MacGregor State School eNewsletter

From the Principal

Dear Parents & Caregivers,

Student Safety

At MacGregor State School we place a very high priority in ensuring the safety of every student in our care.

Staff Car Park Usage

We kindly remind all parents and visitors that the staff car park is strictly designated for the use of our staff members. This area is not intended for public use, drop-offs, or pickups. To ensure a smooth flow of traffic and maintain a safe environment for everyone, we request that you refrain from using the staff car park for any purpose other than its intended use. There are designated areas for drop-offs and pickups that have been carefully designed with the safety of our students in mind.

Child Safety Priority

We place a paramount emphasis on the safety of our students. In line with this commitment, we urge parents and guardians to avoid having children walk through the staff car park area. We understand that convenience is important, but ensuring the safety of our young learners takes precedence. Please utilise the designated pathways and entrances when arriving at or departing from the school premises.

As we strive to create a secure and organised environment, we kindly request your cooperation in adhering to these guidelines. By working together, we can guarantee the well-being of our students and maintain a smooth operational flow on campus.

Yours in equity & excellence,

Mr. Lee Gerchow

Prep and Year One

Another fortnight has gone past!

The Pirate Show

The highlight for the Prep classes this week was “The Pirate Show” incursion. Our little learners were taken into a world of pirates and their adventures, all dressed up as pirates, exploring the seas and searching for treasure. The mesmerised faces, laugher and pure joy were priceless. Our adult pirates equally enjoyed the show and the opportunity to dress up. Thank you to all the families who supported us during this special event.

The partnerships and networks we have built with parents and the wider community have been invaluable in our journey this year. This collective effort has strengthened our mission to provide Equity and Excellence for all of our students.

The Early Years network last Tuesday was an important part of our Successful Transitions strategy. As the catchment area only has one early years centre, our goal was to strengthen partnerships and create a network for professional learning and collaboration with our regular feeder centres, ensuring a smooth transition into formal schooling for our current and future learners.

During the meeting, we discussed the purpose, values and usage of Transition Statements. Recognising their role in supporting successful transitions, we explored how this information could assist the school with future planning and contribute to a positive start to formal schooling.

The meeting also emphasised the need for collaborative professional learning. We acknowledged that education is not solely the responsibility of educators, but a collective effort involving our families and wider communities. We look forward to building upon this network, sharing knowledge, learning together and creating meaningful pathways for our students and their families.

2024 Prep Enrolments are open

A reminder that all families who reside in the catchment area and have children of eligible age to enrol in Prep in 2024, are urged to submit the enrolment applications now to secure a place.

Year Four and Five

I hope everyone had a lovely day on Ekka Wednesday. This term is flying by (already the end of week 6) and the students are working hard on their subject areas to develop their understanding of the content.

It is great to see the interactive learning spaces in the classrooms which are a mix of teacher and student generated examples of their learning.

News from Year 4

On Monday 14^th August, the Year 7, 8 and 9 MacGregor State High Science Honour Students presented their Science investigations to the Year 4 students. We learnt about how red and white blood cells help our body, how heat expands objects and the favourite presentation how our bodies make poo.

News from Year 5

Stop Motion Animation Incursion

On Monday and Tuesday, the Year 5 students will participate in their incursion to support their Media Arts unit. The payment deadline has been extended until Friday if you haven’t already paid.

H.O.D. Update

As our Year 6 students will be away on camp during Book Week, MacGregor State School will be celebrating on TUESDAY 29TH AUGUST. This will be in conjunction with our Grandparents Day celebrations.

This year’s Book Week theme is Read, Grow, Inspire. The artwork for this year was created by Matt Ottley. He began with the background; the sky and clouds, which for Matt, have always represented the vastness of the universe and a wonder of learning and growing. He then placed books in the image and out of the top book in the stack grows a mystical seahorse. For many cultures, seahorses represent growth, strength, beauty and spirituality; perfect for the themes of growing and inspiring.

Students and teachers are encouraged to come dressed as a character from a book on TUESDAY 29TH. Perhaps they could think of a book that has helped them grow or inspired them in some way. There will be a prize for the BEST DRESSED CLASS in each sector.

During lunchtimes, the library will have a variety of activities for the students to take part in. There will also be competitions open to all students…details to follow shortly. We look forward to celebrating Book Week with you as we all Read, Grow and Inspire together.

Learning Engagement Team Update

How to create a ‘Calm Down Corner’ to promote regulation in children

Often when children are dysregulated it’s because they are overstimulated. By providing them with a ‘Calm Down Corner’ you are creating a safe space to be utilised as an effective tool NOT a consequence to assist your child to regulate their emotions.

The benefits of providing and modelling for your child how to use a calm down corner are many:

Teaches emotional regulation
Gives children self-awareness and self-management time
Assists to improve impulsive behaviours
Allows children to feel okay with their big emotions and that they are normal
Promotes self-esteem
Helps kids to enhance communication skills

Ways to create a ‘Calm Down Corner’ at home:

A soft place to sit
Headphones – with or without music, sound machine
Visuals of sensory strategies
Timer
Sensory tools
Books – favourite and/or feelings books
Stuffed animals or dolls
Privacy cover – sheer curtain or tent to block out distractions

Calm down corners are even great for adults allowing you STOP, BREATHE, RESET, then RESPOND.

The key is to respond calmly not REACT.

Sports Update

Zac represented Met East at the State Championships for soccer recently. His team has finished 2^nd in QLD which is an amazing effort.

Our track and field students had an amazing two days at the district trials on 7^th and 8^th August.

The following sutdents won medals for their events:
Abby, Mia, Zoe, Isara, Bryan, Boaz, Clement, Zac, Evelyn

The following students have been selected to represent Mt Gravatt District at the Met. East Trials:
Boaz, Evelyn, Zachaeus, Isara, Marcus, Zoe, Melody, Abby, Lucinda, Clement, Mia

Jontae will be representing Met East at the state softball trials in the next two weeks.

In the next two weeks we have two students who will be away representing QLD teams at the respective National Exchanges.

Brendan will be representing the QLD basketball team

Louis will be representing the QLD swimming team.

Some amazing achievements in sport over the last couple of weeks and hopefully many more to come as we approach the end of the year.

I’d like to say a big thank you for your incredible involvement in today's National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence event. Your dedication and support in creating a safe and respectful environment for all members of our school community are truly remarkable.

Throughout the event, our students actively engaged in a variety of activities, enjoyed pancakes and sausage and watched/participated in a netball game between staff and students. It was great to hear so much laugher and witness the smiles on the faces of our students, parents, and staff members was an absolute joy.

By recognising and participating in this day, we send a powerful message that we are committed to nurturing a culture of empathy, inclusivity, and respect within our school. Your support plays a vital role in reinforcing these values and ensuring that our school remains a safe haven for every student.

Hello from our Chappy Mr T.

The Return of Story Dog

After a 2 week absence due to Mrs Val visiting family in Melbourne, Mrs Val and Dougal are back. They had a nice break and happy to return to Macgregor State School.

Our Yr 2 readers were asking when will Dougel come back and it was nice to see both Mrs Val and Dougal back sitting under the fig tree and helping our readers fulfill their potential.

Welcome back Mrs Val and Dougal and see you again next week!

Finance Update

We are excited to introduce the latest enhancement to our QParents platform - the Consent Management module. This update aims to simplify the process of granting permissions for various school activities such as camps, incursions, and excursions.

**Why does this matter to you?**

Going forward, managing permissions for your child's participation in activities will be seamlessly integrated into the QParent App. You can conveniently provide consent online.

**How does it work?**

Once you log into the QParent App, simply follow these steps:

Click on the menu button.
Select "Consent Requests" from the drop-down menu.
This will lead you to the Consent Form that needs to be completed.

**What's next?**

Once you've filled out the Consent Form, you will receive an Invoice. This invoice covers the cost of your child's participation in the chosen activity. Please ensure that the invoice is paid by the indicated due date to secure your child's spot.

**Important Note on Access:**

Both parents will have access to the Consent Management module. When one parent completes the consent process, the information will be visible within the app. However, only one parent will receive the emailed invoice and have access to it. The parent designated as the 100% fee owner will received this.

**Have questions or need assistance?**

Should you require any further information or have queries about this new module, feel free to email myself at mefth3@eq.edu.au.

For invitation and registration assistance with QParents, please contact Marcia Crichton at mcric14@eq.edu.au.

We appreciate your support in adopting this new process as we aim to streamline and enhance the way we manage permissions for our school activities.

If you would like to apply the credit to a current/future Invoice please contact the Finance office via email finance@macgregorss.eq.edu.au.

EXCURSION/ACTIVITY PAYMENTS
PAYMENT OPTIONS QParents and BPoint: (online card payment option) Available 24hrs a day, seven days a week – make payment no later than 4:30pm on the final payment date) Payment Window: Open on Tuesday from 8:00am to 9:30am (No change available if paying by cash)
YEAR LEVEL	ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION	COST	FINAL PAYMENT DATE
Prep – Year 6	Student Resource Scheme	$178	Due Now
Year 3 – Year 6 E-Learning	Student Resource Scheme	$148	Due Now
Extra-Curricular Activities	Dance Groups	$120	Due Now
Extra-Curricular Activities	Choirs	$100	Due Now
Selected Students	Interschool Sport	$68	Overdue
Selected Students	Touch Football/Touch Jersey	$70/$39	29 August 2023
Year 2	Author Visit	$5.50	29 August 2023
Prep, Years 3 & 5	Smart Moves Dance	$30	Due Now

NO LATE PAYMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR EXCURSIONS OR INCURSIONS.

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.

Winter Menu

The winter menu runs for term 2 and term 3. The new winter daily specials have been very popular amongst the students. Follow this link and take a look at the menu - https://msspc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Winter-2023-3.pdf