Nirimba State Primary School Newsletter Issue 3 2023

Principal News

Dear Parents, carers and members of the community,

It has certainly been a very busy term and semester as our school continues to grow. At the start of the year, we had 323 enrolments and starting next term our school would have grown to 364 students. Students have done a wonderful job with their learning this term and it has been great to see how students have demonstrated their learning across different subjects. A very special congratulations to the Prep students who have completed their first semester at ‘big school’ and who will be receiving their first report cards. Well-done Preppies!

In the last two weeks, I sent two surveys out to parents. Thank you to parents and carers that responded. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us to plan and consider services for the future.

Parent and Carer Term 2, 2023 Survey

Overall, the feedback from the 74 respondents is extremely positive and encouraging. I acknowledge that there is a very small minority of approximately 4% of parents or carers who are not happy across all questions that were posed. I would sincerely encourage these parents and carers to come and meet with us to raise and discuss the issues or concerns they are experiencing. 97% of respondents would recommend the school to new families moving to the area and overall, we were given 8.4/10 stars as an average.

Chaplain or Social Worker Survey

At the time of writing, 97 parents and carers had responded to this survey. 14.4% of respondents preferred a Chaplaincy service compared to 85.6% of respondents preferring a Social Worker. This preference was similar to the voting trends of staff. In consideration of the results, our school will be requesting the federal grant for social worker services.

There are two things that I need to bring to the attention of the parent and carers of our school. Firstly, unfortunately, this semester there has been far too many incidences where parents have breached the Parent and Community Code of Conduct. We are always happy to assist and help you with your inquiries, concerns or issues; however, being verbally abusive, demanding and rude to members of my staff is completely unacceptable and is never tolerated. Administration staff may not be able to see you straight away so please book in a time to meet and refrain from unacceptable behaviour directed at the office staff.

Secondly, issues are not being reported in a timely manner by both students and parents or are not being reported through the appropriate channels. The school is never going to respond to issues that have been posted on social media. Parents and carers are welcome to call, email or book a meeting if they wish to raise and discuss concerns regarding our educational services. Students are constantly reminded to report an issue when it arises at school so that we can assist straight away. I kindly request that parents and carers reinforce this expectation at home so that issues are addressed in a timely manner.

Well done, and thank you again, to the P&C committee and all of the volunteers who organised and hosted a very successful Winter Fair. It was a massive turn out by the community who supported the event and we look forward to hosting the Winter Fair as an annual event. They are also in the process of organising some fun fundraising activities for the remainder of the year. Please consider volunteering your time to support your P&C committee as they do a great job supporting our school. All parents and carers are also encouraged to attend P&C meetings and contribute in the decision-making processes of the school.

Farewell, for now, Ms McIntosh. Some parents and carers may be aware that Ms McIntosh our Business Manager has been successful in winning a temporary promotion at another school for the remainder of the year. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for all of her hard work in the establishment and management of school and wish her all the very best in her career. We are currently recruiting for her replacement and will inform the community of her replacement in due course. I would also like welcome Mr Emmanuel Costa Dias who has been successful in winning the permanent grounds officer position. Welcome to the team!

Wishing all families a safe and happy holidays. We look forward to seeing you all in Term 3! 

Kind regards

Steven Moore

Principal 

Deputy Principal News

Dear Parents and Carers,

It’s hard to believe we are now at the end of the first semester of 2023! What a 6 months it has been. Our school continues to grow as we welcome new families throughout the year and we are expecting to be a school of approximately 450 students in 2024. I am currently enjoying some Long Service Leave and am sure that Mrs McKenna and Mr Perrin will do a wonderful job as Acting Deputy Principal’s in my absence this week and in Week 1 of next term.

Families will receive student report cards today. Our students have done a wonderful job demonstrating their knowledge and skills over the past semester. Report Cards are an opportunity for schools to share student progress against their achievement in the Australian Curriculum and their demonstrated behaviour. A formal opportunity for student progress meetings will occur at the end of next term however, as always, if you wish to discuss your child’s progress before this time please contact your child’s classroom teacher to organise a meeting time.

Term 3 is shaping up to be a busy one! In Week 1 our students will enjoy a performance by Lucas Proudfoot in celebration of NAIDOC week. In our early years, we will be hosting Under 8’s day in Week 5 and our Prep teachers will be visiting the local Kindergarten’s to get to know our 2024 prep students. Principal tours will be offered to prospective new families and our Year 2 and Prep students will have excursions. In our upper school, years 4-6 will have the opportunity to go on school camps towards the end of the term and develop their teamwork and leadership skills.

Our school’s journey preparing for the implementation of Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum will continue. We have made lots of progress this term, tracking the curriculum in English and Mathematics across all year levels, ensuring there will be no gaps in students’ learning as we transition to v9 and we are currently in the early stages of planning the assessment tasks and units for implementation. This work will continue throughout Semester 2 so we are well prepared to continue to offer excellent teaching and learning opportunities for our students.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our families a safe holiday break. I look forward to welcoming everybody back in Term 3.

Guidance Officer News

Hello Nirimba Parents and Caregivers,

Can you believe Semester 1 is almost over and we are over halfway through the year?! They say time flies when you’re having fun! There have been so many exciting activities and events held this term in our school community which our students have participated and engaged in with excitement and enthusiasm. The holidays are just around the corner and are the perfect time for our families to rest and recharge ready for another busy term ahead. Holidays are also a good time for families to spend some quality time together and to connect with each other, away from the daily grind of waking up early, preparing school lunches, doing the school run and participating in after-school activities.

Here are some helpful tips for parents to help make the holidays fun and strengthen the connection with your kids:

1. Plan ahead – get your kids involved and make a list of activities they would like to do. Brainstorm a wide range of activities which are free and you can easily do at home, to adventurous activities like bushwalking and beach days, to special outings like theme parks and the zoo.
2. The best things in life are free –try and include lots of low-cost activities like picnics, parks, bike rides/scooter rides and trips to the beach.
3. Downtime is good – encourage your children to spend time away from electronic devices by reading, listening to music, playing board games, making things with Lego, doing puzzles or playing cards.
4. Teach new skills – spend time with your kids getting creative and making things at home. Pick out recipes, buy the ingredients and do some baking, teach your pets new tricks, spend some time in the garden.
5. Ask for help – don’t be afraid to reach out to friends and family to help with the load during the holidays. The holidays can be a difficult time for some families and things might not always go to plan. It’s important to look after yourself and make sure you take some time out to relax and recharge, even if it’s just some time to have a coffee and enjoy the sunshine.

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful holiday and I look forward to continuing to support our students and families during Semester 2.

If you would like to get in contact or make an appointment to discuss any concerns you may have in relation to your child, I am available at every second Tuesday and weekly on a Wednesday and Thursday, or send an email to msinc25@eq.edu.au.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

Hello from the Positive Behaviour for Learning Team.  This term we have been busy teaching and remining our students:

• How to be Cyber Safe and how to use technology in a responsible manner
• How to use the toilets safely and respectfully
• How to use stairs safely
• How to use our hands and feet safely
• How to follow instructions first time, every time.

These lessons were in response to areas that we could see students needed support in when it comes to Being Safe, Being Responsible and Being a Learner.

To celebrate the end of term and students making great choices, we will be hosting our student celebration morning on Friday. Students are able to choose from a variety of activities based on their overall behaviour achievement from Semester 1. Activities will include; cooking, polymer clay making, sport, board games, minute to win it challenges, eco warriors, playdough making, cookie decorating, STEAM challenges, Lego building and more! At Nirimba State Primary School, we feel it is important to recognise the great work students are doing in the behaviour space.

Now that the holidays approach, just some little reminders for our students on how to Be Safe over the break:

• When out and about, remember to have a trusted adult with you to keep safe.
• When online, use kind words and report any inappropriate behaviours to a trusted adult.
• Use a pedestrian crossing to cross the road or use the pedestrian light controls and only cross when the green light is illuminated.
• Keep yourself sun safe when outdoors and remember to SLIP, SLOP, SLAP.
• Wear a helmet when riding your scooters, skateboards and bikes.

Sustainability News

Another busy 5 weeks we have had in the Sustainability garden. From our seedlings we planted at the beginning of the term, the lettuce has taken off and we will be due to harvest it soon. Our herbs are loving the fertile soil as the coriander, basil, leek and oregano seedlings have taken off and are growing well too. We challenged ourselves to plant broccoli seeds at the beginning of the term and they are growing in abundance. We are seeing them now in the vegetative stage which signals the start of the broccoli plants most active growth. Hopefully after holidays we see heads on them. Lovely to see them thriving!

We have also planted carrots and cabbage from seeds and are seeing seedlings, so that’s a great sign. Our club days consist of lots of watering with the hose and the watering cans.  Everyone loves working as a team to ensure we all get a turn at something. If you have any old watering cans or garden shovels no longer being used at your house, we would love to take them off your hands as our littlest club members love to use them.

Japanese News

Japanese Club is very popular with lots of students doing a variety of things related to Japanese culture and the language. It is fantastic to see students of different year levels working together.

たのしい!

As Japan’sきせつ are opposite to Australia, Japan is entering its summer. Although June is known for its rainy days, it also brings out the beautiful あじさい blossoms. The Year 5 students learnt about this festival in Japan and created a beautiful display that can be seen in B Block Level 1 corridor outside the Japanese classroom.

Japanese words for this newsletter:

たのしい  (tanoshii) – fun

きせつ (kisetsu) - seasons

あじさい (ajisai) – hydrangeas

Coding and Robotics

Hello Nirimba Community!

We are thrilled to share an exciting update from our Coding and Robotics Club! Our talented students have been diligently preparing for the RoboRave International Competition at the Sunshine Coast University Stadium on Sunday July 16. They have been building Sumo robots and refining their coding strategies, showcasing their dedication, creativity, and critical thinking. We are proud of their commitment to excellence and wish them the best of luck as they compete on a global stage.

Our Coding and Robotics Club members have put their skills to the test by constructing impressive Sumo robots and developing meticulous coding strategies. They are eagerly anticipating the RoboRave International Competition, where they will showcase their knowledge, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities. We commend their passion for STEAM education and thank our coaches Mr Perrin, Mrs Hibble and Mr Kolanowski plus the school community for their continuous support.

Stay tuned for more updates on our Coding and Robotics Club's journey to RoboRave!

Sports News

Athletics

What a great two days we had for the Athletics Carnival back in week 8. It was fantastic to see so many students come dressed in their house colours and participate to the best of their ability across the two days. As our school continues to grow, it will make it harder to run the big sporting events for the whole school on the same day. It was wonderful to see our whole school from Prep – Year 6 out together on the Wednesday. A very big thank you to all the family members who came along to support their children and added to the atmosphere on the days.

A special mention must go to Buri for taking out another carnival victory and the following students who were named Age Champions in their respective competitive age groups: Sienna (3A), Jacob & Alfie (3A), Evie (5A), Rory (5A), Nesha (6A), Daniel (5B), Yashmina (6A) and Hunter (6A) & Noah (6A).

There are 41 students who have been chosen to represent our school at the Glasshouse District Athletics Carnival in week 3 of Term 3. The first note about the District Carnival has been sent home with students and more information will follow at the beginning of Term 3.

 Regional Cross Country

On Tuesday the 6^th of June, Billy from 5A and Finn from 5B represented Glasshouse District and Nirimba at the Regional Cross Country Carnival at Noosa. Both the boys trained extremely hard in preparing for the carnival. Unfortunately, in the lead up to the carnival, both Billy and Finn became sick which impacted their performance on the day but both boys still chose to compete and were a credit to themselves, our school and the district in their respective races.

Well done Billy and Finn!

Interschool Sport

Over the past three Fridays, selected students in years 5 and 6 have participated in Interschool Soccer and Netball against a number of other schools in our sporting district. As a school, we have had some excellent individual and team displays in both soccer and netball and we have won quite a few games across the three weeks. It has been great to see so many of our upper school students participating in Interschool Sport and developing their skills along the way.

Well done Team Nirimba!

Interschool Sport will again be offered to our year 5 and 6 students in Term 3 with Touch Football and Rugby League on offer.

NAIDOC Week

Nirimba State Primary are celebrating NAIDOC Week, Week 1 of Term 3.  Our students will participate in a range of learning activities throughout the week in their classrooms. On Friday 14^th July, we have Lucas Proudfoot performing to our whole school which parents have been invoiced for. Following this performance, students will participate in a range of activities for the remainder of the day.

Young Scientists - Prep

This term our Preps have been immersed in the fascinating world of Science, exploring the concept that materials have different properties and uses. It has been an absolute joy watching their curious minds light up as they delved into the wonders of our everyday world. 

Our young scientists conducted various experiments and engaged in hands-on activities to discover the unique characteristics of different materials. Our playground and classrooms transformed into mini-laboratories, where our young scientists conducted experiments to test the hardness, flexibility and transparency of different objects. We are incredibly proud of our Preps and their enthusiasm for discovering the marvels of materials.

Young Scientists - Year 1

This term, Year 1 students investigated different materials. They conducted experiments to test the strength and durability of these materials to inform the construction of their boats. Students used a range of household items and clay to design and build a boat that floats. They further tested these by adding marbles and made adjustments to their designs as needed. The students enjoyed their time making and testing their boats. It was so great to see all students actively engaged in their learning.

A Day at the Zoo - Year 2

This term, students from 2A and 1/2A visited Wildlife HQ as part of our biological science unit of work. We participated in a walking tour of the zoo, as well as interactive native and reptile shows. While we were there, we explored different animals, their habitats and their life cycles.  There were so many wonderful encounters to experiences and it was a great opportunity for students to see wildlife from around the world, and learn about animal conservation. The students had a wonderful day learning through experiences.

Year 3

We hope this edition of the school newsletter finds you well and filled with pride as we showcase the incredible achievements of our year 3A and 3B students over the past five weeks. It has been a period of growth, learning, and exciting projects that have left us all inspired.

Writing Persuasive Letters

Year 3A and 3B have been honing their persuasive writing skills as they embarked on a mission to convince primary school students about the educational and fun benefits of visiting a farm. The students embraced the task with enthusiasm and put their creative minds to work. Through their eloquent words, they managed to captivate the readers and highlight the numerous reasons why farm visits are an excellent idea. Well done to all the students for their fantastic efforts!

STEAM Vehicle Construction

In the spirit of innovation and sustainability, our year 3A and 3B students undertook a thrilling challenge of building STEAM vehicles using repurposed materials. The classrooms buzzed with excitement as the young engineers brainstormed, designed, and constructed their unique creations. It was a remarkable showcase of creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork. Congratulations to our budding inventors for their remarkable accomplishments!

Lifecycles of Animals and Plants

Exploring the wonders of nature, our year 3A and 3B students delved into the lifecycles of animals and plants. Armed with curiosity and technology, the students took on the task of creating videos and keynote presentations to present their newfound knowledge. Their work showcased their understanding of various lifecycles, from butterflies to flowering plants. The presentations were both informative and visually captivating, leaving us all impressed by the depth of their research and the creativity displayed.

We commend all the year 3A and 3B students for their hard work, dedication, and passion in these past weeks. They have truly exemplified the core values of Nirimba State Primary School, and their achievements are a testament to their growth and development as well-rounded individuals.

Year 4

As we reach the end of another exciting term, we would like to take a moment to celebrate the positive experiences and achievements that have taken place within our classrooms. It has been a joyous journey of learning, growth, and exploration.

Firstly, we want to acknowledge our students' outstanding efforts and sportsmanship at the recent Sports Day Carnival. Students displayed incredible teamwork, determination, and a true sense of school spirit. Well done to everyone for showcasing their talents and representing our school houses with pride.

Our students have amazed us by transforming their own moral stories into captivating puppet shows. Combining the subjects of English, Visual Art, Media Arts, and Digital Technology, they delighted a younger audience with their performances. This project showcased their artistic skills, storytelling abilities, and technological capabilities.

During the recent assessment block, students demonstrated exceptional commitment and resilience. We are immensely proud of the effort they put into their studies, showcasing their knowledge and skills across various subjects.

We are also delighted to see our students making significant progress in their social and emotional leaning, as well as their conflict resolution skills. It is wonderful to see students implementing strategies from the whole school Positive Behaviour for Learning program within the classroom and playground.

In Digital Technology, students embraced the challenge of building their own arcades and creating pinball machines out of recycled materials. We would like to extend our gratitude to all parents and families for their efforts in collecting and contributing recyclables. Together, we are fostering a sense of environmental consciousness and encouraging resourcefulness while reducing waste. Let's continue to work together towards a more sustainable future.

Looking ahead, we are excited for the upcoming Year 4 camp at the end of Term 3. This adventure-filled experience will provide Year 4 students with opportunities for fun, challenges, leadership development, and team-building skills. More detailed information regarding the camp will be provided early next term, so stay tuned for all the exciting details.

As we approach the holidays, we wish all our students and families an enjoyable and restful break.

Happy holidays, and we look forward to Term 3!

Year 5

It is hard to believe that we are halfway through the year already. We are both very proud of the students and how much they have accomplished this semester.

A highlight this term would have to be the Gold Rush Immersion Day. This was a fantastic experience where the students were able to experience a small taste of life on the gold fields. Students were able to pan for gold, play games of the time and try black tea and damper. It was an excellent opportunity to deepen student understanding of the topics they have been researching all term.

Going into Semester 2, we will begin shifting our focus to transitioning to year 6. There will be ongoing opportunities for students to step up and assist current year 6 leaders and demonstrate their leadership capabilities.

We look forward to Term 3!

Year 6

What a great end to Semester 2 in 6A! We have been busy finishing many assessments, finalising our natural disaster projects, experiencing a step back in time for our ‘Gold Day’ and competing in the annual athletics carnival and inter-school sports options for Term 2.

In English, 6A created advertisements that would make anyone want to holiday world-wide. The language features used and imagery chosen added to the overall appeal to many destinations across all parts of the world. In Mathematics, we analysed timetables and planned trips using public transport and finished with chance and had heaps of fun experimenting with coins, dice, rock, paper scissors and sweets!

In Science, we became experts in understanding natural disasters, planning for them and keeping communities safe in them. 6A created incredible disaster awareness guides and could share so many interesting facts. HASS saw us step back in time and finish our unit with a GOLD DAY!  We dressed up in attire that suited the gold mining era and mined for gold. We experienced damper and treacle whilst sipping on bush tea and finished with a game of European cricket. 

More highlights involved the annual athletics carnival, where Buri took home the HOUSE POINTS and Yashmina, Hunter, Noah and Nesha were celebrated as Age Champions for their respective age groups. Soccer and netball were the featured inter-school sports for Term 2 and it was great to see so many students give these sports a go!

Next term, Year 5 and 6 students will set off on our camp to Konomie Island and how much fun that will be!

I wish all 6A families a wonderful and restful Winter break. 

See you in Term 3 😊