Newsletter 03.04.15 - Ashmore State School

06/04/2015
Ashmore State School Newsletter
CRICOS Provider Number 00608A
2nd April 2015
Deputy Principal­Leigh Josey
Twitter
Deputy Principal­ Amanda Fry
P & C News
Farewell Karen
Shotokan Karate Dojo
BSM Blurb
Workshop for Parents
Resource Centre
Botanical Gardens
Chaplain's Chat
Music News
Sports News
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DEPUTY PRINCIPAL­ LEIGH JOSEY
It’s Time to Enroll for Prep for our Present Families and Families
in our Catchment Area
I would like to ask that all present Ashmore School families, who have a Prep child
eligible to join us in 2016 (D.O.B. ­ 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011), complete an enrolment
form over the holidays or in the first week back. (Note that present families can enroll
their child for Prep, regardless of where you/they live.) You can collect an enrolment
pack from the office, or print the forms off from our school website:
https://ashmoress.eq.edu.au/Enrolments/Enrollingatourschool/Pages/Enrollingatourschool.aspx Please bring the forms to the office at the start of Term 2, together with a birth certificate which we will
photocopy. *If you have friends and family in our catchment area, please share this information with them. I would like to
request that they enroll too as soon as possible. I have included a link, for a map of our catchment area:
https://ashmoress.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Documents/Catchment%20area.pdf Only if we have available spaces in Prep for 2016, will we be able to enroll students outside of our catchment
area. As families outside of our catchment will be wondering if they will be offered a position, I am hoping to
have all other enrolments organized as soon as possible. Note that we will ensure Prep positions are kept available for those in our catchment area, who enroll later in
the year or at the start of 2016. Please note the change to Prep Starting Age in 2016 for eligible students The age of a child, for enrolment in Prep in 2016, has been extended by a month. It was 1 July 2010 to 30 June
2011. It is now 1 July 2010 to 31 July 2011. There are conditions, however, if a child’s birthday falls in this extra
month (1 July to 31 July). They must complete a written application (obtainable from the office) and show that
their child is ‘ready for education considering the child’s attributes’. These attributes include the following: Aptitude and ability
Social and emotional competence
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Physical development
Level of knowledge and understanding The application is then returned to the school for discussion and consideration. I have included a link to further information that elaborates on the information above. http://education.qld.gov.au/schools/school­operations/docs/parent­info­early­entry­to­prep.doc Safety Concern I would like to sincerely request that parents, carers and grandparents drop children off in the designated
areas, and not directly in front of our staff driveways. Parking in our driveways holds up the traffic as staff want
to drive in. It is also very dangerous for your children. Please remind your children to walk into school through
the main entry, near the crossing lights and not to ever enter through our staff car parks. This is for their safety
which is always our priority. Thank you for helping us to keep your children safe. Year 1 Reading Progress Last week our Year 1 students completed a PM Benchmark Reading assessment. I have just been studying
their progress, from late last year to the present time. It was wonderful to see their progress during 2014 in
Prep; and it continues to delight me to see their ongoing progress. Some great gains have been made, with
some children improving by 7 levels. Our children will continue to make these wonderful gains with the support
of parents (encouraging children with their home reading and discussing their books); and the dedication and
commitment of our teachers.
Australia­wide Testing for Years 3and 5 (NAPLAN) On Tuesday 12th, Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th May, all students in state and non­state schools in
Years 3 and 5 will be participating in Australia­wide testing to assess their skills in the areas of reading, writing,
language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. NAPLAN assesses the skills that
students develop over time through the school curriculum, and provides additional feedback for parents, carers
and teachers on how students are progressing in the key curriculum areas. An individual NAPLAN report will be sent home for every child in these year levels later this year. Further
information is available on the ACARA website: www.naplan.edu.au Further Essential Information re NAPLAN It is important that students are present by 8.50 a.m. on these days, ready for a punctual start. Please ensure
children get a good night’s sleep and good nutrition for breakfast to maintain brain function and energy across
the three days of testing. Please also ensure students have the following materials at school on these days:­
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2B or HB pencils –do not bring “Pacers” or mechanical pencils as they write too lightly
Eraser
Sharpener Note: Students may be withdrawn from the NAPLAN testing program by their parents/carers. This is a matter for
consideration by individual parents in consultation with the Principal. Withdrawals are intended to address
individual concerns including religious beliefs and philosophical objections to testing. Parents/carers wishing
to withdraw students from the NAPLAN testing program must complete and submit a Notice of Parent
Withdrawal form (obtained from the office) as soon as possible. It must be completed and returned to Leigh
Josey in the Office by Friday 8th May. The text that appears on the individual report will read “Your child was
withdrawn from this test”. Please see me (Leigh Josey) if you have any questions (or phone – 56561333).
Date Claimer for Year 3
The Year 3 students will be attending an excursion to "Beenleigh Town" (historical village) in Term 3. 3A/B and
half of 3C will attend on Monday, 3rd August; and 3D/E and the other half of 3C will be attending on Tuesday,
4th August. Please see the permission note for more information.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW STARS ( School Thanks and Recognition of Staff) Tanya Madden
Tanya began teaching at Ashmore State School in January 2013 as a Year One General
Classroom Teacher. In 2014 Tanya once again taught a Year One class for her second
year with us. This year Tanya is one of our highly valued Special Education Programme
Teachers, teaching individual students and small groups. She also assists teachers with
targeted and specific planning for these students.
Prior to this, Ms Madden taught at Barkly Highway State School in Mt Isa (quite a contrast to our Gold Coast).
When asked what she enjoys doing at school, Ms Madden explains that she loves spending time our wonderful
children, watching them learn and develop over time.
Tanya has a four year old son, with whom she enjoys sharing her leisure time. She also plays Oz Tag, tennis
and volleyball. Ms Madden loves to travel and has explored Europe, especially enjoying Rome and Paris. She
would next like to travel to New Zealand to visit family.
We wish to thank Tanya for her wonderful contribution to Ashmore School, as a dedicated and professional
member of our special education programme team. Thank you for your great efforts with our students. Ms Trudy Snow
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Trudy began teaching at Ashmore State School in October 2013, initially as a Year 7
General Classroom Teacher for Term 4. In 2014 Trudy taught one of our Year 6 classes,
as is the case this year, with Trudy presently teaching Year 6B
Prior to this Ms Snow taught in Melbourne and also Invercargill, New Zealand.
Last year Trudy was one of our key players including the valuable “Kidsmatter” into our school life. She has
continued in this capacity this year. In 2014 Trudy was also Stage D Manager (Years 6 and 7). This year Trudy
is Stage C Manager (Years 5 and 6) and Year Level Coordinator for Year 6.
When asked what she enjoys doing at school, Ms Snow explains that she loves teaching engaged and
motivated children who have a passion for learning.
Trudy has a nine year old son, Riley. She is a true blue ‘Kiwi’ who calls ‘thongs’ by their correct name –
‘jandals’. She says she is sorry, but she backs the ‘All Blacks” too.
A big thank you to Trudy for her wonderful contribution to the teaching and learning of the students in her care
in 6B. A special thank you also for her significant efforts in the success of “Kidsmatter” at Ashmore. We also
value her great efforts as Stage C Manager and Year Level Coordinator. DEPUTY PRINCIPAL­ AMANDA FRY
PLAYING THE BLAME GAME It is such a part of human nature to blame someone or something else when we make a
mistake. Rather than face the consequences of our actions or inactions, it seems easier
to blame the system or the ‘other’ person. Children of a very young age tend to play the
blame game as a way of getting out of, or avoiding punishment. As parents we hear it so
often from our little ones, that we invented “Mr Nobody” who was apparently responsible for all the spills and
breakages around the home. “The dog ate my homework’ was so often used as an excuse it has now become
a punch line response when something isn’t done on time.
As the ultimate role model for your own children, it is incumbent in you as parents to teach your children to take
responsibilities for their actions. The BEST way to for this is to model this behaviour yourself. So remember, it is
not the parking inspectors fault that you got a parking ticket (it’s your fault because you parked too long) and it
is not the company’s fault if you missed the payment deadline and they cut off your power (you didn’t pay the
bill on time)
Quote from Trent Hamm ­ The Simple Dollar “Ten Big Mistakes #4 Blaming Others:
“Whenever you hear yourself blaming someone or something else for a problem, stop. Blaming others for your
problems is an incredibly pernicious habit. Yes, there are bad things in life. There are bad things in
everyone’slife. The people that succeed are the people that don’t waste their time looking for someone or
something to blame, but instead look to themselves for a solution to the problem.” http://publish.newsserv.com.au/epublisher/printfriendly.php?id=214748457363&school=ashmore_ss_stats
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COMMUNICATION We have a number of ways in which we communicate with parents and the community. Our number one source
of information is our website. We try very hard to keep it up to date with upcoming events, interactive forms for
electronic returns and procedures and policies. The second most important source of information is our
newsletter. Our newsletter is published fortnightly and is on the website. Our teachers have a variety of ways
they communicate directly with their class parents – these may include monthly newsletters, EdStudio, emails,
phone calls, class notice boards, notes, letters and your child’s communication book. Once repairs are
complete our large electric sign on Currumburra Rd will resume as another source of information. Our
wonderful P and C have a number of large notice boards strategically placed around the school as well as an
electronic sign on the tuckshop. Since our school community decided to become “paperless” as far as possible
– it was initially a very steep learning curve for the whole community to find an alternate means of
communication. All our data indicates that the very great majority of parents and the wider community have
embraced these changes as it evidenced by the number of parents returning forms and enrolment into specific
programs using the electronic option on our website. We are very aware that a number of families do not have
a computer at home or access to a printer or internet. Paper copies of all forms are available to those families at
the office. OUTSIDE MARKETTING AND ADVERTISING Many years ago at the direct request of parents, through the P and C Committee – it was decided to NOT allow
outside companies or organisations to have direct access to our students. In the past many companies were
permitted on assembly to market directly to the children. When we had a paper newsletter many companies
were allowed to include their fliers inside the newsletter. Our parents at the time felt that the newsletters intent
was being compromised and it was simply being used as an advertising conduit directly into their homes.
Similarly they felt that the presentations on assembly put too much pressure on them to sign up and pay for
whatever program was being touted.
Not a week goes passed that we are not approached by one company or another to have access to your
children. They either want to give them fliers or speak with them on assembly. We do not allow this direct
marketing method but do allow them to advertise on our newsletter and if appropriate to leave fliers at the office
for interested parents to collect.
The exception to this rule is of course any charities or not­for­profit organisations which we feel are appropriate
for primary school aged children. These organisations may run their advertisements or information for free in
our newsletter and in some cases make a presentation on assembly. This is yet another very good reason to always read our newsletter for opportunities for your children.
FAREWELL TO KAREN GRAVENDYK
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We are very sad to be farewelling Mrs Karen Gravendyk at the end of this term. Karen
has been our 'Head of Curriculum' for the last few years, until this year when she was
appointed 'Deputy Principal (Stage B ­ Years 2, 3 and 4)'.
Mrs Gravendyk has accepted a new position at Varsity College as 'Head of School ­ Prep
to Year 3'.
This is a very exciting opportunity for Karen, although we are very sad to have her leave Ashmore.
On behalf of the staff, students and families of Ashmore State School, we would like to extend our heartfelt
appreciation to Karen for the significant and far­reaching contribution she has made to the teaching and
learning at our school.
Mrs Sharie Callum will be joining us as Deputy Principal ­ Stage B. Sharie has been working with us for the
past month so she is already familiar to the staff and students. She comes with a wealth of experience. Please
join us in making her very welcome. BSM BLURB
FACILITIES
Over the upcoming Easter Vacation period there will be a number of works
happening around the school grounds.
1. 10 metre fire break wall around the outside of the oval that backs onto houses.
2. Gutter being replaced
3. Classroom louvres repaired/replaced
4. General painting
5. Hall floor resurfaced
Please ensure that your children know not to come onto the school grounds over the vacation period under any
circumstances.
Staff Carpark Sign
Please take special notice of the writing that says “NO PEDESTRIAN ACCESS”. Please DO NOT walk your
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children through the carpark at any time as this is safety issue.
FINANCE
Student Resource Scheme – don’t forget to hand in your Student Resource Scheme forms to the office.
Excursion Invoices/Payments
All of our invoices are emailed directly to you (unless you don’t have an email address). There is always a
reference name on the invoice which will advise you of what it is for eg: INTERSPORT (Interschool sport)
PIRATE PREP (Pirate Show – Prep). Please make sure you open the invoice and look at the reference before
emailing the office to ask what it is for. As you can imagine, we send out 100’s of invoices at a time and cannot
reply to everyone’s request of ‘what is this invoice for’. All information about excursions along with permission
letters are on our website.
Just a reminder every excursion or school event that requires a payment to be made will have a set ‘DUE
DATE’ that must be adhered to. If you have difficulties prior to the ‘DUE DATE’ making a payment, please do
not hesitate to come and see me or someone in Administration to make other arrangements. We DO NOT
accept any late payments after ‘DUE DATES’. If you pay over the internet please ensure that you make the
payment 3 days prior to the due date to ensure that it clears in the schools bank account by the due date. Thank you for your cooperation with this matter.
Hiring
We are taking bookings for 2015 for hiring of the Hall, Carmichael Centre (includes dance room, seminar room,
conference room and life skill rooms), oval and netball courts. If you are interested or know of anyone that is
looking for hire facilities please pass on this information. You can contact myself on P:56561333 Messages for your children
As stated in previous newsletters, it can be extremely difficult to give students personal messages from parents
during the school day. To alleviate this issue we have implemented a cut off time of 2pm each day. If you
require a message to be given to your child you will need to ensure that you phone the office prior to this
time. Could you please advise your child of after school pick up times and locations prior to dropping them off
at school as this seems to be the most common message. If you contact the office after this time we will not be
able to assist unless it is an emergency.
Have you changed your contact details – please advise Admin of your changes
Many Thanks,
Pete
Business Services Manager http://publish.newsserv.com.au/epublisher/printfriendly.php?id=214748457363&school=ashmore_ss_stats
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RESOURCE CENTRE
Are You Cybersmart?
With the holidays upon us, it’s time to revisit the
importance of being Cybersmart. We’ve added some
hints for parents/carers from the Cybersmart website.
For more information we recommend you visit this site.
There are links for parents, games for children and a
range of resources to suit all ages.
Cyberbullying is the use of technology to bully a person
or group. Bullying is repeated behaviour with the intent
to harm others. Behaviour may include:
Abusive texts and emails
Posting unkind or threatening messages, videos or images on social media websites
Imitating or excluding others online
Inappropriate image tagging.
What can you do?
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Talk to them about cyberbullying before it happens.
Work out strategies to address any potential issues and reassure your child that you will be there to
support them.
Advise your child not to reply to any messages from a bully.
Often if bullies don’t receive a response they will give up. Learn how to block a bully so they are no
longer able to make contact.
Keep a record of harassing messages in case authorities become involved.
Put them somewhere your child won’t continue to see them.
Contact the website administrator or use the reporting function to ask for content to be removed or to
report harassment.
Talk to your child’s school if cyberbullying involves another student.
Stay involved in your child’s use of new technology.
Set up your own account and learn about privacy settings so you can understand how you can best
protect your child. It can be fun for you too! Check the age restrictions for the social networking service or game. Some social networking sites
(such as Club Penguin) are created especially for children under the age of 13, but most mainstream
sites like Facebook, Instagram and others require the user to be 13 or older.
Advise children to set their accounts to private so that only people they want to see it can view their
information.
Encourage children to think before they put anything online. Information posted online can be difficult or
impossible to remove. An inappropriate image posted today can have a long term impact on their digital
reputation.
Show them how to set up location services on their phone so they are not inadvertently broadcasting
their location.
Remind children to be careful when making new friends online; people may not be who they say they
are.
Never arrange to meet an online friend unless a trusted adult is with them.
Report any abuse or inappropriate content to the social networking site and show children how to do
this too.
Learn how to keep a copy of online conversations and how to block people prior to an issue occurring.
Be aware of how your child uses the internet and explore it with them. Discuss the kinds of sites that are
ok to explore and those that are not.
Consider using parental controls such as filters to help manage your child’s online access.
Remind your child not to open spam email or click on pop ups, prize offers or unfamiliar hyperlinks in
websites.
Help your child use search engines to locate websites. Consider developing a list of favourites for
younger children. Enable safe search options.
Reassure your child that access to the internet will not be denied if they report seeing inappropriate
content to you.
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Remind them not to respond if they are sent something inappropriate and that they should leave a
website immediately if they feel uncomfortable or worried.
Report content that you think may be prohibited to the ACMA’s online hotline: acma.gov.au/hotline
The longer you wait to address the issue, the more difficult it can be to overcome. So if you see an
emerging problem arising from excessive use, act on it right away.
Talk to your child about the concerns you have and monitor what games, apps and devices are bought
or used by your child.
You may like to install a filter on the laptop or computer your child is using which can be adjusted to limit
the amount of time an internet connection will be available on that device.
Consider implementing family agreements about the amount of time your children can spend online.
You might like to have a rule where the ‘wifi password of the day’ is only given once all
homework/chores/family time is done. A similar approach can be used to limit access to devices. Ashmore State School would like to announce the introduction of our new digital library.
As technology changes so do resources. We now have a choice of how we access books.
ALIA STATEMENT (Australian Library and Information Association)
”We predict that library print and ebook collections will establish a 50:50 equilibrium by 2020 and that this
balance will be maintained for the foreseeable future”.
ebooks on Computers
Students and staff can now access the site from home and school. Please add this address in your bookmarks
on your computer: http://ashmoress.lib.overdrive.com
You can view ebooks through your web browser and pages are download as required (must have wifi).
OR
You can download “Adobe Digital Editions” (free) on your computer. The
link is available after logging onto our Digital Library site. The ebook is
downloaded to the program and is available to read. This doesn’t require
wifi after downloading.
There is also a link to thousands of free digital books from Project
Guttenberg.
All hints and resources are available on the Overdrive app under the “Help” tab.
OR
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Scan the QR code on your portable device.
ebooks on iPad, Tablets or Phones
Download the Overdrive app available from iTunes or Google Play.
We have purchased a range of ebooks and audio books suitable for Preps to Year 6.
At the moment there is a limit of borrowing: 1 item per student as our collection is small but in time, while grow.
There are borrowing restrictions according to year levels. Preps to Year 4 (juvenile) and Years 5 –Year 6
(young adult)
We’ve sampled each book, read reviews, downloaded resources
and tested the website. Once again, it is imperative
parents/caregivers know what their children are doing online and
become involved in the choice of ebooks.
After logging on, you can filter the range of books by selecting
your interest level or reading age. You can sample ebooks and
read the blurb before borrowing. You will have the book for 14 days and then it will be automatically removed
from your collection OR you can return the book before borrowing another one. NO MORE LOSING BOOKS!
Enjoy Ashmore State School’s Digital Library! http://publish.newsserv.com.au/epublisher/printfriendly.php?id=214748457363&school=ashmore_ss_stats
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CHAPLAIN'S CHAT­ MARG POTTER
Can you believe we are at the end of Term One already? It has been a term involving
some changes in our school with staff leaving and new staff arriving; new classes
formed and moving to a different classroom. Our previous principal Mrs. James has
successfully navigated our way through all those changes and we thank her for the
massive amount of work she has put into our school, including our current status as an
Independent Public School. Thank you Mrs James!
As we approach Easter this year, I would encourage you to celebrate the real reason for Easter, not just
chocolate eggs or another public holiday. Visit a local church near you and celebrate the risen Saviour.
Marg Potter ­ Chaplain
NEWS FROM THE SPORTS DESK.. ..MARCH Ashmore Cross Country Carnival – This will occur on the 23rdof April. The
seniors (4­7) will start at 9:00 and the juniors (P­3) will start at 11:40. This is a House
event so please wear your house shirt and have a hat, water, and sunscreen.
Interschool Sport – Ashmore State School will be participating in interschool
sport commencing on Monday 18 May. Invoices for $45 per student have been sent
out via email. Consent forms can be downloaded from the school website via the calendar and news tab,
selecting news and then interschool sport.
CONGRATULATIONS –
The following students have attained great results in their chosen sport­ Julian H was selected for the Broadwater District AFL representative team. (12yrs Boys) Jackson T was selected for the Broadwater District Basketball team. (12yrs Boys) Jayden H was selected in the Broadwater District Hockey Team. (12yrs Boys) Alyssandra S was selected for the South Coast Regional Netball Team. (11yrs) Mackenna B was selected for the South Coast Regional Netball Team. (12yrs) Haze was selected in the South Coast Regional Rugby League Team. (11yrs boys) Fitter, Faster, Stronger – Our Fitter, Faster, Stronger program is on 5 mornings a week from 8:00am to
8:45am. Please feel free to join us and our passionate and qualified coaches Ant Drinkwater and Alana
George. Students from all grades and parents are welcome to attend. New participants are encouraged. Bring
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a change of clothes for the wetter days. Thank you to all parent and teacher volunteers. Your help is greatly
appreciated. Mon – Fitter (run Club), Tues – Strength (Circuits), Wed – Faster (Sprint
Club), Thurs – Fitter (Run Club), Friday – Faster (Sprint Club). Auskick
Please see the attached newsletter for information regarding the after school Auskick program which will
commence in term two. MUSIC NEWS
The Music Department would like to thank all students and their families for a wonderful
beginning to the year. We encourage you to practise as much as possible over the holidays to revise your
musical learning from Term 1 and further develop your musical skills for Term 2. Practise
is paramount to the success of all ensembles ­ they do say, “practise makes perfect”.
Term 2 Events
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Week
​
1​
5
Date​ Event​
Teachers​
April
​
Anna
24
ANZAC Ceremony​
Dart​
May
​
Fanfare ­ Choral
Anna
19
Competitions​
Dart​
ANZAC DAY
The Senior Choir and Mezzo Choir will be involved in this year’s ANZAC Ceremony. Parents and families are
welcome to attend.
Please understand that this is a solemn ceremony whereby no performances will receive an applause.
FANFARE
Senior Choir and Mezzo Choir will be attending the biannual Fanfare competition in 2015, in addition to the
Eisteddfods later in the year. They will sing in two different sections, whereby all ensembles are awarded a
GOLD, SILVER or BRONZE based only on their musical ability (no comparisons are made to other school’s
choirs). More information will be provided next term.
Did You Know?
Music education prepares students to learn:
1. Enhances fine motor skills
2. Prepares the brain for achievement
3. Fosters superior working memory
4. Cultivates better thinking skills
Choral Camp – Thank you from Miss Dart
I would like to thank those of you who attended the choral camp and the concert to support our senior choir
students.
All 98 children worked tirelessly to learn, rehearse and perfect their 9 performance pieces from memory – one
song even included Auslan sign language. The sound produced by the group of advanced vocal students from
across the region was astounding. It was an incomparable experience for our 10 Ashmore students to
participate in.
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I was very proud of the accomplishments of our talented, aspiring musicians. I look forward to more exciting
and upcoming events with the choir students this year!
Choral Camp – Through the Eyes of a Student
23 of March 2015
Dear Diary,
Today I got on the bus to Mt Tamborine; I got there at 10:00am. I put my luggage outside
and went inside for the overall rules. Then we had to go to the cabin (Number 13) and put
our luggage and toiletries in. My cabin mates were Maddison O’C, Lillian W, Brooke P,
Chelsea H, Alyssa M-S and I. There was also another Ashmore cabin which had Ashley H,
Shana F, Maddison O and Myah W.
Then we started our first rehearsal. We were all together practicing ‘Can You Hear me’,
’Hot Chocolate’, ‘Kyrie’, ‘Follow the Drinking Gourd’, ‘When I Close My Eyes’, ‘Breaths’,
‘FAME’,’ Make Them Laugh’ and ‘Nothing Else Matters’.
After that, we had another rehearsal with Mrs C that was fully focused on my part (the
alto section) while the soprano section worked together in another room. Lillian and I were
the only altos from our school.
Afterwards we went for an amazing scenic walk. Then we got an hour of shower time and
free time. We were all looking great and ready for dinner!
We walked into the cafeteria and smelt lasagne and garlic bread. It was so good!! Finally,
after the amazing dinner, we had one more rehearsal, before going to bed.
24TH of March
Dear Diary,
Today we woke up very early (about 5:40am) and quietly had a chat about all the
amazing things that we wanted to happen today.
After breakfast we went into sections and began our rehearsals, where we learnt all our
words off by heart. In those rehearsals, we also did Mrs D choreography to ‘FAME’,
‘Breaths’, and ‘Make Them Laugh’.
It was great fun!
25th of March
Dear Diary,
Today we all got up way later than yesterday!
For breakfast this morning we had a cooked breakfast, bacon and eggs! Then we started
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sadly packing up our things before going to another lot of rehearsals. Our rehearsals were
very good.
We ate and after lunch we went to the lookout near the camp. Our Camp Principal for the
day was telling us about the history of Mt Tambourine before we headed to Ormeau
Woods SHS for the concert.
On the bus I was sitting next to Mr W and Miss Dart. When we arrived, I went and got
changed for our performance. To make our perfect performance entrance live up to our
expectations, we walked in through the audience as we sang ‘Breaths’ in our three parts. It
was totally amazing!! Getting on to the rest of our performance, we all sang our parts
beautifully and no one messed up the lyrics so that means we had worked as a team. My
favourite part of the choral camp was definitely the performance. It was so fun!
Seeing my family again for the first time in three days was great. I told them all about
the amazing stuff that we did and how much fun we had.
By Kaitlyn C
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER
P & C NEWS
ASHMORE KITCHEN GARDEN PROGRAM PARENT VOLUNTEERS: We are delighted
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to announce after much planning and training, we are going to begin the Kitchen Garden Program in Term 3. In
order to achieve our aim we need people who are able to make a genuine commitment to assisting the
Kitchen and Garden classes.
You can volunteer in the kitchen or the garden or both. It is highly desirable that volunteers commit to the same
class each week and consider volunteering with us for at least one term or semester. It allows your relationship
with the children to develop and also makes it easier for you to be comfortable in your environment. It also
helps with planning! Volunteers are welcome to stay for the whole day or just for one class.
Please read, fill out and submit the attached application form. We’d love to have you on board!
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW
P&C MEETING: The next P&C meeting of this year will be held on Monday April 20th at 1.30pm upstairs
in the Seminar Room at the Carmichael Centre. We welcome any parents who want to get involved in the
school community so if you have any ideas or thoughts that you want to put forward then please come along,
your input will be much appreciated. PARENT OPINION ‘NEW ASHMORE TUCKSHOP’ SURVEY: With the advent of the
Ashmore Kitchen Garden Program this year, and in the long term interests of our children’s health, we are very
interested in offering our children and parents a healthier option for their lunches. To bring in these changes,
we will need the support of the whole school community. We invite your opinions and suggestions in the
surveys below. They are quite short and will only take you a few moments to fill in. Thank you for your
assistance. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8LF9Y3Y Tuckshop Menu Survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8LZFSW3 Tuckshop Volunteer Survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/XMV6QWH Tuckshop Service Survey
To coincide with the CROSS COUNTRY, Ashmore State School P&C
Association will be conducting a School Run 4 Fun for the students as
a major fundraiser for this term so we do ask for your support. The
event will take place on 23 April 2015. All monies raised will provide
resources for the Kitchen Garden Program for the students. Students have now received a poster size Sponsorship Form with a
great selection of toy brands including Nike, Sony, Apple, Disney
Frozen, GoPro, Razor, Nerf and more. This form will assist with collecting sponsorship donations on behalf of
the school.
Inside the Sponsorship Form you will find helpful tips on how to raise more money for the school as well as
other benefits such as the chance to win a Bali Family Holiday. http://publish.newsserv.com.au/epublisher/printfriendly.php?id=214748457363&school=ashmore_ss_stats
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We ask you to seek donations on a $2 or $4 or $5 or $10 per sponsor. Students who raise as little as $10 or
more will receive a reward prize for their efforts. The more donations you receive the better prize(s) you can
choose. You can even boost your prizes with the option to mix and match. A new way to help your child reach their fundraising goal is through online fundraising. Students who use
online fundraising raise 5 times more! Simply go to www.australianfundraising.com.au/online, click onto the
School Run 4 Fun image. Once the fundraiser is complete, please cut out the ‘how to claim your prize section’ on the Sponsorship Form
and return along with your monies to the tuckshop on or before 30 April. Please be sure to fill out your prize
request. The individual prizes will be delivered shortly after. We would also welcome parents and family members to attend the event day to help cheer on the students.
Happy fundraising! Thank you in advance of your participation. ASHMORE SS INTERNATIONAL FUN FAIR : We’re looking forward to a great celebration of
our school being held on Sat June 20. All funds raised are going towards the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen
Garden Program. How can you help? 1. If you can donate a prize for the Cent Auction, contact Tracey Wentworth at
[email protected]
2. If you would like to run your own stall, contact Janet MacIntosh at [email protected] or Sarah
Pitman at [email protected]
3. If you know of any really good International food stalls, contact Erin McCormack at
[email protected]
4. If you would like to assist in any other way, please contact Simone Hellsten at [email protected]
Ashmore P&C
[email protected]
SHOTOKAN KARATE DOJO
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WORKSHOP FOR PARENTS
Village Family Support Program is running three parent courses in May 2015 for parents of children of various
ages. The courses cover strategies and increase confidence of parents in managing children’s challenging
behaviour, while teaching children to better manage their emotions and frustrations. Attached is the flyer with
details of the programs commencing Friday mornings 1 May or Saturday mornings 2 May 2015, contact Nikki at
Studio Village Community Centre, located off Exit 62 for more information or to discuss your needs. Nikki, as
Family Support Worker also offers individual support for those who need someone to talk to for information,
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advice or referral, including 1­1 parent courses, call between 9am and 3pm Monday to Friday for an
appointment: phone 5529 8253, or email [email protected] Below is the link to the flyer on our website, for your information.
http://www.studiovillage.com.au/CMS/?Family_Support:Current_Programs http://publish.newsserv.com.au/epublisher/printfriendly.php?id=214748457363&school=ashmore_ss_stats
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BOTANICAL GARDENS ACTIVITIES
Kids in Conservation: ‘Winged Wildlife’ at the Botanic Gardens
Learn how to identify some the ‘winged wildlife’ at the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens. Look for special
features of birds and insects that help them to survive. Be part of a bird survey at the Botanic Gardens When: Tuesday, 14 April at 9:30am till 11:00am Where: Meet at the Friends Centre, GCRBG, 232 Ashmore Rd, Benowa Who: 8 to 14 year olds Parents/carers welcome Cost: $5.00 per person Bookings essential 0449 561 674 Wear a hat, closed in shoes, sun safe gear and bring a drink bottle! Botanica Quest: Dare to Discover Dare to discover the amazing natural environment at the Gold Coast
Regional Botanic Gardens. Pick up a Nature Play Passport and complete
your missions! When: Thursday 16 April with 2 sessions: 9:00 ­ 10:00am; 10:00 ­11:00am Where: Friends Centre, GCRBG, 232 Ashmore Rd, Benowa Who: Free­Range Kids aged 4 till 12 with their parents/carers Cost: $5.00 per F­R Kid Bookings essential: 0449 561 674 Wear a hat, closed in shoes, sun safe gear and bring a drink bottle! Proudly supported by Friends of the Gold Coast Regional Botanic Gardens http://publish.newsserv.com.au/epublisher/printfriendly.php?id=214748457363&school=ashmore_ss_stats
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Currumburra Road
ASHMORE 4214 QLD
07 5656 1330
07 5656 1300
[email protected]
http://www.ashmoress.eq.edu.au/
Our Sponsors
Please click on any advertisement to email the
affiliated business or view further details such as
company brochures, flyers or promotions
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