KSS_Newsletter_W8T3
** Acknowledgement of Country **
** Principal's Update **
I'd like to take this opportunity to reach out to families in regards to students accessing online social media platforms. Unfortunately, school staff are hearing about and dealing with repercussions of online incidents that have been occurring outside of school hours. I am urging parents to read the information below to create an awareness of this issue.
This link will take you to some frequently asked questions about this subject:
https://www.esafety.gov.au/about-us/industry-regulation/social-media-age-restrictions/faqs
To report online behaviour:
https://www.esafety.gov.au/report
Online resources for parents and carers:
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
We will regularly update more resources for parents and carers in regards to ensure that children are safe.
Last week, I had the absolute joy of having lunch with Malaki. He used his 'Kingston Kredits' to have lunch with me and it was so much fun! It was so amazing to hear some interesting facts about animals that he has learned about at school, as well as the strategies that he can use to be a reader. He is also a Jenga Superstar! Thanks, Malaki!
Robyn Marshall
Principal
** Deputy Principal Update **
Reading and writing at home and school
As mentioned in my previous newsletter article detailing a phonics lesson at Kingston State School, your child will be explicitly taught to read at school using an approach called systematic synthetic phonics. This approach teaches children how sounds and letters link together to form words that we can read and write. It provides students with a reliable strategy for decoding unknown words and discourages guessing.
What does the term systematic synthetic phonics mean?
- Phonics is the understanding that letters and letter combinations represent speech sounds.
- Systematic means that letters and sounds are taught in a planned order.
- Synthetic refers to the process of synthesising or blending the sounds and letters to decode (read) words, and the segmenting or pulling apart of sounds and letters to encode (spell) words.
Using a systematic synthetic phonics approach, children are taught the letter-sound correspondences that represent all 44 sounds in English, gradually, over time. Students are first taught the most common and consistent letter-sound correspondences (for example: the letter ‘b’ in ‘ball’; the letter ‘v’ in ‘van’) before being taught the less common alternative letter-sound combinations (for example: the many ways we can represent the sound ‘ay’ — bay, break, tail, sleigh and so on).
Your child will practise their word reading skills by using decodable texts. Decodable texts contain only the letter-sound correspondences that your child has already learned. They may also contain some high-frequency words that the teacher has taught simultaneously.
Once children have read words by blending the sounds together many times, they may remember the word and be able to recognise it immediately by ‘sight’. Over time, children will be able to recognise many words without decoding them.
You will notice in our cohort newsletter contributions, moving forward, information on different aspects of reading as we continue to share how we teach reading at Kingston State School.
Enrol Now for Prep 2026
If you have a child born between July 2020 - June 2021 they are ready to commence Prep in 2026. Please collect an enrolment pack from the office now to start the enrolment process. We look forward to meeting with you and your child to prepare for Prep in 2026.
Student Celebration
Congratulations to all our students who received Student of the Week certificates this week. We enjoyed celebrating student achievement in reading and wellbeing.
Parent Teacher Meetings
Thank you to those families that attended parent teacher meetings. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect and discuss student progress. If you were unable to meet with the class teacher or require further time to meet, please contact your child’s teacher to book another suitable time.
** Priority Area Update **
** Guidance Officer Update **
7th to 13th September is National Child Protection Week
This year’s National Child Protection Week theme,
‘Every conversation matters: Shifting Conversation to Action,’
reminds us that while dialogue is essential when it comes to raising awareness, challenging harmful norms, and sparking new ideas, real change is only possible when we turn those conversations into meaningful action.
Your children will be doing activities in class to further develop their understanding of their own strengths, how different relationships have different expectations, safety and mindfulness activities.
As parents you can also play a role in the care and support of your children.
** Community Update **
To ensure you and your child stay safe when using e-scooters or e-skateboards, please remember:
Only those aged 16+ can ride e-scooters and e-skateboards unsupervised.
Helmets must be worn with the straps properly fastened (bicycle or motorcycle helmets) and bells fitted for devices with handlebars.
No passengers/doubling – only one person riding an e-scooter.
Speed limit of 12km/h on footpaths and shared paths.
Serious fines may apply to riders, and parents, if caught breaking the rules.
StreetSmartsQld features educational videos and other helpful safety tips for riding e-scooters and e-skateboards.
