Cranbrook Newsletter - 2024 Term 1 Week 2

Principal's Message

Welcome to the start of the 2024 school year.

I would like to especially welcome all the new families who are joining Cranbrook this year.  A warm welcome is also extended to the Prep children who are embarking on their first year of primary schooling.

Before we officially began our school year, our staff were very busy working hard participating in professional development activities to ensure they give our students an exciting and memorable welcome for the official start of Term One.

Cranbrook State School enjoys a very strong reputation for providing a safe, supportive and quality learning environment that assumes high expectations for each learner.  Our Cranbrook Learner Code reflects school expectations regarding respectful conduct and I can assure you that the safety and wellbeing of your child/ren is of high importance to us all.  Therefore, I make no apology for ensuring that inappropriate behaviour is dealt with swiftly and decisively while understanding that for some students an educative approach is, at times, required.  However, if we don’t know that there is an issue we can’t help to find a solution.

It was also reassuring that both parents and students were able to overcome the tribulations that were faced during our recent cyclone and the fact that students were able to reengage straight back into school life without any significant wellbeing concerns being raised.

We are looking forward to a wonderful year here at Cranbrook.

Day 8 Staffing

Our numbers for our Day 8 staffing return will not require significant changes to student class lists even though the school increased from 20 to 22 teachers as we reached 568 enrolments.  We currently have 23 classes and even though the cut off for 23 classes is 575 students, the school will fund the additional teacher and apply for an additional allocation once ours numbers are above the 575 students cut off number.  Changes will only occur in the Prep classes due to enrolments deciding not to attend Cranbrook State School. 

Parent Teacher Communication

All parents should have received an introductory email from their student's classroom teacher. Parent/teacher meetings for years 1-6 will be held in Week 3 (this coming week) at 3.15pm to 3.45pm  at your child’s classroom, to explain to parents the classroom expectations and routines for 2024.  Please see the timetable below. 

For families of prep students, there is an opportunity to do a 'prep check-in' and have a chat with your child's prep teacher about how they are going as an individual.  These will be held on a Tuesday afternoon across the next 4 weeks.  Please book your time via this link: https://eq.sobs.com.au/pt3/parent.php?schoolid=70355  

Traffic Problems

Many schools face the challenge of traffic congestion at drop off and pick up times with regard to finding a car park.  Please don’t forget that you can make use of the numerous car parking spaces on Bergin Road and Albert Street.  Patience is needed at these very busy times to maximise the safety and wellbeing of all our students.

Investiture Ceremony

The 2024 Senior Council Investiture Ceremony will be held in Week 4, on Thursday 15 February at 9.15am in the hall.  All welcome to attend.

Parent Volunteer Course

The parent volunteer course will be conducted by classroom teachers from next week.  If you are interested in volunteering within our school you will need to arrange a time with your child’s teacher to do the 10 minute annual update.

Have a great weekend!

Jeff Capell 
Principal

Attending our parades is a great way to hear about what's happening around our school, to see the recipients of various awards, to put faces to names and to show your children you are interested in them!  Come and join us whenever you can!

7.30am is the START time.  Please be at the pool and ready by 7.15am.  Thank you!

Extra Curricular Activities

Thanks to the generosity and dedication of our wonderful teachers, Cranbrook can offer a variety of extra activities to our students.  

Please see the information below for the activities we are offering in Term 1.

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.   

Welcoming new staff

This year, we have the pleasure of welcoming a number of amazing people to our Cranbrook Team. 

As one of our pedagogy coaches, Miss Patricia Stark joins the team.

Teaching class 2C is Miss Eliza Ganley.

Looking after 1B is Mrs Ally Zychowski.

along with Miss Maddi Wilson.

Ms Nicole Holt is one of our SEP teachers, helping the Year 6s.

Mrs Amanda Menzies takes cares of our Prep/1D class.

Mrs Bobbie McMinn is back at Cranbrook and taking HPE this year.

Miss Elisabeth Robbins is in charge of teaching 4C.

Miss Renee Digger shares the nurturing of our 3A class, along with Mrs Corrine Craperi.

Mrs Holly Harris is teaching HASS and also one of our SEP teachers.

Mr Michael McKeown joins our team of teacher aides.

We also welcome Ms Jessica Cahill, Ms Suzanne Cotton, Miss Kylie Power, Miss Shimika Crisp, Ms Amanda Sillato, Mr Grant Miles and Miss Carla Anderson to our team also.

PBL - Positive Behaviour for Learning

At Cranbrook, you'll hear us talk alot about this!  We believe that positive behaviour is essential to learning and we want to encourage all our students to strive for this each and every day of their life.

Each week in our newsletter, we'll let you know what we've been learning this week and give you some handy hints to help you apply these guidelines at home.  We will also feature our weekly 'Snappy Winners' to share with you the lucky recipient of our $5 Snappy Money voucher.  Students use this 'money' to enjoy a treat at the Tuckshop in recognition of their positive behaviour. 

In late 2023, we also introduced the 'Golden Snap' - a whole school prize draw which sees every single snap earnt that week, have a chance at the $10 Snappy Money voucher!

We began week 1 of our term, with looking at being responsible and how to follow routines and transitions.

This week, we looked at being safe and how to act safely each and every day.

Belong are the 'for families' poster of our lessons, which gives you a chance to continue these conversations at home and possibly apply them to your daily family life.  You may find that your little learner wants to be the leader of these initiatives at home!

Learning at Cranbrook

We are excited to share with you, all the amazing things we are learning!  We'll include stories and pictures of the different year levels in the newsletter, throughout the term. Here's a snapshot of what each year level is learning for Term 1.

Our Preps have been hard at work learning their routines and what all this school stuff is about!  They have done an AMAZING job, as you will see in the pictures below.  Well done everyone!

Mrs Wills' Prep A class have been busy with their creativity, their Maths, their English

and even their Science!

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Miss Horwood's Prep B class have been very clever today - they were drawing a personal connection to the story 'When I went walking'!  

Miss Stolz's Prep C class have been doing their rotations, including home corner's 'Vet' theme, playdough, matching rhyming words, tracing and their English task.

Miss Menzies' P/1D class have been learning to identify the different body parts of a lizard!

Our first day in Prep A

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Our first day in Prep B

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My first day in Prep C

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Our first day in Prep/1D

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Prep class photos for the Townsville Bulletin newspaper will be taken on Monday 12 February.  Please ensure your child is in their full, regular school uniform (not sports shirts).  If you haven't given, or completed, the media permission on enrolment, your child will not be included in this photo.  Photos and first names will be published in the newsletter, both in a paper form and online.  

Prep Vision Screening

The Primary School Nurse Health Readiness Program is coming to our school!

This program is a Queensland Government service that offers Free Vision Screening to all children enrolled in Prep. 

If your child is in Prep and you would like their vision screened, please complete a consent form using the link below.

Vision Screening Consent Form

If you aren't able to complete the form online, please contact us and we will send you a paper copy later in the week.

You must have the consent form completed by Sunday, 11 February.

Clink here to watch a video that explains the benefits of having your Prep child’s vision screened. 

Questions?  Please have a read through the program's frequently asked questions and information sheet.

From The Arts

Drama Excellence

The Arts is a powerful way of exploring the world, providing students the opportunity to utilise their curiosity and imagination to achieve success. Learning through and about The Arts enriches the experience of studying while at school as well as preparing students for life after school. Student participation in The Arts has been shown to have a positive impact on cognitive capacity, communication and social skills, improved academic outcomes and critical thinking skills.

The Drama Excellence program is for creative and self-motivated students who have an interest in drama are prepared to accept challenges and undertake tasks which are unfamiliar. 25 students from years 3-6 will be selected into the program based on the following criteria:

* Strong interest in Drama

* Academic results

* Audition classes Monday 29 January and 5 February

Drama Excellence will be held weekly on Mondays, 3-4pm in The Arts Block.

If your child is interested in applying for the 2024 program, they must attend an audition classes. Final selection notices will be given to students on 9th February. Students not selected will be placed on a meritorious waiting list and when positions arise they will be invited to join.                       

Visual Arts Excellence

The Arts is a powerful way of exploring the world, providing students the opportunity to utilise their curiosity and imagination to achieve success. Learning through and about The Arts enriches the experience of studying while at school as well as preparing students for life after school. Student participation in The Arts has been shown to have a positive impact on cognitive capacity, communication and social skills, improved academic outcomes and critical thinking skills.

The Visual Arts Excellence program is for creative and self-motivated students who want to extend their visual arts skills and understandings. 15 students from years 4-6 will be selected into the program based on the following criteria:

o   Strong interest in visual arts

o  Demonstration of potential (submission of artwork can be completed at home or during the audition lessons 31 January and 7 February)

o   Academic results

Visual Arts Excellence will be held weekly on Wednesdays, 3-4pm in The Arts Block. If your child is interested in applying for the 2024 program, they must attend an audition class. 

Final selection notices will be given to students on 9th February. Students not selected will be placed on a meritorious waiting list and when positions arise they will be invited to join.

Choir

If you like to sing and enjoy being part of an amazing group of people then join one of the Cranbrook School Choirs. Students in Years 5 & 6 who would like to join The Nightingale Chorus, we rehearse on Tuesday mornings from 8:20-9.10am. Students in years 3 & 4 who would like to join the Songbird Chorus, come along to rehearsals on Thursday mornings at 8.20am.  Come along to the Piccolo Chorus, if you are in Years 1 & 2 on Thursdays at 1st break.

Instrumental Music

Lessons began this week for students in the woodwind, brass and percussion and strings programs.  For those students who are part of an orchestra, band or ensemble, your rehearsals will begin this coming week. 

Orchestra - Monday 8-8.40am

Percussion Ensemble - Thursday 1st break

Concert Band - Friday 8 - 8.50am

Ukulele for students in Years 4 to 6 is on Wednesdays at 1st break.

Recorder for students in Years 2 to 6 is on Tuesdays at 1st break.

String Snippets

We have some vacancies left in our instrumental string program for 2024 for students in grade 3-5.

Students wishing to learn violin or viola will be required to purchase their own instrument as this is the second round of enrollments. 

We have 2 cellos spare which can be loaned from the school for students in grade 4 onwards. 

If you child has previously learnt at another school and would like to continue, please contact the school for further information. 

To receive an enrollment pack with all the information needed and to put in your expression of interest please contact arts@cranbrookss.eq.edu.au

Ms Lloyd-Doolan  - Instrumental Music Strings. 

Guitar Lessons

Electronic permissions have been sent out.  The responses are being collated and families will be contacted in regards to lesson times.

Piano Lessons

Electronic permissions have been sent out.  The responses are being collated and families will be contacted in regards to lesson times.

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From the Sports Desk....

Welcome to another exciting school year! I am grateful to have returned to the Cranbrook School community this year, after 5 years working in other schools and at James Cook University. I look forward to reconnecting with you all throughout the year.

In 2024, through the HPE curriculum, we are continuing to provide opportunities for our Cranbrook Learner’s to become:

· confident and creative individuals

· successful lifelong learners

· active and informed members of the community.

(Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, 2019) (Goal #2)

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Sports Excellence

On Wednesday, students in Years 4-6, began trialling for our Sports Excellence Program, with trials continuing next Wednesday 8:00-9:10am. Students selected will receive an official letter, inviting them to the program, with training sessions continuing on Wednesday mornings from 8:00 – 9:10am. The goal of Sports Excellence is to provide further opportunities for our talented athletes to continue to develop and refine their skills in the sporting field.

Inter School Swimming Squad

Our Inter School Swimming Carnival is in Week 7 (date to be confirmed next week). Interested students are asked to respond to the permission note online, or print and return the note to the office or bring it along to the trials at Ignatius Park College Monday 5th February.

Students selected in the Swimming Squad will be invited to continue to train in weeks 4 and 5, with the final team being announced in week 6.

Additional letters will be sent home in the coming weeks for those students who are selected to represent Cranbrook State School at the 2024 Interschool Swimming Carnival.

If you are new to Cranbrook and swimming is one of your interests, please contact Mrs McMinn for more details.

Northern School Sport Swimming team

If your child is born between 2008-2010 and swimming is their sport, please contact Mrs McMinn, for information about the ‘2024 NOR 10-12yrs Swimming Nomination’.

Nominations for this team close on February 13th, with the team being announced on February 21st.

Season 1 Sport

Last week during PE, students in Year 5 and 6 have nominated for their chosen Season 1 Sport which includes netball, rugby league and hockey. All sports are open to both male and female students and representative pathways are available for students who display high levels of skill in the different sports. Due to limited numbers, it is unlikely that hockey will go ahead.

Inter-school sport enables students to compete against other students and engage in team work, fair play, whilst developing new skills and meeting new friends.

Permission notes will be sent home in the coming weeks, for students to commence training and trials for the respective sports.

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To close, I would like to leave you with a few words from Patrea Walton - Deputy Director-General State Schools;

Sport and physical activity are recognised as great ways to support the holistic development of our students’ skills and abilities. Research tells us that physical activity contributes to a child’s development in many ways — to their health, physical and emotional wellbeing, and cognitive and social development.

Yours in sport,

Mrs McMinn

Administration

School and P & C Payments

Qkr! is our preferred method of payment for all school and P&C payments.  The free app can be downloaded to your mobile phone for quick and convenient card payments at anytime!  If you experience problems with the app, please go to the online platform at https://qkr-store.qkrschool.com/store/#/home 

Permission Notes

Permission notes will be emailed to the first listed contact on our OneSchool information.  Physical notes are sometimes handed out and may be returned to the office via the return slots, located outside of the office.  There are two  return slots:

1. Permission Notes (any notes without money)
2. Money & Permission Notes (notes with cash enclosed)

Contact Details

Please ensure that the school has your most up to date contact details on our records.  

This is especially important where a student has living arrangements in separate residences with their parents/guardians.  

Please email Rachael Asquith at rasqu0@eq.edu.au to update/correct our records.  Please include the following information:

• First Contact (parent/guardian) - address, email and phone numbers
• Second Contact (parent/guardian) - address, email and phone numbers
• The child's primary residential address (please note the system will only allow one).

Please note: if you do not provide details for both parents and you are separated, the system will show that you both reside in the same address with the student on a full time arrangement.

Contagious Conditions

The ‘Time Out’ poster from Queensland Health outlines the contagious conditions that school communities should be aware of. It includes the ‘Exclusion of Case’ for each condition and the ‘Exclusion of Contacts’ information relevant to members of the community, both staff and students. Queensland Health alerts confirmed contagious conditions with us and provides the relevant information to be shared with our community. However, we also encourage families to advise us of any contagious condition so that we can take the appropriate action. The Time Out poster is available to view and download also from https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/426820/timeout_poster.pdf

Over the Counter Medications

The Department recognises that all medications, including over-the-counter (OTC) medications, e.g. paracetamol or alternative medicines, may be drugs or poisons and may cause side effects. As such, schools are required to receive medical authorisation from a prescribing health practitioner (e.g. doctor, dentist, optometrist, but not a pharmacist) to administer any medication to students, including those bought over-the-counter.

Whilst parents may administer OTC medications to their child without medical authorisation, they are aware of the child’s complete medical history, and are able to provide ongoing, direct supervision for the course of the child’s illness. Due to these circumstances, a parent is also more likely to recognise if their child is having adverse effects and requires immediate medical attention.

The student’s prescribing health practitioner also has the knowledge of the child’s medical history to determine the appropriate OTC medication to administer and is therefore able to determine dosage and provide advice regarding potential side effects or interactions with other medications.

For these reasons, OTC medications will only be administered to students at school if medical authorisation has been received.

School Staff Car Park

Parents are reminded that the school staff car park, is not a safe place for children to be delivered or collected from school. Parents who have students with disabilities have been given permits to drop off their students at the cul-de-sac.

Uniforms

School Uniforms must be purchased from the P & C Uniform Shop, located at the back of the Hall, near the Staff Car Park.  The Uniform Shop (and cafe!) is open from 8-9am each school day.  You can place orders/purchase event tickets etc. via the P&C's Big Commerce website at: https://cranbrook-state-school-pc-association.mybigcommerce.com/

Please contact Bridget on 0457 869 194 for queries and appointments outside these hours.

Communication

Without doubt, the greatest issue I face as a school principal (and parent) is around communication and its impact on all facets of education.  Whether it be a teacher’s (or parent’s) ability to communicate with a child, my own ability to communicate with staff, or even the school’s overall ability to communicate with the wider community – communication is such an important factor in my daily existence.

Constantly we are reminded that communication is a two way street. I take this opportunity to encourage all members of the school community to take an active role in communicating. Our teachers appreciate any correspondence that assists them in working with children and families to maximise their learning experience at school.  Out of school successes, student stresses and medical issues are all factors that impact on a child’s learning and should be communicated.   When we all work together and open communication channels, we can achieve even greater things for our kids. 

It is important that family contacts are up to date.  Please contact our office as soon as possible to update your information.

During the course of the school year, situations may arise that require parents/ care givers to contact staff. It is recommended that parents should first contact the staff member closest to the source of the question.  i.e. - your child’s teacher is the most appropriate person to speak to regarding a question about his/her school progress, classroom behaviour and educational program.

You can either leave a message for the relevant staff member to contact you for a phone discussion or make an appointment so a time can be scheduled for a meeting.  Email addresses for all staff are available from the school or the website.

Please be aware that teachers cannot leave their classes during class time for an impromptu discussion with you. Teaching begins at 8.50am so after this time teachers are NOT available for discussions or messages.

How we communicate with you

Good communication is very important and it is important for parents to be aware of the types of communications we have in place.

Cranbrook uses a variety of methods to communicate with parents and our school community.

1. NEWSLETTERS – A fortnightly electronic newsletter is published on Fridays. The e-newsletter is emailed to all parents and staff.  It is also available to download from the website and the facebook page.  Newsletters are also available to view from the Schoolzine App.  If you are not receiving our newsletters you are welcome to subscribe at any time or email lross160@eq.edu.au to request to add your email.  We encourage all of our families to ensure they are receiving and reading the weekly newsletter. 
2. WEBSITE - Our website provides current information about our school and procedures.  Families are also access the school calendar, newsletter and also download many forms and documents.  
3. FACEBOOK - Regular posts regarding important and urgent news, reminders, school events, student achievements and daily activities are published to keep our school community informed and engaged.  Like our facebook page to receive our regular updates. https://www.facebook.com/CranbrookStateSchool 
4. SCHOOLZINE APP - The schoolzine app is an easy to use mobile phone application  that allows parents and carers to have access to school news at their fingertips at any time, including receiving the newsletter, newsflashes and the school calendar.
5. NEWSFLASHES - A brief message or reminder sent via email and available via the schoolzine app for urgent and quick reminders.  
6. SCHOOL CALENDAR - Every effort is made to update our school calendar with events prior to them occurring.  The school calendar is available to view directly from our website, the newsletter or the Schoolzine App.  
7. LETTERS – Letters will go home in the form of emails and/or physical notes when special excursions and events are being planned or when parents need to be advised of something important that cannot wait for the weekly newsletter.  We also use our School Online Booking System (SOBS) to request permission for your child to participate in various school activities or events.  
   
8. MEET THE CLASS TEACHER – At the beginning of each year parents are invited to attend meetings to communicate the goals and procedures for each school year. 
9. PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEW OPTIONS – While our teachers are happy to communicate with parents at any time about student progress, the most popular times are at the end of each term or semester. The teacher will inform you about how your children are progressing and what they need to do to get the best results.
10. SCHOOL PARADES – School parades are held weekly, alternating between senior and junior parades during the term.  A full school parade is held at the start of the term and at the end of the term.  Parents are most welcome to attend Parade held each Thursday at 2:30pm.
    

Download Our School Communication App

A direct and free communication channel to parents

SZapp is a mobile app that’s free for parents to download. SZapp allows our school to send free push notifications to our families and school community at any time.

Everything at your fingertips

The App features:  Events, News, School E-Newsletters, School Calendar, Forms and Documents and push notification alerts (Newsflashes) direct from the school.

All of our school's important information is collated in the one place and notifications are sent to our families and school community your mobile device so you can receive instant updates.

INSTALLING SZapp

1. On your device, open the App Store
2. Search the App Store for SZapp
3. Download and install SZapp

FIND YOUR SCHOOL

1. Select your school's region (Queensland)
2. Search for and select your school (Cranbrook State School)

REGISTER A USER

Before you can add your school, you will need to register.  Register with your email, or sign in with Google or Facebook. Enter your email and name and then create a password.

MANAGING NOTIFICATIONS

Choose which group/s you would like to receive notifications from. Groups with arrows indicate that there are sub-groups which you can join.  Push Notifications – turn on to receive instant alerts to updates.

School Procedures

Morning Procedures

Please note our school day starts at 8.30am (learning begins at 8.50am but students should be here prior to prepare for the day). Along with attendance our focus is on Late Arrivals and Early Departures, even though some students’ attendance is satisfactory, the late arrivals and early departures means they are missing up to 20 days or 100 hours of schooling per year.

Our Procedure:

8.00am – Students may enter the school grounds and play on the playgrounds, undercover areas or, for the Prep students only, the Prep playground.

8.30am – Students should be at school to prepare for the start of school at 8.50am. The bell will ring for students to line up in the undercover areas. Teachers will collect students and take them to class to prepare for the day’s learning.

8.50am – LEARNING STARTS. (Students arriving after 8.50am will be marked late and must report to the office for a late slip.)

8.51am – Students are SIGNIFICANTLY LATE and must report to the office to have their name marked on the rolls. Students will not be admitted into class without a LATE SLIP being presented to the teachers.

Students should be here ready to prepare for the days learning by 8.30am.

Prep Parents and Students

Drop off to Prep playground area after 8:00am each morning.

Prep students from Prep A and Prep B can be collected at 3pm from the covered walkway, outside the Prep playground.  Please do not come in to the playground area, as this distracts the children from their learning of curriculum, routines and fostering of independence.  Prep C and Prep/1D students maybe be collected from their classrooms at 3pm.

Late Arrivals

All children arriving after 8.50am are asked to report to the office.  Students should be accompanied by parents or a note SHOULD be provided to staff to explain the lateness.

Play Areas

ALL play areas are out of bounds before and after school as there is no adult supervision.  This also includes the Prep Playground, however, Prep students only will be able to access supervised play from 8.00am.

Supervised Crossings

Three supervised crossings operate near our school to provide safety for students when leaving the school grounds in the afternoon.  The crossings are on Ross River Road, Bergin Road and Albert Street.  These crossings operate before school from 8am to 9am and after school from 2:30pm to 3:20pm.

Head Lice

If there is a case of Head Lice in your child’s classroom, a note will be sent home asking you to check their hair and treat, if necessary.  It is imperative that you use a nit comb as the treatment solution alone will not work and check again in seven days.  Please return the note to your child’s class teacher as soon as possible.

After school procedures

Students riding or walking home after school should promptly leave the school grounds by no later than 3:10pm.

No children (school age or not) are allowed on the playground equipment (including the prep area and the prep adventure playground) after 3:00pm. This direction is for safety reasons as there is no staff supervision after this time and they are not being supervised by parents.  

Lunches - Cold Room Storage

The Cranbrook P&C installed a new cold room at the end of 2016 and have given our school the privilege of using the cold room to store student lunches in the warmer months of the year. This service will allow parents to broaden what they pack for their children's lunches as the heat should not spoil perishable foods. The procedure is as follows:

• Large lunch tubs will be available for students and parents at the ends of the large under covered areas, labelled with their classes.
• Upon arrival, students should place their lunches in the tubs if they would like their lunches to be placed in cold storage.
• At 8.50am tubs will be placed in the cold room. There is NO access to the cold room for students who arrive late.
• Tubs will be taken out of the cold room during 1^st break playtime and placed back at the ends of the large under covered areas for students to collect at the beginning of eating time.
• Students nominated by the classroom teacher will collect the tubs and take them to the eating area.
• The empty tubs are returned to the cold room by the same students at the conclusion of eating time and students take their lunch boxes to their classroom/port racks. 
  

Please note:  Prep students will keep their lunch boxes in their airconditioned classrooms and not in the coldroom.

Healthy  Snack 

'Healthy Snack' takes place in the classroom each morning around 9am.  This gives students the chance to eat a small healthy snack to help keep them alert until 1st break.  Please be mindful that it is only a very short amount of time given to eat and cutting fruit up for smaller children, will be helpful.

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club has begun!  

The club provides breakfast to our students in all educational sectors. They aim to assist disadvantaged children and young people to get a good start to the school day by providing them with the opportunity to share a nutritious meal in a supervised environment before school, on the school premises. Breakfast programs enhance the health and wellbeing of children and young people. They contribute to the nutritional needs of children, help improve attendance, assist in improving engagement and have a positive impact on the capacity of children and young people to learn.

Breakfast programs increase social connection and improve engagement with school by providing an opportunity for children, young people and their families to build informal relationships with key school personnel and with each other.  Breakfast programs can also be a vehicle for teaching social skills and provide a means by which students can share and assume varied responsibilities. Breakfast will be available to all students in the Undercover Area from 8.00am to 8.30am.

Breakfast Club Menu:

• Toast and toasties
• Fruit Cups and fruit
• Weetbix

Donations such as: 

• Tinned Spaghetti
• Cheese
• Spreads (jam, vegemite etc)

are most welcomed.

School Bus Service

Cranbrook State School operates its own private bus service for use by students travelling to and from school and for other school related activities, including excursions.

The collection of students will be from their residence or other parent allocated collection point.

The Cranbrook State School Bus Application Form is available on the website.

Phone Amanda on 47261222 to make your bookings or to clarify any questions you may have.

From your P&C

Our Uniform Shop is open each school morning from 8-9am.  Don't forget our Coffee Cart with a range of hot and cold drinks available.  For appointments and queries, please contact Bridget on 0457 869 194.

Please remember to change your child's class when ordering Tuckshop from the Qkr! app.  Lunches are taking a long time to get to students, reducing their eating time, because they are going to their 2023 classes.  There is no automatic rollover - you must change the details.  Many thanks!

Our first meeting for 2024 will be held on Wednesday 14 February at 6.30pm in our OSHC building  on Albert Street.  All welcome and encouraged to attend!

We have an exciting funraiser just around the corner.......

Come and join us for our Trivia Night on Saturday, 24 February.

 ** This is our current tuckshop menu **

Sports Pride Fridays

Community News

Townsville Education Centre  -  Open Day

We run 1:1 and small group personalised tutoring sessions, STEM workshops across a variety of topics, larger group sessions for senior school support (particularly in STEM) and many other things too.

Come and see what we do - this Saturday from 9 - 11am.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information printed in this issue is up to date and correct at the time of publication.