Nirimba State Primary School Newsletter Issue 4 2023
Principal's News
Dear Parents, carers and members of the school community,
Last Friday, I was genuinely surprised to be greeted in the morning with “Happy Principal’s Day.” I had actually totally forgotten that Principals get a special day. I was very spoilt by the lovely cards and gestures from students and staff. Being a principal can be very challenging at times, but it can also be equally rewarding. I am very proud of the direction that the school is heading and the wonderful work being produced by students and how engaged they are in their learning – it is awesome to see!
We are experiencing strong enrolment growth for our school which is wonderful news as new families move into the area. We are on track to be a school close to 450 students at the start of next year with 20 classes and we have recruited great teachers to fill the vacancies that our enrolment growth has created. In my next newsletter, I will provide a comprehensive update on 2024 staffing. I acknowledge that some classes are over the desired limited of 25 students in Prep – Year 2 with some classes on or approaching the desired limit of 28 in Year 3-6. We have commenced arrangements to support these classes, their teachers and other support staff from this week.
There has been a bit of speculation and commentary recently on whether or not Nirimba State Primary School accepts out of catchment enrolments and I would like to take this opportunity to address this topic. My number one priority is the provision of educational services for the families of the Nirimba and Banya communities so that we grow in tandem with our local community. I am also a firm believer that children of a community should attend their local school wherever possible. I acknowledge that this may not always be possible due to a wide range of reasons and out-of-catchment expressions of interest at our school are thoroughly assessed and seriously considered on a case-by-case basis. To date, only students inside our catchment, students in care and children of staff members attend our school, however this may change in the future if we have the capacity to accept students not residing in our catchment and there are compelling reasons to do so.
The P&C Executive work incredibly hard for our school and some families may not be aware that due to their fundraising initiatives the money that is raised is returned to the school in the form of direct subsidies and benefits that supports all families financially. There has been a noticeable increase in the number of P&C volunteers which is great to see. Thank you to all of the work done by the P&C committee and the volunteers, it is greatly appreciated.
In the next week or so I will be arranging Student Progress Meetings. These meetings will provide you an opportunity to meet with your child’s classroom teacher and specialist teachers to discuss your child’s learning and progress so far this semester. Invitations to book in a time will be sent via email so please ensure we have your email address on file.
Schools are very busy places and everyone’s time is precious, including yours as the parent or carer. We are still getting a number of parents or carers presenting at the office wanting to meet with myself or Elise to discuss an issue or concern without having booked in a meeting time. In order to avoid disappointment and frustration please book a time to meet by calling Cheree on 5413 7777 or send an email to admin@nirimbass.eq.edu.au.
Enjoy the rest of Term 3!
Yours in education
Steven Moore
Deputy Principal News
Hello Nirimba families,
We have a very busy few weeks coming up, with a Year 2 excursion, Book Week, Prep excursion, principal tours, pupil free day, year 5 & 6 camp to Konomie and Year 4 camp to Tuchekoi. As well as these events, we also have our P&C Colour Run along with the National Day of Action Against Bullying on Friday, 18th August. Students are invited to wear orange on Friday the 18th August and are asked to bring a white shirt to change into for the Colour Run. Students will participate in a range of activities around what bullying is and how to respond to it.
The definition of bullying, taken directly from the National Day of Action Against Bullying website is:
Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening.
Bullying can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital records).
Bullying of any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders. Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying.
Behaviours that do not constitute bullying include:
- mutual arguments and disagreements (where there is no power imbalance)
- not liking someone or a single act of social rejection
- one-off acts of meanness or spite
- isolated incidents of aggression, intimidation or violence.
However, these conflicts still need to be addressed and resolved.
Likewise not all online issues are bullying. (Online bullying is sometimes referred to as cyberbullying and refers to bullying that is carried out through information and communication technologies.)
You can find more resources, information and tips on how to discuss bullying with your child on the “Bullying No Way” website, which can be found here - https://bullyingnoway.gov.au/ .
Yours in Education,
Elise Maguire
Guidance Officer News
Hello Parents and Carers,
Term 3 is now well and truly underway with lots of exciting upcoming activities and events planned for the second half of the year. Keep an eye out this term for:
· National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence – Friday 18th August
· Child Protection Week 3rd – 9th September
· R U Ok? Day – Thursday 14th September
In this newsletter, I have focused on some positive parenting tips around supporting our kids to listen and encouraging them respond to requests at home. We all struggle with this from time-to-time so it’s good to have some tips and tricks up your sleeve for when you need them.
Why kids won’t listen
There is a long list of reasons that our children won’t “listen”. But the reality is that they can hear. They are listening. Perhaps a better question might be why don’t our children do as they’re asked?
There are many reasons that our children don’t follow our instructions. These can include:
· Not wanting to be told what to do (which is probably a bit like us right?)
· A hyper-focus on what they’re doing right now
· A preference to do something/anything other than what we’re asking them to do
· Additional needs (like ADHD or ASD)
· Being Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, or Stressed
· The quality of our connection with them
· How many things they’ve already been asked to do
· The fact that their sibling isn’t being asked to do the same amount of work
· Whether it’s something they care about
· It’s too early or late in the day
· They’re hungry, thirsty or full
· The way we’re asking them/telling them to do that thing
· Not having the skill or ability to do as they’ve been asked
In many cases, it’s not just one thing, but a combination of things. Being attuned to our children’s capability and mental state can help us to understand when we should be asking, what we should be asking, and how we should be asking.
5 Ways to Build a Better Connection and Encourage Your Kids to Listen
1. Connect
When you ask your child to do something, consider the connection. Connection means feeling seen, heard, and valued. (It’s not realistic to expect that you’ll “connect” every time something needs doing. But maybe we can connect more than we currently are?)
2. Timing
If your child is in the middle of something - anything - their listening and compliance will be way down. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ask our children to be involved in helping when they’re doing something. That’s not realistic. But when we’re sensitive to their priorities, things go better. Consider statements like, “When that episode is done, please turn off the tv.” Or “Once you’ve finished eating (or playing, or reading, or…) please have a shower.”
3. Capability
We expect too little of our children physically and we expect too much of our children emotionally. Demanding they “calm down” or “stop it” might be more than they are able to manage. But asking them to clear the table (or pick up their socks or close the door) will typically not be too much. Consider their developmental capability, emotionally and physically.
4. Context
Your child might be perfectly capable of going to bed on time most nights, but on a sleepover night (or some other major event), the context changes. Adjust your expectations depending on the context. Requiring our children to listen to us the same way in every context is like expecting our children to act like robots. Be mindful of context.
5. Gentle Reminders
Call your child by name. Look at them and quietly remind them of the issue that’s requiring focus. The fewer words you use the better. Two is ideal. For example, “Your bedroom”, “Your stinky socks”, “The dishes”, and so on. Say please, and smile kindly.
Adapted from Justin Coulson’s Happy Families website https://www.happyfamilies.com.au/articles/what-to-do-when-kids-wont-listen
If you would like to get in touch or make an appointment to discuss any concerns you have in relation to your child, please feel free to reach out. I am at the school every second Tuesday and weekly on a Wednesday and Thursday, or send an email to msinc25@eq.edu.au.
Take care,
Michelle Sinclair
Business Manager - Welcome Mr O'Donnell
Greetings Nirimba SPS Family,Thank you all for the warm welcome for my commencement in Week 5 this term and I look forward to meeting more and more members of this amazing community as I do my best to find my feet and fill the (very large) shoes of Ms McIntosh as the Business Manager here at the school. We’re all lucky to have such an amazing facility here at Nirimba and the positivity and vibrance of the staff, parents and students has served as an excellent motivator for me while I get settled in and contribute to our positive culture.
As it wouldn’t be a Business Manager update without business, just a reminder that payments for upcoming camps and excursions are quickly approaching:
- All Students – STEAM – Due 10/08/2023
- Prep Excursion – White Ridge Farm – Due 21/08/2023
- Year 2 Excursion – Caboolture Historical Village – Due 14/08/2023
- All Students – Swimming – Due 02/10/2023
- Year 4 Camp – Tuchekoi Camp – Due 10/11/2023
- Year 5/6 Camp – Konomie Island – Due 18/08/2023
Thank you all again and I look forward to seeing you all around school!
Regards,
Mr Ryan O’Donnell
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)
Hello from the PBL team!
Our school is a Positive Behaviour for Learning school and we focus on a culture that promotes learning not just within curriculum but also within behaviour. As part of our schoolwide improvement processes, we would like to regularly seek feedback from staff, students and parents to look for opportunities for celebration and improvement within the are of PBL. Therefore, please keep an eye out this week for your PBL survey link. The survey should only take a few minutes and your responses will be anonymous. If you do not receive the link, you will find it below:
https://survey.qed.qld.gov.au/n/enZhyV6
The results from this survey, will be used to celebrate areas of PBL that are working well and to create an action plan for areas of improvement that may be needed. The PBL team truly value your feedback 😊
Sustainability
WOW, can you believe we are already half way through Term 3? Our gardeners have been very busy since coming back from holidays and have enjoyed seeing the seedlings grow over the last few weeks. It was great to see our broccoli that we planted at the beginning of last term growing and producing small florets. We are also very excited to see our cabbage, beans and carrots all coming along too. Hopefully we can harvest soon and see how produce makes it from garden to plate.
Our herbs are loving the fertile soil as the coriander, leek, mint, rosemary and oregano seedlings have taken off and are looking very lush. The parsley definitely loves the garden bed and the sunshine as it is growing rapidly. If you want to purchase any of our herbs please don’t hesitate to chat with one of our lovely staff members that work in the Sustainability garden as we can help you out.
Our club days consist of lots of watering as we have discussed living things needs for survival. Our members of the Sustainability Club know that in order for our plants to grow they need soil, sunlight and water. They are also aware that they need food which is special potting mix, sugarcane mulch and fertilisers.
Sustainability club happens on a Tuesday for Prep – Year 2 students, Thursdays for everyone and Fridays for Year 3 -6 students. We are always wanting helpers and we encourage you to talk about our club with your child at home so we can have more helpers on those days. Also, we would love some more watering cans so if you have any old ones lying around that are no longer being used, we would love to take them off your hands.
Thanks
Mrs Dodd and Ms Mortimer
Coding and Robotics
This term in robotics has kicked off with an exciting start! Our Robotics team enthusiastically participated in the RoboRave competition at the University of the Sunshine Coast. We fielded six teams across various age groups, and even had Cullen and Benji successfully advance to the final rounds where they eventually bowed out!
Our robotics team has now shifted its focus to the next challenge, which involves using Makey Makey's innovative technology. Students are in the process of designing their own video game within Scratch, where they're coding all the essential functions and controls. Additionally, they're crafting controllers using conductive materials, adding an extra layer of creativity and technical skills to the project.
Our Junior and Senior lunchtime robotics club has been experiencing remarkable growth, boasting a turnout of over 20 students during break times. The club has become a hub of activity, with students engrossed in diverse activities. The junior members are busy constructing intricate designs using our Lego kits, while others are coding Dash to star in their own music videos. Moreover, students are enthusiastically engaging with platforms like Scratch and Code.org to enhance their coding proficiency.
As the term progresses, we're eagerly anticipating the novel ideas that our coding and robotics champions will bring to the table. It's evident that the enthusiasm and innovation within our robotics community continue to flourish.
My New Gallery
Japanese
こんにちは。
During Week 4 we celebrated our first Japanese Week at Nirimba and it was a great success. たのしかった ですか。We started off at Parade with our Preps singing a Japanese song about animals and the noises they make. Then our Years 1, 2, 3 and 3/4 classes had a じゃんけんぽん competition won by Chace of 3A. Following this our Year 4, 5, 6 and teachers had aけんだま competition won very closely by Finn of 5B. Well done also to our Japanese Captain, Zara, for presenting the assembly.
Students had a chance to sample some Japanese food during their Japanese classes throughout the week and it was fantastic to see them trying new foods with an open mind. If parents are wanting to try these foods many of them are available from Asian Food 4U in Maroochydore although some are direct from Japan and I have not been able to source them in Australia.
A special thank you to our specialist teachers who incorporated Japanese into their classes during the week. It was enriching for the students to see how Japanese can be relevant to so many different subject areas including PE, Dance/Drama and Health.
ありがとうございます。
Japanese words for this newsletter:
こんにちは。(konnichiwa) Hello
たのしかった ですか。(tanoshikatta desuka) Was it fun?
じゃんけんぽん (jankenpon) Rock, paper, scissors
けんだま (kendama) Japanese ball and cup toy
ありがとうございます。(arigatou gozaimasu) Thank you very much.
Sports
District Athletics:
On the 27th and 28th July, selected students from Years 3 – 6 represented Nirimba at the Glasshouse District Athletics Carnival. This was the second District Athletics Carnival we participated in as a school and we once again achieved some fantastic results. We had a number of students who placed in the top 3 in their respective events and a handful of other students who made finals or finished with PB efforts. The standout performance was from Evie (5A) who won her 10 Years Girls Shot Put event and will now compete at the Regional Athletics Carnival later on in the Term. Congratulations Evie! As a school, we finished 10th overall in the running for the aggregate trophy which was a great achievement! Every student who participated was a credit to themselves and the school! Great job Team Nirimba!
Interschool Sport – Weeks 4 & 5:
Over the last two Fridays, we have sent four Touch Football teams to the Glasshouse Sports Complex to participate in this Term’s Interschool Sport. This has been a great opportunity for the students who chose to participate as Touch Football was a new sport for so many students and a sport that they had never played before. Overall, the four teams did a fantastic job, especially the two girls teams in week 1 who played all four of their games with no substitutions. We walked away with a handful of wins across the two weeks but most importantly the students learnt some valuable new skills and learnt how to play a brand new sport. Well done to all our Year 5 and 6 students who participated!
School Swimming – Term 4:
Last week, swimming notes were sent home to families in relation to school swimming that will happen over the first 7 weeks of Term 4. All students from Prep – Year 6 will participate in swimming lessons. More information regarding swimming will be shared with families as the Term goes on. If you have any questions at the moment in relation to swimming, please contact the office and I’m happy to help with any queries you may have
Prep
This term we are thrilled to share the exciting adventures of our young learners! Our preppies have been on a magical journey through rhyming stories. Together, we've been diving into the world of sounds, letters, and language. Through witty and entertaining tales, our students are unlocking the secrets of words that sound alike and crafting their own rhymes. It's been a joy to watch their creativity bloom as they invent their very own rhymes – a step towards becoming little writers!
Stay tuned for more enchanting updates as our little learners continue to explore the wonderful world of language.
Happy rhyming!
The Prep Team
Year 1
Hello Year 1 families and welcome to Term 3! We have dived straight into learning this term and have been exploring many new concepts in Maths, one being measurement! We have explored a range of informal measuring techniques and have had fun measuring everyday items with these news skills. We have ensured our measuring is uniform and accurate to compare items and decide which is longer or shorter.
Year 2
This term in Science, Year 1/2A and 2A have been exploring how a push or pull affects how an object moves. Students brought in a toy from home and undertook an investigation in small-groups to see whether the toy required a push or pull to create movement. The groups collaboratively came up with predictions, posed questions and made comparisons. Students then used their scientific knowledge to explain their findings.
Year 3
English
We are delighted to share with you the wonderful literary journey we have embarked on with your children as we explored the enchanting tale of "Kumiko and the Dragon." This captivating book revolves around the adventures of a young Japanese girl, Kumiko. Throughout our reading sessions, we have emphasized the importance of using expanded noun groups and verb groups to enhance our writing skills. We have also worked on crafting a diverse range of sentences, allowing us to express our ideas more creatively. In addition to language development, we have delved into the rich Japanese culture, drawing comparisons to our modern life here in Australia. As part of our creative writing exercises, the students are crafting stories that revolve around the theme of overcoming fears and showcasing the transformative nature of characters. We are thrilled to witness their blossoming imaginations and growth as storytellers.
Maths
We are excited to share the progress your children are making in our math lessons. This term, we have been delving into the fascinating world of shapes and angles, exploring their presence in our everyday surroundings. Through engaging activities and hands-on experiences, the students have been discovering the relevance of geometry in the world around us. In addition to this, we have been focusing on understanding the relationship between multiplication and division through a visual aid called the triangle model. This model has proven to be a valuable tool in helping the students grasp the concept of fact families and how multiplication and division are interconnected. We are witnessing significant growth in their mathematical understanding, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking.
Science
We are thrilled to inform you about the exciting adventures your child has been having in our Science class. This term, we have been exploring the fascinating world of forces and how they shape our everyday experiences. Through a series of hands-on experiments and engaging activities, we have been delving into the concepts of push and pull forces. The students have had the opportunity to conduct experiments and participate in "minute to win it" games that allowed them to experience these forces firsthand. Not only have they gained a deeper understanding of the scientific principles behind forces, but they have also been having loads of fun along the way! We are so proud of their enthusiasm and curiosity in the world of Science and cannot wait to continue this journey of exploration with them.
ART
Our students have been on an incredible art journey recently. Inspired by NAIDOC Week and the captivating tale of "Kumiko and the Dragon," we have been creating beautiful artworks that showcase the rich culture and traditions of Indigenous Australians while drawing connections to the Japanese setting of our story. The students have enthusiastically embraced the use of warm and cool colours in their creations, exploring the emotions and moods these colours evoke in their art. We have been amazed by their creativity and attention to detail as they express their understanding of the themes we have been studying. We hope you enjoy seeing their masterpieces as much as we have enjoyed guiding them on this artistic adventure.
Year 4
We are thrilled to share the exciting adventures and abundant learning experiences our students have encountered in 3/4A and 4A this term. It has been a busy and fulfilling time in our classroom, filled with growth, curiosity, and enthusiasm.
In our literature studies, we have been captivated by the world of "Rowan of Rin," an enthralling quest novel by Emily Rodda. The students have dived into the story and explored the various language features used by the author to create a vivid and engaging narrative. They have developed their comprehension, analysis, and creative expression skills through discussions and written reflections.
To truly immerse ourselves in Rowan's adventure, we designed an interactive obstacle course inspired by his journey up the mountain. Our students navigated through challenges and overcame obstacles, just like Rowan did in the book. It was an exciting and memorable experience that brought the story to life and fostered a love for reading and storytelling.
Mathematics has been a source of excitement and discovery this term. Our students have been learning about obtuse, acute, and right angles, and they have been quick to identify them in real-life situations. They have shown great enthusiasm in applying their newfound knowledge to various scenarios, and their ability to spot angles in the world around them has been impressive. Students have also been finding the area of shapes, using both formal and informal units. They enjoyed using playing cards to measure different surfaces and objects around d the classroom.
Furthermore, our students have embarked on a new unit on measurement. They have been exploring the concepts of capacity, length, temperature, and mass using both formal and informal units of measurement. Measuring activities have been both fun and educational, allowing our students to develop their understanding of units and apply their skills practically.
In our Science lessons, our young scientists have been delving into the fascinating world of forces. They have been busy designing and playing games that rely on contact and non-contact forces. Through these hands-on activities, our students have gained a deeper understanding of the principles behind different types of forces, while also honing their problem-solving and teamwork skills. Witnessing their creativity and ingenuity during these activities has been a delight for us all.
Year 5
The camp countdown is on! With just a few weeks until students make their way north to Konomi Island, students are preparing themselves for all of the wonderful experiences ahead of them. This term in Science, we are focusing on animal adaptions. This knowledge will come in handy whilst on camp.
In English this term, we are looking at narrative poems. Students will read and analyse narrative poems and recreate them as a multimodal narrative. This will be an excellent opportunity for students to combine their literacy abilities with their ICT skills.
In Mathematics, we are exploring shape and angle concepts. There are some wonderful, hands-on learning experiences coming up soon, be sure to keep an eye on Seesaw.
We are very excited to start our STEAM unit this term, students will use their knowledge from Science lessons to create an endangered creature. They will use multimodal tools to create a short documentary for their creature’s conservation and then use 3D modelling software to create their creature.
Update from Ogawa Sensei, During Term 3 in Japanese students will focus on using their knowledge to ask and answer questions in order to form friendships. They will be able to exchange personal information and understand the same information from others.
Year 6
Welcome to the halfway point of Term 3 and isn’t this year just flying by! Congratulations to Hunter for his recent third placing in the 200m final at the district athletics championships and well done to all the competitors on the day.
This term in 6A, we have been busy writing letters in English and focussing on the formality involved. We are using these skills to also crossover to email and the need to include etiquette when communicating in a formal setting. In Mathematics, we have learned all things BODMAS and CUBES and can now apply these skills to calculate multi-step problems. Soon, we will move into measurement and converting between our metric systems.
In Science, we are continuing on with more electricity and energy sources and finding advantages and disadvantages within each source. This knowledge will be helpful towards their STEAM home learning projects of ‘creating a toy’ using a form of energy. It was great to see such awesome natural disaster projects come in at the end of Term 2 and we look forward to sharing the toy creations with 1A.
In HASS, we are focussing on the ways in which people and the environment influence one another and in Health, we are creating awareness of the importance of suitable drink choices for Year 6 bodies. In Japanese, we learnt about the Ainu who are the indigenous population of Japan. Students also coloured in the Japanese symbol for their own Nirimba house: fire, water, earth and air in recognition of NAIDOC Week. These are just some of the rich learning opportunities we have this term and it won’t be long before our exciting tropical island camp in week 9.
Discovery Centre
The Discovery Centre Board Games Club and Chess Club has proved to be popular this term. Students have a variety of games to choose from, including Uno, Twister and Tabletop Football. In Chess Club, students have enjoyed the opportunity to demonstrate their Chess skills as they challenge one another.
The winners of the Nirimba Lego Masters City Challenge will be announced on parade in Week 6. The completed builds are on display in the library. Students worked tirelessly on their builds and they have been inventive with planning and creating their designs.
There is only three weeks left for the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Students are encouraged to complete their reader record form and return the form to their teacher. Students interested in participating need to have signed consent forms.
For further information refer to the following website:
http://readingchallenge.education.qld.gov.au
The CBCA Book Week is fast approaching! Book Week is in Week 7, 21 August to 25 August. The theme for this year is Read Grow Inspire. The Book Week parade will be held in the hall on Friday 25 August. Students are invited to dress up as their favourite book character.
To celebrate Book Week, there will be daily activities held in the Discovery Centre during break times. The activities will include: watercolour wax resist, storytelling, and Japanese lantern making. Students just need to turn up and have fun.
