Volume 3 - 3rd March 2023

From Our Principal

I would like to thank the Leichhardt State School community for being so welcoming in the past 3 weeks. I have enjoyed my time and look forward to visiting in the future. Principal, Mrs Maja Bogicevic is looking forward to returning to school on Monday, March 6.

From Our Deputy Principal - School Culture

Welcome to Country Sign

You may have noticed our wonderful new Interactive Welcome to Country Sign located at the front entrance as you walk upstairs to our Admin building. Press the button before you come up the stairs to hear our student Leonee Thompson say the Welcome in Language. We would like to thank everyone involved in the creation of this wonderful sign, in particularly we would like to thank the Indigenous Language Grant because this would not have been possible without those funds.  

PBL News 

We are kind. 

We are safe. 

We are learners. 

Ask your children how they can show these expectations at school.  The PBL team have been working hard to develop a new school Expectation Matrix.  Students will be explicitly taught what being kind, safe and learners look like in different areas.  Please reiterate the importance of following these school expectations with your children.  The final document will be released in the next couple of weeks. 

We would love to thank the Salvation Army for their wonderful support of Leichhardt State School.  They have donated 35 iPads and several boxes of prizes for our Gotcha winners.  We are so grateful for their support of our school. 

Funky Sock Friday was a great success.  It was great to see so many students and staff wearing Funky Socks.  This was done as a Fun Friday Activity keep an eye on this space because the Well Being Committee have many more Fun Friday ideas.   

From Our Deputy Principal - Teaching and Learning

Teaching and Learning @

Leichhardt

Reading with the Preps

At the end of Week 5, the Preps now know 5 letters and their sounds (see letters below).  They have also started reading the first set of the Dandelion Decodable Reading Series and doing lots of writing, practising the formation of the below letters..

Next to the Prep classroom doors, sight words are proudly displayed for students to practise with their parents/carers as they wait to go inside to class in the morning. 

In Week 6, the Preps will learn the sound and letter formation for the letter n.  This will bring about the opportunity to read and spell many more sight words.  Well done, Preps and Prep teachers!  Keep up the great work!

Spelling @ Leichhardt

At the Week 5 Assembly, Khloe (5A) shared the ‘Spell to Read’ approach with the audience.  Khloe described and showed how when we spell words we are unfamiliar with we do the following:

1. Hear the word – listen to the word
2. Say the word – break the word up into its sounds
3. Write the word – link each sound to a letter
4. Read the word – check we have matched letters and sounds correctly
5. Use the word – practise writing the word in our work

Encourage your child to use this approach when they are spelling words with which they are unfamiliar. Thank you for sharing the ‘Spell to Read’ approach, Khloe!

Kindy Reading @ Leichhardt

Each Wednesday and Friday afternoon our Reading with the Kindy Kids Elective students visit the Ipswich Early Education Centre and Pre-school to read with the kindy kids.

This week, Leichhardt State School, has started weekly reading at Ally’s Kindy too!  Each week a Leichhardt teacher is recorded reading a story and this recording is then shared with the kindy students at Ally’s Kindy.  This week the celebrity teacher was Prep B teacher, Mrs Lisa Krings, reading Mr McGee by Pamela Allen.

Thank you, Mrs Krings!

Gratitude @ Leichhardt

At the Week 5 Assembly, it was wonderful to have Ashley Biermann from the Salvation Army join us.   The Salvation Army not only has provided the school with 35 iPads that are being used to support student learning and engagement in the P-4 classrooms and Homework Club, but also provides an ongoing supply of Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) rewards, both large and small, as well as care packages (hand crotched blankets and teddy bears) to our Sanctuary room.

Thank you, Salvation Army!

NAPLAN @ Leichhardt

NAPLAN testing for Years 3 and 5 students commences on 15 March 2023 and continues through to 27 March 2023 at Leichhardt State School.

Years 3 and 5 students have been engaging in online NAPLAN practise tests to familiarise themselves with the computer skills needed to complete the assessment.   The schedule for the NAPLAN test is provided below.  If you have any questions regarding NAPLAN, please contact Mrs Elena Finlay (Deputy Principal – Teaching and Learning) on efinl9@eq.edu.au

From Our Head Of Department - Teaching and Learning

Well done everyone for another fabulous couple of weeks. We have been so proud visiting each classroom and seeing students so engaged with their learning. It has been great to see so much pride in our bookwork from Prep right through to Year 6! Students have still been learning S ‘Set up their notes’ and are doing a great job at this. This is going to give our students a fantastic foundation to learn notetaking strategies they will be able to use across their education. We look forward to sharing this bookwork in the display coming in the student office, on parade and in our newsletter. 

From Our Community Support Coordinator

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From Our Teachers

Prep B

Prep B visited the oral health van this week.  The students experienced riding the dentist chair which went up, down and back, the light was shone into their mouths as well as feeling the various tools on their hands.

The students then discussed every day and sometimes food with the dentist recommending they drink water after eating to wash away the sugar and leftover food in their mouths. 

Using paint on toothbrushes, the students practiced brushing pictures of teeth using round motions rather than across motions.  The students learnt that this is not wear our teeth away.

At the end of the visit, the students made a tooth fairy promise that they are going to brush their teeth every morning and every night until they were old grandmas and grandpas.

Year 1B 

In HASS, Year 1 have been very busy comparing toys from the past to the present. They have enjoyed talking about the toys they have and what their family members may have had.  

Year 1 think the past toys are “boring and not as fun” whereas the present toys they are lucky enough to have are “a lot more fun”. Well done on some great conversations, use of 2 column notes and great investigations.  

From Our Student Media Liaison

Monday the 26th was Fairy Tale Day and the school celebrated by reading their favourite stories. 

Mr. Saran read the Ugly Duckling to eleven prep students in the library. They were excited to listen to the story.  

Why did Mr. Saran pick this book you might ask? He said he loved the Ugly Duckling and he like this book because it is a story about finding where you belong. 

I’m doing the happy dance. Thank you for reading!  

Signing off, Maci. C 

Our 2023 Preps

Our Prep 2023 photos were advertised in the Ipswich News Today newspaper. Don't forget to get your hands on a copy if you have a child in Prep this year. 

Smiles 4 Life

This week Students from Prep to year 6 attended the Smiles 4 Life Education Program. 

Breakfast Club

All Students are welcome to join our breakfast club each morning. It runs from around 8:15am – 8:25 am and  is located down in the OLA outside of Student Services. Students are welcome to enjoy two slices of toast, cereal and if available a cup of milk. If your child has any allergies or special dietary requirements please inform the school office on 3813 3222 so we can ensure that these are updated in our school system. 

Play & Learn Discovery Group