Dear Queenscliff Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to Term 3! I hope our students and families enjoyed a restful, warming and rejuvenating break. It was wonderful to see our students return on Tuesday with bubbling smiles and a leap in their step as they walked through our school gates. As we head into mid July, it brings many of us reprieve knowing that the days are slowly getting longer again, so that we can enjoy the daylight and afternoon activities. We had a busy end to Term 2 with the Seaside Spruce Up, Year 3/4 ‘Around the World’ Expo, assembly and Semester 1 Student Reports being released on Compass.
I hope families have had an opportunity to review the Semester 1 Student Reports to gain an understanding of your child’s achievements, successes and areas for growth for Semester 2. I would like to thank our dedicated teachers for their effort, energy and time they put into writing such comprehensive report comments for our students and families. Semester Student Reports are based on teacher observations, work samples, formative and summative assessment tasks as well as standardised testing. Parents and carers will have an opportunity to discuss the Semester 1 Student Reports further with their child’s teacher at the Parent Teacher Interviews held on Tuesday 23 July and Wednesday 24 July.
At our final Assembly we had a significant number of students awarded Excellence Certificates, reflecting their hard work, dedication, persistence and effort throughout Semester 1. Congratulations to the following students:
Year 1 - Earl Golding-Brown, Max McLean, Miles Garland
Year 2 - Hannah Rishton, Clem Vistarini
3/4F - Amelie Stanley, Ruby Stanley
3/4TH - Nienke Martino
3/4TA - Finn Leigh
5/6C - Anabelle Clingan, Sol Eldridge, Laila Follett, Jasmine LeRodda, Olivia Warring
5/6PH - Jemma Sheridan, Archie Lillingston, Loretta Boyd, Willow Lund
QPS Art Show - 3 weeks and counting…
Our school will be hosting an Art Show on Thursday 8 August 2024. 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 ‘It’s Alive’ and will include art from our students in a range of mediums and forms.
Parents and carers can purchase individual tickets for $5.00. Tickets can be purchased online through the TryBooking website or using the QR code on the Art Show advertisement.
Our Art Show will be open to the public from 11am to 2:30pm and then open to families and students from 3:30pm until 7pm. We will be seeking parent volunteers in providing baked goods for sale at the Art Show. Families will receive a Google Form link via Compass in the coming week, with an outline of different recipes to select from, to cook for the Baked Goods Sale. If you are interested in helping with the Baked Goods Sale, keep an eye out for the link on Compass. We will only be selling a set number of baked good items, for example, specific muffin, cake or slice recipes.
SRC Seaside Spruce Up
In the final week of Term 2, the SRC organised a ‘Seaside Spruce Up’ event which involved our students going out into the community and collecting rubbish in an effort to take care of our local environment. Students then used the rubbish to create House mascots on the final day of school. It was wonderful to see our House Leaders and SRC lead this initiative. The designs were creative and unique. I am extremely proud of the efforts of our students and teachers in taking action to care for our community and natural world.
100 Days of School
On Friday 19 July, our Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 students and teachers celebrated 100 days of school. It was wonderful to see our students and staff dress up in costume to represent 100 year old citizens or in ‘old fashioned’ clothing to celebrate the day. Cardigans, lace silk gloves, pearls, moustaches, herringbone jackets, braces, grey hair and floral dresses were popular outfit choices amongst staff and students. Classes engaged in a range of ‘100’ themed activities throughout the day. Congratulations to all of our Prep superstars who have achieved 100 days of Prep. What a brilliant achievement!
Year 3/4 'Around the World' Expo
On the final day of school, parents and families were invited to attend the Year 3/4 ‘Around the World’ Expo whereby students showcased their brochures based on a country of their choice. Students dressed up in cultural dress, hosted tasting of traditional foods and displayed their brochures at the Expo, sharing their knowledge and understanding of how countries of the world are unique in their geography, traditions, beliefs, demographics and celebrations. The Expo was a rich opportunity for our students to showcase their learning and feel proud of what they have achieved. The Year 3/4 students spent many weeks preparing their brochures for the Expo. The Expo celebrated the diversity of our world. Congratulations to our Year 3/4 students.
Libby Coker Visit
On Tuesday 16 July, our Federal Member of Parliament, Libby Coker, visited to meet with our School Leaders. Libby spoke to our School Leaders about their interests, passions for the future and about the concept of leadership in serving others and the wider community. Our School Leaders had questions for Libby regarding her position, including the challenges, opportunities and memorable experiences.
Staffing Changes
This term, we welcome Mrs. Yvette Hurley who will be teaching 5/6PH on Monday and Tuesdays for the remainder of the year. Mrs. Morgan Lee Hickey has been appointed Year 2 Classroom Teacher. Mrs. Melanie Vistarini will continue teaching the Science and STEM specialist program along with the Learning Enhancement (TLI).
Lunch Orders - Cafe 3225
This week, our School Council has endorsed changing our provider for student lunch orders. Our new provider is Cafe 3225. Lunch order days will now be Fridays, commencing on Friday 26 July. Families can order lunch for your child using the Flexischools app. Families will be required to set up an account, and then select ‘Queenscliff Primary School’ and nominate your child’s class to complete the setup. Further information regarding Cafe 3225 menu and ordering process will be sent out to families via Compass. Lunch orders will need to be placed before 2:00pm Thursday for Friday. If a child is sick or absent on a Friday, lunch orders can be cancelled on the Friday with a full refund provided. Please see below link for our new QPS Lunch Order Menu.
Class Representatives Meeting
Melissa Fitzgerald and I look forward to meeting with our Class Representatives this Friday 26 July at Shelter Shed to discuss school operations and our termly fundraising events.
SAVE THE DATE - ‘Trivia for Nature’
It is that time of the year again! QPS is hosting its annual Trivia fundraising event on Friday 6th September at 360Q. All proceeds from the fundraiser, including ticket sales, will go towards the building of the Nature Play Space in our playground. We encourage all of our families to Save the Date so that you can attend, and consider organising babysitters or carers for your children for that evening.
Further information about the Trivia fundraiser will be provided to families in the coming weeks. A link will be shared via Compass for families to book a table for the event. There will be raffle prizes available for guests to win on the night.
We are seeking parent volunteers to assist with planning and organising the evening. If you are interested in being part of the committee, please email Mat McRae - mathew.mcrae@education.vic.gov.au . We would love your assistance.
QPS Snowsports Team
We have a small group of students representing our school at the Snowsports Championships from Monday 19 August to Wednesday 21 August. The following students will represent our school:
Jamie Dean (Snowboard)
Sol Elridge (Snowboard)
Cooper Harandian (Ski)
Darcy Harandian (Ski)
Miles Garland (Ski)
Miles, Cooper and Darcy will compete in Alpine Giant Slalom, Ski Cross and Mogul events. Whilst Jamie and Sol will compete in Snowboard Giant Slalom and Snowboard Cross events. We wish them all the best for the upcoming snowsports competition!
Term Aheads and Parent Calendars
Our Term Ahead curriculum outlines for each class and Term 3 calendars have been sent out to families this week. The Term 3 calendars outline key events, fundraising events and excursions for the term. I encourage families to display the termly calendar somewhere visible in your homes, such as the fridge, to help you and your family keep up to date with our school events this term.
School Council
On Tuesday 16 July, I enjoyed meeting with our School Council to discuss operations, building projects, events and fundraising for Term 3. Our next School Council meeting is scheduled for Monday 5th August 2024.
Nyatne baa Gobata
(Thank you and take care)
Mat McRae
Principal