Killarney eNewsletter Term 1 - Week 9 | 2024

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands, seas, skies and waterways. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present. We acknowledge the knowledge, memories, traditions and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and commit to fostering a culture of learning in the spirit of togetherness.

Date Claimers

From the Principal

Dear All

Welcome to the end of Term 1. I’m very proud of the work that has been achieved this term. It has been a busy term and I’d like to express my gratitude and thanks to:

• our students who have been settled and focussed on learning all term and who have all contributed to creating a happy harmonious school,
• our parents for your support of and encouragement to your children and for your open communication and willingness to work with staff and me,
• to the volunteers who contribute to make school life richer, some frequently, some less so, some visibly and some behind the scenes, but all who weave care and generosity through the school,
• our passionate and committed staff who have been so willing to learn more about the Australian Curriculum, more about teaching reading and worked on a Positive Behaviour for Learning framework for implementation in Semester 2.

I’m proud to lead a school where everyone, big and little, young and older, is learning in so many ways.

School Strategic Plan

The School Strategic Plan has been finalised, endorsed by the P&C Association and approved by region. The School Strategic Plan is the school’s succinct statement about what the school wants to achieve in the next four years and how we plan to get there. It includes the recommendations from last year’s School Improvement Unit Review and clearly sets the direction for our work. Our priorities, also known as our wildly important goals, are:

Accountable and consistent implementation of the Australian curriculum

Developing literate learners

Every student engaged and supported

Values Statement

An important part of developing the strategic plan has been reviewing and clarifying our school values. Everyone should know what our values are, be able to talk about them and apply them in work and play. Staff and all students have been involved in workshops about the school values this term. My thanks to parents and community members who provided feedback via the recent survey.  The values statement for school is:

“Success Crowns Effort”

We value learning.

We value respect.

We value community.

We are Killarney strong!

23^rd Border Ranges Trail Ride

There is no doubt we are Killarney strong and the strength of the community will be evident this weekend when so many people across the community come together to support the 23^rd Border Ranges Trail Ride when 1 000 rides take to the track. To everyone who has worked to make this a great event, thank you! It’s a mammoth effort and commitment.  

Every student in our school directly benefits from the success of the Border District Trail Bike Ride. This year the P&C Association contributed $28 000 to the school budget to subsidise bus travel for students to attend sports events, excursions and camps.

If you have not yet volunteered to help, please do.  There are still jobs that need filling. Each shift is only a couple of hours and you will part of a group doing a job. See later in the newsletter for more information.

150^th Years Celebrations

The 150 Years committee is meeting regularly to plan celebrations across this important year.  Key  events are:

10 May: Pub Choir revitalising the School Song

27 July: Past and Present Big Band Concert

12 October: Back to School Celebration Day and Gala Dinner

If you’re interested in contributing, you’re most welcome to join the next meeting at 5.30pm Tuesday 26 March in the school administration building.

Farewell

At the end of the term, we farewell Mr Alan Gamgee. Alan took a break from retirement to teach secondary science this term after hearing that we were unable to fill a vacancy and he didn’t want to see students missing out. It has been a delight to have Alan on our team for this short time and I sincerely thank him for the gifts he has brought to the school and wish him a happy transition back to retirement!

On behalf of our staff, I wish everyone in our school and wider community a wonderful Easter break.   Stay safe and travel gently.

Kind Regards

Ros

From the Head of Department

Condamine Cafes

Thank you to all who are able to support our Condamine Cafés this term.  The 9/10 Hospitality class are very excited to continue our menu development for next term.   We know that our sausage rolls are very popular and we will continue to have them on our menu.

PBL

What does PBL stand for?  Positive Behaviour for Learning.

Our PBL Team consists of Ms McCauley, Ms B, Mr Bell, Mrs Smith, Mrs Barling, Ms Hibberd and Mrs Bartz.  We are working towards refining our PBL Matrix that will form our behaviour lessons in the future.  Looking forward to sharing more with our community.

What is a PBL Matrix?

A PBL matrix is the organisation of the behaviour expectations and lessons for our school.  Our organisers are:

We value learning – we are learning to be active learners

We value respect – we are learning to intentionally practise respective relationships

We value community – we are learning to foster and contribute to positive community partnerships

Thursday 28/03 is our whole school behaviour rewards activities.  Class teachers and Year 10 students will be managing the activities for our whole school to engage with.  Activities may include bubbles and dancing.

Our rewards/levels system is currently under review.  We are working our way through the PBL process and are yet to make any decisions about what our rewards system will look like moving forward.  Watch this space :)

School values statement:

Happy to share with you that our collaborative process for gathering feedback about our values statement was well received. 

Here is the final version:

"Success Crowns Effort”

We value learning

We value respect

We value community

We are Killarney strong.

Cross Country

Cross Country is on Wednesday 27^th March starting at 1pm.  Information flyers will go home to provide parents with approximate start times.

Kind Regards

Traecy Bartz

From the Support Teacher

A Variety of Kindness at Killarney.

Great news to share. Due to a very generous donation through Variety-the children's charity, we have been working behind the scenes to determine how this could make this work in our school context.

We now have actioned our plans 🙂

Next to the support room there is now a Care and Kindness Cupboard (yes, it is actually a room.) There is a variety of goods stored in there for access by anyone who is in need. The range includes books, stationery, school bags, water bottles, pencil cases, personal care products, underwear, socks, school shorts, and toiletries.

Some of these donations were sourced through the Chaplaincy community.

Our intention is for families to have what they need, when they need it without judgement. Times are tough and getting tougher. 

We are currently considering adding non-perishable food items in there too, which could be taken home for use by the family. Maybe even groups of 4 ingredients with a recipe attached 😉

We are at the starting to raise awareness point of our project and would like you as parents and carers to all to be aware of guiding your children who may require some items to access it through the office, Mrs Keogh or Mrs Barling. This will of course be done as discreetly as possible.

We have just commenced purchasing a weekly fruit basket from the Coop which will be able to be accessed by students in the Breaky room before school, or if they need a fruit break/morning tea or lunch snack. This can be accessed via the office or any staff member nearby.

If you or your family are in need of additional support beyond these resources, please contact the school and we can provide assistance where possible, or links to organisations that can help out.

Thanks for helping us spread the word about this resource as we are aware this can be a very sensitive issue. We welcome any further suggestions that may be considered to assist our school community. We may not have all the solutions yet, but have to start somewhere.

Feel free to drop by and check out what is in offer in the Kindness and Care room when you are next passing.

Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing Survey

In Term 2, students in Years 4 to 10 will be asked to take part in the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey.

We know that wellbeing and engagement are important parts of your child’s life at school. The QEW Survey is designed to measure how students view their wellbeing and engagement across different topics. The information we get from the survey helps us better understand and support our students.

An information letter will be sent out to parents and carers closer to the time which includes details about the "opting out" process, if required. If you have any questions, please contact the school. More information, including FAQs, can be found on the Education website: (https://qed.qld.gov.au/publications/reports/statistics/schooling/students/queensland-engagement-wellbeing-survey).

Sports News

Cross Country Training

Attention students born in Years 2008 - 2016. Cross Country training will commence in Weeks 7, 8 and 9 from approximately 3:15pm - 4:00pm of a Wednesday afternoon. If this is something that interests you, please see Mr Bell or Mr Henderson to register your interest and come along with your hats and water bottles. Let's get running!

Term Sports Wrap

Across Term 1, many Killarney students have represented our school at various sporting trials throughout the Southern Downs and Darling Downs region. All Killarney individuals who attended these events represented our school with pride and demonstrated a high level of respect to all staff and fellow participants; while striving to compete to the best of their abilities. Our school recognises these fantastic athletes and are very proud of their commitment! With that in mind, we would like to celebrate the achievements of the following students:

• All Schools Swimming Carnival (Emalee and Georgia).
• Laura Geitz Cup (Emalee, Emma, Lily, Lillee, Scarlett, Dacia, Sophia, Ebony).
• Darling Downs Hockey Trials (Emalee and Georgia).
• Jim Stevens Cup (Angus and Leroy).
• Darling Downs AFL Team (Harvey).
• Southern Downs Swimming Trials (Isla, Billie, Darcy).
• Southern Downs Swimming Team (Brax and Harper).
• Southern Downs Rugby League Trials (Heath).
• Southern Downs Rugby League Team (Brax and Toby).
• Southern Downs Netball Trials (Harper and Billie).
• Southern Downs Touch Trials (Billie).
• Southern Downs Touch Team (Brax).
• Southern Downs Basketball Trials (Deekan).
• Southern Downs Basketball Team (Darcy, Rohan and Hudsyn).
• Southern Downs Soccer Trials (Zaileah).

School News

P-2 Easter Concert and shared afternoon tea

Year 9 and 10 AD&T

• Year 9 Students are currently working on Egg Flip, they are also designing a BBQ tool.
• Year 10 Students are constructing a brazier and designing their own fire pit to construct in term 2.  

Year 9 and 10 Furnishing

• Year 9 Students are constructing a cheese board and camp chair.  
• Year 10 Students are working on a Carry all, then are designing and then constructing a tool box.

School Laptops/iPad Tenders

Killarney P-10 State School have the follow old school devices for tender.

Device 1. MacBook Pro 2012 (no hard drive) – comes with charger.

Device 2. Hp Probook 640 G3 (no hard drive) – comes with charger.

Device 3. Hp Probook 640 G3 (no hard drive) – comes with charger.

Device 4. Hp Probook 640 G3 – Intel i3 - Windows 10 – comes with charger.

Device 5. Hp Probook 640 G3 – Intel i5 - Windows 10 – comes with charger.

Device 6. Hp Probook 640 G3 – Intel i3 - Windows 10 – comes with charger.

Device 7. Hp Probook 640 G3 – Intel i3 - Windows 10 – comes with charger.

Device 8. Hp Probook 640 G3 – Intel i3 - Windows 10 – comes with charger.

Device 9. Hp Probook 640 G3 – Intel i3 - Windows 10 – comes with charger.

Device 10. Hp Probook 640 G3 – Intel i5 - Windows 10 – comes with charger.

Device 11. Acer TravelMate P249 – Intel i5 – Windows 10 – comes with charger.

Device 12. Apple iPad 2 - comes with charger.

Devices are of varying well used condition. Please note no warranty is expressed or implied on any device and are tendered in as is condition and functionality.

All tenders are to be handed in at the front office before Wednesday 24 April 2024 in a sealed envelope and must include the following information: First and last name, contact phone & email, tender amount on specific or multiple devices.

Sucessful tenders will be contacted by Wednesday 8 May 2024.

Attendance Recognition

Our attendance target is 95%. This means that on  average each child has less than 1 day away per month.  
Students, if you aren’t at school, chances are you are not keeping up with your class work. Be at school and Ready to Learn. 
Effective school attendance has been linked to effective workplace attendance – set your child up for success.                                                              

Remember: Ready to Learn Every Day  

What you can do to help:

1. You can assist your child to be at school on time and ready 
to learn every day.  The first bell is at 8.50am.

2. If your child arrives after 9 am roll marking, they are to enter 
the school via the office to record their late arrival and reason. 

3. Before 9 am, provide notification and a reason for                      
your child’s absence;  
 • via the office phone on 4664 6333,  
• text the absence phone via 0428 196 801, 
• via email absences@killarness.eq.edu.au,  
• via a note to your child’s class teacher or  
• in person to the class teacher 

4. Respond to the text message you receive for a student who is away by confirming the absence and providing a reason. 

Keep your contact details up-to-date with our office.  
Being Ready to Learn Every Day really does make a difference! Is your child at school every day ready to learn?  

“Be on time; be at school; that’s the rule.” 

Online Safety Resources for Students

There are a lot of reliable and trustworthy sources of information about digital safety and privacy for parents and young people. Here are a few link that may provide usefull information regarding online safety.

• eSafety
• ReachOut
• Raising Children Network
• Australian Institute of Family Studies
  
• Children and Media Australia
  

From: https://studyworkgrow.com/parents-teens-and-the-internet-concerns-and-tips

Excercise and Wellbeing

A major review conducted by Australian researchers looking into the connection between exercise and depression has just been released. They surveyed other studies of over 14,000 people diagnosed with depression who had engaged in some form of exercise or physical activity. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, they found that exercise can be an incredibly effective treatment for depression.

It didn’t matter what kind of activity participants engaged in, how severe their depression was, their age, or their gender – exercise always had a positive effect on mental health. Here’s a quick infographic of the findings (because reading through an entire research article can be tough).

What kind of exercise is best?

The study looked at lots of different types of exercise, from stretching all the way through to tai chi. So what’s the most effective? Well, that depends on a few factors – they found:

• Walking, jogging, yoga, strength training, and dance were effective for everyone
• Strength training was more beneficial for women and young people
• Yoga or qi gong was more effective for men and older people
• Benefits increased the higher intensity the exercise was

Why does exercise benefit our wellbeing?

Aside from the physiological benefits, the study found that it was a combination of factors that really made exercise effective, such as:

• Increasing social interaction (e.g. team sport, group activities)
• Immersing yourself in nature (e.g. hiking)
• Promoting mindfulness and self-awareness (e.g. yoga, tai chi)
• Learning something new
• Providing a surge of neurotransmitters (think of the “runner’s high“)

From: https://studyworkgrow.com/exercise-wellbeing-benefits

P&C News

Volunteers are still urgently needed for the Trail Bike Ride!

There are still many families who have not replied to our volunteer request.  

Perhaps you have a friend, neighbour or relative who might be able to help us out?

 The following jobs still need to be filled

Nominations

Saturday 7:30-10:30am - 2 people

Saturday 10:30-2pm - 3 people

Raffle Ticket Selling/Writing out Tickets/Taking Money

Saturday 10:30-1:30pm - 3 people

Saturday 1:30-5pm - 1 person

Saturday 5pm-8pm - 1 person

PeeWee Track Supervision

Saturday 12:30-3pm - 2 people

Please email Laura Diete directly at lmdie0@eq.edu.au if you are able to help with any of these jobs. 

Your support would be much appreciated and benefits our whole community. 

Tuckshop Convenor

The P&C is looking for a parent or member of our community who would be interested in volunteering to be our Tuckshop Convenor. The opening times/day would be the choice of the new Convenor. The menu would also be the Tuckshop Convenor's choice, in negotiation with the school to comply with  Healthy Choices guidelines. Please contact the P&C for further information or to express your interest by emailing: pandc@killarness.eq.edu.au.

How to order School Uniforms

New stocks of polo shirts have arrived so we now have all sizes available. Parents may now place a uniform order via email and pay by direct deposit!  We hope this will make purchasing uniforms easier. Students can come and see Mrs Diete during break times to try on uniforms if they are unsure of sizes. 

Community News

JMC Academy Songwriting Competition 2024

The JMC 2024 Songwriting Competition is for students across New South Wales, ACT, Victoria and Queensland in years 9-12. The competition aims to highlight the talent of high-school songwriters from across the country and to showcase the creativity of young people.

The demo can simply be recorded on your phone (JMC just want to hear the song performed!) and only include the vocals however instrumental accompaniment is encouraged. You’re welcome to record the demo in other ways too if you have the means.

Applications must be submitted by Saturday 31st August 2024  11:59pm AEST

For more information visit: https://www.jmcacademy.edu.au/songwriting-competition

JMC Canvas Award Competition 2024

JMC has launched the Canvas Award Competition for 2024, showcasing the incredible work of young artists and designers in years 9-12 who are taking creativity to the next level.

If you are a high school student in years 9-12 with a knack for drawing, painting or using creative digital mediums, JMC invite you to creatively interpret the brief into an illustrated scene: “A creature in its native environment”.

You must include a “RUBBER DUCK” somewhere in your scenes.

Submissions  close on Sunday 30th June 2024

For more information visit: https://www.jmcacademy.edu.au/canvas-art-competition