Term 1 Week 8 Thursday 15 March 2018 PRINCIPAL'S PAGE

P&C News On Monday night this week we held our Annual General Meeting. A big thank you to all of our P and C executive and members including our subcommittees for the fantastic job they have done throughout the past year. We achieved a great deal in 2017 with the support of this dedicated team of people. Congratulations to the following Executive Members for 2018. We look forward to a successful working relationship:

President: Maree Blom

Vice President: Lisa McArthur

Vice President: Julian Titon

Treasurer: Trevor Hindle

Secretary: Tina Nenadic

A big thank you to all the parents who have nominated to be on the various subcommittees during 2018. The P and C is an integral part of our school community and are dedicated to providing excellent resources and programs for our students. During the 2017 year, many projects and school activities were funded by the P and C. These included:

• Centenary events and activities • Very successful Carols Night • Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day Stalls • Air conditioning maintenance • Ipads as a joint venture with school • Refurbishment of Old School Building • Increased care placements at MOSHC • Ongoing Chaplaincy Program support • Special events such as ANZAC Day, Year 6 Graduation

and Discos The P and C also subsidises and pays for many ongoing programs within the school to support the parent body with the costs of their child’s education. Some of these include subsidies for the online programs of Reading Eggs, Matific and Language Perfect. They subsidise our Footsteps Dance Program, sponsor our HRE Family Planning Program and support the Pastoral Care Program provided by Chappy Steve. These wonderful projects were achieved through the running of the Outside School Hours Care, Bookshop and Tuckshop, fundraising events and written submissions for projects and a lot of hard work. A big thank you to the executive, subcommittees, volunteers and P and C employees - we couldn’t do it without you. All of these projects contribute to providing a greater education for your children. The next P and C meeting is Monday 23 April in the staffroom. Please note this date on your calendar. Please come along and be part of our P and C team. Term One Reporting to Parents

Most Parent/Teacher interviews for Prep to Year 6 will be held on Wednesday, 28 March (Week 10) from 3.30pm to 7.30pm in the classrooms. A selection of other times is also offered by class Teachers in

Weeks 9 and 10. Miss Jacobs in Year 3 will be on leave in Week 10 of this term and will hold her interviews in Week 9 only. Mrs Taylor (2B), who has been absent for most of this term, will hold her Parent/Teacher interviews in Term Two.

Student folios will be issued at the Parent/Teacher interviews. These should be returned to school before the end of term. Parents are able to book interviews through the PTO website. A letter was sent home with each student at the beginning of this week with the web link details and your child’s Education Queensland ID Number which is required when you register and make a booking. The website will be open from 3.00pm Thursday 15 March and remain open until 3.00pm Friday 23 March. After this time bookings can only be made and changed through the office. Parents who are unable to access the internet for online bookings can send in your child’s form and we will do the booking for you. If you take up this option be sure to send all your children’s forms back together so that we can make non-conflicting bookings for you. As interviews will be scheduled at 10 minute intervals, your promptness in attending at your scheduled time is appreciated to alleviate unnecessary delays as the evening progresses. If on the day of your interview you find you are unable to attend, please contact the school office on telephone 5569 1555 so the class Teacher can be notified as soon as possible. Please leave a message if phoning outside of school office hours. Staffing News Mrs Taylor has extended her leave and will not return to school until the start of next term. A big thankyou to Mrs Boyd who has been replacing Mrs Taylor for the majority of this term. Unfortunately Mrs Boyd is unable to teach Year 2B for the last two weeks as she has other commitments. Mr Alex Aprahamian will be teaching Year 2B for the last two weeks of Term One. Mr Aprahamian is familiar with the students in his recent acting Library and ICT roles. Oral Language Parent Session Parents are invited to attend our oral language information session - please see flyer at end of this newsletter. Religious Education Easter Presentation A Religious Education Easter Presentation will be held in Week 9 on Thursday 22 March from 2.00pm to 2.45pm in the PAC for all Cooperative and Baha’i RE children. A special thank you goes to all the Religious Education teachers for organising this performance. There will be no RE in the last week of term on Thursday 29 March. International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) Merrimac SS offers students in Years 3-6 the opportunity to participate in the ICAS competitions each year. ICAS provides an opportunity for Year 3-6 students to gain a measure of their own achievement in an external testing situation. It provides teachers, parents and students with comprehensive reporting of results in the areas of Digital Technologies (Computers), English and Mathematics. If you would like your child/ren to participate please complete the form at the end of this newsletter and return to the finance window with payment no later than Wednesday 21 March. The Cost for each competition is $9.00 per student.

DO NOT PAY FOR THIS EVENT BY DIRECT DEPOSIT

Merrimac State School Newsletter

Year 4 Camps Our Year 4 students head off next week on their upcoming camps at the Currumbin Farm School. At the camps, students will participate in the some of the following activities: Orienteering, rock climbing, interaction with farm animals, creek life investigations, archery, camp fires, sleeping in tents, team building activities and more. The dates for the Year 4 Camps are: 19 - 21 Mar (4B,4C, 4M girls) 21 - 23 Mar (4A,4D, 4M boys) Year 5 Camp Dates The Year 5 camp will be held next term at the Runaway Bay Sports and Recreation Centre from the 4th to 6th June. Notes have been sent home with further details. Prep Hearing Screening Merrimac School is funding screening for all Preps for their hearing on Wednesday 30 May and Thursday 31 May by the Paediatric Hearing Service, ‘Hear and Say’. The screening will take no more than 15 minutes per child. The audiologists will test hearing of both ears under headphones, test the function of the middle ear for both ears and provide recommendations to families on the results. Hearing difficulties can have a significant effect on a child’s ability to learn if not detected early. Hearing needs to be monitored over time even if children have passed earlier testing. Forms will go out in Week 9 (Mon 19 March) and are due back to school by Friday 20 April. It is advisable to return the forms as soon as possible to ensure access to this free service. Voluntary Resources Contribution Reminder The school booklist contained a voluntary student contribution component to assist the school to enhance resources available for student learning. At Merrimac, a large percentage of parents pay this voluntary contribution. Thank you to those who have already paid. The contribution covers the use of class text books, computer consumables, art and craft materials, photocopying of workbooks, homework sheets, etc. The cost is $60.00 per student. Because the shared curriculum materials are allocated on a class basis, non-payment of the contribution reduces the amount of additional resources to all children within the class. Some parents may have overlooked or forgotten this contribution. If this is the case, payment of the shared curriculum materials contribution can be made through our school Bookshop. Matific, Reading Eggs, Reading Eggspress and Language Perfect The P&C have subsidised the cost of these programs by $5.00 each for 2018. This means there is a cost of $5.00 for Matific, (Prep to Year 6), $5.00 for Reading Eggs/Eggspress (Prep to Year 6) and $5.00 for Language Perfect (Years 4 to 6 only) included in the school booklist. Some parents may have overlooked this payment when they purchased books for the year. To access these programs the $5.00 per program per child cost must be paid. These are not voluntary payments. Reminder letters were sent home early this week to those families who have not paid these amounts. If payments are not received by the end of the school term (Thursday 29 March), student Matific, Reading Eggs/Eggspress and Language Perfect accounts will then be disabled. Payments can be made to our School Bookshop. If you have a query re these payments, please contact the Bookshop on 55227846 (open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8.00am to 9.00am).

From the desk of Ralph and Rosie Merrimac State School Focus of The week Over this past week, the children at Merrimac State School have been examining the topic of what it means to be safe by playing in their own areas. In their classes and on parade all students have been asked to discuss how they can keep their friends and themselves safe by playing in their own areas. Congratulations to P4 and 3A for receiving our Ralph and Rosie Class of the week. P4 received their award for keeping their bag area neat and tidy. 3A received their award having a clean eating area whenever they walk past their classroom. Congratulations to all girls and boys for remembering to be safe, respectful learners in the classroom and in the playground.

Ralph and Rosie

Third Party Website Consent form for Matific, Reading Eggs and Language Perfect All parents in Years P-6 would have received a Third Party Website Consent form at the Parent Teacher afternoon. This form is part of a new policy to provide parents with detailed information about the storage of student data for Matific, Reading Eggs and Language Perfect; as well as other websites. This form needs to be returned to the classroom teacher as soon as possible. Program subscriptions can be paid for at the Bookshop if this has not already been finalised. The consent form and the subscription payment are required in order for students to have ongoing website access. Matific, Reading Eggs and Language Perfect are great resources to support your child’s learning. Please contact your child’s teacher if you need more information. Coles – Sports for Schools Promotion Our school has registered for the Coles – Sports for Schools Promotion. For every $10 spent at Coles, customers will receive one Sports for Schools voucher. Vouchers can then be brought to the Admin Office and placed in the collection bins. Thank you for your support. School Website and QSchools Smartphone App The QSchools app is available to the school community as a free download via the Apple iTunes store and Google Play. Ensure you update regularly to access the latest features. Dental Van News

• The dental service is currently on school grounds for the majority of Term One

• All students are entitled to free dental exams • The van will not be here for long so don't delay booking

an appointment on 1300 300 850 The final day of operation and seeing patients at the Dental Van will be next Thursday 22/03/18. The Van will then be closed for a month over the Commonwealth Games period and will be unattended until the day of relocating to another school (3/5/18). Children Leaving School at the end of Term One If your child/children will not be returning to Merrimac for Term Two, please notify the school office as soon as possible. We have a number of new enrolments for the start of next term and early notification of students leaving our school will assist with class placement of the new students.

“Bullying No Way Day” – Imagine a World Free from Bullying This Friday 16th March 2018, Australian schools will stand united in their communities to imagine a world free from bullying.

The national definition of bullying for Australian schools says:

• Bullying is an ongoing misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that causes physical and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power over one or more persons.

• Bullying can happen in person or online, and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert).

• Bullying of any form or for any reason can have long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.

• Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying

We invite you to take a stand with us on Friday to imagine a world, community and school free from bullying. A community where respect for each and every person is encouraged and celebrated. A community where we can work, learn and play safely together.

This week a commitment hand was distributed to every child. If you would like to show your support on Friday, add your name to the hand, cut it out and send it in to school with your children this Friday. Teachers will display the hands on the classroom doors.

For further information on Bullying and its effect on lives go to www.bullyingnoway.gov.au.

Student School Banking An error occurred through the Commonwealth Bank to the student banking last Wednesday 7th March. It would have only gone into your student’s account yesterday the 14th March and the student banking for the 14th March will go in today, 15th March. The bank apologised for this inconvenience. There will be a “sign up day” next Wednesday 21st March from 8.00am in the undercover area near the Tuckshop. Please ensure you bring your child’s birth certificate and/or passport and have photo identification for yourself. Breakfast/Fitness Program The Breakfast/Fitness Programs continues this term, on a Wednesday, for interested Years 3 to 6 students. There are 100 places available. Students need to commit to attending each week from 8.00am to 8.45am to be part of the program. The program will run through till the end of Term One. I’m sure that Chappie Steve will appreciate any staff and parent help in running this program this year. We certainly appreciate

the support from Coles Worongary, Tina Nenadic (Gold Coast Property Sales & Rentals), the P and C Association and the Genesis Church who are ongoing supporters of the Breakfast/Fitness Program allowing us to buy the various breakfast requirements. There will be no Breakfast/Fitness Program in Week 10 this term (Wednesday 28 March). Parent Fitness (Boot Camp) Program – free for Merrimac Parents Thanks to Tina Nenadic, from Gold Coast Property Sales & Rentals, we are continuing this year with the free fitness program for our parents. Simone Doyle is the fitness instructor who runs the sessions weekly in the MPC/Tennis Court area each Thursday from 1.45pm to 2.45pm. It is completely free. I’m sure that there are many parents who would be interested in being part of this program. Tina will be contacting parents from last year and reminding them of the continuation of the program. Any parents who wish to be involved in the fitness program can contact Tina direct on 0402984898. Simone can only cater up to 20 in the session so please register your interest with Tina as soon as possible. The parent fitness program commenced in Week Two and will be on each Thursday for the remainder of the school term.

Koala Joeys - Term 1 Koala Joeys is an early years literacy and numeracy oral language program. The program is suitable for children of all ages. As part of our school’s commitment to early years’ development, Koala Joeys will be held at Merrimac State School. The program will run each Friday morning and continue for the term. When: Friday mornings Where: PAC Time: 9.00am – 10.00am See you there.

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

Congratulations to the following students of the week: Eli L P1, Alexis B P1, Tahlia S P1M, Darragh O P1M, Shellbie R P2, Jayce G P2, Hennessy M P3, Ruby W P3, Charlize C P4, Dwaine S P4, Oliver J 1A, Samson M 1A, Jayda C 1B, Sonnie O 1B, Jake G 1C, Addison P 1C, Zoe E 1D, Max S 1D, Jack G 2A, Ellie-Rose M 2A, Daisy B 2B, Angus B 2B, Ryder W 2C, Rhys J 2C, Keira M 2D, Riley K 2D, Finn P 2E, Billie B 2E, Oliver T 3A, Nevaeh B 3B, Oliver Mc 3C, Nathan G 3D, Sage C 3E, Taj C 4A, Ciara M 4B, Casey G 4C, Charli M 4D, Marli L 5/6M, Mia P 5A, Tyson M-K 5B, Amorah S 5C, Sarah B 6A, Kate W 6B, Riley Mc 6B, Sophie E 6C, Sorina T 6D

MUSIC NEWS

Successful ‘Celebration of the Arts’ Our school ‘Celebration of the Arts’ proved very popular with both the students and parents. Congratulations to Mrs Powell for her organisation of these events. Thanks also to the Merrimac staff for your help and to the upper school children who assisted with this special activity. Celebration of the Arts’ Results: Instrumental – Junior 1st – Carlos T 4B 2nd – Kaden Mc 4D Instrumental – Senior 1st – Sawa K 6B, Carmi T 6C, Holly S 6C, Noah S 5C, Rynousuke N 6 1st - Logyn S 6A 2nd – Holly S 6C, Holly Pallin 6C, Carmi T 6C, Sophie E 6C Highly Commended - Holly S 6C, Noah S 5C James G 6B Sorina T 6D Chris M 6D, Jordan P 6A Sawa K 6B, Sorina T 6D Runo A 6B Singing – Junior 1st – Mana T 4C 2nd – Riley C 4B Highly Commended – Christian G 4D, Hyacinth O 4/5M Singing – Senior 1st – Leilani S 6C, Izabel C 6C 1st – Tegan C 6B 2nd – Carmi T 6C, Holly S 6C Highly Commended – Evan W 5B, Zaiden T 5B Drama – Junior 1st – Ebony A 3E, Ella H 3E, Olivia T 3E 2nd – Carlos T 4B, Aiden V 4B Drama – Senior 1st – Sonny S 5B 2nd – Hugo L 6A, Darcy B 6A, Austin O 6B 2nd – Zahli E-B 5C Highly Commended – Carmi T 6C, Holly P 6C, Sophie E 6C, Holly S 6C Dance – Junior 1st – Kate W 4A, Elizabeth G 4A 2nd – Chiara C 4B Highly Commended Hope H 4B, Riley D-L 4A, Georgia P 4A Ella H 3E, Isabel R 3B Demi S 3B, Annabelle K 3B, Isla J 3A, Tallulah B 3A Akyra A 4A, Maya W 4A, Jasmine A 4A Dance – Senior 1st – Ava E 6C 2nd – Alisha C 5C 2nd - Scarlett B 5C, Lara B 5A Highly Commended Sarah B 6A, Kate W 6B Luri L 5B, Eva L 5B, Ella B 5B, Heidi O-E 5/6M Ella C 6D, Ella B 6D Amelia B 4/5M, Isabella A 4/5M, Jayla W 4/5M Visual Art – Junior 1st – Aaliyah G 4/5M 2nd – Seth S 4D Highly Commended - Ella S 3C, Aiden S 3D, Hayley G 4D, Mitchell B 4B, Leila E 4D, Hope H 4B, Alicia S 4B, Miller F 4D, Dylan O-R 4D, Cooper G 4B, Layla T 4D, Rylee Mc 4B, Chelsea H 4D, Korbyn B-H 4D, Annabelle S 3E

Visual Art – Senior 1st Holly S 6C 2nd – Carmi T 6C Highly Commended – Hana M 6D, Mia R 6D, Maddy B 6D, Carrin E 6D, Keira F 6D, Sophia R 5B, Zach O-B 5B Rehearsal times for Instrumental and Choir Groups are as follows: Monday 7.45am – 8.45am SENIOR CHOIR

3.00pm – 4.00pm SENIOR BAND Wednesday 3.00pm – 4.00pm JUNIOR BAND Thursday 8.00am -8.45am JUNIOR CHOIR

7.50am – 8.45am INTERMEDIATE STRINGS 3.00pm – 3.40pm SENIOR STRINGS

Friday 7.50am – 8.45am BEGINNER STRINGS

READING WORKSHOP

Dear Parents Please join us for an informative Reading Workshop where we will explain the Merrimac Reading strategies that are used in our classrooms to help your children decode difficult words. Date: 22 May (Tuesday) Time: 3pm Place: Science lab, next to the large PAC hall Child minding available Light refreshments will be provided and a “SHOW BAG” of goodies for all who RSVP to the school office : 5569 1555

PE NEWS

Interschool Sport Years 5 and 6 Interschool Sport starts in Term Two on Friday 27th April. Children selected to participate in an Interschool Sports team will receive a permission and payment form from their coach. tomorrow, Friday 16 March. The cost will be $80. Payment must be received to the finance window no later than 9.30am on Friday 20 April. If paying via direct deposit or bpoint please allow a couple of days for us to receive funds. Please ensure your child’s initial and surname is used as the reference. Children not participating in Interschool sports will be involved in school based sports activities each Friday afternoon.

BOOKSHOP and UNIFORM SHOP NEWS

Bookshop Opening Days Book/Uniform shop operating hours: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8.00am – 9.00am.

FINANCE NEWS

The finance window will be closed Wednesday 28 March. Our apologies for any inconvenience. We are currently collecting money for the following:

Participants Event Cost Payment due date

Selected Students Yrs 5 & 6

Interschool Sport

$80 20 April

Year 3 Mudgeeraba Light Horse Museum

$20 16 March

Years 3-6 ICAS $9 21 March

Selected Students

Canberra Camp $450 Instalment 2 30 May

Selected Students

Band/Strings Program

$100 ASAP

Selected Students

Instrumental Hire

$120 ASAP

MONEY IS ACCEPTED IN PERSON AT THE FINANCE WINDOW MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS FROM

8AM – 9.30AM – DIRECT DEPOSITS CAN BE MADE ON RECEIPT OF INVOICE (VIA EMAIL)

If you do not wish to wait in line at the finance window we encourage you to pay online. Please note that the Dept of Education has advised schools that we can no longer accept credit cards over the phone or written on permission slips. Any credit card payments must be made in person at the finance window. Important Information on Invoicing When the school system creates invoices for excursions all parents/caregivers of participating/invited students who have an active email on our database will receive an invoice. If your child is participating you can make payment but be sure to complete the permission form and return to the finance window for verification. If paying online please send the receipt with the permission form to verify payment. Look on the top right hand side of the invoice for the excursion description. Important information: when the payment date for an excursion closes and we cancel unpaid invoices, if you did not pay for this excursion you will receive an adjustment notice email, this is not an invoice please open and read to verify this. This email only goes to those not participating and can be ignored.

RALPH & ROSIE’S KITCHEN NEWS

Kitchen Roster for week commencing 19 March 2018:

Date

Mon 19/3 Teena R

Tue 20/3 Tracey S, Rainy D

Wed 21/3 Kristy D, Peta S

Thurs 22/3 Maria S, Jenny T

Fri 23/3 Janette C, Kristy D, Peta S

$6 MEAL DEAL Thursday 22 March

• Hot Dog • Paddle Pop • Seasonal Fruit • Bottled Water (250ml)

Please note we will be open the last day of term (Thursday 29 March) but we will not be having our usual Thursday Meal Deal. Thank you again for all our helpers. We have 2 new volunteers come in this week. Thank you to Teena and Janette. Please feel free to come and see us, meet new friends and I’m sure your children will love seeing you too! Please contact Liz or Jill on 5530 3961 or email Liz at epear136@eq.edu.au Liz & Jill

2018 UPCOMING EVENTS

Week 8 Last week of Years 3 and 4 Swimming Program

Week 9 Last week of Years 5 and 6 Surf Program

Mon 19 – 21 Mar

Year 4 Camp – Group One (4B,4C,4M girls)

Mon 21 – 23 Mar

Year 4 Camp – Group Two (4A,4D, 4M boys)

Wed 28 Mar Parent/Teacher Interviews (3.30pm to 7.30pm)

Wed 28 Mar 2.15pm Prep to Year 2 Easter Hat Parade

Thurs 29 Mar

Last school day of Term One

Fri 30 Mar Good Friday holiday

31 Mar – 15 April

Commonwealth Games

Mon 2 April Easter Monday

Mon 16 April

Commonwealth Games Pupil Free Day

Tues 17 April

First school day of Term Two

Strong speaking and listening skills are the foundation for reading and writing

Oral Language

Learning at Home and at School

Parents are invited to attend our oral language information session on:

Wednesday 2 May from 9-10am, PAC, at Merrimac State School, presented by our

Speech-Language Pathologist, Leigh Sainsbury.

Leigh will discuss how children learn to communicate; typical speech and language

development; language strategies you can use to develop your child’s language at home;

and improving your child’s language skills through shared book reading.

At school, students are required to use their listening and speaking skills every day to:

- Follow instructions given by their teachers

- Learn new words and build their concept knowledge

- Present information in class through discussions, Show and Share, and oral

presentations

- Sequence events in a story and retell stories

For catering purposes please indicate your interest in attending by emailing:

Elisa Perry, at eperr62@eq.edu.au or via phone on 5569 1564

by Thursday 26th April, 2018

We promise you will walk away with new enthusiasim and a bank of strategies to support

your child to become a better communicator.