31 March 2017
Newsletter Articles
Principal’s Comments
Over one quarter of the annual learning time available to your child this year has now disappeared. For most students there are only 145 school days left in 2017. There really is not a lot of time allotted to learning and embedding the skills and knowledge required to make sense of our modern world.
It is vitally important, regardless of the age of the student, that someone engages with them, monitors their daily work and ensures that they meet the requirements (both assessment and attendance) of the course. As young people age, often the temptation to believe that they have become ‘independent learners’ and no longer require adult supervision grows in the minds of parents and tutors. Students do move towards independence, but it is not true to believe that full independence in accountability and understanding comes so quickly. Regardless of age, there is a role for parents and caregiving adults to check that work has been completed, to engage with the student to assist in the development of understanding and to ensure that the assessment is completed and returned to the teacher.
Too often, ‘independent learners’ are experiencing difficulty in understanding some aspect of their work, have not returned their work leading to poor academic outcomes and sometimes are even failing due to confusion and a perception that no one is there to support them.
During next term (with only 40 odd days of ‘home learning’), let’s continue to move forward to ensure that all students are actively supported by parents and care giving adults, and that no one is left behind because someone failed to check their progress. The majority of parents and tutors do a great job yet like everything we all can do better by being smarter (not necessarily working more hours!).
At school our teachers check the progress of each student regardless of age and circumstances; we can already tell you which students are in danger of failing Semester One. We will be working hard to assist those students, as well as those doing well, to improve their outcomes. We need the parents, tutors and supervisors to think how they may support, monitor and check on students so that the best may come from each student.
John Clark
Principal
Deputy Principal’s Comments
Visible learning – Learning Intentions
An important factor to consider in student learning is that students often benefit from explicitly investigating the learning intentions (goals) and success criteria for a lesson or task.
Learning intentions describe what it is we want students to learn and in combination with the assessment criteria provide clarity around a task that students are working in.
(John Hattie, Visible Learning, 2012)
Important features of learning intentions are;
- Share the learning intentions (goal/s) with the student so that they understand them and what success looks like. This involves an understanding of what is desired and how specific tasks and activities relate to the overall intention.
- Remembering that the cascade from curriculum materials, through achievement objectives to learning intention is sometimes complex because learning does not always happen in neat, linear sequences.
Therefore;
- Learning intentions and activities may be grouped, because one activity may contribute to more than one learning intention, or one learning intention may need several activities for a student to fully understand.
Cameron Burke
Deputy Principal
ANZAC Day 2017
Lest We Forget –
The invitation has been extended for all CTSDE students to participate in both the RSL’s Dawn Service and the Charters Towers Regional Council’s ANZAC Day Commemorations Parade on Tuesday, 25 April.
The RSL’s Dawn Service will commence will at 5:55 am, so students attending are asked to assemble by 5:45 am at the Charters Towers Cemetery on Gregory Development Road. All students will be invited to participate in placing a poppy as part of the service. Full uniform is required. If you are attending this service, please email Mr Marius Venter on mvent18@eq.edu.au by 3 pm on Wednesday, 19 April.
The Charters Towers Regional Council’s ANZAC Day Parade will start at the intersection of Mosman and Mary Streets at 9:35 am. Students and teachers are asked to assemble in front of the Rix Hotel by 9:15 am. The march will proceed down Gill Street to the Cenotaph (in front of the hospital), where the Memorial Service will commence. Students can be picked up after the ceremony from the hospital. It is estimated that the ceremony will finish at around 10:45 am. Students will need to be neatly presented in their full school uniform and hat. Participants in the march are encouraged to wear medals of family relatives. These medals should be worn on the high right side of the chest. If students would like to participate in the parade, please email Mrs Kaye Warren ( kwarr81@eq.edu.au ) by 3 pm on Wednesday, 19th April.
Kaye Warren
Student Council Coordinator
eKindy - Off to an Arty Start!
This term eKindy children have been learning about ‘My Home, My Kindy’ and ‘I can’. Throughout these units, children explore their home, as they transfer their environment into an inviting kindy space. Children learn about themselves - their interests and strengths. Their home tutor or facilitator assists the children to document their abilities in a small book named ‘I can…’.
Children have been enthusiastic on web sessions, singing with Miss Emma and helping her to count. One of our children has been teaching Miss Emma some German! Children participate in online sessions which include free choice of play, singing, counting, colours and exploring their homes and themselves. Miss Emma has had a fantastic time, getting to know our eKindy children!
On the 8th March, Gumlu State School HOD attended an art excursion, as an eKindy – Year 6 cohort. Miss Katrina reported that the eKindy children were eagerly engaged in artistic learning, discovering how to blend and flood water colours. They were also introduced to abstract pictures and were given opportunity to paint pictures of their natural environments.
Next term eKindy children will explore units about themselves, their family and friends. This provides a great opportunity for children to discover their own identity and independence within their world.
Miss Emma
eKindy Teacher
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Emily & Lilly singing songs |
Amy counting online, with |
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Emily’s watercolour composition |
Lilly’s watercolour composition |
Term one in Year 6
Term one has been an extremely busy term for Year 6. February saw the Year 6 students come into CTSDE for the 2017 Home Tutor School where along with developing their academic skills, the students also participated in activities such as swimming, Art and Craft, performed a Pop Top Fountain Science experiment and developed their football skills with the North Queensland Cowboys Development Officer.
During the second half of term 1 the students have been developing their short story writing skills in the English unit. Interpreting timetables has been the focus in the Mathematics unit and in History the students have been examining federation and how it is has shaped modern day Australia. Students have also been completing their Economics and Business subject. The students now head towards a much deserved term one break with a very busy term 2 planned to occur.
Chloe Langham and Ben Purdie
Year 6 teachers
Year 6 students ready for a Rugby League Activity
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Taliah and Yasmin preparing for |
Mitchell performing the |
Year 3 finish Term 1!
Term 1 has been a busy 10 weeks for Year 3. The students have learnt lots already in Year 3. In Maths, we have worked hard to use mathematical language to justify our responses. In English, we have written both a narrative and a persuasive text. In Science, we have learnt about how to categorise living and non-living things. Students have also participated in Literacy and Reading lessons each week, and even some NAPLAN practise lessons! Mrs Purdie and Miss Nelson are impressed with the amount of effort and dedication students in Year 3 have put into their work and attendance at lessons.
New to Year 3 this year is a Music unit. We have been blown away with the creativity and enthusiasm we have seen from the students in their work. Students had the opportunity to write their own lyrics to match well-known Australian songs (Botany Bay or Click Go the Shears) and then perform their creation with homemade instruments. We have some very talented students in Year 3!
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Bang Go the Bikes - by Ben Out at the gate the BMX bikes wait, Bump goes the boys’ bikes bang, bang,
bang, |
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Click Go Her Hooves - by Ella Today is the day to work and play, Click her hooves girl, click, click,
click, |
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Song - by Will The rain came quick and down came the
river. Quick goes the water quick, quick, quick. |
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Ballyneety Rodeo - by Charlotte Last Year I went to Ballyneety, Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up horsey, |
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Song - by Lochie One glorious day we were on a holiday, We had lots of fun at Melbourne |
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Song - by Zenada Out on the dam the Jet Ski stands, Off go the skies oh no, no, no, |
Kym Nelsen and Colleen Purdie
Year 3 Teachers