Congratulations to Mrs Maree Harris

We are pleased to congratulate Mrs Maree Harris on her appointment as Acting Principal at Isabella State School for Term 4.

We sincerely thank Maree for the valuable contributions she has made to Freshwater State School. Her dedication and professionalism have been greatly appreciated, and she will be missed by staff, students, and the wider school community.

We wish her every success in this exciting new role.

Mrs Harris’ position at Freshwater has now been advertised and our community will be updated once the selection process is completed.

The Importance of Extra-Curricular Activities

At Freshwater State School, we value the broad range of learning experiences that contribute to the development of the whole child. Many of our students are actively involved in extra-curricular activities such as swimming, music, and sport, which offer wonderful opportunities to build skills, confidence, teamwork, and resilience beyond the classroom.

It is important that students continue to uphold the same high standards of behaviour and respect when participating in these activities, just as they do at school. Representing Freshwater in the community is a privilege and we expect our students to act responsibly, respectfully, and safely at all times.

Where payment is required for participation in extra-curricular programs, we kindly ask that parents and carers ensure fees are paid within the specified time-frames. This helps us manage bookings, staffing, and transport effectively, and ensures that all students can enjoy a smooth and successful experience.

Thank you for your continued support in helping us provide rich and rewarding opportunities for all students.

Prep Enrolments for 2026

Prep enrolments for 2026 have commenced. If you have a child starting Prep next year, or know of any families with Prep-aged children who are planning to attend Freshwater State School, please encourage them to contact the office and book an enrolment appointment as soon as possible. Early enrolments help us plan effectively for staffing and class structures.

Teacher Aide Appreciation Week

This week is Teacher Aide Week, and we take this opportunity to extend a heartfelt thank you to our incredible Teacher Aides.

Your dedication, care, and tireless support make a real difference in the lives of our students every day. Whether working one-on-one, supporting in the classroom, or helping behind the scenes, your contributions are deeply valued and appreciated by staff, students, and families alike.

Thank you for everything you do to support learning and make Freshwater State School such a great place to be!

Before and After School Procedures

A reminder to all families that our school day runs from 8:50am to 2:50pm.

If your child arrives at school before 8:00am or remains on school grounds after 3:15pm on a regular basis, we kindly ask that you consider enrolling them in our Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) service for their safety and supervision.

In the afternoons, all students are expected to go to Stop, Drop and Go first. After that, any remaining students will be directed to wait outside the school office.
Students should not go directly to the office area at the end of the day unless directed by staff.

We appreciate your support in ensuring all students are safe and accounted for during pick-up times. Please aim to collect your child by 3:15pm, as staff supervision is limited after school hours.

Thank you for helping us keep our school community safe and organised.

Yours in Learning,

Prep 2026

We have continued to welcome families over the past fortnight through our enrolment process who will be joining us next year at Freshwater. It has been an absolute pleasure to meet with so many families and meet your little people to learn more about them and how we can be ready to welcome them to big school. A special mention to our wonderful teacher aides, Mrs Horan, Mrs Calloway, Mrs McCartney and Mrs Ambrose who have been helping to supervise and support these play sessions for our interactive enrolments.

We look forward to sharing more on our next Pre-Prep event at our ‘Stay and Play’ on Friday 5^th September.

Prep Student Writing Stars

This past fortnight I had a visit from some students in Prep AM who have been doing some amazing writing. Have a look at what these superstars have achieved! They have done a magnificent job with their writing, using capital letters, and full stops in their writing. I love their persuasive writing about ‘why we must go to school’. Super job, keep up the awesome writing Preps!

 RAK Club

We have also been learning some origami and making lotus flowers to add to our lovely ‘Kindness Tree’ in the school library. This tree is really starting to take shape with more leaves added with words of kindness and examples of how children show kindness in the home, community and at school. The kindness challenge in the classrooms is continuing with my students now adding their name to the poster in their own classroom.

In 2CG, they are also growing their own kindness tree on their back wall as so many students have had their name added to their chart they have run out of room!

Celebrating Our Incredible Teacher Aides – Teacher Aide Appreciation Week

This week, we are proud to celebrate Teacher Aide Appreciation Week from Monday 1^st September to Friday 5^th September – a special time dedicated to recognising the invaluable contributions of our amazing teacher aides here at Freshwater State School.

Teacher aides are the quiet champions of our classrooms. Each day, they bring patience, compassion, and commitment to their work—supporting student learning, enhancing classroom environments, and helping to meet the individual needs of every child. Whether they are working one-on-one with students, preparing resources, supporting learning programs, or assisting with supervision, their impact is seen and felt across every corner of our school.

At Freshwater, we are incredibly fortunate to have a team of dedicated and skilled teacher aides who go above and beyond to support both staff and students. Their work not only strengthens our educational programs but also nurtures a sense of belonging and care within our school community.

To our wonderful teacher aides: thank you. Thank you for the countless ways you make a difference. Your support helps our school thrive, and we are deeply grateful for all that you do.

We encourage our community to join us in acknowledging and celebrating our teacher aides this week. A kind word, a smile, or a simple thank you can go a long way in showing our appreciation for the amazing work they do.

RAK Club Teacher Aide Cards

To thank and acknowledge our fantastic teacher aides, our students in the RAK club have been making cards and a small gift to give to our wonderful aides at Freshwater. Thank you to Ms Mellick for your kind donation of chocolates and gift bags to help put these small gifts together. We appreciate your generosity and kindness!

Check out the latest video with students talking about the RAK club.

Have a great weekend,

We’ve had a very busy and exciting couple of weeks in the upper school!

Yr 4- 6 Disco

Last week our Year 4–6 disco was a huge success. Students came dressed to impress and danced the night away as Mrs Landsberg DJ’d with the latest top ten hits. It was wonderful to see everyone joining in and having such a great time together. For our Year 6 students this was their last primary school disco before heading to high school, making it extra special. Our student council raised an impressive amount of money through the sale of pizza, chips and drinks thanks to the efforts of Mrs Buttenshaw and her team of student councillors who organised and managed the food stall so well. A big thank you also goes to Mr Hornett for preparing the equipment, our teachers for supervising and to parents for both joining us on the night and ensuring timely pick-up—it all helped make the evening such a success.

Year 5 School Leaders Process - Started

This week our Year 5 students are beginning the leadership selection process. Those interested in applying for a school leadership role will complete an application form and I will be speaking with the cohort about what it means to be a leader in our school community. We encourage all students to apply—even our quiet and reserved students have often proven themselves to be outstanding leaders through their teamwork, positive behaviour and willingness to step up when needed. Successful applicants from this first stage will be notified on the last day of term giving them time to prepare speeches for the next round. This is always an exciting opportunity for our young people to shine.

Parent/Teacher Interviews

Parent–teacher interviews are being held this week. These conversations are a valuable way to learn more about your child’s progress and to work together with teachers to support their learning and engagement. Our staff always look forward to sharing the great achievements happening in classrooms.

Swimming and Swimming Carnival Yr 3-6

Swimming lessons also start this week for Years 3–6. Please ensure all items are clearly labelled as misplaced clothing or towels are much easier to return when they are named. Our Upper School Swimming Carnival will be held on Friday 19th September and we look forward to a fun and competitive day. Please remember that students must wear rashies, hats and sunscreen and bring their own lunch and water bottles. The tuckshop will provide food for purchase but the pool canteen will not be available. Students are required to stay with their house groups for the duration of the day and if you intend to take your child home after the carnival please advise your child’s teacher in advance. Thank you to Mrs Knight, our staff and volunteers for the organisation that goes into making this such a memorable end-of-term event.

NAIDOC Assembly

On Wednesday at 9:00 am we will hold our NAIDOC Assembly to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and our shared history. Families are warmly invited to attend. This is always a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the richness and vibrancy that Indigenous cultures bring to our school community.

Isabella State School Opportunity

Finally I’d like to share some personal news. In Term 4 I have been offered the role of Acting Principal at Isabella State School. This is an exciting step for me as I continue to work toward securing a principal position. I will of course, be back for our Year 6 Presentation Night and look forward to celebrating with you all then. 

Thank you for your continued support. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week and I look forward to seeing you around the school in the coming days. 

Kind regards,

Please be advised tomorrow (Friday 5th September) is a student free day. Staff will engage in professional learning and planning for the term ahead. 

Our school and office will be closed, we look forward to seeing you on Monday.

Abby, Lexie, Sam and Natasha

It is Teacher Aide Appreciation Week, please join us and thank our wonderful Teacher Aides for all that they do. 

Break Times

Due to Workplace Health and Safety at the start of the year we trialled a new routine in regards to eating and playtimes. This was communicated via newsletter and in the Parent Information sessions in the classrooms as below.

This was reviewed by staff at the end of Term 1 with positive feedback received. 

The feedback we received from staff

• Children eating more of their lunch
• Children mindfully eating
• Cleaner outside areas
• Less litter outside
• Decreased lost lunchboxes

With this in mind we have continued these routines and we do hope you can see the positive difference around the school.

Swimming Year 3, 4, 5 & 6

Year 3 and 4 swimming will be commencing this week, Week 8.

Thursday 4th September, Monday 8th September, Tuesday 9th September, Wednesday 10th September and Thursday 11th September.

Year 5 and 6 swimming will be commencing in Week 9.

Friday 12th September, Monday 15th September, Tuesday 16th September, Wednesday 17th September and Thursday 18th September.

The Year 3-6 Swimming Carnival is Friday 19th September.

Please ensure your child has a SunSmart shirt as well as their swimmers, goggles, towel and hair tied back.

From lesson two on, children will also need to bring extra clothes to complete the survival component of the program – t-shirt and shorts are fine. Please name all personal items.

Please see Mrs Knight if you have any queries.

Freshwater Girls AFL Team 

Congratulations to the FSS Girls Year 4/5/6 team for taking out the Annual Girls in AFL Challenge. This year Whitfield SS joined Gordonvale SS and Freshie for this great afternoon of footy!

Well done to all the girls who have represented Freshwater in AFL this year. Many thanks to the parents, carers and siblings for their support, Mr Hull from Gordonvale SS and Miss Young from Whitfield SS for their efforts and Ali from AFL Cairns for umpiring our games. Well done Team Freshie.

Football QLD & Brisbane Roar After School Program

“Freshwater State School is excited to announce that the Football Queensland & Brisbane Roar After School Program is coming to our school starting on Thursday 16 October for 4 weeks after school from 3.00pm – 4.00pm

Key program details can be found in the attached flyer using the QR code. All participants must be registered prior to the clinic starting, using the link below.

Register here: https://registration.squadi.com/userRegistration?organisationId=0f742cbf-573b-412e-8006-8af2cdaf3e83&competitionId=d410fada-b2d1-4be0-9cd8-d82879ba08a2

Before School Running

Due to swimming, the last morning of Before School Running in Term 3 will be this Tuesday 2 September. Thanks to our many students who have supported this awesome start to our Tuesdays this term. See you again in Term 4!

Congratulations

George 6NL and Nina 5GC for being selected in the Peninsula Track and Field team. They will now represent the Peninsula Region at the Queensland Representative School Sport State Track and Field Championships to be held in Townsville next term. Well done and good luck to you both.

Hats On for P.E.

Well done to 4TP for all wearing their hats to PE lessons for the past three weeks. Thanks for being the best SunSmart role models n our school! Well done 4TP.

TCN Tennis

Please advertise this trial with the 2013 born students, let them know that they need to see me for further information and forms.

Book Fair Date Claimer – Term 4 Week 3

Our Library’s annual fundraiser is just around the corner, Monday 20^th October until Friday 24^th October! The Library will become a mini pop up book store, with diaries, pencils, posters, and of course many books for sale. Get your kids to save up their hard-earned pocket money ready for our Book Fair.

End of Term Overdue Notices

Each week, overdue emails are sent out to help busy families stay on top of their student borrowing. Paper copies will go home next week as sometimes emails get lost in junk mail or cyber space. Please contact me aglas28@eq.edu.au if you are unable to locate an overdue item.

‘Don’t be pushed around by the fears in your mind,

Be led by the dreams in your heart.’

-Roy T. Bennett, author-

Yours in literary adventures,

Amanda Glaspy

Library Officer

Please be advised on the last day of term, the tuckshop will be closed, after first lunch. All orders for second lunch will be sent to the classrooms at first lunch.

Thank you,

What a Fete! 

A huge congratulations to our whole school community on a fantastic Freshie Fete. The atmosphere was electric, the smiles were everywhere, and the sense of community spirit was on full display. Thank you to every volunteer—from set-up and pack-down crews to stall convenors, bakers, runners, performers, and everyone in between. This event truly was a community effort and we are so grateful for your time, energy, and heart.

Uniform Shop—Welcome, Cassie! 

We are excited to welcome Cassie as our new Uniform Shop Coordinator. Cassie is already settling into the role and looks forward to supporting families with all their uniform needs.

At the same time, we say a big thank you to Kyla for her wonderful contribution in the Uniform Shop. While we’ll miss her in that space, we’re delighted she has chosen to return to her passion—working with the children at OSHC—so you will still be seeing her around the school.

Special Fete Shout-Out: Cassie & Sarah

A huge thank you goes to Cassie and Sarah for their incredible efforts in coordinating this year’s Freshie Fete. The event was a huge success, bringing our school and community together for a day of fun, food, and fundraising. We are so grateful for their dedication, organisation, and countless hours of work that made it all possible. Thanks to their hard work, along with the support of our amazing volunteers, we cracked $20,000 in profits—$4,000 more than last year. What an achievement!

Quick Notices

• OSHC Vacation Care: Bookings are now open—don’t forget to secure your place.
• Now Recruiting—OSHC Coordinator: We’re seeking applicants for the OSHC Coordinator role (see the listing on Indeed.com: OSHC Coordinator - Freshwater State School - Freshwater QLD 4870 - Indeed.com)
• Investing in Music: The P&C is proud to support the school with $20,000 of new musical instruments.
• Excursion Support: Each year, the P&C contributes up to $25 per student toward year-level excursions. For 2025, this commitment has already been met, with a total of $13,741 subsidised across all excursions.
• Tuckshop Stocktake Helpers Needed: We need a few extra hands for end-of-term stocktake on Monday 22 September. If you can help, please contact Gabby at Tuckshop@freshwaterpandc.com.au.

Thank you for your ongoing support. Together, we make Freshie a wonderful place to learn, grow, and belong. 

Paul Andrews
P&C Vice President