Let the second half begin.

Last Friday marked the halfway point of term. It is hard to believe that we have only five weeks left until our winter break and the mid-year mark. In beginning Week 6, I would like to welcome back Mrs Wardle, who returns after five weeks of long service leave and thank Miss Michelle Rossiter for her excellent work filling in for Mrs Wardle.

Sorry Day – May 26.

Why is Sorry Day so important? According to Australian government records, somewhere between 1 in 3 and 1 in 10 indigenous Australian children were forcibly removed from their families between 1910 and as late as 1970. In May 1997 the Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Parliament stating that at least ‘100 000 children were removed from their families and communities’ during this time. The report also recommended that the Australian Government make a public apology to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Stolen Generations. National Sorry Day has been recognised since 26 May 1998, however it wasn’t until 13 February 2008 that the then Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd issued a full apology in his Sorry Speech.

“We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country. For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.” Prime Minister Keven Rudd, 13 February 2013

National Sorry Day is where we, as a nation, can acknowledge the mistreatment of our country's Indigenous population, say sorry and commit to ensuring that never again should people in our country be treated differently and unfairly. While we, as individuals, may not be responsible for what has happened in our past, we can still be sorry and strive for reconciliation. National Sorry Day provides one of many opportunities to turn the hurt from the past into something positive for our community and for our future generations.

National Reconciliation Week 2021: 27 May - 3 June

Beginning Thursday is National Reconciliation week where the focus of our nation is on unity not division. Reconciliation Australia’s theme for this year is More than a word. Reconciliation takes action. We can all take action and embrace reconciliation by ensuring that our actions and interactions unite our country and not contribute to more division. Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities which value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories cultures and futures. 2021 marks 20 years of Reconciliation Australia and almost three decades of Australia’s formal reconciliation process. Australia’s future is in the hands of today’s students and they will act in ways which reflect the values and beliefs taught to them. This is a great responsibility for school communities and a responsibility we should never take lightly.

Thank you to our wonderful P&C volunteers

Last Friday was P&C Day and a chance to recognise these outstanding volunteers. Parents and Citizens Associations have existed in one form or another since before there was an education department in Queensland (1875), and continue to operate in almost every single one of Queensland’s 1250 odd state schools. One can only imagine the amount of work and money in today’s dollars that has been contributed to our children’s education in over 150 years. The Rochedale P&C team of parents may be small in number but their contribution to every one of our students is irreplaceable – without their work Rochedale would be a much poorer place in which to learn or work. Tomorrow night is our May P&C Meeting, please come along and join us and support the valuable work of our selfless P&C team. From the entire Rochedale community, may I salute the members of our P&C for their continuing contribution to the education of our students; Rochedale could not be the school it is without you!

Chappy Week

This week is Chappy Week when we acknowledge the important role Chaplains play within our schools, in particular with the pastoral support of our children and families. Look out for the flyer, which will be sent home this week, outlining how you can support our chaplain, Chappy Sue, if you wish to. Tomorrow we will be holding a free dress day to support our Chaplain program and invite everyone who wishes to wear yellow, the colour of friendship and bring a gold coin donation. On behalf of the Rochedale State School community, I would like to offer my thanks to Chappy Sue for all of the work that she does; this work is greatly appreciated.

Under Eights Day – It is great to be under 8!

Under Eights week is an event proudly initiated by Early Childhood Australia Queensland branch. It has been running for over 50 years across Queensland and this year’s theme is: cultural change, promoting sustainability and meaningful engagement in outdoor learning environments for young children. After the interruption of COVID last year we are so pleased to be able to invite parents back to celebrate Under 8s this Friday 28 May between 11:30 and 1:00pm. This day gives all students in Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities, with a focus on fun. Parents and carers are strongly encouraged to attend and join the morning with their child/children. Please refer to the information note which has been sent home and please ensure you bring your COVID contact tracing/declaration form on the day. This is a requirement of Qld Health and an essential requirement for us to continue to provide invitations for parents to be part of school activities. It requires everyone’s support and I thank you.

Learner Profile: Attribute focus for the week – Open Minded – Students should demonstrate caring towards others and be accepting, considerate and helpful of others within our school community. Students may also help resolve conflict by seeing all sides or reconcile with someone they may have had an issue with. Students should share their actions with their teacher.

Have a great week
Kind regards
Keith Graham
Principal

Readers Cup

This year, Rochedale State School is again involved in the Readers Cup Competition.  Readers Cup is organised by the Qld Branch of the Children’s Book Council of Australia.  It is state wide competition of young readers.  Teams of four to five students together read a set of books, and them compete with other teams to answer quiz questions from the books.  Readers Cup competitions challenge students to read widely, work collaboratively in a team and continue developing a love of reading. It allows readers to compete at a regional and state level similar to sporting competitions and to meet other students with an equal passion for books.  Our 2021 Rochedale Team consists of Mila 6A, Kayla 6R, Pacey 6L, Shauna 6M and Bailey 6N.  I would like to wish the team the best of luck for their competition on June 16 and thank Mrs Ros Cradden for guiding the team during their preparation phase. 

If they are successful at the regional competition then the team will go on a compete in a state final.  Fingers crossed.

Year 6 Visit to Parliament House

The year 6 students had the exciting opportunity to visit Queensland Parliament House in weeks 3 and 4 of this term.  The visit coincided with the conclusion of their Unit Of Inquiry 2, where students studied government and democratic concepts.  While it wasn’t quite the trip to Canberra we had hoped for this year, the feedback from the students and teachers was that it was an excellent excursion and really helped students consolidate all their learning in this area.

Have a great week
Kellie Maxton
Deputy (5-6) 

This week is Chappy Week across Qld, and it’s a chance for us to celebrate the work that Chaplains do in schools.

To celebrate, we are having a “WEAR YELLOW” Free Dress Day on Tuesday 25 May – with a gold coin donation going towards the RSS Chaplaincy Program.

Students are encouraged to wear yellow, as it is the colour of friendship, and a lot of what Chappy Sue does has a focus on building healthy friendships. Please ensure that outfits are sun-safe and appropriate for school (inc. closed in shoes).

We are also holding a colouring in competition. If your child wishes to enter, please print the sheet, work on it at home, and return it to the box in the school office by Thursday 27 May. The winner will be announced at parade on Friday 28 May.

Please have a read of our Chappy Week newsletter to find out more about what Chappy Sue does, and the ways that you can support the Chaplaincy Program at Rochedale State School.

Andie Eames
RSS Chaplaincy Committee Chairperson

Welcome to Week 6 of Term 2!

Colouring In Competition Winners!

Congratulations to Karah W in 5C and Savanna T in 2F for doing a great job and taking out our Anzac Day Colouring competition. 

Captain Read It

Congratulations to our Captain Read It Winners from Weeks 4&5 of Term 2

Prep I           Sophia H
Prep K          Archie D
1S                Alyssa M
1J                 Sean K
2H                Remy X
2B                Kevin C
3B                Lachlan P
3K                Saxon L
4M                Ruby A
4R                Leonie K
5M               Conlon M
5A                Ava E
6L                Pacey K
6M               Maggie E

Have a great week!
Jackie and Lorraine

ABSENCE LINE 3340 8388 or

text 0427 890 693 (24 hours)

*******IT IS NOW A REQUIREMENT THAT ALL STUDENT ABSENCES BE REPORTED ON THE DAY OF THE ABSENCE TO THE SCHOOL OFFICE*******

To report a student absence, please call the absence line on 3340 8388 or text our SMS line on 0427 890 693.  These lines are both open 24 hours a day.

When recording an absence on either our phone line or SMS line, please state the following:

1. Your name
2. Student's name
3. Student's class
4. Reason for absence

Please speak clearly and slowly and help us with spelling of names when calling the phone line.