Montville News - Term 2 ~ Week 8 ~2025 - Issue 29

Principal Update

Dear Montville State School Community,

As we approach the end of Term 2, it's a great opportunity to reflect on the memorable moments and achievements that have shaped our school community over the past weeks.

Reading Initiatives

Our Prep students were delighted to receive reading bears, generously donated by the Blackall Range Lions Club. This initiative has sparked enthusiasm for reading among our youngest learners.

A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated volunteers who have consistently supported our Daily Rapid Reading program throughout the semester. Their commitment has been instrumental in enhancing our students' reading skills.

Staff Appreciation

I extend my gratitude to our teachers and support staff for their unwavering dedication. Their efforts have fostered a supportive and engaging learning environment, ensuring our students thrive academically and socially.

Parent Engagement

To our parents and caregivers, thank you for your ongoing support and involvement. Your engagement plays a vital role in our students' success and the strength of our school community.

Report Cards

Report cards will be sent home in Week 10. This is an excellent opportunity to discuss your child's progress and set goals for the upcoming term. We encourage you to engage in these conversations with your child and their teacher to support their continued growth.

Upcoming Events

· Sunshine Coast Show Holiday – Friday, 13 June

· Athletics Carnival (P-6) – Monday, 16 June

· Beginning Workshop Music Rehearsal – Tuesday, 17 June

· Small Schools Soccer (years 3-6) – Friday, 20 June

· School Disco –Montville SS Hall Friday 20 June 5pm-7pm

· Final Day of Term 2 – Friday, 27 June

Looking Ahead

As we conclude this term, I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable school holiday. We look forward to welcoming all students back on Monday, 14 July, ready for another exciting term of learning and growth.

Warm regards,

Iljas Memedovski

Principal, Montville State School

Prep/1

Hello, Prep and Yr 1 Families,

The Prep and Yr 1's have been enjoying investigating and writing informational texts. It is great to see all the kids so invested in their work; it's hard to get them pack up and move on to other learning. We have been super impressed with everyone's prior knowledge of their chosen topics. can't wait to see their final writing assessments. If you have a spare five minutes, take the time to look through the classroom at the kids work that is displayed everywhere. During Maths we have been working hard on problem solving and partitioning numbers using hands on materials. After the Science unit we all know about living things and what they need to survive and their habitats. The Prep and 1's have been busy practicing their athletics events during PMP. Athletics day is on Monday and families are very welcome to come and watch the kids doing their events. Our daily Word Study sessions have been a favourite time during our day. The year 1's have been working hard with Mrs Bierton and Mrs Poingdestre each morning while I work with the Prep's. The kid's motivation and enthusiasm towards Word Study is a credit to their work ethic and love of learning. We are looking forward to seeing our hard work gardening! We have planted beans and lettuces and they are growing very well with this beautiful weather. Thank you to our trusty parents for helping in our class daily; your support is very much appreciated. We are looking forward to the remainder of Term 2 and the upcoming holidays. 

Miss Sheree, Mr Jake & Miss Beth

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Year 2/3

Practicing for Our End of Term English Presentations

In English we have been writing an informative text about an animal of our choosing for our end of term assessment. After we researched our animal, we then turned our research into a well formatted informative text that included titles, subtitles, paragraphs and labelled diagrams. Next, we are presenting this information orally to the class. As this can be a little daunting, we have learnt how to present to the class pretending that we are a real field scientist. We observed how a quality presenter talks to an audience (thank you, Sir David Attenborough) then collected artifacts from the classroom or school grounds and prepared our own scientific presentations. Creating a field scientist character helped us overcome some of the presentation nerves and gave us some ideas about how to approach our end of term presentation.

 It was a pleasure (and every entertaining) watching how all students transformed into confident experts in their field, engaging with the audience through eye contact, and features of voice such as tone, volume and pace.

Miss Glenna

Year 3/4

Our amazing 3/4s  have been deeply engaged in a variety of enriching learning experiences these last few weeks. It has been a joy to experience their collaboration and cooperation in the classroom and playground. In English, students have been diligently writing and drafting their informative texts, honing their ability to organize information and express ideas clearly. During Maths lessons, the focus on time duration has sharpened their analytical and problem-solving skills, essential for everyday life. In Science, students have unleashed their creativity by designing unique living things and identifying their features, fostering curiosity and a deeper understanding of biological concepts. Adding to the excitement, the pleasurable task of working in the kitchen garden has offered hands-on learning about sustainability, teamwork, and the joy of nurturing growth. These diverse activities not only make our learning engaging but also cultivate critical thinking, collaboration, and a sense of accomplishment.

Mrs Deans

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Yr 5/6

As Term 2 wraps up, Year 5/6 has continued to impress with their dedication and enthusiasm. Our biography writing has been a real highlight — students have been deeply engaged in researching and writing about inspiring individuals, and it’s been wonderful to see their curiosity and writing skills grow. In Maths, we’ve been learning about money and budgeting, and as part of our assessment, we’ve had the exciting opportunity to plan a fundraiser. Hopefully, some of our creative ideas might even be put into action! We’ve also been smashing out our assessments across all subjects, and students have been working incredibly hard. It’s been a busy term with lots of fun, hard work, and great progress all round. We can’t wait to see what Term 3 brings!

Miss Free

Palmwoods - Montville Road Works

The Department of Transport and Main Roads' (TMR) contractor will soon continue with landslip repair work on Woombye-Montville Road (known locally as Palmwoods-Montville Road), Montville.

During 2024 major reconstruction of a 60-metre-long section of roadway near 800 Palmwoods-Montville Road was completed, as well as repairs at most of the minor sites.

Further damage of a minor site was experienced earlier this year caused by the 2024-2025 severe weather events that required an engineering design.

The design is now complete, and works are scheduled to start again at this section of road in late June 2025. Due to the narrow width of the road, challenging terrain and size of the construction equipment required to undertake the works, a section of the road will need to be closed to traffic to complete the repairs and stabilise the works and a detour route will be provided.

Learning Support

What Are Decodable Texts?
Supporting Early Reading at Home

Decodable texts are books specially written to match the phonics knowledge your child is learning in class. As children learn letter-sound correspondences in a specific order, these texts only include the sounds they have been taught, allowing them to practise reading without guessing.

For example, your child might read the word cat by sounding out /c/ /a/ /t/ and blending the sounds. Some texts also include high-frequency words (like the, said, is) to make sentences more meaningful, even if not all sounds in these words have been taught yet.

How Can You Help?
Encourage your child to point to each letter, say the sound, and then blend them to read the word. If they’re stuck, it’s okay to give them the word — they’re still learning and need support.

Reading may be slow at first, and that’s completely normal. The key is regular practise. Encourage your child to read their decodable texts often and to different family members. With time and support, they’ll grow into confident, skilled readers.

Happy Learning,

Mrs Nicole Bierton

Disco - 20th June 2025

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen & Garden

Pick of the Crop Update
Montville State School embraces Pick of the Crop. This year, Montville State School is so pleased to be participating in the Pick of the Crop initiative, funded by the Queensland Government through Health and Wellbeing Queensland. Our school has been participating in the program since 2024.
We have been working with Keith, our Pick of the Crop regional coordinator, & Dr Sophie (Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden co-ordinator to boost actions that will encourage our students to learn about, see, taste and try veggies and fruit during the school day. We were successful in securing funding from Health and Wellbeing Queensland to help us achieve our goals, and we encourage you all to help our students become veggie kids! Plans ahead for 2025 include growing mushrooms!
This whole school healthy eating initiative has been running since 2020 and we are so keen to be involved as it links the students teaching and learning in the classroom with activities across the whole school. Most of us know that kids (and us!) are not eating enough veggies and fruit every day and by increasing our intake by even one extra serve, we can all gain benefits to our health in the long term. We look forward to sharing lots of exciting and interesting stories with you this year from our participation in Pick of the Crop.
For more information on Pick of the Crop, visit: https://hw.qld.gov.au/pick-of-the-crop/

Health & PE

Save the Date: Athletics Carnival will be held on Monday 16th June 2025. (Week 9)

This whole day event will be for Preps to Year 6.  See below for event schedule - please keep in mind these are approximate times.  If you are available to help out for the day or part of the day please let Alice know at the office.  

Students will wear their sport house shirts, fully enclosed footwear and sun safe hats. It is also recommended that students wear sunscreen and bring a water bottle.

Students are encouraged to participate as part of the HPE/Sport program and eligible senior students will be selected to participate in the Small Schools Athletics Carnival.

All families are welcome to attend to cheer on the students.

To be confirmed: Small Schools Athletics to be held at Conondale Wk 1 of Term 3- 18th July 2025. - for eligible students.  Own transport is required.

Small Schools Soccer at Kenilworth will be held on Friday 20th June 2025 this is for students in years 3-6.  All students are encouraged to attend, even if they do not want to play.  Encouraging your school by participating from the sidelines is just as important!! 

SORA

We are excited to introduce a valuable resource that will further support your child's reading and learning journey: the Sora eBook service.

Sora is a digital reading app that offers a vast collection of eBooks and audiobooks, carefully curated to align with our curriculum and the diverse interests of our students. This service provides instant access to a wide range of titles, covering various genres, subjects, and reading levels. Whether your child is interested in fiction, non-fiction, classics, or even graphic novels, Sora ensures there is something for everyone.

Here are some key benefits of the Sora eBook service:

1. Access Anytime, Anywhere: Students can browse and borrow eBooks and audiobooks from Sora's extensive digital library using their school-provided devices or personal devices at home. This flexibility allows for seamless integration of reading into their daily routines.
2. Personalized Reading Experience: Sora allows students to customize their reading experience by adjusting text size, font, and background color. This personalized approach supports readers of all abilities and preferences.
3. Enhanced Learning Tools: Built-in features such as dictionary look-up, highlighting, and note-taking tools help students deepen their understanding and engagement with the content they are reading.
4. Offline Access: Students can download eBooks and audiobooks to their devices for offline reading, ensuring uninterrupted access even without an internet connection.
5. Support for Multiple Languages: Sora offers eBooks in multiple languages, catering to our diverse student community and supporting language learning initiatives.

We believe that Sora will not only encourage a love for reading but also foster critical thinking, comprehension skills, and digital literacy—all essential components of a well-rounded education.

We encourage you to explore Sora with your child and discover the wide array of reading materials available. Please see the attached ‘How to’ guide to assist your child to get started with Sora.

If you need assistance setting this up please see Miss Kelly or Alice at the office.

Administration of medications in schools

1.1  ‘As-needed’ medication

Prescribing health practitioners (e.g. doctor, dentist, optometrist, nurse practitioner) may prescribe medication to students that is to be administered ‘as needed’ or ‘as required’ in response to certain symptoms.

A pharmacy label on the student’s prescribed medication indicating it is to be given ‘as needed’ does not provide sufficient information for school staff to safely administer it, as they are not qualified to make clinical decisions about when medication is required.

What this means for you as a parent - any medications prescribed or over the counter medication which is to be administered at school requires a DR's letter or has been prescribed by a Dr before a staff member can give this medication to your child.  This includes panadol, anti-histamines, etc.

Schools require specific medical authorisation to administer any medication to students except when it is an emergency first aid response to anaphylaxis or asthma.

This medical authorisation may take the form of:

• the medication (in its original packaging) with a completed current pharmacy label (that indicates that it is prescribed medication), and/or
• other written authorisation signed by the prescribing health practitioner.

Is your family eligible for free internet access?

Families with school-aged children who do not have current internet access at home, may be eligible for the School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI). To ensure all students have equal opportunity for online learning, the SSBI offers eligible families free nbn broadband access. For more information or to check your eligibility, call the National Referral Centre (Monday to Friday) 1800 954 610 or visit the SSBI website.

Parentline service supporting parents and carers

Parentline is a free, confidential counselling service available for all Queensland parents and carers.

If you need support navigating challenging situations, Parentline offers qualified counsellors who can help with expert advice, emotional support and referrals when needed.

Parentline’s services include:

• practical parenting resources on their website

• live webchat with professional counsellors

• phone support for immediate assistance (1300 30 1300)

• the option to pre-book ongoing sessions with the same counsellor

• online counsellor-facilitated parenting forums for shared support

• referrals to other family support services when additional help is needed.

Visit their website (parentline.com.au) for more information today, or give them a call on 1300 30 1300.

QParents