2 June 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Read Write Inc

This year we have continued to have success with the RWI program. It has offered our learners the opportunity to progress through a synthetic phonics program, reading accurately and fluently whilst developing their comprehension. We have decided to continue the pace and rigor that the program offers, into the upper primary, with three new phases planned for implementation in Term 3.

RWI Comprehension

The Comprehension program provides a transition from Read Write Inc. Phonics to Literacy and Language. It is designed to deliver 14 weekly Modules. Each Module has specially written texts (one fiction and one non-fiction) that develop a child’s ability to summarise, infer and retrieve information quickly, as well improving their writing through cumulative vocabulary, grammar and spelling activities.

RWI Literacy & Language

The next phase is Literacy and Language, which naturally follows on from Phonics and Comprehension. This program is designed for fluent readers and teaches children to read, write and discuss texts with maturity.

RWI Spelling

Although the teaching of phoneme-grapheme correspondence underpins this program, it also develops children’s knowledge of word families, how suffixes impact upon root words, and provides mnemonics to remember the trickiest spellings.

The teaching of spelling has significantly changed over the years. This program in particular, moves away from the spelling lists we all know. It revolves around partner and group practice, and competitive group challenges that help children commit new words to memory.

Parking

Last week the school liaised with The Flinders Ranges Council to discuss the safety of students crossing Stokes Road and possible solutions. In consultation with the Department and our local Council, we hope to upgrade Stokes Road in order to increase crossing visibility and overall safety. We thank the council for their assistance so far and look forward to securing an outcome in the near future.

In the meantime we ask that you refrain from parking too close to the entry/exit on the school side of the road to allow cars to see those students crossing the road.

Review of Behavior Management Policy

To address a focus for the school in 2020, ‘unite relevant stakeholders in the improvement planning processes and changes to school policies and procedures’, we would like to invite our QAS parents to have a voice in the review of our Behaviour Management Policy. If you are interested please contact the school by 12th June and we will get back to you with a suitable meeting time.

Site Infrastructure / Upgrades

Over the coming weeks we will be completing a number of upgrades to our site as we seek to improve the learning environment and foster school pride. More information on site infrastructure plans will be highlighted in the next newsletter article. Watch this space.

Aspiring to Inspire
Monique Griffiths

Do it for Dolly – Friday 5th June

Dolly's Dream aims to increase awareness in schools and communities of the serious issue of bullying and its devastating effects. To acknowledge the issues and raise some money to create awareness, our school is holding a ‘Do it for Dolly Day’ on Friday the 5th of June.

On the day, we ask that students dress in the colour ‘BLUE’ and bring along a gold coin donation. We will also be having a cupcake stall during the first and second breaks. Cupcakes will be available for purchase for $2 each.

F-6 students will be participating in some activities which address the issues of bullying and all activities will be facilitated by the QAS prefects. These sessions will be taking place during lesson 2 on the day.

We look forward to everyone’s support on our ‘Do it for Dolly’ day on Friday the 5th of June

School Prefects
Tayla Finlay, Aiden Hately-Bell, Shalaynee Brady

Learner Engagement and Wellbeing

Reconciliation Week

At its heart, Reconciliation is about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians.

It is about acknowledging our past through education and understanding. We are hopeful that, when we come together to build mutual respect and understanding, we shape a better future for all Australians.

The theme for Reconciliation Week this year was - In This Together

On Wednesday last week during the recess and lunch breaks, we celebrated Reconciliation by particpating in an activity in the Art room. The children traced and cut out hands on paper using the colours red, black and yellow, children also shared stories. The children enjoying doing the activities and learning about what these significant colours mean to us.

The symbolic meaning of the flag colours (as stated by Harold Thomas) is; Black – represents the Aboriginal people of Australia. Yellow circle – represents the Sun, the giver of life and protector. Red – represents the red earth, the red ochre used in ceremonies and Aboriginal peoples' spiritual relation to the land.

Every one of us has a role to play to build relationships, value culture and history and make Australia a more equitable country. We did our bit at Quorn Area School.

Thanks
Denise Wilton, ACEO

Subject Report

Health and PE

The Year 7/8 Health and PE class have been busy investigating lifestyle diseases. They completed a summative task requiring them to research a particular lifestyle disease and present their findings in the form of a brochure. In the lead up to this task, learners were involved in a number of lessons where they learnt about the importance of prevention and how to make healthy lifestyle choices. There was a focus on the controllable and uncontrollable risk factors which contribute to lifestyle diseases.

As a result of their research, learners then went on to further investigate some healthy recipes which support their particular lifestyle disease. Last week we spent one of our lessons carefully following a recipe and method and produced some delicious healthy meals. The students made Pumpkin Soup and Mongolian Beef Stirfry. Below are some pictures of the students cooking successfully in the Home Ec room.

Well done 7/8’s.

During the practical lessons, the 7/8’s have just completed a unit of work on basketball. I am amazed at the dedication of the group and the progress and improvements have been outstanding. Over the next 2 weeks, students will be walking over to the tennis courts to play some tennis. Please return your consent forms this week so you can participate.

Sarah Bury
HPE Teacher

Year 10 HPE

Primary Indoor Cricket Competition

For my PE project I decided to run a sporting activity for younger students. I did some research on the internet about indoor cricket. I then decided to ask the year 3 to 6 children if they were interested in a competition and after they reacted positively, I arranged a day when the gym was vacant and spoke to Mr Griffiths and Mrs Bury to enlist their help in running the competition. We were able to field 2 teams every Tuesday at lunchtime. Mr Griffiths umpired and I supervised the students, put reminders in the daily bulletin and made sure we had enough players. The competition was very successful and players showed great sportsmanship and enthusiasm. I would like to thank Mr Griffiths and Mrs Bury, for helping me run a successful competition.

Joshua Parrott
Year 10 Student

Parents and Friends

Sustainability in our School

We have now received our stock of 4myearth wraps and sandwich pockets which you can purchase through the front office. Using them in your lunchbox is a great way to keep our school waste free. Come in and have a look at the different designs we have for the following products:

Curry Club

We are continuing with our sales of curry blends during Term 2. Come in and purchase yours today – it’s the perfect time of the year to be enjoying the warmth of a curry.

Happy Haven – OSHC

Garden Activities

‘Junior primary students having fun getting their hands dirty. Planting agapanthas and garlic chives in alternate sequence in the new garden section. All their hard work will bring delight come Springtime when the flowers bloom.'

Community Library Re-Opening

Our Community Library re-opens today. We thank you all for your patience during the past 2 months. Please take the time to read the attached guidelines around the re-opening and the restrictions that will be in place.