Issue 12 31 July 2024

From the Principal's Desk

I hope our newsletter finds you well.

On Saturday we had a Prep Open Day that was super well-prepared by a team dedicated to growing our school and spreading the word about what an awesome school we have here at Kingaroy State School. The morning was festive, well-attended and the feedback was excellent. Hats off to our Prep teachers and leadership team for being there to welcome new families and continuing families.

Last week I was blown away by the sharing of a couple of ‘organic’ happenings that took place around the school, both involving our amazing groundsman extraordinaire, Mr Paul Bales. About 5 cubic metres of soft-fall appeared in the Prep playground and before we knew it, a mini-working bee developed, with little barrows, Tonka trucks and buckets, and a team of little ones, all helping out. Then we had 2A jumping in to help move a heap of garden clippings with Paul for the afternoon. It really filled my heart and I admit I shed a little tear, so moving was the description of the impact this little act of kindness had on them. There is so much to be said for the benefits of volunteering. Here’s an article that summarises the benefits.

https://www.volunteeringaustralia.org/resources/australian-curriculum/

Giving is great for wellbeing. Our modern world can be very transactional, and too often we hear ‘what’s in it for me?’

From deakin.edu.au/self-improvement/the-power-of-generosity-why-giving-is-good-for-you

We’ve all experienced it before: that tingle of happiness that floods your mind when you give something to someone else. Indeed, research shows people who are keen to do good are more likely to rate themselves as happy. This is the power of generosity – it benefits giver and receiver. And the good news is you don’t have to do anything drastic. Simple actions like buying a friend coffee, baking biscuits for your colleagues or volunteering for a short period of time are enough to get those feel-good vibes flowing.

Why giving is good for you

It’s simple, really: even though we don’t benefit directly from our actions, being generous makes us feel warm and fuzzy. ‘By definition, you’re not trying to get a benefit out of being generous, but you can actually get some benefit from doing something for someone else – it gives you a sense of purpose and wellbeing,’ says Associate Professor Patrick Stokes from the Faculty of Arts and Education at Deakin University.

Being generous – everything from giving someone directions to helping a friend move house – activates the part of the brain that makes you feel pleasure. Plus, it releases a hormone called oxytocin that helps mediate social interactions and emotion – the higher your oxytocin levels, the more you’re likely to give.

Have a generous week!

From the Deputy Principal

This week’s focus of the fortnight has been "Respect for Environment - taking care of litter". Students have been discussing the importance of caring for our environment and the difference this can make in the world. This goes hand in hand with our recycling initiative and it is great to see our students developing a deep understanding of how important it is to look after the world we live in!

Fudooka Visit – We are very fortunate to have students and staff visiting Kingaroy State School from Fudooka High School in Japan tomorrow. This is a great opportunity for our students to learn about Japanese culture and make new friends. There will be a Welcome Parade at 9am tomorrow. A huge thank you to Ms Kate Ireland for organising this special event for our students.

Under 8’s Celebrations – Next Wednesday we will be celebrating Under 8’s. This is always a fabulous event and we would love to have lots of families join us for the celebrations.

Partnership Committee Meeting – Our next Partnership Committee meeting will be held on Monday 5 August at 3.30pm at the Stage. We hope to see lots of you there.

 GEM Chats – We have been taking time every morning to have a quick GEM chat in the CPA before students go to play. This is an important part of The Resilience Project. This morning the students discussed something kind someone had done for them and how this kind act made them feel. It is wonderful to hear the students’ thoughtful responses.

WOWs - There are lots of WOWs available for students to sign up for this term. Please discuss these with your students and encourage them to take their well-earned Kingaroy Cash to the office and purchase a WOW. New to our WOWs calendar is our Horse WOW! Mrs Cooper is bringing her ponies in for a visit and this has sparked lots of interest and excitement amongst our students.

Cooler Weather – With the cooler weather please make sure students are coming with adequate attire. If your child is missing a jumper, please check the lost property as it is filling up quickly.

Class News with P/1L

As we approach the mid-way point of this term, P/1L continues to embrace learning with a positive attitude.

Last week we made wombat stew to support our English unit of procedures and retells. Students enjoyed collecting disgusting ingredients and mixing it altogether before serving it up. Later we recorded our procedures and used images from our experience to support a retell. In the coming weeks we will be exploring different procedures and practising our retells with different experiences.

Additionally, P/1L have been exploring 2D shapes within our maths unit. We have identified shapes within our environment, made shapes with different materials and identified simple features of common 2D shapes. In the coming weeks we will be exploring 3D shapes whilst solidifying our knowledge surrounding 2D.

Recycling News

Congratulations to the students of Kingaroy State School who are continuing to be some of the top students in Queensland with their efforts to recycle.

This week, the recycling team asked the Poster Winners about the importance of recycling. Here are some of their answers:

Annabelle: I think we should save the world by recycling some bottles and Big W bags.

Korah: If you just throw rubbish on the ground, it will be bad for the environment.

Jasmine: Plastic and other pieces of rubbish take a long time to decompose and they can end up in the ocean so it is bad for the environment.

Detroit: If we don’t recycle, the world will not be colourful anymore, it will just be grey.

Lilly: We recycle to keep the Earth clean and Healthy.

Archer: You can reuse your rubbish and don’t have to make new things.

On Thursday at first break play, students who are interested in the new vegetable garden that we will be starting soon, can meet Mrs Nicholson at the yarning circle to have their say in the planning of the garden.  

Fudooka Visit

This week we are looking forward to meeting the visiting students from Fudooka, Japan. They will be at Kingaroy State School on Thursday. We will do lots of Japanese cultural activities and have a fun time making new friends. We can’t wait to take lots of pictures and practice our Japanese language skills.

Around our school

P&C News

Billy G's Gourmet Cookie and Biscuit Dough Fundraiser

Start Date: 22nd July 

Final Orders Due: 12 August

Estimated Delivery Date: 27 August 

Dates to Remember

Community News