Newsletter Term 1 Week 9 2024
Principal's Message
Harmony Week
Harmony Week is a very special event here at Mabel Park State School, as we celebrate the rich cultural diversity that makes us a great school and community. It was great celebrating Harmony Week on Thursday with a special whole-school parade. A huge thank you to all the students and staff who were involved with the cultural performances, and to all the parents in the audience who came along to support this event.
Parent-Teacher Interviews
Thank you to all the parents and carers who attended our Term 1 Parent-Teacher interviews on Tuesday. It was great to see so many parents taking the opportunity to engage with their child’s teacher. I strongly believe that students are most successful when there are close links between school and home. Our next Parent-Teacher interviews are scheduled for Term 3.
Wide brimmed hats
All Queensland State Schools are a Sun Safe schools, and as part of our school rules we request that all students wear a wide brimmed hat when at school. Please don’t send your child to school wearing a cap, these are best worn after school and on the weekends. Our school community is proud of our school uniform and a key part of this is a wide brimmed hat. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you need assistance getting wide brimmed hats for your children.
Good Friday Public Holiday
A friendly reminder that the final day of Term 1 is Thursday 28th March. Friday 29th March is Good Friday. We look forward to welcoming students back to school for Term 2 on Monday 15th April.
Masina Taule’alo
Principal
Junior Campus Deputy Principal
Geckoes Incursion
On Wednesday we had our visit from Geckoes Wildlife. The students were so excited to meet the animals. There was an Eastern long-necked turtle, a shingleback lizard, a bearded dragon, a spotted python, a squirrel glider, a tawny frogmouth and a baby salt water crocodile. We learned what to do if we see a snake in our yard and lots of interesting information about all of the creatures, like how they move, where they live and what they eat.
Alexis Bell
Prep Learning in Term 1
This term in English, our Prep students are learning about stories. They have been reading different stories and talking about what they like and don’t about these stories. They are also learning how to retell a story, thinking about the events that happen and the characters in the story. Reading at home with your child can help develop their ability to comprehend and retell the stories they hear. This is a skill that is vital to becoming a good reader as they get older. In maths, the Preps have been learning about the days of the week, and what they do on different days. They are also learning about the names of shapes and how to sort objects by their properties (colour, size and shape).
Here are some photos of the Learning Walls in our Prep classrooms.
Middle Campus Deputy Principal
We have been very busy on Middle Campus with NAPLAN, end of term assessments and Harmony Day Parade. I would like to congratulate the students for showing our school values of Trust, Courage and Respect and showing up to school each day giving their best efforts.
Wellbeing
The wellbeing of our staff, students and community is a priority at Mabel Park State School, ensuring we have strong relationships with parents and carers is fundamental to the best possible outcomes for students.
Supporting your child’s wellbeing and learning
When children have a strong sense of wellbeing, they experience greater success in learning.
Our school is strongly committed to enhancing the wellbeing of our students which is why we have a range of activities and supports across our school that help students feel and function the best they can.
This is part of a Queensland-wide recognition of the importance of wellbeing and is supported by a series of webisodes delivered by respected psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg. The short video presentations are available at: http://deta.qld.gov.au/initiatives/learningandwellbeing/resources.html
Parent-Teacher Interviews
Parent-Teacher interviews was a great success with a large number of parents taking this opportunity to discuss their students learning with their teacher. We want to thank you for taking this time and valuing your child’s education as much as we do. Please note that this is not the only opportunity that you can reach out to teachers. I encourage you to email your students teacher if you would like to make an appointment to discuss their learning and wellbeing.
I would like to personally wish everyone a gorgeous Easter and school holidays and hope you get to spend this with family and friends.
Sonya Wright
Teaching and Learning at Mabel
NAPLAN 2024
We have almost finished NAPLAN testing for this year. Our Year 3 and Year 5 students are to be commended on their behaviour and resilience during what can often be a very different style of testing to what they are used to. Parents of Year 3 and Year 5 students will receive the results for these assessments a little later in the year. We will update you when the time draws closer.
Maree Martin
Head of Department Curriculum
Student Services at Mabel
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)
Please ask your child what we talked about during PBL lessons each week. You can positively reinforce and talk about the lessons, constantly reminding your child of the core values in which we are focusing on.
Remind your child to bring a hat every day.
Before and after school
Children are expected to sit in the designated under covered areas before school. There is no play before or after school. All playground equipment is out of bounds before and after school.
To ensure everyone’s safety, dismount and walk bikes and scooters through school grounds. To prevent theft and damage, chains and locks should be used to secure bikes and scooters.
Attendance
Lateness can affect your child’s attendance. School starts at 8:40am. If you arrive at school after the bell, you need to collect a late slip from the office.
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
Teresa Radicke, Sarah Williamson and Karen Gardyne
Head of Department Student Services
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.