MacGregor State School Newsletter 2024 Edition 7

Please remind your children that, in line with the policy of all Queensland State Schools:

• If students choose to bring their phone to school, they must switch it off and hand in at Student Services for safe keeping during school hours.  Phones should not be left in school-bags.
• Smartwatches and other devices can be worn, however, notifications must be switched off.
• This includes during lessons and break times, as well as during other school activities. 
• Students not complying with this policy will be referred to school leadership and parents contacted.

This approach is being implemented in all Queensland state schools to:

• reduce distractions in the classroom
• increase face-to-face interactions between students
• promote student health and wellbeing
• reduce the potential for student exposure to negative impacts of the digital world, such as cyberbullying.

Guidelines and supporting documents have been developed in consultation with school leaders and key stakeholders.

• Search ‘mobile phones’ on One Portal
• Scan the QR code to visit the
  Phones away for the day online hub
  for parent/carer and student resources

Parents will be notified if students are repeatedly failing to observe rules regarding mobile phones and smartwatches

Student safety in drop off and pickup zones

We have once again received concerning feedback about unsafe and inconsiderate parent behaviours during drop-off and pick up at our school.

Parents are reminded that the Drop and Go zone in front of admin is the only official and therefore the safest place to drop your students or pick them up.  There is no parking in this zone and parents must remain with their vehicle and should only leave their car if assisting students to load bags etc into the luggage compartment. 

The carpark in Sunny Park at the front (near the hall) and back (near MOSHC) are public spaces and school staff have no jurisdiction in this area.  If you are using these spaces it is at your own risk so please be mindful of children in and around these places with parents and of safe and considerate driver behaviour in these busy zones before and after school. 

As with many schools in busy urban areas, our school has no designated parent parking space so street and shopping centre parking is the only option for parents needing to leave their vehicles for any length of time.  Please be mindful that your behaviour in these areas has implications for the safety of all of the children and adults in our school community. 

Thank you to all the families who took the time to attend our Parent Learning Forum last week to learn about the principles of Age-Appropriate Pedagogies and how we implement Age-Appropriate Pedagogies at our school.  We look forward to our next opportunity to learn together. Stay tuned!

Speaking of Age-Appropriate Pedagogies… Below is an example of a rich, meaningful learning opportunity in Prep E last week. Children engaged in hands-on, real-life learning as part of their English Unit about Informative Texts. They learned about real Guinea Pigs, in real time and produced the most amazing work as a result of this engaging approach to learning. I wonder how many of these learners came home asking their parents to get some Guinea Pigs? 😊

LEARNING IN YEAR 2

Whilst digital devices help support the teaching and learning at our school, students are still required to grasp the skill of note taking and recording information in their books.

Being able to do this effectively requires concentration and effort.  Sitting correctly in their chair, having good posture and holding their pencil correctly all contribute to this success.

When visiting some of the classrooms over the last week, it was great to see each of these elements clearly visible.

CREATIVE LEARNING IN 2B

Students in 2B with Mrs Nugus had a great time engaging with their creative side during an activity in the classroom this week.  Using water colour paints, the students created wonderful pieces of art to support their learning.  Sitting with the children, it was great to hear their reasoning behind the selection of colours to highlight key components of their paintings.

OUTDOOR LEARNING IN 2E & 2F

Students in 2E and 2F recently ventured out into the playground with their teachers Mrs Hill and Mrs Fardoulys, to explore the concept of forces. Using a ball the students broke up into small groups and practiced different ways of moving the ball between each other with varying degrees of force.

This was a fun and interactive way to learn and gave the students a different perspective that they could take back into the classroom.  They also had a lot of fun!

Sanrio Day in 3E

Last Friday 3E had Sanrio day! Sanrio Company is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and produces products focusing on the kawaii ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. We looked at characters and wrote information reports about them!

The  students had too much fun!

JUNIOR PLAYGROUND GETS A MAKEOVER

This week we saw a new delivery of sand to the Junior Adventure Playground.  The students were so excited to explore this area and thought they were at the beach.  Teachers on duty made comment that they had not seen the children this excited for a long time.  By the look of the faces in the photos below, you can see the pure joy and excitement on their faces.

The Year 4 incursion is happening on Tuesday 14^th May (next week).  Please have all outstanding payments made by Friday to allow time for processing.  Any students unpaid will sit in another classroom and miss out on this valuable hands-on learning experience.

We are finalising payments for the Year 5 excursion in Week 6.  Monday 20^th May 5CDF will attend and on Wednesday 22^nd May 5ABE will attend.  Any students attending the AFL cup will be moved to the Monday.  Payment due date is Tuesday 14^th May and any students not paid will remain behind on the day and attend another classroom.

News from the library:

We are seeking parent volunteers to help with the handing out and organising of the monthly Scholastic Book Club.  If you are interested in this role, please email Sandi Keating on skeat33@eq.edu.au and we will be in touch regarding a time to meet and learn what you need to  know. 

Eco-Marines Training Day:

On Thursday 2^nd May, our 4 Sustainability Captains with Ms Warren went to Tangalooma Island for a day of Eco-Marines Training. Whilst it was a rainy day, we were still very busy.  We went the Eco-Centre and learnt a lot of facts about dolphins and sea life. We participated in 5 workshops with different purposes such as reusing items and water filtration.  During our free time with Ms Warren we played card games and had some fun on the beach.  As our group we constructed an action plan to help our school improve our sustainability practices.  To finish the day, we got to feed the dolphins before boarding the boat to head home at 7pm.

By Sarah Shih (on behalf of the Sustainability Captains)

Keeping Our Students Safe – Prep to Year 6

Our biggest priority at MacGregor State School is keeping all of our students – from Prep to Year 6 – safe every single day. One way we do this is by providing dedicated toilet facilities for children only.

We have both Junior and Senior toilets that are divided into the following sectors:

• Prep to Year 3: Junior Toilets
• Year 4 to Year 6: Senior Toilets

We also have:

• Female Staff Toilets
• Male Staff Toilets

We have noticed an increase in adults using toilets provided for our students – we respectfully ask again that adults do not use children’s toilets. You child has right to feel safe using their toilet facilities – parents who need to access a toilet in an emergency whilst on the school site are to use the Staff Toilets. Please do not be offended if we ask you not to use toilets that are provided for children.

We appreciate your support and co-operation.

The following images may be of assistance:

ICAS at Macgregor State School 2024

In 2024, MacGregor State School will be offering parents the opportunity for their child from Year 3 to Year 6 to participate in ICAS Mathematics. This will be the only assessment offered on the school site due to the significant logistics involved in administering three assessments across five year levels.

Payment and registration for Maths will again be facilitated directly with ICAS – we’ll share details with you early next term.

Parents are welcome to access the link below should they wish to liaise directly with ICAS for their child to sit assessments at an ICAS nominated testing centre, one of which is located in Brisbane:

https://www.icasassessments.com/contact-directory/

Please note that places are limited and you are advised to contact ICAS as soon as possible to secure your place.

For any questions relating to ICAS, parents are asked to contact ICAS directly on 1800 931 775

Parents can contact Ms Bailey for any ICAS Maths support – jbail154@eq.edu.au

Year 2 Maths ICAS

Parents of our Year 2 students, you will receive communication today from Ms Bailey regarding how Year 2 will be supported with ICAS Maths in 2024.

In conjunction with MacGregor State High School and the Lion’s Club of Brisbane (MacGregor), one student in Year 6 will be the recipient of the Paula Davoren Bursary. Please visit our schools website to learn more about the application process – the bursary is open to any student who will be enrolling at MacGregor State High School for Year 7 in 2025. We will share more about this opporutnity via early Term 2 communication including opening dates for applications.

QUEENSLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA YOUNG INSTRUMENTALIST PRIZE

Three of our former students have recently been named as finalists in the Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Young Instrumentalist Prize Competition.  Eric Kim, Ellie Kyong and Gabin Wong have continued excelling in their chosen instrument since leaving our school.

On Saturday the 4^th May a number of the students from our Music Excellence program and their teachers attended the QSO’s studio at Southbank to listen to the finalists perform.

I am extremely pleased to announce that Eric Kim was announced as the overall winner.  Eric played a piece called ‘Pablo de Sarasate Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs) Op. 20.’  Please join me in congratulating Eric on this amazing performance and win.  Eric will now be invited to perform with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra as part of his prize.

We are very proud of all of our alumni and their amazing achievements.

FANFARE

Each year Education Queensland holds a state wide competition known as ‘FANFARE.’  Alternating between choral and instrumental music, students from across the state are given the opportunity to shine.  This year the students from our instrumental music program will get the chance to participate and shine.

Competition dates are Wednesday 28^th and Thursday 29^th May, with all performances being held in the Assembly Hall during the day.  We will also be welcoming a number of students from other local schools who will be competing across the two days.  This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase our students, but also give them an opportunity to watch bands and orchestras from other schools perform.

A detailed schedule will be released the week prior.  Parents are welcome to attend and watch the students perform. 

A reminder that students performing will need to be in full performing arts uniform.  Any students who does not have all of the items, should arrange to purchase these from the uniform shop prior to these dates.

CLASSROOM MUSIC

Kaboom Music Incursion

All year 3 and Year 6 students are attending the ‘Kaboom’ music incursion as part of their music units this term. During the incursion the students will watch an interactive performance from Kaboom Percussionists who use a variety of traditional and unconventional percussion instruments. If you would like a preview of the show please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y6UIAvbUn4 

The consent has been extended until Friday 10^th May. Please check the QParents app. Invoices will be sent this week for students attending.

Performing Arts Uniform

Please see a photo of the correct performing arts uniform. All items can be purchased through the uniform shop. All string and band ensembles participating in Fanfare in week 7 will need the correct uniform to participate so please ensure you have all items prior to week 7.

The Finance Payment Window is open on Tuesday mornings from 8.00am - 9.45am.  Cash and eftpos facilities available.

Payment plans are available.  Please contact our Finance Officer to discuss. 

Please note: The only way to secure a copy of year book is by ordering in advance. Payment is required before the due date. There will be no further copies for purchase once the ordering process closes on 23 July 2024.                                                                                                 

If you do not wish to order a year book, please do not pay. The invoice will be removed from your account on 24 July 2024.

P&C MACGREGORTHON

The first fundraiser for the P&C is now underway.  MacGregorthon 2024 will allow out whole school community to help raise funds to go towards enhancing digital technologies in our classrooms and also improve outdoor learning areas for the students.

Students participated in question day last week to test their knowledge.  Now is the time to start collecting donations and bringing them into school.  Donations can be made via the flexi-schools app or by placing money in an envelope, clearly labelled with your child’s name and class and dropped into the office. 

Each week as money comes in, students names are placed into a box and drawn out at assemblies.  This is to help encourage students to become actively involved in helping out.  The first two prizes given out last week were a pass to Spark Lab at the Science Centre and a Family Bowling voucher.  Congratulations to the students who won these mini prizes.

Good luck and let’s see if we can create a new record for funds raised.

P&C MOTHER’S DAY STALL

Each year a dedicated team of volunteers, come together to prepare gifts for the annual Mother’s Day stall.

Across two days this week, each class will have had the opportunity to visit the stall to purchase gifts for that special person in their life.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Volunteers Needed

The Mac Snack Shack needs your help to keep our tuckshop running smoothly and efficiently.  We are looking for volunteers who can spare a few hours a week to assist in the tuckshop.  No experience necessary, just a friendly smile and a willingness to learn.  Please follow this link to sign up – https://msspc.org.au/tuck-shop/

Online Ordering

Flexischools continues to be the fastest and easiest way to place orders. You can sign up online at https://flexischools.com.au/parents or download the Flexischools app. Orders must be placed before 8.30am for same day orders. Alternatively, you can order up to a month in advance.

Term Two Menu 2024

There is a new menu for term 2 2024. The tuckshop will continue to make our most popular daily specials. New daily specials are available, as well as new items added to our regular menu. Take a look at the new menu here https://msspc.org.au/tuck-shop/

If you have any spare second-hand uniforms at home, we will gladly take them off your hands for our second-hand rail.  Please drop them off at either the School admin office or at the Uniform Shop.

We would greatly appreciate receiving any spare carrier bags you may have to use at the Uniform Shop.

We have a good stock of Performing Arts and Winter Uniforms available.

The Uniform Shop is open Monday, Wednesday and Fridays at 8am to 9am.