Pelican Brief Issue 1 Term 2
From the Principal
I would like to start by apologising for missing the previous newsletters. But we are now back on track for Term Two!
A very big welcome back to everyone,
I know I say this every newsletter but it is very hard to believe how fast the terms go!
We had a very successful end of Term One.
- Our 5/6 students had a fantastic time at camp, expeiencing life in the city with the other nine schools across our cluster.
- We had hosted a Harmony Day pancake Breakfast
- Had our first student-parent-teacher interviews
- Had our first Birdsville SS cafe for 2023
- Our Year 3 and 5 students participated in NAPLAN
- Had a successful AGM
Our P&C AGM was held on Wednesday 29th. We have now filled all executive positions.
- Amber Monoghan is our President
- Harriet Birchley is our Secretary.
- Sam Watkins is our Treasurer
We are looking for lots of new members still! Email or call if you would like to join (pandc@birdsvilless.eq.edu.au or 4656 3233).
This term we are adding a new section to our Newsletter 'From the Students Desk' each fortnight we will have a student write a summary report on the two weeks. We hope you enjoy this new addition.
A curriculum Newsletter will go out to parents by the end of next week. Apologies in the delay of getting Term Two's out. I have also attached the Term calendar to this newsletter.
This term we have some very exciting events happening some highlights are:
- p&C Mother's Day Afternoon Tea (see attached)
- Under 8's
- National families week (Little Reds morning tea)
- National Simultaneous Storytime
- P&C Community Fun Run
- Windorah Sports Camp
- Term Two Birdsville Cafe
- Sporting Schools- Little Athletics
This year in conjunction with the P&C we will be running three sports carnivals:
- Term Two- Colour Fun Run
- Term Three- Athletics
- Term Four- Swimming
We would like to make these community events and have as many people participate as possible- the more people=more fun! We are going to be bringing our old sports houses back (Burke and Wills) more information about these events will be distributed over the next few weeks. However, we will be assigning all participating community members to a house (even volunteers). If you were lucky enough to attend this school and remember what house you were in are you able to please inform us as we would like to keep you in the same house.
Sporting schools last term was a fantastic success and we are very thankful to Sam for running these sessions after school each wednesday and for Mrs Birchley for being her assistant! This term we have Amber running athletics. A note will go home very soon for this and the session will be on a Thursday afternoon.
I would like to welcome Amber Monaghan and Maxine Derwin to the Birdsville State School team. Amber will be our Teacher Aide on a Friday and Venessa will now be in the office two days a week (Wednesday and Friday); Maxine will be filing in as our cleaner while Alex is on leave until the end of Term Two. We are also still looking for a casual Teacher Aide if you are interested please see advertisements attached to this newsletter.
I will be on leave from tomorrow (Thursday 4/5/23) until Friday 12/5/23. Mrs Birchley will be OIC.
I hope you all have a fantastic rest of the week,
Laura
From Mrs Birchley
Hi families!
We hope you had a nice break over Easter and we were so thrilled to see everyone turn up and march on Anzac Day to show their respect.
As apart of morning circle we always dedicate time to choosing a focus value and expectation for the week. This doesn't mean we forget about the rest, we just enhance our knowledge around the chosen one. During term 1 we focussed a lot on "listening first time every time". This message is important for keeping ourselves and others safe and our learning on track. Thank you to the families that have also been reiterating these messages at home as well.
We enjoyed Little Red's Playgroup visits last term and always look forward to Library morning's with them. We look forward to continuing this partnership with our youngest members of the community. Little Red's Playgroup are always looking for more children to join, if your child is under 8 years old they are most welcome to have a play over there. Just remember that a responsible adult needs to be present.
The P&C Mother's Day event is also coming up, so please remember to email them at pandc@birdsvilless.eq.edu.au to purchase tickets which are $25 per person. Children are free.
I have added in some links for some easy, cheap and nutritious dinner recipes to do at home and would even be great as leftovers to take for lunch for the children (see links below or attached to this newsletter).
- https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/freezable-zucchini-slice/HVz4eHbV
- https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/simple-spaghetti-bolognaise/j86lecz4
Also, at school we have been talking about the important of personal hygiene. I have attached the article and link to this newsletter for families to look at and share with their children about this. It's quite important as it also helps prevent us from getting sick, particularly as we are coming into cooler weather. Good personal hygiene also boosts confidence by dealing with problems like bad breath or body odour.
Kind regards,
Harriet Birchley
From the Students Desk
Hello Parents and Community, I am Zara Burke and this is what we’ve done this fortnight. We returned to school for Term Two. Then went on an excursion to the Kirrenderri exhibition at the Wirrarri Centre and got some new sensory toys for the kindy room. On Monday week 2 we got told who got to have kindy teddy for the week and that person was Tully Burke. The kindy teddy is a small teddy bear that gets taken home by a new person each week and that person takes photos with him and then puts the photos in the kindy book and writes what they were doing in that photo. Then we made ANZAC biscuits and on ANZAC day we each got a go riding and patting a horse if we wanted to. Then we all did the marching parade on ANZAC day and at the march I was a reader. Then we made Mother’s day surprises. Then we went to the library with the Little Reds and then some of us finished our assessments. Then we went on a excursion to the Bakery to paint the windows and then we did fun day Friday.
Freezable zucchini slice
Ingredients:
- 4 bacon rashers, finely chopped
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 zucchinis, coarsely grated
- 1 cup pumpkin, coarsely grated
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, just thawed
- 1 cup (120g) coarsely grated cheddar
- 1 cup (150g) self-raising flour
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
- 4 Coles Australian Free Range Eggs, lightly whisked
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Mixed salad leaves, to serve (optional)
Method:
- Step 1Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan and line the base and 2 long sides with baking paper.
- Step 2Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and onion and cook, stirring, for 5 mins or until onion softens. Transfer to a bowl.
- Step 3Add the zucchini, pumpkin, mixed vegetables, cheddar, flour and parsley to the bacon mixture and stir to combine. Add the egg, milk and oil and stir to combine. Season. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
- Step 4Bake for 40 mins or until firm to the touch. Set aside to cool. Cut into pieces and serve with salad leaves.
Simple spaghetti bolognaise
Ingredients
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- 500g Coles Australian Beef 4 Star Lean Mince
- 500g jar tomato pasta sauce
- 350g spaghetti
- 1/2 cup (40g) finely grated parmesan
Method
- Step 1Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook onion, stirring, for 5 mins or until soft. Add mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 5 mins or until mince changes colour. Stir in pasta sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 mins or until sauce thickens slightly. Season.
- Step 2Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling water following packet directions or until al dente. Drain well.
- Step 3Divide spaghetti and sauce among serving bowls. Sprinkle with parmesan.
Personal hygiene for children
What is personal hygiene for children?
Your child needs to keep themselves clean to remain healthy and to feel good about themselves. Good personal hygiene will help boost their self-esteem and confidence.
Teaching your child good hygiene habits
We all need to keep clean to avoid harmful germs and avoid getting sick. Good personal hygiene also boosts confidence by dealing with problems like bad breath or body odour.
For children, the basics of good personal hygiene are:
- washing their hands
- covering their mouth when they cough
- having regular baths or showers
- brushing and flossing their teeth
You may have to help your child learn and practise good personal hygiene habits. These will become even more important as they grow older and approach puberty.
Being able to talk openly and honestly about keeping clean is important. This will help you manage more difficult personal hygiene issues that are likely to come up when they are teenagers.
Washing hands
Most germs are spread through hand contact. Regularly washing hands will prevent your child and others from getting sick.
Encourage your child to wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds:
- when their hands look dirty
- before eating or making food
- after touching raw meats, including chicken and beef
- after touching any body fluids like blood, urine (wee) or vomit (sick)
- after touching animals (including cats and dogs)
- after blowing their nose, sneezing or coughing
- after going to the toilet
Showering and bathing
Children need regular baths or showers. You can include a bath or shower at the end of the day as part of their bedtime routine. Your child’s hair should be washed 1 to 2 times a week. If their hair is very oily, it might need washing more often.
Make sure your child washes all of their body, including:
- under their arms
- their genital area
- their anal area
- between their toes
Make sure that their body is thoroughly dry before they get dressed.
Brushing teeth
Children should brush and floss their teeth twice a day (in the morning and before they go to sleep).
They should brush with a pea-sized amount of children’s toothpaste that contains fluoride. You will need to help your child brush their teeth until they are about 7 years old.
Clothes and shoes
Doing the laundry uses significant quantities of water, energy, and chemicals. It is also the most demanding stage of clothing's life cycle. This use of resources needs to be balanced with the need for children to wear clean clothes. That is clothes that are not obviously dirty and don’t smell.
Socks and underwear should be changed when dirty and at least every day.
Once your child starts school, they can hang up their uniform to air at the end of each day.
More information
You can call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222. A registered nurse is available to talk with 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
