Yours in Learning,

As the Easter holidays approach, I want to take a moment to reflect on the fantastic term we’ve had, filled with learning, laughter and enjoyment, and wonderful achievements. It has been a joy to see our students grow, explore new ideas, and embrace the many opportunities that school life offers at Freshwater State School. In particular this term, I want to thank our families for encouraging your children to read every night and hit those milestones of 25 and 50 nights of reading. I have handed out so many certificates and prizes this term as we celebrate the commitment to reading each night. I look forward to seeing the reading mileage for students in term 2 and handing out more certificates to acknowledge this great achievement for students in Prep to Year 3.

This term we say goodbye to Mrs Lilliana Gonzales who has been part of the Freshie staff having worked across the school in Year 5 and 6 and most recently in Year 3. Miss Gonzales is making the move back to the Gold Coast to be near family and we appreciate all your efforts and your commitment to the students you have taught over the years. We wish you well at your new school down south and will miss your smiling face around the school.

This week, we’ve enjoyed some special Easter-themed activities, including our traditional Easter bonnet creating in classrooms which is always an enjoyable and sticky craft session, and an engaging Easter Bonnet parade for the Prep to Year 2 students who sang and performed the songs so well for their families who attended.  It was heart-warming to see the joy on the children’s faces as they participated in these activities to end a very busy term of learning.

As we move into the break, we encourage our students to take time to relax, enjoy family time, and, of course, keep up with their reading and limit the screen time where possible! We look forward to welcoming everyone back for an exciting Term 2, filled with new learning adventures and opportunities that we explore through the curriculum.

A huge thank you to our amazing staff, parents, and wider school community for making this term a success and participating in our whole school review, attending parent/teacher interviews, P&C meetings, volunteering in our tuckshop and being present. Your support and involvement make our school a wonderful place to learn and grow!

We wish you all a joyful and restful Easter break. Stay safe, have fun, and we look forward to seeing you back refreshed and ready for the next term!

Happy Easter!

Kind regards,

What a great week it has been at Freshwater State School. Our dedicated teaching teams have been engaged in highly productive planning sessions, working collaboratively to create engaging and meaningful learning experiences for our students. It has been fantastic to see the enthusiasm and commitment from all staff as we prepare for the exciting term ahead. These sessions ensure that we continue to provide high-quality education, catering to the needs of every student.

We were also delighted to see so many parents join us for our annual Easter Bonnet Parade on Thursday morning. The students did an amazing job creating their colourful bonnets and hats, putting in a great deal of effort to showcase their creativity. It was a joy to watch them proudly parade in front of their families while singing cheerful Easter songs. The morning concluded with a lively performance of the Chicken Dance, which had everyone—parents included—joining in the fun! It was a wonderful way to bring our school community together to celebrate.

Later that afternoon, the excitement continued with our cross-country trials. After a week of rain, we were fortunate to have the sun shining, creating the perfect conditions for our enthusiastic runners. It was fantastic to see students giving their best effort, showing perseverance and sportsmanship throughout the event. A huge thank you to all the parents who came along to support and cheer on our young athletes—it made the event even more special.

As we wrap up Term 1, I want to take this opportunity to wish all our students, families and staff a very happy Easter and a restful, enjoyable holiday break. We look forward to welcoming everyone back refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 2!

Kind regards

Maree Harris

Invoices 

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 Fees, invoiced at the start of the year. Instrumental Music fees have also been invoiced.

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

School Watch

Protective Services can be called if anyone sees any suspicious activity over the break

Kind Regards

Admin Team

Abby, Lexie, Natasha and Sam

Sora

The student’s eLibrary is always open! With so many magazines, audio books and ebooks to choose from.

Reading Passports: Term 2 Only

Read, Read and then Read a little More!

Remember that

Everyday

A new surprise will

Deliver you happiness

By Shinji (previous student)

Not long now! First week of term 2 our Reading Passport Challenge begins. Students will be issued with their Passport during classroom borrowing.  All required information can be found within the Passports. Students are encouraged to borrow, read and return to the school Library, however, I will accept some books read from Sora, Community Libraries and home Libraries. Parents/Carers, please remember to sign a square on completion of each book.

 “I will defend the importance of bedtime stories to my last gasp.”

-J.K. Rowling-

Yours in literary adventures,

Amanda Glaspy
Library Officer

Visit by Registered Nurse for Free Prep Vision Screening

Good vision is important for a child’s educational, physical and social development. Vision screening checks for common eye conditions that may impact your child’s ability to see and therefore impact their learning and development.

A Registered Nurse will be visiting the school on August 25 and 26 to conduct vision screening for children in their prep year.

If you wish to have your prep child participate in this FREE vision screening program, please complete an online consent form-closing date on 22/08/2025.

Parents do not need to be present for screening, however if you would like to be, please contact the school to arrange this.

If you have concerns about your child’s eyes at any time, please take your child to see an eye health professional (optometrist/ophthalmologist).  

For further information, please scan the below QR code to visit the Program website or contact the Primary School Nurse Health Readiness Program on 1800 687 372.

Our School Sport district – Trinity Coast North (TCN) - holds trials throughout the year for a wide range of sports. The timing and dates of our district trials are calculated back from when the Peninsula Regional School Sport trials will be held. The Peninsula trials are calculated back from when the Queensland Representative School Sport State Championships will be held, which in turn is calculated back from when the School Sport Australia National Championships will be held. All sports are spread throughout the year to give students the opportunity to attend their preferred sports rather than them all being on at the same time.

Please be assured that all sports will be advertised to Freshwater State School students and families when the information is released by the TCN District Secretary to all schools in the district. The Peninsula School Sport 2025 Calendar has a full list of all sports available this year. Parents and students may access these dates on the Peninsula School Sport website.

Please see Mrs Knight for any information concerning TCN trials. Thanks.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Ned (5KT), Claire (5/6NT) and Rose (6NL) for being selected in the Peninsula 10-12 Years Australian Football teams. They will now represent the region at the Queensland Representative School Sport State Championships in Maroochydore in June. Victoria Montesin and Asha McCooey have also been selected as shadows in this team. Well done to you all.

Congratulations to Ned (5KT), Ryan (6GH) and Gus (5KA) for being selected in the TCN 10-12 Years District Basketball team. They will now represent the district at the Peninsula 10-12 Years trials next term. 

Congratulations to Amy (6NB) and Isabella (6NB) on being selected in the TCN 10-12 Years Basketball team and to Joseph (6NB) , George (6NL) and Jack (6NL) for being selected in the TCN 11-12 years Rugby League team. They will now all represent the district at the Peninsula School Sport trials early next term.

Well done to you all.

Thank you,

Farewell from your Prez! 

I wanted to write this letter to express my gratitude to each and every one of you. It has been an absolute privilege to lead such a wonderful team of humans.

To the P&C staff: I hope that during my time, you enjoyed my style of leadership: direct, to the point and hopefully fun! I tried to provide a range of learning opportunities including: how to effectively manage staff in a community organisation, learning how to navigate complex situations, de-escalation techniques, developing your interpersonal communication skills and, most importantly, learning to appropriately respond to complex child behaviour. I hope it was reassuring to know that your decisions were backed by a team of experts in child development, ready to support you at the highest levels. 

To Mel and our tuck shop staff: thank you for your commitment to providing our kids and teachers with delicious and nutritious food. Your new menus, barista-quality coffee, and the warm, inviting atmosphere you created have transformed the tuck shop into a vibrant hub of our school community.

To the OSHC staff: your dedication to putting the children's needs first is second to none. Your passion and commitment to providing a safe, nurturing, and enriching environment are deeply appreciated by the entire school community. Kyla, your addition to the uniform shop has been invaluable. 

To the school: Thanks to Karryn, Maree, Louise, Sahn, Abby and to the teachers for your support of P&C activities, we could not have run the fete, Halloween, mother's day stalls and sausage sizzles without you! 

To parent and community members: thank you for volunteering at the uniform shop, tuckshop, fundraising events and turning up to dreary meetings, it was lovely meeting each and every one of you. 

And finally, to my leadership team – Alana, Erminia, Bree, Carla and Tara – I simply could not have accomplished anything without your unwavering support. You have each been my rock, and when I called on you, you were there. Thank you for your personal support and understanding through what was a challenging year in 2024, earning me the dodgy title of amateur arborist (I still have the medal)! 

Looking back on my time, my only regret is that I did not fight harder to secure the facilities you deserve, such as the new hall and OSHC building. Let's put our trust in the next team to deliver on these objectives. 

Please know that I have faith in your incoming president, Michelle. I am confident that she will prioritise your needs and advocate for the resources you require. Michelle is a caring listener and a professional. I urge you to extend her the same warm "Freshy welcome" you so graciously gave me.

I am incredibly proud of each and every one of you. You are a remarkable team, and I am happy to have served you (for free, I might add!).

With deepest gratitude and best wishes,

Suzy Jackson, outgoing President 

Suzannah Jackson | President
Freshwater State School P&C Association
P: 0410083952

OSCH Coordinator

We are very pleased to share some exciting news with you. Taylah has been appointed as our new OSHC Coordinator!

Taylah has been a valued part of our OSHC team, and throughout her time with us, she has shown incredible dedication, warmth, and a genuine passion for supporting the children in our care. Her strong connections with families and commitment to providing a safe, fun, and inclusive environment make her the perfect fit for this role.

We’re confident Taylah will lead our service with enthusiasm and heart, and we’re excited for what the future holds under her guidance.

Please feel free to pop in and say hello to Taylah next time you are in the OSHC service.

Warm regards,

Freshwater State School P&C Association

Friday 

Please be advised being the last day our tuckshop will be closed for 2nd lunch, so that we can clean ready for the holidays. Any orders through School24 for second lunch will still be delivered to classrooms at 1.30pm 

Volunteers

Our tuckshop would love for any assistance you can spare, even if it is an hour. Please come and see us or contact us on the details below. 

School24

Please remember we have moved over to School24 for all tuckshop orders.

All orders are required by 9am on the day, this assists us to prepare for the day.

Please see below or alternatively visit our website for further details: 

 https://freshwaterss.eq.edu.au/facilities/tuckshop

If you require any assistance please email tuckshop@freshwaterpandc.com.au

Enjoy the holidays! 

As we are now moving into the cooler time of the year, it will start to get a bit chilly!  Come and see Kyla in the Uniform Shop to purchase a School Jacket!.

We are fully stocked in all sizes of School Jackets, the sizes range from Size 4 to Size 14! Our opening hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:30am-9:00am.

Don’t have time to make it into the shop? That’s ok you can also make a purchase through the school24 app, with the choice of a delivery to your child’s classroom.

Kyla Giltinan
Uniform Shop Coordinator