Newsletter Term 3 Week 5 2024
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Talofa Lava,
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all parents and caregivers for ensuring that our students come to school in full uniform, including the essential wide-brimmed hat. Your efforts help maintain our school's standards and contribute to a sense of unity and pride among our students.
As we transition into warmer weather, please remember to label your child's jackets and jumpers. These items are often removed during the day and, unfortunately, frequently end up in our lost property bin, which is currently overflowing.
We are very proud of Aboriginal and Torres Strait families and staff. You are warmly invited to join us for a special "Cuppa & Yarn" session at Mabel Park State School. Come along for an engaging afternoon, from 1.30pm to 2.30pm Wednesday 14th August, at the Murri Club (B block). We look forward to discussing all things First Nations at our school.
I am excited to announce that we will be holding a Family Fiafia Night on Wednesday, 4th September. This event is a wonderful celebration of our school's diverse culture and serves as a fundraiser for our cultural groups. We hope to see many families there for an evening of fun and community spirit.
A gentle reminder that school starts at 8:40 am, with supervision starting at 8:20 am. We kindly ask that students are not sent to school before this time to ensure their safety.
Lastly, I would like to remind everyone that mobile phones are prohibited for students in Queensland schools. If your child needs to bring a phone to school, please ensure it is checked in at the office during the school day.
Thank you for your ongoing support and cooperation.
Kind regards,
Masina Taule’alo
Principal
Junior Campus Deputy Principal
Under 8s Day 2024
Mark this date in your calendar, because it’s one of our favourite events: Under 8s Day 2024
Date: September 6th
Time: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location: Junior Campus
Who: All Prep, Year 1, and Year 2 students and their families
Under 8s Day is a highlight of our school year for our youngest students, and this year promises to be just as exciting! We have a range of fantastic activities planned. Parents, carers, and younger siblings are all welcome to join in the fun. We’ll provide more details as the event approaches, but for now, make sure to save the date!
Book Week 2024
Our annual Book Week Parade is fast approaching, and this year’s theme is “Reading is Magic.”
If you haven’t attended one of our Book Week Parades before, you’re in for a treat! Students and staff go all out, dressing up as a wide range of characters, and we award cool prizes to those who put the most effort into their costumes.
Join us on Friday, August 23rd, at 9 a.m. in the Resource Centre Undercover Area. Parents and younger siblings are also welcome to dress up and join the fun!
Alexis Bell
Instrumental Music 2025
If your child is interested in learning a musical instrument next year, keep an eye out for information about the recruitment process, which will begin soon. Students in Year 3 and up can start learning the violin through our strings program, while students in Year 4 and up can choose from woodwind, brass, or percussion instruments.
Please note that participation in these programs comes with certain terms and conditions. Instruments require careful handling, and students will need to practice at home regularly. They will also be expected to attend ensemble practice once a week, either before school or during their lunch break. Learning a musical instrument offers numerous benefits, including improved memory, mental function, and fine motor coordination.
Middle Campus Deputy Principal
As the end of term is fast approaching, I encourage you to engage your student in conversations about what they are learning in class. Students are about to begin the assessment time of the term where it is critical that they are here every day. Do not hesitate to contact their teacher for any additional information or support that may be needed.
Senior Shirts
Please note we are beginning to contact Struddy’s regarding senior shirts for 2025. Keep an eye out for a letter being sent home this term.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent teacher interviews are coming up this term. These will take place on Tuesday the 10 September beginning at 3:00pm and concluding at 6:00pm. We look forward to seeing as many families as possible to discuss the amazing learning that is taking place with our Year 5 and 6 students. We really value these conversations and connecting with community.
Fiafia Night
We are really excited to share with you an event happening in Week 9. We are particularly excited for our students as it is a great opportunity for them to represent cultural identity, but also build character, confidence, resilience and leadership qualities. The journey in Mabel Park’s cultural groups has provided amazing and important experiences for our students and no doubt this event will be just as memorable and exciting.
Tickets are available for purchase soon at just $5 each at our administration office on Junior Campus and Middle Campus. This is a show not to miss!
Attendance-Every Day Counts
On behalf of the Middle Campus, we congratulate our students who have attended school every day this term. With a whole school target of 95% attendance, we all need to do our bit to make sure our students arrive to school on time, every single day. If you are struggling to get your children to school on time, please visit http://education.qld.gov.au/everydaycounts/parents-community/index.html for some useful tips and parent resources.
Sonya Wright
Student Services at Mabel
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)
Each week, a particular focus area that aligns with our school values of TRUST, COURAGE and REPSECT is presented to all classes. Every day, students can earn Gotchas for displaying the school values.
Our PBL Focus for Week 4 is: We show COURAGE by being resilient to overcome challenges.
Our PBL Focus for Week 5 is: We show RESPECT by using appropriate words at school.
For the safety of our students, all playground equipment is out of bounds before and after school. Students are to sit in their designated area before school.
Bikes and scooters are to be walked throughout school grounds.
Attendance
It has been fantastic to see so many students Here, Every day, Ready and On time.
Research shows that students who have good patterns of attendance are more likely to achieve at school. If students aren’t at school, they are missing valuable lessons. It is critical that student attendance remains a priority to support the teaching and learning that is taking place.
Learning starts at 8:40am every day. As part of our school policy, you are required to notify the school on the same day that your child is away and let the school know the reason for their absence. If we do not hear from you on the day your child is away, the school will send a text notification in the morning. It is important you keep us updated with any new home address, mobile number and email addresses. As a parent, your obligation is to reply to the text notification with your child’s name, class and reason for absence.
If your child is unwell and cannot come to school, please notify the school of your child's absence by:
- Ringing the school – 07 33865333
- Replying to the SMS sent by the school
- Writing a note explaining the absence
Unexplained Absence Letters have been sent out this week. Please return as soon as possible to your campus office.
Teresa Radicke, Sarah Williamson and Karen Gardyne
Head of Department Student Services
Next week is Bullying No Way Week across Australia.
Parents and carers have a key role in preventing and responding to bullying.
Learn what bullying is and what it is not. Understanding the definition of bullying is the first step in talking about how to prevent and respond to bullying with your child. 'Bullying' is a word that is used for behaviours that are not actually bullying. These other behaviours can be just as serious but may require different responses.
Bullying is when people repeatedly and intentionally use words or actions against someone to cause distress and risk to their wellbeing.
School responses to reports of bullying can be much more effective when parents and carers report bullying and support school staff efforts to respond to it.
If your child reports that bullying is occurring at school, or the bullying is occurring outside school hours and involves students from the school, you should let the school know about the situation.
Working together with the school is the best way to help your child resolve bullying issues.
Schools will work with you to resolve the situation and will also work with the other student's parents. Due to privacy laws, they will not be able to share information about any other students involved.
Are your contact details up to date?
In the event of an emergency or accident, the school MUST be able to contact you immediately by telephone, so we need to have the most up-to-date information on our system.
Please keep us updated with any new home address, telephone number and email addresses.