Edition 62

Principal's Message

Thank you to our Volunteers!

Thank you to the parents/carers who volunteer to support our Breakfast Club on a weekly basis. This is a great initiative coordinated by our Guidance Officer, Mrs Bashford. We are in need of more volunteers. If you are able to assist, even if it is only once or twice a term, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you also to the numerous parents/carers who assisted our P&C at our Mother’s Day, which was another great success. I am sure all of our mother figures enjoyed their gifts on Mother’s Day. The students certainly enjoyed the opportunity to select a special gift for their mum, aunt, grandmother, carer or other significant mother figure in their lives.

Upcoming P&C Discos

Our P&C is desperately seeking volunteers for their upcoming Prep – Year 2 and Year 3 – Year 6 discos. If there are not enough volunteers (at least 15 for each disco), there is the strong possibility these fun events will be cancelled. Please see the message from our P&C news below.

Semester One Reporting

As you would be aware from previous newsletters and the termly calendar shared on Curriculum Overviews (posted to each class SeeSaw earlier this term), you will receive a written Report Card at the end of this term.

This year, all schools in Queensland are required to implement Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum. The implementation of this curriculum has resulted in changes to the way in which student academic Level of Achievement (grade) and effort Level of Achievement is recorded.

Prior to these changes, Prep students did not receive an effort or overall behaviour Level of Achievement. From this year, students in Prep will receive an effort mark and an overall behaviour mark.

Students from Prep to Year 6 receive a Level of Achievement or mark, on what is referred to as a five-point scale. The mark, or Level of Achievement for students from Prep to Year 2 has changed since the last reporting period at the end of 2024. The five point scale for Prep to Year 2 students is as follows:

Applying (equivalent to an A): The student is demonstrating deep and broad knowledge, understanding and skills from the achievement standard.

Connecting (equivalent to a B): The student is demonstrating deep knowledge, understanding and skills from the achievement standard.

Working With (equivalent to a C – year level expectation): The student is demonstrating the expected knowledge, understanding and skills from the achievement standard.

Exploring (equivalent to a D): The student is demonstrating partial knowledge, understanding and skills from the achievement standard.

Beginning (equivalent to an E): The student is beginning to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and skills from the achievement standard.

N: If there is insufficient evident to make a judgement on a student’s academic progress, they may receive an N. An ‘N’ is used in exceptional circumstances, when there is insufficient summative (final end of term) assessment evidence to make a judgement about a student’s level of achievement. If a child enrolled later in a school term, was absent for an extended period of time, or exempt for compulsory school, an ‘N’ maybe recorded.

The five point scale for students from Year 3 to Year 6 has not changed.

A: The student is demonstrating deep and broad knowledge, understanding and skills from the achievement standard.

B: The student is demonstrating deep knowledge, understanding and skills from the achievement standard.

C – Year level expectation: The student is demonstrating the expected knowledge, understanding and skills from the achievement standard.

D: The student is demonstrating partial knowledge, understanding and skills from the achievement standard.

E: The student is beginning to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and skills from the achievement standard.

Students from Prep to Year 6 receive a Behaviour mark using the same five-point scale:

A: The student always demonstrates positive learning behaviours and models the expectations set out in the Student Code of Conduct – At Everleigh State School, this reflected in our school CARE Values: Commitment, Accountability, Respect and Encouragement.

B: The student consistently demonstrates positive learning behaviours and regularly meets the expectations set out in the Student Code of Conduct – At Everleigh State School, this reflected in our school CARE Values: Commitment, Accountability, Respect and Encouragement.

C: The student mostly demonstrates positive learning behaviours and usually meets the expectations set out in the Student Code of Conduct – At Everleigh State School, this reflected in our school CARE Values: Commitment, Accountability, Respect and Encouragement.

D: The student sometimes demonstrates positive learning behaviours and needs guidance to meet the expectations set out in the Student Code of Conduct – At Everleigh State School, this reflected in our school CARE Values: Commitment, Accountability, Respect and Encouragement.

E: The student rarely demonstrates positive learning behaviours and requires extensive support to meet the expectations set out in the Student Code of Conduct – At Everleigh State School, this reflected in our school CARE Values: Commitment, Accountability, Respect and Encouragement.

When you receive your child’s Report Card via email or QParents in week 10 of this term, please take the time to review it with your son and daughter. Read the comments written by your child’s teacher and reflect on what they are doing well and where they can improve.

Please ensure your email address is up to date, and you are subscribed to QParents. QParents allows to review previous Report Cards.

Attendance and absences

Our current attendance rate remains at 91.3%. We continue to have unexplained absences, several late arrivals and early departures. This is a timely reminder, that while none of us enjoy being stuck in traffic, collecting students early due to convenience is not a reasonable excuse. When parents/carers arrive without notice to collect students at inconvenient times – during lunch breaks, during the afternoon session – it creates additional, unnecessary work for our administration staff to have students sent to the office, for your convenience. This interrupts valuable learning time for all students. 

Unless arranged prior for a legitimate reason, or it is an absolute emergency, administration staff will not be interrupting classes for students to leave between 2.15 and 2.30 pm. Catering to your convenience to avoid traffic or not wanting to wait until the end of the school day is not our priority and is an inconvenience to our core business.

Here is our attendance and absence data from Monday 12 May through until Wednesday 21 May.

Carparking Etiquette

We are again plagued by inconsiderate drivers in both the Kangaroo and Platypus zones. On Thursday, I was speechless. I watched three separate drivers make unsafe and unnecessary U-Turns in the middle of Anderson Drive, holding up traffic and creating an unsafe environment. This could have been easily avoided had these inconsiderate and impatient drivers took an extra couple of minutes to use the round-a-bout, or park on the school side of Anderson Drive.

In addition to this absurd driver behaviour, a few parents have received emails regarding their abusive and disrespectful behaviour towards staff and other parents.

I do not know how many times I have to share the maps and information on the appropriate and safe use of our Kangaroo carpark and pick up. Therefore, I have shared yet again.

Communicating with your child’s school

Last week, the Department of Education released a guide for parents and carers on how to effectively and respectfully communicate with school staff. The Communicating with your child’s school guideline outlines clear, consistent expectations for how parents/carers can engage with their child’s school, including appropriate contact channels, response timelines, and processes for raising concerns respectfully. In addition to the flyer below, more information can be found at https://education.qld.gov.au/parents-and-carers/positive-school-culture

Everleigh State School’s Parent/Carer Code of Conduct, Communication and Complaints Policy and Parent and Community Engagement Framework will be updated to reflect these expectations. Current versions are available on our website.

Carparking and Pick up/Drop off Zones at Everleigh State School

Deputy Principals' Message

As we reach the midpoint of the school term, it’s common for students to experience a dip in energy and motivation. Mid-term fatigue can affect focus, mood, and academic performance—but with a few simple strategies, parents can play a powerful role in helping their children stay balanced, resilient and at their best for learning each day. Here are some practical ways to support your child:

Prioritize Quality Sleep

Sleep is essential for learning and emotional regulation. Aim for 10 - 12 hours of sleep per night for primary school-aged children. Encourage a consistent bedtime routine and limit screen time at least an hour before bed, as blue light from devices can interfere with melatonin production and sleep quality.

Fuel with Nutritious Foods

A balanced diet supports both physical and mental energy. Provide meals rich in whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables. Avoid excessive sugar and processed snacks, which can lead to energy crashes and difficulty concentrating. Nutritious foods will also help build immunity during the winter months keeping them healthy and attending every day.

Allow for Downtime

After a busy school day, children need time to decompress. Allow space for unstructured play, hobbies, or simply relaxing away from screens. This helps them recharge and return to their studies with renewed focus.

Keep Communication Open

Check in with your child regularly. Ask how they’re feeling and listen without judgment. Sometimes, just knowing they’re supported can make a big difference.

By nurturing healthy habits and emotional well-being, you’re helping your child build the resilience they need to thrive—not just during mid-term, but all year long.

Together, we can make this term successful and positive for every student!

Under 8’s Day Celebration – Thursday, 29th May

We’re excited to announce that next Thursday, 29th May, our Prep, Year 1, and Year 2 students will be celebrating Under 8’s Day! This special event is a joyful celebration of early childhood, filled with hands-on, interactive experiences designed to spark creativity and curiosity.

From 8:45 AM to 10:30 AM, students and their parents or carers are invited to explore a variety of visual, creative, and movement-based activities set up throughout our junior learning spaces. This year’s theme, “Unleashing Scientific Thinking Through Play,” highlights the powerful connection between playful exploration and scientific discovery in the early years.

We warmly invite all families to join us for this memorable morning of fun, learning, and community spirit!

Early Years Support Showcase – Growing Our Greenbank Village

Navigating early childhood support services can be challenging for families with young children. That’s why we’re proud to be part of Growing Our Greenbank Village—a collaborative initiative between local schools and early childhood services.

We’re hosting a special Early Years Support Showcase Afternoon on Thursday June 12^th from 4 – 7pm in our school hall. Families can drop in, meet service providers, and learn more about the wide range of support available for children aged 0–8. Research shows that early intervention has the greatest impact on a child’s development, helping to build strong foundations for future learning and wellbeing.

This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with experts and discover resources that can support your child’s growth. Please help us spread the word to other families in our community—we’d love to see you there!

Kind Regards

Teneale Harker & Mark Waugh

Messages From The Executive Services

Student Finance

Statements will be emailed next week listing all outstanding invoices. Student Resource Scheme invoices were due in February this year.  If payment arrangement options have not been discussed with our finance staff, please remit your payment for the overdue invoices.

Important information regarding school attendance

Parent’s responsibilities – it is the parent or carer’s responsibility to ensure the following:

• ensure their child arrives at school on time and attends their educational program every school day
• provide their current contact details to the school to enable effective notification
• contact the school either before or on the day of an absence, or as soon as practicable, in accordance with the school's communication processes and provide an explanation for each absence
• notify the school if their child will be arriving late or leaving early
• ensure their child follows the school’s processes and procedures for late arrival and early departure.

Late arrivals - It is expected that students arrive before class begins at 8:30am. Once the school gates are closed students arriving late should be escorted into school via the office by a parent or carer who must give a reason for the late arrival.

Where late arrivals are persistent and regular, you will be contacted to discuss the situation to determine if additional supports and/or strategies are required to strengthen engagement and improve attendance.

Early departures – It is expected that students remain at school for the length of the school day. Parents are encouraged to ensure their child misses as little school as possible.

Early departures should only be requested for reasons deemed reasonable. Routine appointments such as doctor or dentist should be made for outside school hours where possible.

Early departures should be advised ahead of time to ensure minimal interruption to class learning. Please phone the school office to request an early departure if necessary. (Please do not pre-advise an early departure via the QParents app as this causes a system glitch)

As classroom areas are out-of-bounds during lunch breaks, early departures during breaks that are not advised ahead of time will need to wait until the end of the break when students are permitted to access and collect their school bags.

Absences – school absenteeism and truancy can impact significantly on students' learning and wellbeing. Research shows that in Queensland, higher student attendance is associated, on average, with higher student achievement. Additionally, attending school every day helps children to build social and emotional skills such as communication, teamwork and resilience.

Under the law, you must make sure your child attends school on all school days unless there is a reasonable excuse. Schools must monitor attendance of students and follow up with parents and caregivers any unexplained absences.

It is expected that the school is notified of a student absence before 9am on the day of the absence, where possible. Our preferred method is via the QParents app. Please contact the office if you require assistance to set up the QParents app. Alternatively you may phone the Student Absence Line on    (07) 2899 5160, where you may leave a message anytime of the day or night.

Absence for Family reasons – When the student is absent due to family circumstances beyond the influence of the student. Parents should be encouraged to ensure their child misses as little school as possible. Where these absences are persistent and regular, principals should discuss the situation with the parent and/or student to determine if additional supports and/or strategies are required to strengthen engagement and improve attendance.

• Moving house
• Transport issues
• Family member is ill or in hospital

Absence for Holiday - Holidays during the school term are discouraged. If the absence is for more than 10 consecutive days, an application for exemption form should be completed.

Unauthorised absences – When an excuse given for a student absence is deemed as unreasonable by the principal it will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. This includes:

• Leisure activities
• Shopping
• Visiting friends and relatives
• Celebrating birthdays
• Fishing
• Truancy
• Any other reason for absence that the principal does not consider to be reasonable

Where absences are persistent and regular, you will be contacted to discuss the situation to determine if additional supports and/or strategies are required to strengthen engagement and improve attendance.

Change of contact details:

Please advise Executive Services if any of your details have changed. For example:

• Address
• Best contact phone number
• Work details
• Emergency contacts other than parents/carers

Please pop into the office to complete a change of details form, or email admin@everleighss.eq.edu.au to update your details.

Spare change of clothes reminder

Please ensure you have a spare change of clothes in your child’s bag in case of accidents. Please include underwear, black shorts/skort and socks.

Lost property

With the start of the cooler weather, we are beginning to see jackets being worn to school. These are often taken off during playtime and left in the playground. If they are clearly labelled it is easy for us to return them to the correct student. Last year we had dozens of unnamed jackets left over that were eventually donated to our guidance officer, as we had no way of knowing who to return them to. PLEASE ENSURE YOUR JACKETS ARE LABELLED.

Name labels make all the difference in helping us to returned lost items to the correct students. We kindly remind parents to name hats, jackets, lunch boxes, water bottles, etc. We really appreciate your assistance with this. Any item that is labelled gets returned directly to the classroom.

All previously unclaimed and unnamed school jackets have been given to our guidance officer to distribute to families in need. If you believe you have lost an unnamed jacket, please advise as soon as possible.

All unclaimed, unnamed items are disposed of or donated at the end of each term.

My New Gallery

Q Parents - Registration

Q Parents

We remind all parents and carers to set up their Q Parents app. It is a simple way to quickly access and keep on top of all our services, such as:

• Attendance/absences
• Consent forms
• View outstanding invoices
• Pay invoices
• Report cards
• NAPLAN results

If you require any assistance to set this up, please contact Executive Services.

Message From The Head of Department - Curriculum, Ms. Tanya Conway

Heading into the Home Stretch – Consolidating Learning and Supporting Healthy Minds

As we move into the second half of Term 2, the focus across Everleigh State School shifts towards consolidating the learning that has taken place throughout Semester 1. This is a critical time for students as they revisit and strengthen key concepts, build confidence in their skills, and prepare to demonstrate their understanding through a range of assessment tasks.

Teachers are also busy engaging in a thorough process of reviewing student progress and preparing for Semester 1 reporting period. These reports provide a valuable snapshot of your child’s learning journey so far this year and will help guide next steps for both students and staff.

To support our students in finishing the term strongly, we’d like to remind families of the importance of looking after their child’s wellbeing. A healthy body helps support a healthy mind, and even small routines at home can make a big difference in the classroom.

Here are a few ways families can help:

Prioritise sleep: Ensure your child is getting enough quality rest each night to stay focused and energised during the school day.

Limit tech time: Reducing screen use, especially in the evenings, helps the brain wind down and supports better sleep.

Balanced eating: Nutritious meals and healthy snacks fuel the body and brain for learning.

Stay hydrated: Drinking plenty of water helps with concentration and energy levels.

Thank you for your continued support in helping our students finish the term on a high. Let’s work together to ensure every child feels confident, capable, and ready to celebrate their achievements.

Message From The Head of Special Education Services, Mr Josh Newby

Message From The Guidance Officer - Mrs Mel Bashford

Words of Wellbeing – Secrets about sleeping!

Sleep is essential for growth, immunity, learning and memory and is important for helping a child heal and recover. Healthy sleep means a good quantity and quality of sleep, with regular sleep routines. Children in primary school need from 9 to 11 hours of good sleep each night.

A child who does not get enough healthy sleep may experience difficulties with concentration, memory, regulating their emotions, organising tasks and creative thinking. These children may be easily distracted, irritable, disruptive or generally hyperactive and restless. A lack of healthy sleep has been linked to mental health problems, poor growth, excessive weight gain, and reduced school performance.

Tips for sensational sleep:

1. Have a regular sleep pattern – this means your child keeps regular times for going to bed and waking up. These times should be the same or similar on weekends and holidays. The 24-hour body clock that controls sleepiness and wakefulness works best if there is a regular sleep routine.
2. Have a consistent pre-bedtime routine. This will help your child settle and prepare for sleep. It may include reading quietly, a warm bath or a warm milk drink. Avoid exercise or stimulating play in the hour before bedtime.
3. Limit access to electronic devices (including TV, smart-phones, tablets and computer games) and bright light exposure in the one to two hours prior to bedtime. Exposure to bright light or the LED light from electronic devices can reduce the evening levels of the sleep promoting hormone, melatonin, making it more difficult to fall asleep. Electronic devices should remain out of the bedroom where possible.
4. Ensure the sleeping environment is quiet, dark and comfortable. Children should sleep in their own bed. If a night light is required, a red light is preferred. If background sound is required, soothing, gentle music is preferred.
5. Daytime exercise and natural light exposure may improve sleep at night. Children who are inactive through the day and/or are not exposed to natural sunlight, particularly early in the morning, may have difficulty falling asleep at night.

PBL Focus Weeks 5 & 6 - Encouragement - From The PBL Team

Music Notes From Mrs Chivers

P.E Message From Ms Beck & Mr James

2025 Senior Sports Days Program - Years 3, 4, 5 & 6

Senior Sports Days for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be held in week 9 on the 19th and 20th of June. Thursday will be a whole day of events for students and Friday is a half day of events with presentations to follow.  

On Thursday 19^th, the morning session will have 100m and 200m running heats. The middle session will have rotations which consist of Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump and Ball Games and the War Cries and 800m running final will happen in the last session.

On Friday 20^th, the morning session will continue with the other rotations followed by the 100m and 200m running finals in the middle session.

Presentations will take place after the events have finished on Day 2, on the Senior Oval or Hall.

A more detailed program will be sent closer to the days.

We look forward to our Senior Sports Days.

Kim Beck and Adam James

PE Teachers

Student Council News

Message From Everleigh State School - P & C

Volunteers needed!

This term, we plan to hold our Prep – Year 2 and Year 3 – Year 6 discos. However, we need YOUR help to make these events happen.

Each disco needs at least 15 volunteers to make the night run smoothly. Volunteers are needed for ticketing, signing students in and out, and assisting with supervision during the discos.

As this is a P&C event, we cannot guarantee or rely on school staff. If you can assist in any way, please reach out to us at everleighsspandc@gmail.com

If you are able to volunteer at our Prep – Year 2 Disco, please sign up using this link

https://volunteersignup.org/LKRE9

If you are able to volunteer at our Year 3 – Year 6 Disco, please sign up using this link

https://volunteersignup.org/C98D9

A decision will be made on Friday 30 May as to whether these events will be able to occur based on how many volunteers are available.

UMS Uniform Shop News

YMCA - Everleigh OSHC

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING THIS MONTH

AT YMCA EVERLEIGH OSHC

    Our team at the YMCA EVERLEIGH OSHC value your feedback and are always looking to improve.

Flagstone State Community College - 2026 Enrolment Events