Hello Fernbrooke community,

With 1 week left in Term 1 it is a time to reflect and celebrate the progress many students have achieved. When visiting junior school classes I am seeing students progressing from letters and sounds to reading sentences. Many students are reading small books and are excited to share what they have read.  In the middle years, teachers communicate how many students are showing independence in their learning. Finally in the upper years it has been pleasing to see the progress in their writing. Congratulations students, on a successful term.

P&C 2025 - Meet and Greet

As a result of the school’s closure with Cyclone Alfred this month and the hectic schedule towards the end of term, we will hold our ‘Meet and Greet’ session to reboot the Fernbrooke SS P&C on Tuesday 22^nd April at 1:45pm at the Hub. This will be the first day of school in Term 2. If you are interested, I look forward to seeing you then.

Fire Ants

With the increase of wet weather over the last three weeks, we have experienced some Fire Ants located on the school’s oval. This has resulted in the oval being closed and students having to play in highly populated play areas. Thank you to all the students for their patience during this time. We are working with the authorities to manage the situation and hope it is rectified soon.

Student Supervision – End of Day

Over the last month we have noticed an increased number of students still waiting for parents / carers to collect them from school at 2:45pm. School finishes for all students by 2:30pm each day. I encourage all parents / carers to collect their children on time. If you are experiencing difficulties in collecting your children on time, please contact the school to discuss your situation or engage with Helping Hands Outer School Hours Care (OSHC) for access to their service.

I hope you have a great end of term break students, and to the parents / carers I hope you have some quality time with your children.

Scott

Fernbrooke State School STARS awards are handed to students by their class teacher and acknowledged at their assembly. Students are nominated by their class teacher. Each week Fernbrooke STARS recipients are shared in the newsletter. All Fernbrooke students are STARS because they are Safe, are Thinkers, Attend school, are Respectful and Successful learners.  As a community, we congratulate all these students in their efforts to Exceed Expectations.

News Flash!

Uniform Shop Update!

As of Term 2, 2025, our uniforms will be proudly supplied by ShopUniforms.com.au

ShopUniforms.com.au is the uniform provider for Fernbrooke State School starting 22.04.2025

For enquiries, please contact enquiries@brandedaustralia.com.au or phone (07) 5527 1722

ShopUniforms.com.au is a division of Branded Australia Pty Ltd

Online Store

Purchase your uniforms from our online store https://shopuniforms.com.au/ This link will be active from 22.04.2025. Choose to have your order shipped to you or collect from the Uniform Shop at school.

School Policy

Fernbrooke State School is a uniformed school and we encourage all students to wear their uniforms each day, to foster school pride and equality.

THE UNIFORM SHOP WILL BE OPEN WEDNESDAYS AND THURSDAYS 8AM-10AM FROM 23^RD APRIL

Term 1 Highlights

As we near the end of Term 1, it’s wonderful to reflect on the exciting learning that has taken place across our Early Years classrooms. Our students have been engaged, curious and successful in their learning journeys and we couldn’t be prouder of all they have achieved so far.

In Prep, students have been busy learning to share their preferences for stories, count confidently to 20, explore different types of weather, and make healthy food choices. It’s been amazing to see their enthusiasm and growing confidence in such a short period of time!

Our Year 1 learners have enjoyed diving into the Aboriginal Dreamtime story Tiddalick the Frog, creating their own thoughtful character descriptions in English. In Maths, they’ve been developing their vocabulary and understanding by comparing and classifying shapes and objects using their obvious features.

Meanwhile, Year 2 students have been demonstrating creativity and problem-solving skills by adapting the story The Spinifex Mouse in English and exploring different strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems. They’ve also been delving into the fascinating world of money, learning about notes and coins.

A big thank you to our families for your ongoing support—especially with swimming! We really appreciate your help in ensuring students are organised with their equipment each week. Please note that the Year 1 cohort and 2F will have their make-up swimming lesson on Tuesday, April 24th. A reminder will be posted on Facebook.

We have several exciting events coming up to finish the term and start Term 2:

Harmony Disco
Celebrate cultural diversity at our Harmony-themed disco!
Thursday, 27 March at 4:00pm
Students are encouraged to wear cultural clothing or orange to show their support.
Entry is $5.
The SRC will be running a sausage sizzle fundraiser—bring an extra $5 for a sausage on bread and a popper.

Prep Easter Hat Parade
Our Prep students can’t wait to show off their fabulous Easter Hat creations!
Friday, 4th April at 11:30am in the Prep Area
Families are warmly invited to come along and join the fun!

Celebration of Learning
Our Early Years students will be celebrating a successful term of learning with ‘Carnival Fun’
Friday, 4th April – various times in the Juncture Areas

Looking ahead to next term, we have some engaging incursions and excursions linked to our classroom learning:

Prep will attend the Ocean Life Incursion on April 29th
Year 1 are off to the Ipswich Nature Centre in Weeks 2 and 3
Year 2 students will experience the StarLab Incursion on May 9th

As you can see, we’ve had a busy and enriching term here at Fernbrooke—and there’s even more to look forward to in Term 2! I hope you enjoy a restful and joyful break with your children. And for those who celebrate, may the Easter Bunny be kind to you!

Warm regards
Mrs Parker
Deputy Principal – Early Years

Can you believe that Term 1 has come to an end, meaning that we are a quarter of our way through the school year already? What a term it has been too with the first tropical cyclone to cross the South-east Queensland Coast in 51 years, NAPLAN for our Year 3’s, swimming for our Year 4’s, a new principal, an incursion and lots of learning in between. As we look forward towards next term, it will only get busier with some shorter weeks due to a number of public holidays.

Senior Cross Country

Our Senior Cross Country event is scheduled for this Friday, the 28^th of March. However, due to the pending rain and the safety problems that will create, we are yet to make a decision as to whether it will be proceeding or not. A notification of the decision will be sent out via text and Facebook tomorrow.

School Disco

Our first school disco for 2025 is tomorrow night, Thursday the 27^th of March. Students in Years 3 to 6 will be dancing the night away from 5.30pm to 6.30pm in the hall. The disco is a cash only event with the entry fee being $5.00. The Student Representative Council will be running a fundraising stall where children can purchase a sausage sizzle and a popper combo for $5.00.  Please remember that students are not permitted to walk home from the disco and MUST be collected by an adult at the end of the evening.

Year 3 NAPLAN is in the can!

NAPLAN is complete for 2025. As the Deputy Principal coordinating the testing for my Year 3 students, I am immensely proud of their participation and effort to complete the 4 different tests to the best of their ability. There were no tears, obvious anxiety or frustration seen by any of the teachers or myself. In fact, the children reported enjoying the tests and the challenges they provided. I’m also guessing that completing the tests on an iPad also helped!

Year 3 Street Science Incursion

This is finally going ahead on Monday the 31^st of March after 2 postponements due to the cyclone.

ANZAC Day Ceremony

Our school ANZAC Day school ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday the 23^rd of April at 9am in the hall. All are welcome to attend. It is always a beautiful tribute to those who have fallen or continue to serve in the armed forces, protecting the way of life we value and are fortunate to experience here in Australia. Each class lays a wreath during the ceremony.

If I don’t see you at school over the coming week, have a restful and exciting holiday break. School resumes on Tuesday the 22^nd of April.

Happy Easter!

Shane Hancock

Deputy Principal – Years 3 & 4

This is our last newsletter for Term 1 and I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on what a positive start to the year the senior students have had.  Starting a new school year successfully requires both enthusiasm and resilience as you build new relationships with students and teachers and encounter new curriculum. The senior students have embraced these new challenges and opportunities for growth and it’s pleasing to see how they have started to form connections with their peers and teachers, creating a sense of community within the classroom. Their ability to manage tasks, participate in class discussions, and seek help when needed has ensured a strong start, which I am confident has set them up for a successful 2025 school year.

School Disco

Tomorrow night, Thursday March 27, we are holding our first disco for 2025.  Students in Years 5 and 6 will hit the dance floor from 5:30 – 6;30. The disco is a cash only event - the entry fee is $5.00 and the Student Representative Council (SRC) will be running the BBQ where you can purchase a sausage and a popper for $5.00.  Please remember that students are not permitted to walk home from the disco and MUST be collected by an adult at the end of the evening.

Senior Cross Country - Weather permitting

On Friday, March 28, the senior school students will participate in the Cross Country event.  We will start on the oval at approximately 8:35. Students will run in groups based on the year of their birth with students born in 2012 or 2013 running in the first race.  Students MUST wear a hat on the day and are encouraged to bring a water bottle to the event.  Parents are welcome to join us to watch this event.

Year 5 NAPLAN

NAPLAN is complete for 2025. I want to recognise the Year 5 students who put their best foot forward, even if it was with some trepidation for some of them.  The students demonstrated their willingness to be a “Learner” by having a go and actively engaging with these tasks and showed they were “Respectful” as they allowed others around them to focus on the task at hand.  For me as their Deputy Principal it was a great example of how ‘Successful” our Fernbrooke students are.

Year 6 Camp

After some delays I am delighted to say that we have reached the minimum number of students required by Camp Goodenough, allowing the Year 6 camp to go forward.  The total cost for the camp is $238.00.  You will have received, via email, an invoice for the balance of this amount after any deposit payments you have made.  Students participating in the camp will have also received a letter which included a list of items to bring and an activity consent form.  Final payment is due by Friday 19^th September 2025.  Payment plans may be set up through the office if required.  If you have any questions about the camp, please contact Kerry Alberts.

Week 9 PBL Focus: Thinker – We actively participate in the organised activities.

Celebration of Learning Day

Next Friday the 4^th April is our first Celebration of Learning Day for the year. We are so excited to be having our own school carnival!

Prep – 2 will be having a rotation of activities including a jumping castle, carnival games and fairy floss. Year 3-6 will be having a MEGA 23m inflatable obstacle course and will also be treated to a snow cone.

We are so proud of our students at Fernbrooke, and we can’t wait to celebrate with them.

Payment window/Uniform Shop open daily from 8.00am – 10.00am.

If paying with cash, please have the correct amount.  No cash is kept on site.

If you haven’t signed up for QParents Consent, please chat with the Office staff to assist with having this set up for your child/ren.  This is the preferred way of receiving permission to attend excursions etc.

Please note that payment for an excursion does not count as permission to attend. Education Queensland requires caregiver approval, which must be given either through QParents or a paper permission form.

Statements are sent at the beginning of each month.  A statement is a list of invoices or credits on your child’s school account.  A minus indicates a credit  eg. -20.00

Parents and visitors must use the front door to access the Office.  The back door is for students and staff only

If your child is absent, please use the absence line (38197466) rather than tying up the phone line. 

For early pick ups, students must be collected either side of the break times which are –

10.30am – 11.15am

1.00pm – 1.30pm

Hi Families,

Thankyou for a fun filled Term 1 in the Hub. The Hub programs have now finished for the term and will resume in Week 2 Term 2. Please see Term 2 Timetable for our free activities.

We look forward to seeing you after the holidays and welcome new families that would like to visit the Hub. Drop in for a cuppa and say hi.

Your Community Hub Leader

Kerry Asquith