Teaching & Learning 2021 Term 1

Please see details of what your children will be learning on classes this term.

This year we have also adopted AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language) as our Language other than English (LOTE). Mrs Green is teaching all year levels for 30 minutes each week. Last week students learned to say Thank you & Please. I will add details of what students will be learning in the next newsletter.

Ms McGregor is teaching classes Indigenous Perspectives this term through cross curriculum priorities. The Australian Curriculum is working towards addressing two distinct needs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education:

that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are able to see themselves, their identities and their cultures reflected in the curriculum of each of the learning areas, can fully participate in the curriculum and can build their self-esteem
that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures cross-curriculum priority is designed for all students to engage in reconciliation, respect and recognition of the world’s oldest continuous living cultures.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures priority provides opportunities for all students to deepen their knowledge of Australia by engaging with the world’s oldest continuous living cultures. Through the Australian Curriculum, students will understand that contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are strong, resilient, rich and diverse.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures priority uses a conceptual framework to provide a context for learning. The framework comprises the underlying elements of Identity and Living Communities and the key concepts of Country/Place, Culture and People. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Identities are represented as central to the priority and are approached through knowledge and understanding of the interconnected elements of Country/Place, Culture and People. The development of knowledge about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ law, languages, dialects and literacies is approached through the exploration of Cultures. These relationships are linked to the deep knowledge traditions and holistic world views of Aboriginal communities and/or Torres Strait Islander communities.

Students will understand that Identities and Cultures have been, and are, a source of strength and resilience for Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Peoples against the historic and contemporary impacts of colonisation. Our focus this term is Science.

Class Newsletters

Please find your Term 1 class newsletters below

Behind the classroom door.

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2021 Classes

This year we are starting with 10 classes, all our current staff are staying with us this year & we have 2 new staff members joining us. Due to class numbers we will have several multiage classes. The teachers at GGSS are very skilled at planning for and running multiage classes.

Classroom Teachers

PY A - Sharnee Stephan

PY B - Sarah Donaldson - (Tues-Fri) & Elly Hallas - (Mon)

1A - Haylie King

1B - Kaela Pratt

2A - Karen Allison

2/3A - Laura Cooper

3/4A - Kylie Bridge (Mon- Thurs) & Bernice McGregor (Fri)

4A - Hayley Freemantle -(Mon- Wed) & Stephanie Muirhead- (Thurs & Fri)

5/6A - Rose Cubis

5/6B - Samantha Rule

Specialist teachers

Music - Larissa Hays - (Thurs)

P.E. - Elly Hallas - (Thurs)

LOTE (Languages other than English) AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language) - Anita Green -(Thurs & Fri)

Indigenous Perspectives - Bernice McGregor (Thurs)

Student Support Services

GO (Guidance Officer) - Linda Bartlett - (Fri)

SET(Special Education Teacher) - Hayley Freemantle (Thurs & Fri)

SET & STLaN (Support Teacher of Literacy and Numeracy) - Anne-Maree Drummond - (Tues- Thurs)

Non-Teaching Staff

BM - Business Manager - Cheryl Jensen

School's Officer - Gavin Morris - (Tues - Thurs)

School Cleaner - Cherylee Willman

Teacher Aides

Michele Lyne - (Mon-Fri)

Isabelle Redgrave - (Mon-Fri)

Nancy Timms - (Mon - Thurs)

Suzanne Granzien - (Tues - Thurs)

Dawn Ebborn - (Mon & Fri)

Lyndal Taylor - (Mon-Fri)

Michelle Norman - (Mon-Fri)

Kylie Pearson- (Mon)

Student Wellbeing Worker - Kyandra Wilson (Tues & Wed)

Youth Support Worker - Hep Birse (Mon-Fri)

Leadership Team

HOD-C (Head of Department - Curriculum) - Jordanna McDougall

Principal - Renée Heathwood-Brunskill

As always these classes and staffing is dependant on enrolment numbers on day 8 (Friday 5th February), we currently have 205 students enrolled. Our year level numbers are very complex & we have decided to support the early years with small class sizes and multiage groupings to keep classes smaller. This means teachers can continue to support differentiated learning for all students with greater flexibility.

Class Dojo

Please connect to your child's Class Dojo to keep up dated on happenings at the school in in classrooms. If you need help to connect, please see your class teacher. Here is a quick clip to support you accessing Dojo.

Homework

Homework is encouraged as a link between home and school. Guidelines for Queensland State Schools about levels of student homework emphasise a need for balance between family life and consolidating classroom learning. Prescribed levels of homework for different age groups are as follows.

Prep Generally students will not be set homework.

Years 1, 2 & 3 Could be up to but generally not more than an hour a week.

Years 4 and 5 Could be up to but generally not more than 2 to 3 hours a week.

Year 6 Could be up to but generally not more than 3 to 4 hours a week.

Classes at Glenore Grove can offer homework which focus on reading and sight words as well as the practising of number facts in accordance with the above guidelines. We encourage students to complete homework each week but in doing so respect family choices and work/life balance. Families can choose whether they wish their children to complete set homework tasks. There will be no penalties for students whose families choose not to take up homework offers.

All students purchase a Reading Trek to support recording reading, homework, assessment & other school events in. Keeping a Reading Trek planner helps to support developing the Executive Functioning skills of both Planning, Organisation and Time Management. These skills are very important to develop and practice in the primary school setting in preparation of high school, further study & work life. Your classroom teachers will teach students how to use their Treks and how we monitor reading. Keep an eye out on our YouTube page for tips for parents also. Home Reading will start next week.

Community News

What's happening in the Lockyer Valley & surrounds

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