Dear Queenscliff PS school community,

It’s hard to believe we are nearly halfway through Term 3! I think it is going so fast as I am really loving the community and school, especially after a great Grade 3/4 camp last week! The events keep coming this term as we look forward to the upcoming Art Show, Wonder Showcase and ‘Footy Day’!

Attending the Grade 3/4 camp to Camp Kangaroobie last week was a highlight for the term so far. Our camp motto was, ‘getting comfortable with the uncomfortable’. The students braved many new challenges, displaying grit and resilience to achieve their goals. They consistently demonstrated the school value of ‘Optimism’, seeing every opportunity as a learning experience. From obstacle courses, tough hikes, first time away from home, sledding on the sand dunes, working in teams…the students achieved it all! They represented our school with a positive spirit, manners and gratitude, making this a proud achievement for all involved. Thank you to Mrs Hurley, Mrs Fullard and Mrs Lewry for their time, care and effort to organise and attend the camp. I had a blast…especially getting wet and muddy on the obstacle course!

This week is the start of many activities and events for the term ahead. Nippers Assessment ahead of the Term 4 Grade 3-6 Nippers program, Grade 4-6 Aths Carnival, Grade 6 ‘Guide to the Borough’ excursion, just to name a few. Last week the Grade 1s and 2s attended the Queenscliff Museum, connecting their classroom learning to the local history within the region. Preparations are now well underway for the Art Show. If you haven’t seen the recent Social Media promotions, they are worth checking out! On Monday, Oli and Xavier (Grade 6) proudly came to show me the canvas they’ve been working on for display and sale at the Art show. This will be a desired Art piece for many young bedrooms and no doubt will be popular in the auction. Well done Oli and Xave. This is very impressive! Please continue to keep up to date with Compass newsfeeds in the weeks ahead as promotions increase for the Art Show.

On Monday 3 August, the Department of Education completed filming at QPS. The focus was the school’s ability to teach and embed First Nations perspectives in a cross-curricular approach. This educational film will be shared within the Department of Education staff portal to provide professional learning to educators across Victoria. This opportunity reflects the strong and unique work being led at QPS, which is a credit to Kelly Caldwell and all the staff. Thank you to the students who participated in the lesson filmed for the project on the day.

The QPS staff were also showcased last week across the Barwon Region as the inaugural school in the ‘Schools in the Spotlight’ series. Our school was selected for the implementation of strong academic and wellbeing models, and the positive impact these have had on student engagement, learning and outcomes. Congratulations to Mrs Morris, Mrs Hurley, Mrs Hickey, Ms Petrie and Mr McRae for proudly presenting and showcasing Queenscliff Primary School to the region.

Last week, Ms Petrie and I were spoiled with recognition for Principal’s Day. We were grateful for the heartfelt messages from students, staff and parents shown on this day. As with any role, there are times of challenge and stress, but these are outweighed by the motivating and rewarding experiences that are had daily! When ever times get tough, we stand up, head to a classroom and our buckets are instantly filled by a smile, greeting or seeing great learning in action! Queenscliff Primary School is a great place to be!

Have a great week ahead,

Sarah Jeffreys
Acting Principal

We have been enjoying the classic Australian story Wombat Stew! Through this rich text, students expanded their vocabulary and learned to use interesting words such as amble and graceful. We also explored narrative story structure, identifying the characters, setting, problem, solution and feelings of the characters.

The best fun, however, was heading outside to make our very own gooey, chewy Wombat Stew! Students then wrote about the ingredients they added to their stew.

This was one of the first opportunities for our Prep students to showcase their writing in a longer writing piece. Until now, much of our writing has focused on orally retelling stories and recounts, as well as writing simple sentences. We were incredibly impressed with the students’ enthusiasm, creativity and writing efforts. It was wonderful to see them applying their growing knowledge of sounds, spelling, vocabulary and sentence structure to create their own pieces of writing.

Integrated Studies – Ancient American Civilisations

This term, students in 5/6C have been exploring the fascinating world of the Inca, Maya and Aztec civilisations. We have discovered where and when these remarkable societies lived, with the Maya flourishing across parts of present-day Mexico and Central America from around 2000 BCE to 1500 CE, the Aztecs ruling central Mexico from 1325–1521 CE, and the Inca building a vast empire along the Andes Mountains of South America from 1438–1533 CE. Students have compared the geography, achievements and cultures of each civilisation while investigating what daily life was like for the people who lived there.

Throughout the term, we have also examined the many contributions these civilisations made to the world. Students were particularly amazed to learn that the Maya developed one of the world's first symbols for the number zero, an incredible mathematical achievement that is still important today. We have also explored Inca engineering, including their impressive road systems and terrace farming, as well as Aztec floating gardens known as chinampas. In addition, students have investigated how each civilisation was organised into different social groups, with emperors or kings, nobles, priests, warriors, merchants, artisans and farmers all playing important roles in helping their societies function. It has been a wonderful opportunity for students to appreciate the achievements and lasting legacy of these extraordinary ancient civilisations.

The Countdown is on for the Queenscliff Primary School Art Show

The excitement is building for our upcoming QPS Art Show, Saltwater Dreaming! Our students have been working incredibly hard in Visual Arts, and we cannot wait to show their colourful, creative and inspiring artwork.

A huge congratulations goes to the students who have been specially selected to take on some very exciting roles at this year’s Art Show!

Art Show Auction Artists

A group of talented students have been selected to create their very own canvas artworks for our Art Show Auction. These students were chosen based on their wonderful submissions, creativity and commitment in Visual Arts. Their finished canvases will be professionally auctioned on the night by Fletchers Director and auctioneer, James Gladman. What an incredible opportunity for our young artists to experience the excitement of seeing their own artwork go under the hammer!

Student-Led Workshops

We are also very proud of the students who have been selected to plan and teach their own creative workshops during the Art Show. These students will step into the role of art teachers, sharing their skills, ideas and creativity with other children and families. Please book in to one of these exciting workshops for a small cost – morning tea will be provided.

The Art Show is such a special opportunity to celebrate the creativity of all of our students and to bring our school community together. There will be beautiful student artwork to explore, creative activities, our student-led workshops and, of course, the excitement of the live auction.

Please come along and support our wonderful young artists! Bring your family and friends and help us make the Art Show a fantastic celebration of creativity, confidence and our QPS community. See our poster for further details.

Are you coming to the Art Show? You’d better be!

Bird Flu Information for our School Community

Cases of H5 bird flu have been confirmed in birds across Australia, including in south-west Victoria.

Our school has steps to follow if sick or dead birds are found at or near our school.

If you see a sick or dead bird at or near the school, please let us know. If you find a sick or dead bird in the community, the advice from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is to:

1. avoid contact and keep your distance

1. record date, time, location and take photos

1. report it to using an online form or through the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline: 1800 675 888.

For current information about reporting, refer to DEECA’s H5 bird flu page.
For more information, you can check out these bird flu resources from the Australian Government.