5 March 2025

Principal’s Report

Yours in education,

Peter Davey
Principal

New Students

A special welcome is extended to Aurora (1B) who joined the Kurwongbah School community recently.  We hope you enjoy your time at Kurwongbah and we look forward to parent support with P&C and class activities.

Student of the Week

TERM 1 WEEK 5

Date Claimers

Due Dates for Payments

Chappy’s Big Breakfast & 96.5FM Visit

Thank you, Kurwongbah State School! You guys really showed up in spades at our first Big Breakfast for 2025! I cannot begin to describe how amazing the morning was and how incredible it was to see so many smiling happy faces enjoying a fabulous start to the day.

My biggest thanks go to Club Pine Rivers and the Lions Club for their incredibly generous support for our Big Breakfasts. Club Pine Rivers goes above and beyond to ensure we are fully catered for and that we are able to put on an amazing spread, each and every event. I am so very thankful to Craig Lauman, Club Pine Rivers General Manager, for his support and the time he gives to make these events come together.  The Lions Club, led by the amazing Christine, put a terrific team of volunteers together to not only cook and serve, but to help clean up afterwards (which saves me a lot of work!).

I also extend my thanks to Councillor Jim Moloney, who comes every Big Breakfast ready to cook and serve and be whatever I need him to be on the day. This Big Breakfast we were also joined by Leanne Mogridge, representative for Shane King State MP for Kurwongbah, and Lucie Innes, coming on behalf of the Honourable Peter Dutton MP Federal Member for Dickson. My thanks to them both for their service on the buffet line and the terrific way they represented their respective MP’s.

To the staff, parents and other volunteers who gave up their time to ensure the morning was a fabulous success – thank you. It just wouldn’t happen without the many hands that make light work and I so appreciate you putting your hands up to help.

Finally, how wonderful was it that we got to have 96.5FM Family Radio broadcasting live from our school?! Our student leaders were exceptional in their radio appearances and the #happy shoutouts were so fun to hear.

It was truly a fantastic morning and I am so very honoured that I get to “throw everyone breaky” once a term – it is one of the highlights (out of many) of my job and it is a real joy to see you all coming along and being a part of it. Here’s to the next one (Mr Davey is already nervous about what I might need to do to make it even bigger!!) Mark your calendars for Thursday May 15^th – it is going to be GREAT!

Chappy Carly

Young Leaders Day 2025

Last Monday our Year 6 Student Leader attended the Halogen Foundation National Young Leaders Day at the Brisbane Convention and Entertainment Centre. During the day they heard from a host of inspirational leaders who shared their stories on goal setting, overcoming adversity and determination.

Year 2 SEQ Water Talks

Year 2 connected with SEQ Water for their Science unit last Tuesday. They looked at the urban and the natural water cycle.

Road Safety Around the School

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.

QParents Information Session

P&C School Disco – Friday 28th March

We will be holding a Let it Glow Neon Colour Disco on Friday 28^th March. Entry to the disco is $5.00, with food, drinks and glow products available.

Parade Presentations 2025

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 2025 Parade Presentations:

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.

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

Inclusion News

New Process for Requesting Information for Therapists & Specialists

We would like to inform parents and caregivers about a new process for requesting information from the school for external therapists or specialists. If you require documentation, such as completion of questionnaires or letters for paediatricians or GPs, these must first go through the school office.

To streamline this process, a Request for Information form must be completed before any paperwork is provided. This form is available at the front office. Please note that the turnaround time for these requests can take up to 10 working days, so we ask that you plan accordingly.

Requests should not be directed to the classroom teacher. All paperwork must go through the office to ensure the appropriate processes are followed. Additionally, as per Education Queensland policy, staff are unable to complete questionnaires via an online link. If a request comes directly from a specialist, a Consent to Share Information form must be completed before any further action can be taken.

Once the necessary forms have been completed by the relevant teachers, they will be returned to you or your child. If you require this information to be sent directly to the specialist, a Consent to Share Information form must also be completed.

We appreciate your cooperation in following this process, as it ensures all requests are handled efficiently and in line with school policies. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

Beth Kent
Acting Head of Special Education Services

Guidance Officer (GO) Greetings

Greetings Kurwongbah families!

Part of my GO role is to connect students and families to relevant services in the community.  This week, I am sharing information about Family and Child Connect (FACC) – this is a FREE service for families who are going through tough times.

Helping Families Through Life’s Ups and Downs

Family and Child Connect is a free, confidential service that can connect families to the practical support they need to bounce back in tough times. Family and Child Connect can connect you to local services that help with:

• Managing your child’s behaviour
• Building better family relationships
• Stopping violence at home
• Budgeting and managing money
• Alcohol, drug or gambling problems
• Accessing housing, health care or other community or government services

Family and Child Connect services are provided by trusted, local organisations who are experienced in working with families.

To find out more about Family and Child Connect, call 13 FAMILY (13 32 64) or visit familychildconnect.org.au. Access to interpreters is available.

Also, one of my GO colleagues has compiled a list of local services – Low and No Cost Food and Crisis Support – please see attached below:

Olivia Devereux
Guidance Officer

STEM & Enrichment Education News

Makerspace Lunchtime Timetable

Hermitage Science Competition

Year 6 enrichment students are participating in the Hermitage Plant Competition, where the aim is to stimulate an interest in science and agriculture in young people, and to promote science and agriculture as a rewarding and exciting career choice. In 2025 they are putting the spotlight on insects in agriculture. From evil weevils to powerful pollinators, insects (both good and bad) can have impact on our agricultural industries and global food security. Students have chosen to create a variety of science experiments that will investigate insects and organic repellents. Best wishes to the team in their investigation!

Design Technology Reminder

Year 5 students are creating a service for an edible plant as part of their Design Technology unit and assessment. Students will need to bring in a container or repurpose an item that they would like to plant their plant into for the assessment. Items can be brought to the Makerspace for collection. Milk containers, tubs, tins and plastic bottles are just a few ideas for this project.

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 Parents and Citizens Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 12^th March 2025 at 6:00pm in the Staff Room. This will be followed at 7:30pm by our March General Meeting. Come along and hear about what is happening in our school community.

Nominations are Now Open for P&C Positions

All positions are open for nomination. Nomination forms are available from the school office or copy which is attached below. Please drop your completed nomination form into the school office or email secretary@ksspca.qld.edu.au.

Executive Positions

• President
• Vice President
• Treasurer
• Secretary

Craft Sub-Committee

• Chairperson
• Treasurer
• Secretary

Fundraising Sub-Committee

• Chairperson
• Treasurer
• Secretary

2026 Fete Sub-Committee

• Chairperson
• Treasurer
• Secretary

Co-Ordinators

• Book Club Co-Ordinator
• Marketing Co-Ordinator

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. Membership forms are also available at the Uniform Shop.

YMCA OSHC News

Ashleigh Hay & The YMCA Kurwongbah Team
Phone: 0448 244 060
Email: akb@ymcabrisbane.org

Tuckshop News

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