The end is in sight.

Welcome back to a short week and the final term of the school year. I hope you all had a safe and enjoyable holiday break. The COVID situation continues to evolve around us, but I am pleased to say that for the moment there are no further changes to our school routines; we will begin Term 4 as we ended Term 3. Masks must still be worn by all adults (unless exempt) within school buildings and also within the school grounds if you cannot socially distance. Friday parades will also remain ‘invite only’ to restrict the number of adults within the hall to ensure we are not exceeding capacity guidelines. We will continue to monitor the Chief Health Officer’s advice and adapt our school policies and procedures in line with this to ensure compliance and school safety.

I once again would like to thank everyone in our community for the support you have shown our school throughout this COVID pandemic and for your continued respect for the procedures we have put in place to keep staff and students safe. With your continued assistance, we will end the year strongly with a clear focus on our students and their learning. The end of the year is in sight, but we still have much work to do over the next ten weeks to ensure each student gains maximum benefit from the last 48 days of the school year. Every day counts!

Staffing

As I mentioned in the final newsletter last term, there are a couple of staffing changes to begin Term 4.

• Denise Wardle has extended her carer’s leave for the remainder of the year to continue to look after her mother and Mrs Nicola Leslie will continue as the Prep and Year 1 Sector Deputy. 
• Mr Paul Kelly, Head of Curriculum/PYP Co-ordinator has extended his sick leave and Mrs Natasha Floyd will continue to act in this role.
• Our Head of Diverse Learning and Enrichment and Year 2 Sector Deputy Principal, Mrs Jessica Rigby will be taking the first two weeks of Term 4 off on Long Service Leave. Miss Tara Barron will act in these roles in Jessica’s absence and Mrs Elizabeth Trott will back fill Miss Barron as the Year 3 Team Teacher for the start of this term.
• Ms Annette Weimar is taking this term off to recover from shoulder surgery. To replace Annette, we welcome Mrs Gai Allen who will be working Monday to Wednesday each week and also welcome back from maternity leave Mrs Jenny Cansdale who will be teaching 1A on Thursdays and Fridays in partnership with Mrs Allen.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate and acknowledge Mrs Belinda Papa who announced her retirement last term. Belinda has worked in our school office for numerous years undertaking many of the vital front office administrative and finance roles, has been a parent in our school community and has provided valuable support to our P&C particularly with multiple school fetes. Belinda has always been passionate about our school and community and continued to be dedicated and committed to her work even through some recent health complications and family commitments. On behalf of the Rochedale school community, I would like to thank Belinda for her years of outstanding service and support she has given our school and wish her well in retirement and the next chapter of her life. Best wishes Belinda from all of us.

A spectacular end to Term 3!

I would like to give a huge congratulations to our students and staff in our Arts program. On the last Wednesday night of Term 3 we were treated to our first ever outdoor Harmonies on the Hill where our music students delighted in showing off their talents. Their many hours of rehearsals culminated in a wonderful showcase of music and songs which delighted the audience and earned rave reviews. The following night our RPAK performers (many of whom backed up from the previous night’s performance – and I must also note, so too did many parents) delivered an outstanding dance show celebrating the movies throughout the years. The passion, skills and talents of our dancers were so evident ensuring the show was such a polished performance. Congratulations to all of our Arts students and staff, if an OSCAR was given for school performances, I have no doubt we would win! While COVID forced these events to be outdoors, a positive outcome was that they proved extremely successful and may become the way of the future whether COVID remains with us or not (weather permitting as always!)

As a school we continue to grow and support our Arts programs to ensure we can provide opportunities for our students who love music, dance and drama to perform as a part of our school extra-curricular activities. Thank you to all our wonderful Music and Dance staff who always give their time to allow our children to shine, and to the many other school staff who volunteered each night to provide such valuable back of house support which ensured two very smooth and successful performances. Thank you also to Ms Maxton who leads the Arts as part of her DP portfolio. And finally, a huge thank you also to all the family and friends for providing a supportive audience over two nights and being so appreciative of our students’ talents.

After two nights of music and dance, we closed the term with our Senior Cross Country. It was wonderful to have parents and spectators at this event, unlike last year, and the weather proved perfect for a morning run. Thank you to Mr Brown for his dedication to our sports program and his organisation which began early in the morning to ensure an excellent Cross-Country event. Our age champions will be announced on this week’s parade (parents will receive an invite from Mr Brown) along with our champion Cross Country House. Which House earned the most points on the day? We shall have to wait and see.

Our future firebirds

I would like to give a big shout out to our two school netball teams who represented Rochedale so well at the recent Primary Schools Cup. While most people were enjoying the first holiday weekend, these teams, families and coaching staff gave up their holiday time to compete in a two-day carnival on the Gold Coast. I had the pleasure of watching the teams on Sunday and was extremely impressed with their commitment, skills and enthusiasm. At the end of the carnival the Development Team finished 13^th out of 49 teams in their division, and the Championship Team finished 4^th overall in the state. Congratulations and well done to these two teams. Thank you, girls, for giving up your holidays and representing our school so well. Thank you, parents and families, for your support and time throughout the weekend and finally a big thank you to Mr Lenton, Mrs Floyd and Miss Barron for giving your time so freely to support our future Firebirds. Great job to everyone involved; you all have my deepest appreciation.

Learner Profile Awards

It was wonderful to see the large number of students wearing their Learner Profile Awards so proudly at the end of last term. Each week we highlight one of the IB Learner Profile attributes and set tasks for children to achieve a goal. From the number of badges on display it is obvious that students are working hard towards these goals. Last term approx. 750 students achieved a Gold Award and just as importantly approximately 200 students who missed their Silver and Bronze Awards improved their efforts and achieved their appropriate badge – a fantastic effort!  Students have a final chance this term to achieve an award this year by completing this term’s goals with Gold Award holders aiming for the highly sought-after Rochedale Award badge.

Learner Profile:  Attribute focus for the week – Caring – students care about our school’s public image and about how they present themselves, by wearing the correct school uniform with pride. To achieve this goal this term, students must abide by our school uniform policy for the entire term.

Kind regards
Keith Graham
Principal

As we enter the final term of the year, it’s important we reflect on the conversations had in our Student-Led Conferences. Take an opportunity with your children to sit down and discuss areas for improvement. When we set our goals for these final 10 weeks, ensure they are measurable and achievable. Some examples may include…

• I will practise multiplication algorithms at least two nights each week.
• I will write a paragraph at least once a week focussing on sentence structure.
• I will read out loud with my parents at least three times a week and practise stopping at full stops and pausing at commas.

A vital part of the goal setting process is creating these goals together. The collaborative nature of setting targets increases the level of accountability and shows a high level of support.

As you work through the term, provide rewards and incentives for achieving the goal. Try not to focus on the success of the academics too much – rather the actual sitting down and doing what was set in the goal (doing the multiplication).

It is an idea to set up a visual tool – whether it’s on the fridge or on the door of the bedroom. Mark off each time the goal is achieved and celebrate reaching particular targets.

Enjoy your week!
Regards,
Tom Grimson
Deputy Principal

International Space week

World Space Week is an UN-declared celebration of space held annually, every October 4 to 10. It is the largest space event on Earth, with thousands of events globally, inspiring the next generation and celebrating the accomplishments in the space sector. In 2021, World Space Week is dedicated to the theme of “Women in Space”. These dates commemorate two major events:

• October 4, 1957: Launch of the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik 1, thus opening the way for space exploration.
• October 10, 1967: The signing of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.

It is a week to wonder and look far, asking those big questions about what’s out there. l encourage you to have a chat with your children and try out some big questions. While you may not get an answer, or even one that makes sense, they will begin to make the children think further than perhaps they thought before.

Try these:

• What is a star?
• Why are planets round?
• Does the universe make sounds?
• Where does the Sun go at night?
• Why does the moon look white?
• Why do you think that?
• Why can’t we live on another planet?
• How can satellites help Earth?

You could even bring up some space photos, or on a clear night, lay out under the stars to start the chat. It is a great way to boost the children’s thinking and to broaden their vocabulary. Have fun stargazing and wondering.

Natasha Floyd
Head of Department- Curriculum

The Rochedale State School Chaplaincy Committee are holding a Honey Drive as our major fundraiser this term. All profits raised will go to our school’s Chaplaincy program and we ask for your support. 

Later this week, an order form will be sent home with the youngest child in each family. The order form and correct money must be returned by Thursday 28 October, to the box in the office. 

Orders are expected to be ready in week 6, likely on Tuesday 9 November (collection details TBC depending on covid restrictions at the time).

Please see the attached flyer for the range of products available for purchase through this fundraiser.

For more information about Chaplaincy at Rochedale or if you have questions about this fundraiser, please contact me – a.eames@optusnet.com.au

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.