower, and I was STILL singing when I put my puppy dog to bed that night. We spent the day at the Old Museum practicing the songs we’d worked hard with Mrs Macca to learn. “Route 66” and “Jet Man” were probably my favourite two pieces. We also performed at the end-of-day concert “Ribbons in the Sky” (my friend Angus and I were grouped with the colour green), “Come to the Music”, and “Sisi Sote”. I’d recommend to other students that they attend Singfest. The whole thing is a good experience: singing the songs, singing with all these kids from other schools, and singing on a giant stage. Being part of it and performing made me feel accomplished. We had break times where we ate and played, but for the rest of the day we sang … and sang … and sang!

CHORAL REHEARSALS WEEK 10

Mrs McIntyre will be on leave in the last week of school from 11th – 15th September, thus all choral ensemble rehearsals will be cancelled during Week 10. Mrs Macca is looking forward to seeing you all in Week 1 of Term 4 busily singing away towards our upcoming performances in Term 4.

ASPLEY SPEAKS OUT SOLO PIANO PERFORMANCES

Congratulations to our solo pianists who performed at Aspley Speaks Out on Wednesday 30th August. What beautiful performances. Thank you so much to the parents/caregivers in supporting your children for this lovely performance opportunity.

WIZARD OF OZ – MUSICAL

Aspley State School has secured 50 student tickets ONLY to attend the QPAC Musical ‘The Wizard of Oz’ on Wednesday 22nd November, 2017.

These tickets will be offered to students in Years 4 and Years 5 ONLY as well as the students who currently participate in the Drama Club. A parent information letter outlining the finer details of this exciting excursion will be given to students at the beginning of Term 4. Please read a little of the information from QPAC of this exciting musical adventure:

‘The London Palladium production of The Wizard Of Oz is an enchanting revision of the all-time class. Developed from the ever-popular MGM screenplay, it contains the beloved songs from the Oscar winning movie score, all the favourite characters and the iconic moments, plus a few surprises along the way, including new songs by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Leading the performers will be an Australian musical theatre legend Anthony Warlow as the Wizard and Professor Marvel, Samantha Dodemaide as Dorothy Gale, and leading ladies Lucy Durack as Glinda and Jemma Rix as Miss Gulch and The Wicked Witch of the West. Don’t miss your chance to rediscover the real story of Oz in this fantastic musical treat’!!

CURRENT AND UPCOMING MUSICAL EVENTS - TERM THREE 2017

Please take note of upcoming musical events for Term Three below:

FOOTSTEPS DANCE PROGRAM PREP – YEAR THREE - TERM 4

In Term Four 2017, each child in classes from Prep through to Year Three at Aspley State School will be participating in an 8-week dance programme with the Footsteps Dance Company.

This dance programme has been designed specifically for young children by the Footsteps Dance Company to meet the HPE dance requirements, smart moves programme and The Arts. Footsteps have designed dances that focus on teaching students’ rhythm, co-ordination, movement and the development of children’s social skills. The emphasis is very much on having fun during the programme ensuring an enjoyable, non-threating and safe learning atmosphere. Students learn many diverse dance styles from Hip Hop to Tango to Funk to Cha Cha that are instructed through Individual Dances, Progressive Partner Dancing and Non-Progressive Partner Dancing.

We highly encourage participation from ALL STUDENTS in classes Prep through to Year Three and feel that this dance course would be highly beneficial to your child. No previous dance experience or skills are required to partake in the programme. Exciting new skills for all abilities will be taught during the duration of the term. Participating students will perform learnt dance repertoire at the Prep to Year 3 Christmas Celebration Concert at the end of Term 4, 2017.

The Footsteps dance sessions will be held each Friday commencing in Week Two of Term Four and concluding in Week Nine Term 4, 2017. The Footsteps Dance sessions will run as follows:

The cost of this course is $22.00 for the eight dance sessions. Please return the permission slip and payment to the school office by no later than 11th October 2017.

No refund will be made if your child misses a session, as the payment is for the course, not on a session basis. Also, if your child misses the first class due to non-payment, the full $22.00 will apply to the remaining lessons.

Footsteps Dance Company have more than 15 years’ experience in teaching Dancesport and now teach in over 500 schools across Australia. We are very excited to have this fabulous company working with the Aspley children.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC NEWS

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC RECRUITMENT PROCESS FOR 2017 - 2018

With Term 3 coming to a close we are busily embarking upon the recruitment process for 2018.

This week students who are currently in Year Two and Year Three have received an Expression of Interest Letter to participate in the 2018 Instrumental Music Programs here at Aspley State School. If your child has not brought this parent information letter home, please look at the school’s website documentation site to download a copy of this form, or alternatively, please speak with the front office staff.

Please note that if you would like for your child to be considered for placement in the 2018 Aspley Instrumental Program, please ensure you complete the form attached to the Parent Information Letter and send it to school office no later than Friday 15th September 2017. Please ensure you have read and understood the information in the Parent Information Letter before applying to participate in the Aspley Instrumental Music Program.

Aspley State School children in Year Three upwards are offered the opportunity to learn a string instrument. Children from Year Four upwards are offered the opportunity to learn woodwind, brass or percussion instruments through the school’s instrumental music program. PLEASE NOTE THAT CHILDREN CANNOT BE CONCURRENTLY ENROLLED IN BOTH THE STRING AND THE WOODWIND/BRASS/PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PROGRAMS.

We hope that your child chooses to commence in our incredible Music Program in 2018. They deserve to explore their musical education and the wonderful benefits that come with it for their entire school life, if not beyond. It’s with this in mind that we can’t wait to see your child participate in band/orchestral program next year.

The Recruitment Timeline below outlines the various steps that will be followed through Semester Two 2017 for our 2018 Instrumental Music intake.

Please take note of the recruitment timeline and procedure dates below, as testing/enrolment outside these dates if not permissible.

Aspley State School Instrumental Music 2017

Recruitment Timeline and Procedures

If you have further questions regarding this exciting process, please contact Mrs McIntyre.

EDUCATION QUENSLAND - HONOURS MUSIC CAMP

We wish our young instrumentalists the best of musical luck at the upcoming Northside Honours Music Camp to be held at Everton Park State High School from Tuesday 5th – Friday 8th September - 8.30am – 3.30pm daily.

Please take note of the following information for Honours Music Camp (taken from the Honours Music Camp Information Brochure) to ensure a fantastic time had by all participants.

VENUE

Everton Park State High School – 668 Stafford Road, Everton Park.

CONTACT

Music Resource Centre: 3354 0234

Camp phone (camp hours only): 0490 387 649

CAMP HOURS

Tuesday 5th - Friday 8th September 8:30am – 3:30pm
(Registration from 8:00am each day)
Friday will finish at approx. 3:30pm at the conclusion of the concert.

There will be no supervision prior to 8.00am or after 4pm. Please make care arrangements around these hours. The day will start and finish in the Hall at Everton Park State High School.

WHAT TO BRING

• Musical Instrument (securely name-tagged)
• Percussion: sticks, etc.
• 3 spare reeds/ a spare set of strings etc.
• 2 pencils and a soft eraser
• Music stand—securely name-tagged
• Morning Tea, Lunch and Water Bottle*
• Hat and Sunscreen
• Appropriate free dress with closed in shoes is to be worn

Leave your school music folders and method books at home.

*Morning Tea & Lunch is supplied on the last day of camp only. Please still pack a water bottle on that day.

ON ARRIVAL

Please make your way to the Hall at Everton Park State High School when you arrive at the camp. You will need to register each day and wear your name tag at all times.

STORAGE OF INSTRUMENTS

There will be a secure storage area for the children to leave larger instruments (tuba, cello, and double bass) overnight at parents’ discretion.

CARPARKING AND DROP OFF ZONE

Everton Park SHS Hall is conveniently located immediately to the right of the entrance gate on Stafford Road. Please note this is also the drop off zone for the rest of the school – do not park in the drop off lane. If you are collecting your child in the afternoon, please move forward in the drop off zone to allow a good flow. A staff member will be on duty at the gate for safety reasons, so we ask that you observe this procedure at these busy times of the day.

TRAVELLING ARRANGEMENTS AND HOURS OF CAMP

Parents are responsible for arranging transport to and from the camp each day.

MEDICATION

If you are already on medication from your doctor, you will be required to hand in your medicine/tablets etc. to the First Aid Officer when you arrive, and then report to him/her daily as required. You should collect the medicine at the end of each day if needed during the night. The medicine should indicate dose and application and be labelled with your name. Please note that teachers can give medication only on the written request of parents.

CONCERT

A free concert will be presented in the Assembly Hall at Everton Park State High School on Friday 8th September at 1.30 pm. It is compulsory all students participate in the concert. We anticipate the concert will finish by 3:30pm.

CAMP T-SHIRT

Students will be issued with t-shirt on the last day of camp. This shirt is included in the fee and will be worn with jeans and closed in shoes for the camp concert.

QUERIES

Should you have any concerns please contact the Music Resource Centre on 3354 0234 prior to the camp, or during camp you can speak with the camp co-ordinator on 0490 387 649 (Camp Hours only). Further information is available following the links from the webpage below. The Music Coordinator of your school will help you with any other questions you may have. If you are unable to attend the camp, please notify your Principal immediately.

EDUCATION QUENSLAND – MUSIC MUSTER – WEDNESDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2017

We wish our young instrumentalists the best of musical luck at the upcoming Music Muster to be held at Craigslea State High School on Wednesday 13th September 2017.

Please take note of the following information for the Music Muster to ensure a fantastic time had by all participants.

VENUE

Craigslea State High School, Hamilton Road, Chermside West.

CAMP HOURS

9.00am to 2.30pm (after concert)

TRANSPORT

Parents/guardians are responsible for the transport of students to and from the camp venue. Please note: No supervison of students will be provided prior to 8.00am. All children must be picked up promptly by 2.30pm (after concert). Carpooling is encouraged.

ARRIVAL & REGISTRATION:

From 8.00am at Craigslea State High School Auditorium, Hamilton Road, Chermside West 4032. Your child will need to register at the start of the day.

WHAT TO BRING

• Instrument in Case (securely name-tagged)
• Consumable items for the instrument, such as, rosin, spare set of strings, valve oil, reeds etc.
• Cello/Bass players need their own rock stop of piece of carpet
• Collapsible music stand
• 2 Pencils and a soft eraser
• Tutor Book and Camp Sheet Music (distributed prior to camp)
• Morning Tea, Lunch and Water Bottle
• Hat and Sunscreen

CAMP ATTIRE:

Students are to wear school uniform and closed in shoes. Uniform for the concert will be school uniform.

CONCERT

Wednesday 13th September commencing at 2.00pm (Finish 2.30pm approximately) at the Craigslea State High School Hall, Hamilton Road, Chermside West 4032. Entry is free. All are welcome.

MEDICATION

If your child is already on medication from your doctor, you will be required to hand in your child’s medicine/tablets etc. to the First Aid Officer on arrival, and then your child will report to him/her as required. The medicine is to be collected at the end of the day by a parent/carer. Medicine should indicate dose and application and be labelled with your child’s name. Please note that teachers can give medication only on the written request of parents/carers.

QUERIES

Should you have any concerns please contact your child’s Instrumental Music Teacher or your school office. Further information is available following the links from the link below to the Northside Cluster Page.

ABSENCES

As the Muster is a school day if your child is unwell during this activity and unable to attend the parent/guardian must contact your school office so that rolls can be marked accordingly.

FLASHMOB PERFORMANCES

Congratulations to our Senior Concert Band, Ms Jabs and the String students, Ms Jerram for their fantastic flashmob performances last week! Our students just loved seeing and hearing the instrumentalists playing out and about in the school grounds!

MUSIC FEST – TERM 4 – SENIOR STRING ORCHESTRA & SENIOR CONCERT BAND

All students who participate in the Senior String Orchestra & Senior Concert Band have now received a parent information letter regarding upcoming performances at Music Fest to be held at Iona College, Wynnum. This is a magnificent event and our ensembles have been working for several months towards this competition.

Please note the permission slip/payment due dates for these events and be sure to return permission slip with the correct payment to the school office.

The Senior String Orchestra payment due date is Thursday 5th October.

The Senior Concert Band payment due date is Thursday 12th October.

We look forward to our talented students participating in this musical event.

WOODWIND/BRASS/PERCUSSION NOTICES

Lessons and Junior/Senior Concert Band ensemble rehearsals will be as per the Instrumental Music Lesson Timetable.

Please ensure you refer to your timetables for upcoming changes. Please note that lessons & all ensemble rehearsals on 6th September (Ms Jabs in attendance at Northside Honours Music Camp) and 13th September (Ms Jabs in attendance at Music Muster) are cancelled ONLY. Students will have lessons and Junior Concert Band on Monday 11th September (as per timetabled).

Please note that there will be no lessons or band on Monday 2nd October due to the Public Holiday.

All lessons and ensemble rehearsals will resume on Wednesday 4th October as per timetable.

STRING NOTICES

Lessons and Senior String Orchestra will be as per the Strings timetable, however, please note in Week 9 (Thursday 7th September) all lessons and ensemble rehearsals will be cancelled due to Ms Jerram in attendance at the Northside Honours Music Camp. However, lessons and Senior String Orchestra will be on as usual in Week 10 on Thursday 14th September.

All lessons and ensemble rehearsals will resume on Thursday 5th October in Term 4.

Happy Music Making

The Aspley Music Department

LIBRARY NEWS

Book Character Parade:

Thank-you to all those parents, students and teachers who made such a great effort to make the Book Character Parade a memorable event. I have seen the photos and talked to my classes and heard the excitement in their voices as they told me about it. I only wish I had been there!

In class we have been doing some activities associated with the books that we read.

The winning Books are listed below, for further information on the Notables Books please go to the CBCA website

Overdues and Borrowing:

As we near the end of term, please check that your child has returned his or her books, including Library Books, Home Readers, and classroom books.

Premier’s Reading Challenge:

The Challenge has finished. All Students Reading Records should have been returned last week. As I am not here on Fridays, I will not be collecting any late-comers after Thursday 7 September. The data entry will be completed Thursday afternoon.

ICAS Competition

Well done to all students who participated in the recent ICAS spelling and writing competition. You have made us proud with your fantastic achievements. Thirty Students participated in the writing test with more than half achieving Merit or higher. In the spelling competition 39 students participated with 28 students achieving a Merit or higher. Below is a table of the students who achieved a distinction or high distinction for their efforts.

Hope Francis
Teacher-Librarian

SPORTS DEPARTMENT NEWS

MET NORTH Aspley Representatives

We are very proud of all of our Aspley State School students who attended the Metropolitan North track and field carnival. Below is a picture of our students who represented the school in this elite competition. Well Done!

Term 4 Swimming Program: Years 1 – 6

During Term 4, students in Years 1-6 will participate in the school’s swimming program. The swimming program will be delivered by our Physical Education Teacher (Mr Schmidt), and 2 additional instructors, Ebony Smith and Una Baldwin. Department of Education & Training risk assessment procedures require other adults to be present during the lesson to assist in the supervision of the class.

Parents/Carers will have received notice of the program, however if not, please find attached the swimming letters for you convenience.

Water safety and awareness sessions: Prep

In a first for Aspley State School, all Prep students will be invited to participate in a six-week intensive water safety and awareness program. This program will be delivered by Mr Schmidt, Ebony Smith, Una Baldwin and two additional instructors from Swim Solutions.

As this is the first involvement of our Prep students in aquatic activities at school, each student who participates will received a gift bag from Swim Solutions.

Please note that these sessions do not replace external private ‘learn to swim sessions’. The aim of this program is to provide a basic confidence for all students in Prep in water safety and the skills required to minimise the risk of drowning for students prior to a typical long, dry Australian summer. It also allows staff know the students aquatic competencies prior to the commencement of swimming instruction for Year 1 in 2018.

P&C NEWS

The P&C have had a very busy term and would like to thank the school community – teachers, staff, students, and families – for your support.

We started with the Loose Change Challenge in Weeks 2 and 3, with Prep J raising over $170 to win a lovely morning tea.

In week 4, the Bush Dance proved to be very popular, particularly with our younger students, and it was delightful to see so many parents and grandparents dancing with the children.

Finally, week 8, saw the annual Father’s Day Stall being a great success and it was endearing to see students really thinking hard about what the special father figures in their lives would appreciate.

Thank you to Katie Flynn, Tee Poh and Jodie Parke for being the lead organisers of these events, and to all our volunteers who made the time to “make light work” by being our many hands.

If you have any feedback about the events held, or would like to make any suggestions for future events, please drop us a line at AspleyEvents@gmail.com.

All funds raised at P&C events go back to the school through projects such as the Early Years Playground refurbishment and classroom upgrades.

UNIFORM SHOP: CALL OUT FOR HELP –

Can you provide or know someone who can:

• Donate 3 child mannequins or torsos to display our uniforms
• Donate full length curtains to create 2 change rooms
• Lend us their HANDY skills in designing and creating 2 change rooms?

Please email theshop@aspleyss.com.au if you can help!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Term 4

MOVIE NIGHT UNDER THE STARS – 6th October, from 5.30pm – check out the flyer to find out what movie we will be screening! Thank you to MSP Photography, Bank of Queensland Aspley, and Dolce Ice Creamery for their sponsorship of this event.

P&C GENERAL MEETING & SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTION 17th October, 7pm, Library

ASPLEY ART AFFAIR & ART SHOW – 20th October (School event)

DINKLEBOO PERSONALISED KIDS PRODUCTS – 1st November, help fundraise while getting organized with Christmas gifts and labels for the new year.

P&C GENERAL MEETING – 21st November, 7pm, Library – Final meeting for 2017

See below (you can view the posts on this page without having a Facebook account) or keep an eye out in your inbox if you have opted in to Aspley Spirit Communications (email AspleyPC@gmail.com to subscribe).

ASPLEY SWIMMING CLUB:

• NOTICE: Sign on for the new season – Saturday 16 September 10am – 12midday at the school pool.
• First meet is on Sunday October 8th, then each Friday night from 6.30pm.

We operate out of the school pool in Summer (Terms 4 and 1)

It’s a great way to make new friends and learn lots of new skills.

For more information please email: swimaspley@hotmail.com

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART

This year has been another great year for Jump Rope for Heart and we have exceeded our expectations and are happy to announce that we have made an amazing $6 342.20 for the Heart Foundation and in the process enjoyed learning new skipping skills. Emmy was our premier fundraiser again this year, raising $1 193 alone, as well as Niko, Joshua, Anishka, Will, Elodie Mia and Brady who raised hundreds of dollars. Thank you to all the other great fundraisers as well.

Prizes should be back by early next term.

A special thank you to Mr Kendall Simpson and Miss Fiona Smith who also came on board this year to “learn the ropes” as they will be taking over as I bow out of the position after 11 years.

Thank you once again for such a fantastic effort this year and over the past decade raising in excess of $30 000. I hope the school community continues to support such a great cause into the future.

Jump Rope Co-ordinators
Elaine Dooley, Kendall Simpson, Fiona Smith

Art News

Art brings a community together

I am very proud to be associated with the Aspley Art Affair which is the first of its kind event hosted by the school. The overarching focus of the show is Sustainability which is a cross curriculum theme this year. Each child has produced a piece of artwork to take home dealing with an individual aspect of this important issue. One artist has been allocated to each year level and has delivered 2 (1 hour) lessons per class. They returned to work in the classroom with the children individually on a collaborative project to be auctioned at the art show. Collectively, these artists bring immense experience to our school. Not only with a diversity of creative techniques but also an awareness of environmental issues within their individual practices. They bring to the children an enriching artistic experience which involves factual knowledge, practical skills and fosters their ability for creative thought. The outcomes will be used as a curriculum assessment for each year level and provide teachers with additional knowledge of art materials and techniques applicable to a classroom setting. All this work will culminate in a special Aspley Art Affair event to be held in the school hall on Friday October 20. 6:30 - 8:30 pm. where all art pieces will be on display. In a celebration of the arts and our unique environment, we are thrilled to offer this special event to parents and children free of charge. The night will include light refreshments served by our senior students and beautiful music provided by professional musicians from the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. The evening will conclude with the auction of our magnificent collaborative art pieces which will raise money for the school to continue with future creative projects.

STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS

Student Council Free Dress Day:

On Friday, the 15th September, all children are invited to wear free dress. The theme for this free dress will be Black and/or White. As usual, children are asked to contribute a gold coin for wearing free dress.

All children who bring a gold coin will have their name entered in a raffle. The raffle will be drawn at the end of morning tea and the three lucky names drawn out will win a jar of lollies. Senior Leaders will visit all classrooms during the first session on Friday to collect the money and names. Please do not take the money to the office.

Each year the Student Council raises money to enable the Year 6 cohort to give a gift to the school when they leave at the end of the year. The Council have decided in consultation with the principal to purchase new sports singlets for our school team to wear when representing Aspley at District events.

Thank you for your continued support.

The Student Council and Nelma Wright

SPARROWS SOCCER PROGRAM NEWS

The Sparrows step into spring!

The Sparrows program has a spring in its step as it continues to grow and expand in new directions. Term 4 will introduce Grade 3 students to the program (completed permission forms required by end of Term 3 - see link below); Sparrows training will move across two days (Grade 3 & 4 Tuesdays, Grade 5 & 6 Thursdays at 7.30am); AND a budding initiative – the “Training Buddies” program – is set to sprout!

“Training Buddies” program takes flight

Congratulations to senior Sparrows participating in the “Training Buddies” initiative, which kicks off in Term 4. These students, under the supervision of teaching staff and approved Sparrows parent coaches, will volunteer their time to train and assist the next generation of Grades 3 & 4 Sparrows participants, helping to set up and pack up the playing fields and coordinating basic training drills.

The position calls for leadership, maturity and responsibility both as a senior student at Aspley State School and as a senior Sparrow. Selected students will share their knowledge, experiences and skills with their younger counterparts and welcome these fledgling members to the Sparrows nest.

Sparrows shoot for the Aspley Eagles Challenge Cup: Thurs, 14th Sept

This highly anticipated community soccer carnival between senior primary school students (Grade 6) in the area will be hosted by Aspley State High School and offers a day-long, round robin soccer tournament of modified games with finals to finish.

The key focus is on participation, although an exciting opportunity exists for schools to win top honors: a boys’ and girls’ Eagles Cup trophy and medals. The Aspley Sparrows’ current opponents include Eaton’s Hill, Boondall, Taigum and Grade 7 students from Aspley State High School (ASHS).

The Sparrows Program coordinators/coaching volunteers have been faced with the difficult task of nominating two teams of only 10 boys and 10 girls to represent the Aspley State School Sparrows Program at this tournament. With so many boys and girls in the program that show amazing commitment, effort and ability, it is a tough challenge to pick the teams, and all involved in the decision-making process regret the disappointment that is inevitable for some players.

Wishing these teams every success as they do their very best, with commitment and dedication to the spirit of the Sparrows and Team Aspley State School. Go Aspley Sparrows!

The Sock Spot

The Uniform Shop currently stocks European style football socks in school colours, size 3-7 and size 7-10. Pop in and see Jane; she will be happy to help you. Watch this space for news next term of the arrival of new stock with the addition of “Aspley State School” (in white) adorning the socks!

The Sparrows NEED YOU!

If you would like to volunteer your time to support the Sparrows please follow the link complete the Volunteer Expression of Interest form and or contact parent volunteer program liaison: Mrs Jodie McLagan on 0403 186 609 or email jodie@ozrig.com.au. Alternatively, pop along to a sparrows training session and have a chat with one of our friendly staff/volunteers.

Happy Holidays - See you in Term 4!

Contacts for Sparrows information:

Kym Farrow, Class 6F teacher & Sparrows coordinator, kafar0@eq.edu.au | 07 3863 9111

Jodie McLagan, volunteer program liaison, jodie@ozrig.com.au | 0403 186 609

FAREWELL TO OUR JAPANESE STUDENTS

FAREWELL AND GOOD LUCK

On the 20th of August, 16 students and their teacher arrived all the way from Kyoto (Japan) as part of their annual study tour here at Aspley State School. The combined group of students are from a school called Ritsumeikan Uji Junior High School. During their time here with us, they have gained so much insight about our school community as well as our Australian culture with their homestay families. I am sure that their experiences here in Australia is something that they will always cherish and share with their family and friends back home. On the 31st of August, we held a farewell ceremony here at school as well as a farewell dinner with their host family to wish our Japanese students a very safe trip home. We wish them all the very best of luck in their future undertakings!

THANK YOU HOST FAMILIES, STAFF AND BUDDIES

I also want to thank the generous families in the community for accommodating the Japanese students and the wonderful teachers and staff who have helped throughout the study tour. Your constant support is greatly appreciated and the success of the study tour is a credit to you all.

Many thanks to the main buddies and second buddies who have excellently fulfilled their roles during the study tour. I was very impressed with how they have warmly welcomed our visitors and have looked after them during their time here at Aspley. Once again, thank you main buddies and second buddies for the excellent work you have done!

Elaine Dooley (4DA) and Rowena Mina (LOTE/1LM)

CAMP AUSTRALIA NEWS

COMMUNITY NEWS

No Dirt Dance

SHAW PARK TENNIS CLINIC

JUMP ON BOARD EARLY AND BE READY FOR THESE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

ENROLING INTO OUR CLINICS HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER. Simply click on the link to our tennis centre below.

Come and join the experienced team at the Shaw Tennis Centre these school holidays for a week of action packed tennis.

With mornings full of technique development and ground strokes our coaches will have you ready for an afternoon of match play.

Whether you're just starting your tennis journey or looking to improve your game, our experienced tennis coaches and our Hot Shots Tennis holiday clinic is right for you.

Please check our websites for enrolment information.

or Phone: 32661660

JUNIOR PREMIER CRICKET

Sandgate Sunset Run

Sandgate Sunset Run - a fun run and community festival that’s raising money for Hummingbird House

Book Launch

AFTER SCHOOL VOLEYBALL LESSONS

For more information about after school Volley ball lessons please download the attached flyer.

Lyrebird Language Centre – Children’s Mandarin Lessons

Please see attached flyer with information about children’s language lessons.

Young engineers

The Chess People

To download our flyer please select the link below