Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Welcome to the 2020 school year. We have commenced the school year with 375 students, including 58 new Prep students. This represents a growth of 20 students across the school when compared to the first day of 2019.  I would also like to say welcome to our new and continuing families and look forward to your educational partnership with Dayboro in 2020 and beyond.  It was a pleasure to walk through classrooms today and witness smiling faces and students ready and willing to engage with learning.

I would like to say welcome to our new teachers, Miss Melanie Delisser (Year 1M) , Mr Braedon Reis (Year 4R) and Mr Jesse Moulds (Music) and a welcome back to Mrs Carmel Bridger (SEP) who has returned after six months leave in 2019.  We look forward to our new and returning staff settling in and making a great connection and contribution to our local school community.

Our teaching staff commenced work on Wednesday 22 January and engaged in a professional development program ensuring that the focus upon our explicit improvement agenda remains sharp and consistent throughout the school. Their dedication and energy throughout this week was first rate and something which conveys confidence in our commitment to ensuring a high standard of teaching and learning. Our School Explicit Improvement Agenda will be published in the school newsletter in the next few weeks. As a community school, we encourage involvement in our school activities and invite our parents to become involved in our many events and activities throughout the year. Our P&C is always open to welcoming new members and meets every second Monday of the month.  Please discuss with your child’s teacher about the opportunities for involvement at the school.

School Facilities Update

I am very pleased to report that as at the commencement of the 2020 school year, all classrooms in our school are air conditioned. As announced at the end of the last year, a commitment was made by our state government to air condition the final two classrooms in B Block which house our Learning Support, Specialist, SEP staff and students. This work was  completed over the school holidays. 

Additionally, a comprehensive upgrade to our sewage and drainage systems across the school was completed during the holidays. Hopefully, the new box drains will redirect the water and solve the issues previously experienced, particularly in the main corridor from admin to the classrooms.

Prep students will enjoy the new classroom furniture which has now been installed in our three Prep spaces. Additionally, a new kitchenette has been provided in Mr Dunning’s  (Prep/1D) room.

We are very pleased that these improvement works have occurred over the school holiday break. This year further improvements are planned including a refurbishment of our office foyer, a new phone system and the introduction of an electronic sign in system for parents and visitors.

Parent Information Sessions

In Week 3, teachers will be holding their Parent Information Sessions. These meetings are a wonderful opportunity to engage with your children’s teachers about their plans for the year as well as re-establish the relationship between home, school and the student. Times and dates for the sessions will be published in next week’s newsletter. I strongly encourage all parents to attend these important meetings.

P&C Meeting

Our first P&C Meeting for the year will be held next Monday 10 February commencing at 6.30pm in the school staffroom. An invitation is extended to parents and community members to attend and be part of this important parent decision-making body in our school.

A Special Message for Parents & Caregivers - Novel coronavirus – 2019-nCov

As you may be aware, health authorities across the nation are currently responding to the emergence in Australia of the Coronavirus that has emanated from China.

I attach information from Queensland Health which includes advice that if children become sick (e.g. fever, flu-like symptoms, sore throat, headaches, breathing difficulties) after having recently had links to Wuhan or the Province of Hubei within China, or in contact with someone who is a confirmed case, they should present immediately to a doctor and not attend school while unwell.

Our school always follows the advice of public health authorities in these circumstances and I would ask you to be especially aware of this current situation in the interest of public health.

Thank you for your support in relation to this matter.

Congratulations Alison Taylor

On behalf our school community, I would like to congratulate our Tuckshop Convenor, Mrs Alison Taylor on being awarded the Moreton Bay Regional Council Citizen of the Year Award. This is a most deserved award recognising Alison’s many years of involvement in several of Dayboro’s organisations, including the Show Society and the CWA. Well done Alison – we are very proud of your achievements!

Garry Drummond

Principal

Dear Families and Friends

We would like to extend a warm welcome to all our returning and new families to Dayboro school this year. 2020 is already off to an excellent start with our “Meet and Greet” session held last week.  Parents had the opportunity to visit classrooms and students could meet their teachers before the first day. Thank you teachers for providing this opportunity in a week that is already very busy with staff meetings, professional learnings and preparing classrooms. We hope it helped to relieve some of that first day chaos for parents and students, especially when you have to drop more than one child! The first day of school also went very smoothly and the teachers reported that students were highly positive and eager to learn.

Welcome also to our new Student Leaders for 2020. We wish them all the best for the year ahead and their leadership journey.

Finally, our School Vision is “To inspire students to reach their full potential in a safe, caring and educationally challenging environment.”  Our staff and students are committed to this vision and we are looking forward to a great year of learning and growth for all our students!

In 2020 we also continue to embrace our values of

“Be respectful, be responsible, be positive, be tolerant and be proud.”

As we begin a new year of learning and personal growth in 2020 I have included some ways of helping develop a positive Growth Mindset in our children.

Below are 6 tips for promoting a “growth mindset” in children.

1. Help children understand that the brain works like a muscle, that can only grow through hard work, determination and lots and lots of practice.
2. Don’t tell students they are smart, gifted or talented since this implies they were born with the knowledge, and does not encourage effort and growth.
3. Let children know when they demonstrate a growth mindset. “I can always improve so I’ll keep trying.”
4. Praise the process. It’s effort, hard work and practice that allow children to achieve their true potential.
5. Embrace mistakes and challenges. Children sometimes learn the most when they make mistakes. Let them know they are a big part of the learning process. There is nothing like the feeling of struggling through a very difficult problem, only to finally break through and solve it.
6. Encourage participation and collaborative group learning. Children learn best when they are immersed in a topic and allowed to discuss and learn with their peers.

(Based on research in Dr Carol Dweck- Revisits the Growth Mindset)

 MUSIC NEWS

• Instrumental Music Lessons and Band practice will now be every Tuesday. Mrs Edwards our Instrumental teacher will notify everyone when the first lessons and band practices will commence
• We also welcome our new Music teacher Mr Jesse Moulds. We will let you know days and times of Choir practices as soon as possible. 
• There will be NO Assembly in Week 1. First assembly for 2020 will be Week 2, Monday 3rd February.

PREP NEWS

Vision Screening opportunites are being offered to all of our Prep Families.  Information envelopes have been sent home today.  Forms are required to be filled in and returned to the classroom by the 7th of February.

BOOKLISTS 2020.

We are aware there have been delays in delivering of book supplies for some of our families. Teachers would like to reassure everyone that they will have supplies for children to get started in the first week.

NEW FAMILIES - Booklists are still available to be ordered through Kookaburra. They will keep the ordering system open through February. Existing families, you are welcome to continue ordering as well if you haven’t already. Please note that our school and office staff do not handle any Booklist requests and any enquiries should be made directly to Kookaburra Educational Resources. Details are on our school website.

UNIFORM SHOP

The uniform shop has new opening hours this year.

Weekly Opening time: Wednesday afternoon 2.45pm - 3.15pm

Thank you to Karen Hocking for volunteering to continue to run the uniform shop this year.

Now that the days are starting to get warmer please remember that it is an expectation that all children wear hats during play times and PE lessons. The rule is “No Hat, no Play!”

Children that do not wear hats are expected to be in the CSA areas during break times.

SWIMMING – Years 3 and 4.

Swimming starts this term for Yr. 3 and 4 students at the Dayboro pool. Classes 3P,

3M, 4B, 4/5H (Yr 4’s only)  and 4R will be swimming from Week 4 until Week 8. They will swim every Thursday and Friday for a 1/2hr lesson for 5 weeks. Notes and invoices will be sent home this week. These lessons are an important part of our curriculum and all students are expected to attend. 2/3L will swim together in Term 4.

Thank you Mrs Ryan!

Our Vision: “To inspire students to reach their full potential in a safe, caring and educationally challenging environment.”

Library and Maker Space News

Welcome back!

Welcome back for the 2020 school year.  We trust everyone had an enjoyable break and even managed to squeeze in some reading!

Students who completed the Summer Reading Club reading challenge are reminded to bring their challenge cards along to receive their prize.

Borrowing

Classes will begin visiting the Library to borrow books in the coming weeks.  Students may borrow books during their class visiting time and during breaks.  All loans are set for a period of 2 weeks; parents will receive an automatically generated email advising when student loans are overdue.   All students are reminded that they must have a Library bag when borrowing books.  Students who do not have a Library bag of their own may come along to the Maker Space and make one using the materials we have available.

Maker Space

Maker Space activities will be available for students once again this year.  Students have the option of completing activities of their own choice, or they can work on set challenges and activities if they wish.  It is always wonderful to see students helping one another with various activities in the Maker Space as they learn new skills and explore their interests.

We would like to ask for some household recyclables to be donated for students to use in the Maker Space, in particular we are asking for cardboard boxes (e.g. cereal boxes, muesli bar boxes etc). Please do not send egg cartons along, we have a large supply at school already as we must use new cartons due to possible contamination risks for students with an egg allergy.

Thank you,

 Mrs Wilkinson and Mrs H.