School Newsletter 2025 Issue no. 1
Message from the Principal
The week that was and the one ahead:
Welcome to the end of Week 1 Term 1 2025. It feels like it has flown by! Thank you again for the incredibly warm welcome I have received. Again and again across the week, I have been struck by how polite, thoughtful and kind the students of Yarranlea are; you must be very proud. This week, our staff agreed our focus was not curriculum, but creating our classroom communities and building a consistent predictable routine for students to ensure they can focus on their learning while feeling secure and connected to their teachers and peers. Next week, we are beginning the curriculum learning that our teaching staff spent three very full days of professional development and team collaborative planning to build in our start of year preparation – not to mention the many hours they have each put in since. This will happen across the week as we build our stamina for learning back up after the long break. I look forward to visiting classrooms and joining the fun. We also have our Meet the Teacher and Leadership Induction evening at 6pm on Thursday the 6th of February. I hope to see you there.
Arts:
Students were introduced to our new Arts subject this week which will cover Visual Art, Media Art, Drama and Dance across the year. Our Puggles and Kookaburras enjoyed learning to remix “A Sailor Went To Sea”, to play “STOP/GO” in opposite day mode, and that our future lessons will include circle songs, oil pastel and watercolour, drama games, group dance, follow dance and free dance. Our Dingoes collaboratively brainstormed their Arts interests and voted on this term’s unit focus: exploring portraiture through realistic, comic and manga drawing. I am excited to see the heroes and/or villains they create.
The introduction of Arts has led to more opportunities for community Dance events this year. Term 2 will now have a P-3 Fairytale Ball (we have something special planned for Dingoes as well), Term 3’s famous Scary Dance will occur Friday the 31st of October, and our year will finish with a whole school Bush Dance in Term 4. I will send out more information for each event throughout the year, but families be prepared – I offer family dance classes prior to the events as well and hope to see you on the dance floor alongside us!
Reflection Quote
What's ON this MONTH
Thursday February 6th: Meet the Teacher and Leadership Induction
Information for Meet the Teacher and Leadership Induction night was sent via email yesterday. Please let admin know if you didn’t receive the email from me.
Meet the Teacher night will begin at 6pm and will be an "open classroom" approach. Miss Jess will be available from 5.30pm for any families that would like to connect prior to the evening start. During this time, teachers will also do a 10-minute presentation which will be staggered at the following times to ensure that families with multiple Yarranlea students have an opportunity to attend each classroom as they need. Outside of these times, teachers will be in their classrooms available to chat from 6 – 6.30pm.
- Puggles 6-6.10pm
- Kookaburras 6.10-6.20pm
- Dingoes 6.20-6.30pm
Leadership Induction will follow the Meet the Teacher segment of our evening at 6.30pm in which our students and families can formally acknowledge our Year 5 and 6 students as our 2025 school leaders.
P&F Sausage Sizzle - Alteration to the menu - Sausage Sizzle now a HOT DOG - After discussions with many parents the P&F who is generously putting on food for this night is supplying Hot Dogs. To cater to all taste buds could you please complete the below link for catering purposes. The P&F would appreciate if you may be able to give any time volunteering to assist with the preparation or clean up.
https://forms.office.com/r/VjDEe1i8Zc
Monday February 10th:
Swimming begins. Remember to pack a plastic bag for your wet clothes and to wear a sun-safe shirt.
P & F - First P&F meeting for 2025. We invite all families to attend at 5.30pm.
What's been happening
Day 1
Parking
Parking for 1-6: Thank you for a smooth week of morning drop offs and afternoon pick-ups. We are grateful we can call upon the security staff who will do their best to move contractors or non-Yarranlea vehicles to a different area when we are at the busiest.
Parking for Preps:
Prep parking is in front of the school gates. Please refer to diagram below – Orange colour designates where you can drop off and pick up. Please note there are 6 car parks available, so timing is everything. Griffith Psychology have asked us to notify parents that all parks past the loading zone, are designated for Psychology's use only.
Year 1 -6 continue onwards on Social Science Road to the Drop Off/Pick Up Zone
Puggles NewsDesk
It has been such a successful week for the Puggles. They have been engaging in lots of learning through games, songs, painting stories, exploration and instructional time.
Our youngest learners are still grasping the expectations of school and in these early days, transitioning trust from parental figures to educators. Which is why our routine and environment aim to reflect their needs. We have been working hard to create a classroom environment where each individual is seen and celebrated, where children feel safe and secure to be able to learn.
Some of the ways we have been doing that is have predictable and consistent routines, allocating time to hear children's voice and listen to their contributions, co-creating and setting clear expectations and boundaries. Within this container, children are able to relax because they know what to expect and what's expected of them and they are able to learn.
We have been exploring social skills and expectations through painting stories to explore topics like the joy of being with others, being respectful, apologising and accepting an apology as well as the joy of learning and resilience in learning. Though these stories I have been incorporating learning key word signs for emotions and some calming techniques such as breathing.
Roo, the puppet helped our Puggles with sequencing events in the day. Roo rushes and sometimes gets things wrong, but his Puggle friends have been helping him calm his body with star breathing and giving him words of encouragement when he feels defeated after getting it wrong. The puppet is an engaging way to teach children about what it means to be a learner and how to be ready to learn. In this instance, the children become the experts, and they feel a great sense of pride in being able to help out Roo.
Children feel a sense of belonging by contributing to their environment, so we have been working on projects which are co-created with the children such as signs around the classroom. You will start to see more student work around the environment as we continue this project. I look forward to showcasing the children's work at the Meet the Teacher next Thursday.
My New Gallery
Kookaburras NewsDesk
Dear Kookaburra Families,
I hope this message finds you well and that you had a relaxing and enjoyable break with your loved ones. As we begin a new academic year, I’d like to extend a warm welcome back to our school community. It’s wonderful to reconnect with familiar faces and to welcome new families to the Kookaburra room. Our team is eager about the opportunities this year holds and is dedicated to fostering a positive and engaging learning environment for all students.
Effective communication between home and school is essential for a successful partnership. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns—we greatly value your involvement and collaboration as we support your child’s education. My email is r.woelz@yarranlea.qld.edu.au
A friendly reminder that our days are jam packed with learning, and that school starts at 8:50am! If your child has any appointments scheduled for during school time, or will not be present at school, a friendly email ahead of time would be greatly appreciated so that I can ensure they are all caught up!
Next week, we’ll hold our Meet the Teacher night, where I’ll share an overview of this term’s learning plans, highlight what’s new in the Kookaburra room, and answer any questions you may have about your child’s learning journey this year.
I look forward to seeing you at Meet the Teacher night next Thursday and discussing the exciting year ahead!
Warm regards,
Bek
Dingoes NewsDesk
Dear Parents,
Our wonderful Dingoes have settled in so well it's like they had not been away for the summer break.
Mr Platten and Mr Costin are establishing the classroom rules and flow of the day. We are encouraging the students to be prepared to begin the day on time. Mr Platten is the full-time teacher while Mr Costin will be teaching on a Monday through to a Wednesday and whenever relief is needed in the school
This week we moved straight into some pre-assessment tasks just to give us further information in supporting your child for the term ahead. We would like to commend the students on how they are currently interacting with each other and working together as a team.
Please note some of the following times and some dates for the term:
- School begins at 8.50 a.m
- We complete the roll twice a day- morning and afternoon
- If you child is away, please contact our emails and text the school’s number. We are required to have accompanying literature identifying why the child is away by the parents
- Meet the teacher night will be Thursday February, 6th. Details have been emailed out from Miss Jess
- Student induction for Grades 5 and 6 will be held on that night.
- Swimming begins in Week 3 in the afternoon session.
- NAPLAN preparation has begun it is to be held from March 12th to 24th. NAPLAN is for Grades 3 and 5 with the Grade 5 students typing their written response for either a persuasive or a narrative. As a class we are currently constructing a persuasive text. Parents who do not want their child participating in the NAPLAN assessment can you please see us as soon as practical.
Communication
Both Mr Platten and Mr Costin regularly check our emails and we will respond within 48 hours. If you ever need to have a longer chat about your child’s learning and/or development, please ask and we can book in a time to have a meeting. We would rather deal with any issues early rather than later. We would like to ensure we can support your child through any transition. Our emails are as follows:
a.platten@yarranlea.qld.edu.au
Thank you for a great start to the year and we look forward to your continued support in 2025.
COMMUNICATION - EMAILS - TEXT
Dear parents,
To enhance our communication strategy, we have established several dedicated email addresses tailored to specific areas. We kindly request that you utilize these email addresses instead of contacting individual staff members directly. All staff members have access to these email accounts, eliminating the necessity to include anyone in the correspondence. Designated staff members will review these emails each morning to ensure prompt action is taken.
School Absences - absences@yarranlea.qld.edu.au - This email address is designated for all matters related to school absences, appointments, and holidays. When submitting an email, please ensure to include a reason, as this information is necessary for our records. Kindly notify us via email or text pour school mobile phone if your child will not be attending school on any given day. Additionally, if you anticipate arriving late, picking up your child early, or going on a family trip or holiday during school hours or days, please utilize this email. Your teachers have access to this communication, so there is no requirement to 'CC' them.
Text Messages/Contact - 0499 247 290 - The school phone is accessible for all calls and text messages. It is staffed continuously from 7 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Friday. While the school possesses a secondary phone, it is not monitored at any time. If we reach out to you using this number, please refrain from saving it or using it to send us texts or to make contact, as this phone is not attended.
Uniform email - uniformorders@yarranlea.qld.edu.au - All inquiries and orders regarding uniforms should be directed to this email. The link for uniform orders provided on the website or in response to this communication. Going forward, all requests will be processed on the same day they are received, contingent upon payment confirmation.
OSHC Bookings - OSHCbookings@yarranlea.qld.edu.au - All casual and permanent bookings, cancellations, and inquiries regarding bookings for OSHC should be directed to this email address. This email encompasses BSC, ASC, and Vac Care. As with all communications of this nature, the aim is to respond to your notification as promptly as possible.
OSHC News
From Monday, the 3rd February we will be starting our extra-curricular activities.
We anticipate an exhilarating year ahead, filled with numerous new and supplementary activities. Our core offerings will include Tennis, Karate, and Ten Pin Bowling on designated days, with our Bowling League setting ambitious competitive objectives to achieve.
Claire, our assistant director and leader of the After School Care team, will be developing a diverse array of programs aimed at sparking curiosity in various scientific pursuits, including home-based kitchen garden tastings. Participants will have the opportunity to cultivate and nurture a variety of vegetables, herbs, and plants. We expect that many innovative recipes will emerge, not only from our garden's bounty but also through creative experimentation with leftover ingredients. This initiative emphasizes the importance of utilizing available resources rather than purchasing every ingredient.
Below, you will find the After School Care program for your review, keeping in mind that even if you are not enrolling your child at this moment, future opportunities may arise.
We are pleased to introduce Toni, who will be embracing new challenges by leading a Dance program for which she is exceptionally qualified. Many of you witnessed a preview during last year's 'Scary Dance' night, where the children delighted in showcasing their newfound skills. Toni has crafted an inclusive program that promotes well-being, creative movement, rhythm, and inspires creativity through a variety of enjoyable and engaging activities.
In the Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) program, we eagerly look forward to engaging with your children and imparting valuable lessons through play. We encourage you to greet our team, and as always, we welcome any suggestions or ideas you may have, not only for After School Care but also for Vacation Care.
You can email Claire or myself: c.jones@yarranlea.qld.edu.au or m.pooler@yarranlea.qld.edu.au