DCSS Term 3 Week 6
Calendar of Events
A Word From The Principal
Congratulations Year 3 on their successes with their 2025 Hy-Line Hen Ekka Competition. Entering this competition is no small undertaking as the students had to grow their chickens from four weeks of age; calculate their food and water; monitor their growth and egg production; spend regular time with the hens to get them used to people and finally, present all their results in a project. Last Saturday, 4 student representatives attended the final day’s judging of the eggs and the presentation of ribbons. It was extremely interesting to hear from the judge all the qualities they look for in a good egg. Finally, the time came for the judge to announce which of the 17 schools would receive awards and I am very proud to say that our school took our second place in the primary school Hy-Line Hen raising and second place with our project. I would like to extend a special thanks to our past students Shilo Schultz, Millie Hume and Sophie Osborne for their support and knowledge.
Student Carnival – Friday Week 10
For those of you who are new to our school community, I’d like to share with you what our student carnival is all about. Each year our Year 6 students co-ordinate, with help from their teacher, an afternoon of fun on the last day of school. This event has become an institution in our school and something the students eagerly look forward to. On the day the Year 6 students set up the school to run like a mini carnival, with a mixture of paid and free activities. Students pre-purchase $5 wristbands from Week 8 onwards, through the QKR app, and are handed out to the students on the morning of the carnival. Their wristbands will pay for five paid activities and are stamped as they complete each activity. Parents are welcome to purchase multiple wristbands.
To support our Year 6 students, we ask that families donate fun sized chocolates, icy poles and lollies that can be used as the prizes on the day. All money raised goes to the Student Council who gift back to the school various things such as – seating in the Year 4-6 area, new bubblers at the library, school banners and the Year 6 Graduation Dinner.
Parent / Teacher interviews- our second round of face-to-face interviews will be held this coming Tuesday from 2.45pm- 7.00pm in the library. We encourage all parents to attend these interviews.
Carpark and Pick Up
At DCSS, we have taken great care in training our students the procedures around drop off and pick up. From time to time, we all need a friendly reminder of what we do in both settings. The following are the rules we expect all our students and their families to follow:
- Always use the zebra crossing. Cutting through the carpark is very dangerous.
- Students on bikes and scooters need to walk their bike/scooter across the crossing.
- Students are not to ride bikes in the school grounds, including younger siblings.
- Once inside the gate we don’t go out without an adult.
- At pick-up we leave the school grounds promptly
- via the double carpark gates if walking to our parked car or riding.
- If we are getting picked up through the drop and go, we go through the end single gate.
- If walking up the road, we go through the bottom single gate
- The top single gate needs to be kept free for bus students
- Parents wanting to catch up with the teacher need to speak to them away from the Giraffe Shed
- Parents are to keep their children with them. Running around and playing while parents are talking is not allowed.
- Drive through pick up is only 2min, so please have a large sign displaying your family name on the dashboard.
- Staff carpark is out of bounds
Tuckshop
Recently some students have missed out on an order and this has been particularly so for special food days EG Strawberry Sundaes. Once these events are over it is very difficult to give the student their missed item. This week our teachers went through the following process with their students for when they believe they didn’t get their order.
Additionally, please go into the Qkr App and check your child’s class details. Some students have the wrong class against their name, leading to food going to another room.
Julianne Mabb
Principal
Whole School Expectations
Across the fortnight, we have been looking at what bullying is and what bullying isn’t. This week we have had a particular focus on being an upstander, not a bystander. Please view this short video in the link below to find out what your child has learned about upstanders and bystanders.
STEM Experience Day at USC – A Day of Innovation and Discovery!
On Thursday, 14th August, our Year 4 & 5 Solid Pathways students had the exciting opportunity to visit the University of the Sunshine Coast (Sippy Downs Campus) for a STEM Experience Day. Accompanied by some of our wonderful parents and Mrs Abraham, the students were in for a day full of hands-on learning and inspiring discoveries.
After signing in and receiving our goodie bags—complete with some very cool socks—we kicked off the day by hearing from USC staff about the exciting pathways and support options available at the university. Then it was on to the real fun: our STEM rotations!
Our first activity focused on Sources of Energy. Did you know that lemons can be used as batteries? By inserting metal pieces into the lemons, the citric acid causes a chemical reaction that produces enough energy to power a small light. It took a bit of trial and error, but with teamwork and perseverance, our students got their lights glowing!
Next up was Marine Biology and Robotics. We learned that manta rays have unique spot patterns, much like fingerprints, which help researchers identify individual animals. We also got to meet and interact with Ben Ben the Robodog! Students used controllers to make him walk, dance, and wiggle. Fun fact—Ben Ben was a special guest at the EKKA this year, where he herded sheep in the main arena!
After lunch, we dived into the world of Drones and Whale Research. We watched a fascinating video showing how drones—nicknamed snot bots—are used to collect mucous samples from whale blowholes to study bacteria and monitor whale health. After a safety briefing, our students had a go at flying their own ‘snot bots’, aiming to collect mock samples and return safely to their ‘boats’.
It was a fantastic day of learning, laughter, and new experiences. Our students also had the chance to collaborate with peers from Mount Kilcoy, Gympie, and Bellmere State Schools, broadening their teamwork and communication skills.
Petrina Abraham
Inclusion Teacher
Premier's Reading Challenge
Class News
Performing Arts News
Our Year 1s and 2s have been enjoying their exploration of puppets in Performing Arts this term. They have been exploring the materials used to make puppets, how they function and how to give puppets personality through voice and movement.
So far students have looked at Marionette puppets and Rod puppets. Students were enthralled watching The Lonely Goatherd scene from The Sound of Music and loved how the puppets' eyes, necks and feet moved. We also travelled to Indonesia and India to explore some of their puppets. Up next we get to explore some shadow puppets and some other puppets from different Asian cultures.
Sarah Kirk
Performing Arts Teacher
Awards and Certificates
Book Week 2025
