TERM 4 2024

Jingeri families,

What a fantastic series of events we had to see out  term 3. Year 5 Camp, our Book Week Parade and the community movie night were fantastic opportunities to bring us together as a school community. Thank you to all the staff and parents who  helped to provide these experiences for our students.

RSSS was also  selected as the launch school for Electrical Safety Week, where our school was showcased across media platforms as part of the celebration of 10 years of the Safety Heroes program. Year 1 and 2 students were able to engage in an informative electrical safety talk; a couple of volunteers had the chance to try on some personal protective equipment and students explored their impressive bucket truck.

On Friday 6 September we held a Pyjama Day to raise money for our Student Council. These funds will support repainting our concrete handball courts. A special thank you to Chayse Jackson and Cooper Sansome for helping to turn this idea into a reality. At Rochedale South State School we want to amplify student voices and encourage students to have agency over their learning; this event is a great example of our students making real-world positive impacts.

As we look ahead for the term to come, important conversations will be happening to plan for 2025. At our upcoming P and C meetings, I will be sharing our draft improvement priorities for the coming year and seeking parent feedback and input. Results from our school review and recent school opinion survey,  as well as collaborations with staff and students, will also contribute to this planning. I encourage family representatives to come along to our P and C meetings each month, where I unpack our annual improvement planning and share data that allows us to measure how we are tracking towards our goals. Our P and C are a wonderful team of dedicated parents and we are always excited to welcome newcomers.

Stacey Wood
Principal

Welcome back families to our final term at Rochedale South for 2024!

Term 4 marks the beginning of the end for another wonderful year of learning, growth, and community at Rochedale South State School. As we approach this busy and exciting time, our focus sharpens on academic achievements and preparing for the celebrations that recognize the hard work of our students, teachers, and families. This term will be filled with highlights such as our Year 6 Graduation, Christmas Concert, and Student Awards, but also moments to reflect on the journey we've shared.

In addition to the major events, I’d like to remind everyone of some key dates for Term 4:

• WEEK 1: Assembly commences fortnightly on odd weeks—parents are welcome to join.
• WEEK 3: Free Dress Day.
• WEEK 4: Year 1Excursion.
• WEEK 5: Student Leadership Applications open, Parent Music Night & Awards (TBC), Inclusion Matters Workshop, RSHS Transitions, and Principal Morning Tea.
• WEEK 6: Interschool Sport Finals.
• WEEK 8: Sports Awards Assembly and Reporting Closes.
• WEEK 9: High School Transitions.
• WEEK 10: Graduation and Swimming Prep for Years 3 & 5.
• WEEK 11: Christmas Concert, Class Awards Assembly, PBL Rewards Day, and Movie World Excursion.

With these dates in mind, we are all eager to conclude the year with a sense of accomplishment and pride. I would also like to echo a thought from educational leader Steven Francis: as we enter the final stretch, let’s “hasten slowly,” taking time to nurture ourselves and our families amidst the excitement.

Nature Play – Enhancing Play Value in Our Play Areas

We are thrilled to announce new developments in our play spaces, designed to foster imaginative and creative play. Partnering with Nature Play Queensland, we are incorporating more natural elements into our playgrounds, encouraging students to explore and engage with the environment. These spaces are being transformed into areas where students can connect with nature while developing their physical and social skills. More information about how we are looking to increase the play value of our site will be coming soon!

Olympics Unleashed – Inspiring Our Students

In Week 4, we will welcome a special guest from the Australian Olympic team to inspire our Year 3-6 students. We are excited to announce that Alec Danelutti, BMX Freestyle Olympian, will be visiting our school as part of the Olympics Unleashed program. Alec will be with us on Wednesday, 23rd October 2024. This visit is part of a program, designed to motivate students by sharing the journeys of elite athletes. It’s a fantastic opportunity for our students to hear firsthand what it takes to pursue excellence and to be reminded that their own dreams and goals are achievable.

Math Inquiry – Driving Innovation in the Classroom

Our commitment to world-class education continues with our ongoing focus on Math Inquiry. This term, we are building on the collective expertise of schools and leading research from around the globe to enrich the teaching of Mathematics. Our teachers are embracing innovative approaches that deepen students' understanding of mathematical concepts, promoting critical thinking, collaboration, and real-world problem-solving skills.

Positive Behaviour for Learning @ RSSS

What a way to start our term.  This fortnight we have had a sharp focus on articulating our capabilities to manage ourselves and manage social situations.  Each child has formed a SMART goal to align with what they know about themselves.  I'd encourage each of our families to talk about what personal goal their child is working on this term. 

Additionally to begin this term, we will be celebrating our student of the week, with students decending upon the PAC to celebrate their achievements of being Safe, Responsible, Respectful, Learners.  Students who missed out by a freckle, don't dismay, there is a final Principal's Morning Tea will be hosted in Week 5 and 10 of this term.  

See below our lovely students relishing in their hard earned morning tea with Mr Charles, Mrs Wood and Mrs Bampton.

This term, our focus continues to be reinforcing the principles of PBL and nurturing an atmosphere of respect and understanding. The dedication of our staff and students in embracing these values has been truly commendable. Together, we've created a learning environment where each individual feels valued and supported.

We are continuing our spotlight on Restorative Practices. We're excited to introduce the principles of Restorative Practices into our classrooms and school community, enriching the interactions between students and further fostering a sense of belonging. This fortnight our focus is on using the High 5, a response that helps give a scaffold to all students to respond to others in the playground when things aren't going right. 

To support our parents in implementing Restorative Practices at home and during the final phase of our year, here are three practical steps:

1. Active Listening: Take the time to actively listen to your child. Encourage open and honest communication by asking open-ended questions about their day, feelings, and experiences. Let them know you value their thoughts and feelings.
2. Problem-Solving: When conflicts arise, guide your child through a problem-solving process. Encourage them to express their feelings and thoughts, listen to others involved, and work together to find a resolution that benefits everyone.
3. Model Empathy: Be a role model for empathy by demonstrating understanding and compassion in your interactions with your child and others. This helps them develop empathy and understanding towards their peers.

Additionally, to further reinforce the principles of PBL and Restorative Practices, we have introduced posters in all our playgrounds. These posters serve as visual reminders of our shared values and help improve the personal and social capabilities of our students. They are aligned with the Australian Curriculum's Personal and Social Capabilities, emphasising skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and responsible decision-making.

You can explore this approach by visiting https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1133320/restorative-parenting/ or https://www.parentsvictoria.asn.au/issues/restorative-practices-2/ to gain a deeper understanding of the values we're instilling in our student

Curriculum Newsletters

Curriculum newsletters come out at the end of Week 2 each term. These are an excellent resource to talk to your child/ren about their learning.

5 questions parents can ask their children:

• What did you learn today?
• How did you do?
• What did you do if you didn’t understand?
• How can you improve on your learning?
• What are you most proud of?

Run Club Travels

Our Run Club is running around Australia right here at RSSS. Collectively the students have run 221km. They have nearly made it to Maryborough, Badtjala Country.

Run Club runs Monday – Friday from 8:30 am. All students from P-6 are welcome to join. No running experience needed. A mix of walking and running is encouraged.  Thank you to Ms Burgoyne, Ms Fitz-Gibbon and Ms Flynn for leading the team.

Jennifer Bampton
Deputy Principal Prep-2 

Wellbeing Hub Activities and News- Lunch time

The Hub provides opportunities for students to develop social skills and build relationships in a supportive environment.   

Inquiry Learning

Our Inclusion Support Teachers implement a range of programs to develop the whole child. Mrs Furlong and Mrs Wallett have been working with a group of students as part of the Garden Program – Inquiry around Mushrooms. Our Year 4 & 5 students are developing Personal and Social Capabilities. They are encouraged to be creative, resilient curious learners.

Rock and Water Developing Personal & Social Capabilities Curriculum

The Year 3 cohort are building their personal and social capabilities through the Rock and Water program developed by the Dutch educationalist Freerk Ykema.  It's a team approach with Jo Stotschek, Inclusion Support Teacher team teaching with the Year 3 classroom teachers to implement the lessons.

Through games and activities, the students are learning to pause in their day to be grounded, centred, focused and to breathe.  The common language of rock (inner strength, knowing what is right and wrong and being able to make choices) and water (friendship, communication and connection) assists to build self-awareness and self-confidence, key components to successful social interactions in and outside school.

Communication and student needs

If you require any information in regard to your child’s learning or supports, please contact your child’s class teacher first. Our Teachers will be able to direct your enquiries if further investigation, actions or supports are required.  WE value student voice. We value parent voice and we value positive partnerships with parents and our community.

 

Broken arm/broken leg- Health, Medication and Post Care Requirements for our students. Any student who requires medication to be administered at school, we request parents and carers to contact the school. If your child has an injury or medical condition, please advise the office immediately so our records can be updated. This ensures the appropriate adjustments, inclusive of a Medical Action Plan, can be created and implemented. At times, a student may require post care medical attention e.g. broken arm, moon boot or crutches, adjustments can be made during this time. Please advise the class teacher or the office staff.

We believe in the success and wellbeing for all in an inclusive and equitable environment.

 

Additional Supports and External Services on site WELCOME

External service providers are welcome on site with parent consent and Principal Approval. Our school adheres to all safety protocols and training, requiring documentation to be approved by the Principal prior to commencement on site. Please contact your child’s class teacher if you would like more information or download the documents from our school website. An External Support Agreement Consent Form. https://rochedalesouthss.eq.edu.au/support-and-resources/student-services-and-support-programs

 

NDIS Plans. Some students have a current NDIS plan. Parents are encouraged to share any reports with the school to ensure the supports being implemented are current and accurate for the student.

Supporting Students- NDIS. https://www.ndis.gov.au/understanding/what-ndis

NDIS can provide all people with disability with information and connections to services. Schools work collaboratively with external services to support students. As the health guidelines change, external services and parents can contact the school to discuss what the support can look like.

Yours in Education

Brigette Cannons
Head of Inclusion

Book Week Success

A heartfelt thank you to all our parents and families for your support during Book Week. The week was filled with excitement and a love for reading as students participated in buddy reading experiences, pairing older students with younger peers. It was truly special to see our older students sharing their passion for books in such a fun and engaging way. This activity not only promoted literacy but also helped foster a strong sense of community and mentorship across year levels.

The highlight, of course, was our Book Week Parade! We were absolutely blown away by the creativity and enthusiasm that went into the students' costumes. Your attendance and involvement made the event even more memorable, and we sincerely appreciate the effort you put into preparing the students. The parade was a joyful celebration of our love for reading, and it wouldn’t have been the same without your support!

Life Education Program

We had the Life Education program visit our school in Term 3 Weeks 9 and 10. This important health initiative is designed to integrate seamlessly with the primary curriculum and aims to motivate, encourage, and empower our students to make healthy lifestyle choices. The goals of the Life Education program include:

• Building awareness of key health issues
• Encouraging reflection on how these issues affect students
• Sharing essential knowledge for making informed decisions
• Helping students identify and develop effective response strategies
• Empowering students with the skills and confidence to apply these strategies in their daily lives

For more information about the Life Education program, feel free to contact the school or visit Life Education Queensland's Parenting Guides

Maths at Home

If you’re looking for an engaging and educational way to help your child develop their maths skills, the game Greedy Pig is a fantastic option to consider. It’s a simple yet engaging game that you can play together, and it’s a great way to reinforce important mathematical concepts in a fun and interactive way.

How to Play Greedy Pig

Greedy Pig is a game of chance and strategy. To play, you’ll need a single six-sided die and a piece of paper for keeping score. Each player takes turns rolling the die as many times as they wish, adding the number rolled to their total score. However, if a player rolls a 1, they lose all the points they’ve accumulated in that round and their turn ends. The aim is to accumulate as many points as possible before deciding to “bank” the points, which ends their turn and secures their score for that round.

Learning String Sums

One of the key benefits of playing Greedy Pig is that it helps children practice and master string sums. String sums involve adding a series of numbers together, which is a fundamental skill in mathematics. This game encourages students to quickly and accurately add numbers in their heads, improving their mental arithmetic abilities.

Strategies for Success

While playing Greedy Pig, children can use various strategies. Some examples include:

Make to Ten: Encouraging children to group numbers that add up to ten. For instance, if a child rolls a 4, 5, and 1, they can group the 4 and 6 (1+5) to make ten. This strategy helps with quick addition and is a foundational skill for more complex maths problems.

Doubles Facts: Using doubles, such as 4 + 4 or 6 + 6, to quickly calculate sums.

Near Doubles: If a roll is close to a known double, such as 5 and 6 (which is close to 5 + 5), children can add the double and adjust by adding or subtracting the difference.

Counting On: Encouraging children to start with the larger number rolled and count on from there. For example, if they roll a 3 and then a 5, they start with 5 and count on 3 more to get 8.

Enhancing Maths Skills Through Play

Playing games like Greedy Pig with your child is not only enjoyable but also a powerful way to enhance their maths skills, much like how reading together supports literacy development. Happy playing!

Inquiry Learning – STEM Kits

Our students have been actively engaging with STEM Kits as part of their Science unit. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and these kits provide hands-on materials that bring these subjects to life. Through experiments and interactive activities, students are encouraged to ask questions, make observations, and think curiously about the world around them.

Carla Williams
A/Head of Department – Curriculum

We are looking to increase our pool of casual cleaners we can call on if our regular cleaners are away. If you or any one you know has cleaning experience or is interested to learn on the job and is able to work from 5am to 8am of a morning and/or 2pm till 6pm of an afternoon, please email your resume to me at BSM@rochedalesouthss.eq.edu.au including your availabilities, experience and references for consideration.

Wendy Grocott
Business Manager

Screen time - How much is too much?

There is no magic figure. The right amount of screen time can depend on a range of factors like your child’s age and maturity, the kind of content they are consuming, their learning needs and your family routine. 

It can be easy to focus only on the clock, but the quality and nature of what they are doing online, and your involvement, are just as important.

Consider your child’s screen use in the context of their overall health and wellbeing. For example, is online time getting in the way of their sleep and exercise? Is it impacting on their face-to-face connections with family and friends? The answers to these questions will guide you and help strike the right balance of online and offline activities for your child.

Signs that your child’s online activity may be having a negative impact on them or on your family include: 

• less interest in social activities like meeting friends or playing sport
• not doing so well at school
• tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches, eye strain 
• changes in eating patterns
• reduced personal hygiene
• obsession with particular websites or games
• extreme anger when being asked to take a break from online activity
• appearing anxious or irritable when away from the computer
• becoming withdrawn from friends and family

For more information on this topic please visit www.esafety.gov.au

eSports Update

In Term 3 students across the school had the opportunity to participate in a Geometry Dash Competition. Students had 5 minutes to achieve their best score and see if they could make it onto the leader board. The event was very popular! As a school we played a grand total of 205 Geometry Dash games over three lunch times. Grade 3 were our biggest competitors playing 77 of those games.

There was fierce competition with only a 17-point difference between the top 2 scores. The top scoring player from each year level was presented with a certificate on parade during week 7.

Massive thanks to the fantastic students in the Media Team who gave up multiple lunchtimes to help set up and record scores.

In term 4 we will undertake a Minecraft Castle Building Team Challenge. Which Team will build their way to glory?

Elisa Weston
Technologies Teacher P-6, eSafety Champion

DISTRICT ATHLETICS 

Well done to all of our 10-12yr students who represented our school at the Logan District Athletics Carnival last term. 15 of our students competed in Track and Field events at Sheldon College on Tuesday 30th July and did our school extremely proud in all of their events. 

A big congratulations to Paleti Taipaleti who won the 11yr Boys High Jump with a jump of 1.26m! Also, a huge congratulations to Isabella Ruhle who came 2nd in the 11yr Girls 800m, 2nd in High Jump, and 2nd in Long Jump. Well done also to Livia Pal who made a 100m and 200m Final, and Georgia Beazley who made a 100m Final. 

All of our Rochedale South students showed great effort on the day and great commitment in the lead up by coming along to our morning training sessions before school to train and prepare for their events. A big thank you to Mrs Podmore who on the day was our Team Manager, marshalling students to all of their events, and to all parents and family who provided transport for students and stayed to cheer on and support our RSSS athletes. 

MET EAST ATHLETICS 

A big congratulations to Isabella Ruhle who represented the Met East Region at the Queensland Athletics State Titles at QSAC on Tuesday 8th October. Isabella competed in the 11yr Girls High Jump event and placed 17th in a field of 35 competitors and jumped a personal best height of 1.34m. Congratulations Isabella on this wonderful achievement. 

Dear Parents and Guardians

Term 3 has been incredibly busy but successful for the P&C Team! Here's a summary of our key achievements this term:

- **Cookie Dough Fundraiser**: 372 tubs sold, raising $1,488 for the school.

- **Book Week Bake Sale**: First bake sale during Book Week, raising $236, with special thanks to Bec Brennan for her generous baking contributions. Future bake sales, we will invite parents to contribute their baked goods.

- **Community Book Week Movie Night**: A big hit with the screening of *Horton Hears a Who*, receiving positive feedback. Thanks are extended to Mr Craig our MC and Mrs Bampton, attendees, volunteers, and sponsors, including:

  - Team Lisa Etri @ Ray White Rochedale

  - Councillor Lisa Bradley @ Logan City Council

  - Dan Brown Team @ Loan Market

  - Drakes Rochedale

  - YMCA OSHC Rochedale South

  - Kennards Hire Springwood

The event's final financial reconciliation is still pending.

- **Father’s Day Stall**: This year saw even more participation than last year, with volunteers ensuring the stall was well-stocked. Full financial results are still being finalised.

- **Father’s Day Raffle**: We had some great prizes donated for our raffle and we’d like to thank our sponsors:

  - The Barefoot Craftsman and Woodshop

  - Officeworks Underwood

  - SuperCheap Auto Underwood

  - Harris Proof Creative 

  - Becky Ko

It looks like the term has been a whirlwind of successful events and great community involvement! Thank you everyone who has participated in the above events. 

Coming up in Term 4 we will be asking for volunteers for our Democracy BBQ on Election Day Saturday 26th October and the Christmas Stall and Concert evening. Please see the link below to sign up to volunteer at events and we will contact you as they get closer. 

Last but not least, if you know of anyone who would like to sponsor our Christmas Raffle by donating prizes please contact them and let us know.  

Our next meeting will be Monday 21st October at 7pm in the Admin Staffroom. Hope to see current and new faces. Anyone is welcome, you don’t have to attend every meeting. The meetings are. Great way to have input into what’s happening within the school and the events being held. All ideas are welcome. 

Thank you 

RSSS P&C Team

2025 Enrolments are now available online.

Would you like to enrol or have a tour please contact us.              E: ars@ymcabrisbane.org

M: 0437 332 970        P: 3841 6613                      

Important messages from your Coordinator

Enrolments

The enrolment process is now exclusively online via QK Enrol, and bookings can be made via the My Family Lounge App. Below you can find some details that will help with the online process.

New parents or anyone who needs to register for use of QK Enrol or My Family Lounge can access registration through this website below:

https://www.ymcachildcare.com.au/rochedale-south.html

Existing parents can log onto this website below:

https://www.qkenhanced.com.au/webui/Account/Logon

The YMCA Rochedale South OSHC Team