Hello Fernbrooke Community,

Celebrating Learning in Our Classrooms

This week, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit our Year 2, 3, and 5 classrooms and explore their Learning Walls. These walls are an important part of our teaching approach and are used across all year levels.

Learning Walls provide students with visual prompts and guidance to support their learning. They are sometimes affectionately referred to as the "Third Teacher" in the room because of the valuable support they offer.

A big thank you to the students who proudly shared how they use the Learning Walls in their classrooms.

Parents, I encourage you to ask your children about the Learning Walls in their class—it's a great way to start a conversation about what they’re learning at school!

Staffing Update

Commencing next week, I will be taking planned long service leave and will return on Monday, 23 June (Week 10). During this time, there will be several temporary staffing changes across the school for the remainder of Term 2 and the beginning of Term 3. Please see the details below:

• Weeks 8 and 9
• Acting Principal: Mr Shane Hancock
• Acting Deputy Principal (Years 3 & 4): Miss Kasey Curwen
• Weeks 8 to 10
• Engagement Coach: Mrs Charli Valeri
• Classroom Teacher for 2D: Mrs Rosemary Galvez
• Week 10 (Term 2) and Weeks 1 & 2 (Term 3)
• Mrs Theresa Parker will be on long service leave
• Acting Deputy Principal (Years Prep to 2): Miss Kasey Curwen

• Weeks 1 & 2 (Term 3)

• Engagement Coach: Mrs Ildiko Thorne
• Classroom Teacher for 5F: Pending confirmation

We appreciate your support and understanding as we implement these temporary changes to ensure a smooth continuation of teaching and learning during this period.

Attendance and Punctuality

Over the past fortnight, we have noticed an increase in the number of students arriving late to school. Please remember that teaching and learning begins promptly when the morning bell rings and students enter the classroom.

If your child is experiencing difficulties getting to school on time, establishing consistent routines at home can make a big difference. Here are some helpful suggestions:

• Set a regular bedtime and wake-up time
• Prepare the school uniform and pack the school bag the night before
• Have a set time for starting and finishing breakfast
• Allocate a specific time each day for completing homework
• Speak positively about school and the importance of being prepared

If you are facing challenges in getting your child to school on time or regularly, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher. Together, we can work as a team to support your child and improve their attendance and punctuality.

Vale Mark Panoho

Last week, our school community experienced the heartbreaking loss of a truly wonderful person, Mark Panoho.

Mark was a valued member of the Delta team, the company that supports our school in maintaining our facilities. As our school’s Facilities Manager, Mark played a significant role in shaping and caring for our grounds. His work can be seen in the beautiful gardens and landscaped spaces that our students and staff enjoy every day.

Mark brought dedication, kindness, and a warm presence to our school. His care for both staff and students was evident in everything he did, and his contribution to our community was much more than just his work—it was who he was.

On behalf of the entire school community, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Mark’s family. We are all the richer for having known him.

Rest in peace, Mark.

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.

You may have noticed a new team member in the school office—please join us in welcoming Julie Mackay to our friendly and dedicated team.

We have three upcoming incursions and one excursion. Information notes have been sent home this week. Please ensure that both payment and signed permission are submitted by the due date. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept late payments, and students cannot attend without the required parental consent—even if payment has been made.

If you have not yet activated your QParents account, we encourage you to visit the school office for assistance. An iPad is available in the office to help you complete the setup quickly and easily.

Early Years Newsletter: Prep to Year 2 Update
Welcome to Week 7! We’re well on our way to the holidays and excited for all the learning and fun still to come.

Prep:
We’re nearly finished with our number assessments this week and are excited to start exploring measurement through lots of hands-on activities—think height, length, and comparing objects. Reading assessments will also begin, helping us to support every child’s growth. Plus, we’re getting creative by making our own amazing under-the-sea dioramas!

Year 1:
Our Year 1 students are busy writing information reports about animals, developing their research and writing skills. In maths, they’re learning about length, mass, and capacity through practical experiences. Don’t forget, the Star Lab Incursion is coming up on August 6th—an exciting chance to explore the wonders of space!

Year 2:
Year 2 students are levelling up their writing by enhancing their information reports about planets. In maths, they’re learning all about location, reading maps, and using positional language. The Step into History Incursion on July 21st will give them a hands-on experience to bring history to life.

Staff Update:
At the end of Week 8, Mrs Phillips will be starting her maternity leave. We wish her all the best for this exciting time! Mrs Angela Shand will be taking over teaching 1G for the remainder of the term. We are currently recruiting a teacher for Semester 2 and will keep you updated on this appointment.

Why Every Minute Counts at Fernbrooke SS Early Years
With the cooler weather now upon us, please ensure your child is dressed warmly and ready for the day. Attendance in the Early Years is especially important—and here’s why every minute matters: Missing just 10 minutes means your child misses the LEM sound review, essential for developing phonics and early reading skills. Being 20 minutes late means missing both LEM and shared reading, vital for building vocabulary, comprehension, and decoding abilities. Leaving early can result in missing up to 45 minutes of important lessons such as Maths and specialist subjects like Science, HASS, or PE. We understand that sometimes things come up, but the more time your child spends at school, the more confident and connected they become—and the stronger their learning foundation will be. Thank you for partnering with us to give your child the very best start at Fernbrooke!

Uniforms:
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 without other logos or labels is perfectly fine. If you need any support with this, please reach out to the office.

Thank you for your continued support.

Theresa Parker

Supporting Positive Behaviour – The Fernbrooke Way
Helping Our Fernbrooke Stars Shine Bright

At Fernbrooke State School, we are proud of our school values and high expectations. One of the core values we live by is Exceeding Expectations—encouraging every student to aim high, work hard, and behave in ways that lift themselves and those around them. Being a Fernbrooke Star means striving to be respectful, responsible, safe, and ready to learn every single day.

While many of our students consistently demonstrate these values, from time to time, we encounter behaviour that doesn’t align with our expectations. Disruptive or unkind behaviour—such as being rude or mean, being disrespectful of others and their property, refusing to follow instructions, being physical towards others just to name a few.  These behaviour choices have a significant impact on the classroom environment, teacher workload and student learning.

The Impact of Poor Behaviour

When poor behaviour occurs, it affects:

• Teachers, who must spend extra time managing behaviour instead of focusing on teaching.
• Classmates, whose learning can be interrupted or whose wellbeing may be affected.
• The child themselves, who may miss opportunities to participate positively, form friendships, and succeed academically.

At Fernbrooke, we are committed to helping every student reach their potential. This includes teaching them how to behave appropriately, solve problems respectfully, and take responsibility for their actions. However, we can't do it alone—we need your support at home to reinforce these lessons and values.

How You Can Support Positive Behaviour

Here are some ways parents and carers can help children be successful Fernbrooke Stars:

1. Reinforce the School’s Expectations

Talk with your child about what it means to be a Fernbrooke Star. Discuss our school values and help them understand the importance of following instructions, treating others kindly, and making good choices.

2. Model Positive Behaviour

Children look to the adults in their lives to learn how to behave. Model calm, respectful communication and problem-solving at home.

3. Build Consistent Routines

Good sleep, healthy meals, and predictable daily routines set your child up for success at school. Children who are well-rested and calm are more likely to meet expectations.

4. Work in Partnership with Teachers

If a teacher reaches out to you about your child’s behaviour, please know it’s because they care and want to help. A calm, supportive conversation at home can go a long way in helping your child improve.

5. Celebrate Positive Choices

Praise your child when they make good decisions. Recognising even small moments of kindness, cooperation, or responsibility helps reinforce these behaviours.

6. Support Emotional Development

Help your child develop strategies to manage frustration or disappointment. Practice using polite words to express feelings and discuss how to solve problems peacefully.

Together, We Help Students Exceed Expectations

We know that no child is perfect, and learning from your mistakes is part of growing up. At Fernbrooke State School, our goal is not only academic achievement but the development of respectful, resilient young people who strive to exceed expectations in everything they do.

By working together at school and home, we can ensure that every child has the support they need to shine as a Fernbrooke Star.

See you on the crossing.

Shane

Busy, busy, busy

Our Year 5 and Year 6 students are currently hard at work finalising their work for this semester.  While we don’t want sick children at school, attendance during the assessment period is especially important, as it provides students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the material and contributes significantly to their overall grades. Missing assessments can lead to lower academic performance, increased stress, and in some cases, result in declining grades.  Attending school regularly helps build good habits, fosters a sense of responsibility, and allows students to stay on track with their schoolwork. If your child is absent due to illness, please remember to contact the school via the absence line, email or response to the absence text message to ensure the absence is recorded as explained.

Save the dates:  Senior Athletics Carnival

Please save the dates for our Senior Athletics Carnival. This huge event will take place over two days: Monday June 16^th and Friday June 20^th.  As always, these days will be jam packed with tabloid sports, running events, discus, shot put, long jump and high jump. Parents are welcome to come along and cheer on the athletes.

More sporting news:  Gala Sports

Last Friday we had our first gala competition day.  All of the staff attending teachers commented on how proud they were of the student’s behaviour and sportsmanship.

Rugby League

In Rugby Fernbrooke fielded three teams:  Senior 1, Senior 2 and our Junior team.   Our Senior 1 team led the way and were undefeated on the day. Our Senior 2 team had a mixed run, securing one win and two loses.  Our Junior team put up a strong showing however were unlucky not to win any of their matches despite the very close scores.

Soccer

Fernbrooke fielded three teams in the Soccer competition:  Fernbrooke 1, Fernbrooke 2 and Fernbrooke 3.  All of our soccer teams were undefeated with Fernbrooke 1 taking home three wins and a draw, Fernbrooke 2 finished with three wins and a draw and Fernbrooke 3 persevered to gain and win and 2 draws.  Congratulations to some of our goal scorers:  Ibrahim, Zac, Joseph, Elias and Aguin.

Netball

Our four teams of netball players did us proud on the first day of competition.  There was a mixed bag of results with some great wins and some hard-fought losses.  All of the coaches commented on the excellent teamwork displayed, how supportive of each other the players were and a willingness to be learners as they tried new positions on the court.

And our final piece of sporting news

Congratulations to Makerita, Gianna, Gloria and Nahtalia who were all successful in making the District Under 12 Girls Rugby League Comets team recently.  Their hard work, dedication, and talent have earned them this well-deserved opportunity. We are incredibly proud of you and confident that you will represent our school with excellence, integrity, and spirit. Go out there and give it your best — we know you’ll make us proud!

Year 6 Parliament House Excursion

This week you will receive a note regarding the Year 6 excursion to Parliament House.  This excursion supports student learning in the Curriculum area of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) as students are learning about government, parliament and democratic practices. The students will travel by bus to Parliament House and will tour parliament house, meet their local member and learn first-hand about democratic practices within the government system.

As always, students must wear full school uniform on the day including a hat.  Students should bring a water bottle and food for morning tea and lunch.

Students will have access to the canteen to purchase a snack for lunch in the Botanical Gardens near the QUT Garden’s Point campus. Purchasing a snack is optional, however if you are happy for your child to purchase a snack, please send no more than $10 with your child on the day of their excursion. Students will be responsible for their money and selection of the snack on the day.

If you wish for your child to participate in the activity, please provide consent and payment by Thursday 26^th June. This can be done by returning the permission form to the office or through QParents Consent Manager.  If accessing QParents, once you have provided your consent, you will be issued an invoice. Education Qld supports and approves of QParents.  If you have not yet registered for this, please contact the school office. Payment and permission is to be completed by Thursday 26^th June 2025.   No late payments will be accepted after this date.

Kerry Alberts

Week 6 & 7 PBL Focus: Safe – We play in our year level areas.

Billy G’s Cookie Dough

Orders close this Friday 6 June. All orders are completed online via www.cookiedough.com.au

Cookie dough orders will be delivered to school on Thursday 19^th June for your collection. The Student Council appreciate your support with this fundraiser.

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 can’t wait to see the excitement of our students!