Dear Kenmore Families,

This year is particularly special as we celebrate 125 years of education at Kenmore State School, a milestone that marks our rich history and the many achievements that have shaped us since 1900. We are excited to continue building on this legacy as we look ahead to another great year.

It’s been wonderful to welcome back our returning families and extend a special greeting to those who are joining us for the first time. We’re thrilled to have you as part of our school community.

Yesterday, I was delighted to receive a message from a parent sharing a special moment with their Prep student. The child proudly told their mother, "Mum, today I learnt to read." The excitement didn’t stop there—he went to his bag, retrieved his sentence strip, and carefully put the words back in order to read, “I went walking.” The mother and child then headed to their bookshelf, found the book "I Went Walking" by Sue Williams, and read the story together. It was a beautiful reminder of the joy of reading for pleasure and the powerful start to a lifelong learning journey.

Our staff has worked hard behind the scenes to get the school ready, and thanks to their efforts, the school grounds are looking great after the summer rain, and classrooms are prepared to support a year of quality learning.

Our school has seen steady growth in recent years, and we start 2025 with nearly 530 students across 21 classes. We’re looking forward to a year full of exciting opportunities, achievements, and growth for all of our students.

Staffing Update

We’re happy to introduce a couple of new faces to our team this year:

• Mrs Vicki Johnson joins the 3-6 Inclusion Support Team. She brings a wealth of experience teaching across the Metropolitan Region, and we’re excited to have her as a member of our staff.
• Miss Lily Wolf is back at Kenmore, and we are thrilled to have her with us. Lily has had a fabulous start to the year as part of the Year 2 team.
• Miss Jessica O’Keefe joins us from Ithaca Creek SS and is teaching Year 3 this year. Miss O’Keefe’s training in language and literacy teaching, make her a wonderful asset to our school.
• Miss Cass Williams joins us from Mabel Park SS. Miss Williams has joined the Year 5 team, and has really enjoyed getting to know her class and working with her teaching team.

Community Connections: Student Leaders’ Badge Ceremony

Our Year 6 Student Leaders’ Badge Ceremony will take place on Friday February 7 at 9:00 AM in Amos Hall. Families of students receiving leadership badges are invited to join us for this special event. As part of the tradition, parents will be invited to pin the badge on their child during the ceremony.

Newsletter Distribution Update

We will now be distributing full school newsletters on a fortnightly basis. Weekly Student of the Week recognitions and after-hours community notifications will continue to be sent out on a weekly basis. We hope this new schedule helps keep everyone in the loop without overwhelming your inbox.

As we mark 125 years of Kenmore State School, it’s a great time to reflect on all we’ve accomplished together as a school community and how we can continue to build on that legacy in 2025. We’re proud to be part of a community that has supported generations of students in reaching their full potential.

Community Connections

Parent-Teacher Information Evening (Thursday 13 February)

We look forward to welcoming parents and carers to our Parent Information evening on Thursday 13 February. The evening will provide parents with the opportunity to meet your child’s teacher and hear key messages for the year ahead, including:

• The focus areas for teaching and learning
• Upcoming camps and excursions
• Modes of communication
• Messages from the office

A summary of the schedule can be found below:

Please note, that the sessions are designed for a parent audience.

Teachers will email a summary of the information shared on the night for anyone who is unable to attend in person.

Kind regards,
Ingrid

International Student Program

In 2024, Queensland welcomed 1200 international students 64 source countries. Across Queensland accredited state schools, almost 3000 international students are enrolled and almost 1400 are residing in homestay arrangements. 

At a local level Kenmore State School is extremely proud of its highly regarded International Student Program (ISP) with over 25 students now part of our community. Our families have travelled from many countries to be part of the program, including, China, Korea, Papua New Guinea, Naura, and Vietnam. Our international students are an important part of our wonderful school and contribute to our vibrant and multicultural community. Our teachers and staff are always amazed at the outstanding growth we witness in their work as the year progresses, as well as the joy from watching new friendships grow.

This week we welcomed 7 new families to our International Student Program.

 

I’d like to acknowledge our wonderful students who accompanied our new students as international buddies in their first week at a new school.

Thank you to all our international families for choosing Kenmore. 

Volunteer Induction

As part of ensuring we create and maintain a safe learning environment for all students of Kenmore State School, all volunteers are required to complete an induction which covers student protection and risk management training. We thank all our wonderful volunteers for their time. Please see details below.

Date: Friday 14^th February

Time: 8.30am

Place: Kenmore State School Library

Volunteering at Kenmore

• Tuckshop
• Reading groups and other classroom activities
• Home readers
• Swimming (Prep – 2)
• Library assistance
• Sport Carnivals 

We thank you in advance for offering your time as a volunteer of Kenmore State School.