Dear Parent and Caregivers,

Welcome back to all of our current students and also to the new families who have joined us here at Enoggera State School for the 2024 school year. We hope your time with us is enjoyable, positive and that your children make some lasting friendships within our lovely school community. I particularly extend a warm welcome to all of our new Prep families, as this may be your very first association with the school. We look forward to you becoming involved in the school and making some lasting partnerships with you and your children.

As usual, at school we have a busy year ahead with many exciting and educational activities planned, to ensure we bring out the very best in each student and that we do all we can to prepare them for what lies ahead in the future.

We look forward to working closely with our parents and caregivers throughout the year as a team to bring this goal to fruition, because as the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise a child!”

 

NEW STAFF IN 2024

We also welcome some new staff to our school this year and we look forward to them becoming integral members of our team as they find their feet. Our staff for 2024 is list below: 

	Principal	Mrs Anne Robinson
	Deputy Principal	Mrs Tina Burrows
	Head of Department- Curriculum	Mrs Amy O’Malley
Year Level	Class	Teacher
Prep	Prep A	Jacque Egerton
	Prep B	Emma Enoch
	Prep C	Shalana Rossiter/Marghi Gradwell
Yr 1	1A	Rebecca Nelson/Tanya Prill
	1B	Amanda Boone
	1C	Jasmine Hunt
Yr 2	2A	Richard Linn
	2B	Julie Chapman
	2C	Jaime Hall
Yr 3	3A	Andrea Moeser
	3B	Jason Taylour
Yr 4	4A	Alison Leeson /Laura Arthur
	4B	Belinda Harris
Yr 5 /6	5/6A	Lynn Lancaster
	5/6B	Walter Yoia
	5/6C	Tamara Dowling
Specialist Teachers	LOTE	Linda Jeffrey
	Music	Rebecca Rees
	HPE Health	Andrew Woodrick Amy O’Malley/Donagh McKenzie
	Success Teachers	Belinda Paton, Donagh McKenzie, Lauren Miceli
	Digital Tech. Teacher	Michael Harris
	Performing Arts -Dance/ Drama	Georgia Dunstan
	District Relief Teacher	Marghi Gradwell
	Instrumental Music	Lisa Kirk (Strings) Rebecca Rees (Band)
	Guidance Officer	Leanne Watson
	Defence School Mentor	Rachel McCann
Support Staff	Business Manager Administration Officers	Ellie Mastrapostolos Stacey Talbot, Tory Rawlinson
	IT Technician	Andrew Wilson
	Chaplain	Twinkee Polius
	Teacher Aides	Penny Fitzpatrick Jess Tucker Helena Frantz Elaine Gibbons Ainsley Butwell Michelle Humpherys Nyree O’Donnell Melissa Elordi
	School’s Officer	Collin Callaghan
	Cleaners	Caroline Salfischberger, John Salfischberger, Nicholas Park, Cheryl Hill, Alisson Soler Prieto

I look forward to profiling and introducing our new staff to you over the coming newsletters and on our Facebook site. If you need to contact staff during the school term it is best to do this via email. When you email staff you should expect a response within 48hrs. Please do not expect class teachers to respond during the school day when they are teaching. 

If your request is of urgent nature, please contact the office. I would also like to note our school facebook page isnt the best place to find the most current/urgent information - we do update this as often as possible to keep the community aware of all school happenings. 

Please also keep in mind that the morning drop offs are only for a quick handover of students. This is not the best time to have a lengthy chat with staff as this is a very busy time.

NUT ALLERGY FRIENDLY

As per my newsletter last week, a further reminder that whilst we cannot guarantee we are “nut free” any more, nothing has changed and we are still aware of the many students who suffer from serious and life-threatening allergies, particularly to nuts and nut products requiring anaphylactic treatments. 

We therefore still request parents to be mindful of what they are putting in lunch boxes to ensure that nuts, nut bars, peanut butter and nutella do not come to school, as we endeavour to keep all students safe. These are treats which can be enjoyed at home, but we ask for your support in that they do not come to school.

I have attached information below explaining this change in terminology and the range of strategies implemented at schools which require your support.

OVAL UPDATE

At the beginning of the holidays we had a sprinkler system installed on the oval to help with the maintenance of the oval. We were also expecting a full top dressing and returf to be carried out by the DoE but this job stalled at the final stages of approval. 

So, all that has been done is the individual companies completing more small areas of restoration. Now a full top dress and possible returf will be something we will need to look at ourselves again in the future. Thanks to the rain and the sprinklers the oval at least now has full grass coverage and looks great, but it is still very uneven in areas.

2024 GRANTS

We are still waiting for the announcement of grants we have submitted last year for heating and fencing of the pool through the ‘Go For Gold’ Grants in June. We are also hopeful of receiving a ‘Gaming Benefit Fund’ grant for a new Prep playground when they are released in April.

PARENT INFORMATION SESSIONS and PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Next Tuesday the 6th of February in the afternoon we will hold our annual Parent Information Sessions where parents can attend their student/s classrooms. Parents can meet with the teachers to hear about the new school year and the routines and expectations for their child’s class. 

There will be two repeat sessions at 4:30 and then again at 5:15pm to allow working families to attend. This will also allow families with multiple children to get to at least two of the sessions. There will be a sign in sheet at each session so that information can be forwarded to families who are unable to attend on the evening. 

The sessions will finish with a Q and A session so if you have questions suitable for the whole group, please save these for then. 

If you wish to meet with the teacher individually about your child, please contact your classroom teacher via email to arrange a more suitable time.  

Our first round of Parent Teacher Interviews for this semester will be held this term on Tuesday, 19/3/23 in EPAC between 3:15 and 7:15pm. More information will go out in the coming weeks about using the SOBS program to book your interview spots in.  These interviews go for 10 minutes each.

STUDENT LEADER INVESTITURE CEREMONY

Next week on Monday the 5th of February we will be holding a special assembly for our Student Leader Investiture Ceremony for 2024. At this ceremony we will invite the Yr 3-6 students and families of the students being invested into leadership positions to attend. The ceremony will be held in EPAC commencing at 2pm. The ceremony will include investing our:

• School Captains - Bronte Scholes and Adelyn Blatchford
• School Vice-Captain and Student Council Chairperson - Isabella Hall
• House Captains -Waratah - Jamie Landon and Ivy Atkins, Banksia - Levi Lavin and Mason Cross
• Arts Captains - Georgia Linedale and Ivy Smith
• Class Student Council Representatives - still being selected by their classes.

Invitations will go home to those students being invested this week. The students will receive their badges of office and undertake the oath of office. Following the ceremony, we will have afternoon tea outside EPAC for leaders and their parents.

Students being invested are asked to wear their full school uniform including all black shoes and white socks, school polo (not sports polo) and to have their hair neat and tidy with school coloured hair ties.

NAPLAN

This term we will undertake NAPLAN testing for our Yr 3 and 5 students online between March 13 and 25. We ask that you do not make appointments or plan holidays during this time as it is important that all students have the opportunity to participate in this testing program as it provides valuable data to inform their future learning journeys and school improvement strategies. If you have concerns about your child sitting the NAPLAN tests and require information about possible withdrawal or exemption or Special Considerations please make an appointment to see me, so that we can discuss these options and complete the required paperwork prior to the testing dates.

LEARNING CURVE WELLBEING PROGRAM

Again, this year we are implementing the Learning Curve wellbeing program across the school, with weekly focusses and wellbeing skills to learn. This year our Health Teachers, Mrs O’Malley and Mrs McKenzie will be introducing the weekly topic in their Health lessons and then this will be followed up in the classroom and across the school during the week. 

We have purchased the wellbeing diaries for staff and students to use during this time.  Our older students will also be learning how to use them as diaries to keep track of important dates and tasks to be completed.

Whilst all staff and students have a Learning Curve wellbeing diary/planner, our staff also have access to a range of resources online to support the implementation of the program.  One of these resources are parent newsletter articles around each weekly focus. I have attached the parent information about this week’s topic below for your information, which I will endeavour to do each newsletter.

CAR PARKING UPDATE

As you are no doubt aware, parking at the beginning of the school year around the school has been extremely difficult. It seems the front car parks on South Pine Road have been overtaken by other workers in the local area resulting in staff finding it difficult to find a park from as early as 7am in the morning.

We are lucky that the Emmanuel Uniting Church are always happy for us to use their car park as an overflow area. This has resulted in staff needing to park in the back row of the church car park against the fence reducing the number of parks available for parents at the busy drop off and pick up times. Whilst we are fortunate the church is happy for us to use the facility at present, we do need to be respectful and ensure we are following their signage (please see image above). Please do not park in the car parks signed and designated for the Child Care Centre, Church staff or use the disabled park unless you have a valid disabled parking permit. We also need to ensure there is no double parking or blocking of walkways  for the safety of students and the community. It would be very unfortunate if the church no longer allowed us to use their car park.

As the Prep parents are currently needing to park to drop off and pick up students, I encourage parents of other year level students to use the stop drop and go zones on South Pine Rd and Laurel St, which operate before and after school and are manned by Transport and Main Road's Crossing Officers. If these zones are used correctly and people do not leave their cars unattended in these zones, the stop drop and go becomes a very quick way for parents to do the morning drop off and pick up.

We are still awaiting the removal of the house and shed on 209/211 St Pine Road which will become a staff carpark for the time being whilst further negotiations and planning are undertaken by the DoE. This should further alleviate the staff car parking issues and free up more space for parents around the school.

EXTREME WEATHER PROCEDURES

We have had some enquiries through the office around Extreme Weather procedures at school. The DoE has a policy and procedure aligned to Qld Health and WH&S guidelines which must be followed in the event of Extreme Weather. This includes when the temperature rises above 36 degrees Celsius and over 30% humidity, planned vigorous, sustained physical activity should be postponed or cancelled. On the first day of school last week, we were required to implement this policy and not allow our students access to the oval areas.

We also have a school Wet Weather Policy based on green, amber and red breaks. 

For a green break (light rain) the ovals are closed and students are required to play under the building, on the multicourt playground or visit the library.

For amber breaks (heavy rain)  P-1 go to the library and Yr 2-6 to EPAC for a movie.

A red break where it is too too wet and dangerous to access stairs and verandahs safely, students stay in the classrooms for the entire break.  Fortunately, this is a fairly rare occasion.

 

YEAR BOOK

Last year our school again took on the creation of our whole school year book in partnership with our school photographers, MSP. The year book features a comprehensive record of the school year at Enoggera State School including a feature on each class, specialist subject area, extra-curricular activity and event as well as a special feature on our graduating students. 

If you paid for one but haven’t collected it or still wish to, we do have some left.  Please contact Stacey in the office if you wish to buy one.

Till next time,

BEFORE SCHOOL PROCESSES

• All Prep parents are asked to wait with their children only under C Block before school. Students should be sitting with their parents at this time. Other students without parents must be seated under D Block.
• Year One parents are asked to wait with their children only under A Block before school.
• Prep and Year One students under their parent supervision are to remain seated and not play in these areas.
• We kindly ask that parents do not wait under E Block as this is the thoroughfare to the boys’ toilets and a handball area, and easier to monitor with no parents and students waiting in this area.
• When the bell rings at 8:45am, Prep students will remain under C Block and line up for Mrs Egerton, Miss Enoch and Mrs Rossiter/Mrs Gradwell. Parents are to say goodbye to their children downstairs and help them to line up to walk up to class. 
• Parents are asked not to go upstairs with the students as it causes congestion on the stairs and on the veranda which is unsafe.
• When the bell rings at 8:45am, Year 1s are to line up under A Block (near the Uniform Shop) to line up for Mrs Nelson/Mrs Prill, Mrs Boone and Miss Hunt.
• Students under D Block are not to deliver bags to their line up areas when they arrive at school, but to keep them with them until line up time.
• All students without parent supervision are to sit and wait under D Block.
• From 8:30 these students are permitted to play handball or skip on the AstroTurf if they choose.
• Students in Year 3 – 6 wishing to participate in Kilometre Club will be walked to the grandstand by a Teacher Aide on duty at 8:30am.
• When the bell rings at 8:45am, all students are asked to put equipment away and return to under D Block. The staff on duty will then walk each year level to their line up areas.
• Year 3s are to walk via the library to their line up area, not through the new building breezeway.

Front Gate

In trying to be helpful, some students or parents are using a rock from the front garden to hold back the front gate on South Pine Road leaving it wide open!  This is very unsafe for our new preppies who may wander off and see the open gate that leads to a very busy road! 

Please ensure that you keep our front gate closed at all times.  Thanks for your help with this.

 

 

Hats and Water Bottles

During these hot summer months, please remember to ensure your child is coming to school with their hat and a water bottle every day!  It is easy for students to become overheated and dehydrated if they are not drinking water throughout the day.  As always, please ensure your child’s property is clearly labelled.  Only school hats are permitted, caps are not allowed at school or at after school care.

Facebook

Our school has a very active Facebook page with daily posts to keep our school community informed of what is happening in our school.  Our events are posted throughout the term to allow parents time to be prepared for the term ahead Click on the more tab and then the events tab in the dropdown menu to go to our events. 

If you have a Facebook page, we encourage all of our parents to follow our page so you can enjoy the wonderful experiences our school has to offer.  The more you interact with the page by liking and commenting on posts, the more our page will appear in your newsfeed.  A reminder that Facebook is not the best platform to ask questions that you need immediate or urgent replies to, as we don’t always see questions in the comment sections of a post.   This is best done by emailing the teacher/admin or calling the office. 

Facebook is also not a site for posting complaints or negative comments about staff or school processes.  If you have some constructive feedback for the school or an issue that you would like to raise, we would respectfully ask that you make an appointment to speak with the Principal to discuss your concerns.   Any inappropriate comments will be removed from the platform.  Please remember to never make comments on the page referencing a child’s name for privacy reasons.

 

Clubs and Activities

Our lunch time Clubs and Activities program will continue in 2024.  There will be a range of activities available for students to participate in at break times.  The roster will be made into a visual timetable that is displayed in all classrooms and around the school grounds in various locations.  Teachers talk to students each morning about what clubs and activities are on offer each day and where they are located.  Some of these activities include: Computer Club; Robotics; Coding; Paper Planes; Bubble Blowing; Colouring In (Library); Recorders; and Dancing.

To ensure that all students have a fair go on the various play areas that are very popular, we have continued to implement a roster system for both the junior school and senior school allocating where each level can play each break. 

Of course, students can opt to attend clubs, go to the library or play on the AstroTurf or under D Block and E Block if they choose.   If the roster states Year 1 in Sandpit, this means they can’t go to the Fort or Oval at that break, but can still choose to go to the other options rather than the sandpit!

Stop, Drop and Go

A friendly reminder to parents that to ensure the Stop, Drop and Go Zone at South Pine Road (in the car park) is successful, it is essential that drivers proceed all the way to the first gate closest to the library.

Parents are unable to leave their vehicles in this area to walk their students into under the buildings as it causes congestion to the flow of traffic and becomes a safety issue.

Please do not drop your students at the first gate either as this causes cars to have to go around your vehicle and again causes issues with the traffic flow. This gate is locked in the mornings for safety. Thanks for your support with our safe drop-off.

The expectation is the same for Laurel St Stop, Drop and Go.  Please do not park in this zone and leave your vehicle as it doesn’t allow for the traffic to flow.  It is important to continually move your car to the front of the zone to allow cars to move in behind you.   

Our staff are working hard to ensure the safety of our students as they leave the school grounds and we appreciate your support with this by following our pick-up and drop-off processes.

School Dress Code

At the beginning of the school year, it is a good time for parents to reacquaint themselves with our School Dress Code.  This Dress Code was developed collaboratively with the school community and supports the wearing of a school uniform to promote a sense of belonging and school pride.   It also promotes a supportive environment fostering mutual respect among individuals at school by minimising visible evidence of economic, class or social difference.   

A reminder that students are required to wear ALL black shoes to school as part our Dress Code.  Socks should be white only and should not be pulled up to the knees.  

Please click on the link below to view our Dress Code.

Pillar Practice

Our three school pillars including Safety (Be Safe); Relationships (Be Respectful); and Learning (Be a Responsible Learner).  Each fortnight at Assembly, a Pillar Practice is shared with staff and students that becomes our focus behaviour improvement. 

This fortnight, our Pillar Practice is around Safe Transitions around our school.  All class teachers are provided with a poster for their classroom and will explicitly teach our school expectations around the relevant pillar and behaviour. Students are reminded daily about our focus behaviour with the goal of improving this behaviour across the school. 

The Student Engagement and Behaviour committee reviews behaviour data across the school at their meetings to discuss future focus areas for identified behaviours of concern.   This process is documented in our Student Code of Conduct and is part of our explicit teaching of behaviour in our school. 

You can support us by being aware of the current Pillar Practice and discussing the expectations with your children at home.

 

 

Classes from Year 3 – 6 are currently going through a class selection process for their Student Council Class Representative.  This student will be responsible for attending student council meetings with Mrs Robinson and Mrs Burrows and sharing ideas and feedback from their class around our school.  

The students who are elected by their peers to become Student Council representatives, will receive their badges at the Student Leaders’ Induction Ceremony next Monday 5^th February at 2:15pm. 

The Student Council will then meet in Week 3 for their first meeting of the year to discuss events, initiatives and fundraising ideas for the year ahead.   Good luck to all the students who self-nominate for this position.

 

Pink Vest Volunteers

Another opportunity for Year 5/6 students to hold a leadership position in our school, is to volunteer to be a Pink Vest Volunteer at break times.   These Year 5 and 6 students work in pairs to support students in various locations across the school including:

• P-2 Fort
• Sandpit
• Setting up Giant Games and Bubbles
• Library
• Prep Transitions (helping our Preppies move to play areas without getting lost!)

Once again, there were so many volunteers.  Each pair of students is rostered on 1 – 3 times per week.  Their help with students in these areas is greatly appreciated by staff on duty.  This is a great opportunity for aspirant leaders in Year 5 to develop their leadership skills.

The final leadership opportunity for Year 6 students who have not gained a leadership team role, is a position on the Assembly/Tech crew.  Application forms will be made available to Year 6 students this week. 

Students who take on this role, are responsible for helping to set up for assembly and to assist with the sound/AV equipment and with the running of assembly including taking photographs and helping students line up with certificates.  I look forward to reading the applications. 

School zone safety – advice for motorists, parents and carers

Welcome to 5/6 Science.

We have already started experimenting and are investigating the properties of solids, liquids and how changes to materials can be reversible or irreversible.

We are excited to learn!