Mt Cotton State School Parents & Citizens Association Newsletter 30th July 2013

For Our Children

Email: pandc@mtcottonss.eq.edu.au President: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: Katie Wicking Kirk Jackson Nicole McGarrity Michelle Gould 0412 125 695 0423 731 175 0418 769 778 presidentmcss@yahoo.com.au kirk4tracey@yahoo.com.au nicolemcgarrity@gmail.com dazza.mich10@bigpond.com

Our Next Meeting:

Wednesday, 7th August 2013 at 7pm in the Library Conference Room. Everyone welcome!

MCSS Spring Clean

Looking for volunteers to help out with our MCSS Spring Clean on Saturday, 7 September from 9.00am. People with utes to help take away some green waste are a priority. We will be focussing on cleaning up the rainforest access areas, garden maintenance and cleaning concrete areas and walls (particularly those along the car park drop-off zone). People with high-pressure cleaners and those willing to put in a few hours to help beautify our school will be welcomed with open arms! To register your availability to help, please email us at presidentmcss@yahoo.com.au

From the President:

Weve made some more great advances as a P&C this past week find out more below. Its so lovely to have some new faces joining us to help share the workload! Thank you to all of you. Best of luck to our Choir for this weeks Eistedford! Regards, Katie

P&C Facebook & Twitter Pages

We are now on Facebook and Twitter!! Like and Share our Mount Cotton State School Community page on Facebook, or search for MCSS Community on Twitter. These pages will be used by our P&C and Principal to relay important information, updates and reminders for our parents, students and extended community. We have already reached over 100 people thanks to parents liking and sharing. If you cant find what you need on our pages, simply personal message your question and one of our dedicated administrators will do their best to get back to you as soon as possible.

Craft Group Update

Im so excited to have started the Craft Group last Wednesday! We have 32 students now on our list, with 15 in attendance and 17 on a waiting list. At the moment its an all-girl group and what a great bunch of girls they are! I think were going to have a LOT of fun! Our first project is headbands. Now that everyone has selected their fabrics we can start sewing this week! We are still in need of a couple of volunteers who are able to help with our group on Wednesday lunchtimes. The more volunteers, the greater the number of students that can participate. If you are able to help, please contact me at mountcotton@helpinghandsnetwork.com.au Thanks, Jodi Burgess (Coordinator, Helping Hands Mount Cotton)

The Mount Cotton Caf Project

A committee has been set up to investigate the viability of establishing a Caf at the school. The area that is being considered is the hall kitchen. It would be converted into a facility catering for coffee and light refreshments. An outdoor weatherproof area, complete with tables and chairs is also planned, creating the ideal meeting place environment for parents, teachers, staff and visitors to the school. Before this project can proceed, we are in the process of submitting a grant to obtain the necessary finances so watch this space! Sean Christie, Year 5 Teacher

How Can I Help?

DPI POULTRY DAY Looking for 4 volunteers to manage catering at the DPI Poultry Day on Friday, 18th October. Plenty of information provided. Please email Leah Irvine at leahirvine3@bigpond.com or Kylie Shiels on kshiels@live.com.au to offer your assistance. SPRING CLEAN VOLUNTEERS NEEDED We will be having a working bee on Saturday, 7th September from 9am to clean up and beautify our school. Please email presidentmcss@yahoo.com.au to register your availability.

CRAFT GROUP VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Can you spare an hour or two during Wednesday lunchtime? We need a couple of volunteers to assist Jodi Burgess with our new Craft Group. The more volunteers, the more students that can participate. Please contact Jodi on mountcotton@helpinghandsnetwork.com.au CLASSROOM HELP Why not ask your childs teacher if there is anything they need help with? Maybe you can take some cutting out or similar home after drop-off and bring it back at pick-up time? TUCKSHOP Can you spare a couple of hours on a Wednesday, Thursday or Friday to help out in our wonderful Tuckshop? If so, please drop in and see Angie.

FUNDRAISING NEWS: Disco

Dont forget our PYJAMA PARTY DISCO is on next Friday, 16th August in our School Hall. Come along in your favourite PJs and dance the night away. Prep Year 3 from 5pm 6.30pm. Years 4 Senior from 7pm 8.30pm. Entry cost will be $5.00 per student. Sausage Sizzle available for purchase from the BBQ. If you are able to volunteer some time to help our P&C on the night, please email nicolemcgarrity@gmail.com

of Primary Industries (DPI) has an open day for interested High School and Tertiary students where they showcase different aspects of the poultry industry. As some of you may know, for the past 10 years the MCSS P&C have catered for this event, partially as a fundraising opportunity, but moreso as a way to give back to our community. This years event is scheduled for Friday 18th October. As the lovely parents who have volunteered to manage this one-day event in recent years have now left our school, we are seeking the assistance of 4 new volunteers to manage this task for us. This will involve catering and serving for up to 100 people at the local DPI offices (morning tea and lunch). We have a volunteer from last year who is very happy to talk the process through with you and can provide assistance during this hand-over year. Unfortunately, if we cant find some new volunteers we will be unable to continue this MCSS tradition. So if you are able to help please contact Leah Irvine on leahirvine3@bigpond.com or Kylie Shiels on kshiels@live.com.au Thank you in advance for your help!

Healthy Lunchbox Ideas:

Heres a recipe for those time-poor families make your mornings easier with this great breakfast idea! BREKKY BARS Ingredients: 3/4 cup self-raising flour 1 cup shredded coconut 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas) 1/2 cup sunflower seeds 1/3 cup sultanas 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots 3/4 cup low-fat milk 1 egg Method: Step 1: Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Grease a 3cm-deep, 17cm x 27cm (base) slice pan. Line with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at long ends. Combine flour, coconut, sugar, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sultanas and apricot in a bowl. Whisk milk and egg together in a jug. Add to flour mixture. Mix to combine. Spoon mixture into prepared pan. Smooth top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until firm. Stand slice in pan for 15 minutes. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 18 pieces. Serve.

Run 4 Fun
Get Ready and Get Set to Run 4 Fun on Friday, 6th September. Every students has an opportunity to be rewarded with great prizes through sponsorship support. Sponsorship Forms have already been sent home. If your child does not have one home, please collect one from beside the P&C Box in the office foyer. Forms are due back to the P&C Box by no later than 3 September 2013.

Sponsorship
Theres still plenty of time to become a MCSS Sponsor. Sponsors are offered the opportunity to display a Proud Sponsor of Mt Cotton State School sign on our prominent fence line along Mt Cotton Road. Sponsorship is offered on a term by term basis. For more information, please contact Katie Wicking on katiewicking@optusnet.com.au or 0412 125 695. Step 2:

Step 3:

DPI Poultry Day

We are still looking for volunteers to assist with this event. Every year the Department

Have a healthy and tasty lunchbox idea? Please share your recipes by emailing katiewicking@optusnet.com.au

Tuckshop News:
Hey Folks! Week 4 Special Chicken Noodle Stir Fry $4.00 available at Morning Tea & Lunch. The following ice blocks are out of stock for the next couple of weeks Rainbow & Special Paddle Pops, Lemonade Icy Twist, Raspberry Split & Smooze. The Choc Paddle Pops & Banana Paddle Pops will be $1.20 for the next couple of weeks also. Our ever reliable volunteers for this week are: Wed 31st July Thurs 1st August Allison Bedford Lee Textor & Susan Jones 911.30, Fiona Wishart 11.30

Tanya Edser Fri 2nd August Without these great helpers, there would be no Tuckshop. They quietly help out week after week with no fuss or fanfare & I am extremely grateful for all that they do. Thank You!!! Cheers, Angie (0433 154 874)

Uniform Shop News:

OPENING HOURS FOR TERM 3: Tuesday afternoons Wednesday mornings 2.15pm 3.15pm 8.15am 9.00am

Price List & Order form Found at www.mtcottonss.eq.edu.au under 'Our Community' in the 'P & C' section, or the school office, or uniform shop. Can be returned to P&C box in the school office, the uniform shop, or emailed to the address below. Email Phone karlene.cunningham@bigpond.com 0413 038 185

Hi Everyone It's sale time! We have a limited number of girls long pants that we would like to sell quickly, so the price is being reduced. They were originally selling for $18, but have been reduced to $12. They tend to be a bit long for most girls, so if your daughter is really tall, or you're good with a needle and thread, then come and grab a bargain! Have a great week, Karlene PS - keep an eye out for an exciting new way to purchase your uniforms. More information to come!

From the School Office:

From the Principal .
Gaming Grant Update I have been working with the P&C executive and our volunteer grant writer to develop a Community Gaming Grant proposal. The initial discussions have been around the area outside the Hall, utilising the existing kitchen and decking an area to create a public meeting place/ caf. This design we envisage would benefit our students during the day with a university style seating

area as well as supporting greater community involvement for parents and external groups. We are also including in this grant proposal a new custom made Kindy/ Prep playground that supports gross motor development for our youngest students as well as providing an avenue to develop a play group program for our toddler/ kindy aged children in the future. We will be putting out to tender quoting for the decking area, kitchen caf development and the playground area. We will keep you updated on this proposal as we refine our focus further. Chaplain Selected We are pleased to announce the selection of Mrs Joanne Friske as the Mt Cotton State School Chaplain for 2013/ 2014. Over the next fortnight we will be meeting with Mrs Friske to develop her role and work with her on key initiatives we would like to see her support. I am confident she will support students and families in a variety of ways and feel she will be very proactive in developing extra-curricular programs that will benefit all students. Have a look out for her in the coming month around the school I will introduce her on the assemblies in Week 6. Prep Equating Study We are all about improvement at Mt Cotton and I have signed us up for a state government initiative called Early Start which gathers data around learning development in the Prep year. We will be collecting data on 20 random students that will support better data collection and the creation of quality developmentally appropriate programs state wide. If you are in the current Prep classes, you may be contacted to see if you give permission for your childs anonymous data to be included in the study. Principal Awards School Spirit This Friday at 9:45 am we will be holding our very first Principal Awards morning tea where parents and family members are invited up to the school to see their child receive a special award. This week, I have sent out 25 letters to parents in each classroom inviting them to this ceremony. The theme for this award is School Spirit children were chosen by their teachers because of their quality behaviour, excellent attitude and generally for being the best example of a great Mt Cotton student. The photos of these 25 students will be on display in the office foyer for 1 month I anticipate this will be a monthly tradition, focusing on a new area of learning or character development as the theme. Kindy Connect Prep Enrolment 2014 We are in the process of fine tuning our Prep enrolment program for 2014 called Kindy Connect. The crux of the program involved key events in which our new enrolling parents and students get to become a part of the Mt Cotton Community through information sessions, open days, play groups and academic screening interviews. A group of our Prep teachers will be engaging with our largest school child care feeder centres so that we have a good understanding of who is coming to our school and begin planning for supporting their needs next year. NEWSFLASH Look out for information coming through via Facebook from me I will be Tweeting and Blogging on a regular basis over the coming months. Thanks to those people who have set up this social media for us it will really change the way we communicate. Last word

I heard was there are over 100 friends of the Mt Cotton Community Facebook page and growing. James Forrest, Principal

Prospective Enrolments The feathered kind!

Mrs Day had some prospective enrolments wander up onto the verandah and into the rainforest room this morning a mother duck and her ducklings! They had a good look around, left a little something behind and then wandered off. Hope they live in the catchment!

Music Notes
Good luck to the choirs who are performing tonight and tomorrow night at the Redlands Eisteddfod. Please remember to meet me at 4.30 for a 5.00 session start. Mt Cotton Melodies will have an extra rehearsal on Wednesday morning at 8.45 when the bell rings, for an hour as I have not been able to see them this week. There will be NO Thursday morning rehearsal this week. Suzie Bath, Music Teacher

Junior Athletics Day Program Thursday 1st August 9am to 12:45pm

9am Prep to year 2 classes assemble on the bottom oval in house groups 9.10am March Past 9.20am Rotational Activities begin 12:35pm Presentation

Please ensure that all students have their hats everyday and particularly for the Junior Athletics Day Remember NO HAT NO PLAY/PARTICIPATION! Have a great day!

Cash Window/Payments Due

The cash window is open every week on Wednesday & Thursday from 8.15am to 9.15am and accepts cash, cheque and has EFTPOS facilities. The school is often unable to accept late payments because of deadlines imposed by bus companies etc. Please note that class teachers are not permitted to accept payments due to audit regulations. Monies due: Prep Excursion $24, due Thurs 1st Aug Yr 4 Camp, final payment $45 due Thurs 1st Aug st Stellar Science Quest $15, due Thurs 1 Aug nd Senior Camp 2 instalment $100 due Thurs th 8 Aug Please contact the school office, prior to the deadline, if you have difficulty meeting the deadlines, to make alternate arrangements.

Good Luck to the Choirs who are performing at the Redlands Eisteddofd!

School Opinion Surveys

Could those families who were issued with the School Opinion Survey please ensure they are returned to the school office as soon as possible.