2025, Term 2, Week 6, Kilcoy State School Newsletter
1.6.2025
Acknowledgment of Country: This newsletter comes to you from Jinibara Land. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country througho2t Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples today. We are thankful to be able to work, learn and play on Jinibara land.
Vision & Values: "We believe that all members of the Kilcoy State School community have the right to work, learn and play in a safe and inclusive environment." Our STAR values are SAFETY - Taking Responsibility - Active Learning - Respect
2025 Annual Improvement Plan
- AIP Focus area 1: The quality enactment of Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum, leading to measurable improvement in student academic achievement.
- AIP Focus area 2: The development of a school culture which underpins a rich, engaging and consistent learning environment, prioritising excellence in curriculum, teaching and learning, resulting in enhanced staff and student learning and wellbeing.
News from Mrs Nash - Principal
Dear Parents and Carers
On Tuesday, all of our year 5 and Year 6 students will be travelling to the University of Sunshine Coast to experience a day of learning what career options are out there. This excursion is fully funded/free and is an opportunity not to be missed. Please note that permission forms must be returned.
BLUE DAY!
On Wednesday 4/6/25, our school will go BLUE to showcase our commitment to this term's PBL focus on Taking Responsibility! Please help your child to dress in blue clothes to wear to school. Normal school hat and enclosed shoes are required.
Coff & Co Pie Drive
Order forms for the Coff and Co pie drive are due by tomorrow (2/6/25). Delivery of the delicious pies will be on 12/6/25 from the school Tuckshop.
Health Check
Currently, we are experiencing an increase of generalised illness (cold/flu/covid like symptoms) in our school community with the cold/flu season yet to arrive! We ask that you keep your child home if they are unwell. The flow-on effect of sending an unwell child to school can be significant for students and staff. It can also impact our ability to find an adequate number of relief staff. Included below is the Queensland Government's 'Time Out' poster, detailing the precautions needed when managing a child's illness in relation to attending school. We must prioritise the safety and health of our staff and students, so we urge you to be considerate and keep your child home if they are unwell.
Uniform Check: Please support your child to meet the school uniform policy requirements by ensuring they have a named school hat with them every school day, and dark green school jumper as needed.
Attendance Check: Our current whole school attendance rate is 91.5%. Our goal is 95%. If your child is reluctant to attend or you would like assistance in this area, please make contact with the office on 5422 3333 to make an appointment.
Note: You may notice further along in this newsletter an article from Acting Deputy Principal, Mrs Paige Somerville. Unfortunately, I was remiss and did not include the article in the correct week. It's a great article showcasing our staff and students. I really appreciated the support Mrs Somerville provided our school with during her time as Acting Deputy Principal.
Kind regards, Mrs Belinda Nash.
| Date of event | Brief event details/reminders for Weeks 7-10 |
| 2-6-25 | Year 6 students - Kilcoy State High School staff visiting - information session |
| 2-6-25 | Coff & Co Pie Drive Orders Due (12/6 delivery) - P&C Fundraiser and Community event |
| 3-6-25 | UniSC Excursion for year 5/6 students |
| 4-6-25 | BLUE Day! - All students encouraged to wear Blue clothes to school. Clothes need to be sun safe and shoes need to be enclosed. School Hats are required. |
| 9-6-25 | Fluoride Varnish program commences + the following dates: 12/6, 19/6, 23/6 |
| 10-6-25 | KSHS Drama Students performing for Prep, in the hall from 12-1.30pm. |
| 20-6-25 | Under 8s Day - Community event - all Under 8s are welcome |
| 25-6-25 | Interhouse Athletics - Yr3-6 |
| 26-6-25 | Interhouse Athletics - P-6 |
Free Prep Vision Screening at school
Children’s Health Queensland (CHQ) is running a free vision screening program for Prep children in all Queensland schools. A Registered Nurse will visit our school to provide this free screening service for our Prep students. Good vision is important for children’s educational, physical and social development. The earlier a problem is picked up, the better the treatment outcomes. The online link for booking (below) is open until 09/06/2025 and can also be used to access the consent form as a PDF.
News from Miss Carlile - Deputy Principal
Learning Walks and Talks
This week I was privileged to be able to go into classrooms to conduct learning walks and talks. Each learning walk and talk can look a bit different, however the purpose is the same. We utilise learning walks and talks to ensure that we have a shared vision and understanding of high-quality teaching that impacts on student learning. Each learning walk and talk can have a different focus. In Week 6 our visits focussed on 5 important questions:
- What are you learning?
- How are you going?
- How do you know?
- What are your next steps for improvement
- Where can you go for help?
We interview record our students and they really are the stars of the show. In our school, these interviews are then shared with our classroom teachers at our next staff meeting. The learning walk and talk videos really do foster conversation about our core business: teaching and learning.
Learning Walks and Talks
-Miss Pam Carlile, Deputy Principal.
News from Mrs Somerville - Acting Deputy Principal (Wk1-4)
This term, our whole-school PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) focus is Taking Responsibility.
Earlier this term, we highlighted two key aspects of this important life skill:
- I show pride in my work
- I take responsibility for my actions and behaviour
These are lifelong habits that help children grow into confident, capable and caring individuals. As Abraham Lincoln wisely said:
"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."
I had the pleasure of joining Mrs Rebecca Keast, our talented Arts teacher, during a Media Arts lesson with the Year 2A students. It was wonderful to see how she seamlessly integrated our PBL focus into the learning experience. The lesson began with students watching a short animation created by a child about being responsible. Inspired by this, the students decorated a star with the theme "taking responsibility", then used their Media Arts skills to photograph a classmate holding the star in a portrait.
So many valuable skills and learning opportunities wrapped into one creative lesson—how lucky are the students of Kilcoy State School!
Home idea:
Ask your child: "What’s one way you can take responsibility at home?"
It might be feeding a pet, taking out the rubbish, or clearing the table after dinner—every small act of responsibility helps build strong character.
-Mrs Somerville
Students Learning and Leading the Way
Did you know that Kilcoy SS has an AV (Audio Visual) team? We do, and Billy and Bohdy are the cool operators who make up the AV crew. It is important to celebrate their cool heads because if there is a hiccough in the technology, they have demonstrated that they are able to focus and problem solve under pressure. These two superstars are extremely reliable. Every day the set up the audio-visual equipment in the hall for morning messages and then again, every two weeks for parade. It is great to be able to offer the opportunity to students to work in this field and even greater to see our leaders step up to the plate and take on this responsibility. Well done Billy and Bohdy.
P&C News
Our next P&C Meeting will be held on Thursday 5th June in the Resource Centre at 3.30pm. Look out for the agenda, shared soon. We'll also be discussing the Formal Uniform survey results that will update our Uniform Policy moving forward.
-The P&C Team
Support Teacher: Literacy and Numeracy and EAL/D teacher
On Thursday 12th June, Kilcoy State School will be celebrating Philippine Independence Day. This special day marks the anniversary of the Philippines becoming an independent nation in 1898. It is an important event for our Filipino families and a chance for our whole school to learn and celebrate together.
As part of the celebration, Filipino students and members of our Filipino community are invited to dress in Filipino traditional costume and share traditional Filipino food with our classes. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to experience and appreciate Filipino culture.
A permission form will be sent home with all students due to the inclusion of food.
Only return the form if:
- Your child has a known allergy or food intolerance and will not be able to take part in the food sharing component of this event.
We look forward to celebrating this important cultural day with our school community.
-Mrs Karen Burton, Support Teacher of Literacy and Numeracy and EAL/D teacher
Inclusion Support news
At lunchtime, the Prep playground is a hive of creativity, laughter, and connection. Our youngest students are fully embracing imaginative play, and it is a joy to watch!
One of the standout activities recently has been egg and spoon races. Inspired by their PE lessons, the Preps have been eagerly practising their hand eye coordination and balancing skills. What makes it even more special is the support they’re receiving from their Break Buddies, older students who gently guide and cheer them on. These moments are not just fun; they build confidence, friendships, and teamwork.
Other groups have been busy “camping” — building pretend tents, cooking imaginary food, and setting up little campsites with friends. Another favourite has been the “train game”, where children line up, hold on tight, and travel around the playground picking up passengers. It’s amazing to see their imaginations in action!
These simple games are doing more than filling lunchtime — they’re helping students connect across age groups and abilities. Children are learning how to include others, solve problems together, and communicate in playful, meaningful ways.
At Kilcoy, we value inclusive environments where every child feels like they belong. It’s heartening to see that inclusion is not just something we teach — it’s something our students are naturally practising every day.
-Mrs McVeigh, Inclusion Support Teacher
Community Events
Thank you for taking the time to engage in your child's school life further by reading this newsletter. We appreciate you staying informed. If you have any newsletter suggestions, please email them to admin@kilcoyss.eq.edu.au.
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