Our entire school commemorated Remembrance Day on Monday at 11:00am.  Across the school we stood as one, observing the minute's silence and remembering those who have served in wars and lost their lives doing so.  

Dear mums, dads, carers and colleagues

The bush fires have once again caused significant damage and associated issues across the past week.  Our thoughts and best wishes are extended to families who have been affected by these natural disasters. Thank you to everyone who contributes to keeping our community safe by adhering to the fire bans.  Special thanks to the Queensland Fire Service and the Rural Fire Services on their commitment to controlling the fire fronts.      

One of the associated outcomes from the fires is the reduction in air quality.  While this is about, we may take some precautions to keep everyone well.  We review circumstances regularly and if necessary, we may:

• Reduce vigorous activity outside
• Use inside play for breaks (like a wet lunch)
• Use the hall for physical activity
• Monitor of students with respiratory conditions, such as asthma or chronic health conditions
• Monitor and support of any staff with respiratory conditions, such as asthma or chronic health conditions.
           

Remembrance Day

We commemorated Remembrance Day on Monday at 11:00am.  Teachers explained the significance of the day for Australians and was so proud to be part of the groups across the school who commemorated solemnly.  Great job Coomera Rivers.

Student resource scheme (2020)

Your children will need these items for school next year.  We have reduced the list and the cost for next year which is great news.  You can join the school scheme and save money or purchase the items privately.  Either way, your children require access to them.

Here is the information letter:

Please complete this form:

We need all families to complete the form below and return it to the school as soon as possible.  

Prep swimming   

Please send all swimming gear to school with your child for swimming lessons.  We don't always have the time to make reminder calls so the students without their swim gear will need to remain at school.

Messages to your children

If you need to get an urgent message to your children please make sure that you contact the school office before 2:00pm.  After that time, it becomes really busy and it is not always possible to ensure that the message is passed on successfully.  
           

Have a great weekend

Kind regards

Vic

Congratulations to the following students who were rewarded with a Student Excellence Award this week. We're always really excited to celebrate with these students when they come down to the office.

Through Deep Learning

“If we want learners who can thrive in turbulent and complex times, apply thinking to new situations and change the world, then we must reimagine learning."

We can all agree that school as it was set up 150 years ago is no longer suited to our current students. We need to reimagine what learning looks like and help prepare our children for a workforce where they will not be paid for with what they know, but rather what they can do. The biggest difference here is that schools need to move away from having students learn set content. The focus needs to move to providing students with opportunities to acquire skills of entrepreneurship, creativity and problem solving. These are the skills that will ensure they thrive in this accelerating, unpredictable world.

There is a real buzz amongst staff at Coomera Rivers of late as we begin to explore how we ensure our students, staff and community are 'Good at Learning, good at life'. You will begin to hear more and more about how we do this through Deep Learning. We are truly reimagining what learning looks like for all learners and we invite parents to join us on this journey.

Google recently released a great short video about the value of curiosity and questioning. The resounding message in the attached video is "Knowledge is a habit. Sometimes there’s a limit to having new ideas. That’s the problem with the old schooling. Because they were teaching answers. I believe that questions today are probably more important today than the answers."

We hope this creates questions for you.

Research

Year 3 have been learning to write information reports this term.  At the end of Term 3, Miss Wolbers sought ideas from her class and found they were very interested in koalas and their habitat loss. That's where it started - 3W had their authentic purpose for writing.

All term, Miss Wolbers observed her class and found engagement and effort levels improved, as her learners had choice over topics to research and write about. They worked hard on their writing goals, responding to feedback and improving their writing skills each week.

On Thursday they walked to the Finnegan Way Reserve, koala corridor. Miss Wolbers had organised for Sheridan from the Gold Coast City Council and Alec to join them.  3W became conservation rangers, learning all about how they can do their part to keep koalas safe and went on a koala hunt.  They may not have found a koala this time, but they were very excited to identify scratch marks on trees and find fresh koala droppings.  Some students even took the sniff test to see if it smelt of eucalyptus - and it did!  Sheridan was very impressed with 3W's knowledge of koalas.  They even taught the expert a thing or two!

And serving our community

When doing our weather chart on Monday the students in Miss Sullivan's Prep class remarked how 'cloudy' it was. This led to a discussion about the bush fires and the students were very concerned about the animals, in particular the koalas.  They spent the morning researching koalas with the preppies asking many 'I Wonder' questions.   They started looking at what we can do to help the koalas and found a rescue organisation asking for donations.  Thanks to our wonderful parents, we now have a box of supplies ready to donate to help save the koalas!  Well done Prep S!

And more service

The Environmental Warriors, with a little help from Mr Alex and the Ventia ground staff have built three nesting boxes. These boxes will provide a new home to some of the Gold Coast hinterland’s wildlife which sadly lost theirs during the recent bushfires.

These boxes were purchased as flat-packs from Nest Boxes Australia using funds that have been raised from the CRSS Containers Refund Drive. The Environmental Warriors wish to thank students and members of our school community who donated bottles and cans throughout the year.  We also want to give a big thank you to Wildcare Australia who will be collecting and distributing the nest boxes.

The Environmental Warriors hope that a ringtail possum, a bushtail possum and a parrot enjoy their handy work on their new homes!

Friday provided the perfect weather for 28 aspiring Year 5 leaders to partake in a leadership day camp at the Shearwater Broadwater Park and then the Runaway Bay Super Sports Centre. The camp is designed to further develop the leadership and team work skills of students who are seeking to gain a badged position next year, in particular, as Head of School or Head of Student Council.

Students were introduced to the CAR leadership model which stands for Communication, Action and Resilience and their resilience was certainly tested.

Stand-up paddle boarding was probably the highlight of the day and saw students working in pairs to manoeuvre the board from one end of the beach to the other. Students needed to contend with the wind that kept pushing them towards the shore but they didn't let this deter them from making the most of their time in the water.

After paddle boarding, students then headed back to the Sports Centre for a shower and lunch. Competition was fierce in our next activity where students learned a game that resembled 'stuck in the mud' but was played with a pool noodle. This was a game that encouraged strategic thinking and team work and the best part was probably being allowed to whack one another with the noodles!

The final task for the day was the team building challenges where students moved around an obstacle course that appeared relatively simple if you needed to complete it on your own. However when students needed to join themselves together with a partner, the difficulty increased dramatically. Some students even managed to complete the course with 4 of them joined together. These challenges required our aspiring leaders to not only think strategically but also to communicate effectively, consider and be patient with their team mate and when something didn't work, reflect on how to improve.

Staff from the Sports Centre were once again blown away with the calibre of leadership qualities our students already display and we are very confident that the role of our 2020 Head of School and Head of Student Council are in good hands. The next step is to short list this group of 28 to just 12 students who will then move on to an interview phase. To say this is a difficult decision is an understatement.

Wednesday evening was our third round of debates for the Coomera Alliance Debating competition however it was the second debate for our Team A groups. This was an opportunity to reflect and act on the feedback they received in their previous debates in Week 2. And improve they did! All three teams were up against Upper Coomera State School and we are happy to report that all three of our teams walked away with a win. This means Coomera Rivers remains undefeated in the 2019 debating arena.

Our Year 4's argued against the idea that money can't buy happiness while our Year 5's disagreed with the topic that coed schools are better than single sexed schools. A tough stance to take given we are a co-ed school but like our Year 5 team said, it's horses for courses! One isn't better than the other, they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Finally, our Year 6 team argued that a social life is NOT more important than academics. They maintained, there needs to be a balance.

A massive congratulations to all our teams and coaches who work hard to prepare our students. There's only 2 more debates to go until the end of the year and the question remains, will we maintain our undefeated status? We will see.

Golf

Our Year 4-6s has been participating in a Golf Unit. We applied for a received a Sporting Schools grant where we received golf equipment (to keep) and professional coaching. If any students in Years 4-6 have enjoyed the program and would like to see a local golf coach, please see Mr Raffin/Mr Burrows for a discount voucher.

     
Before School Fitness Club 

With the warmer weather and variable air quality conditions, we are choosing activities for our students where they can join in or take a break as required if they feel too hot. Macca (pictured) was the champion rope skipper on Friday, mastering the “double dutch” long ropes skipping challenge.

Hockey

Congratulations to Trey on his recent hockey achievements.  Last weekend he competed in the Under 13 age group indoor state hockey championships and won yet another gold medal.  His team won Division 2 with 45 goals for and only 1 goal against for the tournament them.  Trey scored several goals in each game.  His sister Natahlia is competing in the Under 15 state championships this weekend.  Good luck!

Rugby Union

Congratulations to Siu and Noah for their selection as Co-Captains for the Samoa Under 10s team that competed in a Junior Oceania Rugby Union Championships in Brisbane last weekend. Both boys did themselves and their culture very proud. The boys are also part of our school rugby league program and will be integral to our Broadwater District premiership defence next season.

Well done to Mr Murillo and Mr Burrows who led our school touch football team this weekend as we competed in the All Schools competition.  The students had a ball and were great representatives for Coomera Rivers. No matter the circumstances they always gave their best effort and exemplified the spirit of fun, fitness and friendship.

On Saturday the team won 1 out of 3 games - against some more experienced teams. The game we won had a score line of 6-0. We finished 3rd in our pool. On Sunday we were placed in the “Cup” ranked finals for Mixed teams. The kids gave their best but went down in the first round.

Thank you to both coaches and parent cheer squad for supporting our players.

Prep, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 5 have the opportunity for swimming lessons this year.  The lessons are heavily subsidised from the department grant of over $16 000 but there is still unfortunately a cost to families for transport.  Information will be sent home so please beat the response and payment deadline.

• Prep $55 - November 18th to 29th - Monday to Friday - 2 weeks - Rackley Swimming Pimpama
• Year 2 & 3: $35 - October 28, 30, November 11, 13, 18 and 20 - Gullivers 
• Year 5 Surf Safety: $15 - December 3 & 4 - Burleigh Heads Beach

Awesome news for parents

You will no longer need to purchase a ticket to the 'Time To Shine' concert. The wonderful folks at Marquee Event Hire have offered to sponsor our chair hire so therefore there is no need for tickets. Please simply take a seat once the doors open.

Your child should have by now received their permission slip for the Time To Shine concert. Please return these promptly so we will have an indication of how many students in our groups will be attending. If you require a note, please email Mrs Blyth .

Junior Concert:

Doors open 3:45pm
Concert time 4:00 - 5:30

Courtesy Reminder: Please remain seated for the whole concert, students will be supervised and you may collect your child from their waiting zone on conclusion of the concert.

Junior program - Groups involved

• Prep Choir
• Prep Dance
• Year 1 Choir
• Year 1 Dance
• Year 2 Dance
• Junior Strings
• Junior Band

    
Senior Concert:

Doors open 5:45pm
Concert time 6:00 - 7:30

Courtesy Reminder: Please remain seated for the whole concert, students will be supervised and you may collect your child from their waiting zone on conclusion of the concert.

Senior program - Groups involved

• Year 2-6 Choir
• Year 3 Dance
• Year 4 Dance
• Year 6 Dance
• Senior Strings
• Extension Strings
• Senior Band

We would love your feedback on our school uniforms.  

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/uniforms19

The school and P&C conduct a tender process each couple of years to identify a preferred supplier for school books.  Kookaburra are the current suppliers after winning this tender process.  They offer a competitively priced and convenient option for parents however, you are still able to choose to visit the back to school sales to collect the items yourself should you prefer.  On-line ordering has opened.

Our children have been working hard this week to create environments for their peers to play in and explore. We’ve given children opportunities each session to choose which areas we will use and how the various areas of OSHC will look. It is common practice for our educators to plan experiences based on children’s ideas, however this week we have given the control to the children. We’ve focussed on allowing our children to show us their interests by giving them time to select resources and locations by themselves. We have heard discussions between children about the best way to set up the shop and kitchen area for a tea party, conversations about how the sand play should be outside in ‘its natural environment’, and we were told that under the trees in the best position for cards because it’s the most relaxing. Our children are so switched on and did a great job showing us exactly what they want their OSHC to look like. Allowing the children to express themselves in this way gives the educators time to reflect on the choices we are making for the children, and ensures that our future program reflects the true wants and needs of our children.

Coomera Rivers Outside School Hours Care is now taking bookings for our Summer Vacation Program.  Vacation Care bookings are open to ALL primary school students including students that do NOT attend Coomera Rivers.  Vacation Care bookings are also open to our families that do NOT use the before and / or after school service.

There is no minimum number of days that you need to attend - just book for the days you need.  Bookings for primary school aged students are encouraged so please share with friends and family that may be looking for an exceptional school holiday care option.

The details of the upcoming program are attached - the program document also includes a ready reckoner that shows an estimation of families out of pocket expenses for our Vacation care days after your Centrelink CCS is applied. Please note that this is a guide only. CCS benefits vary, and benefits for multi-day bookings will depend on approved activity hours. Please contact our Service Director for a personalised quote.

For bookings or further enquiries please contact us:

Phone: 5596 8377
Mobile: 0455 968 377
Email: croshc@coomerariversss.eq.edu.au

As part of our Christmas celebrations we will be raffling  Christmas hampers.  We are asking families to consider donating items to be used in the hampers before Friday 29 November.

To ensure we have a range of different items to fill our hampers with, we are requesting different donations form each year level.  The donations we are requesting are:

Prep - Christmas Decorations
Year 1 - Craft and puzzles
Year 2 - Biscuits
Year 3 - Sweet treats
Year 4 - Hot and cold drinks (no alcohol)
Year 5 - Baking goods
Year 6 - Laundry items

A donation table will be located at the back of Corporate Services from 8:00am until 8.30am daily during the donation drive.

Once again, we thank you sincerely for your support.

Prep

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Tickets on sale now!

Tickets in our annual Christmas Hamper Raffle are now open for sale on Flexischools and close on Wednesday 4 December at 4:00pm.

The lucky winners will be announced at our Christmas concert on Friday 6 December.

The raffle to win the use of the VIP car park (located in the car park beside the hall) for Term 1 2020 is now open on Flexischools.  Imagine having access to your very own car park for the bust start to the school year!  For as little as $2 you can go into the draw to win!

The lucky winner will have exclusive use of our VIP car park throughout Term 1 2020 on all school days and at all school events.  Raffle tickets are available through Flexischools now and close at 4:00pm Friday 6 December.

We would like to invite our 2020 families to our playground party.  We encourage new families joining our community in 2020 or existing families with a child starting in prep in 2020 to join us.

This is a great opportunity to meet other families and for your children to become more familiar with our school.

If you would like more details or if you would like to RSVP to this event please email the P&C. 

As of the start of Term 1 in 2020, the Surfside afternoon school buses will display a new school number which will be different to the morning and current afternoon school numbers.  We advise all students and parents to check the Surfside School website for updates before Term 1 starts in 2020.