Nirimba State Primary School Newsletter Issue 1, 2022
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From the Principal
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Quick News, Updates and Reminders
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P & C Update
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Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning
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Teaching and Learning at Nirimba SPS
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Deputy Principal - Engagement & Innovation
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Sustainability Precinct
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Meet our Guidance Officer
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Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)
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Sport Updates at Nirimba SPS
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Coding and Robotics Club
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Arts Updates at Nirimba SPS
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Japanese at Nirimba SPS 日本人
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Number Line Fun in Prep A
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Learning and Having Fun in Prep B
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Data Collectors in Prep C
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1/2A Artists
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Year 2 Science
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Year 3/4A Artists
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Year 4/5A - ICT Integration
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Year 5/6A - Going Back in Time
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Finance Information
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Kookaburra Cafe
From the Principal
Dear Parents, Carers and members of the Nirimba community,
What a great couple of weeks it has been, albeit challenging, as we have navigated the current COVID situation. It has been wonderful welcoming our students and families to the school and students have done an incredible job settling in. Classrooms are looking amazing, students look incredible in their uniforms and there is great teaching and learning happening on a daily basis. Well done to all parents, carers, students and staff on a great start to the year.
When I commenced in this role back in May 2021 and I was working originally as a one-man team out of Regional Office in Maroochydore, it was an incredibly daunting prospect to be opening a new school. Being new to the Sunshine Coast region and new to opening a school it came with challenges but also such amazing opportunities. Along the way I had the privilege of working with great educators, parents and members of the community to get where we are today. Opening a new school is a mammoth team effort and I truly believe that together we have created something really special. I look forward to continuing to work with you into the future as Nirimba State Primary School goes from strength to strength.
As a new school we are focusing on many different aspects of schooling at once but we have three main focuses this year that we refer to as our Explicit Improvement Agenda (EIA):
Area 1: What we teach (Curriculum). In setting up the new school, we made a very conscious and informed decision about offering a ‘broad curriculum’ to our students. We wanted to ensure they had opportunities to explore their talents through the different learning areas of the Australian Curriculum. For school staff, this area is about ensuring that learning areas are thoroughly planned for and engaging for students. It also includes quality assurance mechanisms for our delivery of the Australian Curriculum.
Area 2: How we Teach (Pedagogy). This area focuses on how we teach and the different approaches we will use when teaching your children at our school. It also focuses on the integration of learning and creating with ICTs and incorporating The Arts into learning through our STEAM approach.
Area 3: Engagement & Culture (Connecting with Community). Focusing both inside and outside of the school gate, we want your children to be happy and engaged in a wide range of learning opportunities when they are in our care. Our proactive approaches of fortnightly Positive Behaviour for Learning lessons and Social and Emotional Learning programs allow our students to be equipped with the skills to overcome any challenges they may face at school or outside of school. This area also focuses on inviting you and members of the community into the school to share their knowledge, skills and experience with our students in sports, arts and sustainability.
A full copy of Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) and Explicit Improvement Agenda (EIA) is available by clicking the link below and will be available on our website in the next few days.
On behalf of the staff at Nirimba State Primary School, thank you again for a great start to the year despite the challenges. I look forward to officially welcoming you all to our wonderful school after the 4th of March when parades and school events will resume again.
Yours in education
Steven Moore
PRINCIPAL
Quick News, Updates and Reminders
School Uniform
There are still a number of student who are wearing incorrect school uniform. Parents and carers are reminded of the school's uniform policy and to purchase any outstanding items from the Uniform Shop. The link to school policies can be found below:
Relaxation of COVID Restrictions - Parade 7th of March
The Back to School Plan will conclude on the 4th of March. Masks will no longer be required to be worn on school grounds. Parades and whole-school events are back! Our first official parade will be Monday the 7th of March at 8:45am in the Hall. All parents and carers are welcome.
P & C Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The Annual General Meeting AGM for the election of the P&C committee for 2022/23 has been called. The meeting will take place in the Administration Building from 6pm on Monday the 7th of March. All are welcome to attend.
Donations: Wigs, Props and Costumes
Do you have any old or no longer used wigs, props or costumes that you would like to donate to our Performing Arts Department? If you do please drop any items off to the office and we will get them to Ms Davis our Arts Teacher. Thank you!
Picture This!
Do you have any old A3 or A4 picture frames that you no longer use? We want to display student artwork in the stairwells to make it a colourful place. If you have any old frames please could you donate them to the school.
NAPLAN Online
Nirimba State Primary School is a NAPLAN online school. The official test window is 11 - 21 May, however before the official tests students in Year 3 and Year 5 will be given an opportunity to sit the practice tests which are scheduled for Week 1 of Term 2. More information will be provided to parents and carers soon.
Instrumental Music
Half of our proposed Instrumental Music program has commenced this year with Band and Woodwind instruments. The region is still recruiting a Strings Teacher so students who nominated to try instruments such as the Violin, Cello, Double Bass etc. will commence once a teacher has been confirmed.
P & C Update
Hello Nirimba State Primary School Families!
We have been working on a number of initiatives and applying for grants that will support the school and our children.
If you would like to join the P&C committee or nominate for an executive role on the P&C, our AGM in on the 7th March 2022 starting at 6pm. All are welcome to attend and be a part of the decision-making process of the school.
At the AGM, the executive committee will be nominated and voted in, a finance update will be provided and you can be updated on all our about upcoming events. Thank you to everyone who supported the P&C fundraiser "Silly Sock Day", the kids had great fun, with some very creative and funky socks! We raised $139.70 - which has gone towards the costs of getting the tuckshop up and running!
We hope by now all families have received their complimentary school calendar of events - if you missed out please pop into the tuckshop to pick one up!
Tuckshop is now well and truly up and running - thank you to those who are already supporting the tuckshop with orders. Our Tuckshop Manager Michael Grosvenor - is happy to help if you should have any questions in the morning about ordering (in person or online) or enquiries about volunteering at the tuckshop!
The P&C are working hard to source a coffee machine for our tuckshop, which will be a great addition to everyones mornings, should you have any connections in the coffee industry that may be able to assist us in this process we would greatly appreciate an introduction. Our email address is: nirimbapandc@outlook.com
Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning
Hello Nirimba Families,
I am Elise Maguire and I am one of the Deputy Principals, responsible for teaching and learning at our wonderful new school. I also work closely with the Prep & Year 1 cohort of students and teachers and enjoyed meeting many of our families during the enrolment interview process. This is my 20th year as an educator with the Department and working with a fantastic team to open a new school on the Sunshine Coast is an exciting way to celebrate this milestone.
I am usually out and about before and after school, as well as in the playground, getting to know all of our new students. I am particularly impressed with how well our Prep students have settled into their new school routine. Each classroom, from Prep to Year 6, has a strong focus on wellbeing to support all of our students to connect with their peers and their new school environment in a positive way. It has been amazing to watch the resilience, confidence and kindness demonstrated by so many of our students as they get to know each other.
I am looking forward to working with the entire community over the coming years to bring our school vision to life – Embracing opportunities of today. Creating futures of tomorrow.
Yours in education
Elise Maguire
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL (TEACHING AND LEARNING)
Teaching and Learning at Nirimba SPS
At Nirimba State Primary School, we are very lucky to have state of the art facilities that promote high engagement and innovation in our teaching and learning processes. We implement all 8 learning areas of the Australian Curriculum and actively seek to integrate elements of STEAM in students’ daily learning. Our students have been thoroughly enjoying their Music, Dance or Drama lessons over the last fortnight – these lessons with Ms Davis are definitely a highlight!
Each class from Year 1-6 has received their iPads for student use. It has been wonderful to see these already being used in classrooms to engage our students and support their learning. Keep an eye out for information from your child’s class teacher about the SeeSaw application, which is a platform that will be used to share your child’s learning journey with you.
Our Discovery Centre is now open for students to visit. Mrs Schultz will be introducing each class to the library, how to borrow and return books and the activities that students can participate in during lunch breaks. Mrs Schultz is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about literature and is excited to be able to support our students to choose books for them to bring home and share with their families.
Please remember, if you have any concerns about your child’s learning journey, contact your child’s classroom teacher in the first instance. All of our teachers at Nirimba are committed to working with our families to ensure our students succeed.
Deputy Principal - Engagement & Innovation
What an amazing start to the year for all of the students in Yrs 2 – 6. The foundation students in these year levels have engaged with their learning in a way I have never seen before. Their enthusiasm, courage, respect and spirit have led to this being a great start to their learning this year. All students are engaging and being challenged by their year level curriculum and staff are ensuring they are catering for the needs of their students.
In 2A students have been working hard on their Literacy and Numeracy skills, in particular their phonics, and enjoying the world of art in their Visual Arts lessons. The students have started to use robots to assist in their learning as well.
In 3/4A students have been utilising technology in the classroom to engage with their curriculum in a deep manner. Students have also been focusing on their Literacy and Numeracy, especially their narrative work and comprehension.
4/5A have really pushed their sentence structure and how they can create better sentences to convey meaning in a more descriptive way. The students have enjoyed utilising their iPads and have really enjoyed researching facts about planets in our Solar System during Science lessons.
In 5/6A students have spent the beginning of the year honing their writing skills, mastering their math skills and engaging in constructive dialogue around their health. Their understanding of technology and their application to their learning is to be commended.
I am very proud of the work and effort students and staff have put into these first few weeks and can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds.
It has been wonderful meeting all of our parents and engaging in amazing conversations around your children and their first few weeks at Nirimba.
Yours sincerely
Luke Morris
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL (ENGAGEMENT & INNOVATION)
Sustainability Precinct
If you haven’t been to the school in a while, the sustainability precinct in taking shape and will be an amazing area for our students to learn and take part in the whole ‘paddock to plate’ mantra. Students have been working to make the area weed free and have been positioning the garden beds, which are now ready to be filled and prepped for our seedlings in a few weeks time.
Mrs Mortimer has been getting the students to look into companion planting so that we can create a ‘No Spray’ garden. The students will be working with the school around the recycling bins we have and the composting bins we will be getting soon.
This is an exciting time for all involved and we are hoping that as the garden takes shape with the plants, more students will come and engage in this great space.
Meet our Guidance Officer
Hi Everyone,
My name is Michelle Sinclair and I am the foundation Guidance Officer at Nirimba State Primary School. I have recently relocated from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast and am enjoying the sea-change. After a delayed and slightly different start to the new school year, it is wonderful to see the students happy and settling in well to their beautiful new school.
As the Guidance Officer, my role is to advocate for the best educational outcomes for all students, to enable them to access the necessary supports and adjustments they need to succeed at school. I work collaboratively with teachers, parents and external stakeholders to build a shared vision and clear goals for each student based on their individual needs. I am available to assist families with a range of home and school concerns and provide referrals and links to support services in the local community.
I am looking forward to getting to know the students and families at Nirimba Primary School this year, if you would like to get in contact or make an appointment, I am at the school on a Wednesday and Thursday, or alternatively feel free to send me an email at msinc25@eq.edu.au.
Take care,
Michelle
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L)
Welcome to our first newsletter update from the Positive Behaviour for Learning team. PB4L is a whole-school framework that promotes positive behaviour across a whole school and this is the framework we are following here at Nirimba State Primary School. This process helps the school to develop safe and supporting learning environments for all students. Our students receive regular PB4L lessons to teach and model the expectations of being on the Nirimba team and following the school rules.
Throughout the year, students will have many opportunities to shine and model to their peers, the ‘Nirimba way’ for being a leaner, being respectful and being safe. By having this approach, students can be celebrated and consequently may receive awards for displaying positive behaviour and also excellent attendance. We have a suite of rewards on offer to all of our students such as certificates, postcards and ‘burra bucks’ to give the students recognition for their contributions to our school rules.
The ‘burra bucks’ are instant recognition given by staff to students for those small acts of excellence. The bucks are then stored in classrooms and over time, the students can “cash in” on rewards that they can choose. Over the coming newsletter editions, we will share more updates and information on this program. Please take the time to chat with your children about ways today that they may have been safe, respectful or an awesome learner.
Sport Updates at Nirimba SPS
Hello Nirimba families! For those people I haven’t met yet, my name is Michael Collingwood and I am the HPE teacher and sport coordinator at Nirimba SPS. I look forward to meeting you all in person as the school year goes on and keeping you informed around any sports events happening at our fantastic school.
Please see below for some important dates and events happening this Term!
Cross Country:
Nirimba SPS’s first ever Cross Country for years P – 6 is booked in to take place on Tuesday, 29th March. The first race of the day will start at 11:40am with the last race concluding at approx. 1:10pm. Please see the attached table as a guide for the day.
Interschool Sport:
Interschool Sport is happening this Term! The sport being played in Term 1 is Softball and I have spoken with the Year 5 and Year 6 students this week around selecting a Nirimba team to play Softball against the other teams in our sports district on the 11th and 18th of March. Students selected in the school’s Softball team will be given more information in the coming week.
Glasshouse District Trials:
Over the next few weeks, we have a number of students who will be attending district sport trials in the hope of being selected in the district team to attend the regional Sunshine Coast selection trials. Below is a list of students who will be attending trials. We wish them the best of luck!
Hunter (4/5A) – Basketball
Logan (4/5A) – Football (Soccer)
Finn (4/5A) – Football (Soccer)
Matteo (4/5A) – Football (Soccer)
A special mention to Amelie (5/6A) who nominated to attend the Sunshine Coast regional swimming trials. Unfortunately Amelie just missed out on qualification for the regional trials but was the first Nirimba student in 2022 to nominate for district/regional sport. Well done Amelie!
Coding and Robotics Club
Students in Years 2 through to 6 who have chosen to attend the Robotics and Coding Club have been spending lunch times exploring the world of Robotics and the language of Coding. Mr Perrin and Mr Kolanowski have been working with students on the appropriate way to handle the sensitive equipment and working through the coding impacts movement, direction and speed of robots. These skills are vital in our changing world and our students are at the forefront of learning these skills in our state-of-the-art facilities. With different robotics and coding competitions happening throughout the year, I know the students will be excited to start showing others what Nirimba students are made of.
The students in 2A have been working with Ms Rountree on developing their coding and robotics skills and will begin creating a Ferris wheel in some of their upcoming class lessons. The students are using block coding that will enable them to clearly see the links between the different sections on the code and how they make their robot move.
My New Gallery
Arts Updates at Nirimba SPS
Performing Arts has started off the year with an exciting assortment of fun. Students are showing their talents and enthusiasm across all areas of dance, music and drama. Year 2 and 3 students dance were keen to try out the new stage in the hall to share their dances about the seasons with their class. We have lots of beautiful voices in the choir, focussed players in guitar club and an all girl rock band who have named themselves the Six Rock Roses.
Japanese at Nirimba SPS 日本人
Japanese classes have been focussing on the basic communication skills and knowledge students would need if they went to Japan or met a Japanese person.
Language is all about communication and getting to know people, so we have a large emphasis on spontaneous communication.
Students in the higher levels have begun to learn the Japanese writing system (hiragana) and the iPads have opened up new ways of practising these reading and writing skills. We would love to have students practising what they have learnt at home - your child can teach you!!
Nirimba's Japanese Club this term will focus on the ancient Japanese art of origami. Students will not only learn how to make various animals, but also how to understand origami instructions so they can explore and create art by themselves. Prep to Year 2 is on a Friday 1st break and Year 3 to Year 6 is on a Tuesday 1st break.
Ogawa sensei
Number Line Fun in Prep A
The students in Prep A have settled into school life very well and are already showing the great qualities of awesome learners. They have been busily exploring the numbers 1 to 10 and coming up with creative ways to display their knowledge. Here are some of our number lines and number blocks characters that we have used to represent counting forwards and backwards.
Learning and Having Fun in Prep B
What a fantastic start to the year in Prep B! They have settled in so well and are off on their primary school journey.
In addition to introducing early Reading, Writing and Math activities in class, we have also taken your child on a school tour to assist them to become familiar with their new environment, meet all the staff and learn where facilities such as the Discovery Centre and the office are located.
If you had walked into Prep B last week, you would have seen superheros, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Hulk everywhere you looked… printed on the Prep’s socks of course! The Preps were wearing all manner of crazy and colourful socks as they participated in the P & C’s Silly Sock day.
Data Collectors in Prep C
Students in Prep have been learning to ask questions and interpret data displays. Prep C students have been enjoying asking their peers a variety of different yes/no questions and using tally marks to collect the data. Each morning, students have also answered different questions on arrival and then discussed and interpreted the data results as a class. It has been a lot of fun and we have all learned new things about each other.
1/2A Artists
During our first week at Nirimba State Primary School, students in Year 1/2 were so excited to use our brand new art room. Students created a painting and shared the story of their artwork with their peers. We are looking forward to creating many more amazing artworks in this beautiful space.
Year 2 Science
Year 2 students participated in a Rain Cloud Investigation as part of their “Changes to Earth and Sky” Science unit. Students explored what happens when clouds form in the sky and how droplets fall when the cloud becomes too heavy. Students looked at the characteristics of clouds, and used their appearance to help them predict the weather more accurately.
Year 3/4A Artists
Last week in 3/4A we had the opportunity to explore textures in our new school environment!
We worked in small groups to find textures, apply shading techniques and utilise our iPads to share with our classmates.
Year 4/5A - ICT Integration
What a fantastic start to 2022! Students in 4/5A have truly hit the ground running.
Some of our highlights so far have been exploring the wonderful facilities we have available to us and working closely with our 5/6 neighbours to be leaders in our school.
I do believe that the most significant highlight has to be getting our iPads up and running. I am amazed by some of the ICT knowledge that students have brought with them and I cannot wait to take them to the next level.
This week, we began completing our Media Arts assessment on Seesaw. Having the iPads has allowed students to conduct their own research and make independent learning decisions to further their knowledge and understanding.
Additionally, we have begun using our Mathletics and Reading Eggs subscriptions to enhance our understanding of concepts covered so far in literacy and numeracy subjects.
With such a wonderful start to our 2022 journey I cannot wait to experience the rest of it with you as we move through 2022.
Year 5/6A - Going Back in Time
What fun Year 5 and 6 have been having exploring and role playing all things 'pre and post' Federation times! Our students were taken back in time to experience what life was like for a student and a teacher in the late 1800's / early 1900's. Whilst their teachers dressed up and played the characters well, so did the students. The response from most was that they much prefer school in 21st century times. Keep a look out for more rich learning experiences in Years 5 and 6 this term.
Finance Information
A reminder that invoices have been emailed to all parents and carers for the 2022 iPad and classroom resource scheme. The final payment for these invoices is due on 16th March 2022, which allows plenty of time for families to have these paid in full. Should you wish to discuss setting up a payment plan or any other matters around payments, please contact the Business Manager on 5413 7777.
Upcoming Events and Excursions:
- Invoices for students participating in Interschool Sport on 11th March will be emailed on Friday 25th February and due on 10th Cost for this will be $25 and only for selected students.
- Year 5 Camp invoices will be emailed out at the beginning of term 2.