PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

WEEK TWO: Amazing isn’t it? Almost two weeks gone already!

How did you adjust to receiving the newsletter on a Thursday for the first time? Did you find it more convenient in terms of finding time to read it? Let me know of any problems in this regard.

All classes now seem to be settled in to their routines with minimal difficulties. Thank-you for the time you’ve spent preparing your children physically and psychologically for their return to school – well equipped, looking good in their uniforms, and positive in attitude.

Our 12 prep and 75 year 1-7 students really have started from poll position on their “highway to success!”

NEW SHIRTS: A special thank-you to Maryanne Volker and her helpers for their time spent in arranging for the new sports shirts to be made and delivered.

These new shirts are certainly striking in appearance – both design, colour and fabric – and will leave no room for confusion with other schools.

Now that we have these shirts there may be some follow up debate about the colour of shorts/skorts etc to be worn with them. We’ll leave that to this month’s P & C meeting!

The school does not expect parents to immediately purchase new sports shirts. Current sports shirts are fine to be worn until such time as a new one is required.

DETAILS UPDATES: Next week we will be posting home copies of the confidential details form we hold for each child.

Please review these details and let us know of any changes so we can update our records if necessary.

BUDGET PROCESSES: This is the time of year when we are required to identify spending priorities for the coming twelve months (or longer), and would like your input either from your direct observations or by talking with your children.

Please jot down any suggestions/recommendations you may have on the page provided and return it to school as soon as possible.

ACTIVE AFTER-SCHOOL: This kicked off to a very lively start yesterday with ‘Al’ and his fun party dances. On Monday the Basketball sessions will commence with Hampden staff and volunteers running the first two weeks until “Coach King” completes his rep team duties and can take over.

At the moment we are already “over-quota” for both these sessions so new applications will be placed on a waiting list.

It’s great to see so many children taking advantage of these wonderful opportunities.

Howard Frost

Principal.

INFORMATION BOOKLETS: Our Hampden information booklets have been updated and reprinted. All families with children in the prep-1 class have been provided with a copy, with others available from the office on request.

NEWSLETTER HOLDERS: Hopefully every family received theirs last Thursday. If not ask for one at the office. Reports I’m receiving indicate they’re very useful items.

MONTHLY CALENDAR: This usually appears on the back of the last newsletter of the month before, however this time it’s an insert.

INSURANCE COVER FOR STUDENTS: Education Qld has requested the following message be placed in newsletters:

Insurance cover for students undertaking physical activities

Physical activity and physical education, particularly contact sports, carry inherent risks of injury.

Parents are advised that the Department of Education Training and the Arts does not have Personal Accident Insurance cover for students.

Education Queensland has public liability cover for all approved school activities and provides compensation for students injured at school only when the Department is negligent. If this is not the case, then all costs associated with the injury are the responsibility of the parent or caregiver.

It is a personal decision for parents as to the type and level of private insurance they arrange to cover students for any accidental injury that may occur.

Hello Everyone,

Our Year 6/7 Buddies joined by this week for a series of small group activities including using information and computer technologies, board games and quiet reading.

The Buddies are a positive role model for our students as they show us how to use digital cameras, listening posts, and computer software and programs. As we play board games with our buddies we learn: to take turns, follow the rules of the game, how to accept winning or losing, and learn basic concepts at the same time!

As our Buddies read to us we learn ‘book knowledge’ – how to hold a book, the different parts of a book, how to work our difficult or unknown words and what reading ‘looks like’.

Many thanks to our Buddies for this week – Chelsea, Michael, jack, Cody, Jordan and Ben!

Many thanks to our parent helpers Mrs Ashcroft, Mrs De Paoli, Mrs Olsen and Mrs Leahy who were a great help at inside time, outside time and Literacy this week!

SPORTS SHIRTS have now arrived and are available from the office at $25 each. To ensure all students who wish to purchase new shirts have the opportunity to do so, a limit of 2 shirts per child will apply for the month of February.

ROSTER RETURNS are coming in slowly. Please consider helping us out with the Tuckshop and Groundscare rosters where possible. Giving a little of your time makes a big difference.

2008 P & C MEMBERSHIP FORMS are needed by the A.G.M. on MONDAY 18 FEBRUARY to allow you instant membership rights.

FOOTY BARS FUNDRAISING has now been confirmed and what an excellent opportunity being provided to us. See Karen Gee’s notice on the back page and start rounding up friends and relatives to give us a hand at some of these matches.

WEEKLY CLASS AWARDS

These wards commence at tomorrow’s parade, and hence will appear in next week’s newsletter. We do have two more Milestone Award achievers to recognise however:

JACK MITCHELL (100 certificates) SUCCESSFUL CENTURION

ANTHONY LEEDING (180 certificates) GALACTIC GENIUS

Congratulations to Jack and Anthony for these wonderful achievements.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

We only think we are confronted with a problem. – John Dewey, philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer.

CLASSROOM ROUND-UP

This week’s contributions are from the year 4/5 class who have been reflecting on their first week in their new class.

My Reflections – Jayde Melross - Year 4

My first week has been quite hard but I really think I can do it. I believe the hardest bit is times tables. The easiest one is mapping. I honestly can say Mrs Wales ran the class very well.

My Reflections – Nick Perna – Year 4

My first week has been super good. I love mapping and spelling tests. But, I really don’t like maths. I loved my holidays but they have to stop one day. I like tables because they are fun.

My Reflections – Madelaine Burley – Year 4

My first week has been not too bad. Some of it is hard and some of it I do not understand at all. At frst I couldn’t believe that I was in year 4 but it’s really fun!

My Reflections – Alyce Volker – Year 4

My first week has been brilliant! First day back I was really excited because I would see all of my friends again. The best thing that’s happened this week would have to be coming back to school. The worst thing would have been the times tables test.

My Reflections – Demi Cruickshanks – Year 5

My first week has been magnificent! As soon as I arrived at school some people came to greet me and I thought that was very nice and caring. When I walked in the class room I saw the orals up on the wall and I was excited. Through the day I wasn’t as excited as I was earlier but the rest of the week was lovely.

My Reflections – Winston Dwyer – Year 5

My first week has been pumped. I’ve loved it. I didn’t think I’d like it so much. I felt I’d be in trouble and as much as I hate school I quite liked it. I liked everything we did and yet and I can’t wait until my baby cousin comes down. Then I’ll have heaps of things to say in my diary entries.

My Reflections- Darcie Cahill – Year 5

My first week has been great but the first 2 days I was nervous. When Mum was driving to school on the first day, my stomach was so painful. When we were getting our equipment ready, I was actually shaking, because I was always late and didn’t know what to do because I was Monitor. But I kept up because Courtney was telling me what Mrs Wales said. Courtney was awesome! Second day I was still a little bit shaking.

My Reflections – Mitchell Lake – Year 5

My first week has been scary. I don’t like maths. I like tables. I am scared of oral language. I like playing sport.

FIT 4 LIFE

With Jo May-Jolley

Fit 4 Life exercise classes combining the best of the best in: Cardio, Core, Strength, Balance and Flexibility

At Marian Hall

9.30am Wednesday’s and Friday’s

Continuing from Wednesday 6^th of February 2008 $15 per class or $80.00 for a 4 week pass (8 classes)

Come and have some fun. For enquiries please contact: Jo May-Jolley on 49590981 or 0405022079 or Robyn Agius 49543007 or 0419216364

PIONEER POWER JNR AFL SIGN-ON

Saturday 9^th February, Marian State School. Clinic with AFL great Robert Diperdomenico (Dipper) 10am – 11am followed by sausage sizzle and sign-on. Age groups under 8’s, 10’s, 12’s and 14’s. Both Boys & girls welcome.

IMPORTANT P & C NEWS

Re: FOOTBALL BARS

Ka-ching!!! I can hear the money pouring in already, but we need your help. After talking with Mackay Rugby League it has been confirmed that we will be doing the bars at the Cutters home games as well as the Cowboys game and finals series that we did last year. This means there are more weekends involved for us but it also means more money for us as well. By running these bars we will earn up to $10,000 for the year and it is money that we are not pulling out of our own back pockets or hounding the same people in our local community for it. I have a draw for the season and will get dates out that we are required to do so please have a look and let us know when you are available, a few hours here and there will be a great help. We need as many people as we can get to help out with this and it will make it easier for all those involved. Please don’t hesitate to talk to one of us if you need to know more about it, they are enjoyable days and we make money out of it! Contact Karen Gee (49 540498 or see me at school), Frank Perna (49 540274) or the school (49 540189).

Issue no.2, 7th February 2008

Issue no.2, 7^th February 2008