Cranbrook Newsletter - Term 4 Week 8 2020

Principal's Message

2021 School Leaders

Congratulations to the elected School Captains, Music Captains, Indigenous Captains and House Captains.  All staff look forward to working with you throughout 2021.  A full list of names will be in next week's newsletter.

2021 Classes and Teachers Released

Parents and students will receive their class lists for 2020 on Friday, Week 9.  As with any release of information some students and parents may be pleased or disappointed with the situation they are placed in.  If you strongly object to either the teacher placement or the peers, you are requested to put your request in writing and outline the EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES that would deem it necessary to move classes.  Please forward your requests to The Principal by Friday, 13th December and mark your correspondence PRIVATE and CONFIDENTIAL.  A decision will be made on all requests the week before school begins so new enrolments can be taken into account.  No early decisions will be made.

Please be aware that these lists are only DRAFT and the final class lists, teachers  and rooms will only be finalised in 2020 after Day 8.

Year 6 Graduation

The Year 6 Graduation Ceremony is on Monday 7th December at Ignatius Park College.

A reminder to Year 6 students - students with outstanding SRS fees will not be receiving an invitation to the graduation unless other financial arrangements have been made.
The good news is that COVID restrictions have been lifted further to allow for an increase number of guests as well as dancing. 

Student Resource Scheme 2021

At the P & C Meeting on the 25th November, a decision was made that the cost of the student resource scheme for 2021 would be set at $150.  This scheme also allows eligible parents to make part payments, reducing the financial burden of schooling. This year's scheme includes all stationery and resources, meaning if you pay the fee you just have to worry about uniforms and lunches for the whole year.

There will be a 10% discount for full payments before the first day of school. A further 10% discount was approved for families with more than one child. Below is a table explaining the discounts. Parents are expected to have paid the fees (part (50%) or full) on the first day of school OR ensure your child has all the required stationery and resources ready to start school.   

Finance Reminder

Due to all receipting closing from 3:00pm on Friday, 4th December it would be appreciated if all 2020 payments could be made prior to this time.

Money can still be taken after this close-off point, but handwritten receipts will be available only.
All SRS fees are well overdue and parents/caregivers are reminded that payment needs to be finalised (or payment plan arranged with the BM.) if students are wanting to participate in any extra-curriculum activities e.g. swimming, graduation, sport, live performances.

2021 Prep Enrolments – Limited places available

If your child will be attending Cranbrook State School in 2020 you will need to ensure that the following tasks are completed to process your child's enrolment and to allow for class placement for 2020 to occur as soon as possible.

• Complete the enrolment form.
• Bring your child’s original birth certificate to the school.

Clubs

Breakfast Club will cease on Friday 4th December (Week 9) and will recommence in Week 2 of 2021.  A big thank you to everyone who has donated food items and helped throughout the year (including our students).  Breakfast Club is a wonderful service for the Cranbrook Community.

Homework Club has ceased for the remainder of the year and will recommence in Week 2 of 2021.

Jeff Capell 
Principal

Every Day Counts - Attendance

Regular, punctual attendance at school is expected of all students.  Students should be present at school ready to prepare for the day's learning by 8:30am.

Late Arrivals

Students arriving after 8:50am must report to the office to receive a lateslip.  If a student is late, a letter of explanation from the student's parent/guardian must be presented to the office staff on arrival.

Absence

If a student is absent and the parent/guardian has not notified the school, they will receive an automated text message by 10am that day.  

Parents will receive a text message informing them that their child is absent. If you receive one of these text messages, please contact the school to explain the reason for your child’s absence.

A working mobile number should be registered with the school, if available.

Please remember that absence is only marked for the days specified by the parents. If you ring up on a Monday informing that your child is sick and they remain away from school for the following 2 days because they are sick you need to inform us that this was the reason for their absence. You can inform us after the absence via a message directly to the teacher or by contacting our absence hotline or email.

If your child is absent, please leave a message detailing:

• Child's name
• Class
• Reason for absence
• Dates or duration of absence

Absence For More Than 10 Days

What is an exemption and why do I need it?

Every parent of a child of compulsory school age has a legal obligation to ensure their child is enrolled and attending school. Parents can apply for an exemption from this obligation when their child cannot attend or it would be unreasonable in all the circumstances for their child to attend school for a period of more than 10 consecutive school days.

Situations where an application for an exemption may be made include:

• Illness
• Family reasons
• Cultural or religious reasons

If your child is exempt from compulsory schooling, you are excused from your obligation in relation to compulsory schooling. 

The school principal is not responsible for providing an educational program for your child, however they may provide advice on other educational options available. Decisions about exemptions for up to one school year are made by the principal and decisions about exemptions for more than one school year are made by the relevant Regional Director of the Department of Education, Training and Employment, responsible for the supervision of the school your child attends.   

Attendance Award

Positive Behaviour For Learning

Uniform Roll Out - Term 4

By the end of Term 4, 2020

100% of students are wearing the following:

• A pair of Cranbrook Shorts
• A pair of Cranbrook Skorts

Please note that plain royal blue shorts are NOT part of the new school uniform.

Schoolzine Newsletter Features

Mobile Phone View

Our Schoolzine Newsletter has many features that you can access via the menu including viewing our calendar for important dates and events at Cranbrook.  You even have the option to sync the school calendar to your own personal calendar!  To subscribe, view our archived newsletters, view our calendar events or to contact us from our newsletter using your mobile phone, simply click on the menu bar located on the top left hand corner and a drop down menu will appear with options.   (Please see the illustration below).  

As we have only recently moved over to Schoolzine, we ask that you please be patient while our staff continue to learn and become more familiar with the Schoolzine applications.  In the meantime, please don't hesitate to send us a message if you would like some more information or some additional support in how to access the features of our newsletter.    

PC/Laptop View

You can also have a full monthly view of the calendar from your PC or Laptop by clicking "calendar on the top menu bar" of the newsletter.

Tuckshop

The last day for Tuckshop is Friday 4th December and we will be having a RED FOOD day!

Year 5 & 6 Laptop Program

In this video, the Year 5 & 6 Cohort Leaders, Ms Kennett and Ms Bartels describe the importance of engaging with the Cranbrook Laptop Hire Scheme or the BYO laptop option in Years 5 & 6. 

It was great to see so many parents and students attend the first information session.  There will be another information session early next year for those parents and students who were unable to attend on Wednesday, this week.  

Please contact Ms Kennet or Ms Bartels if you have any questions about the program.

Laptop Hire - Returns

All students must return their hire laptops, chargers and adaptors (RJ45/USB) to the Office by Friday 4th December.  

Swimming Lessons

Swimming Carnival

Our Swimming Carnival will be held on Tuesday, 8th December at Ignatius Park College, Swimming Pool.  Parents and guardians are welcome to attend - social distance rules apply.  Please see our schedule for our Swimming Carnival below.  For more information please contact our school office.   

From the Music Room

We have had an extremely busy few weeks and we are very excited to announce that we have just completed our musical filming!  

Included below are some photos from our musical filming and two videos of performances from the Instrumental Parent Information Evening, held a couple of weeks ago.  

The first video is a violin performance by Justin, a Year 5 student who is a acccompanied by Ms Mulligan.

The second video features a short performance by the Nightingale Chorus.  They have been developing their part work skills this term singing in canon.  We hope that you enjoy their performance  describing the benefits of a good pair of black socks.  

Ms Earle - Performing Arts Teacher / Instrumental Music Co-ordinator

Congratulations to Noah and Lincoln who have completed Instrumental Music Curriculum - Level 1 in Percussion.

Mrs O'Keefe

Resource Centre News T4W8

Golden Book Award

During 2020 Cranbrook students have borrowed a massive 11,844 books from Cranbrook library and over 2,012 eBooks through the Sora eBooks app.

4B and 1A have earned the “THE GOLDEN BOOK AWARD” for the most books borrowed for Term 4 and they will be rewarded for their efforts this week.  Look below to see how your class borrowed this term.

Still want to borrow and read books?  Use our online ebook site or app- SORA.  You can continue to read over the Christmas break using the ebooks.  See below for instructions

Prep Transition Program

Over the past 5 weeks we have had the pleasure of welcoming our 2021 Prep students and their families into the School for their transition.

While students have been getting to know their new friends and teachers, our new parents have been learning about getting their child ready for Prep, the Cranbrook expectations and processes and how we can ensure our new students have the best start to their Primary School journey.

On Tuesday the 1st December, 2021 Prep students will complete their last day of transition- this will be a half day in their new classroom with their Teacher and classmates. They will participate in all of the regular activities that occur in the life of a Prep student. 

We have appreciated parents taking time off work to participate in this program to ensure their child has the best start.

Amanda Allender - Deputy Principal

What's On in Year 5

Our inquisitive students in year 5 requested the opportunity to hold a science fair to finish their 2020 off in style! Each student or group of students has chosen an investigation that interests them to conduct and then share with our Cranbrook school community.  

Our students are wondering:

•    How much sugar is in that? 
•    Which soda will give the largest explosion?
•    Single, double and triple length toilet paper… is it really true?
•    Which Band-Aids are best underwater? 

And so much more… While COVID restrictions prevent our parents, families and school community attending the day, we would like to invite you to VIRTUALLY attend on our school Facebook page!

Ms Kennett - Year 5 Cohort Leader

Pillowcase Program

The Pillowcase Project is a disaster resilience education program designed to help children prepare psychologically and practically for an emergency.  Delivered by Red Cross staff and volunteers, the workshop encourages students to be active participants in their own emergency preparedness.

Aimed at students in Years 3 and 4, the interactive workshop involves engaging discussions and interactive activities to help students:

• understand and discuss the importance of being prepared;
• prepare their mind for the thoughts and feelings that may arise before, during and after an emergency; and
• know the difference between need and want items and what to pack in an emergency kit.

The Pillowcase Workshops will be timetabled and held in the Resource Centre next week and students in Year 3 and 4 in attendance will be given a pillowcase to decorate and take home to start their own personal emergency kit.

Cranbrook's Got Talent

The Student Council - Arts Committee held a meeting earlier this week to thank all of the students who auditioned for the upcoming Talent Show.  The Committee also announced the finalists in each category to the students and have notified the finalists by letter.

The Cranbrook's Got Talent Finals will be held in Week 10 on Wednesday, 9th December between 2pm and 3pm in the Hall.  

Environmental Club News

Sports Pride Fridays

Cranbrook Bus Driver Needed

Community News