Tuesday, 19th February, 2013 FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK Dear Parents and Caregivers, Playgroup We are committed to providing a playgroup in 2013 every Tuesday and Thursday for semester 1 with the possibility of extension in semester 2. We would like to expand our organisation and offer young families an opportunity to mix with likeminded people and professionals to give their child every chance of a better start to school. Within our playgroup we also like to provide prospective Pre-Prep students the much need support and preparation needed for school in 2014. This program is endorsed by Playgroup Australia and will be headed by a paid trained member of staff. Enquire at the school office for further information. Student Attendance Every day, every classroom, every student learning As a part of our commitment to student learning and improvement it is a goal of the school to increase our student attendance rate from 90.9% to 95%. To achieve this goal it is paramount that all students attend school on designated school days. It is also a reminder that the school day begins at 8:50am and concludes 3:00pm. Half day absences are also reflected in this data collection. If at any stage your child/ren are absent from school please provide reason for the absence. This again is departmental policy and a process that must be adhered to. NAPLAN NAPLAN is scheduled for week 5 of term 2 in 2013. The dates are between the 14th and 16th of May. This testing is for years 3, 5 and 7 in Literacy and Numeracy. I recognise that this maybe a little premature, however there is approximately ten weeks before students sit for the test. Each week there will be a literacy or numeracy question from either year level attached in the newsletter. This can give you some insight into what students can expect this year in NAPLAN. Monkland Markets Information went home last week regarding our commitment to providing a stall at the Monkland Markets once a month. Each class has been placed on a roster to man the stall from 5:30-12:00. We welcome all kinds of support and ideas for the stall. You can contact the market committee coordinator Megan Robertson (nee Casey) for further information. Yours truly, Mr Ashley Lawless Principal - Monkland State School

WHAT’S ON Tuesdays and Thursdays

9 – 11 am Playgroup with Mrs T.

Tuesdays and Thursdays

Tuckshop Friday 22.03 and 01.03

4.00 – 5.30pm Interschool Hockey

Friday 8th March

Interschool Sports Gala Day Tuesday 12th March - 3.30pm

P & C Meeting 20th – 22nd March

SWD Camp Thursday 28th March

- Monkland Cross Country - Last Day of Term 1

Monday 15th April

First Day of Term 2

Monkland State School

Be a Learner Be Respectful Be Responsible Be Safe 19th February, 2013

SCHOOL NEWS:

Please note the newsletter is published fortnightly. If you miss a newsletter or want to refer to a back copy, Monkland State School newsletters are available on our website: www.monklandss.eq.edu.au

SCHOOL WEEKLY ROUTINE:

Mondays Parade 8.50am / LOTE (Year 6 & 7)

Tuesdays Strings / Tuckshop

Wednesdays Music / Tennis Lessons

Thursdays Library Lessons / School Banking / Tuckshop

Fridays PE / Parade 8.55am

UPDATING STUDENT DETAILS: Please ensure that the office has your up to date contact details (particularly mobile phones as these can change often). It is vital that Monkland staff can contact you if there is an emergency with your child. INTERSCHOOL HOCKEY: Well done to the Monkland hockey team who played in the first week of the after school hockey competition. Unfortunately they could not play due to wet weather last Friday. Hopefully the sun will come out and they can play this week. STUDENT PHOTOS: Please advise the office if you do not want your child’s photo published eg. in any Monkland newsletters or newspaper articles or on the website. SMOKING ON SCHOOL GROUNDS: Education Queensland has a total ban on smoking on all departmental premises. The ban affects all schools and school grounds. This means Monkland State School is a smoke-free environment and smoking is not permitted anywhere on school grounds.

THE SPEED LIMIT ON SCHOOL GROUNDS IS ONLY 10 KMS/HR.

SPEEDING ON SCHOOL GROUNDS ENDANGERS

THE LIVES OF CHILDREN

SCHOOL LEADER INVESTITURE: Monkland School Leaders for 2013 were presented with their badges last Wednesday in front of the whole school and their proud parents. The School Leaders for 2013 are: Captains – Nicholas Gresham and Celine Marshall; Vice Captains – Joshua McLaughlin and Hannah Young; Scottish House Captains – Thomas Fea and Jai Gleeson; Eastern House Captains – Sarah Ross and Piper Lette. Congratulations Leaders and we look forward to a successful 2013.

Mr Lawless and this year’s impressive line-up of school leaders. AWARDS ON PARADE:

Gotcha Prizes – Monday, 11th February: Ben (Yr 6/7), Kaidyen (Yr 2/3), Amy (Yr 4/5) and Monique (P/1)

Awards on Parade – Friday, 15th February: Back row – Ned, Kaelum, Jory, Jackson. Front row: Jai, Jeremy, Sarah and Alisa

Gotcha Prizes – Monday, 18th February: Billy (Yr 4/5), Tyler (Yr 2/3), Taj (Year P/1) and Jack (Yr 6/7)

Congratulations to all award recipients!! SCHOOL PERFORMANCE TOURS: Last Friday, Monkland students were treated to the School Performance Tours puppet show My Friends and I which tackles bullying issues head on. Throughout the show students are assured that if they are being bullied it is not their fault and there are things they can do about it. STRINGS: Instrument fees are now due and students will not receive an instrument until the levy has been paid. PLAYGROUP: Playgroup with Shirl Toffoli (otherwise known as Mrs T) starts this week. Playgroup is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 – 11am. All are welcome. For more information see Shirl in Prep/1 or phone the school on 5489 8888. LIBRARY NEWS: Library borrowing is in full swing again and well done to those students who have already got into the habit of returning their books each Thursday. Most students now have a Monkland library bag, and those who do not will receive one this week. Please help your child remember that we have a “No Bag, No Borrow” policy in place to help protect our precious library books particularly in wet weather. Thank you to those who ordered from Book Club. The orders have arrived and distributed directly to students. If you are ordering something as a gift or surprise for your child, I can arrange a discreet delivery to you. Happy Reading! Mrs J. Wilson Library Teacher Aide TERM DATES 2013 The information listed below is current and sourced from the Education Queensland website. For more information on school holidays and Pupil Free Days go to:

Term 1 2013 Tues 29th January – Thurs 28th March

Term 2 2013 Mon 15th April – Fri 21st June

Term3 2013 Mon 8th July - Fri 20th September

Term 4 2013 Tue 8th October – Fri 13th December

Young people need an education that equips them to participate in and engage with an increasingly globalised world. Learning languages provides many benefits to students, including: proficiency in another language other than English an understanding of different cultures and societies analytical and communication skills that enhance their

learning in other areas of the curriculum improved literacy skills through a better understanding of

grammar and sentence construction. Students in year 6 and 7 learn German on Thursdays and Fridays. This semester students will explore the language and cultural understanding related to houses in Germany and Australia. We will examine how language provides information about cultural values and beliefs, compare the different styles of houses built in Germany with Australia and the information a house can give about the country and its people. Our students will be able to design their dream home and label it and the location in German. We will have lots of ‘blue prints’ at the end of this term if anybody needs fresh ideas for their own house. Barbara Wade – LOTE Teacher

P & C NEWS:

P & C MEETING: The next P & C Meeting will be held on the 12th March at 3.30 pm in the Library. All are welcome. This is a great opportunity for new families to meet other families and find out how they can help their children’s school to be the best it can be. Hope to see you there! UNIFORM SHOP NEWS More stock of the new shirts are now available. The uniform shop will be open every Tuesday and Thursday from 9.00 to 11.00am. Payment is by cash or cheque only. Due to the implementation of the new uniforms, all current Monkland shirts are now reduced to $10 each. TUCKSHOP NEWS Tuckshop will now be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please see the office if you did not receive a copy of the new Tuckshop menu in last week’s newsletters. HOME BAKERS REQUIRED - If you are able to assist with Home Baking please fill out and return the form below to the office. Home Baking will be on Thursdays only at this stage.

Yes I can assist with Home Baking for Monkland Tuck Shop Name: ............................................................................ Contact Number: ..................................................................

COMMUNITY NEWS:

2013 RUGBY LEAGUE SIGN-ON / COME & TRY DAY 9am – 11am Saturday, 23rd February

Jack Stokes Oval, Smith Street, Monkland Family discounts, Fee waiver for Indigenous families

* Birth certificate required for all new players signing up