Hello Everyone,

As the term progresses, students and staff have continued to work hard in relation to teaching and learning. Students have also been participating in extra curricular activities such as the TCN trials and are looking forward to a number of excursions coming up in term 2.

Acknowledgements

I would like to take a moment to thank the previous P&C executive and committee for their hard work and dedication. Your contributions have been invaluable, and we truly appreciate all the time and effort you’ve invested. Our school has benefited from the hard work from the fundraising and monetary contributions towards excursions, musical instruments and resources.  A special thanks is extended to our outgoing P&C President, Ms Suzannah Jackson, whose support of the school has been invaluable across her two year tenure.

A warm welcome to our new P&C executive team! Mrs Michelle Ibbett will take over as P&C President for 2025.  We look forward to working with you and continuing to build a strong partnership between the school and community.

I have been working closely with our student councillors and the student executive team to investigate appropriate playground designs for the upper school.  As a team, all students have been working extremely hard to not only contribute but to think of all factors that may influence the structure and design.  Watch this space as we finalise the playground design.

School Review

Reviews play an important part in how the department supports school improvement. They provide schools with independent feedback, tailored to their context and needs. All Queensland state schools undergo a review at least once every 4 years, with a team of experienced Principals. Our school review will be taking place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of Week 9. During this time, staff, students, and members of the community will be interviewed.

Schools are generally reviewed in the year that they are due to update their 4-year strategic plan. The insights gathered will be instrumental in supporting the development of our strategic plan for the next four years.

Upcoming Events

As we move forward, please mark your calendars for some upcoming events:

• Colour Run: 4th April – Get ready for a fun and energetic event!
• Easter Bonnet Parade: 3rd April – A special celebration for our P-2 students.

NAPLAN

A big thank you to Ms. Neubecker for her excellent facilitation during the NAPLAN assessment period. The last day of assessments will be on Monday. Well done to all our students and staff for their hard work during this time.

Looking forward to an exciting end to this term!

Yours in Learning,

It’s been a busy and exciting few weeks at school, and there’s plenty to share as we move towards the end of term.

NAPLAN is Underway

Our students have approached NAPLAN with confidence, and we couldn’t be prouder of their efforts. The online assessments have run smoothly, thanks to the organisation of Michele Neubecker (Head of Department – Curriculum) and the dedication of our Year 3 and Year 5 teachers and support staff. NAPLAN runs over a two-week period and we’ll continue encouraging students to do their best. Once results are available, we’ll use them to refine our teaching practices to ensure we’re meeting the diverse learning needs of every student.

Parent-Teacher Interviews

It has been fantastic to see so many parents and carers taking the opportunity to meet with their child’s teacher to discuss progress and set goals. These conversations are invaluable in strengthening the partnership between home and school. If you haven’t had a chance to book an interview, please reach out to your child’s teacher to arrange a time.

Wet Weather Reminder

With all the recent rain, our school grounds are quite wet this week. To keep everyone safe, we kindly remind students not to wear crocs to school. Proper footwear will help prevent slips and keep feet dry in these damp conditions.

Reading Passport Challenge – Coming Soon!

Next term, we’re excited to launch our Reading Passport Challenge! This initiative is designed to help students build strong reading habits, both at school and at home. We encourage all students to read for at least two hours a day. Much of this ‘reading mileage’ happens in the classroom, but we also want to foster a love of reading at home. Once children discover a topic they enjoy, reading naturally becomes a fun and rewarding part of their daily routine.

Medical Records & Medication Updates

A quick reminder to families—if there are any updates regarding your child’s medical records or medication, please email principal@freshwaterss.eq.edu.au with the latest details. Keeping our records current ensures we can provide the best care for your child when needed.

Get Ready for the Colour Explosion

Don’t forget—our Colour Explosion is happening on the last day of school. Students will need a white t-shirt, old shorts, and shoes to participate. It’s always a fun and colourful way to finish the term and it’s very messy!

Thanks for your ongoing support.

Have a great fortnight!

Office Open Times

Our office is open on school days from 8.15am and closes at 3.30pm. Prior to 8.15am our team are busy getting ready for the day. Our office closes at 3.30pm. If you are experiencing any difficulty collecting your child prior to 3.10pm, on a regular basis, please keep in mind our OSHC have some availability. OSHC Administration general inquiries:

OSHC Office Mobile: 0491 202 342 (9:15am - 3:15pm)
After Hours Mobile: 0400 905 502 (6am - 6pm)
Email: oshcbookings@freshwaterpandc.com.au

Statements 

Statements were sent out last week, this a friendly reminder to pay any outstanding invoices, our preferred payment method is BPOINT. There are still a large number of unpaid Student Resource Scheme and Music Fees.

If you would like to set up a payment plan, contact our office on 4058 9222 or send an email to principal@freshwaterss.eq.edu.au

Student of the Week (7)

Student of the Week (8)

Reading Passports: Term 2

For the duration of Term 2, students (and parent/carers) are invited to join the journey to new lands and mystical places. Take the challenge, 10 week - 10 books!

On completion of each book, parents/carers are asked to sign a square within the Passport. Students then return the book to the Library and ask for their ‘thumbs up’ stamp.

Prep-3 students are encouraged to explore as many books as possible. With support and assistance granted where needed, emphasis is placed on participation and enjoyment. On completion of 5 books, students receive a super scented sensational bookmark and for those who make it to an outstanding 10 books, a star- studded certificate.

Year 4-6 students will be in a race around the literary world, collecting ‘clues’ from the Library on where to travel next. The first two students from each year level (4-6) will receive a coveted book prize.

Overdue Notices

Each week overdue emails are sent out to help busy families stay on top of their student borrowing. Paper copies also go home at the end of each term. Please contact me aglas28@eq.edu.au if you are unable to locate overdue items.

 ‘We shouldn’t teach great books;

we should teach a love of reading’

-B. F. Skinner, psychologist-

Yours in literary adventures,

Amanda Glaspy

Library Officer

Well done to our school choirs who have done an excellent job of singing the National anthem at assembly during junior and senior parades this Term.  We also encourage all of our students to learn the words and sing the National anthem on parades each week.  On Thursday in week 9 and 10, our senior school band will be combining to practice the New Zealand National anthem in preparation for our Anzac parade in early Term 2.  These rehearsals will be held at 8:30am in the school music room on Thursday 27^th March and Thursday 3^rd April. 

At Freshwater State School we celebrate different cultures and embrace diversity.  In Year 6, students have been learning about and listening to Music from a variety of different countries and cultures from around the world.  As part of this unit, students have learnt songs in other languages, sit down and standing dances and hand clapping games.  They have had lots of fun immersing themselves in these activities.  Please ask them to share with you what they have learnt.  We have included some of our learning on our school facebook page with our Japanese hand clapping game O Mochio and Mexican Hat Dance and song La Raspa.

Kind regards,

TCN Congratulations

Huge congratulations to Skye 6NB, Evie 6NL, Jack 6NL and Quinn 6NL for being selected in the TCN Netball team/s. They will now represent the district at the Peninsula 10-12 years Netball trials later this month. Well done and good luck to you all.

Congratulations to Finn (6NL), Ned (5KT), Evie (6NL), Claire (5/6NT), Asha (4AM) and Rose (6NL) for being selected in the TCN 10-12 Years Australian Football team. They will now represent the district at the Peninsula trials next month. Well done and good luck to you all.

Many thanks to Mr Craig, for organising the TCN information and forms, and Miss Gonzalez for taking Before School Running while I was on leave. Your assistance is very much appreciated!

Please see me from now on for all TCN information and forms.

Kind regards,

Colour Fun Run

2 weeks until an explosion of COLOUR!! Monty’s Colour Fun Run is coming on Friday April 4th – the last day of term 1.

Simply go to www.myprofilepage.com.au and click onto the register button to create a cybersafe, online profile page.

Remember to bring a white shirt and wear enclosed shoes for the event as you will be covered from head to toe in coloured powder!

We can’t wait to get colourful!

Save the Date: Freshie Fete

Our annual FRESHIE FETE has been locked in for SATURDAY 16th AUGUST. Thank you to everyone who filled in the survey in the last newsletter – Saturday won as the preferred day for the Fete. Look out for more info to follow.

Trivia Night

The P&C fundraising team is exploring support for a Trivia night! We are excited to have a new event on our calendar but are seeking your feedback. Please fill out a quick survey to provide any ideas https://forms.office.com/r/KQbhUpdsfm

OSHC is still seeking enrolments to fill several permanent Before and After School Care sessions. A Parent Information Night is being held 6pm Monday 24^th of March in the OSHC building. Attendance is a mandatory first step towards securing sessions and is highly recommended for anyone seeking further understanding of the service.

Please RSVP via the link below to ensure your information and attendance can be recorded. Future Information Nights will be booked throughout the year, please keep an eye on the school newsletter and school Facebook page for updates.

https://forms.gle/sTgujuj3SEpWWJxaA

Kind Regards,

Jo Wallace

OSHC Administration Officer

Freshwater State School P&C Association

oshc@freshwaterpandc.com.au

Ph 0400 905 502