Dear mums, dads, carers and colleagues

I have just ducked away from the disco following the Nutbush and YMCA, to add a few lines to the celebrations newsletter #7.  The kids and parents here are having a lovely time. Thank you sincerely to our P&C ladies who have been organising and managing the significant logistics of the event.  Thank you also to the many staff who volunteered their Friday afternoon and evening to ensure that all went well.  I know that the kids have very much enjoyed themselves.  

After having restricted play areas for the past fortnight and too many wet weather lunches across the past month, it is very satisfying to see things getting back to normal.  

Cost of living continues to climb

I am accutely aware of the financial stress that the rising cost of living is placing on family life - especially the rising rental costs.  A growing number of our families are being significantly affected by this, so we will continue to do some little things that we hope may help.  We have a small supply of exercise books and uniform items that we will provide free of charge to children whose families cannot currently afford them.  So if you need a little help, or are in a position where you can donate items for school (to add to the uniforms and unused stationery supplies), we are only too glad to assist.  

Sorry Day

We recognised National Sorry Day this week across our classrooms.  National Sorry Day is an annual day of remembrance held on May 26. The purpose of the day is to recognise and reflect on the mistreatment of First Nations people since the arrival of Europeans in 1788. In particular, we remember the Stolen Generations.

Reconciliation Week also began today. We will be respectfully acknowledging this significant event at school next week and NAIDOC week later in the term.  

Carpark courtesy and safety  

Please remember to do your part during the busy morning and afternoon car park times.  While I recognise that it may feel like ages, the large majority of our children are safely collected and on their way home by 2:50pm each day.  Wet days do take a little longer as more traffic is on the roads.  

Many families avoid the rush by parking close by and walking to school.  This is a great idea.  

Always:

• Use the Kiss n Go properly by staying in your car
• Join the line of traffic at the back of the queue
• As you drive, watch for children as they will not be watching for you
• Smile & wave to other drivers and thank the staff who are supervising children.

If you park your car and come into the school, please remember to:

• Park legally (Avoid the expense of a fine)
• Use the crossings (Help us teach all children how to be safe)

Thank you P&C

Last Friday was P&C Day so we showed our appreciation for our AWESOME P&C team here at Coomera Rivers.  Thank you to each of these wonderful volunteers who give so much of their time to our school, children and community.  

Kind regards

Vic

Despite the lousy wetaher these past weeks, these kids have shone brightly!

Prep

Prep gallery

Dentist visits to Prep

The dental van staff have visited prep this week and have been teaching the children a lot about caring for their teeth.  They learned about:

• Brushing morning and night with adult assistance
• Choosing healthy foods and drinks
• Limiting sugary snacks and eat as sometimes foods
• Brushing their teeth like Leo the Lion - Grrr and Raa and
• Visiting the dentist for a check up - Book on 1300 300 850

Year 1

Year 1 gallery

Year 2

Year 2 gallery

Great work in Year 2

2A are learning to find the missing number in addition and subtraction problems using a range of strategies. Today, Miss Bobby supported student’s learning by using the number line floor mat to count forwards and backwards to find the missing number.  Students in 2A also used concrete materials, drew pictures and diagrams and drew their own number lines to solve addition and subtraction problems.

2A students have also been working on their collaboration skills while learning about fractions.

               
This term in science, 2T have been exploring push and pull forces. Today students got to work in pairs to build a pom pom catapult, they had to work together to come up with a way to build something that would catapult a pom pom across the room. The only materials they had were paddlepop sticks, rubber bands, a spoon and a pom pom. This activity encouraged collaboration and problem solving skills. Students had to rethink how they could improve their design when it did not work as expected.

Year 3

Year 3 gallery

Year 3 diamond gallery

Year 4

Year 4 gallery

Year 4 Diamond gallery

Year 5

Year 5 gallery

Year 5 Diamond gallery

Practicing collaboration in science

Year 6

Year 6 gallery

Year 6 Diamond gallery

The weather the past few weeks has not been ideal. It has caused a lot of postponements and cancellations for many sporting events and training. However, the weather forecast for this week does look promising so we will keep a close eye on the radar and will regularly inspect the oval.  Please look out for our Facebook announcements & emails from coaching staff to see if training sessions are going ahead.

NRL Gala Day

Next week we will be selecting our Gala Day Teams. The trials will be during 2nd play breaks throughout the week. Students have been told that they can bring a spare shirt to wear during the trial and that they must have a mouthguard to trial for the team.

Trial Days & Year Levels:

Monday - Year 3 and 4 Girls
Tuesday - Year 3 and 4 Boys (mouth guard mandatory)
Wednesday - Year 5 and 6 Girls (mouth guard mandatory)
Thursday - Year 5 and 6 Boys (mouth guard mandatory)

No running club in Week 7

There will be no running club in Week 7 to ensure that students look their best for school photos.

Interschool Sport

We are very hopeful that this coming Friday 3 June, the Year 5 & 6 students can head off to their first inter-school sports competition against our local schools.  It will all depend on the condition of the local council fields.

Kokoda

The Kokoda team is back up and running this weekend after having an extra week off due to the weather.  The team is really eager to get out and train. We will be tackling the Nerang forest on Saturday, focusing on team building and our endurance.  Mr Graham can hardly wait!  

Fanfare

This week, our music groups competed at Fanfare and we were absolutely delighted with our results.

• Senior Band - Silver Award
• Junior Strings - Gold Award
• Senior Strings - Silver Award

My sincere congratulations to all of our musicians on these wonderful achievements.  I would also like to extend my appreciation to the teachers (Mrs Blyth, Mrs Zander and Mr Owens) who bring the best out of each of our young players.  Well done!

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.