The traditional custodians of the land on which we walk live and learn - the Bullongin, Koombumerri and Yugambeh speaking peoples - and their Elders past, present and emerging.

This week at school was Kindness Week.  We held a number of different events and lessons to drive home the fact that Kindness Starts With You.  Our Kindness Wall was very popular and the Free Dress Day (with the theme of orange to support the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence) raised $993 for charity.  Well done Coomera Rivers!

Dear mums, dads, carers and colleagues

This has been the first of the more normal weeks for the year.  We actually made it through the five days without flooding, COVID restrictions or traffic congestion.  Perhaps it is due to the full moon?  As you read above, at school it has been Kindness Week. 

Significant increase in reported positive COVID cases at school

While it was great to see COVID restrictions recently ease, I think we are beginning to see the results.  I can never give an accurate number of positive student cases at school as I cannot guarantee that all positive cases have been reported to the school. I work on the theory that the actual number is higher than the reported number.  Nonetheless, the number of positive student cases this week has quadrupled.  Where we would usually sit between 2-4 notifications each week, this week is four times this number.  Senior school students are hardest hit.  Numbers of positive cases for staff have also increased by the same proprotion this week.  Once again, senior school is impacted the most.  These numbers do not include close contacts - just the positive cases.  For the record we have had 16 student cases and 7 staff cases this week alone.  

If your children show any symptoms of COVID, please test and keep them at home.  Also remember to let the school know that they will be absent.  If they develop symptoms at school we will contact you to collect them, and provide you with a RAT to use.  

Please also remember to maintain social distancing, keep up the excellent standards of hand hygiene and test & report if required.  

Dr Justin Coulson is coming next week

I believe this will be a truly amazing opportunity for our school and community.  

The student session on Monday 21 March is for students in Years 4-6.  The session is approximately 45 minutes long and the content covered includes:

1. Why relationships (friendships) matter
2. How to make friends
3. What to do when someone is not being included
4. What to do when you're not being included
5. How to be a good person - at school and at home.

The parent session is being held Monday evening from 7:00pm.  I encourage everyone to come along.  We are all here for learning more.  Thank you to the P&C for this wonderful opportunity.

Good at learning - Good at life

You will hear this often around our school as this is what we strive to build into our community - and especially our children.  And when asked about it, their responses are impressive.  We love providing students the opportunity to have and share their voice at school.  For instance, the consideration that children are giving to the selection of charities to support, the themes for discos and the creation of our sustainability mission statement have impressed me greatly this past week.  

• Charity for Semester 1:  Team Seas
• Disco theme:  Red carpet (Bring on the bling)
• Sustainability mission statement: This is still a work in progress but phrases such as environmental footprint and diversity have been used in the early drafts.  Wow!   

Respect in the Kiss n Go

I am yet to meet anyone who enjoys sitting in traffic.  It is frustrating at the best of times.  However, when we are around the school and our children, it is vital that we demonstrate the highest levels of patience and courtesy to others.  

If you are using the Kiss n Go before or after school, you need to:

• Keep your motor running
• Keep moving to the top end (school hall) of the KnG zone
• Organise so that your children exit and enter the car from the curb side (passenger)
• Watch the internal crossings for children as I will guarantee that they will not always be watching for you, despite the big car you are in
• Follow the requests of school staff.  They are there to help make the area safer for children and assist with keeping the traffic moving.  Please never abuse or swear at them as they are trying to help you.

Have your details changed?

We will often send out a text message or email about what is happening at school.  These will generally be emergent issues or reminders for deadlines.  If you are not receiving them, this means that your school details need to be updated.  Please contact the school office as soon as possible, if you need to change your address, phone numbers, emergency contacts and email address details.

NAPLAN is coming in Term 2 (Years 3&5 students only)

The following information relates to NAPLAN Online for 2022.

NAPLAN Online Tests

The 2022 NAPLAN Online testing at Coomera Rivers SS will occur from Term 2, Week 4, Tuesday 10 May (test schedule to be shared closer to this date).

NAPLAN Online Practice Tests

To prepare our students for the format of NAPLAN online testing, they will undertake practice tests on the following dates:

• Year 5 - March 28, Wednesday 9.00 - 10.00am (Writing test)
• Year 5 - March 28, Wednesday 11.15 - 12.15pm (Omnibus test)
• Year 3 - March 29, Tuesday 11.15 - 12.15pm (Omnibus test)

The Omnibus test is a mix of questions from all NAPLAN tested areas, reading, language conventions and numeracy. No data will be collected or shared for the practice tests.

Please note: Year 3 Writing will not be online.

Student iPad Preparation

We ask that if you haven't already done so, please download the NAP Locked Down browser app to your child's iPad. This app can be found in the inTune Company Portal app.

iPad mini cannot be used for the NAPLAN Online testing.

We ask that students have headphones to connect to their iPad.

It is important that our students are not overwhelmed by the experience of NAPLAN, it should not be a stressful experience for them. This is why we run practice tests and build their emotional resilience in preparation for the tests.

NAPLAN Online Information for Parents
We sent home to families this week information about:

• NAPLAN Online information brochure for parents and carers
• NAPLAN privacy notice
• NAPLAN Online protecting privacy
• BYO device parent information sheet

For further information, please visit:

• Queensland's NAPLAN Online website - https://naplanonline.qld.edu.au/getting-ready/parent-information
• ACARA NAPLAN Online website - https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment
• ACARA's Assessment Platform - https://www.assessform.edu.au
• Advice for Parents and Cargivers about NAPLAN - https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support

What is NAPLAN Online 2022

NAPLAN is a nationwide measure through which parents, teachers, schools, education authorities, governments and the broader community can determine whether or not young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning and for their productive and rewarding participation in the community.

NAPLAN tests are one aspect of each school’s assessment and reporting process and do not replace the extensive, ongoing assessments made by teachers about each student’s performance. Each teacher will have the best insight into their students’ educational progress.

NAPLAN results do not measure overall school quality.

NAPLAN Online Familiarisation

We encourage students and parents to familiarise themselves with NAPLAN Online by visiting the public demonstration site - https://nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site on the NAP website. Some past NAPLAN papers are also available: https://www.acara.edu.au/assessment/naplan.

Student Withdrawals

Parents can withdraw their child from the test by notifying the School and completing a Withdrawal form. Withdrawal is intended as an option to address issues such as religious beliefs and philosophical objections to testing.

Student Exemptions

Students may be exempted from one or more of the tests if they meet one of the following criteria:

• students with significant intellectual disability and/or those with significant comorbidity that severely limit their capacity to participate in the tests.
• students with a language background other than English, who arrived from overseas and have been attending school in Australia for less than a year before the test.
• Exemptions for students with physical and/or intellectual disabilities are determined through consultation between the principal, student, and parents/carers.     

Student Disability Adjustments

Adjustments are available in NAPLAN tests for students with disability to support students’ access to the tests. Adjustments should reflect similar support and assistance provided in the classroom for assessment activities.

Adjustments can be made for students with physical, cognitive, sensory and social/emotional disability. Examples of adjustments may include:

• students may receive slightly more time to complete the tests or be seated separately from their regular class.
• students may receive rest breaks.

Parents and carers of students with disability should discuss with their concerns with their child’s teacher, and/or Inclusion teacher, and discuss the adjustments that may be suitable for their child.

Kind regards

Vic

Congratulations to these amazing kids on earning these awards this fortnight.

Prep

Class	Students
Prep A	Vasi and Killian, Harper and Leviticus, Oliver and Aria
Prep B	Caleb and Addison
Prep M	Kayden and Emieliah
Prep S	Jeremy, Oliver, Jax and Harper

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Fuse Cup

The eSports team competed in the FUSE cup last Thursday. Unfortunately this year the competition was held online but that didn’t stop our kids from doing their best. We competed against 11 Gold Coast schools and were also able to watch the Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Ipswich competition. Paige, Sophia, Lila & Tamara danced as hard as they could and were lucky enough to make it to the final and then place 2nd for the Gold Coast overall. It was a very exciting day and we thank all the eSports team for giving up their lunch break to cheer on the Just Dance team. We look forward to the next competition for Mario Kart in Term 2.

Thank you to Miss Wolbers and Mrs Hardwick for their wonderful support for eSports at our school.

Digital citizens in Digi Design

This term in Digi Design, Years 5 and 6 have been focusing on Cyber Safety and being a smart digital citizen. They have participated in scenarios that will help them develop skills and habits to keep themselves safe while involved in online activities and games, and enable them to use their phone wisely. Students were invited to submit a design for a poster competition, highlighting an aspect(s) of cyber-safety of which all students in our school should be aware. I was very impressed by the creativity of all the designs and the important messages they highlighted. The posters were judged by Mr Meijboom and were awarded to:

Year 5 1st - Bridget, 2nd Ellie

Year 6 1st Matilda, 2nd Lucas.

Look out for many of our students’ posters from all of Years 5 and 6 displayed throughout the school over the next week.

Parents, if you would like more information about Cyber Safety and children in your home check in with the eSafetyCommissioner for helpful tips and resources.

Mathletics gallery (Week 4)

Mathletics gallery (Week 5)

And at play

Each year, our student council has the task of deciding on a charity they’d like to support.  This is all about serving and contributing to our community and in the process, students learn about the many wonderful charity organisations that rely on the generosity of the public to support them in their amazing work. The class student council representatives need to ensure they are the voice of the student body, so their very first task was to ask their class and their junior buddy class for ideas on who they thought we should support in 2022.  These ideas were then brought back to the group and we discussed and learned about the many charity organisations.  

Ideas ranged from supporting the homeless, our recent flood victims and Ukranian refugees, to the Animal Welfare League and wildlife rescue organisations, to the Starlight Foundation, Cancer Council, Ronald MacDonald House and hospices. There were a total of 25 varying organisations and what became evident was our students’ eagerness to contribute.  Something that was very different this year was our students’ awareness of environmental issues and ways in which we could help.  The decision was difficult but the voting determined that 2022 would see us supporting the TeamSeas organisation.

TeamSeas is a fundraising campaign, initiated by Mark Rober and MrBeast, content creators on YouTube. The campaign's goal is to raise 30 million USD to remove 30 million pounds of trash polluting coastal regions, rivers, and ultimately oceans.  If you’d like to learn more about this, check out this website.

#TeamSeas

Representative Sport

Table Tennis (National Tournament)

Congratulaions to Amy who played at the national tournament hosted by Table Tennis Australia last weekend in Canberra.  She won a silver medal in the Under 11 Girls and a silver medal in the Under 13 Girls sections.  This is an outstanding achievement for a fine young athlete.  

AFL

Congratulations to Remmy and Roxy from 5/6L who were selected in the Broadwater AFL team.

Netball

Congratulations to Shaylen who was selected in the Broadwater District netball team.

Rugby League (11 Years)

80 kids trialled for the Broadwater team, and Coomera Rivers were lucky enough to have all 6 players progress to Possibles v Probables next Wednesday.  Congratulations to Josh, Paysin, Kobe, Onyx, Bailey and Carlos.

Rugby League (12 Years)

Congratulations to Seantayne and Papu who will also be attending the Possibles v Probables trial next Wednesday in their age group.

Touch

Congratulations to Scarlet, Remmy, Roxy, Harmony, Seantayne, Ihaia and Paysin who will trial for the Broadwater Touch team in the coming weeks.

        
Broadwater Trials next fortnight

• Thursday 31st March: Rugby Union (12 years)

School Sport

Cross Country

Our Coomera Rivers Cross Country is around the corner for those interested in training for the event. Below are the distances for our Senior Children. If your child is born in 2012, 2011 or 2010 and finishes in the Top 3 of their race, they will be eligible to attend the Broadwater District Cross Country Carnival.

Born 2013: 2km
Born 2012: 2km
Born 2011: 3km
Born 2010: 3km

Interschool Sport

We are finalising our numbers and will soon have notes coming home for Interschool Sport.  Unfortunately, we are unable to continue with AFL, as the other schools in the cluster couldn't get the numbers. Thanks to Mr Cope who is still training with those keen AFL players as there is an opportunity for them in the AFLQ Schools Cup.

Year 4 Music

In Music this year students have been learning about call and response songs, the notes on the lines of the music staff and have been smashing out high scores in the game Staff Wars. They are loving the GIANT staff on the floor of the music room and are proving to be very competitive in their teams!

Busking is Back!

That’s right, performances for parents are happening again and our students couldn’t be more excited!! Come and watch the senior band, senior strings, junior strings and choir rock out the Undercover Area on Tuesday 22nd March from 1:45pm. It will be a fantastic way to finish the day!

Last week the children created their own dream catchers using plates, colouring in pencils, strings, beads and feathers. They learnt about the traditional dream catchers and why they were important to native Americans culture. Students were given instructions on what to do and they immediately got started on the task. Though it was quite a difficult task at first, the children helped each other and demonstrated patience and perseverance. The dream catchers are now displayed on our arts and crafts wall.

Happy Families premium account available to our families

Our P&C has invested in the emotional support for our entire community this year and has engaged Dr Justin Coulson to share his expertise with us. 

You may have seen Dr Coulson on television. He talks regularly about parenting, education and psychology issues for The TODAY Show, The Project, Studio 10, Mornings, The Daily Edition and Parental Guidance.

Families have FREE access to his Happy Families website. The P&C has paid the 12-month account membership for all of our families. You are welcome to access it when you wish.

The link to access your FREE Happy Families account can be found here.  Further details can also be found in the flyer below.   If you have any questions, please contact the P&C.

Due to circumstances outside of our control, our planned March AGM needed to be postponed.

The Annual General Meeting of the Coomera Rivers State School P&C will now be held on Tuesday 10 May at 6:00pm in Corporate Services.

A general meeting of the association will be held directly after the AGM.

Is it time to update your family portrait?  

If it is, well then we have the fundraiser for you!

For a $20 donation to the P&C, you will receive 20 minute photo session and a 10 x 13 portrait of your family.

In addition, you can, at time of viewing your images, secure additional poses and copies at some REALLY discounted rates. They even have payment options!

That said, purchasing additional images is NOT a requirement of this special $20 family photo promotion. You can simply come along and have your​ photo session and then, at time of viewing, select the image you would like to receive for your donation. There is absolutely NO obligation to purchase any additional images.

What a wonderful way to update your family portrait for just $20!

This would make a GREAT Mother's Day present!

All the details on how to book can be found on the flyer below. The photo shoot will take place on Saturday 26 March. For more information please contact the P&C.

Thank you to our families for their wonderful support of our Cookie Dough Fundraiser.

883 tubs were sold! Massive effort! 

Cookie Dough delivery will be Thursday 31 March

We will advertise collection arrangements closer to delivery date.