Issue 8 Friday 10 June 2022

Acting Principal Sonya Wilson

Dear parents/carers

Reporting to parents

Over the past weeks, teachers have been finalising assessments and moderating with year level colleagues in preparation for reporting. At our most recent P&C meeting 1 June, I shared with our P&C, that following discussions with staff we have reviewed the reporting comments provided in the twice-yearly written report to parents. This reporting period teachers will deliver personalised comments to parents in the general comments section at the end of the report. The specialist teachers have modified comments to incorporate the content of the unit studied along with the achievement level.

Reports will be emailed to parents/carers 22 June.

Pre-Prep Open Day

Saturday 11 June from 9:00am-11:00am Carbrook State School will be hosting an Open Day for our 2023 Prep enrolments. We have invited our school leaders to represent our school on this day. They will demonstrate to our prospective families the responsible and respectful students we have at Carbrook State School. We believe they are great role models for our younger students and we look forward to new parents seeing this first hand.

Captains will meet visitors at the gates and direct families to the Prep classes and assist with guided tours of the school. Our Playground Rangers will be present to demonstrate the skills they apply in the playground supporting our newest Carbrook State School students.

Please share this opportunity with friends and family who may be considering enrolling at Carbrook State School in 2023.

On behalf of the Carbrook State School Community, I would like to extend our condolences to the family of Harvie and Lucy on the passing of their mother, Deanne on Sunday 5 June.

This condolence message notice has been shared with the consent of the family.

Emma Ryan our school Guidance Officer will provide information for families supporting children with the topic of loss and grief.

Kind Regards

Sonya Wilson 

Acting Principal

Guidance Officer Emma Ryan

If your child experiences difficulties with this news, there are a number of valuable books you can use to open or continue discussion with them on the topics of love, illness, death, and the stages of grief — all of which are overwhelming and confusing concepts that can be difficult for children, especially young ones, to grasp. The following books could be useful for your family:

• The Goodbye Book by Todd Parr. This book explores the range of emotions and responses when we experience loss.
• The Invisible String by Patrice Karst. This story has a comforting message that everyone has an invisible string connecting them to everyone they love — anywhere, anytime — through separation, anger, and even death.
• I Miss You: A First Look at Death by Pat Thomas. This book explains what we know about death and grief in a simple, factual manner.
• Ida, Always by Caron Levis. This story shares the beautiful bond of two city zoo polar bears, Gus and Ida, and their feelings when Ida becomes sick with an illness that cannot be healed and later dies.

If your family 0r children require support at this time, please remember there is always help available:

• Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 
• Lifeline 13 11 14 
• Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 

Take care of yourselves and your loved ones this weekend.

Kind regards,

Emma Ryan
Guidance Officer, Carbrook State School & Eagleby State School

Sports Day

The following outlines information about our upcoming whole school sports day on Wednesday 15 June. Both the Junior and Senior sports events will be held on this day.

We are happy to invite parents as spectators to this event. The main spectator viewing will be around the hall and along the raised driveway near the basketball courts. Junior spectator areas will be along the back fence and behind the resource centre (library). All spectators will be asked to remain behind the bunting in the designated areas at all times. Please refrain from photography near the finish lines as not all children have consent for photos and sharing images.

Junior Sports Day: (P – 2)

This is an event designed to give our students an opportunity to participate in activities that use the foundation skills of the various track and field events. All events are non-competitive with an emphasis on maximum participation for all. The Junior sports day will be on the junior oval at the back of the school.

All students will return to their classrooms to collect their lunches and eat in their designated areas. Sausage Sizzle orders will be delivered to each classroom for pick up by the children.

Only Prep students will be eating a picnic lunch outside their classrooms. Prep parents are invited to join their Prep child for a shared picnic lunch. 

Senior Sports Say: Years 3-6



Note: All students have been provided an opportunity to trial for Shot Put, High Jump and Long Jump and based on trial results they were put into either Div A or Div B. We have placed students in divisions to ensure maximum involvement, competitiveness and enjoyment. Ribbons and points are earned at both Divisions.

Sprint finals are held at 2.15pm once rotations complete. Students will all gather under the shade structure to watch the sprints at the end of the day.

Overall winners and Age Champions will be announced at whole school assembly Friday 17 June at 2:00pm.

Remember that our team colours are yellow for Albert, red for Logan and blue for Kruger.  All students are encouraged to turn their hat inside out. Students need to wear a labelled hat, their coloured house shirt, running shorts and shoes. Make sure your child has a labelled water bottle and carries any asthma medication with them if needed. Shoes will need to be worn in all events. Hairspray and coloured zinc is not permitted to be worn on the day, but please ensure children have sunscreen applied for the day, as it is a day in the sun.

The purpose of the day is ‘participation and fun’. We want all students to attempt the events and build confidence whilst participating in sport. Physical activity stimulates brain activity, builds resilience and creates a sense of belonging. Parents we ask you to help us build that positive relationship with physical activity by encouraging their participation!

PLEASE NOTE:

1. No coloured zinc or coloured hair spray cans may be bought to school due to allergy concerns.
2. Students leaving early on the day must be signed out at the office as per normal procedure.

We look forward to seeing the children have fun in sport.

SEP Fiona Broquesa

What are Social Stories?

According to Carol Gray, creator of the aid Social Stories, “Social Stories describe a situation, skill or concept in terms of relevant social cues, perspectives and common responses in a patient and reassuring manner that is easily understood by its audience” 

But what does this mean?

Social Stories are brief stories written and often personalised, to convey a message about a skill that needs to be learned or developed (‘hands and feet down’, ‘I am a learner’, ‘transitioning to year…’)

At Carbrook, we often write Social Stories with students. Situations will be set up and photos taken of the student engaging in the desired skill. These can then be put into a story for the student to read, review and remind themselves of what they need to do in a particular situation.

Generic Social Stories can also be used in the event that a student doesn’t want their photo taken or if the Social Story is to be used across a cohort or the entire school. An example of this was when a Social Story was written for the school around ‘beach safety’ and ‘travelling on the bus’.

Anyone can write a Social Story and you can find many generic examples online covering a wide range of different skills. In these stories, there will often be pictures/drawings used to illustrate the skill.

There is a general formula in writing Social Stories in that you state the behaviour that you want to see and try to make it as positive as possible. You use “I” statements so that when it is read by the student, they are relating it to themselves.

The example below is one that was created for new students about our school rules:

So if your student needs to work on a particular skill either at home or at school, why not try and create your own Social Stories to assist them in their learning journey.

APT Leonie Barnham

 WORKING MEMORY

This week I am continuing my discussion on Working Memory.  Working memory refers to how we hold on to and work with information stored in short-term memory.

Our children use working memory to learn and follow directions.

Parents can build working memory games into your child’s daily life.

Working Memory refers to how we hold onto and work with information that short-term memory stores. It is part of a group of skills known as Executive Function. 

Our children use working memory all the time to learn.  It is used for following multi-step directions or completing mental math computation. 

We can assist our children’s working memory by interweaving simple strategies into their daily lives.

Here are some simple ways that you can assist with building your child’s working memory. 

1. Have your child create a picture in their mind of what they are reading or an instruction they have been given.  Have them explain the picture in their head before they set about doing what they have been asked to do. 

2. Let your child be the teacher.

Have your child teach you some of the things they are learning at school, or at sport, or at an afternoon activity.  When explaining how to do something, it allows your child to make sense of it themselves and allows them to mentally file away the instructions. 

3. Play games that use their visual memory.

Play matching games such as ‘Memory’ to allow your child to enhance their visual memory.  Other games include putting some random items on the table.  Allow your child to look at them for a short period of time.  Take some of the items away, and have your child identify the items taken.  You can also show your child a picture from a book.  Allow them to look at it for a few minutes.  Then take the picture away and ask questions about the picture.  How many trees were there?  What colour was the front door of the house? Etc.

4. Play card games

Encourage your child to play card games.  Include ‘go fish’, Uno and ‘snap!’.  These games involve remembering the rules of the game as well as recalling cards and card positions. 

5. Working memory and reading

Ask questions about what your child is reading.  Questioning provides a purpose for holding information from the story in their working memory.  Have your child highlight or underline information.  This provides a focus for them and keeps the information at the forefront of their thinking.  

6. Chunking

When giving your child multi-step instructions, break them up into smaller pieces.  Have your child repeat them to you.  Give one or two instructions at a time. When doing assignments or homework, have them complete a section at a time, breaking tasks down into smaller parts. 

7. Use your senses

When giving instructions, or providing information to your child, try and include all or some of the senses.  If you are asking them to complete tasks, walk them through them, to provide an opportunity for them to hear and see the steps required.  Encourage your child to pick things up as you explain directions or provide information to them.  The use of the senses enables your child to make connections to tasks and information, that later they can call upon.

Working memory is a skill that allows us to work with information without losing track of what we are doing. 

There are many simple ways we can help our children develop their working memory.  Visualising, completing fun activities and making connections to information can all assist foster working memory.   

STEM Sheri Walls

The last few weeks have been a busy time in the STEM room as classes complete the testing of their projects. Students have all learnt the importance of a plan when preparing their design. They have also spent a considerable amount of time testing and improving their designs. We have seen amazing puppets come to life in year 1. Year 2 had so much fun testing (and playing!) with their spinning toys. Some of the designs were amazing. Year 3 have almost finished work on their garden watering system, after some very wet testing last week. The year 4 students will have their final race off with their wind powered cars this week.

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Student Council

Physical Committee

As of Monday  6 of June, Carbrook State School students have raised $6 603 for the Heart Foundation and skipped for 145 hours, 3 minutes. We have smashed our school goal.

Congratulations to our Week 3 and Week 4 champions on their fundraising and skipping efforts.

There is still time to register your child and join in on the fun. Jump off Day is Friday 18 of June.

www.jumprope.org.au/parents

Cultural and Academic Committee

Thank you to everyone who joined in  the Queensland Day dress up. There were so many fabulous costumes and lots of smiles and laughter. After our lunch time vote for Queensland's new fossil emblem, Carbrook’s favourite fossil was the Muttaburrasaurus! You can find more information about the fossils below.

https://campaigns.premiers.qld.gov.au/fossilemblem/

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Community Committee

We will be holding Carbrook's Got Talent this term. After last year's success, we will be conducing it digitally again. Therefore, all submissions will be digital and all  finalists’ entries will be shown in classrooms.

If your child wants to enter, please submit a video displaying their talent to Mrs Simone at tssin0@eq.edu.au or to your child’s class teacher. Submissions could be on a USB or emailed no later than 17 June. We are looking for a vast array of talent including singing, dancing, movie making, magic, acting or even showing off your sporting skills.

1/2 Shu-Fen Lo

Writing – Procedure writing

Students have been honing their procedural writing skills, writing a  text on how to make a burger (Year 2), how to make a sandwich (Year 1) and how to make a healthy fruit salad (Year 1 and Year 2) as demonstrated by the class teacher. I am so pleased to see the students remembered to:

- Write  the heading of the procedure

- Write the aim/ goal

- Write the materials and equipment that were displayed and used by the teacher

- Write the steps/ instructions/ methods

- Use  key words, verbs, adjectives, noun groups and adverbs to make their writing descriptive

- Use punctuation

- Edit their work

Special visitor

We recently had a special visitor.. Thank you Rosie for bringing in and sharing the beautiful creature!

Queensland Day – Free Dress gold coin donation

On Monday 6 June Carbrook State School had a free dress day to celebrate Queensland Day!  Students dressed up as anything that represents Queensland for a gold coin donation. We had Bingo and Bluey, Ash Barty, football players, Koalas… etc. All money raised will go to the Queensland Koala Foundation. 

Year 5 Excursion Eureka Goldfields

On Friday 27 May the year 5 students went on an excursion to the Eureka Goldfields where they learnt about life on a goldfield in 1854. From the bushranger on a horse greeting us, to cooking damper on a fire, the students had an amazing day!

Edward - Bushrangers were pretty mean back in the day. Like there was a bushranger who robbed people then made them strip to their underwear so they were too embarrassed to go report to the police.

Sabine- The thing I enjoyed most about the excursion was exploring the place and getting told a story about what they did in the 1850's.

Azalyah - I loved how the horse acted cheeky and kept biting the troopers boots. I enjoyed the part when we looked for the big pieces of gold. 

Emma - I really enjoyed when we were put in teams and had to search for hidden letters with a map, to find our criminal. We took it in turns to search for the letters, and some were on huts and on washing lines. Personally, it was very fun after when the main instructor told us all about the wanted people.

Lincoln - I learned that getting a miners license was extremely expensive in the 1850s and you had to buy them every month!

Keenan - The activities were fun but the best one I thought was the general store activity because you could trade in pounds for mining tools.

Roman - The gold rush excursion was really fun because I found gold and because I got to eat damper and change the gold into money.

Skylah - Did you know that schools were very small and police officers were called different names if they were on horse?

Maya - I liked when we got to find the surface gold, when we mined for gold and when we got to take gold home. Justice the horse was a pretty good actor!

Charlotte - I loved the excursion because at the start when we were still in the bus there was a police officer hiding in the tall grass. Most of the people on the bus screamed with excitement. Afterwards the bushranger jumped out of the tall grass and scared us silly.

Josh T - I liked the part when the bandit stole my Oreos and later on, she ate them and fed them to the horse and it was really funny. I really liked how when it was at the start the bandit found gold in my bag even though I didn't put it in my bag!

Ethan - I also liked trying damper for the first time because it was absolutely delicious. Damper was often used to eat because back then all of the resources were really expensive so damper was the cheapest solution.

Book Fair coming to Carbrook

Carbrook State School is hosting a Scholastic Book Fair in Term 3, 2022. The Book Fair will be held from Tuesday, 6 September for 0ne week only!

Don't forget get those early Christmas presents.

Stay tuned for further information.

YMCA OSHC Highlights