On behalf of the Coomera Rivers State School community, we would like to show our respect and acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we walk, live and learn, the Bullongin, Kombumerri and Yugambeh speaking people, and their elders past, present and emerging.

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TOTAL FIRE BAN

EXTENDED UNTIL MIDNIGHT  DECEMBER 13

   
SEVERE FIRE DANGER TODAY

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Dear mums, dads, carers and colleagues

It has been a hot and initially windy week this week but we still managed to be busy at Burleigh Heads with our Year 5 beach safety program and of course, the Christmas concert and movie night on Friday.

Highlights from this week

Christmas concert:   Congratulations to the P&C and staff for creating an amazing community event again.  The weather was fine and hot and the performances were just so awesome.  This is one of the biggest events on the school calendar and I estimated that we had over 4000 people on the oval - including children - for the event this year.  The best part is actually watching the expressions on the faces of the parents while their children perform.  Here is a snapshot of a few photos but the gallery is following later in this issue of the newsletter.  Great work everyone!

New families BBQ:   Thank you to our P&C for hosting the new families welcome BBQ yesterday afternoon.  It was a great opportunity for families to meet and the kids to play.  Plus the sausage sizzle was a hit!  Thank you also to the staff who joined us for the afternoon.  

Alliance debating finals:   I was extremely proud of our debating teams this week when they competed in the Alliance schools debating competition.  There are 10 schools that participate in the three levels of competitions - Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 - and Coomera Rivers had a team in each final where we competed against :

• Year 4 – Coomera Springs (W)
• Year 5 – Norfolk Village (L)
• Year 6 – Pimpama State (W)

The results are following in the newsletter.  Congratulations to the coaches and Mrs Artz on a fabulous opportunity for our children.  

Year 5 beach safety:  Our Year 5 students attended their beach safety course this week and the reports were amazing.  They became Nippers for the day and learned about the flags, some basic first aid and were so lucky to have a swim.  Be sure to visit the Sports News section for more photos of the excursions.  Thank you to our wonderful staff who made this possible.  It is certainly something that will be continued at our school.

Meaningful learning: As you will have read in previous newsletters, our school is focusing more and more on deep learning where students are engaged in their world as serving citizens.  An example of this occurred last night when our Year 5 students collected donations for the Wasp Creek Rural Fire Brigade who are always doing an amazing job at protecting property and wildlife. 

And this week, Abbey and Hannah visited the Cancer Council to donate the money that they raised as part of the $20 Boss entrepreneurial project where they traded at the school fete and community events.  I am told that the ladies there were great Kelly (front desk) and Andrea (psychologist) were so impressed with the kids donating 100% of their business income.  Abbey and Hannah raised $320 and Chase raised a further $60.

Busy times ahead

There are just 5 school days remaining for 2019 and it is certainly going to be a busy time ahead as we celebrate the year completed and prepare for the next year.

The calendar at a glance:

Week 40

• Monday 9
  • Swimming fun day (Years 3&4)
  • High school transition day (Year 6)

• Tuesday 10
  • Swimming fun day (Years 5&6)
  • Report cards available on QParents

• Wednesday 11
  • Junior school awards assembly (Prep - Year 2)
  • Report cards emailed home

• Thursday 12
  • Senior school awards ceremony (Years 3-5)
  • Year 6 graduation ceremony (Sharks function centre)

• Friday 13
  • Last day of school for 2019
  • Free dress day (Sell uniforms to PLUS)
  • RED day at the cafe (cash only day)
  • Year 6 day at Wet n Wild

Staffing changes in 2020

We always see changes to our school staff each year.  Some staff are transferring, some are retiring and some are taking leave.  This year we say a fond farewell to:

• Mr Aquilina
• Mrs Bond 
• Ms Chapman 
• Mr Frost
• Mr Isele 
• Mr Longworth
• Mr Murillo 
• Mrs Richards
• Mrs Rolfe
• Mrs Sturgeon
• Mrs Walsh 
• Ms Westra
• Ms Witham

Thank you to each of them for their contributions to our school and community.  

We excitedly welcome the following new and returning staff:

• Louise Barnes (from Kingston SS)
• Louise Landers (from Bentley Park College)
• Anna Leese (Returning)
• Jason Meijboom (from Hilliard SS)
• Shelley O'Neill - SSC (from Cairns Regional Office)
• Nicole Rafton (from Grand Avenue SS)
• Rachel Shepherd (Returning)
• Charmaine Wynne  (Returning)

Cash payments at school

The Friday payment window has now closed for 2019.  Payments can still be made via B Point or Q Parents though.

2020 classes

Teachers will email families on Wednesday 22 January, welcoming your child to their class for 2020.  The Privacy Act prevents the school from sending a list to families.  

Book drop off and meet the new teacher

The school will be open on Friday morning 24 January so families can drop in to the school to meet the 2020 teachers, find the new classrooms and drop off book packs.  This is designed to make the first day of school much simpler.  

Have a great weekend.

Kind regards

Vic

It was certainly a windy day on Monday when we congratulated our Student Excellence Award recipients.  We were nearly blown away!

Families, students and staff all recently completed an opinion survey for the department.  Our school has received some very positive feedback from this year’s School Opinion Surveys.   I have listed some of the responses from each of the Student, Parent and Staff Surveys. Nearly all of the responses in all categories from the surveys are well above state averages.

Student Feedback (69 students from Years 5 and 6):

• My teachers encourage me to do my best (100%)
• I am getting a good education at my school (100%)
• My teachers expect me to do my best (100%)
• I can access computers and other technologies at my school for learning (100%)
• My school looks for ways to improve (98.5%)
• I like being at my school (100%)
• This is a good school (100%)
• The school gives me opportunities to do interesting things (100%)
• I would recommend this school to others (100%)
• My school encourages me to be a good community member (100%)
• My schoolwork challenges me to think (98.6%)
• I feel safe at my school (98.8%)

    
Parent Feedback (72 respondents):

• Teachers at this school expect my child to do his or her best (98.6%)
• This school celebrates student achievements (95.8%)
• This school encourages me to take an active role in my child’s education (97.2%)
• This is a good school (93.1%)
• The school is well organised (95.8%)
• Teachers at this school motivate my child to learn (91.7%)
• My child feels safe at this school (94.4%)
• My child likes being at this school (94.4%)
• I would recommend this school to others (93.0%)
• I understand how my child is assessed at this school (93.0%)
• The school gives my child opportunities to do interesting things (95.8%)
• This school encourages me to participate in school activities (98.6%)
• The staff are approachable (90.3%)
• Teachers are interested in my child’s well-being (95.8%)
• My child’s Mathematical skills are being developed at this school (97.2%)
• This school is well maintained (98.6%)

Staff Feedback (85 respondents)

• I enjoy working at this school (98.8%)
• I feel this school is a safe place in which to work (97.6%)
• Students are encouraged to do their best at this school (98.7%)
• This school looks for ways to improve (98.8%)
• Students with a disability are well supported at my school (91.6%)
• My school has an inclusive culture where diversity is valued and respected (96.4%)
• My school encourages me to take responsibility for my work (100%)
• My school encourages coaching and mentoring activities (96.4%)
• Staff at my school are actively involved in Developing Performance discussions. (98.8%)
• My school provides useful information online (100%)
• I can access the necessary information and communication technologies to my job at my school (98.8%)
• My school is well managed (98.8%)
• I am proud to tell others I work for my school (98.8%)

Coomera Rivers is very excited to welcome our new chaplain, Mrs Natalie Wood who joins us each Wednesday and Thursday. Chappy Wood comes to us with an integrative psychotherapy and clinical supervisory background and holds a Masters of Counselling. Chappy Wood not only has a unique ability to connect WITH people and build rapport quickly but also has the ability to connect people with appropriate resources and other key people. In just her short time with us already, she's already making those connections. Chappy Wood has joined our team and hopes to gain further valuable experience with students, families and staff in her role as Chaplain with Coomera Rivers State School. Be sure to say hello if you see her around.

Students from 5B and 5S hosted their very own Science Fair. The learners presented their amazing projects on the solar system, inviting families and other classes along to view and learn from their presentations. Students chose their solar system topic and how they would like to present their information. The students were deeply engaged in the learning and very proud of their work.  This is another great example of an authentic and purposeful learning task.

Wednesday afternoon saw six debating teams battle it out in the Grand Final for our 2019 Coomera Alliance Debating Competition. This competition is in its second year and has brought together 10 local primary schools to compete in a number of debates across Term 4. The two top performing teams from Years 4 to 6 were then selected, based on their number of wins and point totals, to represent their school in the grand final. Coomera Rivers was lucky enough to have 3 teams represented on Wednesday, although lucky isn't the right word. They worked so very hard and were very deserving of this position.

The calibre of speakers at these debates was nothing short of impressive and each debate was exceptionally close. The adjudicators, Mrs Kristine Lennon from Gold Coast Toastmasters, Mrs Kym Amor, Principal from the new Foxwell Secondary College and Ms Ceilia Norling, Deputy Principal from Pimpama State Secondary College, had an incredibly tough job and all walked away completely blown away with how talented our students performed.

Coomera Rivers year 4 and 6 teams walked away victorious and the Year 5's came in very close. This is a remarkable feat given students only had 5 school days to research and prepare for their debate. To formulate a strong team argument, prepare a speech and then deliver it with conviction in such a short space of time is something most adults would struggle with.

The results were as follows:
Year 4 - Coomera Rivers vs Coomera Springs
That teachers can be replaced by computers
Coomera Rivers Negative

Year 5 - Coomera Rivers vs Norfolk Village
That boys have it better than girls
Coomera Rivers Negative

Year 6 - Coomera Rivers vs Pimpama
That freedom of speech is a fallacy
Coomera Rivers Affirmative

So the decision at the end of the night was that teachers are irreplaceable, that boys have it better than the girls and the idea that we have freedom of speech is false.

Congratulations to the following students:
Year 4 Grand Final Team: Georgina B, Amber J, Jaxon D and Harriet H.
Year 5 Grand Final Team: Hannah C, Kai J, Porsche B and Abbey S.
Year 6 Grand Final Team: Kilarney C, Isabella L, Imogen R and Georgina P

Contributing to the team's success in making it to the grand final were also these students:
Year 4: Ariana T, Wyatt S, Tiarna N and Alyssa D.
Year 5: Kalen J, Taliea G, Christian P and Tiana Y.
Year 6: Ava O, Laila O, Zharia H and Isabella W

We also had some students take out some very special awards. These awards were determined from the points accumulated from all the debates and could have gone to any student from any school.

Year 4
Most Outstanding Speaker: Georgina B
Most Improved Speaker: Jaxon D
Most Improved Team: Coomera Rivers Team B (Wyatt, Tiarna, Alyssa & Amber)

Year 5
Most Outstanding Speaker: Porsche B

Year 6
Most Outstanding Speaker: Imogen R

Congratulations must also go to each and every teacher who mentored, inspired, encouraged and supported our students in developing their debating skills. For some of our teachers, this was their first experience at debating too. The improvement in our students' confidence and skill was tangible.

Year 4: Ms Parker, Ms Conroy and Ms Bray
Year 5: Mrs Comley, Ms Stuurstraat and Ms Kendall
Year 6: Mrs Wager, Ms Findlay and Ms Dare

We are genuinely looking forward to the competition next year and we know that our students and teachers, as well as those from our neighbouring schools, are as equally excited.

Throughout Term 4, we had a number of students participate in the ICAS Maths, English and Science Competitions. These tests are designed to really challenge students and they are then ranked against students across Australia. This was also the first year Coomera Rivers completed the assessments online.  Congratulations to all students who took up the challenge to give these competitions a go and in particular, congratulations to the following students for their outstanding results:

English

Merit
Eva K (Year 2)
Lia L (Year 2)
Ben S (Year 6)

Credit
Tamara S (Year 2

Distinction
Michael T (Year 4)

Maths

Merit
Tamara S (year 2)
Henry B (Year 5)
Harry H (Year 5)

Credit
Annabelle F (Year 3)
Keagan K (Year 4)
Kade B (Year 5)
Amelie N (Year 5)

High Distinction
Michael T (Year 4)

Science

Credit
Archer B (Year 2)
Lachlan S (Year 3)
Keegan K (Year 4)
Kade B (Year 5)
Harry H (Year 5)

High Distinction
Michael T (Year 4)

Congratulations to Colter and Aria on their wonderful presentations at last Saturday's Music Bus concert. They both play the drums and were both awesome.  Thank you to them both for representing our school so brilliantly!

This week our Year 5 students attended a Surf Safety day at Burleigh Heads. It was conducted by Surf Lifesaving Queensland.

The day was a great opportunity for our students to learn about things such lifesaving techniques, first aid, surfing skills and also some fun activities such as beach flags. We received some very positive feedback from our instructors when they remarked that Coomera Rivers Students were some of the best behaved students they had ever instructed.

Thank you sincerely to our teachers for providing this opportunity for our children.  It is definitely an activity that will remain in the Coomera Rivers calendar for future years.

Student report (Tiana 5S)

Tiana_5S_Newsletter_.pdf

Tiana_5S_Newsletter pdf 177.97 KB

   

Gallery

On Friday our school conducted the Inaugural Sports Awards ceremony. It was a celebration of the tremendous achievements of our inter-school sporting teams and individuals from those teams. In 2019, Coomera Rivers won Broadwater District Premierships in four different sports: Netball, Football, Touch Football and Rugby League. To open and close the ceremony, we were regaled with amazing performances from Eden and Isabella performing “Sunflower” and our talented Year 3 “Time to Shine” dancers.

The 2019 Players of the Year in each sport are:

• AFL:  Noah
• Football:  Mackenzie
• Touch Football:   Chezaan
• Netball:   Meta
• Rugby League:   Harry
• Runner of the Year:   Hannah

The highly coveted Coach of the Year award went to Mr Justin Murillo.

Cheerleading

Congratulations to Scarlett (4K) and Lacey (6M) who competed at the AASFC All Star Nationals. It’s 3 days of competition at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Lacey and Scarlett finished 3rd overall which is an awesome achievement. Well come girls!

Basketball

Well done to Dallin (6I) who was made it to the U14 Gold Coast basketball team.   This is a great achievement as she is only 12.

Summer is here and we can definitely feel it.  We’re getting ready for the end of the school year enjoying our mornings and afternoons soaking up the sun. Our children have been loving active play on the oval – cricket has been a winner, we’re learning how to skip double dutch and were leaping bounds with fly.

While we love Summer, some afternoons are just too hot for us. If we’re feeling a little too hot and sticky, we opt for the undercover area. In the undercover area we love group games like silent ball and tunnel ball. Some of us practice our skipping when we’re playing in here too. Miss Courtney is the best at double dutch so we’re all practicing to beat her!

If you’re coming to OSHC on the last day of school, Friday 13th of December make sure you pack your togs because we’re giong to celebrate with a water afternoon! What a way to start our Summer holidays!

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

Bookings are open now

As we near the end of the 2019 school year, it is time to start considering your before and after school care needs for 2020.

Booking requests are open now for and placements are limited and are filling fast!  Click here to enrol for BSC and/or ASC in 2020 and submit your booking request.  Booking offers for BSC and ASC in 2020 will begin being emailed to families in Week 9 (Monday 2 December 2019).  Families need to accept and confirm bookings offers within 48 hours to finalise the booking process.

Please find below a guide to completing the booking request for your convenience.

Please note - QikKids website is not optimised for use on mobile devices, including iPads and mobile phones, so the enrolment process will need to be completed on a computer.

Would you like to sell your no longer required school uniforms but need them right up until the last day?  Well we have the solution!

Friday 13 December - the last day of school - will be a NO GOLD COIN Free Dress Day!

This gives families the opportunity to get together all their laundered, no longer required uniforms and drop them into school on the last day for processing.

When dropping your uniforms off please ensure:

• You leave adequate time to complete the necessary paperwork when dropping off (or, please email us and request a form so you can fill it out before you come)
• Have your bank account details on you. We are unable to process any uniforms if we have not received bank details.
• You can drop off your uniforms to the back of Corporate Services from 8am on Friday 13 December through until 2pm.

Uniforms will be processed in order of receipt and, whilst every effort will be made to process all uniforms on the day, please understand that processing may not be finalised until the end of the first week of school holidays.

At the end the school year we need to turn off all of our fridges and freezes so to clear all remaining stocks, we hold an annual Red Day Sale at the cafe.

Items are sold at cost or lower.  We only use CASH on this day.

These sales are available for students to purchase at 1st and 2nd break on Friday or until stock runs out.

Supported by the Google Women Techmakers program, and the Griffith University School of Engineering, we will be presenting a full day series of mini workshops, for students from years 4-6, and years 7-9. These mini workshops will feature four different, hands-on activities, representative of the four most prominent engineering fields.  And our girls are invited.

The day itself will be competition-based in a round-robin style, and the girls will be encouraged to work in teams to complete the challenge tasks. These tasks include:

• Building the strongest bridge or most stable tower, to learn about statics and structural design
• Constructing a rubber band car, to learn about energy transformations
• Following circuitry design, to learn how electricity flows
• Programming a robot to exit a maze, to learn basic algorithmic design through trials

The details of the event are as follows:

• Date: Thursday 23rd January 2020
• Time: 9am - 3pm
• Who: Grades 4-6 female students 2020
• Where: Griffith University Gold Coast Campus

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.