Issue 10 Friday 22 July 2022
Acting Principal Sonya Wilson
Dear parents and carers
Welcome to another school term.
The challenges and impacts of COVID-19 remain active, with many reports of higher than expected cases and a potential third wave. As a school, we are fully committed to ensuring our environment is as safe as possible.
Unvaccinated staff, and other workers, are welcome back on school sites and are able to undertake their duties in the same way as all other staff. Currently, there is no public health requirement for wearing a face mask in schools, although any staff member or student who wishes to wear a face mask will be supported to do so.
We are still engaging in practices that support adults staying 1.5 metres away from other people whenever possible, practising good hygiene and staying home when sick. Staying at home for seven full days after contracting COVID-19 remains in place. Students who test positive for COVID-19 are asked to notify the schoolas soon as possible.
We are still continuing to provide rapid antigen tests (RATs) to staff and students who develop symptoms while at school.
NAIDOC Week
National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week in schools is held during the first week of the term, providing an opportunity for all students to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. Teachers have done a great job with a range of activities to promote this year’s theme: Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up.
Carbrook State School students participated in Traditional Games as part of their Physical Education lessons, more about this in Mr Reese's article.
School Opinion Survey
You should have received an invitation to complete the Parent/Caregiver Survey, emailed to one parent/caregiver per family in the week beginning 11 July. The invitation will be sent from the Department of Education, not the school, and it will have the subject line School Opinion Survey for parents and caregivers, 2022. Check your junk email folders if you can’t find it. The survey can be completed as soon as the invitation is received and will take approximately 5 minutes using a computer, tablet or smart phone. Can’t find your invitation? If your family has more than one parent/caregiver, check that they haven’t received the invitation and/or check your junk email folder.
The School Opinion Survey is open until Friday, 12 August 2022.
To have your say, check your email for an invitation from the Department of Education titled School Opinion Survey for parents and caregivers, 2022.
Enrolments for 2023
ENROL NOW FOR 2023
Prep to Year 6 positions available. You can pick up your enrolment pack from Carbrook State School or download it from the webpage carbrookss@eq.edu.au
If your child has not been enrolled in a state school please bring your child's birth certificate.
SCHOOL TOURS OPEN MORNINGS
Tuesday 9 August 2022 9:30am Wednesday 17 August 2022 9:30am
Tuesday, 6 September 2022 9:30am Wednesday 19 October 2022 9:30am
Tuesday, 11 October 2022 9:30am
Tuesday, 8 November 2022 9:30am
Any other enquiries you can call Carbrook State School on 3209 0888.
Up coming Events
Year 3 - Wildlife incursion - Wednesday, 3 August 2022 Cost $11:50
Year 5 - Leadership Excursion - Friday, 12 August 2022 Cost $58:50
Science Week - Street Science - Thursday, 18 August 2022 No cost to families thank you to the P&C for subsidising
Book Week Dress Up - Wednesday, 24 August 2022
Book Fair - one week only - Monday, 6 September to Friday, 12 September 2022
Deputy Principal Kerry-Ann Reese
Class Newsletters
Each term, the teachers provide families with a class newsletter providing an overview of what your child will be studying this term in each key learning area. Please take the time to read this newsletter so you are aware of what your child is studying. This can assist you as parents to show interest in what your child is learning about and ask specific questions about their learning. We all know when you ask the question, how was your day or what did you learn about today, we get the usual responses of good, nothing, I don’t know. If you can say, did you have a science lesson today? I know you are learning about mixtures, do you know what mixtures are? … this might help spark more conversation about their learning.
Unsure about how to help your child with their school work? You don’t need to have all the answers.
You don’t need to understand everything your child is learning at school to help them learn. What matters most is that you are there to support your child and able to get help for them when they need it. Here’s some tips on what you can do to help your child learn better.
Be positive about learning
You are your child’s first teacher and can shape their attitude to learning at school and at home. Talk positively about school and about your child’s teacher. Remember that children watch and copy what their parents say and do. Let your child see you reading books and when your child shows interest in something, encourage that spark by taking the time to answer their questions. If you don’t know something, it’s okay to say, ‘I don’t know. Let’s find out together.’ This way, you are showing your child it’s okay not to know some things and fun to find out the answer and learn something new. And every now and then, remember to take a moment to remind your child of how far they’ve come. Talk about all the things they’ve learned during their time at school and celebrate their achievements. Celebrating little wins will open your child’s mind to what is possible and keep them motivated to learn more.
Talk to the teacher
It’s okay to talk to your child’s teacher and their school about any issue your child is having.
Don’t wait for a parent-teacher interview to raise any concerns you have. If you want to talk about what your child is learning at school or are worried that your child is struggling with some aspect of their learning, contact their teacher. You are not alone and the teachers at school is there to help you. If the teachers identify that your child has a learning difficulty, ask them questions so you can understand as much as possible about your child’s situation. Some questions you could ask include:
- Can you explain the problem my child is having?
- What can I do at home to help my child with this problem?
- Are there any websites or books I can read to help me understand the problem better?
- Is there anyone outside of school I should take my child to see so they can get further help?
Create a quiet space for learning
A quiet, comfortable and well-lit place to study, away from distractions, will help your child learn better.¹ This is especially important for teens who have more homework and school assignments to manage. Help your child maintain their concentration by reminding them to take regular breaks. Avoid screen time during the breaks and encourage your child to move around. Research has found that physical activity during study provides the brain with the oxygen-rich blood needed for higher performance and can improve your child’s alertness, attention and motivation. And have some healthy snacks on hand to fuel your child’s concentration and learning.
Help your child understand how they learn
Help your child understand how they think and learn. Thinking about thinking (also known as ‘metacognition’) can help your child work out the situations, processes and methods that work best for them to learn. Some children learn better in the mornings while some prefer to study after school; some children prefer to learn by reading while others prefer hands-on activities; and some children like to learn in groups while others prefer to work alone. By helping your child understand how they learn, you can create the right conditions to enable them to learn better.
STEM Sheri Walls
In week 5 of this term we will be celebrating National Science Week. The theme for Science week is Glass: More than meets the eye. During this week we will be holding a series of activities during lunch breaks with the students. On Thursday 18August we will be participating in a whole school incursion by Street Science. Thank you to Carbrook State School's P&C for paying for the Street Science incursion.
Literacy and Numeracy Leonie Barnham
Mental Computation.
What is it and why is it important?
The importance of teaching the skills and strategies associated with mental computation has become particularly apparent over the past 15 years. Significant research has been conducted into this area and both educators and governments now acknowledge the important place it holds in the Australian Mathematics Curriculum. To enable students to be properly prepared for the mathematical demands of life, school and work they must be assisted to be proficient users of mental computation.
At Carbrook State School, embedded in our Mathematics programme, is the opportunity for students to engage in and use Understanding, Fluency, Problem Solving and Reasoning when it comes to the computation of mathematical answers. During classroom ‘Warm-ups’ prior to a lesson, students revisit and apply strategies learned, including those used to calculate mentally. Students use Understanding to build knowledge of facts as a foundation; Fluency is used to recall number facts; Problem Solving enables students to understand problems, choosing appropriate operations as well as appropriate mental strategies; and they use their Reasoning skills when they are explaining their thinking and justifying the strategies they have used.
Mental computation is arguably one of the most used mathematical skills that children take with them into their lives. McIntosh’s (HREF2, 2004b) research suggests that “adults use mental computation for over three quarters of all their calculations… and written calculation and calculator use are each involved in less than 15% of all calculations”
A feature of mental calculation is that a type of calculation can often be worked out in several different ways. At Carbrook State School, teachers help students to learn and draw on a range of mental methods. This is done by raising their awareness and understanding of a range of possible strategies they can use to successfully solve a mathematical problem, by developing their confidence and fluency of these strategies through practice, and by helping students choose from a range of the most efficient methods for a given calculation.
Enhancing student’s ability to mentally calculate is done in a variety of ways. These include-
Teaching a mental strategy explicitly, but in addition, inviting children to suggest an alternate approach and to explain their methods of solution to the rest of the class. This has the advantages that: − children get used to paying attention for an approach they can call their own − children doing the explaining clarify their own thinking − children who are listening develop their awareness of the range of possible methods and the activity can lead to a discussion of which methods are the most efficient.
Hands-on learning is an important aspect of the learning, as mental calculations involve visualising, imagining and working things out in your head. Students need to be able to visualise and ‘see’ how something works. This is achieved by providing them with suitable equipment to manipulate and explore how and why a calculation strategy works, and that helps them to describe and visualise or ‘see’ the method working.
At Carbrook State School we are encouraging our students to use numbers flexibly. The ability to take numbers apart and then put them back together in a variety of ways in order to calculate, provides all students with a ‘toolbox’ of strategies to calculate mentally. These strategies and the ability to apply them accurately in many mathematical situations is an important skill embedded in our Maths way of working at our school.
Year 6 Market Day
This term the Year 6 students worked in small groups across the cohort to establish a business as part of their HASS unit. On Friday 15 July the children hosted a Market Day which culminated all of their hard work.
During first break our future business leaders set up stalls in front of the library and the quiet area showcasing products and services they had developed.
This Market Day was a great success! Our busy entrepreneurs did a great job selling, advertising and showcasing their products. Lots of learning and new understandings was gained from engaging in these activities. Well done to our Year 6 teaching team in guiding these children through this fantastic learning opportunity.
Our Carbrook community really got behind our kids with their Market Day stalls. Thank you families, for your support. The students raised $930 from the day. All proceeds from the day will be donated to the Student Council for the purchase of new playground equipment.
Student Council
Handball Blitz Competition
The Student Council will be holding a Handball Blitz Competition during Week 3 of this term. This competition has been inspired by Ash, Luttsy and Susie O’Neill’s Handball Blitz competition currently being run by Nova. Carbrook will be taking up the challenge of finding our own handball champion to enter into the upcoming Brisbane wide competition.
Who: Students from Year 1-6
Sign Up: Students register their interest in class during Week 1
The Draw: Will be on display Week 2 in the UCA including the rules for the competition
Competition: During first break of Week 3 students will be competing. 3 Courts will be running per break with 2 Student Council referees. The competition is knock out with the winner progressing to the next game.
The Winner: The student who wins the competition will have the opportunity to enter into Nova’s Ash, Luttsy and Susie O'Neill Handball Blitz Official Tournament Draw to Represent Carbrook. The tournament will be held at Suncorp Stadium 19th of August.
Happy handballing!
We will be holding a PJ Day on Friday 12 August this term. We are asking students to bring in a gold coin donation on the day. All monies raised will be going to The Pyjama Foundation to raise much-needed awareness and funds for children in foster care. With the money raised from National Pyjama Day, you’ll be helping us offer learning skills to more than 1000 children, fund educational resources and help provide stable, positive relationships. The Student Council will be running a PJ designing contest throughout that week with winners announced parade on Friday.
https://fundraise.thepyjamafoundation.com/login/team/members
PE Brett Reese
Congratulations to the following Year 6 Carbrook students for their success at the Districts Athletics Carnival today.
Felicity S - 1st 800m; 2nd High Jump; 2nd Long Jump; 1st Shot Put
Jack B - 2nd Long Jump
Tia K - 2nd 100m
Bryce S - 2nd Shot Put
Levi T - 3rd Shot Put
Colby W - 3rd High Jump
Well done to these successful students.
Feedback from the day: Congratulations to all District Competitors your sportmanship and postitive, respectful attitude was acknowledged by staff, parents and other schools on Thursday.
District Day Tuesday 12 July 2022
Traditional Games
Last week, students engaged in traditional games to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories & Cultures for NAIDOC Week.
One of the games that students participated in was the game ‘GORRI’. The language ‘Gorri’ was a disc-bowling game played in central Australia. This is a game involving the throwing of a ball (for a spear) at a moving target.
These bowling-ball or disc games were played by Aboriginal boys and men in all parts of Australia. A piece of rounded bark (disc) was rolled by one of the players for the other boys to use as a target for their short spears. A version of this activity is still played in the Kimberley area and Northern Territory (and perhaps elsewhere) using flattened tin lids as targets and stones or other missiles.
Other games the children participated in included ‘e-mu’ and ‘jump-pin-pin. The children enjoyed playing these traditional games and learning about the history of these games.
P&C Disco
Book Fair
Shailer Park High School
Uniform Reminder
Thank you to all families who are supporting our uniform guidelines.
CARBROOK STATE SCHOOL STUDENT DRESS CODE
Carbrook State School is a “uniform school”. The school uniform is regarded by the school community as being important in its role in encouraging a sense of self-esteem, belonging and self-discipline in students through to their adolescence.
It is the expectation of the Carbrook School Community, endorsed by the Carbrook State School Parents & Citizens Association and the school staff, that the accepted standard of dress as detailed below is worn correctly and appropriately at all times for school activities except where permission is given by the school Principal for alternate attire.
The school uniform is advocated by the school and the P & C Association and school staff for the following reasons:
- it gives all students a sense of personal pride in their own appearance
- provided students change into other clothes after school, it should prove long wearing and economical
- it encourages identification with the school and promotes school spirit and a sense of community
- distractions caused by variations of dress and grooming are avoided
- discrimination caused by differences in socio-economic status is minimised if not totally eliminated
- there is no pressure to endure the latest fashion craze
Therefore, in summary, the school uniform of Carbrook State School is designed to cater for the elements of safety, comfort, climate, modesty, cost efficiency, social equity and activity.
Relevant legislation and policy
This policy has been developed in accordance with the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (Sections 360-363) and the Department of Education, Training and Employment’s policy SMS-PR-022: Student Dress Code in relation to implementing student dress codes in Queensland State schools. It clearly explains and documents the standards of acceptable dress at Carbrook State School. The school Dress Code is endorsed by the P & C Association.
Expectations
All students are expected to observe the details of correct attire and must be wearing the complete dressuniform or sports uniform in accordance with school routine. Students should present in a neat and tidy manner at all times, including on their way to and home from the school. This high standard will ensurethat our students continue to represent themselves and the school in an outstanding way.
The uniform routines include:
- In Years Prep to 6, the formal green uniform is to be worn on Fridays. On Fridays, students attend a whole school assembly and this is considered a formal event in the school.
- In Years Prep to 6, the sports uniform is to be worn on the nominated day that students attend their weekly HPE (Health and Physical Education) lesson. These days will be identified by the class teacher.
- In Years Prep to 6, the formal uniform is to be worn on formal occasions including special visits outside the school and other public functions.
- In Year 6 the senior shirt is permitted to be worn as part of the formal school uniform.
Students not in correct uniform must have a letter from a parent/caregiver explaining the reason. The note should be given to the class teacher (Prep to 6) at the commencement of the school day and staff will waiver the uniform expectations. Letters will be accepted for specified and temporary reasons rather than long-term waivers of the uniform expectations.
It is expected that all students behave respectfully and responsibly when wearing the Carbrook State School uniform at school, at external school activities, whilst travelling to and from school or participating in any other activity where they are identified as being a Carbrook State School student.
Students are not permitted to use personal electronic devices to photograph or video Carbrook State School students whilst in school time, on the school grounds or at school events on or off school campus without the permission of the Principal.
Uniforms can be purchased at the School Locker - http://theschoollocker.com.au/
Located in the Harvey Norman Centre, Pacific Highway, Loganholme.
Shoes
- Black shoes that are fully enclosed leather/vinyl lace-up, Velcro, buckle shoes or “Mary Janes” are preferable to be worn with the formal uniform and also acceptable to be worn with the sports uniform.
- No skate shoes, slip-ons, boots, coloured laces, ballet type, “Volley’s” or “Dunlop Volley’s”, canvas or suede shoes will be accepted. These shoes do not provide sufficient protection when students are participating in learning experiences or in the playground.
Jewellery
- A standard watch and one earring (plain sleepers or studs) per ear for pierced ears are the only jewellery items permitted to be worn at school. No other jewellery is acceptable. Other piercings or facial studs, including tongue studs, belly button rings of any kind are not to be worn to the school. Clear alternatives are not acceptable or permitted.
- No other accessories are to be worn.
- No smart watches or watches that have blue-tooth or wireless capabilities are to be worn.
- No smart watches that have the ability to take photos or videos are to be worn.
- Necessary jewellery, such as medical bracelets or neck chains can be worn.
Hair and Makeup
All students at the school are to be well groomed and the following must be adhered to:
- Hairstyles must be neat, clean, tidy and well-maintained
- Students (Male and Female) with hair below the ear must be secured away from the face, pinned back and or tied up with a green hair tie/hair band/clip.
- “Rats tails” must be plaited neatly.
- Only green/black coloured hair ribbons/bows/scrunchies/clips are permitted.
- It is unacceptable for hair to be coloured or dyed a non-natural colour.
- Extreme hairstyles such as “Mohawks”, tracks, or shaved sections are not permitted.
- Accessories are not permitted. These include but are not limited to bandanas, beanies or other brightly coloured headwear (apart from special days that are nominated by the school)
- Eyeliner, eye shadow, mascara and other makeup is not permitted.
- Nail polish is not permitted.
- Tattoos, if present, must be covered by the school uniform.
Consequences of noncompliance with Dress Code
Students will be asked to remove items that are not part of the school uniform. Consequences for students not in correct uniform without an explanatory note might mean contact home to parents, prevention from partaking in certain school activities, or detention. Repeat offences will mean the item may be held in safe keeping until 3:00pm. Further offences will mean students may collect the item at the end of term. A parent note requesting return of the item/s will be required.
If a student does not comply with the dress code for school students, developed under section 360 of the
Act, the school’s principal may only impose one of the following sanctions-
- Detention of the student for a period mentioned in section 283(3);
- Prevent the student from attending, or participating in any activity for which the student would have been representing the school;
- Prevent the student from attending, or participating in, any school activity that, in the reasonable
opinion of the school principal, is not part of the essential educational program of the school.
- If a student continues to be out of uniform and fails to complete the detention, this will be considered
as ‘wilful disobedience’ and as such students may be suspended from school.
Effective Feb 2016 vsn 10-08-2016
Workplace Health and Safety
Due to Workplace Health and Safety regulations students’ footwear must provide adequate protection and cover the entire foot. Footwear selection must also take into account the health benefits of growing children wearing supportive footwear to minimise future health risks.
Sun Safety
In accordance with the Sun Safety in Schools guidelines:
- Students are required to wear a sun safe hat when outdoors during the school day. This includes during lunch breaks and curriculum time.
- Sun safe hats include dark green wide brim or legionnaires hats. These hat are to be worn, every day. The school has a NO HAT, PLAY UNDER THE COVER WAY policy. Students are discouraged from wearing the hat of another child for reason of hygiene. All hats must be free from offensive language, symbols or logos.
- Students who are in the sun but not participating in practical activities during lunch breaks will be directed to utilise shaded areas where possible.
Exemption
Parents of students who for religious, cultural or health reasons may need to modify the uniform code are required to make an appointment with the Principal for further discussion.
Sports Uniform is black shorts for boys and girls with the polo neck T-shirt in the house colour (red, yellow or blue). Netball skirts, leggings or cargo pants are not part of the school uniform.
Should parents have difficulty in providing the school uniform, please request an interview with the Principal.
