1 March 2019

Newsletter Articles

UPCOMING EVENTS

March/April

PAYMENTS DUE

PRINCIPAL’S NEWS

The National Young Leaders Day

Today 22 Aspley State School Captains attended the Halogen, National Young Leaders Day, where they enjoyed the company of over two thousand young, school leaders to reflect on leadership. They listened to inspirational leaders, from all walks of life, who shared their wisdom and experience. Hosted by Liv Phyland, the event included the motivational speakers: Cate Campbell, sport; Matt Cosgrove, the arts; Tim Diamond, community service; and, John Coutis, leadership.

Students explored the concepts of leadership including: set clear goals; stay positive; be strong and resilient; be persistent; use your talents and develop your skills; work with skilled people; use your imagination; collaborate; be true to yourself and others; and, find your passion.

Abby commented, “Today the actions of these people will inspire young students to do greater things in their future. Their work is not only selfless, but gives hope to the people in need.”

Brendan noted, “I really liked the talk about disadvantaged kids by Tim Diamond. He helped us see a bigger picture of the world. We have everything we want in Australia and I think it is quite important to help other's who don’t have the same privileges and rights. There are countries where people don’t have a say or life choices.”

Amie says, “I realise that being a school leader isn’t just doing a job at school. It’s much more than that. It includes being a leader in roles such as; fixing problems, come up with solutions to help the world be better with issues, like pollution, human rights, and that every child should have an education.”

Mad Hair Day

On Friday 8 March 2019 the Student Council will invite students from Aspley State School to wear a Mad hairdo. Students are invited to wear a fun hairstyle, wig, hat or apply ribbons, clips etc. to create a new ‘do’! Hairstyling must be done at home and students are not to bring hairsprays or hair products to school. A gold coin donation on this day will go to the Cystic Fibrosis Qld charity.

For the classes who have swimming on this day, please take the time to plan a hairdo or accessories that does not require coloured hairspray, as this would affect the pool water quality. Please choose a hairstyle or accessories that the children can manage easily.

Cystic Fibrosis Queensland is one of Queensland’s largest and oldest organisations, supporting people living with chronic illness. Founded in 1960 by members, their mission has evolved over time to encompass more than service provision, and now includes; advocacy, social work, support and community services, community fundraising, as well as health and wellness activities and retreats.

Cystic Fibrosis Queensland supports almost 1000 people with cystic fibrosis and their families throughout Queensland, the Northern Territory and Northern New South Wales.

Parent / Student / Teacher Meetings

Parents / Student / Teacher meetings are held in Term 1 and 3 each year. Meetings will be held at the school hall on Wednesday, 20 March 2019 or Wednesday, 3 April 2019, by appointment, at a time between 3.15 pm – 7.00 pm. A note has been provided to parents/carers detailing the process for booking an appointment with teacher/s. If you require any assistance with this process, please contact the school office staff.

School Community Engagement

Aspley State School actively seeks ways to enhance student learning and wellbeing by partnering with parents and families, other education and training institutions, local businesses and community organisations. Parents and families are recognised as integral members of the school community and partners in their children’s education.

School decision making enables students to be supported, to enable every child to succeed. Our dedicated staff work incredibly hard, and care deeply for every student, and they are dedicated to work with families. Our actions are guided by a respectful community voice, the requirements of the Department of Education and Queensland Government policies and procedures, the demands of the Australian Curriculum and actions are congruent with industrial awards, and school resourcing.

We live in a changing world and schools are a reflection of the changing landscape, society and the preferred futures for students. Staff act to provide the best opportunities, for every child to succeed, at Aspley State School and beyond.

If you wish to seek information about school learning programs, student progress and school operations, please be courteous and contact the relevant school staff, to engage in a productive conversation.

Facilities Update

Tenders have been awarded for the installation of a pathway and synthetic turf in the area adjacent to the new early years playground. The timber garden edges/seats will also be replaced in the paved courtyard near B Block. Recently, works have been completed to achieve a significant electrical upgrade across the school.

This term we have replaced two air-conditioners. During the heat this summer, our students have been able to enjoy a climate-controlled classroom, supporting student learning.

DEPUTY PRINCIPALS NEWS

ARC

If your child has enrolled to be part of ARC, either online or face to face, they should have brought home a note with their username and password. The note explains how to set up Sunshine Classics on a device at home.

Please check their username and password as it is case sensitive and has changed from the last time they used the program.

The books have been uploaded between the reading range of 4-5 levels. This is to give your child confidence and success in their reading. When your child has read all the uploaded books and completed the associated activities, please send their teacher a reminder so they can upload new books.

It is very important that your child reads the books more than once, becoming familiar with the text and comprehending what they have read. Fluency is of utmost importance, and reading the text more than once will help. There is also an option for the book to be read to your child.

If your child is attending the Reading Club at the library on Monday and / or Tuesday, they need to come to the library between 8.10am and 8:25am in the morning. We ask parents not to wait around the library for the children, as this can be very distracting. Our aim is to teach the children to be self-managed in all areas of school routine. The first day might be daunting (we understand), but once your child knows the routine, they will be fine. We appreciate your cooperation.

We will release the children from the library to go to class, or the waiting area when they have completed the set activities. If they are at Before School Care, they can be collected from there and released to the classroom at 8:40am

The ARC Mentors had their first meeting in the library on Monday 25 February. It is very pleasing to see that quite a few of the mentors were involved in the reading club themselves. They are very eager and cannot wait to take up their role as mentors.

The following dates are for ARC at the library this term. If you have nominated your child to come on a Monday or Tuesday only, we will be expecting your child on those days. A roll will be taken at ARC for our records regarding attendance. If your child’s attendance days change, please inform Christine Antoni, Deputy Principal, by email canto3@eq.edu.au 

The Reading Club will start on Monday, 4 March 2019, in LOLA, (Little Room Outside Library).

Harmony Day

Harmony Day is a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home - from the traditional owners of this land, to those who have come from many countries around the world.

We are a culturally diverse school, and to celebrate this diversity we are giving all students the opportunity to learn a cultural dance. The students will then perform for the parents at a special assembly on Harmony Day, Thursday 21 March. We have contracted the Footsteps Dance Company for this dance incursion. A payment of $2.00 will be required for students to be part of the dance program.

The students will learn the dances on Tuesday, 19 March, in their groups, as per the list below.  Students who are not involved, or choose not to be involved, will be supervised in a ‘buddy’ classroom with work on the Tuesday, and will be part of the audience on Thursday at the special assembly. Details regarding the performances will be advertised in the newsletter closer to the day.

Dances:

2020 Preparatory Enrolment – siblings

Prep places for next year are filling fast. If your child is born between 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, your child is eligible to enrol in Prep for next year. We encourage you to collect an enrolment booklet from the office as soon as possible so that the enrolment process can occur.

The enrolment interviews for siblings and in catchment families are scheduled on Friday 31 May 2019.

Student Resource Scheme

In 2018, Thalitha T, Beau C and Henry C were nominated as the top Mathletics students for the year. Throughout the year, we had quite a few students achieve gold certificates for Mathletics. This is one of the digital resources students are enrolled in through the Student Resource Scheme.

The Student Resource Scheme (SRS) at Aspley State School offers students access to a range of online subscriptions, classroom materials and other resources. The payment for the scheme was due either in full by 15 February 2019, or by instalments with the first instalment paid by 15 February 2019. We thank all families who have met the payment requirements. Currently, all students are enjoying digital access and this access will cease for non-paying families after Friday, 8 March 2019. Please contact the school if you have any queries regarding the Student Resource Scheme. 

Captains and Senior Leaders investiture assembly

It was a great pleasure to be involved with the Student Leaders’ Investiture on Monday 18 February. The 2019 Captains and Student Leaders demonstrated high levels of self-management, respect and commitment. These traits are the foundations for strong leadership and are a credit to the families of the students in the leadership group. The 2019 school year will provide many opportunities for consolidating leadership skills and extending abilities through actions within the school. We would like to congratulate our 2019 School Captains and Senior Leaders. What an exciting year we have ahead!

Congratulations

The school congratulates Mackenzie O’C (Prep C) on receiving the ‘Children Leading Change in Sustainability’ award. Makenzie’s Kindergarten teacher from 2018 completed a submission about Mackenzie’s Kindy interests in her Early Childhood Sustainability Network. Mackenzie is the first recipient of an award in this category.

Mackenzie featured in last week’s Northside Chronicle. Mackenzie and her Kindergarten from 2018 will receive the award in March.

Mackenzie’s interest in sustainability will be well catered for in the various activities that are available at Aspley State School.

Updating details

It is important for the school to have the current details for each student to ensure swift and correct communication, if the need arises. Please see the attached form for families to make any changes to contact details, medical conditions or custody arrangements.

Curriculum News

Parent / Student / Teacher Interviews

Parents / Carers are invited to attend a parent/ student/ teacher meeting this term. There are two meetings held each year, one in term one and one in term three. The meeting will provide an opportunity for you to discuss your child’s learning progress. Meetings will be held at the school hall on Wednesday 20 March 2019 or Wednesday 3 April 2019, by appointment, at a time between 3.15pm – 7.00pm.

Teachers would like to meet with parents/ carers to work together to discuss student progress in the academic, social and emotional domains. You are encouraged to bring your child to this meeting as open communication between parents, teachers and students can support consistent learner feedback and set learner goals for the future. At this meeting, students may show samples of their work from their books and student portfolios.

Online bookings for Parent Teacher Student Meetings are open on Friday, 1 March 2019 at 3pm and will close on Friday 15 March at 5.00pm 2019.

Parents are required to book their appointment on-line at:

• Go to https://eq.sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=70086
• Click on Parent/Teacher Interview Bookings
• Click on the Parent access tab on the left hand menu.
• Type “Aspley” in the keyword search
• Click Search
• Click on Aspley State School
• Click on Parents
• Follow the prompts from there

Alternatively, you can use the direct link from our school website. Please do not hesitate to contact the school office if you need assistance with this booking process as the office staff can assist in making an on-line booking for you.

Creative Writing Corner

When the Moon Comes Out

When the moon comes out, the sky fills up with shiny stars blinking
up above the space.

When the moon comes out, peaceful and calm night animals crawl
about waiting to pounce.

When the moon comes out, my eyes begin to fail, my bed is calling me
begging me to sleep and say good night!

By Jared in 4P

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

Student Council

Mad Hair Day

Friday 8 March 2019, Aspley State School Student Council invites you to participate in our Mad Hair Day. This day is to raise awareness about Cystic Fibrosis. We ask you to come along with your craziest hair style and make a gold coin donation which we can donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Thanking you for your support.

Kate Boxshall
Aspley State School Captain

Sports News

Year 3-6 Cross Country / Great Race 2018

The Aspley State School Yr3-6 Cross Country will be held at Ben Loman Park, on 22 March 2019. As a lead up to our cross country, the school will be running the Great Race as a fitness / training extension for all students to improve on their endurance. The Great Race will commence in week 5 and runs for 4 weeks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, starting at 8.15am and finishing at 8.35am on the school oval. All students are encouraged to participate from Prep to Year 6, parents are welcome to attend. For every lap around the oval students complete, they will receive a token for their year level. At the end of the 4 weeks, the tokens will be counted and a winning year level will be awarded the Great Race trophy. Good luck everyone!

Gala Day Sport -Term 2 Update

In term 2, students in grades 4-6 will have the opportunity to represent Aspley State School in an inter-school sports competition within our North District. The sports on offer are: netball, rugby league, basketball, volleyball, soccer and AFL. Students have nominated which sport they would like to join, this is the first step in the nomination process. Once all nominations have been received, teams will be formed and students will receive a letter outlining the relevant Gala Day sport information. The information   about venues and bus travel will be confirmed after the details finalised. 

District Sport

District Swimming

Congratulations to the following students who have progressed to the next level in school sport swimming. The following students will be competing in the Metropolitan North Swimming Championships: Wendy (year 5), Claira (year 5), Amy (year 4), Cruz (year 4), Tessa (year 5), Kate (year 5), William (year 4), Eli (year 5), Rory (year 6), Sebastian (year 6), Charles (year 6), and Cooper (year 6).

We wish them all the best of luck!

Important District Trial Dates Coming Up:

**Any students that would like to attend these trials please 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

METROPOLITIAN CHORAL HONOURS MUSIC CAMP

Congratulations to Dylan, Charles, Hannah and Mahi. These four young Aspley choristers in Year 6, have been successful in gaining a place to participate in the 2019 Education Queensland Metropolitan Choral Honours Music Camp.

This marvellous choral camp offers an opportunity for gifted music and choral students to participate in an extension choral activity under renowned choral directors. It also provides students with opportunities to meet and interact with music/choral students from other schools. Dylan, Charles, Hannah and Mahi will have the opportunity to attend this amazing camp at the end of March and we wish them the best of musical luck. We look forward to hearing all about your choral adventures.

ASPLEY CHORAL ENSEMBLES

A reminder to our 2019 choral families that the choral student contract is to be signed by both the choral student and parent/caregiver and returned to the school office on or before Friday 1 March 2019, along with cleared payment by either BPoint, Q Parents, Direct Deposit or cash/cheque. The choral participation payment is a one off single payment of $15.00 (regardless of how many choirs your child chooses to participate in).

Please take note of rehearsal days and times for the various choral ensembles below:

We are looking forward to your child participating in the 2019 Aspley Choral Program.

MUSIC PERFORMANCE UNIFORM

The Aspley Performance Uniform is worn by ALL performing members who participate in the ensembles at Aspley State School (excluding Beginner String students). This performance uniform will enhance the appearance of our ensembles to look professional and polished for public performances and reflect the pride and high esteem held by our school for our talented musicians.

Students involved in these performing ensembles are required to wear the following performance uniform at all performances – Long Black Dress Pants, Long Sleeved White Dress Shirt, Black Socks and Black Shoes. The Aspley Performance Uniform will be available for purchase through the Aspley Shop.

To assist the shop in placing the correct order quantities, the shop is inviting you to place an order by Friday 8 March, 2019 at the latest. Failure to do so may lead to a shortage of stock. Uniforms will be reserved and sold to parents that have returned and sold to parents that have returned forms before being made available to others.

Continuing String/ Woodwind/Brass/Percussion and Choral students should have the necessary uniform requirements.

CURRENT AND UPCOMING MUSICAL EVENTS - TERM ONE 2019

The Aspley Music Department

Chaplaincy News

I hope 2019 has started well for all of you. I’m sure most of you have heard about the recent devastating floods in Townsville and surrounding areas in North Queensland. Many families have lost their homes, cars, and possessions, and many schools have suffered extreme damage to buildings and equipment. To show our support to our fellow Queenslanders after this disaster, Aspley State School year 6 students will be writing letters of support and encouragement to the students and staff of Weir State School, Townsville. We hope that by doing this, we can share hope and kindness with people who have lost almost everything. If you have any questions about this project or general enquiries, please do not hesitate to contact me on sineadt@chappy.org.au.

This year, you will find me in the Student Support Services Room on Monday and Tuesday, and I am always happy to have a chat or help out.

Have a great week!

Sinead Ten Cate
Chaplain

Camp Australia

P&C News

(Sung to the tune of 5 Little Ducks)

120 ducks went out one day,
Into Aspley’s pool for a little race,
One little duck caused the crowd to gasp!
But there was one lucky duck that was super-fast!

Let’s start with saying THANK YOU so much to you, our community, for supporting our Splash and Dash/Family Fun Day event last Sunday. It was an ah-mazing day and so wonderful to see so many families chatting and children checking out all the fantastic activities on offer at our school. A big thank you to all our vendors who attended, and the Bank of Queensland for sponsoring our lucky duck race. The biggest thank you goes to our co-organisers, Swim Solutions, their team of amazing staff, and all our volunteers on the day. If you would like to be involved in this event next year, or have any feedback, please feel free to contact us any time!

WHAT’S NEW

• Pancake Tuesday Special: The Tuckshop is offering a special treat on Tuesday 5 March to celebrate Pancake Tuesday. Students and staff can order pikelets with special toppings, available either break. If you are available to help on the day to make pikelets, please email Tuckshop.AspleySS@gmail.com.
• Mother’s Day Stall Yummy Mummy Donation Drive: We are seeking donations of certain food items to help us prepare for the sweet treats for the Mother’s Day Stall. If you have something in your pantry you’d like to donate, or don’t mind popping an extra block of chocolate in your trolley, then please bring these items to the Uniform Shop any Monday in March.

• Flexischools technical issues: We are aware of ongoing, intermittent issues with Flexischools – particularly when ordering Tuckshop. If you are using the app, please try using the web-browser to complete your order. If you are still having issues, please knock on the Tuckshop door and you can brown paper-bag the order before 8.45am. We hope the problem will be resolved soon (it’s outside our control) and thank you for your patience.

WHAT’S OLD (REMINDER)

P&C AGM TUESDAY 12 MARCH 2018: A reminder that all member applications need to be renewed, so please submit your form to the office prior to 12 March, or scan and email to pandc.aspleyss@gmail.com (secretary). More information about the AGM was provided in the last newsletter, and on our P&C Facebook page (@AspleySSPandC).

WHAT’S PLANNED:

• At the last P&C Meeting (12 February) members of our community discussed events that we were keen to hold including a student disco, the Pop-Up Garage Sale, and a Trivia Night (Adults Only). We need people to put their hands up to help with these events, with support from the P&C exec and members – so if you have a knack for event planning or would just like to be involved in one of these events, please contact us.
• We are also seeking people to co-ordinate the Easter Bake Stall on Friday April 5. An event road map and assistance will be provided. This role would suit a parent or two from Years 3, 4, 5 or 6.
• Next P&C Meeting is 12 March, 2019 – which will be the AGM followed by a general meeting. If you’d like to add a general business item to the agenda, please email the secretary at pandc.aspleyss@gmail.com 7 days prior to the meeting. Look forward to seeing you there!

VOLUNTEER

• Check out our sign-up link to see how you can help our community:

Trivia Question:

Born 11 November, 1974, this actor started his career in commercials. He received acclaim and his first Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? He worked with Australia’s own Baz Luhrman in Romeo and Juliet and The Great Gatsby. While he continues to produce and make movies, he is also an environmental activist, having set up a non-profit organization devoted to promoting environmental awareness.

Be the FIRST person to email me the FIRST AND LAST name of this actor to receive a prize! Email: AspleyPC@gmail.com.

The P&C are trying to do our sustainability bit by reducing the number of notes being sent home. We use the school newsletter, Facebook, and opt-in emails to keep you updated about P&C events and school activities. Please contact us at pandc@aspleyss.eq.edu.au to reach all members of the executive; or aspleypc@gmail.com to reach Alice (President) directly.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Top Chess

Lyrebird Language Centre

Our teacher:

The teacher has more than 30 years’ experience at universities, high schools and primary schools in China, Japan, Singapore and Australia.

Our Program based on new YCT is an international standardized test of Chinese language proficiency. It assesses young foreign students' abilities to use Chinese in their daily and academic lives. The new YCT consists of a writing test and a speaking test, which are independent of each other.

2019 timetable

For more information please contact Ellie on M 0405 073 523
Email: admin@languagetutor.com.au.

Website: