19 March 2024

Principal’s Report

Yours in education,

Peter Davey
Principal

New Students

A special welcome is extended to Layla (Prep A), Summer (Prep B) & Mia (2C) 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 7

Top Kurwongbah Staff

Date Claimers

Due Dates for Payments

Free Dress Day Fundraiser – Mater Chicks in Pink

Thanks to all students and staff that supported our free dress day fundraiser for the Mater Foundation, the school raised $645.05.

NAPLAN 2025

Due to the impact of Ex Tropical Cyclone Alfred the 2025 NAPLAN testing dates have been rescheduled for this week – Monday 17^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 rescheduled for the 4^th and 5^th June. This was the earliest date that was available. More information regarding school photos will be provided closer to our reschedule dates.

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.

Pre-paid meal deals and light up products are now available for our funky Let it Glow Neon Colour Disco. Merchandise and voucher will be delivered to classrooms next Friday 28^th March. Available on the QKR! App until 8.00am on Thursday 27^th March. Any cancellations or changes please email admin@ksspca.qld.edu.au before 9.00am Friday 28^th March. Presale Entry is also available at $5.00.

Meal Deals

• Groovy Meal Deal $10.00 – Includes Entry, Sausage Sizzle and drink
• Neon Vibes Meal Deal $13.50 – Includes Entry, Chicken Burger and Soft Drink

Mega Meal Deals

• Let it Glow Pack $19.00 – Includes Entry, Light Up Star Wand, Chicken Burger, Soft Drink, Chocolate & Bag of Chips
• Hawaii Pack $20.00 – Includes Entry, Hawaiian Lei, Cheick Burger, Soft Drink, Chocolate & Bag of Chips
• Reggae Pack $23.00 – Includes entry, Dreadlocks, Chicken Burger, Soft Drink, Chocolate & Bag of Chips (add sunglasses for $4.50 extra)
• Fluro Bunny Pack $25.00 – Includes Entry, Bunny Headband, Chicken Burger, Soft Drink, Chocolate & Bag of Chips

The Chicken Burger in the Mega Meal Deals can be swapped for a Sausage Sizzle (-$3.00). Soft Drinks can also be swapped for Water or a Popper.

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.

Eco-Marines News

What an amazing result in our ‘Container Drive in Week 5’. We were blown away from the support of our school community and you should be so proud of everyone efforts. I would also personally love to thank the P&C, parent volunteers and students who gave up their time to help with the counting.  With the final total being an astounding 35 383 we decided to increase the classes receiving a pizza party from 1 to the top 3.

The top 3 classes were:

• 6A – 2208 containers
• PB – 2245 containers
• 1A – 2657 containers

With the success of this in our school we will be running it every term this year and hopefully we smash the amount we got in term 1 (you can start collecting them now ready for next term). To add to the amazing work we have started this year, our EcoMarines will be meeting up with the Moreton Bay Regional Council to look at how we can minimise waste at Kurwongbah.

Remember Stay Clean with the EcoMarines.

Kurwongbah Kids Playgroup

Chappy News

Hello Kurwongbah,

I don’t know about you, but I sure am glad to be getting back into the swing of things after what has been a very challenging time for many – if not all – of our school community. As a parent myself (albeit of teenagers who were more impacted by the loss of internet than anything else!), I know that I have needed to spend some valuable time in the support space, to ensure that my lads are back on track and doing well, so I thought I’d share a few ideas for you to reset your young people and get them back to their usual selves.

Supporting Your Child in Getting Back to Normal After a Challenging Event

Acknowledge Their Feelings

Validate your child’s experience and the emotions that they may be feeling, letting them know it is okay to feel sad, angry, frustrated, or worried. Give them a safe space to share their feelings and listen without feeling like you need to “fix the emotions”. Sometimes the best thing we can do is simply listen, and let them know that we hear them.

Re-Establish Routine

A consistent routine helps children feel safe and secure. There was a lot of build up to Ex Tropical Cyclone Alfred and our routines really went out the window as we all prepared, sheltered, and recovered. Taking the time to get back into consistent routines is important right now – and will help you feel calmer in the process.

Encourage Healthy Outlets

Physical activity, creative hobbies, and social connections can help children process their emotions. Take some time on the weekend to get out in the fresh air and reconnect with the beauty that is Queensland in Autumn (I’ve checked the weather app and it is meant to be blue skies and perfect temps!)

Remind Them of Their Strengths

Help your child remember times when they’ve faced challenges before and come through them. Encouraging resilience and problem-solving skills will empower them to cope with difficulties in the future. Maybe take some time to sit with them and ask them to imagine they were a superhero, what superpowers do they already have (think of things like kindness, patience, imagination)?

Seek Extra Support When Needed

If your child is struggling to move forward, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer for a young person to reset their internal thoughts and feelings – that is ok. We all bounce back differently, and we are here to help. Please let your child’s teacher know if they are in that space so that we can support them here at school.

Support for You as a Parent or Carer

Supporting a young person through tough times can be emotionally taxing. It’s important to look after yourself too. Here are some tips to ensure you’re also getting the support you need:

Stay Connected – Talk to friends, family, or support groups to share your experiences.

Prioritise Self-Care – Even small acts like taking a walk, reading a book, or having a cup of tea can help recharge your energy.

Reach Out for Help – If you’re feeling overwhelmed, please don’t go it alone. There are a lot of support services available – please contact me if you would like to know what services can support you, and I am available for parent support Wed – Friday. Please contact the school office and they will pass your details onto me.

Charlie’s Fuel 4 School – Parent Help Needed!

Tuesday to Fridays from 8.15 am in the Supper Room – I would love to start Term 2 off with a full roster of help in this space. If you are able to spare 30 minutes of your time in the morning, I would love to put you on our team. Please reach out to me at cevan330@eq.edu.au for further information.

If you would like to learn more or access chaplaincy support, please don’t hesitate to contact me. We’re in this together, and I’m here to help.

Chappy Carly

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 

YMCA OSHC News

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

P&C News

Save the Date

Our Parents and Citizens Annual General Meeting was postponed due to Tropical Cyclone Alfred. It will now be held on Wednesday 26^th March 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.

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

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 & Megan
3481 4338
uniformshop@ksspca.qld.edu.au 

Containers for Change