Hello Fernbrooke Community,

Communicating with your child's school

‘The department is committed to open, respectful, and positive communication with parents and carers, as a vital part of supporting your child's learning, wellbeing and development.

To strengthen partnerships with families, the department continues to celebrate student achievements, share learning progress, respond promptly to important concerns, communicate absences, manage consent and payments, provide regular school updates, and invite your feedback and involvement.

To support positive communication between schools and families, a new resource has been developed that outlines shared expectations around what, how, and when schools and families communicate. This resource is designed to help foster mutual understanding and proactive collaboration.’ https://education.qld.gov.au/parents-and-carers/positive-school-culture

#1 Connect with us

There are a number of ways you can connect with us to stay up-to-date about your child’s education and our school community:

• contact school admin on 3819 7444 or admin@fernbrookess.eq.edu.au for general inquiries
• contact your student's teacher via email to organise a meeting with them or other staff
• subscribe to our school communication channels that include the fortnightly newsletter and Facebook.

#2 Parent communication guidelines 

We value open and respectful parent/carer communication, to support your child’s learning and engagement. Guidelines are now available to help parents/carers understand the types of information they can expect to receive from state schools and appropriate contact channels. Find out more about these guidelines in Queensland state schools: https://education.qld.gov.au/parents-and-carers/positive-school-culture

Below is a guideline to assist in understanding the expectations outlined by the Queensland Government.

Safety Reminder: Bikes and Scooters

We have been informed by several members of our school community that some students have been riding bikes and scooters unsafely in and around the school grounds, including the car park at the front of the school.

We kindly ask all parents and caregivers to speak with their children about the importance of road safety. Please remind them that when they are in school uniform, they are representing our school and are expected to demonstrate safe and respectful behaviour at all times. Unsafe conduct may result in behaviour management actions in line with our Student Code of Conduct.

June P&C Meeting

The next P&C meeting is Tuesday 3 June, at 1:30pm in the Hub.  

Have a great fortnight,

Scott

Principal

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

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 is now active. 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 EVERY WEEK

Welcome to Week 5! With the string of public holidays now behind us, it’s been great to settle back into routine. We hope everyone who made it to the Ipswich Show had a fantastic time.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Prep Mother’s Day event — it was a lovely morning filled with smiles, crafts, and special moments. We hope all of our Fernbrooke mums and special women were truly spoilt!

Can you believe how much rain we’ve had over the last few months? Despite the soggy weather, our Early Years students have continued to enjoy some wonderful learning experiences — both inside the classroom and out.

Today we celebrated National Simultaneous Storytime, with students enjoying The Truck Cat by Deborah Frenkel. As a special treat, Mrs Parker read the story from her garden, joined by her favourite dog Sadie.

As the cooler weather sets in, please make sure your child has a jumper each day. Our school uniform includes a Fernbrooke jumper, but if that’s not possible, a plain black jumper is perfectly fine. If you need any support with this, please reach out to the office.

A reminder that P–2 assemblies are held in Weeks 1, 5 and 9 only. This week’s assembly will be on Friday at 12:30pm in the Hall.

With the term now at the halfway mark, students are completing assessments and teachers are busy preparing report cards. Thank you for continuing to support your child with encouragement, rest and routine during this busy time.

Finally, while the Junior Cross Country was cancelled last week, we’re looking forward to holding a Fun Run later in the year — more details to come!

Warm regards

Theresa Parker

Early Years Deputy Principal

We’re now well into the middle of Term 2, and it’s been a busy and productive time here in Years 3 and 4. We’ve had public holidays, a federal election and Mother’s Day for which I hope all our Fernbrooke mums had a restful and enjoyable day with their children. It’s always a special time to celebrate the important role our mums play in the lives of our students and families.

Thank you to the many families who took the time to say hello to me at the Animal Nursery at the Ipswich Show over the weekend. It was wonderful to see so many of our students and parents out and about in the community enjoying themselves. I hope the children didn’t bankrupt you with their spending at the show!

Our teachers are currently entering the Semester 1 reporting period, which means that assessments are well and truly underway across all year levels. This is a crucial time of the year as staff work closely with students to gather evidence of their learning and progress to date.

A special update for our Year 4 parents in that classes 4E and 4F have now moved into new rooms to allow for the removal of their old classroom building. This action is part of a State Government initiative to relocate buildings to schools in greater need. Once the removal is complete, the site will be rehabilitated and grassed, creating a fresh and open space for future use. We are unsure of an exact date for the building’s removal but it will be sooner rather than later and most likely in the upcoming holiday period.

I would like to take a moment to talk about our school uniform. At Fernbrooke State School, our uniform is more than just clothing; it is a symbol of belonging, pride, and equality. It clearly identifies our students and represents the values of our school within the wider community. Wearing the correct uniform contributes to a strong sense of school spirit and fairness among students.

Unfortunately, we have noticed a growing number of students not following our uniform expectations, particularly with incorrect clothing items being worn. As a result, we will be conducting a uniform compliance blitz to ensure that all students are wearing the appropriate uniform items each day.

We remind families that:

• All shorts, pants, and jumpers must be either Fernbrooke embroidered or plain black with no visible branding or logos.
• Lycra or Spandex garments are considered undergarments and should not be worn as outerwear.
• Socks should be short in either white or black, not knee-high and fancy.
• Full school uniform (including the hat) is to be worn each day with enclosed footwear.
• Any jewellery should be of cultural or religious significance and worn under the shirt to protect it from damage or loss. Earrings are to be simple and not hanging off the ear.
• No make-up, including nail polish is not to be worn and long hair is to be tied back for safety and hygiene reasons.

As a school, we appreciate the support of our families in maintaining high standards and helping all students represent Fernbrooke State School with pride. Let’s continue working together to make the rest of Term 2 a positive and successful experience for every member of our school community, especially in Years 3 & 4.

See you on the crossing.

Shane

Gala Sports

Tomorrow is the final day for payment of Gala Sports and we have a significant number of students who have yet to pay the $40 or to return a permission slip.

The gala days will be:  Friday, May 30^th, Friday June 6^th and Friday, June 13^th.  The children will be accompanied by staff from the school and will travel by bus to the relevant sports field. Please ensure that your child is wearing their uniform and have a hat and water bottle for these three days.

Kerry Alberts

Senior Years Deputy Principal

Week 5 PBL Focus: Respectful – We speak politely.

Year 1’s, showing us the importance of using kind words with their PBL activity for this week – ‘wrinkled hearts’.

Important Marketplace Update

Perry’s Marketplace is going mobile! Starting Friday in Week 7, Mr Medford and I will be visiting classes with our new Trolley full of goodies for our students to purchase. We are looking forward to seeing how many Perry Points our students are earning for being Fernbrooke STARS!