2025, Term 2, Week 8, Kilcoy State School Newsletter
15.6.2025
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
We recently received our School Review results, and we are excited to be able to share the Executive Summary with you below. Many affirmations were recorded which was really pleasing to see. Our staff work hard every day to provide our students with an excellent education, and it was good to see this recognised. The Review Report also provides us with information and recommendations to guide the direction of progress for our school, across the next four years. We look forward to sharing this work with across future newsletters. There is a lot to celebrate and digest! I've started by including the affirmations from Domain 3. This domain relates to Promoting a Culture of Learning which is an absolute cornerstone of great schooling! There are nine to share over time with our whole community, including our staff. We thank the Kilcoy community and our staff for their direct contributions to our school review. The information received helps us celebrate our successes and continue to improve our capacity to provide your child with an outstanding education at Kilcoy State School.
Domain 3 Affirmations: Promoting a Culture of Learning
- Parents and carers value the work of teachers and staff in providing a safe, stimulating and supportive learning environment for their child. Parents express they appreciate the inclusive, welcoming tone of the school.
- Staff explain how they have worked to develop meaningful roles for student leaders, including PBL captain and Civics captain during P&C meetings. Many younger students speak positively of the support they receive from student leaders within the school. Many staff and community members describe student leaders as responsible, caring and enthusiastic. Student leaders express they value the role they play in contributing to school events and student voice.
- Staff and students talk positively about their interactions with each other. They describe members of the school community as caring, friendly and kind. Students comment that teachers want the best for them.
- Teachers speak of their bonds with colleagues and reference the impact of these relationships on their collective professional learning and wellbeing. Teachers acknowledge the work of teacher aides and describe them as invaluable members of the team.
UNDER 8s DAY: Kilcoy State School invites all local children under the age of 8 to join us on Friday 20/6 at our annual Under 8s day celebration! If your child is enrolling for 2026, please be encouraged to attend with them. It's a great opportunity to become familiar with the school environment and it will be an amazing day for all. I'd like to express my thanks to Mrs Pendergast (Prep B teacher) for her organisation of this important community event.
The event will commence at 11.30am and wrap up at 1pm. There are many exciting activities and displays for kids to play with and each child receives a collection bag and passport to keep their treasures safe! Whether it's simply blowing bubbles, creating an artistic masterpiece, using the play gym, climbing in a Fire Truck or visiting the animal farm, there will no doubt be something interesting for all. We have also invited local NDIS providers to help our community make connections with local supports available.
Uniform Policy: At our last P&C Meeting, the results of the Uniform Policy change survey sent to all families was discussed. The results showed that 64% of parents wished to have the white formal shirt removed from the Kilcoy State School uniform. We are confident that we received a good representation of families, receiving over 140 survey results back. The Uniform Policy will now be updated, and the formal shirt is no longer available for purchase. To support families who may have recently purchased a formal shirt, students will be permitted to wear them for the next six months. From the commencement of the 2026 school year, these shirts will no longer be able to be worn.
Attendance Check: Our current whole school attendance rate is 90.7%. 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.
I would like to express my personal thanks to the Filipino community in Kilcoy for their support of our school. Last week, we learnt about and celebrated Philippine Independence Day with the help of our Filipino parents and local business support. With over 30% of our students originating from the Philippines, it is important that these students also see themselves and their lives reflected in our daily school life. It helps to ensure our students feel connected to our school community. The day was filled with wonderful examples of pride in culture, amazing food and enjoying the simple kindness of sharing with each other.
Kind regards, Mrs Belinda Nash.
| Date of event | Brief event details/reminders for Weeks 9-10 |
| 19-6-25 | Fluoride Program, Day 3 of 4 |
| 19-6-25 | Open Classroom Learning Celebration - all parents and carers are encouraged to visit. |
| 20-6-25 | Under 8s Day - Community event - all Under 8s are welcome |
| 23-6-25 | Year 6 Kilcoy State High School Transition Day. |
| 24-6-25 | Fluoride Program, Day 4 of 4 |
| 25-6-25 | Interhouse Athletics - Yr3-6 |
| 26-6-25 | Interhouse Athletics - P-6 |
News from Miss Carlile - Deputy Principal
Reading Assessment in the Australian Curriculum Version 9
You may be aware that schools across Australia, including ours are working with a new curriculum in English and Mathematics. It is called the Australian Curriculum Version 9. Version 9 of the curriculum addresses research-based changes in what we know about how children learn. This message for our families is focussed on reading.
One framework that provides a research-based understanding of how we learn to read, and the most effective instructional strategies to teach reading is the Simple View of Reading. It explains that reading comprehension, or being able to gain meaning from text, is the product of word reading and language comprehension. The Simple View of Reading emphasises that if either part (word reading or language comprehension) is underdeveloped, reading comprehension will be impacted. This diagram helps to illustrate the Simple View of Reading.
At Kilcoy State School, students are supported to build their reading skills by directly learning their phonics and how to word build and pull apart words. Teachers also provide experiences with the topic that students are reading about through discussion and reading/ writing experiences. The aim of these experiences is that we have students who can understand what they have read.
In the past, when teachers and students have been working together to assess reading it has been the practice to read text to students when they have not been able to decode (sound out the words). The intention of this was to try and assess student understanding. This is actually an assessment of listening, rather than reading.
As such, assessments of reading conducted in 2025 and beyond require students to read independently and then show their understanding by answering a range of question types. If a child can not decode it is very unlikely that they will understand the text enough to be able to answer questions. This makes sense.
The assessment results of reading contribute to an overall English mark for student report cards. The change in the way reading is assessed may impact on the overall mark that students get in English. Parent/Carer teacher interviews are a great way of gaining a deeper understanding of your child’s reading results.
Pre-moderation
During the next two weeks our teachers will be taken off-line for one day per teaching team to work with myself and Mrs Burton, our Support Teacher of Literacy and Numeracy. We will be working together to really pull apart the English units of work for Term 3. This is a very important process as teaching is a complex business. By the end of the day, our teachers will have a deep understanding of what our children need to know and do in our unit of work. With this knowledge, our teachers plan learning sequences that aim to support our students to become proficient in the subject English. Mrs Burton is on hand to advise and support our teachers to make any required adjustments to ways of teaching so that all students are supported and can achieve personal success.
I have also been able to work with Mrs Webster, Principal at Peachester State School, to ensure that we could share our expertise. We did this so that we could plan the best pre-moderation days ever! It is so wonderful to be members of a school that supports teachers to engage in continual learning and be the best teachers they can be.
-Miss Pam Carlile, Deputy Principal.
P&C News
Our next P&C Meeting will be held on 17th July. Thank you to all families who participated in the Coff and Co Poe Drive this year. We're all looking forward to a yummy winter of delicious hot pies! If you don't get through all yours, remember that they freeze well.
Our kids are looking forward to the State of Origin meal deal day. Orders closed on 13/6. The Tuckshop will need more volunteers on Wednesday 18/6. It is important to remember that no other tuckshop will be available on the Meal Deal Day. If you are free for an hour or so, please let our Tuckshop Convenor (Rachel O'Brien) know. You can do this by dropping in or calling the school on 5422 3333.
-The P&C Team
Shared Stories, Shared Success! 5/6A and 4A
This week in the library, Mr Rass’s Year 5/6 students joined Miss Mac’s Year 4A class for a fantastic shared reading experience. The older students proudly presented their published information booklets that they have been working hard on this term, pointing out features such as headings, diagrams, captions, and labelled images. They explained how they created their texts and asked the younger students questions to check their understanding.
The Year 4s listened closely and came away with lots of inspiration—not only from the content, but also from the clever ways the Year 5/6s used layout, images, and structure. It gave them plenty of ideas for their own information writing. It was a great example of students learning from each other. The Year 5/6s built confidence as leaders, writers and presenters, and the Year 3/4s saw what they can aim for. A fun and valuable experience all round!
-Mrs Karen Burton, Support Teacher of Literacy and Numeracy and EAL/D teacher
Philippines Independence Day
Salamat Po!
A Huge Thank You for an Amazing Philippine Independence Day!
Kilcoy State School came alive with colour, culture, and community spirit as we celebrated Philippine Independence Day in spectacular fashion!
Salamat po – a heartfelt thank you – to everyone who helped make this year’s celebration such a memorable and meaningful event.
A very special thank you to our wonderful Filipino community for the incredible spread of traditional food. The variety was truly amazing and thoroughly enjoyed by students and staff alike. Your generosity, presence, and spirit added so much to the day, and we are so grateful to have you as such a valued part of our school community.
A huge thank you to all the staff who supported the day – whether it was helping serve food, encouraging students to speak and hear Filipino (Tagalog), showing the PowerPoint in classrooms, or sharing Filipino stories and songs. Your efforts helped create meaningful opportunities for cultural connection and learning, and truly made the day something special for our students.
We also want to shine a light on our Year 5 and 6 Filipino students, who bravely and proudly spoke at Morning Messages in the hall and visited classrooms to teach fellow students some Filipino words. You did a brilliant job sharing your language and culture – well done!
To the students who came dressed in traditional Filipino costume and brought in flags – thank you for helping create such a vibrant and joyful atmosphere. Your pride and participation were noticed and admired.
Thank you to everyone who embraced the day by trying the food, learning new words, and celebrating Filipino culture with open hearts and minds. The feedback was glowing – the food was delicious, and students loved the chance to practise Filipino language throughout the day.
A big thank you to Sheila Maratus for providing beautiful traditional costumes and headdresses, and for adjusting her work schedule to support the event at Kilcoy State School – your help was invaluable. Plus, an equally big thank you to Glezel Ladroma for her behind-the-scenes support – helping prepare for the event.
We also extend our sincere thanks to Emmanuel’s Restaurant Kilcoy for generously providing delicious Pancit Bihon (stir fried noodles) and Lumpia (spring rolls) for our staff – it was very much appreciated and enjoyed!
The day was an overwhelming success – full of joy, pride, and shared learning. We look forward to hearing more Filipino words spoken around the school in the weeks to come as this wonderful celebration continues to inspire.
Salamat po, Kilcoy State School! What a beautiful day of unity and culture.
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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