MacGregor State School eNewsletter

From the Principal

Dear Parents & Caregivers,

Under Eights Day Celebration of Learning

Last Thursday our school held a hugely successful Under Eights Celebration for our P-2 students and their families. The children had a wonderful time connecting to culture through play (which was this year’s theme). Many of our students produced some fabulous writing that same day recounting their experiences and the fun they had experienced. Many thanks to MOSHC staff who supported Diana and Gary and our team to deliver this hugely successful day!

Yours in Equity & Excellence,

Mr. Lee Gerchow
Principal

School Council News

We have had three nominations for parent representatives on the School Council
Qianyi(Cindy) Li * Rumeet Sharma * Samantha Gallimore

Three staff members have also nominated to join
Alida O’Brien* Odette Wiggins (re-nominated) * Natarsha Van Den Boogaard

Our School Council Chair Happy Rahman and I have made a joint decision (due to a small number of nominations) to forgo the election process and automatically appoint these new members to the school council who will meet next on Wednesday 5th June.

We welcome these new members and thank the outgoing members of the council for their contribution.

Change to academic awards in 2024.

Last year, MacGregor State School opted to end formal academic awards for Prep as this does not align to contemporary approaches to early childhood education and was resulting in a portion of the cohort being excluded from recognition. This was replaced by a Prep Graduation badge presentation recognizing the end of the Preparatory Year and the transition to Primary Education.

Our Year 1 – 3 teams also wish to discontinue Academic Awards for their year levels in 2024 for the same reasons and replace this with in-class recognition for all students for their achievements this year. This will also see an end to the formal awards ceremonies for these year levels, with the time being used instead for learning and celebrating the end of the school year. Parents will be invited to share these opportunities with class cohorts, eliminating some of the large assemblies in the hall during the hottest and busiest season of the year. This decision was discussed at the P&C meeting on 21/5/2024 and endorsed by the P&C who will be contributing generously $2500 towards awards.

Awards ceremonies for Years 4-6, Performing Arts and Sports will remain as our community have come to expect with no significant changes to these proposed. Galas will also remain in the usual format.

Playgrounds before and after school

Parents are reminded that all playground equipment is out of bounds to students before and after school as per signage in those areas.

Parents are also reminded that MacGregor State School, like all schools, has a strict NO SMOKING POLICY both inside and outside (no closer than 5 meters from boundary fences) the school grounds. New signage will be installed to that effect this week.

Uniform Policy

Currently our uniform policy states that shirts should be tucked in during learning time, with flexibility of this rule when students are playing.

The leadership team have discussed this due to feedback from the school students and community and made a collective decision that the policy applies strictly to the formal uniform with the formal shirt needing to be tucked in during learning time.

We have decided that the sports uniform shirt is no longer required to be tucked in, as for some of our students, this is neither comfortable nor practical and is particularly unreasonable in very hot weather.

Staff are no longer enforcing the sports uniform shirt to be tucked in.

Our published unform policy will be edited accordingly on our website.

A reminder to parents that the formal uniform is compulsory on Mondays unless otherwise advised. Please ensure that all items of clothing are clearly labelled with the student’s name and grade so that lost property finds its way back to its owner.

Parents of children aged 0 to 5 years - We would like to invite you to share your parenting experience in an online survey. You will have the chance to win a $20 gift card for your time.

This survey is part of a research project funded by the Parenting and Family Support Centre at the University of Queensland.

Scan the UQ code or head to https://exp.psy.uq.edu.au/parentattitudes to find out more.

Prep and Year One

Welcome to Week 6!

It is hard to believe that we are in the second half of Term 2 already!

Thank you to 1C and 1D for sharing their wonderful learning through our “Celebrating Learning” Display in the Tuckshop area. Children get very excited about and proud of their work when it is showcased to our wider community. Please take the time to see how clever our learners are!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Please note that I will be on Long Service Leave from the 6^th of June for the rest of the term. I look forward to seeing my family in Europe and taking the time to do some travelling with my husband. I will return to school at the start of Term 3. Ms Tyler Moore will step in to replace me while I am away. Ms Moore is looking forward to supporting Prep and Year 1 cohorts during my absence. Please make her feel welcome.

Our Year 1 learners have enjoyed the visit from Wildlife Rangers this week. We hope the children loved the experience and came home with many stories about the Blue-tongued lizard, Bearded dragon, Ringtail possum, Black-headed python, Tawny frogmouth and Saltwater crocodile.

Last week, we have celebrated the Under 8s Day, with learners from Prep to Year 2 participating in fun activities to celebrate learning in early years and the power of play to break down the barriers and bring children together. Thank you to all the families who were able to join us for this special event.

Our little learners in Prep C went out to explore the world outside the classroom walls. As I visited the classroom later in the day, the children were so excited to share their findings and discoveries. I have heard about finding juicy strawberries and ripening tomatoes in our school garden, spotting some spiders and spider webs on the leaves and smelling mint and rosemary. Apparently, they smell yummy! We wondered how we could use those herbs in cooking.

2025 Prep Enrolments and Parent Information session

On Tuesday morning, we held our first 2025 Prep Parent Information session and School Tour for the year. The event was well attended and the interest in joining our fantastic school community was overwhelming.

A reminder to our existing families to put an enrolment application in as soon as possible if you have a child who is eligible to commence Prep in 2025. This will assist us with planning (staffing and classes) in preparation for the 2025 intake.

For further information about the enrolment process, please visit our website or contact Ms Marcia Crichton, our Enrolments Officer, mcric14@eq.edu.au

Year Two and Three

Mr Davey has beeen absent from school this past week.

There will be a Year 2 -3 Update in our next newsletter.

Year Four and Five

As we head into our assessment time, please remember that a good home routine sets our students up for success.

Turning off devices to allow our brains to get ready for bed
Not having devices in the bedrooms
Going to bed at a reasonable time – Students between 6 and 11 years should be getting 9-11 hours of sleep per night
Having a healthy breakfast

If you are taking holidays during this time, there is no guarantee the teachers will assess before you go or when you go back. Students need to sit assessments under fair conditions and that means having had access to the full amount of curriculum required to complete the assessment and not having a large gap between the teaching and the assessment.

Year 4 have been busy learning the different types of forces. In 4E they took their learning one step further and created projects demonstrating their understanding of a particular force. On Wednesday they had an exhibition day where all the Year 4 classes were invited to go along and have a look. Members of the Senior Leadership Team also visited and were very impressed with the student’s ability to explain about their projects.

Year 5 had their hands on learning at the Nudgee Beach Education Centre. The students experienced a variety of hands-on activities throughout their day. Whilst all students enjoyed the excursion to a high degree, please read some of the student comments below.

Melampus 5A: This was the best day of school ever!

Miranda 5A: We went to the beach and watched a video learning about animal adaptations of a sting-ray.

Oscar 5A: We went yabbie hunting. We had to put a pump into the sand and pull up the sand. Then you push the sand out into the container and catch the yabbies or other creatures

Barron 5A: Four students had to attach a net to their wrist and leg and then walk around in circle to catch the fish. We then had to tip the fish into a bucket and observe their structural and behavioural adaptations. We mostly caught toad fish and yellow tail fish.

Larissa and Ruby 5B: In the morning, we did a walk to the mangrove forest and we had to draw a diagram of rotts and leaves in our booklet and write about the behaviours of the plant. At the end we saw a big mud crab.

Our library is closed for the time being whilst it undergoes necessary renovations. However, if you have some time free between 2-3pm of an afternoon, please contact Mrs Peleyni- mpele1@eq.edu.au and she will advise you of ways you can help with library book covering, cataloguing of books and returning books to the shelves.

Year Six

Welcome to Week 6 of Term 2!

FINALLY! The much-anticipated delivery of our 2024 senior shirts has come to fruition and now our seniors are proudly wearing the new addition to their MacGregor SS uniform. I managed to capture these 7 students from 6G who are sharing the front and some of the back of their new shirts.

Thank you to all staff who were part of the 2024 seniors shirts initiative – your support is very much appreciated.

e-safety – for all families of all nationalities

Did you know….the e-Safety Commissioner website provides advice and support of families in many different languages?
For help in any language, call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 and ask for an interpreter or go to https://www.esafety.gov.au/whats-on/online-safety/languages

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

ICAS Maths at Macgregor State School 2024

*NOW OPEN*

26^th to 30^th August 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 different year levels.

Payment and registration for Maths will again be facilitated directly with ICAS – parents of students from Year 3 to Year 6 are invited to register their child any time from now.

Follow these simple instructions:

Go to the Parent Portal to sign up to chosen subject areas:

(shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps)

Enter our school’s access code –FJQ505
Enter your child’s details, select the subject areas your child would like to participate in, then proceed to payment. Please note: we are ONLY offering Maths in 2024.

After payment is made via the Parent Payment System, you will receive an order confirmation email, please keep this for your records. 

Parents of our Year 2 students have been emailed information specific to their year level.

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 and Year 3 Assembly

With Mr Davey away earlier this week, I had the pleasure of attending the Year 2-3 Assembly on Monday. It was absolutely delightful being able to recognise the achievements of all of the award winners this week!

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 at upcoming Year 6 parent information sessions.

School Captains Corner

Student Leader Profiles

This week we are profiling Melody and Royce – our next two MacGregor SS Captains!

My name is Melody

My school leader position is Choral Captain

I have been at MacGregor since Prep

My friends call me Melo

My favourite activity outside of school is dance

Something I love about MacGregor SS is the extra curricular activities eg dance, choir, band, sport

What I’d like to do when I finish school…is teach kids how to play saxophone as a way to make money

A charity that I think we should fundraise for is….Best Friends Animal Society (to give animals a home)

In Year 6 I am most looking forward to being in Mr Grady’s class

We can make our world a better place by using biodegradable materials to make things

We make the school a better place by having recyclying bins.

My favourite movie is Now You See Me 1 and Now You See Me 2

My name is Royce

My school leader position is Sports Captain

I have been at MacGregor since Prep!

My favourite activity outside of school is….badminton

Something I love the most about MacGregor SS the environment

What I’d like to do when I finish school is….relax and have some time off work

My favourite sport is….touch footy

In Year 6 I am most looking forward to having a fun great year

We can make the school a better place by building the love of sport

My favourite movie is Harry Potter

H.O.D. Update

PARENT LEARNING FORUM

Our next Parent Learning Forum will be held in Week 8 on Tuesday 4^th June. This session is on Understanding and Supporting High Ability Learners.

Please note the times for this session are slightly different to our regular workshop times. Session one is from 9:00 – 10:00am and session 2, which is a repeat of the first session is from 4:45-5:45pm.

Please scan the QR code or click on the link to register your interest in attending this workshop.

SEWING CLUB

Every Thursday at lunchtime our ‘Granfriends’ come an run a sewing club for your Year 4 and 5 students. The teach them basic hand sewing stitches and create different projects throughout the year. Some lucky mums may have received a special handmade gift for Mother’s day. We are very thankful for the lovely ladies who give up their time to pass on their sewing knowledge to a future generation.

OUTDOOR LEARNING DAY

Outdoor Learning Day is a global movement to make time outdoors part of every child’s day. On two days of action each year, teachers take children outdoors to play and learn. Yesterday we had our second Outdoor Learning Day, where teachers and students took the opportunity to take a lesson outdoors. Science, Maths, English…loads of different examples.. The students thoroughly enjoy these learning opportunities, along with some of the Leadership team. We look forward to another Outdoor Learning Day in November.

Inclusion Team Update

Next week is National Reconciliation Week, a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Reconciliation Week will run from 27th May to 3rd June. The Theme this year is 'Now More Than Ever'.

On Monday 27th of May, at Big Lunch we will be joining with MOSCH under the jacaranda tree weather permitting to complete some of the below activities.

Sports Update

Congratulations to Zoe who represented Mt Gravatt District on Tuesday 21^st at the Met East Cross Country Trials.

Zoe ran an amazing race and finished 5^th to qualify for Met East and will now be competing at the State Championships in July.

Good luck Zoe.

Congratulations to the students involved in the AFL Excellence and Development program.

On Wednesday 22^nd May the teams took part in the Bachar Houli Cup, an AFL Event run to help promote diversity and multiculturism through sport.

In what was an outstanding day and learning experience for our students the teams from MacGregor performed amazingly.

Boys team – Runners Up
Girls B Team – Runners Up
Girls A Team – Champions

MacGregor was also awarded the Spirit of the Game award from AFLQ due to their on and off field behaviour and sportsmanship.

Well done to everyone and good luck in your final preparations for the AFLQ School Cup in the coming weeks.

MacGregor’s Got Talent

Students from Prep to Year 6 are invited to audition for this year’s talent show – MacGregor’s Got Talent!

Students can submit entries showcasing any talent – music, dance, magic, gymnastics, comedy – the more exciting the better! The expert judging team will assess each entry on their technical skill, creativity, stage presence and overall quality of performance.

Auditions will be held via video submissions and are due by Monday 10 June (Arts Week). Finalists in both the Junior (Prep-Year 2) and Senior (Year 3-6) categories will be announced in week 9 and the Grand Final will be held in week 10.

How to enter:

Record your best take of your video audition. Videos must be a maximum of 3 minutes long.
Save the file as a .mov or .mp4 file with ‘MacGregor’s Got Talent’, ‘Name’ and ‘Class’ in the filename (eg: MacGregor’s Got Talent_Eloise McIntyre_6A).
Share your file via Onedrive to Eloise McIntyre (emmci0@eq.edu.au) or email if the file is small enough.

ARTS WEEK

Week 9 is ARTS WEEK – a week to celebrate all of the amazing opportunities to engage with the arts at MacGregor. All performing arts groups will be performing at either a lunchtime concert or MACFEST. Please see the timetable attached, parents are more than welcome to attend.

MACFEST

We invite all families to attend our exciting Term 2 performing arts event ‘MACFEST’ on Friday 14^th June. The following groups are performing on the night, but we encourage all families to attend and enjoy some fabulous performances and delicious food!

Indoor			Outdoor
*Group*	*Meeting Time*	*Performance Time*	*Group*	*Meeting Time*	*Performance Time*
			Concert Band	5:30pm	6:00pm
			Percussion Ensemble	5:45pm	6:00pm
Intermediate Strings	5:45pm	6:20pm
Year 6 Dance	5:45pm	6:20pm
Vocal Harmony/ Chamber Choir	5:45pm	6:20pm
			Stage Band	6:30pm	6:45pm
Camerata	6:45pm	7:00pm
Dance Excellence	6:45pm	7:00pm
			MEX	7:00pm	7:20pm
			MacGregor Voices	7:00pm	7:20pm
2023 MacGregor’s Got Talent Winners	7:30pm	7:45pm
Musical Preview	7:30pm	7:45pm

RAFFLE DONATIONS
Students in a group performing at MACFEST are asked to bring a household grocery item (chips, chocolate, drinks etc) to make a hamper raffle for the event. Please bring to this item to Miss McIntyre’s Music Room before Friday 7^th June.

Fanfare

Information has been emailed home for all students in an instrumental music ensemble participating in Fanfare on Wednesday 28^th May. Please make sure you are prepared and have your full performing arts uniform ready for the performance, or visit the uniform shop prior to week 7 to purchase any items.

Message from The Guidance Officer

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we navigate the complexities of life, it's important to understand and address mental health, both in our children and ourselves. Mental health is about how we feel, the thoughts we have, how these affect our choices, and how we behave.

What is Mental Illness?

Mental illnesses are health conditions that involve changes in emotion, thinking, or behaviour (or a combination of these). These difficulties can significantly impact our mood, thoughts, and behaviours, making it essential to recognise and seek support when needed.

The Push-Up Challenge – Push for Better Foundation

Some of our classes will be participating in the Push-Up Challenge, an event aimed at raising awareness about mental illnesses.

Dates: 5th June to 28th June
Goal: Complete 3,249 push-ups (or alternative exercises) over 24 days
Significance: This number represents the 3,249 lives lost to suicide in Australia in 2022

The Push-Up Challenge is a free mental health and fitness event, focused on promoting better mental health for all Australians. It's an excellent opportunity for our school community to come together and support this crucial cause.

Daily Target: Approximately 157 push-ups
Family Involvement: Your family can reach the daily total collectively. You can also substitute push-ups for other exercises for your kids, like star jumps or squats.

We encourage you to get involved and support your children in participating. It's not just about the physical exercise; it's about fostering resilience, awareness, and open conversations about mental health.

For more information, please click this link: Push-Up Challenge

Finance

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.

Hello from our Chappy Mr T.

Chappy Week

This week is National Chaplaincy Week. Its an annual celebration to recognise and celebrate the impact of school chaplains in the school community.

And what do chaplains do? Here are some of the things-

provide social and emotional care and support to students experiencing life's challenges.
co-ordinate and run weekly school Breakfast Clubs.
connect with local businesses and charities to provide for families in need with free food hampers and other essential items.
being a friendly and approachable person that kids can come to say hi or have a chat.

If you are able to assist as volunteer or wish to donate funds/items to chaplaincy that helps the school community, please contact me by email bthie14@eq.edu.au

Mac Shack News

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/

Uniform Shop

If you have any spare second-hand uniforms at home, we will gladly take them off your hands for our second-hand stall. 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 Uniforms.

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

Student Achievements

Congraulations to Hugo from 4B and Sophie from 6D who both competed in the Piano Section at Wynnum Manly Eisteddfod 2024.

Hugo competed in the Piano Solo Examination Level Grade 1, 4-9 years (13 competitors) and placed 2nd.

Sophie competed in Piano Solo Examination Level - Grade 4, 10-17 years (14 competitors) and received a Highly Commended award.

MacGregor State School Newsletter 2024 - Edition 8