Prinicpal's Message - 5th August


Dear Queenscliff Parents and Carers,

It was wonderful to see so many parents, friends and members of our school community join us for our Week 3 Assembly last Friday. It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining over the bay, as we celebrated the learning success and adventures of Year 2, 3/4TH and our Science specialist program. We had Year 2 showcase their research and planning in writing an information report on Olympic sports and athletes, Mrs Vistarini put on a show with an experiment about carbon dioxide and 3/4TH shared their heartfelt Acknowledgements of Country they have been writing as part of their learning about Australia’s history in their Integrated Studies unit.

Excellence Certificates

At our Assembly on Friday, we celebrated the successes of our students achieving 10 Excellence Stamps throughout Semester 1. Congratulations to the following students:

Prep - Noah Beekman-Luxford, Freddy Wilkinson

Year 1 - Hussain Mushtaq, Alby Wilmot, Eve Stacey, Hunter Murphy, Jimmy Ricciuti-Allen, Lucy Forsythe

Year 2 - Maggie Gaylard, Tariq Sayegh, Daniel Mauger, Will Ulph

3/4F - Elis Forsyth

3/4TH - Hugo Stacey, Esther Mclean, Kim Gorgievski, Aria Wolter

3/4TA - Lou Foott

5/6C - Oli Kent, Charlie High, Meeri Hamidi, Ruby Vistarini, Aydin Sayegh

5/6PH - Thomas May, Henry Morris, Asher Clayden

QPS Art Show

It's showtime!

This Thursday 8 August 2024, QPS will be hosting an Art Show titled ‘It's Alive’ at St George’s Old School Hall - 16A Hobson Street. Parents, friends and community members are invited to join us in the celebration of our students’ creativity, imagination and perspectives. The Art Show will be open from 11am to 2:30pm, and from 3:30pm until 7:00pm.

Tickets can be purchased online through the TryBooking website or using the QR code on the Art Show advertisement. We encourage parents and families to purchase tickets prior to attending the Art Show to make entry seamless. Tickets can be also purchased at the door with cash or card.

Our students will have an opportunity to visit the Art Show in the morning so that they can see their own artworks on display in the gallery, before attending the show with their parents and families after school.

As it is an Art Show with student artwork in a range of forms and mediums on display, it is important that guests show ‘gallery etiquette’ whilst at the Show. This includes refraining from touching or moving any of the artworks or displays. They have been hung and balanced to showcase the talent of our students, and it is important that we enter and move around the space as we would any gallery - with respect for the art and artists. We will also have fires operating within the hall to keep it cosy and warm. It is important that parents supervise your children when attending the Show to ensure their safety. Thank you for your support.

Parents and community members will have the opportunity to purchase greeting cards for $6.00 and t-shirts for $35.00 that have students' artworks printed on them as a keepsake for the event, as well as Art Show programs providing information about each art exhibition. (See photos below for a sneak peak!)

We will be hosting a special presentation at 6:00pm if families wish to join us. I hope all of our families enjoy the outstanding creative talents of our students at the Show. I look forward to seeing you there!

Book your tickets here

‘Trivia for Nature’

Tickets on Sale!

Tickets for our QPS ‘Trivia for Nature’ fundraising event are now on sale. It will be hosted on Friday 6th September at 360Q from 6:00pm. Families are encouraged to book their tables promptly, as there is a limited number of tables available. Last year, we sold out in the first few weeks of sale. Tables of 6 people can be purchased for $150.00. All proceeds from the event will go towards building a Nature Play space for our students in our beautiful playground. There will be raffles and 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.

Secure your tickets here!

Pickleball Clinics

Last week, our Year 5/6 students engaged in a Pickleball clinic with our very own pickleball extraordinaire and parent, Tess Lapham. Students learnt about the rules of the games, practised drills to develop hitting and hand-eye coordination skills and participated in a few games to apply their new learning. We look forward to Tess running her second workshop with our students this Wednesday 7 August. Thank you Tess for your enthusiasm, passion and time in supporting our students to develop a love and interest for Pickleball.

Science Day

On Friday 16 August (Week 5), our School will be celebrating Science Week with a Science Day. The theme for this year is ‘Endangered Species - More Than Sustainability’. Students will participate in a range of exciting science workshops and experiments throughout the day based on this year’s theme and we will be hosting a few special guest speakers to share their insights and experiences related to sustainability with our students.

Book Week

Book Week is fast approaching and we are getting excited about the opportunity to celebrate quality literature. Book Week will be held in Week 6, from Monday 19 August until Friday 23 August. Throughout the week, students will participate in a range of literacy activities based on the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s shortlisted books for 2024. Our Year 3 to 6 students will participate in writing workshops and have the opportunity to contribute stories to a book, alongside students from Point Lonsdale Primary and St Aloysius Primary School, to be sold at the Queenscliff Bookshop later this year.

Our Book Week Parade will be held on Friday 23 August, whereby students, teachers and parents are encouraged to dress up as book characters or authors to celebrate Book Week. This year’s theme is titled ‘Reading in Magic’. I cannot wait to see the creative costumes that our school community will come up with this year.

Throughout Book Week, we will also be hosting a Book Fair after school from Tuesday 20 August until Friday 23 August. The Book Fair will be open to students and families to purchase books from 3:00 until 3:30pm. Thank you to the parents who have volunteered their time to support the running of the Book Fair this year.

Year 3/4 Song Room Concert

Our Year 3/4 Families are invited to attend a Song Room concert put on by our Year 3/4 students on Tuesday 13 August at 12:00pm. The concert will be held on the upper basketball court. The concert will be a showcase of the Song Room Performing Arts program the Year 3/4 students have been involved in throughout Semester 1.

Grounds and Gardens

Last week, the Grounds and Gardens committee made up of parents and staff met to discuss next steps for the development of the bike storage area. The intended location for the new bike storage area will be where the chicken coop is currently located.

We are looking to host a parent working bee to begin dismantling the chicken coop in preparation for the bike storage area works on Sunday 25 August from 9am until 12pm. We would be grateful to have any parent volunteers who may be available to assist us with the demolition works for this exciting project. More information about the Working Bee, including details of works to be completed and equipment/tools needed will be provided to families in the coming weeks.

School Council

We have postponed our next School Council meeting from Monday 5th August to Monday 12th August. I look forward to meeting with our School Council to discuss school operations, fundraising and community engagement.

Nyatne baa Gobata

(Thank you and take care)

Mat McRae

Principal

Class News

Athletics News

On Wednesday, August 14th, students from grades 4-6 will participate in the District Athletics event at Goldsworthy Reserve in North Geelong. The day's events include the 800m, 100m, 200m, discus, long jump, shot put, triple jump, high jump, and the 4x100m relay.

Currently, we are holding tryouts for the 800m and 4x100m relay, as we can only take a limited number of representative students from each age group for these events. All students will participate in the other events throughout the day.

We need volunteers to help teachers run the events and ensure everything operates smoothly and safely. Parents who can assist are asked to respond to COMPASS notifications or contact the office directly. Volunteer tasks include manning the long jump pit, raking and measuring distances, timing events, and collecting discus.

Students have been practicing these events during Physical Education sessions and are excited to showcase their skills on the day. Please ensure students are prepared for any weather, as Goldsworthy Reserve is an open venue.

Mrs. Fitzgerald

Grade Prep News

This term, the Prep children are learning about Food & Farms.

Last week, we explored cows and the foods that come from them. The children discovered that butter is made from cow’s cream. Using jars, marbles, and cream, we made butter together. The Prep children had so much fun shaking the jars to turn the cream into butter. It took some time, and we wondered if it would work. Eventually, after much shaking and jumping, the cream turned into butter. We all enjoyed a slice of bread with our homemade butter.

There is much excitement in Prep as we await the hatching of the chicken eggs. On Monday, the Prep children placed 41 chicken eggs into the incubator. It will take exactly 21 days for the eggs to hatch. In the meantime, we will be observing, recording, and writing about any changes we see in the eggs

Grade 3/4F News

A Relief of Lighthouses

Grade 3/4 students lit up like beacons as they seized the opportunity to shine a light on their radiant poetry writing skills last week. Students across the Borough were invited to write haiku poems about lighthouses, which will be displayed at the Queenscliff Maritime Museum during the International Lighthouse Weekend, 17-18 August 2024. In 2022, "A Relief of Lighthouses" was chosen as the collective noun to best describe the unique lighthouses of Queenscliffe, capturing the heart and warmth one feels when arriving in the area.

A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often focusing on images from nature, haiku emphasises simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression. Students navigated the structure of haiku poetry to produce beautiful poems beaming with descriptive imagery, supported by lighthouse backgrounds created using the digital program Canva.

A selection of Grade 3/4F Haiku poems are presented to light your way in this newsletter issue.

Japanese News

Grade 5/6 Japan Travel Expo

Last week, the Grade 5/6 students did a wonderful job showcasing all of the wonderful places that they ‘visited’ on their ‘trip to Japan.’ They wrote a travel diary in Japanese to talk about the places they went, whether that was a city in Japan or an attraction such as an animal cafe or Tokyo Disneyland. Students wrote about what they saw, ate, drank and bought in those locations. It was wonderful to see and hear about where each student was interested in visiting. よくできました (well done) to all of the Grade 5/6s for putting together such a wonderful Travel Expo and a big ありがとうございます (thank you very much) to the classroom teachers and families for allowing students to have extra time to work on their projects.

Wellbeing

Wellbeing Unit - Bullying

Over the next four weeks, during the timetabled Wellbeing sessions, our students will be focusing on an important topic: Bullying Awareness and Prevention. Bullying is defined as repeated, intentional behaviour that aims to hurt, intimidate, or humiliate another person, often exploiting an imbalance of power.

To empower our students with knowledge and skills to foster a positive and respectful environment, we will be conducting a comprehensive 4-week unit dedicated to increasing students' understanding of what bullying is and how to address it if they encounter it at school or in our community. Our aim is to help students understand what bullying is, how to recognise it, and how to be positive up-standers in our school community.

For further information see links below:

Information on Bullying
Information on Cyberbullying

Clubs

Well done to our school leaders for organising exciting clubs during snack and lunch times! These clubs offer our students fantastic opportunities to explore their interests, develop new skills, and build friendships. Some of the clubs include Chess Club, Basketball Club, Karaoke Club, Gymnastics Club, Drawing Club and more. We look forward to the new and exciting clubs coming up this term!

Book Week

Book Week @ QPS

**Reading is Magic**

Book week is happening at school from Monday 19th August until Friday 23rd of August. We have many activities and fun events planned across the week for students to look forward to.

Prep to grade 2 students will be creating a paper dragon scale to be added to the Borough Dragon which will be put together at the Queenscliff Library. All 3 local primary schools will be contributing to this fantastic creation.

Prep to grade 2 students will also get the opportunity to explore some shortlisted books during their literacy sessions. They will be some engaging activities that match these new books.

Our grade 3-6 students will have an exciting opportunity to participate in and create a short story with our local author Jayne Tuttle from the Queenscliff Bookshop. Students will then have the option of having their stories published in a book containing stories from students in all 3 primary schools.

We will also be running our annual Book Fair from Tuesday to Friday of the book week. This will be open for students to visit with their teachers to have a browse and complete a wish list that they can take home to their families. The book fair will be open from 3.00pm until 3.30pm each afternoon. Thank you to the parent volunteers, who will assist in running the book fair. The book fair helps the school by donating some of the profits directly to the school, so that we can purchase new books for our kids.

Finally, we will be having our whole school Book Parade on the Friday morning. Everyone is encouraged to dress up with the theme in mind or as their favourite book character.

Hope to see you all there!

Community News

Please follow link to register for Point Lonsdale Tennis club:
https://forms.gle/5f17TuRg2BAZ...

Prinicpal's Message - 5th August


Mat McRae

Principal

2819

Dear Queenscliff Parents and Carers,

It was wonderful to see so many parents, friends and members of our school community join us for our Week 3 Assembly last Friday. It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining over the bay, as we celebrated the learning success and adventures of Year 2, 3/4TH and our Science specialist program. We had Year 2 showcase their research and planning in writing an information report on Olympic sports and athletes, Mrs Vistarini put on a show with an experiment about carbon dioxide and 3/4TH shared their heartfelt Acknowledgements of Country they have been writing as part of their learning about Australia’s history in their Integrated Studies unit.

Excellence Certificates

At our Assembly on Friday, we celebrated the successes of our students achieving 10 Excellence Stamps throughout Semester 1. Congratulations to the following students:

Prep - Noah Beekman-Luxford, Freddy Wilkinson

Year 1 - Hussain Mushtaq, Alby Wilmot, Eve Stacey, Hunter Murphy, Jimmy Ricciuti-Allen, Lucy Forsythe

Year 2 - Maggie Gaylard, Tariq Sayegh, Daniel Mauger, Will Ulph

3/4F - Elis Forsyth

3/4TH - Hugo Stacey, Esther Mclean, Kim Gorgievski, Aria Wolter

3/4TA - Lou Foott

5/6C - Oli Kent, Charlie High, Meeri Hamidi, Ruby Vistarini, Aydin Sayegh

5/6PH - Thomas May, Henry Morris, Asher Clayden

QPS Art Show

It's showtime!

This Thursday 8 August 2024, QPS will be hosting an Art Show titled ‘It's Alive’ at St George’s Old School Hall - 16A Hobson Street. Parents, friends and community members are invited to join us in the celebration of our students’ creativity, imagination and perspectives. The Art Show will be open from 11am to 2:30pm, and from 3:30pm until 7:00pm.

Tickets can be purchased online through the TryBooking website or using the QR code on the Art Show advertisement. We encourage parents and families to purchase tickets prior to attending the Art Show to make entry seamless. Tickets can be also purchased at the door with cash or card.

Our students will have an opportunity to visit the Art Show in the morning so that they can see their own artworks on display in the gallery, before attending the show with their parents and families after school.

As it is an Art Show with student artwork in a range of forms and mediums on display, it is important that guests show ‘gallery etiquette’ whilst at the Show. This includes refraining from touching or moving any of the artworks or displays. They have been hung and balanced to showcase the talent of our students, and it is important that we enter and move around the space as we would any gallery - with respect for the art and artists. We will also have fires operating within the hall to keep it cosy and warm. It is important that parents supervise your children when attending the Show to ensure their safety. Thank you for your support.

Parents and community members will have the opportunity to purchase greeting cards for $6.00 and t-shirts for $35.00 that have students' artworks printed on them as a keepsake for the event, as well as Art Show programs providing information about each art exhibition. (See photos below for a sneak peak!)

We will be hosting a special presentation at 6:00pm if families wish to join us. I hope all of our families enjoy the outstanding creative talents of our students at the Show. I look forward to seeing you there!

Book your tickets here

‘Trivia for Nature’

Tickets on Sale!

Tickets for our QPS ‘Trivia for Nature’ fundraising event are now on sale. It will be hosted on Friday 6th September at 360Q from 6:00pm. Families are encouraged to book their tables promptly, as there is a limited number of tables available. Last year, we sold out in the first few weeks of sale. Tables of 6 people can be purchased for $150.00. All proceeds from the event will go towards building a Nature Play space for our students in our beautiful playground. There will be raffles and 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.

Secure your tickets here!

Pickleball Clinics

Last week, our Year 5/6 students engaged in a Pickleball clinic with our very own pickleball extraordinaire and parent, Tess Lapham. Students learnt about the rules of the games, practised drills to develop hitting and hand-eye coordination skills and participated in a few games to apply their new learning. We look forward to Tess running her second workshop with our students this Wednesday 7 August. Thank you Tess for your enthusiasm, passion and time in supporting our students to develop a love and interest for Pickleball.

Science Day

On Friday 16 August (Week 5), our School will be celebrating Science Week with a Science Day. The theme for this year is ‘Endangered Species - More Than Sustainability’. Students will participate in a range of exciting science workshops and experiments throughout the day based on this year’s theme and we will be hosting a few special guest speakers to share their insights and experiences related to sustainability with our students.

Book Week

Book Week is fast approaching and we are getting excited about the opportunity to celebrate quality literature. Book Week will be held in Week 6, from Monday 19 August until Friday 23 August. Throughout the week, students will participate in a range of literacy activities based on the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s shortlisted books for 2024. Our Year 3 to 6 students will participate in writing workshops and have the opportunity to contribute stories to a book, alongside students from Point Lonsdale Primary and St Aloysius Primary School, to be sold at the Queenscliff Bookshop later this year.

Our Book Week Parade will be held on Friday 23 August, whereby students, teachers and parents are encouraged to dress up as book characters or authors to celebrate Book Week. This year’s theme is titled ‘Reading in Magic’. I cannot wait to see the creative costumes that our school community will come up with this year.

Throughout Book Week, we will also be hosting a Book Fair after school from Tuesday 20 August until Friday 23 August. The Book Fair will be open to students and families to purchase books from 3:00 until 3:30pm. Thank you to the parents who have volunteered their time to support the running of the Book Fair this year.

Year 3/4 Song Room Concert

Our Year 3/4 Families are invited to attend a Song Room concert put on by our Year 3/4 students on Tuesday 13 August at 12:00pm. The concert will be held on the upper basketball court. The concert will be a showcase of the Song Room Performing Arts program the Year 3/4 students have been involved in throughout Semester 1.

Grounds and Gardens

Last week, the Grounds and Gardens committee made up of parents and staff met to discuss next steps for the development of the bike storage area. The intended location for the new bike storage area will be where the chicken coop is currently located.

We are looking to host a parent working bee to begin dismantling the chicken coop in preparation for the bike storage area works on Sunday 25 August from 9am until 12pm. We would be grateful to have any parent volunteers who may be available to assist us with the demolition works for this exciting project. More information about the Working Bee, including details of works to be completed and equipment/tools needed will be provided to families in the coming weeks.

School Council

We have postponed our next School Council meeting from Monday 5th August to Monday 12th August. I look forward to meeting with our School Council to discuss school operations, fundraising and community engagement.

Nyatne baa Gobata

(Thank you and take care)

Mat McRae

Principal

Class News

Queenscliff Primary School

Staff

1575

Athletics News

On Wednesday, August 14th, students from grades 4-6 will participate in the District Athletics event at Goldsworthy Reserve in North Geelong. The day's events include the 800m, 100m, 200m, discus, long jump, shot put, triple jump, high jump, and the 4x100m relay.

Currently, we are holding tryouts for the 800m and 4x100m relay, as we can only take a limited number of representative students from each age group for these events. All students will participate in the other events throughout the day.

We need volunteers to help teachers run the events and ensure everything operates smoothly and safely. Parents who can assist are asked to respond to COMPASS notifications or contact the office directly. Volunteer tasks include manning the long jump pit, raking and measuring distances, timing events, and collecting discus.

Students have been practicing these events during Physical Education sessions and are excited to showcase their skills on the day. Please ensure students are prepared for any weather, as Goldsworthy Reserve is an open venue.

Mrs. Fitzgerald

Grade Prep News

This term, the Prep children are learning about Food & Farms.

Last week, we explored cows and the foods that come from them. The children discovered that butter is made from cow’s cream. Using jars, marbles, and cream, we made butter together. The Prep children had so much fun shaking the jars to turn the cream into butter. It took some time, and we wondered if it would work. Eventually, after much shaking and jumping, the cream turned into butter. We all enjoyed a slice of bread with our homemade butter.

There is much excitement in Prep as we await the hatching of the chicken eggs. On Monday, the Prep children placed 41 chicken eggs into the incubator. It will take exactly 21 days for the eggs to hatch. In the meantime, we will be observing, recording, and writing about any changes we see in the eggs

Grade 3/4F News

A Relief of Lighthouses

Grade 3/4 students lit up like beacons as they seized the opportunity to shine a light on their radiant poetry writing skills last week. Students across the Borough were invited to write haiku poems about lighthouses, which will be displayed at the Queenscliff Maritime Museum during the International Lighthouse Weekend, 17-18 August 2024. In 2022, "A Relief of Lighthouses" was chosen as the collective noun to best describe the unique lighthouses of Queenscliffe, capturing the heart and warmth one feels when arriving in the area.

A traditional Japanese haiku is a three-line poem with seventeen syllables, written in a 5/7/5 syllable count. Often focusing on images from nature, haiku emphasises simplicity, intensity, and directness of expression. Students navigated the structure of haiku poetry to produce beautiful poems beaming with descriptive imagery, supported by lighthouse backgrounds created using the digital program Canva.

A selection of Grade 3/4F Haiku poems are presented to light your way in this newsletter issue.

Japanese News

Grade 5/6 Japan Travel Expo

Last week, the Grade 5/6 students did a wonderful job showcasing all of the wonderful places that they ‘visited’ on their ‘trip to Japan.’ They wrote a travel diary in Japanese to talk about the places they went, whether that was a city in Japan or an attraction such as an animal cafe or Tokyo Disneyland. Students wrote about what they saw, ate, drank and bought in those locations. It was wonderful to see and hear about where each student was interested in visiting. よくできました (well done) to all of the Grade 5/6s for putting together such a wonderful Travel Expo and a big ありがとうございます (thank you very much) to the classroom teachers and families for allowing students to have extra time to work on their projects.

Wellbeing

Hannah Petrie

Disability/Inclusion Leader

1169

Wellbeing Unit - Bullying

Over the next four weeks, during the timetabled Wellbeing sessions, our students will be focusing on an important topic: Bullying Awareness and Prevention. Bullying is defined as repeated, intentional behaviour that aims to hurt, intimidate, or humiliate another person, often exploiting an imbalance of power.

To empower our students with knowledge and skills to foster a positive and respectful environment, we will be conducting a comprehensive 4-week unit dedicated to increasing students' understanding of what bullying is and how to address it if they encounter it at school or in our community. Our aim is to help students understand what bullying is, how to recognise it, and how to be positive up-standers in our school community.

For further information see links below:

Information on Bullying
Information on Cyberbullying

Clubs

Well done to our school leaders for organising exciting clubs during snack and lunch times! These clubs offer our students fantastic opportunities to explore their interests, develop new skills, and build friendships. Some of the clubs include Chess Club, Basketball Club, Karaoke Club, Gymnastics Club, Drawing Club and more. We look forward to the new and exciting clubs coming up this term!

Book Week

Melissa Fitzgerald

Assistant Principal

1376

Book Week @ QPS

**Reading is Magic**

Book week is happening at school from Monday 19th August until Friday 23rd of August. We have many activities and fun events planned across the week for students to look forward to.

Prep to grade 2 students will be creating a paper dragon scale to be added to the Borough Dragon which will be put together at the Queenscliff Library. All 3 local primary schools will be contributing to this fantastic creation.

Prep to grade 2 students will also get the opportunity to explore some shortlisted books during their literacy sessions. They will be some engaging activities that match these new books.

Our grade 3-6 students will have an exciting opportunity to participate in and create a short story with our local author Jayne Tuttle from the Queenscliff Bookshop. Students will then have the option of having their stories published in a book containing stories from students in all 3 primary schools.

We will also be running our annual Book Fair from Tuesday to Friday of the book week. This will be open for students to visit with their teachers to have a browse and complete a wish list that they can take home to their families. The book fair will be open from 3.00pm until 3.30pm each afternoon. Thank you to the parent volunteers, who will assist in running the book fair. The book fair helps the school by donating some of the profits directly to the school, so that we can purchase new books for our kids.

Finally, we will be having our whole school Book Parade on the Friday morning. Everyone is encouraged to dress up with the theme in mind or as their favourite book character.

Hope to see you all there!

Community News

Please follow link to register for Point Lonsdale Tennis club:
https://forms.gle/5f17TuRg2BAZ...