Newsletter - 25 July 2024
Principal's Report
Welcome to Term 3! We have begun the term focusing on students reflecting on their academic results from Semester 1 and setting goals to exceed learning expectations for Semester 2.
Our term also started with a focus on Athletics as our students move to the next levels of interschool and regional competitions. We wish all of our students the best as they compete in Southern Downs, Border District, Warwick All Schools and Darling Downs competitions. A huge thank you to the staff who attend and officiate at these carnivals, making it possible for our students to attend.
We have begun planning our transition programs for the Prep class of 2025. Families have been invited to attend an information session on Wednesday 7 August at 9am. Miss Sinnamon and the 2024 Prep class would love to welcome you to their classroom and ensure your child’s transition to school is successful. Please keep an eye out for our visit days and events you are able to attend with your child.
At the beginning of the term, I accompanied our Year 9 and 10 female students to the NAWIC Speed Careering Event. Each year, the ladies from NAWIC travel all over Queensland to show that it is possible for females to step into a trade and have a career in the construction industry. This event allowed the students to make contacts, ask questions, gain information and explore possible work placements. Our Year 10 cohort will be attending the Warwick Careers Expo in August.
All the best to the 27 members of our Chess Team who are participating in the Warwick Regional competition on Thursday. The training has been intense and the strategies are well planned out. Thank you to Mr Johnson for organising this trip and training sessions.
School Opinion Surveys canvas the views of parents/caregivers, students and school staff from every state school on what our schools do well and how they can improve. Participation in the survey is voluntary. Respondents are strongly encouraged to provide their opinions so the survey results are representative of the opinions at each school. Opinions on the school, student learning and student wellbeing are sought from a parent/caregiver in all families and students in selected year levels from each state school. Your responses will be strictly confidential, and the information is used in ways which protect individual responses. All responses are protected by the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld). The department is legally bound to ensure that no identifying information is published or released. Personal details such as email address are used for the distribution of invitations and identification of duplicates. All personal details are removed and deleted from your responses prior to data storage and reporting.
Whole school assembly will now be trialled at 1:30pm on Friday afternoons. We will then proceed to Friday Futures and class activities. Everyone is welcome to attend assembly and celebrate our students’ week.
A huge congratulations to Miss Rachael Heritage who has been the successful candidate for a position with the Education Futures Institute for the Darling Downs South-West Region of the Education Department. Miss Heritage will now be sharing her love and thorough knowledge of all things Curriculum with schools and their staff throughout the whole region. We are so very proud of Miss Heritage and wish her all the very best for this next exciting chapter in her career.
Ms Leanne Murphy will be the Year 6 teacher commencing in Week 4.
Megan
Calendar of Events
Prep Year in 2025?
If you are the parent or caregiver of a child born between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020, they are eligible for Prep in 2025. Prep information mornings will be held for parents, carers and those students who may be enrolling in 2025, over the next couple of months. If you register your child's name at the office now, you won't miss out on any information or the enrolment package. Please let your friends know that we are taking names now if they have a child eligible to enrol in Prep in 2025.
Year 10 Parent Information Session
Tuckshop News
Southern Downs Sports Carnival tuckshop - Wednesday 14 August - HELPERS WANTED!! Are you able to give us a half-hour or hour in the tuckshop at the oval for this carnival? You will not be expected to help at tuckshop each week or at every carnival - we just need your help for this one, please. Contact the school and leave your name for Carissa or turn up on the day. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advance.
Can you help us out by volunteering some time at the tuckshop - just an hour or two, on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday morning? As you can see from the roster below, we are very, very short on volunteers. Please consider volunteering some time to help our school out.
We sincerely thank those who already volunteer their time and remind you to contact Carissa with an SMS or phone call before school if you are unable to work on your rostered day. Thank you.
Student of the Week
Students were awarded certificates on assembly for demonstrating our school motto, “Always our Best”. Also, 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). Congratulations students!
Toowoomba Speed Careering Event
The NAWIC Speed Careering Event aims to empower female high school students interested in pursuing careers in traditionally male-dominated industries such as carpentry, building, electrical, mechanical, plumbing and more. The goal is to inspire and guide these young women by providing them with firsthand insights from accomplished female professionals in these fields.
- Education - Students had the opportunity to engage with and learn from women actively working in various trades.
- Opportunities - Exploring a diverse range of trades, unveiling exciting career paths.
- Possibilities - Discovering the multitude of career trajectories within the trades and the potential they hold.
- Support - Gaining valuable insights into the support systems available to female apprentices.
- Connection - Networking with industry stakeholders and establishing connections that could lead to future opportunities.
The primary focus of the event was to facilitate meaningful interactions between female students and role models.
Firewood Raffle
At the end of Term 2, the Year 10 class drew their Firewood Raffle winners, with all proceeds directed towards the Canberra Excursion. The lucky winners are listed below:
- 1st: Load of firewood – Adelle
- 2nd: half load of firewood – Aaron
- 3rd: $70 Pharmacy voucher – Fran
- 4th: $40 Butchery voucher – Megan
- 5th: $30 Hardware voucher – Richard
- 6th: Fun wintery prize – Judith
- 7th: Fun wintery Prize – Chris
- 8th: Fun wintery prize – Olivia
A massive thankyou goes to Aaron Fitzgerald for donating and delivering the firewood and to the Allora businesses who have supported us with generous vouchers. Finally, thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket. Stay warm!
The Year 10 Class of 2024
A Note from the Library
Welcome back to another school term. Borrowing will continue as normal, with your student’s library days as follows:
- Tranquil Tuesday Year 2 and Year 3
- Wacky Wednesday Year 1, Year 4 and Year 6
- Thoughtful Thursday Prep and Year 5
Book Club has now been handed out, with all orders due back to school as soon as possible. Did you know that you can go online and order your student’s books through LOOP orders? Details are on the back of the Book Club brochure.
Other exciting news is that Book Week is coming, the theme being “Reading is Magic”. To celebrate Book Week this year, we are having a dress up day on Friday 23 August. Students are encouraged to come as their favourite book character. Please remember, something simple is often the best. You do not need to buy an expensive costume for this day.
Have a great week!
LEA-ANN WEIER
Sports News
Congratulations to all Allora students who competed at the Central Downs Athletics Carnival last week. A number of our students were awarded Age Champion and Runners-Up Age Champions. The Allora Team also won the Overall ‘A’ School Trophy. Congratulations to Anabel who won the Most Outstanding Athlete Award. What a fantastic couple of days. No records were broken at the carnival. Twenty-two students were selected from this Carnival to go on to the Southern Downs Athletics Carnival, to be held on 14 August. Good luck, students.
Border District Athletics is being held at Warwick today. Best wishes to our secondary students attending. A group of secondary students will attend the Warwick All Schools Athletics Carnival on 7 August. We also wish these students well.
A huge congratulations to siblings Riley and Billie who, during Semester One, represented Allora State School in the Tenpin Bowling Association of Queensland Interschool Challenge and absolutely crushed it. After two terms of competition, Riley was awarded champion in the Years 4-6 boys division and Billie was awarded champion in the Years 1-3 girls division. Great bowling kids, you should be very proud of your efforts! We look forward to you doing Allora State School proud during the Semester 2 competition.
Classroom News
Community Events
