Fernbrooke State School eNewsletter

Hello Fernbrooke Community,

Last Thursday, it was wonderful to see our Prep to Year 3 students participate in their athletics carnival. I would also like to acknowledge the athletic efforts of some of our staff and parents. Thank you all for your enthusiasm and support of the students on the day.

I would also like to thank our newly formed P&C for organising and selling a sausage sizzle and refreshments last Thursday. If you are interested in supporting the P&C or getting involved, the next meeting will be held on Tuesday, 2nd September at 1:30 pm in the Hub.

Last week, we also began the 2026 Prep Transition to School program. If you know any families new to the area who live within the school’s catchment, please encourage them to visit the administration building to collect an enrolment pack.

Attendance from the ‘First bell to the last bell’.

This week, a number of families would have received a letter requesting an explanation for a student absence. As mentioned in last fortnight’s newsletter, schools are legally required to have a documented and valid reason for every student absence.

If you receive a letter regarding an unexplained absence, please return it promptly with the necessary information.

‘Away for the Day’ – Mobile Phones and Wearable Devices

Last year, the Queensland Government introduced rules requiring all students in state schools to keep mobile phones switched off and away for the day during school hours and at school-related activities such as sport, excursions, and camps.

At Fernbrooke State School, we have a clear process in place. Students are required to leave their phones at the school office each morning. This practice has been successful, and we would like to reassure all students and families that this process will continue.

Wearable devices, such as smartwatches, may be worn to school, but all notifications must be turned off. This means calls, messages, and other alerts cannot be sent or received during the school day.

Your child may still bring their phone to school to use before and after school hours for communication with parents, friends, or employers.

As a parent or carer, you play a key role in helping your child use technology safely and respectfully. You can support the school’s Away for the Day policy by:

Talking with your child about the requirement to switch off their phone and leave it at the office before school each day.
Using the school’s preferred communication method—phoning the school office—if you need to contact your child during school hours.

Administering Medication at School

Some students require medication to be administered during school hours, either for a short or long period of time. To ensure this is done safely and effectively, the Department of Education has policies and procedures that schools must follow.

Parents and caregivers are required to:

Provide information to the school administration (or a delegated staff member) about their child's health condition/s. This includes written documentation from a qualified health practitioner at the time of enrolment or diagnosis, and updated information whenever changes occur.
Complete the Consent to Administer Medication form if medication—prescribed or over-the-counter—is to be administered at school.

Important requirements for medication administration:

All necessary documentation must be provided to the school.
All medication, including over-the-counter medication, must be provided in its original packaging with a pharmacy label clearly showing the student’s name.
Ensure that all medication, equipment, and consumables are in good condition, clearly labelled, and in date.
Collect any unused or expired medication from the school promptly.
If the student may be capable of self-administering their medication, this must be discussed with the school administration, and Section B of the Consent to Administer Medication form must be completed.

Have a great fortnight,

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.

WEEK 3
Prep A	Charlie	2A	Amelianah	4A	Atoch
Prep B	Oliana	2B	Te-Arahi	4B	Ahmed
Prep C	Andre	2C	Eloise	4C	Jason
Prep D	Joshua	2D	Xhyliah	4D	Theophilus
Prep E	Gabriel	2E	Witiness	4E	Humaira
Prep F	Phoenix-Jayde	2F	Carter	4F	Jayce
1A	Layque-John	3A	Ebenezer	5A
1B	Mylee	3B	Mason	5B
1C	Riak	3C	Devani	5C
1D	Joseph	3D	Ethan	5D
1E	Alexander	3E	Eliana	5E
1F	Kysen	3F	Tobias	5F
1G	Ryan			6A
				6B
				6C
				6D
				6E

WEEK 4
Prep A	Odin	2A	Siarra	4A	Aline
Prep B	Ellen	2B	Rory	4B	Conrad
Prep C	Jemima	2C	Petera	4C	Cameron
Prep D	Tahan	2D	Emanuel	4D	Peyton
Prep E	Ariana	2E	Skye	4E	-
Prep F	Safeer	2F	Amitoj	4F	Carter
1A	Ryoto	3A	Chase	5A
1B	Naomika	3B	Terrilee	5B
1C	Arlo	3C	Sienna	5C
1D	Kimberly	3D	Adriel	5D
1E	Neymar	3E	Harasees	5E
1F	Surita	3F	Mia	5F
1G	Poppy			6A
				6B
				6C
				6D
				6E

Monday 18 August

Tuesday 19 August

Wednesday 20 August

Hello Early Years Families,

Welcome to Week 5 – can you believe we’re already halfway through the term? I’d like to start by saying a huge thank you for the warm welcome back after my amazing holiday to Africa. While holidays are wonderful, it is so good to be back at Fernbrooke and part of our incredible community. I’d also like to thank Ms Kasey Curwen for stepping into the Acting Deputy Principal role in my absence and for her outstanding leadership.

It’s been a busy and exciting few weeks in the Early Years!

Prep Transition
Last week we held our very first Prep Transition session and met our first 2026 Preps! If you have a child starting Prep at Fernbrooke in 2026, please contact the office to book a place in our remaining Thursday afternoon sessions (1:30pm in the Community Hub). Our Prep Transition program is a wonderful way for children to get to know our school and start building friendships.

NAIDOC Week
Last Friday, celebrated NAIDOC Week with a special assembly. Our students were respectful and engaged as they listened to First Nations stories and enjoyed an amazing performance from our special guests – The Deadly Dancers from Leichhardt State School.

100 Days of Prep & Mud Kitchen Opening
Our Preps celebrated 100 Days of School in style, with a morning full of fun activities. The highlight was the grand opening of our Mud Kitchen, part of our Explore and Learn approach. The children love experimenting, creating and working together – a great way to develop social skills, problem solving and imaginative play.

Junior Carnival
Last Thursday, our youngest athletes shone at the Junior Sports Carnival. There was great sportsmanship, fantastic effort and even some brave parents who raced against our teachers! Well done to everyone who participated.

Book Week Parade – This Thursday at 8:45am
All Prep–Year 2 students are invited to dress up as their favourite book character. We can’t wait to see the creativity on display! Parents are warmly invited to attend.

Star Lab
This morning our Year 1 students finally got to enjoy the rescheduled Star Lab Incursion. They were amazed by the giant dome and loved exploring the wonders of our solar system – a fantastic way to bring our science learning to life.

Coming Up

School Photos – Next week for all students. Monday 18^th (Prep students) & Wednesday 20^th(Years 1 & 2).
Swimming Lessons – Prep students each Wednesday & Thursday (see attached timetable).
Fire Education Visit – 25^th August (Year 1).
Life Education Sessions – Starting week 7 for all Early Years students.

Learning Focus
In classrooms, we’ve been hard at work! In English, students are exploring imaginative and informative texts – developing skills in reading fluency, comprehension, and writing. In Maths, our focus has been on problem-solving, number fluency, and measurement concepts. Science lessons have been full of curiosity and hands-on investigations, while HASS has sparked great discussions about our community and the world around us. Assessment is also underway, helping us celebrate the progress our students have made so far this term.

Vision Screening – Prep
A reminder to all Prep parents to book your child into the free school-based vision screening. This is a wonderful opportunity to ensure any vision concerns are identified early. Consent can be given using the QR codes displayed outside of the Prep classrooms.

It’s been a jam-packed start to Term 3 and there’s still plenty to look forward to. Thank you for your continued support and partnership in your child’s learning.

Have a wonderful fortnight and I look forward to seeing you around the school.

Warm regards,
Theresa
Deputy Principal – Early Years

Years 3 and 4 Celebrate Sports, Stories, and School Spirit!

It’s been a busy and exciting time at Fernbrooke, with our community coming together to celebrate the joy of sport, the magic of books, and the pride we take in looking neat nd tidy for our 2025 school photos.

Junior Sports Day – A Winning Day All Round!
Last Thursday, our school oval was alive with colour, cheers, and smiling faces as we celebrated our annual Junior Sports Day. The energy and enthusiasm from our Prep to Year 3 students was infectious, with everyone giving their best in each event and cheering on their friends. It was wonderful to see so many students trying new activities, showing sportsmanship, and embracing the spirit of the day. Congratulations to Cahill for taking home the winning team accolade.

A huge thank you goes to our amazing P&C parents who generously gave their time to provide a delicious sausage sizzle and refreshing drinks. This added a special treat for our students, families, and staff, and helped keep everyone’s energy levels high throughout the day.

One of the biggest highlights for the children was the Parents vs Teachers race, which had the students (and some staff) in fits of laughter and the competitors giving it their all. The students loved seeing their parents and teachers in friendly rivalry, proving once again that sport brings people together in the best possible way.

School Photos
A friendly reminder that school photos will be taken next Monday through to Wednesday. Sibling photos will be taken before school each morning, so please arrive early if your children are having these done. All information about school photos has been shared with families over the past few weeks. Please refer to those details to ensure your child is prepared and comes to school in the correct uniform, neat and tidy.

Book Week Parade
This Thursday (tomorrow) we are excited to celebrate Book Week, a time to honour our love of reading, storytelling, and the magic of books. Our Years 3 and 4 students will take part in a Book Week parade at 9.45am – 10.30am, showcasing their costumes inspired by their favourite book characters. The theme for this year’s Book Week is "Book an Adventure!", celebrating 80 years of this special event. It’s a wonderful opportunity to recognise the creativity, imagination, and joy that books bring into our lives, and we can’t wait to see the colourful costumes and big smiles on the day. I will be coming as Woody from Toy Story as this book and movie encapsulates a fantastic adventure story.

Whether it’s giving our all on the sports field, dressing up to celebrate a love of reading, or being ready for school photo memories, our students, staff, and families continue to exceed expectations and show what it means to be true Fernbrooke Stars.

See you on the crossing.

Shane (aka Woody on Thursday)

Year 6 Camp PERMISSION/CONSENT AND PAYMENT DUE Friday September 19

Deadline rapidly approaching!!!

Year 6 – Destination High School survey – ASAP

Transitioning to high school is a significant milestone in a student’s academic and personal journey. Fernbrooke has already begun some processes to support our Year 6 students to make the transition into high school a successful one. This week your child will bring home a survey asking you to identify their destination high school. This information will help us to reach out to the appropriate high schools to organise transition events. Refer to further information in this newsletter regarding transition days for students with disability. Identified student who have enrolled at Redbank Plains High School will have additional transitions days in term 3 and 4. Please complete the survey and send it back ASAP.

Is your child going to attend REDBANK PLAINS STATE HIGH SCHOOL next year?

The enrolment process at Redbank Plains State High School has recently changed. RPSHS are now requesting that all families complete their enrolment applications online. Please access the following website to complete the online enrolment enquiry.

Website link: https://redbankplainsshs.eq.edu.au/enrolments

Redbank Plains State High School have already begun plans for their transition days. Please see the information below for further details.

Week 4 & 5 PBL Focus: Safe – We use our hands, feet and objects appropriately.

Let’s Make Mondays Count!

At Fernbrooke, our attendance goal is 90% – that’s just one day or less away from school each fortnight. But Mondays are our biggest challenge, with many students missing valuable learning at the start of the week.

One of the best ways to help your child be ready for Monday is to keep weekend routines. A regular bedtime – even on Friday and Saturday – helps children wake up fresh and ready for school.

Tips for a smoother Monday:

Keep bedtimes and wake-ups close to school-day times.
Limit screens before bed.
Plan something small to look forward to on Monday morning.

Every day counts – let’s work together to hit our 90% attendance goal and give our kids the best start to each week.

Little one starting Prep?

Transitioning to Prep can be a tricky road to navigate. Here are a few tips to help the whole family with the next big step:

Establish clear routines – create a consistent daily schedule with visual aids to help the student understand what to expect.
Communicate clearly – use simple, age-appropriate language and ensure instructions are clear and concise.
Notice and praise positive behaviour – Acknowledge desired behaviours, such as following instructions, having a go or being kind to others!

Use visual supports – visual schedules, timers and social stories help students understand and follow routines.

During week 3 the Year 4 students attended the Remondis Waste Management Facility at Swanbank to learn about where our rubbish goes. This excursion links to 3 different subject areas as our focus is around learning how to be more sustainable. When we arrived, the students were split into two groups. The first group got to rotate through 4 different activities which involved smelling and listening to different things to guess what they were, sorting objects into the 5 things that can be recycled, (steel, aluminium, paper, glass and plastic), they also sorted items into the correct bin, (recycle, waste, compost and soft plastic) and the last rotation involved students choosing two items they wanted for their lunch and scanning it through a system that would tell them whether it was a good choice or something to reconsider in terms of waste. Then we were shown the composting worm farms that students were able to dig through before they got onto a bus and went on a tour of the facility. The students were fascinated at how much waste was being put into landfill. One of the workers explained that 1 garbage truck could collect between 50-60 houses worth of waste before bringing it to be dumped. Between 150-200 trucks unload their waste at Swanbank every day and in another 5 years’ time there will be no more room. Students learnt about leachate (bin juice) and methane gas and got to understand the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling products to limit the amount of waste going into landfill. This excursion brought insight to all the students, and they thoroughly enjoyed all the activities. Now they have real life experiences to draw on when they learn more throughout the term.

Last week, our Year Five students were thrilled to take part in a hands-on science incursion hosted by Street Science, focusing on the fascinating world of light. The incursion brought science to life through exciting demonstrations and interactive experiments that explored how light behaves, travels, and helps us see the world around us. Students were introduced to key concepts such as reflection, refraction, absorption, and transparency, using everyday objects and engaging experiments to deepen their understanding.

From exploring how different types of light—like ultraviolet (UV) and red light—interact with materials in different ways to creating shadows and exploring how mirrors change the direction of light, students were completely captivated by the activities. They asked thoughtful questions, made predictions, and recorded observations just like real scientists. The Street Science presenter made learning fun, energetic, and memorable, helping students see how science connects to the real world. The incursion left students buzzing with curiosity and eager to learn more about the wonders of light and how it shapes the way we experience our environment.