Beerwah State School

Dear Parents/Carers,

What an eventful and very rewarding term we have had at Beerwah State School. I can’t believe we have already reached the end of term two. Our students have been working hard in class, completing assessments, in order to finalise end of semester report cards. These reports were emailed home yesterday. Please check your inbox and junk mail box, then contact the Office if you did not receive your child’s report card. I wish you a very safe and happy holiday and look forward to seeing all of our students on the first day of term 3, which will be Monday 10 July.

PARENT/TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Parent/Teacher interviews are scheduled for Wednesday of Week 1 in Term 3 (Wednesday 12 July) in the school hall at 3:00 – 6:00pm.

Bookings will close Monday 10 July at 3:00pm.

Please refer to Mr Deady’s section of this Newsletter for more details around booking interviews.

ADOPT-A-COP

I am please to announce we have successfully secured a new adopt-a-cop for our school. Tim Jessup who is based at the Beerwah Police Station, has already visited our school and spent time getting to know our students. Tim will be working with various classes and student groups throughout the year, talking about road safety, cyber safety, stranger danger and a range of other very important topics to keep our students happy and safe. I look forward to formally introducing Tim to our whole school community next term on assembly on Tuesday 11 July.

REWARDS ACTIVITY

On Thursday 15 June, students participated in rewards activities in the last session of the day. Over semester one, our students earnt a staggering 70,000 Kandoos for making great behaviour choices. It was wonderful to visit classes and help all students celebrate this amazing achievement.

TASTE TESTING

The dietician students from the University of the Sunshine Coast were busy with our tuckshop volunteers to bring a wonderful tasting to our assembly this week. Parents were able to taste some of the new items that will appear on the menu next term, and the feedback was very positive from everyone. This is the final week of the students’ placement but you can see their achievements when we send out the links on Audiri of the videos they have created.

PREP PLAY & STAY

This week, we held our first Prep Play & Stay. It was a great opportunity for 2024 prep students to meet our current prep students and experience life in the classroom. Thank you to Mrs Brannigan and Miss Caroline for organising.

STAFF UPDATE

A special thanks goes out to Mr Cross who has done an amazing job with 6/5M4 this semester. We wish Mr Cross all the best at Pumicestone State School for Semester 2. We welcome Mr MacNeil back who will be returning in Term 3 to take over 6/5M4.

We also say goodbye to Deb Brunsmann, Megan Zakis & Martina Clarke, three of our very talented teacher aides who have made such a difference in supporting our students. We thank them for their hard work and we wish them all the best for next term. Bon Voyage to Mr Deady who will be on leave for Semester 2. We will see Mr Deady return at the start of 2024. We welcome Mrs Hansen who will be replacing Mr Deady for Semester 2.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Scott Bowden

Check out our calendar of events throughout the year, via the school's website at

Beerwah State School

You can sync any event to your personal calendar by clicking to  open the event and click on the  'Add to Calendar' button.  

Check out our Facebook page for more Celebrations and what's happening at our School.

Beerwah State School Facebook page

I will be taking leave to travel (or as some would say ‘galivanting’) for the remainder of 2023 and beginning of 2024, returning for the beginning of the 2024 school year. We are lucky to have Miss Simone Hansen taking on the role of Head of Department for this time.

REPORTING

Report cards will be sent home via email on Thursday 22 June. Previous newsletters have information about how we write report cards at Beerwah State School and the meaning of the A-E achievement levels.

Report cards are an opportunity to review learning progress over the last semester with further information and discussion available through our parent-teacher interviews.

PARENT-TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Parent-teacher interviews are the cornerstone of the relationship between parents and teachers, and directly affect educational outcomes. Term three interviews are very important as provide feedback about where students are at and the next steps in their learning.

Our Parent-teacher interviews are scheduled for Wednesday of Week 1 in Term 3 (Wednesday 12/7) in the school hall at 3:00 – 6:00pm.

Bookings ARE OPEN NOW

Bookings will close Monday 10 July at 3:00pm.

· interviews with class teachers are 10 mins with a 2 minute break in between meetings.

· for children who are supported by our support teachers - we are also offering 20 minute interviews with these teachers

· spaces for all interviews are limited. If you require more time, please contact your teacher directly to make alternative arrangements.

· if bookings become full please contact the school to arrange a time

INCURSIONS

We will be having several incursions in early Term three. These include:

· Health Harold and Talk About It from Life Education

· A Rail Safety presentation by Queensland Rail at assembly on Tuesday 8th August (a more detailed session with Years 5 and 6 will be straight after assembly)

· Dance incursion with students from Beerwah State High School

HEALTHY HAROLD

All classes from Prep to Year 6 will participate in the Healthy Harold program. Modules are selected for each year level so they are age-appropriate and relate to the units of work being taught in our Health classes. Some examples of topics include - Nutrition, healthy eating and the importance of physical activity; Personal safety; Respectful relationships and emotional well-being; Cybersafety and strategies to combat cyber-bullying

For permission and payment information, please contact the office.

TALK ABOUT IT

Talk About It is a program for students in Years 5 and 6. It is designed to help support students explore the concept of identity, develop safe and respectful relationships, and understand and manage the physical and emotional changes that occur during puberty. The program is delivered by experienced educators from Life Education. Year 5 participate in two modules of the program and Year participate in three modules.

There will be a parent information session on Thursday 13 July at 5:30 via Zoom with the educator from Talk About It, Lane. Parents of Year 5 and 6 students will be sent the link to this via email on Wednesday 12 July.

For permission and payment information, please contact the office.

Both of these incursions will be subsidised with funds provided to the school through P&C. Final costs for parents will be provided with the consent form.

DANCE INCURSION

We are organising a series of dance incursions with students from Beerwah State High School coming in and working with our students as they prepare for our school concert in Week 9. Students will be learning elements of dance as part of the Arts learning area. More information about this incursion and the school concert will come out in Term 3.

"Everyone is a reader, some just haven't found their favourite book yet"

BORROWING

The Library is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30am. Students can borrow on their class borrowing day, at 2nd break and before school on these days. They must bring their red Library Bag. Library bags are available through the Uniform Shop for $13.00.

LIBRARY TIMETABLE

Thank you to the staff and families who purchased books at the Book Fair.  The school received $667 to purchase books for the library.

Thank you for supporting the Book Fair to provide more books for our students to be able to read and enhance their learning.

If you have any questions with regards to sport, please phone Ms Murphy at the school on 5436 5555 or email jlmur1@eq.edu.au

Janelle Murphy (HPE Teacher)

P&C MEETINGS

Our next meeting is scheduled for, Term 3,  Wednesday 19 July at 6:00pm in the school library. We always welcome new members to join. Fresh ideas and ways of working are always welcome. We will be discussing and organising Father’s Day raffle and stall.  

VOLUNTEERING

Next term we are asking for volunteers for tuckshop from each class on a weekly schedule. You would have received a letter home with the dates/weeks assigned to each class. If you have spare time on a day that is allocated to your students class, we would love to have extra hands in the tuckshop. Our tuckshop is run purely by volunteers.  

We will be offering tuckshop vouchers for families who are able to volunteer in the tuckshop. This will support you to purchase tuckshop for your student when you have completed volunteering in the tuckshop.  

If you want to find out more about how you can volunteer, please email p&c@beerwahss.eq.edu.au or connect through our Facebook page. 

All students who attend out of school hour events to volunteer will receive their volunteer superstar badge at the following week's assembly.  

WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

Volunteering makes us happier 

82% of volunteers were delighted, pleased or mostly satisfied with their lives, compared to 75% of non-volunteers. 

Volunteering can help you get a job 

Volunteering is important for connecting people to career paths and labour markets that are better paid and more stable. 

Don’t forget: the P&C Association is an approved volunteer organization with Centrelink (Services Australia) so if you need to complete volunteering hours, the school is a great option. This can be extended to grandparents and other friends; they will need to apply for a Blue Card to volunteer in the school which is an easy process we can assist with. Contact us by email and we can arrange to work out how we can help each other. 

FACEBOOK PAGE

Facebook is our main form of contact so please follow us and keep an eye out for updates. 

If you see one of our updates – for example our next pancake morning notice, please share with your friends. The more people who attend, the more funds we raise, and the more we can buy for your children to use at school. Everyone’s a winner!!!  

We’ll also update you on the Tuckshop or Uniform shop, it’s the easiest form of contact so please keep following. 

Just find our page and like us to start following. 

BSS P&C Facebook page 

EVENTS & FUNDRAISING

Sockable Fundraiser - Thank you to those families who returned their order forms and money. Socks have been ordered. Orders will be sent home in Term 3 for distribution to those you have sold to.  

NAIDOC Week 

NAIDOC Week will be recognised early in term 3. More information to come.  

WORKING BEE

Watch this space for next term's working bee details. Extra hands are always welcome. It is a great way to meet new people and build our community spirit here at Beerwah State School.   

BOOK CLUB

The best way to order for the book club is online at www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP all books are delivered to the school and distributed to each child. If you would prefer to order as gifts, ensure you select that option and your items will be available for collection from the office. The due date for orders is always stamped on the front of the brochure so don’t miss out! An extra bonus is that the school receives 15% of all order values to purchase books for our library. Books are such a wonderful addition to any child’s life and there are some amazing prices in the book club. 

Next term our tuckshop volunteers are very excited to start a new breakfast program once a week. Please keep an eye out for further information on Skoolbag, Facebook & the newsletter. We are very lucky to have funding from the YMCA to enable us to offer all students breakfast items. It's well documented that children concentrate better with their tummies full of long-lasting nutritious food. 

We also have some great additions to the menu for the cooler months. We intend to make small changes to the menu each term to align with the seasons. 

Look out for some exciting meal deals next term too - there will be colours and decorations to theme the tuckshop - and who knows, there might be some dress-ups involved!! We love trying out new ideas and seeing the children get excited about food, come along to join us each Friday morning, just a few minutes can be a great help - it's a fun way to become involved with your school and meet some other parents. 

Thank you to all the parents who turned up to the tuckshop taste testing this week. It was wonderful to see you there and have you see the great work the University of Sunshine Coast students have been doing within the school community.  

Don't forget, tuckshop ordering is preferred on Qkr! and must be placed before 7.30 each Friday morning. As above, any cash orders must be placed by 3:00 pm the afternoon before tuckshop.  

If you require support to set up a Qkr! Account, please contact the P & C via email or Facebook and we will happily support you to complete this. Qkr! Is available on your preferred app store as well as accessible through a browser on computers, tablets and mobile phones.  

Any enquiries please contact: p&c@beerwahss.eq.edu.au  

UNIFORM SHOP

As the weather cools down, now is the perfect time to restock your child's winter school clothes. Jumpers, jackets and limited long pants are available from our school's uniform shop.  

The uniform shop will open each Wednesday afternoon 2.30-3.00pm, or at other times by appointment. 

The best way to order uniforms is ONLINE via Qkr! It’s quick & easy & there are no transaction fees 

Alternatively, an order form can be collected from the Office. Items will then be sent home with the student or can be collected from the Office.  

To ensure orders are processed quickly, once you have placed an online order, please send your details to p&c@beerwahss.eq.edu.au 

Click here to Order Uniforms Online 

Click here to download the Uniform Shop Order Form- 

Did you know that Qkr! Can be accessed from any web browser? If you prefer to use a computer or tablet or unable to download the app, simply go to https://qkr-store.qkrschool.com/store/#/home and set up your Qkr! account to access school payments, uniform shop, and tuckshop ordering.  

JUNE MUSIC MONTH

This month during music month the children listened to the story Alpacas with Maracas by Matt Cosgrove and made their own maracas with paper plates and rainbow rice. The next week, they listened to Donald Loves Drumming by Nick Bland and made their own drums. When children combine music with dancing, playing instruments, and movement, it can help them with their motor skills, and build those vital left-right brain connections that are essential for later learning in numeracy and literacy.

Kandoo Joeys is closed for the last week of each term and the two weeks school holidays. We reopen the first week back on Wednesday 12 July.

Kandoo Joeys is open to all families with before-school-aged children and runs every Wednesday from 9.00am-11.00am in J Block, next to the Admin Block. Bring along a hat and some morning tea for your little one and come and join in the fun and social connections as your children learn through play at Kandoo Joeys Playgroup.

For more information contact Linda Merwood at playgroup@beerwahss.eq.edu.au

For two years, a number of students from Beerwah Primary have been learning some guitar skills with Chappy Mike. Well, this year, some of them decided to form a band. After much discussion one day they came up with the name LaserPilots.

On Tuesday 20th June at school parade the band performed for the very first time. They played the famous Oasis song, Wonderwall. The audience was thrilled and gave them a huge applause. The band is made up of Annabelle on vocals, Zeek on bass, and Izayah, Tahlia and Seb on guitar. They had a special guest who played drums for them. Riley who is a grade 12 student from Beerwah High came along to practice with the band and perform with them. Riley started his schooling here at Beerwah Primary all the way back in Prep. The band are now working on learning new songs, and will hopefully be ready to perform at the Term 3 school concert.

Cheers,

Mike Turner

SCHOOL CHAPLAIN

In June, Mr Bowden, Ms Irvine, Ms Prior, Mrs Bourke, Mrs McAuley, Mr Cross, Mrs Bengtsen, Mrs Murphy, Mrs Mann, Coralie and Gayle have been challenging themselves with push ups, sit ups and squats, raising awareness for health and wellbeing.

A massive 21 920 team push ups completed and $905 raised to date for Lifeline, Movember and The Push for Better Foundation.

https://www.thepushupchallenge.com.au/fundraisers/beerwahbandits2023

The Push For Better Foundation exists to bring people together to push for better mental health and proudly runs The Push-Up Challenge event. The Push For Better Foundation aims to engage and educate people in mental and physical health, and raise awareness of the mental health issues affecting everyday Australians. One in five Australians will experience mental ill-health this year and only 46% of people seek help.

Education is the single most important tool to breaking down the stigma and fostering open conversations about mental health.

Go TEAM Beerwah!

Pam McPherson (Team Captain)

As always Beerwah State School are participating in the Premier’s Reading Challenge in 2023!

The Premier's Reading Challenge is not a competition but a way to encourage students to develop a love of reading for life. Through the challenge students are given an opportunity to develop their appreciation of the English language, and additional languages, and are encouraged to explore and enjoy a wide range of literary texts.

Students who complete the challenge have their efforts recognised through the receipt of a Certificate of Achievement signed by the Premier of Queensland.

The reading period has commenced and will continue until the 25th of August. So let’s get reading!

Helping Hands provides quality before and after school care. This service forms strong, collaborative ties with the school, children, families, and the local community; to ensure the needs and interests of every child and family are supported. We provide an environment in which children feel safe and have fun. Afternoon tea is included.

We are located in D Block which is next to the Senior oval. For the children’s safety it is a requirement that you park in the allocated staff car park and use the footpaths to walk to and from the Centre. The car park will be open in the morning 6:30 to 7:30 and afternoon 5:00 to 6:00. Outside of these times, you will need to use the normal school carpark located on Old Gympie Rd. Children must be supervised at all times by an adult.

If you have any questions please phone Helping Hands Co-ordinator Sharon on: 0448 083 043, or click on the link below.

Looking for a fun and healthy activity the whole family can get into? Rhee Taekwondo is more than your average activity. You can get fit and healthy, learn effective self defence and develop self discipline & perseverance, all while having fun.Classes are taught by Instructor Nathan Arrowsmith, who has been personally appointed byWorld Master Rhee, the founder of Taekwondo in Australia.Values such as respect, honesty, integrity, perseverance and self discipline are the foundation of our classes. The many physical benefits of Rhee Taekwondo include increased strength, flexibility, focus, balance, coordination and stamina.The fun happens at 3.30pm every Monday & Wednesday at Beerwah State Primary School hall, and is open to all ages 5 years and over. Come along for an UNLIMITED FREE TRIAL.SPECIAL OFFER: Join in May and get a FREE UNIFORM valued at $80.Phone Instructor Nathan on 0419 496 160 or visit rheetaekwon-do.com for more information.

Concerns regarding young children with difficult and defiant behaviours? The Management of Young Children Program (MYCP) is available to support you.

The MYCP is supported by Beerwah and Landsborough State Schools (therefore no cost for these families) and is a practical and individualised behaviour support program for parents and carers of young children aged 2½ to 7 years and their families. It is a well-established and evidence based early intervention program targeting children who display defiant or oppositional behaviour with the aim of reducing such problematic behaviours in primary school and beyond.

For more information or interest in participating in the program, please see the school website link or contact the Landsborough State School office 5436 2777.

Our School has our own Skoolbag iPhone and Android App to help us communicate more effectively with our school Parent/Student community. Download the Skoolbag App to receive short messages, reminders and alerts. Parents will also be able to use eForms for absentee notes and change of details.

Click here to visit Skoolbag website