Bowen State School eNewsletter

Welcome Back

Welcome back to all our families to an action-packed Term 2. I hope that everyone is feeling recharged and ready for the teaching and learning and had a restful and relaxing Easter holiday period. In a very short space of time, we have already hosted school cross country and other district events, important school ANZAC services and our first Interschool Moderation of the “Beginning Phase” of the English Unit for the Prep to Year 2 teachers. This was held at the first staff meeting and was attended by Bowen SS and Queensbeach SS staff.

Teachers have collated their Term 1 English and Maths data which has shown significant positive growth from the same time last year. Students and staff have expressed positive feedback around the new 10-week version 9 English and Maths units which have allowed consolidation and revision to open up every opportunity for students to reach their full potential. We look forward to sharing student growth at the upcoming parent teacher interviews in Week 3 and are excited for the next steps in the learning.

Welcome to 2 New Teachers

This week we welcomed two new staff to our school. Mr Ross Davison and Miss Danielle Stevens. Ross and Danielle have relocated from Moree in NSW and commence their new classes on Monday. They both love Bowen and are very impressed with the calmness and behaviour of the students at our school. Ross and Danielle are permanent teachers attached to our school and will be on class full time for the remainder of the year. Please join with me in welcoming the latest additions to our great team.

ANZAC Service Reflections

I would like to thank Mr Dunn, Mrs Weekes, Staff and the school student leaders who pulled together to plan and organise an amazing opportunity for our school community to come together to reflect at our 2024 ANZAC service. It was great to see some of our younger students step up and be very brave to talk in front of the whole school. The year three cohort singing was a highlight, a small snippet can be viewed on the school Facebook page.

Our special guest Mr Marti Tanzer from the Bowen RSL Sub Branch spoke extremely well and gave many great reflections for the students to consider. We thank him for his time and attendance at our service. Can I thank the families, staff and students that attended the dawn service and following morning service on Thursday. All students displayed the school values and showed their respect to what this event means to us as Australians. It was noted the significant numbers of students who were present on the day. Well Done to all! Lest We Forget.

Christien Payne
Principal

What a strong start to term 2 it has been here at Bowen State School!

We have so many exciting things to celebrate from this term already. Students have transitioned into class after the holidays with success while keeping last terms PBL social skill RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS alive.

PBL focus this week

Lesson intention- We are learning to be our best at all times and reflect on term 1 to ensure we have a great term 2.

Success Criteria - I will know I am successful when I

reflect on my own behaviour and learning in term 1
improve as a learner in term 2
add value to my classroom
follow my class rules

Please remember attendance counts!

Being at school EVERYDAY ensures your child reaches their best potential.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our school community for your support with your child’s learning journey so for in 2024.

Over recent weeks, teachers have again spent much time further developing their ability to cater for all individual needs in the classroom, including providing reasonable adjustments and supports. Teaching teams have spent time collaborating with members of the Leadership team as well as external supports (including Speech Language Patholigists and Occupational Therapists) from the Department of Education. These adjustments and supports are guided by ongoing assessments and observations and documented in planning documentation. Bowen State School staff are passionate about creating positive, safe and welcoming learning environments where students are supported to shine academically, socially and emotionally.

Please contact your child's classroom teacher or myself if you'd like to discuss how your child is being supported to achieve their potential or if you have input you feel is valuable to share. Strong parent/guardian and school partnerships and collaboration are paramount in having children achieve their potential, something we are committed to.

Ethan Shaw

ecsha0@eq.edu.au

This term in Prep P, students are building a farm to learn about the needs of animals. We will be using the facts we learn about to write and draw information about an animal we choose. Students have begun writing words using the sounds they can hear in words and taking their time to add details to the pictures as well as labelling the important parts for the reader.

Year 1C are off to a very positive start to the term with all children returning to school with big smiles on their faces. In Math, the students have been learning how to partition one- and two-digit numbers in different ways. The children have really enjoyed learning about ‘Friends of Ten’, which are two numbers that add to ten (i.e. 6 + 4 = 10). To assist the children to consolidate their learning, we have made ‘Friends of Ten’ bracelets, rainbow facts charts and also have been using a variety of hands on materials such as unifix blocks. If you see anyone from Year 1C, make sure you ask them to recall their ‘Friends of Ten’ facts. You will be amazed!

In 3R we are exploring the life cycle of plants and finding research for our information reports at the end of the term. We conducted an experiment where we planted some seeds in a jar with just paper towel, water, sunlight and air. We tracked the seeds progress each day and will be planting these in soil this week. The class have their very own ‘research’ time were they find facts about the plant they’ve chosen. We have also acquired our very own garden bed in the school where the students can plant their chosen plant and watch as it grows.

In English this term the year 6 students are completing a reading comprehension task which involves learning about Italian migrants that travelled to Australia on a ship named the Moncalieri. We are also focusing on information texts, which will follow with students writing a biography on an Australian Olympian of their choice.

In maths, students are being challenged by reading train and bus timetables and calculating the length of train and bus journeys.

Don't forget that Book Club orders are due by next Friday 3rd May!

You can order via the Loop app or on their website: https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/Parent/Login.aspx

In Term 2, students in Years 4, 5 and 6 will be asked to take part in the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey.

We know that wellbeing and engagement are important parts of your child’s life at school. The QEW Survey is designed to measure how students view their wellbeing and engagement across different topics. The information we get from the survey helps us better understand and support our students.

An information letter was sent out to parents and carers this week. If you have any questions, please contact the school. More information, including FAQs, can be found on the Education website: (https://qed.qld.gov.au/publications/reports/statistics/schooling/students/queensland-engagement-wellbeing-survey).