2024 Term 2, Week 1 Newsletter

Principal's News

P&C Fundraising efforts

School Photo Day is Tuesday 23 April 2024

Thanks for making sure that your child is dressed in their full school uniform:  Year 6 students may wear their "senior shirt".

Sibling Photos will take place from 8.30am - 9.00am in the Pittsworth Function Centre. Parents, please accompany your children to the PFC for these photos.

If you DO NOT want your child to have their photo taken, or have their name in the class photo, please contact the office as soon as possible and staff will ensure that your child is not in any photograph.

School Review Results

Our full School Review will take place from 11 June - 13 June 2024.  More details in the next edition of the newsletter.

Easter Bonnet

Prep – Year 2 students and staff decorated their very special Easter Bonnet (or “special occasions hat”) and displayed on parade.  Thank you to all for joining in the spirit of celebration and “having fun” with these creations!

Clean & Chilled Drinking Water!

Check out our NEW chilled water unit!  Out with the old and in with the new!  Students can drink direct from the bubblers and there is also the capacity to fill water bottles.

Pertussis (Whooping Cough) - Health Alert

The Darling Downs has seen an increase in pertussis notifications. These cases are predominately in children less than 18 years old.

Pertussis (whooping cough) is a respiratory illness caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis can cause sudden episodes of violent coughing, often resulting in difficulty breathing, strained inspiration (whoop) and vomiting due to the strength of the cough. Early diagnosis and treatment can significantly reduce the spread of this disease. It is important that educators are vigilant to reduce the spread of disease in the community.

Please review the DDPHU alert for further information and for links to a pertussis fact sheet and Queensland Health Time Out poster.

Darling Downs Health

Keeping Our Kids Healthy

If your child is unwell, please keep them at home until they are well enough to return.  Even if the illness is not contagious, please keep them at home until they are well.  

Some medical conditions require exclusion from schoool, childcare centres and other settings to prevent the spread of infectious diseases among staff and children.  See flyer below for more details.

Hearing Tests

To give our children the best start in life, it is important that they have good hearing and healthy ears!

Carbal Medical Services offers hearing health checks for students at PSS.

Doing so is your best chance of preventing Ear Disease; which can lead to loss of hearing forever if left unchecked.

Register your child today to receive a hearing test in early Term 3.

Phone 1300 379 558 or visit:

www.carbal.com.au/hearing-health

Curriculum

Upcoming Year 6 Excursions

Mt Kent Observatory Excursion: Tuesday 30 April. Consent and $8.40 due by 24/4/24. We acknowledge that this is at very short notice to families.

PSHS School Musical "Grease" Matinee: Show: Friday 24 May. Consent due by 17 May. No cost.

PCYC Cycle Safety Courses for Years 3 & 4 classes

3/4A – Wednesday, 8 & Thursday, 9 May 2024

3/4BR – Wednesday, 15 & Thursday, 16 May 2024

3/4PD – Wednesday, 22 & Thursday, 23 May 2024

Consent has been sent home via QParents and emailed to non-QParents.

Consent and $20 payment is due by 1 May 2024

Year 5 Camp- Emu Gully

On Monday 25^th and Tuesday 26^th March our year 5 students attended the year 5 Emu Gully Challenge Camp. ‘The Challenge’ is an exceptional leadership and team building program based on the character values of courage, mateship, sacrifice and perseverance.

Students had an amazing time as they participated in adventurous activities including ‘Commando Cable Crossing’, ‘Bridge over the River Kwai’, ‘Tunnel Rats of Vietnam’, ‘Kokoda Track’, ‘the White Slide’, ‘the high diving boards’ and the ‘Night Walk’. Despite the light rainy conditions over the 2 days and lots of mud everywhere we went, there were smiles on the students faces all round and a fantastic time was had by all!

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Term 2 Important Dates

Sporting News

Cross Country Dates

Inner Downs Cross Country: Friday 3 May at Highfields State School, Top Oval, Borghardt's Rd, Highfields

FUTSAL Clinics, Years 3-6 students

Friday 17 May and Friday 24 May.  Bottle Tree Hall.  

Track and Field Carnival Dates

• Senior Carnival:  Friday 7 June (9 – 12 yrs born 2012-2015)
  
• Gore Highway Athletics:  Wednesday 12 June
• Inner Downs Athletics: Thursday 18 June
• Junior Carnival:  Thursday 29 August (5 -8 yrs born 2016-2019)

200m and 800m heats for Seniors will be run prior to carnival. Dates to be confirmed.

Inner Downs Football (Soccer) Trials

• Boys Tuesday 30 April
• Girls Wednesday 1 May

Please contact Ms Will if you are interested in trialling.

Inner Downs Trial Fees

As the IDZ Trials are currently underway, we would like to bring to your attention a matter of utmost importance regarding the nomination fee. The IDZ Sports Contact has advised some students are attending trials without having paid their nomination fee. They wish to emphasize the critical nature of timely payment to ensure the smooth conduct of the trials and maintain fairness in the process.

To facilitate the payment process, we kindly request all participants to utilize the Qkr! app. It is imperative that the nomination fee is settled by the designated date. Failure to adhere to this deadline will regrettably render students ineligible to partake in the trials. It is the parent's responsibility to ensure payment is made by the due date.

Please see the Guide below for detailed instructions on utilizing the Qkr! app. 

NO fee paid by due date = No trial for students

2024 Darling Downs School Sport

Parents/Carers please contact Ms Will for further information regarding these events. These events will be open to students that are interested and have experience in these sporting events. Nominations come out a few weeks prior to events so please let Ms Will know closer to the event if your child is interested.

Students will only be nominated for Cross Country and Track & Field if they have made qualifying times.

Ms Will’s email: bwill641@eq.edu.au or phone 4619 8333.

The Arts

SRC News/Eco Club News

Student Support Services

Useful phone numbers and links for Parents and Students

Kids Helpline (24hrs): 1800 551 800 https://kidshelpline.com.au/

Lifeline (24hrs): 13 11 14  https://www.lifeline.org.au/

Headspace (9am – 1 am 7 days per week)  https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/

Parentline (8am-10pm): 1300 30 1300  https://parentline.com.au/

Bullying No Way www.bullyingnoway.gov.au

Beyond Blue (24/7 mental health support): 1300 22 46 36 www.beyondblue.org.au

Standby – Suicide Bereavement Support (24/7) : 1300 727 247  www.standbysupport.com.au

DV Connect (24 hr Domestic Violence helpline): 1800 811 811 www.dvconnect.org.au

P&C Patch

TUCKSHOP

Thank you to all of our amazing volunteers that assist in the Tuckshop.

Are you able to help out this term?  If you think you could possibly spare a few hours on a Friday morning, please contact Karla in the Tuckshop or email psssecretary@outlook.com

What volunteering in the tuckshop looks like…

2.5 hrs of your time

9:00 – 11:30am (or longer if you wish)

• Counting money to make sure it matches the order/ printing and sticking on labels for online orders
• Burger/sandwich/wrap prep
• Pack orders with pre-prepared food items (muffins, milo balls, sumo cookies)
• Pack hot foods/drinks into order bags
• Wash and clean up
• Serve ice cream and ice blocks

It is that easy and the time will fly!

Council Free Plant vouchers

Did you just receive a free plant voucher from Toowoomba Regional Council in your rates notice?   We are currently seeking donations of these vouchers to contribute towards improve our school grounds.  Vouchers can be donated to the school office.

Cool Nights Big Band on stage

BOOK YOUR TICKETS TODAY!  Saturday 11 May.  It’ll be a great night out!

VOLUNTEERS – MANDATORY TRAINING
There is a small amount of mandatory training that must be completed in order to volunteer at school.   It is quite quick to complete (10-15 minutes)

NEXT P&C MEETING

Next General Meeting will be held Thursday 09 May at the Pittsworth Function Centre, commencing at 6.30pm.

Mandatory Volunteers Training 

P&C Bank Account Details

P&C Forms and Tuckshop Menu

Have you downloaded the Qkr! App to order tuckshop?

Quick, easy, no more looking for cash!

Tuckshop open Wednesdays and Fridays

School Management

Join QParents 

QParents will make your life so much easier, no more paper work!  All your needs at the click of a button!

Excursion Consent Forms

Time Out Poster  - Keeping Our Kids Healthy

Transport Forms

Medication at School

Birthday Celebrations at School

School Dress Code

Mandatory Volunteers Training 

Health Food and Drinks at School

Payment Methods

Office Hours
The school office is open daily from 8.30am - 3.30pm with the exception of Visitors who are required to sign in upon arrival.  

Visitors to our School
All Visitors to our school, including Volunteers and Parent Helpers, are required to electronically Sign In at the office and obtain a Visitors Lanyard which is to be worn at all times whilst on school grounds.  You are then required to Sign Out at the office prior to leaving the school grounds.

Late Arrivals
Parents/Carers, if your student is late to school, please escort your student to the office to sign your child in and to obtain a Late Slip for them to give their teacher.

Communication with Parents/Carers
All letters and consent forms are emailed to parents. 
Information is also available to parents online:

• Pittsworth State School Website
• Our School Newsletter (emailed)
• Facebook
• SMS 
• Email

Email:  admin@pittsworthss.eq.edu.au

Community News

Pittsworth Lions Market

The next Lions Market will be at the Pioneer Village on Sunday April 28, starting at 8.00am.  It coincides with the Showcasing Pittsworth weekend so is a great time to visit the town.

Stalls will include cooking, preserves, crafts, garden decorations, vegetables, plants, jewellery, art work, and honey as well as our huge Trash and Treasure stall. You can have a Sunday breakfast BBQ, coffee, morning tea and soft drinks. ‘Polly’ Pollard will be there from Bunnings with activities for the children and Doug Hendry will entertain with his music.

Entry and parking are free. The site and all facilities are wheelchair accessible. The village provides a lovely setting for the market and it’s a very pleasant way to spend Sunday morning.

For more information or to ask about having a stall, contact Wilma Proudlock on 0438 933 308 or wproudlock@bigpond.com

Family and Child Connect

Family and Child Connect provides families free, unlimited and confidential advice. They can connect you to local services that help with: 

• building better family relationships
• managing child behaviour
• healthcare
• housing.

If your family is going through tough times, call them today at 13 FAMILY (13 32 64) or visit familychildconnect.org.au.

Beyond Blue

Phone: 1300 22 4636 (24 hours, 7 days a week).

Chat online: between 3pm–12am, 7 days a week via the online chat page External link.

Email: get a response within 24 hours via the email form External link.

Visit the Beyond Blue website External link for more information.

Bullying. No Way!

Bullying. No Way! External link is a great source of information for students, parents and teachers to learn about bullying, how to recognise it and what to do if you see or experience it.

headspace

headspace External link provides free online and telephone support and counselling for young people aged 12-25 and their families and friends.

Lifeline

Phone: 13 11 14 (24 hours, 7 days a week).
Chat online: between 8pm–4am, 7 days a week via the online chat page External link.

Visit the Lifeline website External link for more information.

Parentline

Phone: 1300 30 1300 (cost of a local call) 8am–10pm, 7 days a week.

Information: Tip sheets from a range of over 100 topics are available online External link.