Term 1 Week 9 School Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Principal Message

News from the Prep - Year 2 Deputy Principal

It is so hard to believe that it is week 9 already!

We are a quarter of the way through the school year already!

I am so proud of all our Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 students. They have been doing an amazing job engaging in the learning in the classroom. I have enjoyed hearing the oral retells of Fairy tales in Prep and also seeing the prep students blending sounds together to read words!! In year 1 they have been writing a procedure for a disgusting sandwich, and let me tell you, I do NOT want any of them to make my lunch! In year 2 they have been working hard on their recount of a narrative! So fantastic to see the great writing that our year 2 students are producing.

Crazy Hat

Don’t forget! It is Crazy Hat Parade on Wednesday 27^th of March from 9.15 in the hall! I have seen a few photos of the crazy hats being made at home! Hurrah for hot glue guns!!

We are looking forward to celebrating the end of the school term with our fun Crazy Hat parade!

All welcome to come along and join in the fun!

Junior Cross Country

Hopefully the weather will settle and the ground will dry out for our Junior Cross Country on Thursday 28^th of March (last day of term 1!).

Please take note of the times below which are an approximate start time for each race. To avoid disappointment please be at least 15 minutes earlier than stated so that you do not miss out on your child’s race!!

• 9:20am - Prep Boys – 400m
• 9:25am – Prep Girls – 400m
• 9:35am – Year 1 Boys – 500m
• 9:45 am – Year 1 Girls – 500m
• 9:55am – Year 2 Boys – 900m
• 10:10am – Year 2 Girls – 900m
• 10:25am – Year 3 Boys – 1.3km
• 10:40am – Year 3 Girls – 1.3km

This day is a fun event where all students are encouraged to do their very best!

Playground/Oval use before and after school.

Playgrounds and the Oval are out of bounds before and after school. We are seeing an increasing number of students being allowed to play in these areas by their parents or without supervision while waiting for parents to pick them up. We work extremely hard to ensure that our school culture promotes a safe, respectful environment. We do this every day through classroom teaching, Parade and every staff member, helping to remind all students of the expectations to keep that culture strong. What we have noticed is that after school, students are running off into the Prep playground, or the 1/2 oval not properly supervised and the play evolves into inappropriate behaviours, blurring the behaviour expectations. Students are then getting hurt or upset and parents are wanting the school to follow up and, while we do follow up with students, before 8.30am and after 3pm, the students are in your care and supervision. There are no staff on duty at 3pm to supervise students. Please help us promote the school wide behaviour expectations by ensuring your child is with you at the end of the day or waiting in the designated pick-up place, not on playgrounds and/or the oval areas.

Australian Early Development Census (AEDC).

From May 2024, our school, along with thousands of others across the country, will participate in the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC). The AEDC is a teacher-completed census (similar to a questionnaire) which provides a comprehensive picture of how children have developed by the time they start their first year of full-time school. The AEDC is an Australian Government Initiative and is completed nationally every three years.

Children don’t miss any class time while the AEDC is completed, and parents/carers don’t need to supply schools with any new information.  The data collected through the AEDC is used by schools, communities and governments to better understand children and families’ needs, and identify the services, resources and support they need. AEDC data is reported at a school, community, state/territory and national level. AEDC results for individual children are not reported and the AEDC is not used as an individual diagnostic tool. Participation in the AEDC is voluntary, however the AEDC relies on all schools with children in their first year of full-time school participating in the collection. Parents/carers don’t need to take any action unless they choose not to include their children in the census. An information letter and fact sheet will be emailed home to all prep families in the near future.

To find out more about the AEDC and how it is being used to help children and families visit: www.aedc.gov.au.

News from the Year 3 - 6 Deputy Principal

We are heading into our final week of Term 1. This will be a busy time for our students with assessments and cross country. I have been enjoying reading the humorous stories our Year 4 students are producing and also the persuasive brochures produced by our Year 6 cohort.

It was pleasing to see parents coming along to the Young Scholars information session and learn a little more from the staff at Smithfield SHS about what students are doing in their high school rotations. Also, for a small number of our Year 5 students, the Gifted Global Green project will begin next term. Students will work on a sustainability project with Mr Einerman and staff from Hollows Beach Environmental Education Centre over the course of the year.

This week I would also like to discuss cyber-safety. It has come to our attention that a small number of our Year 5 & 6 students are participating in on-line chat groups. The internet is an integral part of our lives and has an increasing impact on our student’s social development and interactions. Social media, smart watches and other technologies can provide children with wonderful opportunities to learn, be creative and socialise. While being on-line can be a positive experience, just as with face to face interactions, sometimes bullying and harassment can occur. It is important that your child is aware that not everyone on social media is a friend. Unfortunately, some use technology to send nasty & inappropriate messages. To support your child’s on-line experience ensure they know how to block, unfriend and report inappropriate online behaviour.

Encourage you child to think before they share – is it true, useful and positive? Encourage your child to never respond to the bully as this may make the situation worse. If your child thinks they are being bullied or encounters offensive on-line content, encourage them to find someone they feel safe talking to. It is also important to remember that most social media platforms restrict access to children 13 + years. Below is a parental portal to answer any questions you might https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/cyberbullying

I hope the Easter break is an opportunity to spend time with family and to recharge. I look forward to seeing your children back in Term 2.

Kind regards Leanne Bell

News from the Wellbeing, Engagement & Inclusion Deputy Principal

News from the Head of Inclusive Education

Partnerships between parents, students and schools promote student learning, wellbeing and high expectations for student success.  Parent-Teacher Interviews and parent information sessions facilitated by Inclusive Education are examples of this.

As we are now at the end of Term 1, I thought it would be a good opportunity to share some information about ways in which to strengthen home-school partnerships for students with disabilities.  If you’re looking for some inspiration on the holidays, the following websites have some good information and activities for people with disabilities that you might find interesting.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) allows Australians with a permanent and significant disability the freedom to choose the life they want to live. The scheme helps people with disability to access the supports that are right for them and assists in building their skills to actively participate in their community   https://www.ndis.gov.au/

Mission Australia is the NDIS Local Area Coordination Service in Cairns that helps people with disability to understand and access the NDIS, and create, implement and review their NDIS support plan. At the same time, they work with local people and groups to build communities that are more welcoming and inclusive so that everyone, regardless of their NDIS eligibility, can benefit.  https://www.missionaustralia.com.au/

The Cairns Disability Network (CDN) is a group of Therapists, Providers, Supports and Services who link together to improve the lives of people with a disability in the Cairns region.  They also produce an online support directory which may be useful if you are looking for local services https://www.cairnsdisability.net.au/cairns-disability-support-directory/

Raising Children provides parenting videos, advice and articles and their Autism and Disability tabs have many interesting topics, visit https://raisingchildren.net.au/

Positive Partnerships work together with parents, carers and educators of school-aged children on the autism spectrum to provide current, relevant and evidence informed information through workshops and online resources, visit https://www.positivepartnerships.com.au/  

If you would like to learn more about inclusive education at our school or discuss reasonable adjustments for your child, please make a time to see me in the Inclusive Education Centre.

Have a great break!

Samantha Ilic

Head of Special Education Services

News from the Head of Department Curriculum Prep - Year 6

Firstly, I would like to begin by thanking all of our Year 3 and 5 Students, parents and teachers for all their hard work and support during the NAPLAN testing period. Schools should get the results from NAPLAN next term which they will then use as a tool to develop teacher capability and identify areas of improvements for our students.

As we get closer to the end of term, assessments are being marked by our teacher and results are being shared with students. All of our teachers meet to engage in a process called moderation. Moderation aligns teachers’ judgements against the achievement standards to ensure consistency of grades across each cohort. This is also a fantastic opportunity to see some of the brilliant work our students produce such as these holiday brochures from Cassie and olive in 6C and Yarra’s recipe to create the most disgusting sandwich I have ever seen in 1A.

In the sporting space our year Rugby team has regained the School of Origin shield. Well done to all players and coach Jack O’Grady! Next week we have both junior and senior cross country.

Our Arts teachers have also began their planning for one of the biggest events on the school calendar, The Art showcase/Encore evening. Keep an eye out for more information about this event.

News from the Guidance Officer

We Braved the Shave!!

On Friday 22/3/24 at Senior Parade, myself and two Yr 5 students (Charlie Brock and Sam McCarthy) shaved our heads to raise some money for the Leukaemia Foundation.

Thank you to those who supported this fundraiser – as of the writing of this, we have raised just over $2600 in total.  (Some of this is still to be deposited into the account).

If you would still like to donate, the school team link is below:

https://secure.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=144373&langPref=en-CA

An ENORMOUS thank you to the two students who were willing to Shave for a Cure!!!  Charlie and Sam, you’re both brilliant and generous young people, and I’m so impressed by you both.  Thank you to you and your families for supporting this cause.

Check out our Facebook page for some great photos 😊 

Supports for families

• School holiday periods can be tough for families – if you need support during this time, Act for Kids have support available for you and your family. You can self-refer by calling 13 32 64 (intake number) and discussing what support or assistance you’re looking for.  Their main office is located in Cairns City, however they can do outreach appointments (to your area) if needed, or meetings by phone.

• If you’re worried about your child’s mental health, don’t forget that your General Practitioner (GP) can be an excellent support. Have a chat with them about what support options might be available.

Focus

Week 6

Week 7 & 8 

Week 9 & 10 

Q Parents

To continue to streamline the school’s sale for all items – school fees, excursions, performances, instrumental music we are moving to a cashless school.  This allows our school to reduce the time, effort and expenses required to collect and follow up payments from parents and students.  When you receive an invoice payments can be made online via BPOINT or QParents.

We are proud of being a relatively-cashless school and thank you for moving online with us!

QParents

QP is an online portal helping the school move toward a cashless and paper friendly school. 

• The QP portal allows Parents and Carers to grant participation consent online for activities such as swimming and excursions which reduces our need to print out paper consent forms
• Also, the QP portal enables Parents and Carers to make payment online for school activities and viewing unpaid invoices payment history.

Thank you to all those parents who have registered for QParents. This means every registered parent now has the opportunity to access to their children’s student records at their fingertips, anytime, anywhere. Haven’t received an invitation from us yet? There’s still time! Please let us know immediately. Or if you are simply looking for further information, videos and FAQs on QParents, visit https://qparents.qld.edu.au

Attendance Matters

Instrumental Music

We have a number of vacancies in our instrumental music program. We are looking for students, preferably in year 3, who would like to learn to play instrument to hand in their expression of interest forms. Our instrumental music teachers have handed these forms out to students in year 3 over the week.

Stop, Drop and Go

Thank-you for safely using our Stop Drop and Go on both Madang and Wewak Streets.

Remember no parking and leaving your vehicle. This can be a safety risk for our students. Please refer to our signage to guide the flow.

Dangerous parking or driving can be reported to police via this link https://www.police.qld.gov.au/policelink-reporting

Code of Conduct for School Students Travelling on Buses

Religious Instruction

Queensland state schools embrace a multitude of cultural, religious and non-religious beliefs. Under the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, schools are to provide Religious Instruction (RI) if approached by a faith group seeking to provide RI and students of that faith attend the school.

R.I at TBSS runs on a Monday from 12:30pm to 1:00pm for years 1-3 and 1:00pm to 1:30pm for years 4-6.

RI informs students about the beliefs and values of a particular religion. It is delivered by volunteers of a faith group using instructional materials approved by that faith group. RI is required to be consistent with legislation and Department of Education policies and procedures.

All RI instructors must hold a blue card and participate in compulsory Student Protection and Code of Conduct training. RI instructors are only entitled to deliver the RI program outlined below. A school staff member will be present during the delivery of RI.

Participation in RI is not compulsory. Any student (except Prep students) may participate in RI if a parent has provided written instructions to the school.

Students who are not participating in RI will be provided with other instruction in a separate supervised location. Other instruction must relate to part of a subject area already covered in class.

Students are allocated to RI based on information provided by parents on the completed Application for student enrolment unless other written instructions have been provided to the school. If you wish to have your child participate, please ensure you let the office staff know so they can update your child’s details and likewise if you wish your child not to participate in any of these programs.  

Currently we have 3 different religion classes, Christian, catholic and Baha’i. Below we have a brief overview of each class. 

Baha'i Spiritual Education Classes

Children are the most precious treasure a community can possess, for in them are the promise and guarantee of the future. For this promise to be realised, the moral and spiritual education of children assumes vital importance.

The goal of spiritual education is to cultivate in children spiritual qualities such as love, forgiveness and justice, and to help them apply these qualities to their own lives and those around them.

Baha’i children’s classes aim to help children to:

• Acquire spiritual qualities such as love, truthfulness and generosity
• Develop patterns of behaviour that lead to a fruitful and productive life
• Become aware of God’s love for humanity and His unfailing assistance

Baha'i classes empower children to contribute to the creation of a peaceful world through exploration of universal themes such as:

• We are all loved by the same God
• We are all one human family
• Diversity is valuable
• Women and men are equal
• All forms of prejudice must be eliminated
• The natural environment is a sacred trust
• Consultation is an essential skill for peaceful problem solving

Children who have reached the age of 12 can continue this educational process with further age-appropriate materials. Eventually they reach the stage where they can take personal responsibility for their own spiritual development and contribute to the wellbeing of society.

Baha’i children’s classes are open to all children, subject to parental approval. All classes are taught by volunteer local teachers who are trained to conduct classes. All teachers are certified under the relevant child protection laws of Australia’s states and territories.

Parents are welcome to sit in on the classes or to meet with the teachers at a mutually suitable time.

Diocese of Cairns

Catholic Religious Instruction

We offer creative and hands on activities that engage the student in developing a relationship with Jesus.

The important task of Catholic Religious Instruction in State Schools is carried out by trained volunteers from our Catholic parishes throughout the Cairns Diocese. These Religious Instructors use a variety of methods and resources at no cost to the parent.

Authorised program:
•    Getting to know Jesus

Aims and goals:
•    To provide an environment in which young children may come to know Jesus Christ and develop a relationship with him
•    To learn about a personal union with God, and their membership of a church established by God.
•    To learn about becoming like the person of Jesus – in the home, at school, in the parish and in the world.
•    To value Christian virtue and Christian truth as the foundation for the whole of life.

Lesson structure:
•    Orientation phase, Development phase and Synthesis phase.
•    30 mins/week
•    48 lessons inviting children to get to know the Jesus of the Bible through key stories that are age-appropriate.
•    Using a variety of storytelling techniques, this resource invites children to dive into the stories of Jesus and explore their meaning through physical action, drama, fun, vocalisation and repetition.

Christian

Here at Trinity Beach State School, we use two programs, Godspace and Connect.

Both programs are BIBLE-BASED, RELATIONAL, RELEVANT and ENGAGING

They are interdenominational programs where Bible truths are explored in a fun and safe environment through music, songs, stories, drama and games.  All lessons are age appropriate and each student is given an activity book which they work through doing the challenges and fun activities.

Both programs follow a professionally designed 3 year curriculum with Bible passages carefully chosen to give children aged 6-12 years a good general knowledge of basic Christian beliefs plus additional exciting Bible stories appropriate to their stage of development. Lessons are relational and life related and encourage the children to get to know God for themselves rather than just learn information about God.

The Connect program also produces ‘Big Questions’, a one year program for the gr 6 students who are ready to explore some big issues, share their own opinions and investigate the Bible for themselves.

Cross Country

This event is postponed due to the weather, rescheduled for early Term 2

My First Year Photo - Cairns Post

School Photos

https://orders.nqsp.com.au/ordering/with?key=4MK9VQTX         

National Simultaneous Story Time

Sports News

We are the Champions We are the champions!

Mr O’Grady and Mr Paterson spend many lunch breaks coaching the student Rugby League team. With a 10-0 victory against Holy Cross on Thursday afternoon, the boys have taken the School of Origin shield home and are the best in the north. Well done legends and thank you to the students for your sportsmanship! Today we acknowledged this and they were supported by our school.

A big shout out and congratulations to all the students present in Year 2A today for attending school in their sports house shirts on their HPE day.

Mrs Donovan would like to kindly remind all the other students in the school to do the same, especially on our Cross-Country days in week 10 (Tuesday 26th March Senior Students Years 4-6) and (Thursday 28th March Junior Students Years P-3).

BOX JELLY THEATRE CO

Thank you to the BOX JELLY THEATRE CO. & Arc Disability for an engaging theatre performance for our Prep to Year 2 students. Our students thoroughly enjoyed the performance.

Crazy Hair Day - Prep M

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Bike Bus News

Student of the Week

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Attendance Award

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Golden Garden Gnome Award

Week 5

Week 7

Week 9 

The Most Valuable Teammate Award

Basketball Clubs Inaugural Award announced | The Most Valuable Teammate Award both on and off the court was announced today by Mr Gedge who leads this engaging initiative during lunch breaks. Well done Jaxon McLean you legend!

Basketball Clubs Inaugural Award announced | The Most Valuable Teammate Award both on and off the court was announced today by Mr Gedge who leads this engaging initiative during lunch breaks. Well, done Rayne and Lance Liad you legends!

Basketball Clubs Inaugural Award announced | The Most Valuable Teammate Award both on and off the court was announced today by Mr Gedge who leads this engaging initiative during lunch breaks. Well, done.

Parades

the ‘I’ in Knd | Mr Hollis our Principal has placed a strong focus this year on being kind and spreading the kindness wave across our school. Our students are discussing kindness daily in classrooms and during playtime . Mr Hollis used 8 students from the Years 3-6 parade to get on stage and crack the code, placing ‘Jasmin’ as the ‘I’ in the word Kind. The message is firm and the emphasis on kindness is being heard loud and clear school wide.

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Watch out Queensland! Here comes Alaina Chappell 6D who single handedly conducted the Year 3-6 Parade with more than 600 staff, students and families in our school hall. Well done you superstar. Keep aiming high!

Around the Classroom

2B Mathematics | Students have been learning about 3D shapes and making models to demonstrate their learning.

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Phonics Super Stars in PC Students in PC we revising the sounds they could hear at the start of words and were practicing their letter formation by writing that letter on their mini whiteboards! Great job PC

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Reginald, Knox and Jacob our Sports House Captains put a proposal to our Principal Mr Hollis to redesign the student’s sports shirts. The boys have created designs and presented information to support their idea. Mr Hollis has taken the information to the P&C Association for consideration.

Mrs Yeabsley 1C | Year 1's are writing procedural texts this term. They are learning about the purpose and structure of a procedural text. Students wrote about how to make a burger and they made one each.

Science | Mr O’Neill’s 4C students have been conducting science experiments. Students have been working collaboratively to test the waterproofness of various materials. The key question was 'Which of our three test materials would make the best raincoat and why?’

The students made predictions and justified their reasoning using scientific language. Some surprising, unanticipated results ensued. Lots to discuss, think, and write about now! Students are looking forward to graphing their results.

Languages | Chinese classes with Mr Poropat are a real hit!

We continue to place a strong explicit focus on the teaching of reading with decodable readers across our school. Year 3 classes in Mrs Simpson-Taylor and Ms Archer’s classrooms were very focussed today. Our students are exceeding their potential.

Our Improvement Agenda Priority 1 | Making Learning Visible.

We are proud of our educators who engage in professional practice leading to continuous improvement across our school. Students use ‘I can’ statements to set their goals from the Australian Curriculum V9 achievement standards to support their learning.

(Pictures below 3B and 3/4A Making Learning Visible walls)

Around the Playground

Prep students enjoying the IEC playground and displaying exemplary behaviour at eating time.

Student Leaders

Trinity Dollar Shop | Students are given the opportunity to earn Trinty Dollars through demonstrating positive behaviour and learning. The students can buy many different items from the money they earn. This is ran by our student leaders.

Exceeding student potential in leadership | Each year our Principal Mr Hollis leads our school captains and their parents through a leadership challenge ’The minfield’.

We brainstorm leadership behaviours, develop strategies and reflect on our leaders progress. What a sensational student leadership team we have this year. Thank you Leon, Emily, Salvatore, Eva, Caleb and Alaina…oh… and your parents!

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Staff Proffessional Development

Our Wellbeing, Engagement and Inclusion team worked with our staff sharing valuable strategies to support our students with self-regulation, co-regulation and social emotional learning. This provides students with the language to manage their feelings while understanding how their brain works.

The attire was unlike the weather. Pockets of brightly coloured clothing danced across our school. No the Wiggles were not here but rather staff took on the Rubik’s Cube challenge, well most of them…

Exceeding student and staff potential | Our teachers to travel to Brisbane to showcase the innovation in BYOx and QLearn platforms.

Mrs O’Kane & Mrs Sokolowski not only engage their students, they lead staff professional development to support our staff in digital learning. Next Semester they will be heading south to support teachers from across the state. Fututre Ready 2026…watch this space!

To all the amazing women in our TBSS community, you are an inspiration to all of us. Thank you for what you do, thank you for being strong, empowered and resilient. Thank you for contributions to our school, for showing up every day when things are hard and for being present for our little people when they need us most. In 2024 the IWD campaign theme is Inspire Inclusion. When we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world.

Positive Behaviour for Learning |

- Every classroom

- Every student

- Every teacher

- Every day

Thank you to our committed team who support student engagement in learning at Trinity Beach State School.

Paradise Playgroup

School Magazine

P&C News

Join the P&C using this link https://bit.ly/PnCForm

OSHC News

please email oshc@tbsspandc.com.au 

apply here https://au.indeed.com/job/food-leader-outside-school-hours-care-service-d3c516fd60c3f18e  

Smithfield State High School News

Community News