Mapleton State School acknowledges the traditional custodians of the place we now call our school.
We pay our respects to the Elders past and present and are proud to be supporting and encouraging emerging Indigenous leaders every day.
Term 3 Week 4 2023
From the Principal
Thankyou to the entire Mapleton Community for your warm and sincere welcome. The first 4 weeks have absolutely flown with plenty of teaching and learning and extra curricular events keeping everyone busy.
Throughout the first part of this Term we have concentrated on what it means to be a successful team. We discussed four tips for success:
- Wear our uniform with pride
- Come to training (school) everyday
- Do your best
- Play by the rules.
We have revisited the Mapleton Way
- Care for yourself
- Care for others
- Care for our school
- Care for our learning
Including a behaviour focus of the week which is discussed with staff and on parade each week.
Teaching and Learning
Every student matters. Our goal is for every student to reach their potential including students who can reach the ‘A’ standard. We do this by:
- Explicitly teaching to the ‘A’
- Sharing what an ‘A’ looks like
- Stretching students’ learning goals
- Using teaching approaches that enable students to stretch for the ‘A’
Data celebrations
I am delighted to share that Mapleton State School student results continue to go from strength to strength as we celebrate the below Semester 1 2023 academic outcomes:
% Students achieving A-C in English
Prep: 80%
Year 1: 78%
Year 2: 93%
Year 3: 96%
Year 4: 100%
Year 5: 100%
Year 6: 100%
These strong outcomes are the result of a supportive school community coupled with dedicated and hardworking educators- as a team we are building an outstanding educational community.
Communication
What is happening in the next 4 weeks at MSS?
Week 6- Friday 18 August National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence
Week 6- Friday 18 August Year 6 Ekka excursion
Week 7- Monday 21 August 2024 Preppies visit
Week 7- Wednesday 23 August P & C Meeting
Week 7- Wednesday-Thursday 23/24 August- Advanced Band Camp
Week 7- Friday 25 August- Book Week Parade
Week 8- Friday 1 September -Pupil Free Day
Kidz Mob will be running on the pupil free day on Friday 1 September.
Operating hours will be 6:30am until 6:00pm – how amazing it is to have this service available on site.
Connecting with our families….
Parent School Opinion Survey: This week one parent per family will receive an invitation to complete the 2023 School Opinion survey. This is an opportunity provided annually for families to provide feedback regarding our school. I take the data collected via this survey very seriously and encourage you to take this opportunity to share your views. The survey invitation email uses the subject line: School Opinion Survey for parents/caregivers, 2023; please check your junk email folders if it can’t be found.
School Opinion Survey 2023
The School Opinion Survey remains open until 18 August 2023. The Surveys are designed to obtain the views of parents/carers, students and school staff from each school on what they do well and how they can improve.
In 2023, students in Years 5, 6, parents/carers and school staff will be emailed an invitation with unique link to complete the survey. The emails will be sent from Central Office (not schools) and all personal details such as email addresses will be separated and deleted from responses before data is stored for reporting.
Students in Year 5 and 6 will have the opportunity to complete the School Opinion Survey during Week 5.
2024 Prep Enrolments and transition opportunities
We are currently taking Prep enrolments for 2024. If you have a child eligible for Prep next year, please call into the school office to pick up an enrolment pack ASAP to ensure your child does not miss any transition opportunities. Upcoming transition activities:
- Prep open mornings 9:15-10:45 Wednesday 23 August, Wednesday 6 September, Wednesday 18 October
- Prep interviews will be held on Friday 13 October and Friday 27 October. Please contact the School office to book your spot at both of these important events.
NCCD Data Collection
Mapleton SS staff are committed to all children receiving the best possible education; education that provides opportunities for children of all abilities to reach their potential. This term, teachers will undertake the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). This is a fair and consistent way for Australian schools to collect information that reflects the support or adjustments being provided for students whose learning is impacted by disability. These adjustments are different for each student, but might include things like specialised technology, specialist equipment, building modifications or a differentiated approach to curriculum delivery. The Commonwealth student with disability loading is now based on the NCCD. To include a student in the NCCD schools must have documented evidence in accordance with NCCD criteria. This process supports schools and school systems to have access to appropriate funding support based on the adjustments that have been provided in the previous twelve months.
Online safety
We are living in an increasing complex digital world. As children start to navigate the online world and interact with others more independently, they are more likely to be exposed to risks of bullying or unwanted contact, accidentally coming across inappropriate content or racking up bills through in-app purchases. Your guidance can help them be aware of the risks and understand what is expected of them. Let them know you are always there to support them.
Advice for parents and carers
- Keep the computer or device in an area of your home that can be supervised. And check in regularly with your child to see what they are viewing.
- Stay engaged with their online activity. If they agree, consider setting up your own accounts with the sites they use most so you can see how they work and understand the risks.
- Explore the online world with them to help establish that this is not just a solitary activity. Play games with them. Do a creative project together.
- Think about social media readiness. Most social media sites require users to be at least 13 years of age before they can register, although some sites are created especially for children under 13. See are they old enough?
- Encourage respect and empathy. Teach them to avoid sharing or posting things that may upset others. See good habits start young .
- Start building resilience. Teach your child that there are ways they can deal with material that worries or frightens them. This includes immediately telling you or another trusted adult of any concerns or uncomfortable material. See good habits start young.
- Encourage them to learn about online safety by exploring the kids section of this site.
Review your rules as your child grows older
- Be clear about how much time they can spend online, the apps they can use, the websites they can visit and what they can share or post online.
- Refer to our advice about screen time and online gaming if these are of concern.
Technology tips for parents of kids 5 to 12
- Ensure your own devices are protected by a password or pin, so your child cannot accidentally come across inappropriate content.
- If you are thinking about giving them their own tablet or smartphone, check out are they old enough?
- Use parental control tools appropriate for the age and experience of your child. Be upfront and get your child on board. Let them know that these can be reviewed and changed as they get older and they continue to demonstrate responsible behaviour. Consider installing a ‘child-friendly’ search engine that will allow them to explore a limited number of sites. See parental controls.
- Check out Raising Children Network's healthy screen time and quality media choices: 6-11 years.
Please see the ‘Helping your family stay safe online' from the eSafety Office.
Year 2 News
What a cracker of a start we have had to Term Three! We have had a giant earthworm, 2 birds, mealworms, a dog and even caterpillar who has already spun a cocoon for us. In Science we are learning about Lifecycles. We have observed ‘Barney’, my chocolate Labrador popped in (13 years old), students thoroughly enjoyed sharing their room for the day. We can’t wait to witness the metamorphosis up close of our class pets.
Year 2 Reading Challenge
Drum roll please…….
The winners of this years Reading Challenge on the last Day of Term 2 were ………….
Erika Guldberg – 231 books
Samuel Pearce – 150 books
Oliver Thallon – 115 books
We extend a giant THANK YOU to the Lions Club for their very generous donation of $100 worth of book vouchers from the Little Book Nook in Palmwoods. I am very proud of all students who worked very hard to achieve their goal of 100 books last term. Top of the Range effort!
Well done students
Keep reading!
Mrs Shillig
Year 2/3 News
Things are ‘heating up’ in Year 3 as our Science Unit ‘Hot Stuff’ unfolds. We have been observing heat, using thermometers and experimenting. 
In maths we have been exploring fractions as equal parts of a whole. We created some 'Fraction Faces" to demonstrate our understanding.
We have enjoyed reading the Lorax as we prepare for our English Assessment which will require us to present a spoken retelling of a story from the perspective of another character in the text.
SHOUT OUT
Thanks Evie, Cate, Maegan and Pippa
Year 5/6 News
Kids in Action
Grade 6 Students have been working on their ideas for the Kids in Action Conference on the 6th September, 2023. This is an all-day program run by the Sunshine Coast Council and University of Sunshine Coast and its all about looking after our environment and being sustainable. The students produce a workshop for the day and all the other schools that are attending participate in these workshops. The workshops have a theme, usually a PowerPoint presentation, a play, interactive activities, information handouts and a display. This is all run by the students and its all their ideas.
I am so proud of the ideas that the students generated. After a lot of discussions, the students came up with two. Therefore, we have two groups working on these ideas. The students wrote their description of their workshops for the day.
Awesome Pollution Solution
Our team’s goal is to create a healthier environment by presenting our ideas in a fun way to attract people of all ages from 'young and learning' to 'old and thriving'. Our team has developed unique, interactive ways to present our Kids in Action biospHEROES workshop. Our ideas were generated as a team where everyone cooperated. We will be presenting a ‘play’ consisting of a pollution quiz at the end. Within our workshop, we will also have a word search, colouring-ins, posters with research and data information plus our main attraction… our Captain Calin Mascot! Ideas are currently in action and we can’t wait until we arrive at the Kids In Action Conference Day.
Sustainable Native Gardens
- We have worked together to recreate and re landscape our garden outside our classroom to make it sustainable for birds and animals.
- We have created a video of our journey.
- We have researched and created information sheets to take home.
- We have an interactive fun activity to complete.
Our aim for the conference was to teach people young and old to look after our planet through sustainability. To achieve this goal, we have created a Native Garden for the wildlife at our school. We have a video of our progress in the garden and we have completed research about the plants we choose to put in the garden and why they are good for birds and animals. Together we planned a hands-on part of the workshop where we teach the importance of Native plants and keeping the environment clean. In our workshop we plan to have the visitors choose seeds to plant and take home and plant them and watch them grow. We hope you enjoy our workshop and we can teach you something that is going to benefit our planet.
Chappy Chat-Food for Thought
I have just had the pleasure of going away for the weekend with some of my family. We spent the weekend playing board games, going for walks on the beach, eating BBQ breakfasts and generally enjoying each other’s company. In short it was fun.
When I was growing up my Mum always made sure that we had fun. I grew up in a working-class family, some weeks even having to sell stuff to get some money together for food. My sister and I knew we weren’t well off and sometimes we felt it when comparing ourselves to other families. However, we never missed out on fun even through the stresses and strains of everyday life. Jokes, funny stories, family holidays and finding the joy every day were a staple from my Mum. When travelling we played car cricket, eye spy and the number plate game. Mum would let us jump in puddles, walk on frosty ground, freeze our water bottles by leaving them outside in the Stanthorpe winter and building cubby houses in the bush at our farm. I have so many fond memories of having fun with my Mum and sister. I believe it has helped shape me into the woman I am today, not someone that avoids the hard parts of life but someone who also is able to let go and have fun.
Research shows that families that have fun together build their cohesion and sense of identity and belonging. So, I am going to keep prioritising fun. This also gives me an excuse as a 51 year old woman to act a little weird and embrace it. How can you include fun into your family and with your children? It is not about denying the hard stuff in life and glossing over it but it’s about a bit of balance. Is it a games night on Friday night, is it a joke book on the table, is it a fun family holiday or weekend away or a day at the beach? Maybe playing spotto or telling funny stories on the drive to school or home. Being out the front of the school some mornings I have seen parents and students dancing, racing, playing hide and seek in the entrance to Prep and smiling and laughing, how wonderful. I know it takes extra effort but I reckon it’s worth it. Let’s leave a legacy of fun.
Chappy’s quote of the day “Family fun is as necessary to modern living as a kitchen refrigerator” Walt Disney
Chappy Vicki
District Sports Day
The whole Mapleton community should be proud of the students who represent our school. The results are a bonus but the real success is the experience, pride in our school and sense of team our students develop attending these events. Top of the Range!!!
A big thank you to the P&C for organising the athelict shirts. The children wore them with pride.
Congratulations to Aidan and Cooper who qualified for Regionals on 30-31 August 2023.
Aidan - 100m, 200m and Long Jump
Cooper - Long Jump
Also a big congratulations to Alexis, Reo and Arielle for competing in Districit Sports Day representing Mapleton State School.
Camp News
Students were all super excited to get to camp and set up their rooms. First activities were Rock Climbing, Circus Skills and Canoeing. Students challenged themselves, all succeeded in having a go and achieving their best. After completing activities and dinner, Mr Price and Chappy organised some awesome games. Sockey Hockey was the winner. Thank you to Mr Butcher for visiting and joining in the games.
Outside School Hours Care
Notices
