Northgate News. From the Principal s Desk. Every Student, Every Day.Thinking and Learning Together. Issue 2 Term 1 10 February 2017

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1 N O R T H G A T E S T A T E S C H O O L, A M E L I A S T R E E T N U N D A H, Northgate News Every Student, Every Day.Thinking and Learning Together. Events next week: P & C Annual Meeting Monday 13 Feb 7pm in the Library Assembly Fri 17 Feb 2:15pm Yr 5/6 B on stage Issue 2 Term 1 10 February 2017 From the Principal s Desk Dear Families and Friends, How delightful to see such enthusiasm with so many families attending the Parent Information Evenings. The class teachers provided a thorough overview of the school and classroom philosophies and expectations, as well as curriculum offerings for the appropriate year level. For those families who participated in more than one session, it was important to know that the general expectations are consistent no matter the year level or class. During the transition between sessions, there was a tangible buzz amongst our community and to overhear a parent say to another, I just love this school!, was indeed music to my ears. Thank you to all families and our generous class teachers who made this an important priority so early in the school year. Our mutual valuing of the connection between home and school sets a strong foundation for communication and support for each and every child for the 2017 school year. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Day 8 I am pleased to advise that following our Day 8 data collection, our staffing allocation remains the same, with a total of 258 students enrolled at our school. A full staff list is provided for your reference. (refer to page 6) Annual Meeting of the P&C Association I would like to acknowledge the wonderful work of the P&C 2016 and their significant contributions to our school in many and varied ways throughout 2016, all for the benefit of our school community. Their generosity of time and commitment for the greater good was quite exceptional and the introduction of the mantra, Many hands, light work, acknowledges the difference that can be made with the support and assistance of another. On behalf of the school community, staff and students, our sincerest thanks to the Executive Committee P&C President, Natalie S, Vice President, Sonia U, Treasurer, Mandy H, Minutes Secretary, Kate F, and each and every Committee member, helper, meeting attendees and P & C supporters of their special events. The building of a team is the essence of the strong and united support and all families are encouraged and welcome to take part. Please find enclosed a P & C Membership Form for completion. Drop your completed applications into the P & C box in the School Office or bring them along to the meeting. The AGM is the only meeting of the year that membership forms can be accepted without the applicant present and enables you to have full voting rights. We are looking forward to continue to build our team of champions and share the load in 2017 expanding Many hands, light work. When: Monday 13 February 2017 Where: School Library Time: 7:00 pm Carol Scriven Principal

2 School News Principals Learning Walk Visit This week we were host to 2 Regional Leaders and 3 fellow principals as part of a Critical Friends Network, developed to support and challenge our professional learning, as principals. During the four hour visit, a Learning Walk was conducted through some of our classrooms. Learning Walks are an opportunity to gather a snapshot of the learning, with the aim of fostering conversation about teaching and learning, to develop a shared vision of high quality teaching that impacts on student learning. Our explicit focus was to determine how successfully our work of the teaching of reading has been embedded, evidenced through the transition from one year to the next and with a new blend of students in each classroom. Whilst it was a little daunting for our students to be put under the spotlight being asked questions from these visitors, they responded beautifully, if not a little nervously, to the 5 key questions which have been identified by Lynne Sharratt: 1. What are you learning? 2. How are you doing? 3. How do you know? 4. How can you improve? 5. Where do you get help? Students who can accurately describe their learning and how to improve, show greater potential to enhance their own learning achievements. The same questions are just as critical for us as school leaders and in conversations with our teachers, too. You might like to ask the questions to your own children at home, also, not just about school life but their other endeavours as well. I am pleased to advise that the feedback from our visitors was very positive. Our children were able to transfer roles learnt in their Reading Block from last year to this year, especially given it is so early in the school year. They could articulate reading strategies, why they were using them, how they felt about their reading and their feelings of success. Our ultimate goal is that these skills will be applied effectively and seamlessly across all Key Learning Area literacies, as these same strategies are not bounded in Reading Blocks alone. Again, our core consistent language to unpack texts in all forms, is a strong foundation for ongoing development. Best of all, our Lead Principal, Mr Geise, identified us as, A school of Learners with tone and expectations from staff and students for success in learning, incredibly positive. Thanks parents for your support in valuing education and contributing to our school s overall success. Choir News 2017 is an exciting year for the many children at Northgate who love to sing! Northgate choirs not only perform at school events, but we have earned a reputation as a community-minded group that loves to perform at events outside the school. We are delighted to announce the choir s new name. We all know that Northgate has H.E.A.R.T., and our new name reflects the high expectations, effort, positive attitude, responsibility and teamwork that we value in our school and from our singers. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, our new choir name is The Heartbeat Choir! Every child from years 1 6 is welcome to join The Heartbeat Choir. We meet in the music room every Tuesday at first break, straight after the eating bell. During this past week, many children came to see what choir was all about and enjoyed singing a jazzy song called Green Eggs and Ham. The Heartbeat Choir will be officially starting on Tuesday 14 February. Children who attend will take a note home that outlines performances as well as the commitment expected from them if they decide to join. Please carefully read the note and discuss these expectations with your child. It is an important life skill to learn about staying committed to a group and true to our word, and to then experience the pride, satisfaction and sense of belonging that results. Choir membership is also a wonderful opportunity to instil in children their connection to the wider community. Choir members receive a lot of positive feedback from people thanking them for their service! Throughout Term 1 an additional choir will be rehearsing. This is The Anzac Day Choir. It is made up of singers from the Heartbeat Choir as well as all students from Years 5 and 6. As leaders in our school, the older students are setting the example of community service as they prepare to perform at our school Anzac day service as well as the annual RSL Anzac day service at Boyd Park. This special choir will be practising on Wednesday mornings from 8.30am until 8.50am until Anzac Day. A note will be coming home soon to Year 5 and 6 families with more information. As many existing Choir members will tell you, we experienced a lengthy delay in our choir badges arriving last year. Children who are continuing with choir this year will be receiving their badges at Assembly on Friday in week 5. Family members are invited to come to this special presentation. Other badge presentations will occur during the year as newer members of the Heartbeat Choir prove their commitment by attending each rehearsal. Keep on singing! Mrs Kerryn Hugo (Music Teacher)

3 School News Classroom Upgrades Our new desks, purchased for Years 1 to Year 3 students, in 5 classrooms, arrived a little earlier than expected to the delight of us all. Pop up and see our new purchases which are being enjoyed by our students. Some letters received reflect their genuine joy! NEW Get Active Plan Next week we will commence our new plan for our 8:30am-8:45am sessions before school. These will be held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays only. With consultation between staff and students we can unveil a new title: Active8 making a great start to our school day for healthy minds and bodies. Stay tuned for our unveiling on Monday morning. New venues, new options with parent participation welcome too. Participation Expectations: All students who are at school at 8:30am and then upon their arrival go and join their House group (Banksia, Wattle and Waratah) and take part. No alternative arrangements may be conducted during that time, except for the before school Speak Up program. Our school has a long tradition of this community start to our school days and we encourage your active involvement in keeping this alive and well. Our students have been asking for this to begin so we are hoping that the long hot days will soon be over. Library News School Contributions 2017 By now all families should have received a letter and form to return to school regarding the opportunity to assist in supplementing our school for some of the additional items we provide to support quality teaching and learning. This year we have elected to make your contributions directly available to your child s class teacher for expenditure in 2017, for your children. This means the high quality reading books and upgrades, materials for practical activities across the curriculum and also photocopying, workbooks and more can be produced for your child s learning. At $20 per term, or $80 annually, your generosity is welcomed and support strongly encouraged. To date there has been a positive response. We look forward to this continuing for the benefit of all. Come to the library First Break on Thursday 16th February with your favourite piece of poetry, story, song lyrics or recipe and share in "Read Aloud Day"! You will have a chance to read aloud on our centre stage and experience the joy of reading aloud to a captive audience!! No experience necessary, all welcome, a minute is sufficient. So come and be proud and Read Aloud! Yours in Reading Mrs van Zijl and Miss Foster.

4 P & C News AGM - Annual Meeting Northgate State School library on Monday 13 th February from 7pm until 7.30pm. A general meeting will be held immediately following the AGM. Each year at the AGM, the executive roles are declared open and nominations for the new year received. These roles are: President Vice President (at least one) Secretary Treasurer In addition to those roles, we have sub-committees and official roles for: Tuckshop rostering, ordering, cooking, volunteering Uniforms volunteering Parent rep coordinator communication between P&C and class reps Social media keeping the page up to date with news and events Fundraising always a team effort at Northgate, with event coordination being allocated per event/ fundraiser. It s a great time to come along and enjoy the many benefits of being a P&C member. Some of these include: getting to know other families in the school hearing the Principal s report at each meeting having a say in how P&C funds are allocated within the school contributing to discussions and assisting with decision making We are looking forward to seeing familiar P&C members once again, and hopeful for many new faces on the committee this year. Whether you want to be involved a tiny bit behind the scenes, on the front line at everything, or somewhere in between, come along and be a part of a great group of community members! Please find attached to this newsletter a member registration form for completion and return to the P & C box in the school office. We have also attached information about the P & C Association and what it does. Join our Facebook Community Our Facebook community is growing join us today! The P&C has a closed page dedicated to Northgate families where we share information and updates and reminders send a request to join and stay in the loop! Nat, Sonia & the P&C Committee Chappy News Chappy Megan is at Northgate: Mondays (8am-4pm) and Thursdays (8am-4pm). Hi Parents and Friends at Northgate. I hope you have all enjoyed the first couple of weeks at school this year, especially our Preps and new students. For those of you who are new to the Northgate school community, I d like to take this opportunity to say welcome and to introduce myself. My name is Megan Valler, but you will most likely hear me called Chappy Megan and I am the school chaplain. My role is to work alongside staff to help support students and families as a role model and mentor. While at school I also organise some fun activities, and listed below are some of the exciting things that will be happening this term. Lunchtime Clubs This year lunchtime clubs will be organised on Mondays and Thursdays and will change every term. Students have already given me some great ideas for the year and based on their suggestions, I have been organising craft on Mondays and joining in soccer on the oval on Thursdays in Term 1. The first two weeks of craft have been excellent! We have made little animal puppets and colourful bookmarks. Soccer has also been fun with the older students and I am enjoying the challenge of chasing down some very fast runners. Lunchtime clubs are open to all students in Grade 1-6 if they wish to join in. Prep students however will continue to play in their assigned playground and will have an opportunity to join in lunchtime clubs later in the year. Chappy News/ Chappy Mailbox The Chappy Mailbox is up and running for 2017 and can be found in the library! Each class has a new mailbox to receive class letters and replies to the mail they send me. J Within the first week I received quite a few colourful pictures and letters and students should receive a letter back by the end of each week! This mailbox system is a fun way for me to interact with the students and provides an avenue for students to ask for support and help if the need arises. Additionally, all Chappy News will be placed on the noticeboard in the office foyer, above the lost property and includes some of my latest letters. Classroom Visits Another way I am able to provide support to students and staff in our school is by classroom visits. By regularly visiting classrooms I can get to know the students better, and I can work alongside students and teachers. I really enjoy this time, especially as I get to see all the students at Northgate and be updated by the teachers. I would love the opportunity to meet families so please come and find me if you have any questions for me- my goal is to be either in the quadrangle or at the school gate after school. You might also see me at some P&C meetings and special assemblies if I get an opportunity to visit too. Have a fantastic weekend! Chappy Megan

5 Speech and Drama classes at Northgate State School! Zigzags, Speech & Drama (grade 3-6) Tuesday 8.15am - 8:45am Polkadots, Speech & Drama (prep - grade 2) Friday 8.15am am Speak Up Studio is dedicated to creating exciting and engaging drama programs that build confidence and encourage children to be positive about speaking up! Our programs aim to develop confidence, creativity and communication skills, and to foster a love of reading and literature in all our students. For more information or to register for a class please visit info@speakupstudio.com.au or Phone: (07)

6 STAFF LIST 2017 Administration Principal Business Services Manager Teaching Staff Year 5/6B Year 5/6 Year 4 Year 3/ 4 Year 3 Year 2B Year 2A Year 1B Year 1A Prep Blue Prep White Master Teacher / HOC Literacy Coach Diversity Teachers Head of Student Diversity LOTE Japanese Music HPE Teacher Librarian/ Digital Pedagogies Instrumental Music Guidance Officer Speech Language Pathologist Teacher Aides Library / Admin Ancillary & Support Staff Janitor Groundsman Cleaner Cleaner Cleaner IT Support Chaplain Mrs Carol Scriven Mrs Sue Guymer Mrs Janet Price Mrs Mandy Noye (Mon-Wed) Mrs Jane Remington-Doyle Ms Lauren Ciantar Mrs Lynne Walker Mrs Megan Hartshorn Mrs Jenny Wisenthal Mrs Linda Heitzmann Mrs Sigridur Ingvadottir Mrs Jane Reineker (Fri) Mrs Julie Neisler Mrs Judy McLean (Thur-Fri) Mrs Diane Davenport Mrs Liz Armstrong (Fri) Mrs Talei Wiklund Mrs Chris Killen Mandy Noye (Wed, Thur) Mrs Janine Wedmaier ( Mon Wed) Mrs Deb Lau (Mon, Fri) Ms Carolyn Bofinger (Tues) Mrs Sue Chaki Mrs Kerryn Hugo Mrs Kellie Jago Mrs Alison Van Zijl Mrs Jodie Riek Mrs Genevieve Smith Ms Caitlin O Rourke Mrs Ruth Edwards Mrs Jo Finley Mrs Angela Salvestrin Mrs Karen Wise Ms Raelene Foster Mrs Fiona Wilson Mrs Julie Viveganantham Mrs Madonna Corless Mr Ian Graham Mrs Gail Eyears Mrs Pauline Yates Mr Alan Holloway Mr Matt Duncan Mrs Megan Valler

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8 Application for P&C Membership for 2017 Northgate State School P&C Association Please complete and return to the P&C Box in the school office Name:... Address: Phone:...Mobile: Membership: New / Renewal (please circle one) I am a parent / caregiver / community member (over 18 years of age) at the school (please circle one) Child s Name/s: I agree to be bound by the constitution of the P&C and by all valid resolutions passed by the Association. I agree to work within the boundaries of the Education ( Provisions) Act I agree to be bound by Education Queensland s Code of Conduct which includes the following: Personal Privacy information obtained as a P&C representative MUST be considered confidential and treated accordingly Courtesy, respect, dignity and fairness will be observed at all times Discrimination against any person will not be tolerated (refer Anti-Discrimination Act 1991) I am interested in participating in the following P & C activities: o Tuckshop o Fundraising Committee o Various Activities eg. Working bees, marketing/advertising Signature:... Date:... P&C Secretary Use Date received:.../.../... Date accepted:.../.../... Secretary s signature:... Entered in P&C Register: