KSS_Newsletter_W4T4

Principal Update

The term is going very fast and we are now at the end of Week 4.  It has been really pleasing to receive feedback from some of you around the newsletter.  We look forward to providing you with updates from across the different sectors across the school to share what is happening, along with celebrating our amazing Kingston students.

Below is a brochure that some of you may find helpful in navigating online safety for your child.  There are some helpful hints in how parents and caregivers can be proactive in this space, along with tips to interact responsibly, should you choose to allow your child to access social media.  At the start of the year, we held an information session for parents and caregivers  on ways to support their child in being safe online.  We will look at repeating this session at the end of Term 3.  Please keep an eye out for that to be promoted in our newsletter.  This link below shares some information from the eSafety Commissioner around the minimal ages for registering for a social media account, across a range of platforms:

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/are-they-old-enough 

This year’s School Opinion Survey runs from 22 July to 16 August 2024. Parents, caregivers and students are encouraged to participate. Your insights will help us know what our school does well and how we can improve. Participants will be emailed a link to access the survey the week before it opens. Survey responses are confidential. The survey usually takes less than 10 minutes to complete. More information can be found on the School Opinion Survey webpage or by contacting the school.

We are reviewing the times that we are opening and closing our gates each morning and afternoon at Kingston State School.  From Tuesday 13th August, we will be closing the pedestrian gate near the Hall, and the pedestrian gate near Prep on Juers Street at 3:10pm.  This is twenty minutes after the bell.  We will be communicating this with our students next week so that they are aware.  We are noticing that some students are playing after school when they should have left the school grounds. Any student who is not collected from the school by this time, will need to come to the Administration Office so that staff can contact parents. 

Deputy Principal Update

Term 3 - Week 4

In week 3 & 4 of Term 3 we celebrated some very important events that acknowledged and recognised the diverse community of our school. We so proud of the commitment, effort, expertise and collective energy we have combined to produce exceptional and impacting events.

NAIDOC

Although NAIDOC Week looked different this year at Kingston, jarjums had a great time learning and immersing themselves in culture. Our main celebration was Deadly Thursday, with classes initiating the ceremony by drawing inspiration from Meanjin NAIDOC traditions, with a jarjum only lap around the oval holding the flags high to symbolise that our jarjums are the future and leading the way to learn and pass on knowledge. Thank you to the deadly teams from Bama Tales and Gunya Meta for running activities on Wednesday, and to all the teachers who went above and beyond to ran lunch time activities and lessons to ensure their classes had a great 5 days of celebrating!

NAIDOC Celebrations

BADGE CEREMONY

Our Badge Ceremony 2024 was a fitting celebration of acknowledging the effort and commitment of students who have made and continue to make impact in their roles of leadership in our school. We commend the badge recipients for School Captain, House Captain and School council Representative. A giant well done to our respectful students and ever encouraging staff for the respect and honour your provided as an audience of supporters.  We extend our thanks to our special guests: Councillor Teresa Lane for her faithful and loyal support of our school and community. Thank you to our partner Family LinQ who represented by Dr Glenda Stanley in your role and Kingston State College – Mrs Carol Hill (HOSES) and Mr Michael Goode (HoD Year 7). We were also supported by the Police Liason Officer program and felt their loving presence amongst our students. Thank you to Mrs Marshall, Mrs Steers, Mrs Fisher and Mrs Del Santo for your role in our ceremony for 2024.

We were honoured to share our badge ceremony with special guests from Kingston State College. A massive thank you to Caroline Hill (HOSES) and Michael Goode (Head of Department Year 7) for supporting our students through the recognition of their Leadership Badges and Sports Medallions. We extend our thanks further for the scholarships provided to our students and families.

Student Leaders

Gala Day

Congratulations to the students and staff coaches who represented Kington State School and demonstrated the values and pride of our school.   Basketball – (Coach) Mr Jason Am, Volleyball – (Coach) Ms Bridie Claffey, Soccer – (Coach) Mr Morgan Sharp and Rugby League – (Coach) Nari Tamala.

POLICE LIASON OFFICERS – Cultural Program

We are delighted for our Kingston community that Queensland Police Services have partnered with Kingston State School and are running the Maori Pasifika Roots Program and the African Youth Program this term. The impact and the influence of this program is integral to the development of social skills, life skills and values that sustain and support students to engage and participate in student life and that beyond the classroom walls.

Thank you,

Carl Toma

Deputy Principal (Year 3 to Year 6)

Inclusion Update

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School
Students with Disability (NCCD).  Please see the information below that highlights more information about the NCCD.

Student Wellbeing Update

Getting enough sleep is vital for your child’s physical health, brain function, emotional wellbeing, safety, and ability to function day to day. Not having enough sleep or not sleeping well can affect how children learn and lead to mood swings and behavioural problems. Some things to consider if your child is having difficulties with sleep:

• Create a Routine: A consistent bedtime routine lets your child’s mind know that it’s time to settle down and prepare for sleep. The actual routine can be specific to your child, but it should last around 20 minutes and consist of three to four quiet, soothing activities such as putting on PJs, brushing teeth, a warm bath, and reading.
• Set a Bedtime: A sleep schedule works with your child’s natural biological clock to promote dozing off with regularity. Bedtimes are most useful when they’re consistent, so try to keep the same bedtime on weekends as on school nights. Altering bedtimes during the weekend will make it more difficult for kids to maintain their normal weekday schedules.
• Implement a Screen Curfew: Mobile devices, TVs, and tablets emit a type of blue light that suppresses melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep. Children may be particularly vulnerable³ to the effects of light from screens. Screen time also stimulates the brain, making it harder to wind down for sleep. Electronic devices should be kept out of the bedroom and ideally not used within one hour of bedtime.
• Get Exercise: Physical activity is proven to help people of all ages fall asleep faster and stay asleep⁵. Most children need at least one hour⁶ of exercise per day. Just make sure to avoid vigorous activity within two hours of bedtime. Otherwise, your child may feel wound-up and find it harder to fall asleep.
• Avoid Scary or Violent Content: Feeling scared or worried is a common reason kids can’t sleep. So it’s no wonder that scary or violent movies, TV, video games, and even books in the evening are linked to sleep disturbances⁷ in children.
• Limit Caffeine: Caffeine is a stimulant that can both make it harder to fall asleep and reduce the quality of sleep. It can be found in soft drinks, energy drinks and chocolate. Even small amounts of caffeine can have a big impact⁸ on a little body. Don’t let your child consume caffeine within six hours of bedtime⁹, or preferably, avoid it all together.

How much sleep do children need?

The amount of sleep we need changes with age. Everyone is different, but as a guide, children need the following amounts of sleep every night:

• ages 3 to 5: 10 to 13 hours
• ages 6 to 13: 9 to 11 hours
• ages 14 to 17: 8 to 10 hours

When To See Your Doctor

If your child continues to have trouble sleeping despite your best efforts, it may be time to check in with their paediatrician. Any of these reasons are cause to involve a doctor:

• Significant daytime sleepiness/falling asleep in class
• Frequent or severe snoring or other abnormal breathing during sleep
• Suspected psychological, developmental or medical condition
• Your child is using an ipad/phone throughout the night

Head of Department - Curriculum Update

Reading Sessions for Parents and Carers

During Book Week, we will be holding an information session for parents and carers on how to support beginning readers (Prep – Year 2).

This session is scheduled for August 22^nd in our library and we will run it twice, at 9am and 3pm.

A flyer will be coming home soon. If you would like to attend, please return the bottom portion of the flyer to the office by Monday, August 19^th.

We look forward to working together to help our beginning readers grow and achieve.

Student Update

Solid Pathways

Our Solid Pathways students in Years 4 and 6 continue to make us proud at Kingston. This week they attended a University Experience Day at the University of Queensland. Below are two student reports from the day and some photos showing their fantastic team work and problem-solving skills.

‘This week we all went to the University of Queensland for a Solid Pathways educational day. We learnt about the mummification process and then got to attempt it. We learnt about engineering and budgeting, making a floating home that could hold weight. Finally, we used a coding system called “Makey Makey” to code a moving and jumping program on a computer.’  Talin 

‘At the University of Queensland we had a good time. We wrapped a mummy and that was fun but it was confusing and we had to restart twice. We then had lunch and it was yum. Then we had to build a floating house. We first planned and then we showed the teacher. We had a budget of $40 and we had to stay within that. Overall it was an 8 out of 10 experience.’ Emily 

Solid Pathways Excursion

Upcoming Dates

On the left hand panel of this newsletter, there is a section for 'Upcoming Events'.  We will use this section to communicate important dates around school events.  Please note the dates for 'Logan Show Holiday' and for a 'Student Free Day' that is coming up shortly.

Community Education Counsellor Update