Dear Queenscliff Parents and Carers,

District Cross Country

On Tuesday 14 May 2024, a group of QPS students represented our school at the District Cross Country at Eastern Gardens. Students competed against schools in the Geelong district and we were impressed by their tenacity, determination and enthusiasm on the day. The competition was fierce with impressive runners from a range of schools in Geelong and surrounding areas. We are so proud of all of our students who competed on the day. Congratulations to the following representatives:

• Loretta Boyd

• Xavier Grainger

• Alice High

• Charlie Hugh

• Oliver Kent

• Nyah Lapham

• Zuri Lapham

• Thomson Macmillan

• Nienke Martino

• Beau Mieszkowski

• Henry Morris

• Marcel Sayegh

• Ruby Stanley

A special congratulations to Xavier Grainger who placed 7th in the Under 9 and 10 boys age division. He has qualified for the Western Metropolitan Primary Cross Country Regional Event on the 20th June at Brimbank Park in Keilor East. We wish Xavier all the best!

Education Support Staff Day

Thursday 16 May was Education Support Staff Day, and it was a day we acknowledged and celebrated the tremendous work of our Education Support Staff at Queenscliff Primary School. Our ES Team are extremely dedicated, hardworking, flexible and knowledgeable individuals who play an integral role to the daily operations of the school and support our students to thrive and flourish in the classroom. Today we hosted a special morning tea to show our appreciation for our ES Team.

Thank you to Mrs. Tansy Young and Mrs. Cherry Wake for their outstanding work in the School Office supporting families and teachers and providing care to our students in sick bay with a smile.

Thank you to Mrs. Chaya Lewry, Mrs. Kirby Young. Miss. Charlotte Mckenzie, Ms. Anna Shiels and Mrs. Stuart Mandley who provide daily support to our students with their learning in classrooms. They show compassion, understanding, patience and flexibility each and every day to ensure that our students' learning needs are met and teachers are supported to deliver their curriculum programs.

Thank you to Mr. Kent Stonehouse, Mrs. Karen Elliott and Mrs. Liz Graham for their work in maintaining the school and its grounds so that our students, families and teachers have a clean, beautiful and nurturing learning environment. The behind the scenes work they do ensures that our school is an environment that promotes the wellbeing of our students, staff and families.

I am so grateful for our Education Support team at Queenscliff Primary School. Over the coming weeks, I encourage QPS families to show your gratitude to our ES team by saying ‘thank you’ when visiting our school or writing an email of appreciation.

QPS Art Show - Save the Date

Our school will be hosting an Art Show on Thursday 8 August 2024. Parents and carers are encouraged to save the date so that they can attend this special event. Every student will have art showcased in the show reflective on their learning in our Visual Arts specialist program delivered by Mrs. Kelly Caldwell. The theme for this year's show is ‘Coming Alive’ and will showcase art from our students in a range of mediums and forms. Our Art Show will be open to the public from 11am to 2pm and then open to families and students from 3pm until 7pm. The show will be hosted at the local community church on Learmonth Street. We will be seeking parent volunteers to assist in the setup and packdown of the show and in providing baked goods for sale. Further information about the show will be provided to families later in the term.

QPS Snowsports

Queenscliff Primary School are entering the Victorian Interschools Championships for the first time this year at Mount Buller. All skiers and boarders are welcome to represent QPS in the Snowsports Championships. As a guide, students entering the Snowsports competition should be able to safely ski or board a blue run from Years 4 to 6 and a green run from Prep to Year 3. Former race or competition experience is not necessary and assistance will be provided to students and parents with events, courses, rules and racing tips. All students must travel to and from Mt Buller with their family or an approved guardian, and stay with them for the duration of the event. Families are required to arrange their own travel and accommodation for the Victorian and Australian Interschools. No QPS staff will be in attendance to support supervision for the duration of the championships.

If you are interested in your child representing QPS in the Snowsports competition, please email our Parent Coordinator, Louise Garland - lougarland@hotmail.com

Peer Observations - Quality Teaching Model

As a measure of professional development and to improve teaching and learning, our teachers have commenced their peer observation rounds this term using the Quality Teaching Model. Teachers and leadership have been divided into teams of three or four and are carrying out observations of each other’s lessons using the Quality Teaching Model. Teachers observe each other teach and then use the evidence-based framework for best practice to provide feedback to each other. I have been so impressed by the enthusiasm and dedication our teachers have shown to improve their practice by participating in peer observations this term.

Assembly

Parents, carers and friends are invited to attend our Week 6 Assembly on Friday 24 May at 9am on the basketball courts. We will have students sharing their learning from 3/4F, Art, PE and Japanese.

Year 2 Parent Teacher Interviews

The Year 2 Parent Teacher Interviews will be held on Monday 17 June and Tuesday 18 June 2024. Bookings for Parent Teacher Interviews are open now via Compass for parents/carers to book an interview with Mrs. Laura Atkins and Mrs. Morgan-Lee Hickey.

School Council

Last Monday 13 May, I enjoyed meeting with our School Council for our Term 2 meeting. We discussed key operations of the school and correspondence from families and the parent community. Our next School Council meeting will be held on Monday 17 June 2024.

Nyatne baa Gobata

(Thank you and take care)

Mat McRae

Principal

Grades 3-6

Students from Grades 3-6 explored gender norms and stereotypes, from boys being expected to play football, like the colour blue and play with trucks; to girls being expected to play netball, like the colour pink, and play with dolls. Understanding gender norms and stereotypes helps students recognise and challenge unfair treatment based on gender. This fosters a sense of equality and respect among peers, laying the groundwork for a more inclusive society. Students were also given the opportunity to listen to special guest speaker, Jo Bangles, in a discussion/Q&A session.

Students in Grade 5/6 further explored putdowns they might have previously heard or experienced. This lesson will be followed up this week, as they work together to create an action plan to create an inclusive and safe school, free of putdowns.

Special Guest Speaker – Jo Bangles (Grades 3-6)

Jo was the previous leader of Geelong Rainbow Inc and a founding organiser of the Geelong Rainbow Festival. She was nominated for the GLOBE LGBTIQ person of the year 2019 and is now Vice President and Regional Director of GLOBE Victoria. In her early life, Jo was a primary school valedictorian, high school captain and ‘most determined’ award winner in the Australian Army’s recruit course. She was the first female to play football in her league after refusing to take no for an answer and she also successfully rallied to change her high school uniforms so she could wear pants. Did I mention that Jo is the owner of Australia's only cheese train! Prompting many interesting discussions about cheese!

We are so incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to involve Jo in our IDAHOBIT Day. Thank you, Jo! I’m sure you’re going to have many new little customers coming to check out Splatters Cheese Bar: Cheese Train, to “cheese their own adventure”.

Special Assembly

At 12:30, we hosted a short assembly as a whole school. During this assembly, a wonderful slam poem was read out by Ruby and Zuri, written by Zuri and April (a previous QPS student). Following the assembly, we raised the Progress Rainbow Flag.

IDAHOBIT Day was an important day to celebrate diversity, acceptance and inclusivity in our school community. To our many diverse families, staff and students, you are respected, safe, welcomed and loved here at QPS.

Sleep Glorious Sleep – by Maggie Dent

This article highlights the universal concern parents have regarding children's sleep. It emphasises that adequate sleep is crucial for the overall wellbeing, growth, and behaviour of children. Sleep deprivation can significantly impair children's ability to manage their daily activities and emotions.

The article references the National Sleep Foundation, explaining the sleep-wake cycle and circadian rhythms, and provides detailed recommendations on the amount of sleep required at different stages of childhood.

https://www.maggiedent.com/blog/sleep-glorious-sleep/

The Author – Maggie Dent

Commonly known as the ‘queen of common sense’, Maggie Dent has become one of Australia’s favourite parenting authors and educators. She has a particular interest in the early years, adolescence and resilience, and is an undisputed ‘boy champion’.

Maggie’s experience includes teaching, counselling, and working in palliative care/funeral services and suicide prevention. Maggie is an advocate for the healthy, common-sense raising of children in order to strengthen families and communities. She is a passionate, positive voice for children of all ages.

Grade 3/4TH News

In Year 3/4, students have been following the writing process to plan, draft, and edit a persuasive piece. The prompt is ‘All Children Should Have a Mobile Phone’. The students have written their introductions, and are using the OREO structure to write their arguments. In the coming weeks, students will use their persuasive writing to perform a debate in front of an audience.

Queenscliff Literary Festival

All students had the opportunity to participate in author workshop sessions and songwriting workshops as part of the Queenscliff Literary Festival. The events took place at St Aloysius Hall.

Here is a recap of the workshops:

• Prep, Grade 1, and Grade 2 – Rhys Jeffs workshop
• Grade 5 and Grade 6 – Songwriting workshop with Suzie and Zoe
• Grade 3 and Grade 4 – Shelley Ware workshop

Additionally, our Grade 5 and 6 students had the opportunity to perform their song at the Queenscliff Town Hall on Friday, 17th May, alongside students from Point Lonsdale and St Aloysius Primary schools. Our Grade 3/4 students attended as audience members to support their peers and enjoy the performance.

We extend a HUGE thank you to the organisers of this event, the presenters for sharing their talents and expertise with our students, and St Aloysius for providing the hall for us to visit. These experiences were incredibly valuable, and we look forward to more exciting educational opportunities in the future!