A WORD FROM OUR PRINCIPAL
Hello Everyone
Welcome back to our wonderful Freshwater Community. I trust that you had a relaxing holiday and that the students are ready to tackle the new term. We are proud of our staff and the hard work they do every day for every student in our school. Our teachers work collaboratively to develop and implement a high yield Australian Curriculum. We look forward to sharing our teaching and learning with you throughout the term.
As we begin this new chapter, I want to highlight three values that define our school community and drive everything we do: collaboration, teamwork, and success. Our greatest achievements come not from working alone, but from lifting one another up, learning from each other, and moving forward together. Whether in the classroom, on the field, in the arts, or through everyday interactions, your contributions make a difference.
This term, let’s challenge ourselves to communicate openly, support one another, and celebrate both individual and collective progress. Every voice matters. Every effort counts. And when we work as a team, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
A perfect example of collaboration was demonstrated during the internal consultative group meeting held on the 23rd April in relation to our new multipurpose hall. As our school principal, I appreciated the diverse members of the group, each bringing a different perspective and insight into the discussion held. An excellent understanding of the work that has already been done, as well as the thought provoking and respectful questioning by members of the group enabled a good foundation for future discussions. I look forward to sharing more information from each of the meetings in the future.
Prep Enrolments 2026
Children born 1 July 2020 – 30 June 2021 are eligible for Prep 2026. If you have or know of a child born between these dates, please complete the enrolment forms available from our office or our website. We have already had significant interest for Prep 2026, so we encourage our families and community members to enrol their children as soon as possible.
Celebrating Guidance Officer Week - Support, Inspire, Guide
This Guidance Officer Week (Monday, 28 April to Friday, 9 May), we celebrate 77 years of guidance support in Queensland state school communities. Guidance Officers (GOs) provide counselling and advice on educational, career, personal, mental health and wellbeing issues for students. This week is an opportunity to highlight the great support our GOs provide in schools.
I am grateful to have Maryann Berlin as our Guidance Officer at Freshwater State School to work with not only our internal student support personnel, but a range of external inter-agency connections to provide quality ongoing support for our students and their families. Thank you, Maryann – we very much appreciate everything you do.
Winter Uniform and Sun Safety
Our school has a sun safety policy and students must wear a hat and are encouraged to wear other protective clothing and apply sunscreen when they are outside of the classroom. (It is for this reason that students are also required to wear swim shirts during all water-based activities). It is vital that parents encourage their children to be sun safe every day. It is also a good time to remind students that water bottles are an important factor in keeping hydrated during the day. Has your child got one at school?
School Uniforms
It was very pleasing to see our students return to school in the full school uniform from day 1. As our School Prospectus reminds us, to adopt a uniform policy is one thing; to have it worn correctly requires the co-operation of parents. I have seen students starting to wear a variety of coloured socks and inappropriate jewellery (such as dangly earrings and necklaces). As I remind students every school assembly, our uniform is the first thing that defines us as a school and to wear it with pride, as seen at the ANZAC Day ceremonies, at our school and community commemorations, is important. Please remind your children to continue to wear their uniform with pride, and for safety reasons, to refrain from dangly earrings and necklaces.
Parents as Partners in Learning
"Parents are a child’s first and most important teacher.
Investing uninterrupted time in your child AND partnering with your child’s school
are two of the most important things you can do"
Do You Give Your Children 8 Minutes of Attention per day?
Small emotional investments like one-on-one, quality time now will help ensure your kids grow up feeling safe, valued and listened to. Time is precious…but not as precious as your children. That’s why it’s so important to set aside at least 8 minutes every day of distraction-free time to engage with each of your kids, one on one, without interruptions. Put down your phone, iPad or laptop and take the time to really BE with them - exchanging stories, asking and answering questions, sharing a laugh…whatever works best! Your child will feel more listened to, valued, safer and happier. Studies show that kids who receive this kind of attention do better at school, with greater language skills and higher self-confidence. With benefits like these, there’s no better way to spend 8 minutes a day!”
Don’t ask ‘How was school today?’
Are you tired of getting the same old shrug, when you ask the same old question? Get the conversations going in your house again! With slight wording modifications, these questions can work with children of all ages:
- What was challenging about your day?
- What do you like about your day?
- Tell me about a moment today when you felt excited about what you were learning.
- Tell me about a moment in class when you felt confused.
- Were there any moments today when you felt proud of yourself?
- Tell me about a conversation you had with a classmate or friend that you enjoyed.
- Think about what you learned and did in school today. What’s something you’d like to know more about?
- What’s a question you have that came from your learning today?
- What did you learn about yourself today?
- Is there anything that you’d like to talk about that I might be able to help you figure out?
- Is there anything you’re worried about?
- What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
(Tips from Steve Francis- Happy Schools website)
Yours in Learning,
