5 February 2025

Principal’s Report

Yours in education,

Peter Davey
Principal

Student of the Week

TERM 1 WEEK 1

Date Claimers

Due Dates for Payments

Welcome to Kurwongbah

Individuals Together

We wish to extend a warm welcome to all new families who have joined our school community this year. We hope that our new students will settle in easily, make new friends and enjoy their learning experiences at Kurwongbah.

Thank you to our cleaning staff and school facilities officer for their amazing efforts in preparing the school grounds and classrooms in readiness for the start of the school year. Thank you also to our office staff for their hard work in preparing for the start of the school year.

The school administration team for 2025 consists of Mr Peter Davey (Principal), Mr Craig Waldron (Deputy Principal), Mr Steve Wood (Deputy Principal), Mrs Belinda Jolly (Business Services Manager), Mrs Beth Kent (Head of Inclusion) and Mrs Meike Bellett (Head of Curriculum).

We are looking forward to a successful year of learning and achievements for all Kurwongbah students.

New Staff

Welcome to the following new staff joining us this year:

• Mrs Ritchie – Year 5 Class Teacher
• Mrs Bellett – Head of Curriculum

Welcome Back

Welcome to the following staff who are returning to Kurwongbah:

• Mrs Tarlinton – Junior Science Teacher
• Mrs Smith – HASS Teacher (Tuesday)
• Mr Denning – PE Teacher
• Mrs Cramb – Class Teacher 6B (replacing Mr Thoburn for 9 weeks of Term 1)

Class Teachers 2025

Welcome to New Prep Students

Last week we welcomed 93 brand new Prep students beginning their school journey at Kurwongbah.  The students have settled into their school lives very well and are enjoying making new friends and participating in the many activities that their teachers have planned for them.

KSS Weekly Wrap Up

Bell Times

Parents are reminded of the bell times.  If you are planning to collect your child during the break times, please ensure you contact the office to advise, so we can have your child waiting at the office.  We can’t otherwise guarantee to locate your child until they transition back to their classroom.

Year 3 1:1 iPad Programme

The 1:1 iPad journey has started in our Year 3 classes. Last week the Year 3 students explored their iPad kit and set up and have begun using them in the classroom.

Parent Information Afternoons

Over the next three weeks class teachers will be holding parent information afternoons to give you an overview of key learnings areas for the year, along with school and classroom organisation. These afternoons provide an excellent opportunity to meet the class teacher and ask any questions that you may have about the year.

Week 2

Tuesday 4^th February Prep (4.15pm – 5.00pm)
Thursday 6^th February Year 3 & 3/4D (4.15pm – 5.00pm)

Week 3

Monday 10^th February Year 4 (4.15pm – 5.00pm)
Wednesday 12^th February Year 2 (4.15pm – 5.00pm)
Thursday 13^th February Year 6 & 5/6D (4.15pm – 5.00pm)

Week 4

Monday 17^th February Year 1 & 1/2D (4.15pm – 5.00pm)
Tuesday 18^th February Year 5 (4.15pm – 5.00pm)

NAPLAN 2025

The 2025 NAPLAN testing dates are Wednesday 12^th March to Monday 24^th March.

NAPLAN is used by governments, education authorities and schools to determine whether young Australians are meeting important goals in literacy and numeracy.

Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are expected to sit the NAPLAN tests, which are held in Term 1 each year.

NAPLAN gives a snapshot of how children are performing in reading, writing, spelling, punctuation, grammar, and numeracy. It complements other effective classroom assessment and reporting practices.

School Photos

School photos for 2025 have been scheduled for Wednesday 5^th and Thursday 6^th March. Information on class schedules and payments will be sent out closer to photo date.

Parade Presentations Term 1

Whole school Parades are held each Friday morning from 8.55am in our school hall. Parents are most welcome to attend. During the year each class or year level will present a Parade Presentation.

Below are the Term 1 Parade Presentations:

Student Safety

The safety of students and staff is very important. Members of the school community are asked to observe the following:

• Students are required to have their Kurwongbah school hats at school EVERY day and students must wear hats during both play breaks regardless of where they are playing
• Students who bring scooters to school must secure them in the bike area. Scooters are NOT to be stored in class areas
• Parents and carers are also asked to use the school crossings (Eacham Street and Eucumbene Drive) when bringing their children to and from school. This teaches our children the correct road safety rules. Thank you for your support with these safety precautions
• Parents and carers are permitted to photograph their own child at school events and activities but are requested to refrain from taking photos of other children or posting school material online (including Facebook)

Absences

State schools are required to notify parents on the same day any student is absent from school without explanation.  Rolls are marked at 8:50am and 2:10pm each day. An SMS message will be sent to any parent of a student with an unexplained absence by 11am.  Students who are not in their class at 8:50am will be marked absent and MUST collect a late slip from the office. Parents collecting their children early must sign them from the office before collecting from the classroom.

Absence Notification Process

Please remember to contact the school early in the morning if your child is going to be away or late for school so your child’s absence can be recorded correctly. The preferred method of reporting an absence is via the SMS number 0429 919 560. Otherwise, you can contact the school absence line on 3481 4366 or the main school admin line on 3481 4333.

Please be sure you indicate the following when reporting the absence:

• Name of child (especially if there is more than one child in your family)
• Absence reason – Please indicate if your child is sick or at an appointment etc. Indicating that your child is not coming to school, does not give a true reason for the absence
• Late Arrival – If your child will be late due to an appointment, please indicate an approximate time of arrival
• Dates of absences, if longer than 1 day

Contact Details

It is important that the school have the correct contact details.  This is especially important in emergency situations or if your child presents as unwell during the school day. If you have changed your mobile phone number, address or email address, complete the attached form and forward to the office.  Please be also aware if you have a change in emergency contacts. If parents are registered through QParents they are able to update details through this app.

Storm Warnings

If the weather forecast is indicating storms or we have heavy rain at 3.00pm, your child will be kept in class until your arrival at the classroom. Please do not panic when collecting your child as this can distress other students.

Mobile Phones Away for the Day 2025

Student Use of Mobile Devices

If students choose to bring their phone to school, they must switch it off and hand in at the office for safe keeping during school hours.  Phones should not be left in school-bags.

Smartwatches and other devices can be worn; however, notifications must be switched off.

This includes during lessons and break times, as well as during other school activities. 

Students not complying with this policy will be referred to school leadership and parents contacted.

Why is This Happening?

This approach is being implemented in all Queensland state schools to:

• Reduce distractions in the classroom
• Increase face-to-face interactions between students
• Promote student health and wellbeing
• Reduce the potential for student exposure to negative impacts of the digital world, such as cyberbullying

More Information

Guidelines and supporting documents have been developed in consultation with school leaders and key stakeholders.

Scan the QR code to visit the phones away for the day online hub, for parent/carer and student resources.

School Parking Programme

Moreton Bay Regional Council (MBRC) Local Laws Unit undertakes a School Parking Patrol Program where officers complete scheduled school patrols, both in the morning and afternoon, to ensure that vehicles are parked in a safe and lawful manner. The primary aim of the program is to ensure that students and family members/caregivers are able to safely move around the school area as part of dropping off or picking up students from the school.

The Moreton Bay Regional Council Local Law No.5 (Parking) 2011 and Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 control parking or stopping of vehicles on footpaths, bicycle paths, marked yellow lines, shared paths, dividing strips and nature strips, along with vehicles parking across resident’s driveways and within ‘No Stopping’, ‘No Parking’, and ‘Bus Zones’ and Pick-up / Drop -off zones. Council is legally required to enforce these areas and the School Parking Patrol Program forms part of this process. Drivers are reminded that footpaths and nature strips are in place to promote pedestrian movement in a safe manner along roadsides and that drivers and residents must not stop on a bicycle path, shared path, dividing strip or nature strip. Please also note that vehicles that are parked with two wheels up and two wheels down is not considered as a lawful parking practice.

Local Laws officers conduct enforcement through the issuance of Penalty Infringement Notices as part of each School Parking Patrol. Please be aware that Council officers may take photographic evidence of vehicles stopping or parking illegally with Penalty Infringement Notices to be issued via mail at a later date to the offending vehicle’s owner.

Visit www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/parking for further guidance on parking restrictions.

For any further information, members of the School community are welcome to contact Moreton Bay Regional Council on 3205 0555.

Kurwongbah Kids Playgroup

Guidance Officer (GO) Greetings

Greetings Kurwongbah families!

I am excited to be back at Kurwongbah State School as your Guidance Officer for 2025.  My name is Olivia Devereux (but your children might know me as Mrs D - which is much easier to remember!) 

My role as Guidance Officer (GO) is varied and includes providing advice and counselling on educational, behavioural, personal, social, family, and mental health and wellbeing issues.  Guidance Officers may work directly with students (with parent permission), in addition to working with teachers, families and other specialists.  If you feel your child may need Guidance Officer support, the first step would be to discuss your concerns with your child’s teacher.

Can I also take this opportunity to share some information about Parentline – Parentline can provide one-off or ongoing FREE virtual counselling (daily between 8.00am – 10.00pm) to support parents and caregivers.  Their website has lots of helpful information about various topics, such as managing behaviour, social anxiety, bullying and online safety.  To find out more, please visit parentline.com.au.

Olivia Devereux
Guidance Officer

STEM & Enrichment Education News

Makerspace Lunchtime Timetable

The library is home to a Makerspace where students can come in and create using robotics, learn coding, design, build and test prototypes using engineering principles or perform science experiments. Students will have the opportunity to engage in various programs throughout the year in the Makerspace exploring computational thinking and technology applications.  

Lots of Junior students have been engaged in creating with Lego this week. The seniors have been keen to battle with the Sumo Robots and are busy preparing for an upcoming tournament. Join a team or come in to watch the fun in the Makerspace!

2025 Insects in Agriculture DAF Hermitage Schools Plant Science Competition

Year 6 enrichment students will participate in the 2025 Research Facility Schools Hermitage Plant Science Competition called, ‘Insects in Agriculture.’  From evil weevils to powerful pollinators, in 2025 the Department of Agriculture and Fishers is putting the spotlight on insects and the impact they have (both good and bad) on our agricultural industries and global food security. Students will perform an experimental investigation of their choice and submit a scientific report and science journal detailing their research and findings.  Best wishes for your inquiry!

Book Club News

How Book Club Helps Your Child’s School

Every time you place a Scholastic order, your School is being rewarded!  For example, for every Book Club order you place, Scholastic receives 20% of your total order spend to your school as Scholastic Rewards.  This allows the school to purchase books and resources for your child’s classroom and the library, helping students reach their highest potential.

How To Order

The Book Club LOOP platform for parents allows you to pay by credit card.  Your child’s order is submitted directly to school and the books will be delivered to your child’s class.  You can place your child’s order at http://scholastic.com.au/LOOP or using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

Cash orders can be handed into the library.  Simply fill out the order form on the back of the catalogue, place the form and the exact cash amount into an envelope or clip seal bag and drop off to the LIBRARY ONLY!

Julie Collins
Book Club Coordinator 

P&C News

Save the Date

Our next P&C General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 12^th February 2025 at 6:30pm in the Staffroom. This will be our first meeting for 2025. Come along and hear about what is happening in our school community.

Become a P&C Member

Our P&C association is a friendly group and the meetings are a good way of finding out what is happening at our school. Each year members work together to grow community spirit and work towards the benefit of all children at the school. Members may choose to volunteer in the classroom, library, tuckshop, uniform shop, at sporting events and organised activities/working bees. P&C membership also allows members to have a say in what should be done to help the school community, and how best to fundraise to work towards important goals throughout the year.

Drop your membership form into the school office or email it to: secretary@ksspca.qld.edu.au.

Tuckshop News

Start of Year Reminders

Tuckshop lunch orders can be made online through the QKR app prior to 8am on day of ordering, alternatively orders can be placed directly at our Tuckshop counter. Please ensure your students profile has the correct year and matching class, otherwise your orders will automatically be delivered to Prep A classroom (as the default class in our system) and delay your child receiving their order. Please make sure your child is aware if they have a Tuckshop order for that day, so they are delivered/collected on time. 

PLEASE NOTE: Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 orders are delivered to the classrooms via the esky system.

Year 3 to Year 6 students will need to collect orders from the Tuckshop counter.

Prep Ice Blocks/Frozen Treats

Our Prep students can order ice blocks however our Tuckshop staff will deliver these items to the classroom freezers. We are unable to accommodate slushy orders at this point in time. 

Ordering

The preferred method of ordering is online via the QKR app, as all details of in stock items are available.  We also accept over the phone orders and cash orders over the counter.

Cash

Tuckshop is once again accepting cash sales via the bag system and for over the counter items in break times.

Phone Orders

Parents can place a phone order, by phoning the tuckshop directly on 3481 4337 and paying by credit card.  Cut off for phone orders is 9:00am.

Online Ordering

Parents can order via the online QKR app.  Cut off for online ordering is 8:00am.  Please ensure you have your child’s correct class, so your child’s meal is prepared and ready in the correct collection place.

Allergies

We currently cater for many students with allergies.  If you have any concerns, please feel free to contact our team and we will be able to give you up to date information regarding our products.

Tuckshop Hours

Sandra
Tuckshop Convenors 
3481 4337
tuckshop@ksspca.qld.edu.au 

Uniform Shop

Uniform Fittings

If you need a uniform fitting, you do not need to arrange an appointment. Simply come to the Uniform Shop during opening times.

Qkr! Online orders are delivered to class during Uniform Shop hours.

School Backpacks

School backpacks are available for $50.  These backpacks are chiropractic approved and have a guarantee for the full time your child is at school. We have new stock arriving Monday 20^th February.

Second-hand Uniforms     

If you have uniforms that you no longer require, please bring them into the Uniform Shop. We urgently need all sizes.

You can either sell them through the shop or donate them.  If you can’t get into the Uniform Shop to drop off your second-hand uniforms you can leave them at the Office with Uniform Shop written on the bag. 

Ordering Through Uniform Shop    

Uniform Shop Hours

Thank you 
Michelle
3481 4338
uniformshop@ksspca.qld.edu.au 

Containers for Change

Community Notices

Pine Rivers Saint Andrews Hockey Club – Come and Try Days

Redcliffe Hockey Club

Pine Rivers Sign on Day

Wheelchair Rugby League – Come and Try

Encircle Community Services

Australian Girls Choir Open Day

Pine Rivers Pumas Rugby Union Club – Come & Try Program