Kenmore State School eNewsletter

Thu 20 Feb	P&C Meeting 7:00pm
	Year 3-6 Assembly
Mon 24 Feb	Prep Vision Screening
	Halogen Young Leaders Day - Year 6 School Leaders
Tue 25 Feb	Prep Vision Screening
Wed 26 Feb	Regional Swimming Trials - Sleeman Centre (yrs 4-6)
Thu 27 Feb	Prep - 2 Assembly
Thu 6 Mar	Year 3-6 Assembly
	Parent-Teacher Conversations 3:30pm - 8:00pm
Wed 12 Mar	NAPLAN Year 3 and 5 (Writing)
Thu 13 Mar	NAPLAN Year 3 and 5 (Reading)
	Prep - 2 Assembly
Fri 14 Mar	NAPLAN Year 3 and 5 (Conventions of Language)

Dear families,

"It takes a village to raise a child." This timeless saying reminds us that the best outcomes happen when schools, parents, students, and the community work together to prioritise student learning and wellbeing.

Last night, we had the pleasure of welcoming our parent community to the school to officially introduce the classroom teachers for the 2025 school year. We also discussed school priorities, curriculum expectations, and the exciting experiences planned for the upcoming year. Copies of the information shared will be sent to your email by the teachers.

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Should you have any additional inquiries throughout the year, we encourage you to schedule a meeting with your child’s teacher as the initial point of contact. They possess a deep understanding of your child and can collaborate with you to foster their academic, social, and emotional development.

Community Connections: Parents & Citizens

As we celebrate our 125th anniversary this year, we reflect on the rich history of our Parent and Community (P&C) associations, which have been an integral part of our school for over 60 years. The original parent group, known as the Ladies Committee (true story), was formed in 1958, marking the beginning of the Tuckshop. Initially operated under trees near the front corner of the school, it was later moved to an old shelter shed. However, this area was too small and impractical, so the Tuckshop was eventually relocated to a room beneath the front of A Block (where the OSHC office is now located).

The P&C itself was formally founded in 1965 and has been an active group ever since, initially advocating for the purchase of books and topsoil for the oval! This connection continues to play a vital role in building strong ties between the school and the wider community, always working towards the best possible outcomes for our students.

Today, our P&C remains a central and integral part of our school community, overseeing essential services such as Out of School Hours Care (OSHC), Tuckshop, and the Uniform Shop. They also organise a range of fundraising events that bring our community together, including Trivia Night, Discos and 125 Anniversary Celebrations!

We look forward to many opportunities to engage with you throughout the year and celebrate all the wonderful things we will accomplish together.

Thank you for being a part of our school community.

Kind regards,

Ingrid

Date Claimer - Parent Teacher Conversations (Week 6)

At Kenmore, Parent-Teacher conversations are an important component of ongoing home-school communication and family involvement in school. The conversations play an important role in fostering positive relationships with our families. Please see details below.

Date: Thursday 6^th March

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)

Further information and booking links will be emailed to all families next week.

Year 6 Student Leaders Update

Last week families and students celebrated our newly appointed Year 6 student leaders for 2025. An amazing group of students who are ready to lead the school with fresh ideas and enthusiasm. In our 125^th Year anniversary, we hope to incorporate some history over how student leaders have grown over the years.

A special thank you to Lachlan and Lavina our 2022 School Captains for joining us for the assembly and delivering some insightful reflections of their time as leaders of Kenmore State School. Great to have you back!

In week 5 our leaders will have the opportunity to attend the annual Halogen young leaders conference at the Brisbane convention. This has been an annual event for our Year 6 leaders for many years now, and provides students the chance to hear from some of our inspirational leaders from around Australia. We are looking forward to spending the day with our leaders at such a fantastic event.

The conference has announced the following speakers for this year.

A consent form will be sent home this week via QParents for the event.

Religious Instruction

Religious Instruction has commenced for students in Year 1 – 6.

Participation in RI is not compulsory. Any student (except Prep students) may participate in RI if a parent has provided consent during the enrolment process. Please contact the office if you are unsure about your child’s participation.

Please see the link below for more information about religious instruction at Kenmore.

https://kenmoress.eq.edu.au/extra-curricular/religious-instruction

Awards will be presented at Senior Assembly 2:30pm Thursday 20th February

3C	SOW	Priya B Paige C	Beautiful bookwork in English an exciting climax in narrative writing
	3Rs	Lydia Z Dojin S	A super start to Year 3 A super start to year 3
3D	SOW	Lachie D	For always having a positive attitude, particularly in Maths when tasks may be tricky
	3Rs	Lucy R	By consistently showing the 3Rs when working in groups during English
3O	SOW	Irene L	For using fantastic noun groups in her narrative writing.
	3Rs	Eleanor K	By being a helpful and responsible class member – a great start at Kenmore State School!
4M	SOW	Amelia	Identifying and describing of symmetry
	3Rs	Lydia	Working productively during group tasks
4S	SOW	Scarlet	For being a responsible student in 4S
	3Rs	Nicola	For being a responsible student in 4S
5A	SOW	Leo S	For using initiative and creating a German-English-Chinese dictionary to help with learning a new language.
	3Rs	Ella G	For consistently displaying self-regulated behaviour and a desire to help others.
5S	SOW	Petra T	For working productively in class and applying feedback to improve his work.
	3Rs	Ella C	For maintaining a positive attitude during every task!
5W	SOW	Shaleen J	For demonstrating outstanding effort, dedication, and a positive attitude in all aspects of her learning.
	3Rs	Jason Y	Showing exceptional responsibility for your learning.
6D	SOW	Haylie J	Showing initiative and preparing for tasks and helping in class
	3Rs	Jake W	Powering through in maths and showing impeccable manners

Invoices

The following invoices have been emailed to parents / caregivers for activities. Information will have been sent home prior to the generation of an invoice.

If you are unsure whether you have outstanding fees, please contact Admin on office@kenmoress.eq.edu.au.

Activity Details – extra curricular	$
Strings program – participation	80.00
Strings program – participation and hire of instrument	220.00
District swimming	5.00
Halogen Leadership Conference	Nil charge
Upcoming – curricular
Mathletics subscription – for those who didn’t purchase through backpack website	15.00
Band program – participation	80.00
Band program – participation and hire of instrument	220.00

The School's preferred methods of payment are as follows:

BPoint
EFT
Bank transfer (BSB: 064 152 A/c: 00090154)

If you are a fee-paying international student, no payment is required for curricular activities.

If you would like to enter into a payment plan with the School or have any queries about your student account, please don't hesitate to contact Rachel Dalton, Business Manager on office@kenmoress.eq.edu.au.

Library Borrowing Days

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
3O, 3D, 1B, 5W, PC	4H, 4M, 4S, 1S, 5A	3C, 2D, 2S, 5S	1C	PH, 6D, PM, 2W

Students should bring their library bags on borrowing days. This is to facilitate the safe transit of books to and from home.

Between these times, students are welcome to come along to the library before school from 8:30 and at first break to return and borrow books.

Many thanks.

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Students should have brought home Issue 1 of the Scholastic Book Club.

Orders are due by Friday 21^st February 2025.

There are two ways to order/pay:

Credit Card To pay by credit card, visit scholastic.com.au/LOOP or download the LOOP app. Your order will be electronically linked to the rest of the school’s order.
Cash Please enclose cash with completed order form and return to school library

Your orders are very much appreciated as each order earns the school points towards buying new resources.

If you have any queries or require additional copies of the Book Club then please contact Mrs Caskie in the library or email to gcask1@eq.edu.au

The school has registered all students with the ebook digital library!

Please see “Getting started with SORA” instructions below. Students should sign in with their MIS ID. If student is unsure of their MIS ID then please contact class teacher or Mrs Caskie in the library gcask1@eq.edu.au

See you @ the library

P&C Events Calendar = Term 1
Event	Date/Time	Location	Fundraising Purpose	Volunteers Needed
P&C AGM Meeting	Thursday 20^thFebruary 7 pm	Library	N/A
P&C General Meeting	Thursday 20^thMarch 7 pm	Library	N/A
German Food Day	27 May – Please ensure your orders are placed on or before the 24^{th of} May 4 pm!	Tuckshop	Readers for the Library	Two to three parents are required please e-mail pandc@kenmoress.eq.edu.au if you are able to volunteer.
Disco	Thursday 3^rd April Junior 5:00 pm Seniors 6:30 pm	Amos Hall	Ablution Block Renovations	Sign Up Here
Save the Date
Trivia Night	Sat 24^th May 6 pm	Amos Hall	Ablution Block Renovations

Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on 20^th February at 7pm, in the School Library. This is a great opportunity for all parents to come together and discuss important updates, share feedback, and contribute to the future direction of our school community.

For those wishing to join the P&C Association, membership application forms can be collected from the Secretary (pandc@kenmoress.eq.edu.au) and submitted prior to the opening of the meeting.

Fundraising

It’s DISCO TIME!

Get ready to dance the night away at our upcoming P&C Student Disco!
Thursday 3rd April 2025, join us for an evening of music, fun, competitions and prizes as we raise funds to support the schools Ablution Block Renovations.
Last disco we raised almost $4,000 and have set the challenge to see that increase even further for 2025.

The disco is one of the students’ favourite events of the year and one of our committee’s most successful fundraising opportunities to support our school community.
Given this is a community connection event, parents/caregivers will be required to remain on-site for the duration of the Disco (drop and go not permitted) so come along for a BBQ, drink and catch up with other families while the students create lasting memories (and epic dance moves) inside Amos Hall.Get your tickets from Monday 24^th Feb via the Qkr app or the Uniform Shop.
Ticket sales will CLOSE from 2 pm on Tuesday 1^st April.

Please note, some last-minute ticket sales may be available on the night however not all food items will be available due to pre-ordering requirements. Don’t miss out and GRAB YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Disco and OSHC:

Children attending OSHC the day of the Disco will need to be signed out by a parent/caregiver before attending the Disco. OSHC staff are not available to support children attending the Disco.

Dual Disco Families:

Where families have children attending both the Junior and Senior Disco alternating, the school library will be set up with a movie for any children who have siblings attending the Disco. All non-school aged children must be supervised by an adult.

Volunteering - we also have some great volunteering opportunities across the evening for those interested. As always, we appreciate as little or as much time as you can spare. It’s a great way to meet other families and contribute towards your community in a purposeful way. You can help with anything from BBQ duties, ticket sales, burger making, coloured hair spraying, grounds supervision or more.

For more info please follow the link for volunteering here.

Save the Date - Trivia Night – 24^th May

We are excited to announce our Trivia Night will be hosted on the 24th of May! Please mark this date on your calendars for what promises to be a fun-filled evening of laughter, friendly competition, and community spirit. For this event our OSHC is creating a decorative blanket which will be auctioned on the night!

This event will be a fantastic opportunity to come together, enjoy a night of trivia, and test your knowledge on a wide range of topics. Whether you're a trivia master or just looking for a great time with friends, there will be something for everyone.

Stay tuned for more details on how to register your team and additional event information. We can’t wait to see you there!

We encourage any parent or caregiver with any questions to contact the P&C Executive Team at pandc@kenmoress.eq.edu.au.

Tuckshop Menu Updates
We are excited to share some delicious updates to our Tuckshop menu. After reviewing student preferences and health guidelines, we've made a few changes and introduced some new options to keep meals exciting and nutritious. I can highly recommend the Chicken Burger on Thursdays and the Tuna Bake on Fridays.

Tuckshop Volunteers
We would like to extend a big thank you to our wonderful new volunteers who have joined us from the beginning of the Term 1! Your time, energy, and enthusiasm have already made a huge difference, and we truly appreciate your support.

For those families who struggle to download the Qkr app – the website link is as follows:

https://qkr-store.qkrschool.com/store/#/home

Qkr uniform orders will be delivered to classes on a Monday and Thursday.

Senior shirts
Senior shirt second order – if you would like to order some additional senior shirts, please order on Qkr or contact Debbie on dhoogers@kenmoresspnc.au.

Uniform Volunteers
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our dedicated uniform volunteers who have been working tirelessly to ensure that our students are ready for the school year. Your time and effort in organizing, sorting, and distributing uniforms have made a significant difference for many families, especially during the busy start of the school year.

It’s wonderful to see how the community has come together to support one another, and we truly appreciate all the hard work you’ve put into helping our students feel confident and prepared.

For those families who struggle to download the Qkr app – the website link is as follows:

https://qkr-store.qkrschool.com/store/#/home

Transitions can be hard

A big shout out to our wonderful staff! Sometimes week two and three brings a few transition tears as students begin to settle in and realise that this is just the start. Some students are bounding in, confidently connecting with friends and walking to their class. Others are still nervous or struggling to adjust. Remember that no matter how this week looks that you are doing good!

A few tips for those who are struggling to adjusting.

+Breathe deeply. There are so many techniques that can help calm our nervous system when it goes into overdrive. Starfish breathing is a family favorite of mine. Breathe in as you trace up your finger and breathe out when you trace down. Run over each finger slowly and lightly.

+Let your child pick a favorite song to play on the way to school

+Acknowledge how they feel

+Encourage self growth, maybe transitions are a time for them to practice being brave, or courageous, or calm

+Share a time you managed the same feeling, and what you did to feel better

But mostly be kind to yourself! It's hard to see your loved ones struggle. Be rest assured that our staff are waiting with kindness to support all of our students.

Technology Detox

I really enjoy the content and links that parenting expert Justin Coulson often shares. He has recently interviewed Brad Marshall on how parents can help their kids who struggle with smartphone addiction. This study was done that included Primary students and has some really easy ways to help manage technology time. Visit https://pod.fo/e/2a9d83 for a short 16min overview or checkout his website https://unpluggedpsychologist.com/

Community Connect Coffee

Thankyou to all who joined me for community connect. My highlight was hearing two parents chat after realising their students were both in the same class. It was really nice meeting some of the new parents but also to catch up with some of the families who have been here for a while. It was a really nice mixture of people. If you'd like to connect, keep an eye out for another event early next term.

I met a few international families there. One of them commented saying that their experience here had been so warm and welcoming. It was so encouraging to hear and made me feel so proud of being an Australian. We have a wonderful country, school and community and it is a privilege to share it with others.

Swimming Classes

I spent this morning with the Prep classes at the pool. It was so nice supporting students on their first swimming lesson. The Master Stroke teachers and Mr Blaik are fantastic. Energy, enthusiasm and compassion were at full swing today. Lots of students proudly showed their competency while a few bravely engaged with support. It was a lovely opportunity for me to connect with students, to help with shoelaces and to boost their sense of success and achievement.

Please note, out of hours programs are run by private external companies. Please contact the company directly if you have any questions regarding the program, enrolment, attendance, supervision or payment.

Thank you
Kenmore State School
Administration