17 August 2016

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Our students once again put on an excellent performance at the MNSEC Showcase concert in Peterborough, well done to those students and the staff and parents who supported them. We also had a great Art display that showcased the artistic talents of our students.

I apologise for any inconvenience caused to families by the recent Student Free Day where staff at the school undertook training in pedagogy to support improved outcomes for students and Kids Matters/Mind Matters. This was advertised previously before the July holidays and appeared on our board, but with the change to our new newsletter week it was only sent out again on the Wednesday before the event on the Monday. To give plenty of time for parents to make arrangements and plans I would like to remind everyone that the school closure for the Adelaide Show will occur on the 5th of September. Governing Council approved the move from after the Quorn Show, to during the time the Adelaide show occurs to give families the opportunity to take their children to this event.

Our Primary Choir have been selected, along with the Port Augusta combined schools choir, to sing at the Adelaide Festival of Music at the Adelaide Festival Theatre on the 16th of September. Congratulations to those students and the hard work of Ms James and Mrs Taylor. They will also be performing in Port Augusta at the Lea Memorial Theatre on the 21st and 22nd of September.

Our Year three, five, seven and nine students will be participating in an online trial for NAPLAN this week. The trial will advise DECD about any issues that may occur before online NAPLAN testing is introduced in 2017. There is an article from DECD in this week’s newsletter. The results from this year’s NAPLAN tests will be sent home to parents shortly. Staff are analysing the results at present to make decisions about future planning.

This week is Science Week and to celebrate and give our students an exciting educational experience we have managed to secure several different types of educational robots for students to program and operate through a range of simulations. Some are programmed directly by buttons on the robots, others by mobile phones or desktop computers, it should be an interesting day on Friday. We will also have other computer simulations set up with some remote controlled devices such as helicopters. Thanks to Mr Pilz who is taking the lead in this event with support from Ms Legge.

School Survey

To support improve outcomes for students at Quorn Area School, a link to a survey has been included in this newsletter. Please click on the link and take 5 mins to complete the survey. Students and staff will be also completing surveys at school over the next couple of weeks. If you would rather a paper copy of the survey please contact the school and we will arrange for one to be sent home.

It’s All Good
Roy Winther

Milkshake Day

Milkshake Day 24th August 2016 at Lunchtime

NAPLAN Online – Getting ready for 2017

The Australian Government is committed to delivering NAPLAN online from 2017, with all schools across the nation transitioning over a 2 to 3 year period.

This change will provide each child with a more personalised learning experience and a better assessment. It also means that the results will be returned to you and your child’s teachers within a few weeks, rather than several months.

Our school will be participating in a trial of the new online system in August 2016. This trial is not a ‘test’ of content; it is a test of how the new online system will work in a real-life classroom environment. You may hear this trial referred to as the NAPLAN Online Readiness Trial.

As part of the trial, students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will undertake 2 online readiness tests. Each test will take approximately 45 minutes to complete.

It is important that we participate in this trial before the system is officially in use in 2017 to enable familiarisation with the system in a classroom setting Participation will allow us to confirm that every school is ready and that our teachers are confident that their students will be able to participate fully.

This trial will help our site to be well prepared to complete NAPLAN online in 2017 and provide feedback into final changes at a statewide level.

Fathers Day Stall

SRC will have a Father’s Day stall set up outside Miss Carcuro’s office on Thursday 1st & Friday 2nd September. Gifts range from .50 to $10

Secondary Report

Thank you to the parents and students who came along to support the SACE information evening last Tuesday night. We hope that you gained some valuable information from the session regarding subject selections and general processes for students completing their SACE in 2017. If you were unable to attend the evening, you can find links below which will give relevant and important information around what was covered. Alternatively, you can contact the school and talk to Sarah Bury to clarify any questions you may have.

We have begun our subject counselling process this week for our current Year 10 and 11 students and encourage parents to become a part of the process. There will be a letter with more information sent home with students later this week. Please contact Sarah Bury at the school if you would like to be included in your child’s subject selection process and to make a booking time. The subject selection process may take up to two or three meetings to ensure students are happy and confident in their choices. To begin the process we ask students to identify a ‘wish list’ of subjects, with compulsory subjects already listed for their respective year. Once we have gathered all students’ preferences, we can then begin to look at numbers and staff expertise/availability. We will try our best to offer as many subjects on a ‘face to face’ basis as we possibly can, however, there may be times where a student may have to make a change in their subject choice/s or opt for an Open Access mode of subject delivery.

We are very proud of our student’s achievements at Quorn Area School; in 2015 we had 100% SACE completion and prior to this, our results have been very encouraging. Our subject results were of particular high standards in both Stage One and Stage Two in 2015, including two students receiving merits in Year 12. The two students were acknowledged at Government House along with other students in South Australia who received merits for various subjects for their outstanding results. Quorn Area School also has a very good track record for students completing Year 11 or 12 and continuing on to further study or employment, therefore we have every faith in our senior secondary teaching staff to continue with these excellent results in the future and look forward to working alongside your children to guide them in their chosen career paths.

Congratulations to Karl Finlay, Fletcher Dighton-Hoare and coach, Mr Griffiths who have been victorious in representing the MNSEC 8/9 Football. They have played in various matches and have ultimately made it to the State Country Final which will be held at Glenelg Oval on Wednesday 24th August in Week 5. What a marvellous achievement!

Well done to the group of students who performed at the MNSEC Showcase in Week 2. The girls represented our school in a very positive and mature light and must be congratulated. I know they have been very busy practising at lunchtimes and their hard work has certainly paid off. Well done.

Primary Report

Mrs Ikiua-Brooks Y2/3/4 Class hosted the R-6 Assembly on Friday 5th August. Achievement Awards were presented to: Lara, Riven, Sasha, Amaru, Ella, Campbell, Hayden, Charlotte, Cheyanne, Ebonie, Ethan, Axel and Riley.

Counsellor Report

Report Format Opinion Survey

Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,

A survey has been made accessible online via the link below and we invite you to take part to seek your views on the new student report format (handed out to students in the last week of Term 2 as an end of semester report).

The survey is being conducted to collect feedback from parents, guardians and students in regards to the content, format and accessibility of student’s achievements. The survey outcomes play an important role in developing the most suitable and accessible report format for families.

Your feedback counts and your response will be considered when formatting the next report.

Please note that your response is private and confidential. Individual respondents will not be identified in any way.

School Attendance

Imagine you are walking into school ready to start your schooling as a Reception student – did you know that missing an average of 10 days of school a term adds up to missing two full years of schooling by the end of Year 10.

• All Australian governments have agreed to a school attendance target for 2019 where all schools will achieve a minimum of 90% attendance.
• To achieve this goal we need to lower the number of unexplained absences by notifying the school as soon as possible with a reason for your child’s absence.
• If you are unable to notify the school in advance, send a note covering the days missed when your child returns. You can do this via our new school app and via the school website also.

MNSEC Dance

On Thursday 4th August six dedicated students travelled to Peterborough to perform two dance routines at the annual MNSEC Showcase. Tayla Finlay, Maya Omonte-Kramer, Kaitlyn Roberts, Tiarna Rigden, Zoe Maloney and Jayde Finlay gave up their lunchtimes to choreograph routines to ‘Worth It’ by Fifth Harmony and ‘Love Yourself’ by Justin Bieber. Their hard work and commitment paid off, as they looked fabulous on stage minus a few hiccups. As their supervising teacher, I was extremely proud of their attitude to dancing and courage to performing on stage in front of a large crowd. The maturity they displayed backstage was impeccable and I was extremely proud to see them representing Quorn Area School. Thank you to Naomi Maloney for assisting with transport and to the parents who drove over after work to support their children.

Monique Carcuro

Flinders Dance Troupe in action at the 2016 MNSEC Showcase

VIEW GALLERY

Flinders Dance Troupe in action at the 2016 MNSEC Showcase

Click images to enlarge

Finke Friday’s

BMX Bandits, ride your bike to school on Friday 26th August, 9th & 23rd September and join the Peer Leaders in Lake Gilbert at lunchtimes to race the Quorn Area Schools BMX Track.

This is a trial for primary aged students only (GRADE 3-5). This is not competitive racing, however, if you would like your time recorded you can try and beat your PB (personal best) the following Friday.

Toastie Thursday

As of Thursday 25th August, you will be able to order Toasties for lunch at the canteen for $3.00 and a jelly cup for $1.00.

Subject Report

Maths

The Role of Mistakes in Learning

In my teaching career, I have encountered several students, teachers and parents who view mistakes in different ways. Some people, so-called perfectionists, do not want to make a mistake, while other people who make mistakes, consider themselves dumb. I personally disagree with both spectrums and believe that mistakes are inevitable. If someone does not make a mistake, this means either they already know how or have been told what to do. In both cases, the learning does not happen naturally. Research has proven that mistakes are the most important part of learning. People who do not want to make a mistake have a high chance of developing a fear of making mistakes, also called a fixed mindset, which is dangerous for learning. Research has proven that error tolerant students do better compared to students on the other spectrum. But the question arises, how do mistakes help in learning? Mistakes may not help to learn, but when people reflect on their own mistakes then learning occurs. Research shows that when people make a mistake and reflect on their mistake the brain grows. The synapse fires within the brain, while re-examining a mistake. A growing brain does not mean growing in size but rather forming new connections in the brain. So, stop worrying about making a mistake, but instead, try and learn from your mistakes. I would like parents to encourage their children to value and learn from mistakes rather them asking children to stop making them.

Example: Everything comes in a pack these days. Let’s imagine that you bought a table from IKEA and now you have to assemble the parts. If you are doing this for the first time, although you have a support diagram, there is a high possibility that you will make mistakes, inserting parts incorrectly. What do you do, give up? No, you learn from your mistakes and put parts in the right place. This is how learning occurs. Giving up is not the best solution. If you have to do the same or similar job next time, it will be easier.

The video from Professor Jo Boaler and students from the Sandford University, USA describes the importance of mistake in learning. The video is a clip from “How to Learn Maths” student course. The course is free for students.

Kapil Pande
Mathematics Teacher
Quorn Area School

Career Expo

12 & 13 August - Flinders University Open Days

Come along to our Open Days to obtain information on courses offered, see exciting demonstrations and tour our facilities. For more information, please visit our website

On 19th August, 2nd September & 16th September, Flinders @ Tonsley are hosting late afternoon sessions for students and their parents interested in Engineering and IT courses. Program details will be available at Open Days. Please email silc@flinders.edu.au if you would like more information.

Parents and Friends

Hi there parents and carers of Junior primary and kindy students. WE NEED YOU!

Our merry band of volunteers and staff have been busy making changes and improvements to the junior primary playground area this year, and we are almost ready to install the next exciting feature……a big boat!

Quorn Area School Working Bee
Junior Primary Playground upgrade
Helpers needed for sanding, painting, weeding and landscaping
Saturday 20th August, 2 pm onwards

Parents and Friends will provide afternoon tea. Any help you can give will be appreciated (even half an hour is great). Need more information or want to see some pictures? Join QAS Parents & Friends Facebook page. We hope to see you there.

Library

Come along to the Library on August 15th at 5pm to view ‘Scinema’ to celebrate National Science Week; a series of short films with a science focus. Tea, coffee, soft drink and popcorn provided, no costs are associated with this screening.

Come along to the Library August 24th at 7.30pm and hear author Bill ‘Swampy’ Marsh with his new book ‘Great Australian Outback Teaching Stories’. A light supper will be provided at no cost.