15 June 2018

Newsletter Articles

UPCOMING EVENTS

PAYMENTS DUE

PRINCIPAL’S NEWS

Early Years Athletics Carnival (Prep –Year 2)

Students and teachers from Prep to Year 2 enjoyed their sports carnival today with age sprints, high jumps, ball games and fun activities including: sack races, egg and spoon races, pumpkin rolling, bean bag toss, tee-ball hit.

Track and Field Carnival (Years 3-6)

Students from years 3-6 have been preparing for the track and field carnival (sports days). Some preliminary events have been completed during school to allow the competitions to be completed in the two days. We welcome parents and carers to attend the events and ask that you sign in at the hall foyer before proceeding to the oval to spectate.

See attached the 2018 Track and Field Carnival Program

Kinmen County School Study Tour

Aspley State School is to host 16 students and two teachers from Kinmen County, Tiawan from 20 July to 26 July 2018. We are seeking school families who can host two children. The children are approximately 10-12 years of age. While in Australia they will attend Aspley State School and participate in language lessons and school life.

We are desperately seeking families from our school to participate. There will be a small payment to families to support the cost of food and accommodation. To be eligible to host the children, all adults in the household must have a current blue card.

If you are able to assist please contact our administration department at admin@aspleyss.eq.edu.au or 38639111.

Canberra Trip

Year six students are very excited as their trip to Canberra, our national capital, is fast approaching. Students will depart Brisbane on Sunday 12 August and return on Thursday 16 August 2018. During their trip to the Canberra they will visit the Australian War Memorial, Parliament House, Museum of Australian Democracy, National Electoral Education Centre, High Court of Australia, Royal Australian Mint, Australian Portrait Gallery, Dinosaur Museum, Visitor Information Centre at Regatta Point, Canberra Glassworks, and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) where they will participate in a sports skills workshop. Students will travel to the Perisher Valley snow fields on Wednesday 15 August 2018 and participate in snow play and tobogganing.

Thank you to the parents who attended a Canberra Trip meeting this week. Parents / carers can make deposits towards this cost at their convenience. Early next term students will receive a personal statement detailing the outstanding amount for the Canberra Trip. The final payment for the trip will be due on Monday 23 July 2018.

The Australian Government acknowledges the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the National Capital as part of their citizenship education. They provide the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) $60.00 rebate per student. This rebate assists students to access educational programs to gain a better understanding of Australian democracy, history, culture, and heritage.

If you are a parent of a student in the current year 5 cohort, consider starting to save for this trip for your child in 2019. Any inquiries about the 2018 Canberra Trip can be emailed to Mrs Hinds, Trip Coordinator: gferg3@eq.edu.au

Sparrows

There will be no Sparrows Soccer before school on Thursday 21 June 2018 due to the oval being prepared for the Track and Field Carnival.

Thank you to the Testa family for their kind donation of new soccer goal frames, nets and balls, which are greatly appreciated.

Annie Jr

Students are feverishly rehearsing for their upcoming performances of Annie Jr which will be performed in the school hall:

• 7.00 pm Friday 3 August 2018, and
• 3.00 pm Saturday 4 August 2018.

Tickets will be $10.00 each and will be on sale in the school office from 8.00 am on Wednesday 18 July 2018 . Programs will be sold at the performances for $2 each.

The show cast and crew are provided with a presale ticket opportunity and are to return their ticket orders and correct money on Tuesday 26 June or Thursday 28 June 2018.

Time Out – protect students from spreading infectious diseases

When your child is ill, look after them at home to help reduce the spread of germs and prevent other children becoming ill. Keep surfaces, toys and equipment clean and encourage your child to wash their hands often, even when they feel well. If your child is suffering from a virus, gastroenteritis or another illness, there are rules about when they can return to school. Learn more about symptoms and exclusion rules in Queensland and take your child to the doctor if you are concerned.

Queensland parents to have their say on NAPLAN

Parents, caregivers and community members are invited to provide their feedback on NAPLAN and its role in meeting the needs of Queensland students and schools. Led by independent reviewer, Dr Gabrielle Matters, the evaluation will involve state, Catholic and independent schools to ensure a broad view of parent opinions are captured. An online survey is currently available to give as many people as possible the opportunity to have their say. In Term 3, 2018, the evaluation will focus on gathering the feedback of school leaders, communities and stakeholders.

NDIS Supported School Transport discussion paper out now

As the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is rolled out across Australia, stakeholder feedback is being sought to inform how supported school transport could work in the NDIS or whether current arrangements should be retained. Visit the link below and click on the NDIS Supported School Transport tab to have your say.

To allow time for governments to consider the outcomes of the consultation process, the Queensland Government will continue to deliver school transport assistance for students with disability until at least 31 December 2019.  

DEPUTY PRINCIPALS NEWS

P-2 Athletics Carnival

It was wonderful to see so many parents this morning at the Carnival. The children did a spectacular march towards their parents and then belted out their war cries.

The students of the Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 races were fabulous and their parents gave everyone a run for their money with the parent races.

The tabloids, which were managed by our student leaders, ran smoothly. Parents and students alike enjoyed the activities and I am sure secretly, there were some of them who wanted to join in the pumpkin rolling and egg and spoon races.

Thank you everyone for making it a memorable event for your children!

Solid Pathways

On assembly, we acknowledged four students who are part of the Solid Pathways program. Two students received a medallion for 100% attendance.

Congratulations to Oliver and Jasper for receiving Certificates of Attendance and Jalun and Riley for receiving a medallion each.

Before School Waiting Areas

A reminder that students are to wait at the eastern side of the hall before the 8:30am bell. We have noticed that some students are arriving at school much earlier than this. Parents and caregivers have the option of using the services of Camp Australia for before school care. The safety of our students is of the utmost importance to us and we request your assistance with maintaining this routine.

Prep parents have the option of waiting in the shed on the western side of the hall. If you choose to do this please be aware that you are responsible for the care of your prep child as well as younger siblings. Older siblings will still need to wait on the eastern side of the hall. Waiting before school is not a play time and we request that students remain seated until the bell.

A strong finish

As we reflect back on a long and busy term, we are able to detail many achievements for each student. We started by getting ready for NAPLAN and have finished with our end of semester assessments. The students have worked very hard and are looking forward to the mid-year break. With two more weeks to go, we are asking students to continue to maintain their focus on learning. Learning occurs every day, everywhere and up until the last day of term. Every day counts!

Curriculum News

PREP

Prep celebrating Queensland Day occured on Wednesday 6 June. Pineapple, lamingtons, pineapple necklaces and sunglasses - we were the coolest kids on the block.

Congratulations Stephen!

Well done to Stephen K, who has been appointed the schools new Garden Manager. Aspley State School is very proud of Stephen, and the way he demonstrates great responsibility in caring for the garden and the environment.

Aspley State School Foundation

You can make a gift by going to the Foundation website alternatively, forms are available at the office.  You can send your gift in by using a reply paid envelope, or just dropping your form into the Foundation box at Reception.  If you have any questions, or ideas on new projects, or to discuss your gift, please don’t hesitate to call the Foundation on 0428 770 809.   This is such an important step forward in providing the very best for our students and we would appreciate any support you could give.

Student Absences

NEW ABSENCE TEXT MESSAGE MOBILE NUMBER – 0427 286 794

With the introduction of ID Attend to help us streamline absence notifications for students, we now have a new mobile number that parents can send a text message to, so we are notified of upcoming absences.

Please put this number into your mobile phone as “Aspley SS ID Attend Absences” and send the school a text message for any absences (including future absences) with the following information:

Name of student
Class
Reason for absence (for example… sick, family reasons or holiday, etc)
Date of absence/s

This new text messaging line is the preferred method to notify the school of student absences.

The existing school absence line, email absence address and Q Parents are still functioning.

We appreciate your help with this matter to ensure all students are attending school and safe.

Road Safety

Library News

Last Day for Borrowing This Term

Thursday 21 June is the last day for borrowing this term and we are asking for all books to be returned by Wednesday 27 June. There will be no borrowing from the school library over the school holiday period; instead, we would encourage students to make use of the local Brisbane City Council Libraries. The link to find your nearest BCC Library is below.

Date Claimer!

This year we are celebrating Book Week from 17 to 24 August. Our special assembly, featuring a parade of all students from Prep to Year 6 who want to dress-up as their favourite story character, will be held on Monday 20 August. The theme this year is “Find Your Treasure”. More details will be available at the beginning of next term.

ICAS

We have two ICAS assessments remaining with both scheduled for early next term. Tuesday 31 July is the date of the English task. Year 3 and 4 will be in the A-Block Computer Lab and Year 5 and 6 will be in the Administration Computer Lab. On the following week, Tuesday 7 August, the Mathematics test is scheduled. PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF DATE FOR THE MATHEMATICS TEST. This test will be split between three venues due to the large number of students taking part. Year 3 will be in the Library (there will be no BOOST this day), Year 4 will be in the A-Block Computer Lab and Year 5 and 6 will be in the Administration Computer Lab. Both days start at 7:30am and it is important that children participating arrive at school on time. All equipment required is provided.

Overdue Library Books

The stocktake of the Library is now complete and letters will be going home in the next few weeks detailing the arrangements for lost and missing library books. If you have a query about your child’s overdue book/s please come and see the staff in the library or email us on lhami65@eq.edu.au.

Library Opening Hours

The library is now open every morning before school from 8:00 – 8:30am for parents to bring their children to borrow. After borrowing, the student must return to the waiting area at the hall. The Library is also open for student borrowing every day after school until 3:15pm, excluding Tuesday. We are also open during both play-breaks unless it is a “wet-weather break”. Please remember to bring your waterproof library bag with you to borrow from our collection.

Lunchtime Activities Roster

The library is open both play breaks, unless a Wet Weather Break is called. Students are welcome to come into the library to read, browse and borrow. In addition to this we have added a lunchtime activities roster. Please see below for the activities available for the remainder of this term. We are in the process of planning the Term Three Roster, so watch this space!

Hama Bead club on a Monday is proving very popular with many children making designs. So much so that we are looking for a parent volunteer, for the last hour of the school-day from 2-3pm, to assist staff iron the creations. Full training is provided. If this is something that you are able to help with or if you would like more information, please come and see us in the library or email us on lhami65@eq.edu.au.

Linda Hamilton
Teacher in Charge of the Library

Sports News

Track and Field (Program Included)

This week the 1500m and the Discus trials were completed. Well done to all the students who not only participated, but have qualified for North District Sports in these events.

The 800m and 1 Lap Race (8 & 9 yrs) trials have been completed and the results will be posted up very soon for students to check.

*Next Thursday and Friday are the big sports days for children in years 3-6, as they compete in the 2018 Track and Field Carnival. Students are to bring a water bottle, hat and wear their sports house (red, yellow or blue) shirts for these two days. Students can apply sunscreen at home before school and are encouraged to bring this in their bag.

Parents are invited to attend and cheer on their sports team and the competitors. Please sign in at the hall foyer before attending the oval. I ask that children remain with their teachers during the days, so they will not miss the marshall’s call for their event/s.

The P & C Association will be selling drinks ($2.00), sausages ($2.00) and bacon and egg burgers ($4.00) for the community. Children will have an option to buy a special lunch pack through the tuckshop by ordering through the Flexischool order system.

Athletics Carnival additional information

District Sport

Important Trial dates -

• North District Track and Field – 26 & 27 of July

**Any students that would like to attend these trials will need to see Mr Schmidt to get all the necessary permission forms and information. Parents - you can access the Met North website for all details for any of the sports trials this year for North District.

Music News

Aspley Choral Program

Thank you to our young choralists for a fabulous first semester of music making. Mrs Macca is looking forward to working with our young chorsiters for upcoming performances through-out term 3 and term 4 of 2018, including a very special Anzac Concert to be held here at Aspley State School in Term 4 and Singfest in Term 3.

EDUCATION QUEENSLAND SINGFEST

Senior Choir and Boys Choir members in Years 4 – 6 will be invited to participate in the Education Queensland Singfest on Friday 31 August 2018 to be held at the Old Museum Building, Bowen Hills. Singfest is an annual massed choral event for State School Primary students from Years 4 – 6 in the Metropolitan Region. Over 1500 students participate in this event each year from State Primary Schools across the region. On the day of the event, each school comes together to workshop learnt repertoire in a massed choir, culminating in a concert. This performance is an exciting opportunity for our young vocalists. Paul Jarman will be guest conductor for this event in 2018. Paul Jarman is a widely acclaimed Australian composer, performer, musical director, conductor and educator. His music has inspired singers and audiences around the world. Mrs Macca is very excited to have our young Aspley choralists working with Paul Jarman for this event. Choralists will receive a parent information letter regarding this choral event in early Term 3. Be sure to mark this special day in your diaries!

Assembly Performances

Congratulations to both the Junior Choir and Senior Concert Band on their fantastic performances on assembly this week. We are so proud of your achievements. We look forward to hearing from our beautiful Senior String Orchestra this coming Monday 18th June and finally from our Senior Choir on Monday 25 June.

Semester One Music Performance Evening – Wednesday 13 June 2018

The Aspley State School Music Program held its Semester One Music Evening at the Aspley State School Hall on Wednesday 13 June. Our children had a fabulous evening sharing our musical achievements this semester with the Aspley Community.

Thank you to our young musicians and choralists in Senior Concert Band, Junior Concert Band, Senior String Orchestra and both the Junior and Senior Choirs for their wonderful performances! What an inspiration!

A very big thank you to all of the various support people who helped in creating a magical night for our young performers. We appreciate your support more than you know and we know the music children appreciate your support also. Thank you

Please see some of the photos taken below of the evening’s events:

CURRENT AND UPCOMING MUSICAL EVENTS - TERM TWO/TERM THREE 2018

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC NEWS

2018 ASPLEY INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC TOUR – FRASER COAST

Thank you to families who have returned the expression of interest and the $100.00 deposit to be involved in the 2018 Aspley Instrumental Music Tour to the Fraser Coast in September. This Music Tour will be a tremendous experience for all involved and we look forward to your child participating in this exciting and unique event. Further information regarding this exciting musical event will be forwarded to families in the very near future.

EDUCATION QUEENSLAND METROPOLITIAN REGION NORTHSIDE JUNIOR STRING CAMP & JUNIOR BAND BLITZ

Our 2018 Beginner Woodwind/Brass/Percussion Instrumentalists and second year String players participated in the Education Queensland Northside Junior Band Blitz and the Northside Junior String Camps last week. From all accounts participating children had a marvellous time being involved in intensive tuition from Instrumental Music Teachers and ensemble playing, culminating in concert performances. Congratulations to all of young instrumentalists for participating in these special musical camps. We are very proud of your efforts.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC TIMETABLE

A reminder to students to ensure that you refer to your instrumental lesson times on the timetable that your instrumental music teacher have distributed to you for your weekly lessons and ensemble rehearsals. Please note the following changes/additions (outlined on your timetables) for the following dates:

• Monday 25 & Wednesday 27 June – Junior/Senior Concert Band ensemble rehearsals are cancelled and ALL group lessons are cancelled as Ms Jabs is on long service leave.

Instrumental music lessons will resume in Week 1 straight after the school holidays.

Happy Music Making to you all
The Aspley Music Department

School Study Tour 2018

Our school will be hosting a Study Tour this year. A study tour is a group of international students coming to Australia (Aspley SS) to learn English and be immersed in the cultural experience of going to an Australian school and staying with Australian host families. The group of 17 Japanese students aged 14-15 years old, will be arriving on the 19 August and departing on the 1 September. This particular group of students are from a prestigious school in Japan called Ritsumeikan Uji Junior High School, which is located in the Kyoto Prefecture.

An important aspect of Study Tours is in providing “homestay” for the Japanese students. Information about providing homestay and the application form follows this message. If families are interested in providing homestay, please complete the application form and return it to the Administration Office.

I will keep you all up-to-date with any details regarding the Study Tour in future newsletters. Miss Mira Ponti (LOTE Teacher) has recently been accredited as an Officer of Study Tours and she too will be working with me on this Study Tour. We both hope that you will be able to help us in providing homestay and that it proves to be a rewarding experience for you and your family.

Thank you.

Rowena Mina (6M) and Mira Ponti (LOTE Teacher)

P&C News

Last week, we introduced the two newest members of our P&C executive team to you. This week, you get to meet Simon Pritchard, our treasurer, and Alice Long (that person who stalks Brad Thorn to get him to do Facebook videos – JOKING!).

“I have lived in Brisbane since arriving from the UK in 2007 with my wife Wendy; we have two children at Aspley State School, Amy in year 3 and Harry in year 2.

I am the Executive Director of Finance at TAFE Queensland and a qualified CPA. [which makes him highly qualified to be our treasurer, don’t you think? ~Alice]

I have been involved with the P&C since February 2017 and became Treasurer in February 2018. I became involved with the P&C to understand more about the Queensland school system and to be more a part of the school community.

I am an avid fan of Liverpool Football Club and firmly believe that next year will be our year!! I'm the one on the right in the picture.”

“I am the proud mum of Mia, in Year 3, and Emma, in Prep; and wife to my very patient husband, Greg. I am a recovering Tupperholic, have become a craft hoarder (rather than a craft-doer), and would watch Buffy and Gilmore Girls on repeat if I had the time.

I attended my first P&C meeting as a first-time prep parent in 2015 to better understand how the independent public school system worked and to find out how I could stay informed as a busy working parent. I left that meeting as P&C Secretary (of course it had to be an AGM!) and held that role for three years until this year when I, albeit unexpectedly, took on the role of President.

I love how through the P&C, we can support our community of wonderful educators, students, and families. I also love how I have made contact with parents from all year levels; and have met people from all walks of life with different skills and experiences. As an allied health professional, my heart lies in helping others, and being on the P&C is just another way I can do this.

My favourite quotes are "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give" (supposedly attributed to Winston Churchill) and “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better” (Maya Angelou).

I encourage all the families in our community to chat with me or any one of our volunteers at our events, to find out more about our P&C”.

UNIFORM SHOP NEWS

• Winter uniforms have been caught up in a customs air-freight issue, so we are unfortunately still waiting! Again, we apologise to the community for the unforeseeable delays.
• Uniform Shop hours are currently Monday 8-9.45am; and Thursday 3-3.45pm. Email: Uniforms.AspleySS@gmail.com if you have any enquiries.
• Uniform Shop Volunteer Roster: Help is needed to sort stock and serve:

TUCKSHOP NEWS

• Tuckshop Volunteer Roster: Thursdays and Fridays are our busiest days. Just two parents per class = one shift per term. 8.30-10.30am. Please help us.

• YEARS 3 to 6 SPORTS DAY SPECIAL TUCKSHOP MENU: Due to the Years 3 to 6 students not having proper meal breaks on the sports days, the Tuckshop is offering a special meal offer that students can collect at any time from the Tuckshop they are not competing. Prep to Year 3 students are also able to order from this menu, with normal delivery (ie. Prep orders will be taken to their classrooms, Years 1 and 2 collect at the Tuckshop. Please see Flexischools for the details.
• HAPPENING SOON:

• Years 3 to 6 SPORTS CARNIVAL: COFFEE VAN & Sausage Sizzle: We will have the wonderful Bonnita from Mad Coffee in attendance at the Years 3 to 6 Sports Carnival from 8am. Sonja M has graciously donated her time to co-ordinate another sausage sizzle for the Thursday 21 June but help is needed. Please sign up at: http://signup.com/go/xurFeNb

PREP TEA TOWEL FUNDRAISER June 2018: Our prep students tea towel design is on its way. The design has been finalized and all orders and payments need to be in by Wednesday 22 June. Download the form here.

SAVE THE DATES:

P&C GENERAL MEETING: Tuesday 31 July 2018, 7pm, Library.

Father’s Day Stall: 30 August (8.45am – 1.15pm) and 31 August (8am-9am). Planning is already underway for this event. Jodie and Tee are planning something a little different this year, so your support is appreciated! Please see the image below for items they are requesting be donated to help us put together some amazing Father’s Day gifts. The next newsletter will have details about D-Day aka Donation Day – when you can bring in the items listed below.

Did you know?

Profits made through our Tuckshop, Uniform Shop, fundraisers like our Raffle Bonanza, and general events (such as school dances) goes back to our school and students.

Did you also know that the P&C is made up of volunteers? There are only two paid roles within our P&C – the Uniform Shop Convenor and the Tuckshop Convenor. Hence, it is so important as a community to support these two business operations when you can. They are provided as a service to our community so while we try to keep costs low, we have to be able to support the expenses of wages, insurance, and equipment renewal and maintenance. The more volunteers we have, the better our Convenors can manage the business side of the operations. If you have feedback regarding these two operations, we are happy to hear your suggestions. Contact the P&C via email: PandC@aspleyss.eq.edu.au

EVENT WRAP UP:

• Aspley Music Night: The P&C were very happy to support the Aspley Music Department in providing some light refreshments prior to the event and organizing the raffle prizes. Special thanks to the businesses who donated the Raffle Prizes – Number Works’nWords Chermside, Morris Brothers Music Stafford, Outback Steakhouse Aspley, Coffee Club Aspley, and Susan Impey Intimo Consultant. Thank you to Barb R and Rowan A for co-ordinating with the Aspley Music Team, and to the many the volunteers who helped leading up to and on the night.
• Prep-2 BBQ and BAKE STALL: Thank you to Sonja M and Reshma K for their efforts in co-ordinating the Prep-2 BBQ, and to all our bakers for their scrumptious donations. A big thank you to our volunteers for donating time to serve all our students and spectators.

Be informed! Be involved!

Check our P&C News Feed by downloading QSchools, or email AspleyPC@gmail.com , to receive a weekly update on upcoming events and news, or follow us on Facebook in the link below (you can view the posts on this page without having a Facebook account).

COMMUNITY NEWS

Vipers Netball

Jump up Occupational Therapy

How did we occupy our children’s time in a doctor’s waiting room before screen use became prevalent and convenient? Here’s some screen free ideas to try the next time you are waiting at an appointment... thumb wrestle, read books, practice sight words, trace pictures on their back or hand and have the guess what it is, arm wrestle, play eye-spy, allocate a word to each letter of the alphabet for different categories (e.g. animals). These games help foster connection and develop skills in a way that screens can’t. For more information or to talk to an OT visit the link below or call Madeline on 0423 162 478

Kinetic Kids

Confident Kids Program

Book now for our School Holiday Program

Confident Kids + teens is an innovative coaching program for kids 5-14yrs that aims to boost confidence, emotional resilience, social skills and brain power. Students discover their strengths, and build resilient thinking skills to reduce stress, anxiety, worry, or negative thinking. Our team of experienced Psychologists will coach, encourage and support your child to be all they can be! Medicare and Private health fund rebates apply.

Register and Book online today at the link below. Or contact us at info@positivefamilies.com.au or 07 3096 0450 for an Information pack.

Holiday Tennis Clinics