GSPS Newslink

Educational Achievement 

Reading

 

At the end of last year, the Department of Education released a Reading Position Statement, which includes a commitment to reading. The exciting news is that this statewide commitment supports and reaffirms the GREAT work we have been doing in recent years at GSPS. 

You can read the Reading Position Statement by following the link below. 

 

https://education.qld.gov.au/curriculums/Documents/reading-position-statement.pdf

 

Building comprehension in reading

One factor (among others) that helps children to understand what they read, is their background knowledge. Skilled readers often draw on their experience and background knowledge to help them understand the text they are reading. They might do this by

  • Connecting the text to their personal experience (e.g. they might be reading about a child starting at a new school and feeling nervous, and if they have ever had to move to a new school they might understand how the character feels)
  • Connecting the text to another text (e.g. they might have watched movies or shows or read information about safaris or African animals, so when they read a book about being on Safari they have some background based on what they have watched)
  • Connecting to the outside world (e.g. students might be reading a story about a pandemic and lockdown, which they will have background knowledge of, as that is something that they have experienced, watched news reports on and spoken about with others)

To help children make connections, you can ask questions to support this while reading: 

Text to self: 

  • What does this remind you of? 
  • Can you relate to the characters in the story? 
  • Does anything in this story remind you of anything in your own life? 

Text to text: 

  • What does this remind you in another book you have read?
  • How is this text similar from other things you have read? 
  • How is this text different from other things you have read? 

Text to world: 

  • What does this remind you of in the real world? 
  • How are events in the story similar to things that have happened in real life? 
  • How are events in the story different to things that have happened in real life? 

Curriculum 

This term, students are reading, viewing and creating narrative stories. 2H have been creating new characters and identifying characteristics. Check out some of their awesome creations! 

                                                        My character is rich fairy.- Lena

 

                                               My character is pretty and happy. - Regan

                                            My character is adventurous. - Thomas

                                   My character is adventurous and friendly. - Ranz

                                      The barbs on my character are poisonous. - Jack 

 

                                         My character can swim really well. - Annalise

 

Naplan

Naplan testing will occur for students in year 3 and 5 from Wednesday 13th March. 

Families and students can access the public demonstration site at: https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site

All tests except for the Year 3 writing test will be conducted using the online platform.  

 

Naplan parent information.pdf

Music

Instrumental Music lessons are well underway with over 80 students participating in the Instrumental Music Program from year 3 to 6.  Our Concert Band and String Orchestra have also commenced rehearsals in week 5 with some wonderful sounds being produced by our musicians! Daily practice is so important to build stamina, confidence and the consolidation of content.  Please assist your musician to find a suitable place and time to practice regularly at home.  Music is GREAT at Gundy State!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Choirs at Gundy State are also well underway. Thank you to all students who have returned their choir enrolment forms. Please keep these coming in. We are looking forward to learning lots of new songs and the chance to perform them during the year. It is not too late for students to come along to choir rehearsals. Tuesday lunch times for students in years 2 and 3 and Thursday lunchtimes for years 4, 5 & 6.

News from our Library

Book fair is being held this week.  Parents and their children may purchase items Monday - Friday this week at the following times:

8.30-9am(M-F) & 3-3.30pm (M-Th).  Book Fair is open to all community members, please feel free to drop in at these times to make purchases. Thanks to our parent volunteers for assisting at this time.  Eftpos is available.

Congratulations to the Book Fair Colouring Competiton Winners

Macy from Prep, Indi from Year 1, Jasmyne from Year 2, Genevieve from Year 3, Lucy from Year 4, Levi from Year 5 and Amity from Year 6.

 

 

Chess Club is held every Tuesday at Morning Tea

Readers Cup practice is every Wednesday at Lunch

Library is open to children every morning from 8:30am and all breaks except Friday Morning Tea