Newsletter - 28 February 2024

Principal's Report

Welcome to the halfway mark of Term 1. It has been a very busy term full of learning and sport.

Our students have participated in swimming, rugby league, soccer and netball trials and we have celebrated some fantastic results with personal bests, age championships and high levels of sportsmanship and enjoyment! Our students have made us all proud and should be proud of their achievements. Thank you to Mr Nott for his administration and organisation enabling our students to attend.

This week sees our rugby league, netball and soccer players attend the Southern Downs trials and our U15 boys attend Darling Downs Rugby League trials. We wish them all the best for this day. Thank you also to our parents for transporting and, at times, helping during all these carnivals, we appreciate all you do!

This year NAPLAN testing will be held in Weeks 8 and 9 of the term. Mrs Kanowski and our Years 3,5, 7 and 9 teachers have been working with our students on the finer details of the online testing and preparation for routines and the expectations. Mrs Kanowski has added detailed information in this edition of the newsletter. Please contact the school if you have any questions regarding this process.

One of the improvement strategies for Allora P-10 State School for 2024 is ensuring quality teaching and learning for all. This strategy also includes our school staff and their professional learning. During the staff meeting this week, our teachers worked together in the second phase of moderation. Moderation is a whole school approach to align curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and reporting; and to ensure consistent judgments and accurate reporting against the achievement standards. Our staff worked in groups that included Primary and Secondary staff to discuss the terms assessment tasks, show student work, and ask questions of our colleagues on how to support all learners to achieve. This session was positive and allowed the staff to see into each other’s classrooms and hear of all the ways curriculum is being delivered at Allora P-10 State School. I would like to thank the teachers for their participation and collegiality during this session.

Our wonderful Prep class have transitioned to school life and are ready to share with the Kindy class of 2024 at the Early Childhood centres in town. Miss Sinnamon is going to be visiting C&K and Headstart next week to meet the staff and students and organise some very important visit days for the Prep class of 2025. These positive relationships are vital for our students and families to ensure we are ready for the Kindy children that will enrol and can support our families to feel that Allora P-10 is the right choice for their family. Thank you to C&K and Headstart for welcoming us to your centres.

With the help of Scripture Union, we have successfully recruited a Chaplain to begin in week 8 of this term. Chappy Bernard is currently undertaking induction through Scripture Union and Education Queensland and we are very excited to have him at our school. Chappy will have a section in the newsletter to share the work he is doing with our students. He will be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays and will be introducing breakfast club as one of his initiatives to support our students.

Parents and Citizens (P&C) associations work in productive partnership with their school principal and the community to promote the interests of the school, and facilitate its development and further improvement, to achieve the best possible outcomes for students. Our P&C AGM will be held on Thursday March 21 at 6pm in the staffroom. We look forward to welcoming our families to this meeting. All executive positions will be declared open at this meeting.

The Student Leaders badge presentation will be held on Thursday 7 March. All families are invited to attend this ceremony in the hall at 9am.

Megan

Student Absences

Please use one of the following methods, recording the student's name and reason for absence:

• SMS anytime to 0429 316 194 (preferred);
• reply to the SMS sent each morning a student is absent;
• call student absence line 4666 7266; or
• phone the school office.

All unexplained absences are followed up with a formal letter which must be completed, signed and returned to the school. We would appreciate your help in having all student absences explained.

Please note that early departures and late arrivals have a significant impact on percentage of class attendance, and students must be signed in/out through the school office.

Student of the Week

Students were awarded certificates on assembly for demonstrating our school motto, "Always our Best". Congratulations students!

Each week teachers nominate a student who has displayed our school values to go in the draw for a $5 tuckshop voucher (the golden ticket).

Calendar of Events

Tuckshop Roster

As you can see from the roster below, we are very, very short on volunteers. Please consider volunteering some time to help out at the tuckshop. We need you!

We sincerely thank those who already volunteer their time and remind you to contact Serena with an SMS or phone call before school if you are unable to work on your rostered day. Thank you.

Families, please remember to use the current tuckshop menu, available in the last newsletter, or on the school's website.

NAPLAN 2024

Students in years 3, 5, 7 & 9 will be sitting NAPLAN between 13 and 25 March 2024. NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for, and students are not expected to do so. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance.

Why NAPLAN is conducted online:

• All schools transitioned to NAPLAN online in 2022, as the online format improves NAPLAN. 
• NAPLAN online provides a better assessment and more precise results. 
• One of the main benefits of NAPLAN online is that it uses tailored (or adaptive) testing. This means that students receive questions better suited to their abilities, so they can show what they know and can do. 
• Online testing also allows us to provide a wide range of accessibility options to support students with disability to access NAPLAN. 
• Feedback from students is that they find the online test more engaging. 
• For more information about online assessment, visit the ‘Understanding Online Assessment’ page of the NAPLAN website. (https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/for-parents-carers)

NAPLAN is for everyone. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is committed to an inclusive testing process that allows all students to participate in the National Assessment Program. 

However, if you have any concerns or questions regarding your child sitting NAPLAN please make contact with the school administration office.

Leanne Kanowski
HODC Primary

School Photos - Postponed

Due to sports trials, all school photos have been postponed until Monday 22 April. All online orders and the envelopes will remain valid until this date. 

If you have not ordered a photo, you are still able to do that online at www.qldschoolphotography.com.au using access key VC8MFFJ2. 

A Note from the Library

Thank you to all parents who supported our Issue 1 of Book Club.  Orders have now been handed out to students.

Our classes have now started borrowing and the details are as follows:

Just a reminder that all students must have a library bag to borrow.  This not only helps keep our books safe but it reminds us of where they are.

Have a great week.

Lea-ann Weier

Secondary Assessment

Invitation - P&C Annual Meeting

Our P&C extend an invitation to you to attend their AGM which will be held on 21 March at 6pm in the staffroom. We look forward to welcoming our families to this meeting. All executive positions will be declared open at the meeting.

Year 10 Fundraising Disco

Our Year 10 students will be holding a disco for both primary and secondary students in the school hall on Friday 8 March. Primary students attend from 5:30pm to 7:15pm, with secondary students attending from 7:30pm to 9:00pm. Price is $3 per person or $5 for a family. See details on the poster below.

Sports Report

Central Downs Swimming Carnival – 15 February – Congratulations to the 23 swimmers who attended the Central Downs Swimming Carnival and our apologies to those who were absent for the photo. Well done to Anabel and Jackson who were both runner-up age champions. Based on times, Mia, Luca, Jackson, James and Anabel were selected as part of the Central Downs Team to swim at the Southern Downs Carnival. Well done to our Allora students who attended this carnival in Warwick on February 20. 

Border District Swimming – 8 February – Rikaya, Benjamin, Sophie, Alex, Blake and Molly represented our school at this carnival. Congratulations on your efforts, and special mention to Blake who was named 13Yrs Boys Age Champion, and qualified to compete in three events at the Darling Downs Swimming Carnival.

Warwick All Schools Swimming – 15 February – A small team of swimmers attended this carnival, held at night in Warwick. Congratulations to Benjamin, 14Yrs Age Champion, and Blake, 13Yrs Age Champion. Well done.

Darling Downs Swimming - 27 February - Congratulations to Blake who performed excellently and placed 4th in breaststroke, 5th in backstroke and 7th in freestyle at the Carnival held in Gatton on Tuesday.

Southern Downs Cricket Trials – 16 February – James  attended these trials and played well. Good effort, James.

Darling Downs Rugby League Gala Day – 16 February – Zac, Ben, Orry and JoJo participated at this Gala Day, held in Toowoomba. From these trials, Zac, Orry and JoJo have been selected in squads to attend final Darling Down Selection Trials in Toowoomba on Tuesday 5 March.

Central Downs Rugby League Trials – 23 February – Six Allora students attended these trials. Well done to Will, Jackson, Jackson, James, Kobe and Adam. All of these students will now attend the Southern Downs trials.

Central Downs Soccer Trials – 23 February – Eight primary students also attended these trials. Lochlan, Jesse, Lance, Lily, Riley, Isaac and Ayden participated well with Lochlan, Lance, Riley and Graysen selected to attend the Southern Downs trials.

Central Downs Netball Trials – 23 February – Well done to Ellie, Sophie, Luca, Ava, Lexie, Mia, Kyah, Chelsea, Bailey, Ella, Olivia, Ruby, Paige and Zoey who attended the trials. Congratulations to Ella, Olivia, Zoey, Millie, Chelsea, Kyah and Bailey on their selection to attend the Southern Downs Trials in Warwick next week, and to Ruby who was selected as a shadow player.

Southern Downs Trials in Rugby League, Netball and Soccer will be held Thursday 29 February, with the above students aiming to gain selection in the Southern Downs Teams to attend the Darling Downs trials in Term 2.

Aydan will attend the Central Downs Tennis trials on Friday 1 March. Good luck, Aydan.

Next week will see the Southern Downs Touch Footy trials and Central Downs Triathlon being run. Teeah will attend the Darling Downs Rugby League trials on 8 March. We wish all these students well.

On Monday 11 March, fifteen students will participate in the Jim Stevens/Stephanie Hancock Rugby League Competition in Warwick. We hope you enjoy the day.

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