Newsletter Term 3 Week 1 2024
Principal's Message
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Students
Talofa Lava,
I hope this message finds you well-rested and refreshed after what I hope was an enjoyable break. It's been great to see our students return to school with such enthusiasm and positivity. I congratulate all students for settling back into routines so quickly, demonstrating their readiness to learn and grow.
We've had a calm and productive start to the term, with students and teachers alike diving straight back into their studies and activities. This smooth transition wouldn't be possible without the support of our dedicated staff and our wonderful community here at Mabel Park State School.
Celebrating NAIDOC Week
I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Aunty Julie Duncan for her outstanding coordination of our NAIDOC celebrations. NAIDOC Week is a special time where we come together to celebrate the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. At Mabel Park State School, we take great pride in our cultural diversity, and events like these remind us of the importance of inclusivity and respect for all cultures.
Congratulations to Mabel Mob!
I am thrilled to congratulate our students who participated in the NAIDOC celebrations as part of the Mabel Mob. Your performances were truly exceptional and showcased not only your talent but also your dedication to sharing and preserving Indigenous culture within our school community. Well done to each member of Mabel Mob for their hard work and commitment.
As we move forward into the remainder of the term, let's continue to support one another and embrace the diversity that makes our school so special. Together, we can ensure that Mabel Park State School remains a place where every student feels valued, respected, and inspired to reach their full potential.
Thank you once again for your ongoing support and involvement in our school community.
Kind regards,
Masina Taule’alo
Principal
Junior Campus Deputy Principal
Term 3 Learning on the Junior Campus
Our Junior Campus classes are jumping right in to their Term 3 learning. It has been exciting to see the start of new Learning Walls and the students’ contribution to these. Here is some of the learning that has already happened in the first four days of school:
Alexis Bell
Prep
Our Preps are learning about sound patterns in English, including alliteration and rhyme.
- Alliteration is the repetition of the beginning sound in words in a sentence for example: Preps passionately participate in playful, purposeful learning.
- Rhyming words have the same ending sound, for example: car, star, far.
Later this term, they will be reading a book called Rhyme Crime by Jon Burgerman about a thief who steals things and replaces them with something else that rhymes. We certainly hope the Rhyme Thief doesn’t come to Mabel Park!
In maths, our Preps are starting to learn about collecting data by asking questions. They are very excited about this and have already asked me some very interesting questions!
The Prep students have also been learning about NAIDOC Week, and celebrating the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. There has been lots of discussion about all of our different cultures and how proud we are of our families and where we come from.
Year 1
Measurement is the hot topic in Year 1 maths. They are learning how to measure accurately and compare the lengths of different objects.
This term in English, our Year 1 students are learning how to describe characters and their traits with adjectives. They will be reading and writing about lots of characters and their outside traits (appearance) and inside traits (feelings and actions).
Year 2
The Year 2 students are doing a deep dive into characters this term. They are learning how to describe and compare characters, and to explain their preferences for characters from stories they read. Today Mrs Boyd and 2.1 brainstormed traits that describe Mrs Boyd and tried to think of evidence to support their ideas.
Year 3
In Year 3 it is a Whole New World… literally. The students are designing new worlds, considering the needs of the people who will live there. They will need to write a procedure for the leaders of this world to follow to ensure that the citizens are happy and well cared for. This week, they started by thinking about what makes a good school.
Year 4
The Year 4 students will be exploring Quest Stories this term. They will be reading the book Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda and exploring what makes a quest story so exciting. By the end of the term, they will be engaging their creative powers to write their own chapter, reimagining the ending of Rowan of Rin.
Middle Campus Deputy Principal
Welcome to Term 3! We are so excited to see all of our year 5 and year 6 students back from holidays. We have started the term with lots of enthusiasm and excitement. This week we are celebrating NAIDOC week with a vast array of activities for students to participate in.
Winter uniform
As the weather has become quite cold, please make sure your student has either a grey or maroon jumper, tracksuit pants or grey tights under skirt or shorts. No hoodies. We are also noticing more students coming to school without a hat so please ensure they have a hat to protect them from the sun.
Attendance-Every Day Counts
Every day counts is a state-wide initiative that aims to assist in improving student attendance at school through a shared commitment by students, parents, caregivers, schools and the community.
“Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind.“
Why it’s important
We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day. If students miss school regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of school. There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes. Each missed day is associated with progressively lower achievement in numeracy, writing and reading.
What we can do
The main reasons for absence are:
Sickness – There are always times when students need to miss school, such as when they’re ill. It’s vital that they’re only away on the days they are genuinely sick, and that you notify the school when this occurs. Setting good sleep patterns, eating well and exercising regularly can have a positive impact in reducing absence caused by illness.
If you’re having attendance issues with your child, please let the school know so we can work together to get your child to school every day. For more information and resources to help address attendance issues, visit: https://education.qld.gov.au/initiatives-and-strategies/initiatives/every-day-counts
Student Council
We are currently in the process of forming a student council which is very exciting! Students are busy filling in applications and preparing speeches. We hope to have this up and running by week 5 this term. More information to come.
Report Cards
Please check your emails and our school Facebook page regarding report cards. These will be emailed out to parents in week 2. If you need to update any of your information, please call one of our wonderful office ladies. If you require a hard copy, please contact the school.
Sonya Wright
Teaching and Learning at Mabel
Welcome back!
We hope you had time over the holidays to chat, laugh and play with your children.
Below is a summary of what your children will be learning about this term. Please use the information to talk with your children after school about what they are learning.
Thank you for being a partner in your child’s learning!
Maree Martin
Head of Department Curriculum
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 RESPECT is presented to all classes. Every day, students can earn Gotchas for displaying the school values.
Our PBL Focus for Week 1 is: School Wide Expectations
Our PBL Focus for Week 2 is: Listening to ALL Staff Instructions
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
Respectful Relationships Education at Mabel Park State School
Why Respectful Relationships Education?
The Respectful Relationships Education Program is an initiative of the Queensland Government. This is part of a broader multi-departmental commitment to ending domestic and family violence. The program is promoted as a preventive approach.
In schools, primary prevention is about positively influencing behavioural changes in younger people to prevent undesirable social consequences such as domestic and family violence.
The evidence-based practice has shown that education in this space can lead to:
- Improved social and emotional skills, self-concept, bonding to school and positive classroom behaviour
- Fewer behaviour issues such as disruptive classroom behaviour, aggression, and bullying.
- Reduced emotional distress such as depression, stress or social withdrawal.
The roles of parents and families is critically important in the education of our younger generation. Families are the first educators of children – they have the potential to influence the social and emotional learning of their children because of the amount of time spent in the home.
At Mabel Park, we will begin this journey this year with a number of staff participating in Professional Development assisting with the roll out of this curriculum. If you have any questions regarding Respectful Relationships, please do not hesitate to contact the school to make an appointment with Sarah Williamson (Head of Department Student Services) or Maree Martin (Head of Curriculum).
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.