New Farm State School eNewsletter

Dr Carmel McGrath

Enrolment Census – Day 8

This week we have participated in the state-wide audit of Day 8 / 13 census. Schools are randomly selected each year for auditing purposes and thanks to our efficient office staff, the process went very smoothly.

ICAS – to be confirmed

Last year the University of NSW made some major changes to the implementation of ICAS. These changes caused an array of issues and the implementation was time consuming and problematic. We are waiting to see what changes ICAS are making with the online implementation before we make any decisions. We will keep you updated with when/how/if we can accommodate these changes. We are waiting to hear if ICAS have resolved the issues before we confirm for 2020.

For more information please visit:
https://www.unswglobal.unsw.edu.au/educational-assessments/products/icas-assessments

Excursions and Incursions

Prep Sensory Unit excursion is scheduled for Friday 28 Feb (PB & PM) and Friday 06 March (PNav & P Nash)

Term 1 P&C Meetings – all parents, staff and community members are welcome to attend.

Tuesday 18 February – 6-7pm in A Block library

AGM Tuesday 17 March – 6-7pm A Block library

Our 2020-23 Strategic Pillars include:

Innovation
Inclusion
Well-Being
Curriculum

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) has been a successful framework for school wide approaches to behaviour curriculum. We will be modelling this approach in our Strategic Pillar Committees, ensuring:

Shared values and vision
Administrative support
Clear roles and responsibilities
Data informed decisions
Multi-tiered systems of support

Our committees will include a range of stakeholders, including Teachers, Teacher Aides, Jabiru staff, and Parents and Carers. Providing opportunities for student voice is also an integral part of the consultation, implementation and review of each Committee.

If you wish to be involved in any of the committees, please see the attached Expression Of Interest Form for completion and return to admin@newfarmss.eq.edu.au or to the Principal at the Office.

Kay Bradley

Parent/Teacher Interviews Date Claimer

After such positive feedback from parents and teachers, we will be running our parent/teacher interviews in the same format as 2019.

Interviews will be of 15 minutes duration and will take place in the assembly hall.
Each student will be allocated one interview time slot. We cannot offer multiple interview times for individual students.
On the Wed 6 of May, available interview times will be available from 15 p.m. – 4.30 p.m. and on Thurs 7 of May interview times will be available from 2 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Using this system, you will be able to book interview times that suit you best, from any internet-connected computer. No interviews can be booked at present.

P.B.L. FOCUS OF THE WEEK

Be Safe in the Toilets

Wash your hands

The toilets are a ‘game free zone’

1.The Advancing Clean Energy Schools (ACES) Program, New Farm State School has been approved for the installation of Energy Conservation Measures (ECM’s). Begins Friday 21 February – Saturday 29 February 2020. The staff carpark will be closed during this week. Barricades will be installed at the entrance on Annie Street. Please observe all safety signs during this time. Classes may experience some noise whilst they attach the battens to the roof. Power outages will be kept to a minimum.

For clarity, the ACES program is funded by the Department, at no cost to the school, in the aim of making schools more energy efficient and reducing the States consumption of electricity.

New Farm State School (0943) - Transition telephone service from ISDN to SIP

TRANSITION OF TELEPHONE NUMBERS -

28/02/20 at 1pm – – Azentro and Telstra will remotely access your PABX to test and then transition your telephone numbers from your existing ISDN service to the SIP trunks recently connected. There will be no outage of our telephone service. Once complete, our site contact will need to make a test call to an internal and external number to check the call quality.

Leopard Tree – Heal Street entrance. Arborist visited site on Friday 24 January. Awaiting final report for course of action required. This area is on our Conservation Management Plan. The area will remain barricaded for this time. Report has been sent to Heritage and we are awaiting the final decision.

Oval – rejuvenation project stage 2 including Stair lift and pathway connection – Honeywill consulting are managing this component of the project to enable complete access to the oval. There is still some edging, artificial grass and relaying of turf to be completed. The path will have some concrete relayed to adjust the corner near Temp Block. Staff have been trained in the use of the chair lift by PR King Lifts. The handrail has been installed.

Annual Safety Assessment- near completion. It is lengthy and time consuming. After all data is entered we receive a report to indicate what areas are still to be addressed. Most items we currently are aware of around our school. We will attend Annual Safety Assessment compliance course on Thursday 27 Feb.

School Infrastructure Plan- for review Term 1. The items listed on this plan are generally works completed at the school in conjunction with the regional office. To be reviewed this week, items for discussion are the guttering, roofing on the Heritage buildings. Improved access to all areas of the school.

Building Future School Program-, if you still have questions or comments regarding the building works for Masterplan, you can contact the Dept. at the email address below. We have not received any further notices for families this year.

buildingfutureschools@qed.qld.gov.au

Suez- Recycling- All classrooms and offices will shortly be equipped with a paper waste recycling disposal bin. It is extremely important that teachers monitor what is put in these bins. There can be no contamination of food waste. Paper and cardboard only. Cleaner will continue to collect these each day.

Evacuation and Lockdown Drills to be completed during the next week.

Chemwatch –online register for all schools will be implemented this week. Training with the Regional office for Workplace Health and Safety consultant will be onsite to train staff.

School Watch

The School Watch Program is a partnership between Education Queensland, the Queensland Police Service and the State Government Protective Security Service. It aims to reduce criminal activity in Queensland schools and encourages everyone to look out for after-hours crime in our schools. If you see anything suspicious, please don’t attempt to intervene.

Call the School Watch number – 13 17 88

Book Clubs

Important dates for Book Club:

The last day to place your Scholastic Book Club order is this Thursday 20 February.

The last day to place your Redgum Book Club order is Monday 24 February.

Orders can only be made online for Scholastic and Redgum book clubs as no cash/cheque/money order payments will be accepted at school. All purchases are delivered to the school and then distributed to the child’s class. The school receives commission on all purchases which goes directly onto purchasing new books and other exciting resources for the school library!

You can find Scholastic book club at www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP and Redgum book club at https://www.redgumbookclub.com.au/redgum.

Happy reading!

Mrs Lamb & Mrs Chambers

A reminder that the 1^st Parent Information session on reading is going to be repeated this Thursday, 20^th February, Week 4 from 9:00 – 9:30am. Please join us in the B Block Staff meeting room.

Project Group Plans 2020 Newsletter

Project Group Plans 2020 Newsletter 345.19 KB

Swimming lessons have begun are enjoying some great swimming so far. Many thanks to the P&C for the upgrade to the pool cover which has kept the pool comfortable even in the colder inclement cloudy weather.

All students are expected to participate in this regular component of Physical Education.

Outstanding permission forms must be signed and returned urgently – the only exceptions to participation are medical issues or illness.

We would like to remind parents to keep checking the fit and working order of caps, goggles and sun-safe swim shirts. After a period, especially summer months, the materials in lycra swim articles can degrade, which leads to loose ill-fitting gear. It’s ideal for the gear to be snug fitting moving through the water.

A number of students are coming to lessons without these items – which are all essential for lessons. The best fitting gear will allow your child to enjoy comfortable, uninterrupted learning.

To enable safe movement of students and classes, and to ensure the best environment for learning we ask the following be supported:

Only school staff or designated support personnel are to allow the opening of the pool safety gate. Students are being asked to wait and gain teacher assistance with the gate.
Parents are asked not to enter the pool area during school lessons.

VOLUNTEERS – Completed Declarations and Lanyards

If you would like to assist in the class teachers during the year you are required to read the Mandatory All-Staff Training Program Key messages for Volunteers 2020 document and complete the Declaration. Hard copies of the MAST 2020 document are available at the office.

Please return your completed MAST 2020 Declaration to the school office as soon as possible. You will be issued with a personal lanyard to be worn at all times when volunteering at school.