Welcome back to another great year of learning at Palm Beach State School. A very special welcome to new families to our school, I know you will love your time at our school and in the Palm Beach community. A huge welcome to our 105 new Prep students starting school for the very first time, they have all settled in very well and are off to a great start to their schooling journey.

I am very excited for 2023 and beyond as we start to implement strategies to ensure every one of our students is succeeding at Palm Beach State School.

Kagan Cooperative Learning

This year we are very excited to begin implementing Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures in every classroom to build caring and kind classroom environments to help all students thrive.

Kagan is a scientific research-based program focused on student engagement developed by Dr. Spencer Kagan. The main goal of Kagan is to create an active and engaging learning environment where students work together.

One of the key features of Kagan Cooperative Structures is the use of structured cooperative learning, which involves organising students into small groups, providing clear roles and responsibilities for each group member, and using specific techniques to promote positive interactions among group members.

The structures include techniques such as "Round Robin," "Rally Coach," and "Mix-Pair-Share." These structures are designed to promote critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and teamwork. They also provide opportunities for students to take responsibility for their own learning and to build positive relationships with their classmates.

Kagan Cooperative Structures have been shown to be effective in improving academic achievement, social skills, and self-esteem in students of all ages and abilities. They can be used in any subject area and at any grade level and are a fun and effective way to engage students in learning and to create a positive classroom community.

If you would like to know more about Kagan you can visit https://www.kaganaustralia.com.au or a Google search will give you some great information.

Critical and Creative Thinking Project

With the focus to have every student succeed, we are trialling a ‘Critical and Creative Thinking’ program this year, aiming to further extend our academically high performing students across the grades 1-6 who have been selected using a range of academic data.

On Wednesdays, selected students will have an hour lesson with Mr Norling and Mrs Bryant applying higher order thinking in the learning areas of Literacy, STEM and Digital Technologies.

Critical and creative thinking are important skills for students as they help them to become independent, lifelong learners and problem solvers. It involves analysing information, evaluating evidence, and making informed decisions. It helps students to identify biases and evaluate information objectively, which is essential in today's information-rich world.

Selected students received information to take home this week.

New Staff 2023

Welcome to our new staff joining the Palm Beach team this year.

Mrs Mel Bransden, DP Years 3 - 6 (Pacific Pines Primary)

Ms Jane Groot, Leader of Inclusion P - Year 2 (Pimpama State Primary College)

Miss Allie Coulter, Prep (Eagleby SS)

Mrs Ally Flemming, Year 1 (Ingleside SS) 1N (Mon) 1F (Fri)

Mrs Andrea Hayward, HASS Prep (Fri)

Ms Bernie McKinnon, Year 4 (Nerang SS)

Mrs Lisa Godlee, Year 2 (Kimberley Park SS)

Mrs Tegan Tengdahl, Year 3 (Pacific Pines Primary) 3F (Fri)

Mrs Sandy Daniels, Year 5 (Pimpama State Primary College)

Mrs Carly Riordan, Music (Kings College)

Ms Kelly Prema, Teacher Aide (Pacific Pines Primary)

Student Leadership Badge Ceremony

Next Tuesday morning we will officially induct our 2023 school leaders at our leadership badge ceremony. This ceremony will take place on our PAC and will commence at 9am. Congratulations to our leaders who will receive their badges on Tuesday.

STUDENT LEADERS 2023

SCHOOL CAPTAINS

Luchia M

Stevie B

SCHOOL VICE CAPTAINS

Leela C

Blake B

STUDENT COUNCIL CHAIR

Evie F

Neve Mc

MUSIC CAPTAINS

Evie F

Indiana G

Quinn Mc

SCHOOL HOUSE CAPTAINS

DOLPHINS

Jack B

Mila G

Lowan M

Maya Van R

STINGRAYS

Avhaya D

Hunter S

Leni B

Ivy M

SHARKS

Braxton W

Lily D

Jagger S

Ruby W

This is a very important occasion for these students and our school and all parents are welcome to attend this ceremony.

Weeks of Newsletter and Facebook

We have received some great feedback in using a mixture of newsletter, Facebook and e-mail to communicate school messages. We will again continue this trail across Term 1 and seek feedback from families moving into Term 2.

Newsletter – Fridays, Weeks 2, 6 and 10

Facebook – Weeks 4 and 8

Email – when required

School Uniform

At Palm Beach State School, we take great pride in our school. The wearing of school uniform promotes this pride and sets the high standards expected of all students. Please ensure your children are complying with the below uniform standards.

The below is from Dress Code and Appearance Policy.

All students are required to wear fully enclosed black shoes, preferably black jogger style shoes with black laces and white socks. Due to Workplace Health and Safety, thongs or sandals are not permitted.

• ALL students are required to wear the uniform correctly, are encouraged to take pride in their appearance and to keep their uniform clean, neat and tidy

• Underwear, sport underwear e.g skins, t shirts (long sleeve and short) are not permitted to be worn if observable and showing from under the uniform

• Hair must be clean, neat and tidy. Styles and colour should be appropriate for school.

- Mohawks, spiked multi-coloured/coloured hair, rats tails, tracks, razor cuts are not permitted.

- Students with long hair are required to have it tied back.

- Ribbons, clips, scrunchies and headbands etc are to be in school uniform colours blue, white, black or natural hair colours.

• JEWELLERY is not appropriate at school and is not permitted. Students may wear a watch.

Students with pierced ears may wear gold or silver studs or sleepers. No other facial piercings are permitted. During sport, for safety, only studs may be worn and watches need to be removed.

• MAKE-UP and coloured finger nail polish are not appropriate at school and are not permitted.

Before School Expectations

Before school, students are expected to remain in their designated area with their bag. Students are able to put their bags on the bag racks when the bell rings at 8:40am. If you are waiting with your students, we ask that you also wait with them in the designated area not outside your child’s classroom. This allows teachers the opportunity to get ready for the day and prepare resources etc without interruption.

Kiss n Go and Disabled Parking

Please remember the Kiss n Go zone along the school fence on Nineteenth Avenue is not a parking zone. There are some designated parks in this area, however the Kiss n Go lane needs to remain free flowing to allow pick up time to run smoothly.

Also, there is a no standing zone on Nineteenth Avenue near the school library. Parking in this zone disrupts the flow of traffic into the Kiss n Go lane and causes traffic chaos and frustration for other road users and parents. Please don’t park in this zone.

It is very important that designated disabled parks are left free for those students and community members requiring the use of these to safely access our school. If you do not have a disabled parking permit, please do not park in these parks.

Playgrounds

Please remember that all playgrounds are out of bounds before and after school. Even with parental supervision, students and their siblings are not permitted to play on this equipment. This is again to ensure the safety of students on our school grounds. There are several parks nearby that you can utilise after school.

Our gates are locked at 3:00pm each afternoon.

Payment Window

Please note new payment window hours for 2023. We still preferred our method of payment is by BPOINT, please see your invoice for details and follow instructions. EFTPOS or credit card is accepted Tuesday to Friday from 8:00am to 11:30am only at the school payment window.

Have a great week!

Kind Regards

Scott

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