Dear Kenmore families,

As we continue our historical review of the school, in readiness for our 125th anniversary, we’d love you to have a go with your child at putting these pictures in order from the oldest to the most recent. And as you do, think and talk about what clues you are using to do it.

Kenmore State School – Over the Years

The fashion and hairstyles in the 1930s photo, along with the workplace health and safety attitude, are clear giveaways! And who knew school photos were still in black and white in the 1970s?

P-2 are studying family history and the local area. Sort your family photos from oldest to most recent and challenge your children to see what’s stayed the same or changed over time.

Years 3 and 4 are exploring migration to Australia and how events shaped our country. This year, we’re focusing on World War I and ANZAC Day, learning how different cultures commemorate this important day.

Years 5 and 6 are researching personal stories from history, using firsthand sources to uncover how people felt about social changes. If you have family stories linked to early settlement, gold rushes, world wars, women’s roles, or immigration, share them to make the learning more meaningful.

We hope you enjoy discussing these ideas with your children and watching them learn how to research. If they ask difficult questions, don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know. How could we find out?”

Teaching Excellence: Training & Development

Our school is proud to be a training hub for the Reading to Learn methodology, which supports all students in succeeding at reading and writing across the curriculum. This week, we commenced the post-graduate level course with Dr David Rose (Sydney University), welcoming 55 teachers from 10 Queensland schools, including new staff at Kenmore.

Dr Rose’s Reading to Learn (R2L) pedagogy is a post-graduate program in Systemic Functional Linguistics and Genre-Based Pedagogy. This program teaches language and literacy through authentic texts, focusing on scaffolding students’ skills from guided learning to independent application.

The professional development program involves significant new knowledge for teachers, as well as planning, pedagogy, and assessment skills that will be developed and refined over time.

We would like to congratulate the following teachers for completing the first half of the program: Lily Wolf, Jessica O’Keefe, Tegan Streeter, Cass Williams, Vicki Johnson, and Paddy Behan.

Community Connections: Administration Team

As our families would appreciate, schools are busy places. While schools are ultimately responsible for delivering education, they are also large-scale centres with all the business demands that come with organisations and facilities of significant size. With 530 students, 350 families, and 60 staff, the school office serves as a consistent point of contact. The school operations, managed by our Office Administration Team, contribute to a welcoming atmosphere where everyone feels supported. They also work closely with the Leadership Team to manage the business operations of the school.

Our Administration Team includes Mrs Rachel Dalton and Mrs Sue Brotherton, with support from Mrs Robyn Charlton. We are also delighted to welcome our newest members: Mrs Douglas, who is with us on Mondays and Tuesdays, and Mr Hallet, who is here from Wednesday to Friday. Their additions strengthen our team and further enhance the service we provide.

The school's Administration Team can be contacted through the school office at 3327 2444 or by email at admin@kenmoress.eq.edu.au.

P & C Update for 2025

Last week, our P & C met for the Annual General Meeting (AGM), a time when we say thank you for their invaluable contributions to our school.

Over the past year alone, our P & C has supported the school by:

• Procuring new student laptops.
  • Contributing to the Bibu Outlook and ongoing library upgrade.
  • Sponsoring Masterstrokes to work with our PE teacher to implement the Water Safety and Swimming movement program, benefiting both students and families.
  • Generously funding projects aimed at enhancing student and staff wellbeing.
  • Bringing families together for community events such as discos and Trivia Night.

It's essential to recognise that behind these achievements lies a dedicated team of volunteers who collaborate to support the educational experience for our students. Thank you to the 2024 Executive team for their dedication and assistance to our school community.

In particular, we say thank you to Melanie Herman for the role she has played as P & C Vice-President for the last few years. While she transitions out of the Executive team, Melanie will continue to make an impact through her ongoing involvement in the P & C and School Council. We are grateful for all that Melanie has done and will continue to do.

We welcome the 2025 P & C Executive Team, which includes:
Aynsley Johnson, President; Dan Beaman, Vice-President; Breanna Thompson, Secretary; Kristy Robertson, Treasurer.

We look forward to working alongside each of you in the coming year to continue supporting our school community. Thank you to everyone for your continued efforts, dedication, and contributions.

NAPLAN 2025

NAPLAN tests will be held from Wednesday 12 March-Monday 17 March. NAPLAN is a nationwide measure through which parents, teachers and schools can determine how well young Australians are developing the literacy and numeracy skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning. NAPLAN assesses skills that students are learning at school.

Students, teachers and parents now have the opportunity to take Demonstration Tests  on the NAP website using the Online National Assessment Platform. Students will be provided with opportunities to access these practice tests in their classrooms.

Have a lovely weekend.

Kind regards,

Ingrid

Parent Teacher Conversations 

We are looking forward to connecting with our families next week during our parent-teacher conversations to discuss your child progress as well as their transition into the new school year. These conversations are an important component of ongoing home-school communication and play an important role in fostering positive relationships with our families. 

There are some limited spots still available for next week. Please see details and booking link below. 

Date: Thursday 6^th March (some additional time slots are also available throughout the week).

Time: 3:30pm – 8:00pm

Venue: Your child’s classroom

Mode: In person (TEAMS, or via phone are also an option if required, please make your selection when booking)

Bookings close Sunday 2^nd March

NAPLAN 2025

Our Year 3 and 5 students will participate in NAPLAN in week 7 of this term. NAPLAN is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake.

Students have had the opportunity in class to explore the public demonstration site to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and functionalities of the online tests. Students and families are welcome to continue exploring at home using the following link NAPLAN Public Demonstration Site.

2025 Dates

Our Year 3 and 5 teachers will be happy to answer any further questions or concerns at our upcoming parent-teacher conversations next week.

You can also find additional information in the NAPLAN website.