Volume 18 - 11th November 2022

From The Principal

Leichhardt State School continues to be recognised for our exceptional efforts in implementing Positive Behaviour for Learning strategies across the school. Our expectations of Be Kind, Be Safe, Be a Learner are well known by our students and used in classrooms and playgrounds every day.

To recognised our efforts in PBL, our staff, students and parents took part in the filming of videos for the EDTV channel this week. The videos will showcase our approach to behaviour management, which emphasises a positive mindset and use of strategies that encourage students to think about and understand their behaviour choices. The videos will be available early in Term 1, 2023 and will be shared on our website. We are very grateful to everyone who participated in the project.

Forest School program, which provides project-based learning opportunities in an outdoor environment, has started this week. This initiative is led by George Castles, Guidance Officer, and supervised by Sarah Hnarakis, our Wellbeing/The Arts teacher. The project is aimed to provide an alternative learning environment and explore students’ interests in different areas, which will in turn lead to improved academic outcomes for selected students.

This afternoon, a group of Year 5 students who are interested in leadership positions next year completed their practice leadership speeches in preparation for Monday morning. It was wonderful to see how supportive and encouraging they all were of one another. We provided students with feedback and cannot wait to see them deliver the speeches after assembly. If you are a parent of a student who will be delivering a speech, you are very welcome to stay behind after assembly and see them in action.

Leichhardt State School takes student safety seriously, and this includes cyber safety. In this newsletter, we are sharing eSafety Commissioner’s webpage on how parents can help keep their children safe online. You can find more information on this here: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents  

I hope you and your family stay well, safe and strong!

From The Head of Department - Positive Behaviour and Learning

From The Head of Department - Curriculum

STEAM News at Leichhardt

In Science, Year 5 have observed what happens to their shadow when the light source (sun) changes position. They have learnt that the smaller the opaque object blocking a light source the smaller the shadow. They have begun planning their next investigation into what happens to the temperature of a shelter when an opaque, translucent or transparent object is used for the roof of the shelter.

Our Year 6 students are continuing their investigation on the growth of plants using different fertilisers. They are using ash and seaweed fertiliser on tomato and pig face plants.

Bremer State High School Orientation Day

To support students’ transition to our high school, we’d like them to join us for our Year 6 into 7 Orientation, 2 December on Friday of Week 9. And if required, additional supported transition days options are being offered by our Dean Inclusion – Ange Tappin (actap0@eq.edu.au) and Year Coordinator – Emily Convery (econv0@eq.edu.au).

In both cases, students must be enrolled to attend.

This year we have implemented a new online enrolment process for prospective families that enables you to complete the whole enrolment process using an email address and your device (smartphone, tablet or laptop) at home OR with us in house at school.  We currently have just under 300 families engage with the system with over 120 already enrolled for Year 7 2023.

From The Head of Department - Teaching and Learning

We had a wonderful parade celebrating students with 'Exceptional Bookwork'. When visiting classrooms, it is always so fantastic to see so many students across our school taking so much pride in their learning. Keep up the wonderful work, Leichhardt!

Congratulations to the following students for receiving the mid term 'Exceptional Bookwork Award': Liam-John, Stephaine, Zye, Tillee-Rose, Christianna, Ava, Coolie, Adyen and Kailyn.

From The Head of Department - Reading

Earning Reading Awards 

It is wonderful to see our 2023 Preps already receiving Reading Eggs Awards!  Well done, 2023 Preps!  We will be having a special award presentation for these students at our Week 8 Assembly. 

If you have a Prep student starting in 2023 and would like information about Reading Eggs, please email Mrs Finlay (Head of Department – Reading) on efinl9@eq.edu.au or contact the school office on 3813 3222.

Reading Buddies 

Students were excited to share their reading and writing success during the Reading Buddy visit Wednesday, Week 5.

LSS Year 5 students participating in the ‘Reading to a Kindy Kid’ elective have now helped the ‘Kindy Kids’ at the Day Care centre learn five letters and their matching sounds.  Well done, Year 5s!  Here is Bailey (5A) supporting one of the ‘Kindy Kids’ to complete a sound – picture matching task.  Well done, Bailey!  

Hall of Fame Status 

Monday’s Week 5 Assembly, celebrated Leichhardt State School students’ impressive ‘Hall of Fame’ level success in the recent 2022 Premier’s Reading Challenge and also thanked the many people in the Leichhardt State School’s extended ‘village’ who help us to support our students to be the best readers they can be. 

It was lovely to have the following people join us: families of the award recipients, the Reading Volunteers, Mrs Rose, Mrs Lyndall, Mrs Rosemary and Carmen’s Mum, Mrs Kyna Hetherington, Ashley from The Salvation Army, Pastor Rob, James and Kaiana from Faith Lutheran College.

Hon Shayne Neumann, Federal Member for Blair, joined us for this special celebration assembly and presented notable award certificates.  Shaunak (3A) was awarded a certificate and a book prize for reading 280 books for the challenge!  Well done, Shaunak!

From The Early Years Coorindator

Over the last two weeks we have had two more Prep Open Mornings for our 2023 preps. On Wednesday 2^nd November we started our morning meeting Mrs Finlay who spoke to us about how exciting and important Reading Eggs is. We have all been given logins so that we can start learning even before we start school and some of us have even managed to get our first award or two.

We then got to met Lisa from Sing and Grow who did lots of singing and dancing with us.

After morning tea Mrs Krings read us The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which we followed up with some caterpillar themed writing and cutting activities.

On Wednesday 9^th November we met Miss O’Connor who did lots of fun PE activities with in the hall. We practiced balancing, jumping and throwing.

Today’s book was I Went Walking read to us by Miss G. We all enjoyed the book and the drawing and colouring activities.

On Wednesday 7^th December from 8.50am to 10.20 we will be having a Meet Your Teacher morning where you will get time to spend time getting to know your teacher and class mates in your new classroom. Further details will follow closer to the date.

From Our Teachers

Prep A

This week we have been very busy working on our assessments. We all tried our best and are very proud of ourselves.

On Wednesday we were so lucky because we got to join classes with Prep B. We spent the morning together at the sandpit playing with bubbles and dancing to music. We then came back to the classroom and did some gingerbread Christmas craft together.  We are very excited that Christmas is coming up and have had lots of fun decorating our classroom with our beautiful craft. 

We love Fridays because we get to go swimming. The water was cold this week but we have so much fun floating like starfish and blowing bubbles under the water with Mr Woody. 

Year 3 

Year 3’s have been learning about 3D shapes in Maths.  As part of their assessment they were required to create a 3D model of a guinea pig hutch.  They had lots of fun discussing and designing their models and the correct name of their 3D shape.

Year 6 Art 

Year 6 have been working hard on their very own media trailers for Art. It has been great to see the students working so well together and coming up with some very creative ideas, story lines and use of camera angles.

Remembrance Day

On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, a minutes’ silence is observed and dedicated to those soldiers who died fighting to protect the nation. The Prep classes made lanterns and paid their respect by holding a minutes' silence. 

Playgroup at Leichhardt State School

Leichhardt Play Group is held every Thursday in the hall during school Term @9am untill 11am. Free group with morning tea included. For more information please call or text Channon on 0475798198. Please see below the timetable for Term 4. 

Out in the Community