Hello Fernbrooke Community,

Thank you to our Student Council for organising the ‘Day for Dolly’ events. With support from staff, the students have planned an exciting fundraiser, and I’m looking forward to being part of it on Wednesday afternoon.

Photos from the event will be shared in the Week 5 newsletter and on the school’s Facebook page.

2025 Explicit Improvement Agenda

Staffing Updates

Over the past fortnight, we’ve experienced a few staffing changes. Some teaching positions have been filled, while a couple remain vacant. We are working closely with the Department of Education to ensure these roles are filled as soon as possible.

We are pleased to welcome Eden Moore, who has taken over from Miss Tyeka Close in 2A. Miss Berlin is currently on leave for the remainder of the term, and a permanent replacement has not yet been appointed.

Fernbrooke SS P&C Reboot

Yesterday afternoon, we held a meeting to officially reboot the Fernbrooke SS P&C. I would like to acknowledge and congratulate our newly elected executive team:

• President – Michelle Luscombe
• Vice President – Vacancy
• Secretary – Tahlia Klemm
• Treasurer – Eliza Rossington

Thank you to all the parents who attended and joined the P&C at the meeting. With the committee now re-established, they will begin working through the necessary administrative responsibilities. Regular meetings will be held on the first Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m.

Queensland Association of State School Principals (QASSP) Conference

Next Tuesday and Wednesday, the three Deputy Principals, Mrs Turnbull, and I will be attending the annual QASSP Conference. In our absence, Ms Jo Paxton, Deputy Principal from Redbank Plains State High School, will be the officer in charge and supporting our school community.

Ipswich Show Holiday – This is Friday, 16 May. There will be no school on that day.

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.

What a successful fundraiser our Student Council had with our Day for Dolly! We raised over $1300 and saw 9 of our staff members get slimed! Thank you to our staff and students for being such great sports and participating in the event so wholeheartedly!

Student Council would again like to thank the Fernbrooke community for their ongoing support.

Welcome to Week 3! After another long weekend, I hope your family had the chance to enjoy some extra rest and quality time together. It’s been lovely to see our students return re-energised and ready to learn.

A reminder that next Friday, 16th May is the Ipswich Show Holiday and Fernbrooke State School will be closed for the day. I hope you enjoy another special day with your family and maybe even head to the show!

This Sunday, we celebrate Mother’s Day—a time to honour all the incredible women in our lives. To all the mums, step-mums, grandmothers, aunties and other special ladies, I wish you a truly wonderful day.

Our Prep families are invited to a special Mother’s Day celebration this Friday morning in the Prep precinct, starting at 8:45am. This is a lovely opportunity for our youngest learners to spoil their mums and share some special moments together.

Also, this Friday Helping Hands will be holding a Mother’s Day Stall for all students to purchase a small gift. Please see the Principal’s Message for more details.

Today, Fernbrooke came together in a sea of blue for our very first ‘Do It for Dolly’ Day. Staff and students participated in a range of kindness activities and our whole-school assembly ended with a hilarious highlight—multiple staff members were slimed as part of our fundraising efforts! Thank you for your support in helping spread kindness and raise awareness.

Last week saw two exciting events in the Early Years Juncture:

• Our Prep students took part in the Ocean Life Incursion, where they experienced marine creatures up close and learned about life under the sea.
• Our Year 1 students visited Queens Park, where they deepened their understanding of Australian animals (and yes, they were amazed to learn that wombats have square poo!).

This week, our Year 2 students are looking forward to their Star Lab Incursion on Friday—a journey into space that connects beautifully with their current Science and English units.

We were also excited to welcome Miss Eden Moore, who has joined the Early Years team as the new 2A classroom teacher. Please help us make her feel warmly welcomed at Fernbrooke.

Looking ahead, our Early Years students will soon be taking part in National Simultaneous Storytime—a fun literacy event celebrated in schools across Australia. Stay tuned for more details in next week’s newsletter.

As always, thank you for your continued support. It’s a privilege  to partner with you in your child’s learning journey.

Theresa Parker
Early Years (Prep – Year 2) Deputy Principal

We hope you and your families have had a great start to the term!

First of all, I’d like to say thank you for your support as I stood in for Shane over the past two weeks while he’s been on some much-earned leave. I’d like him to welcome him back from Week 4. This week, classroom teachers will be sending out Term Overviews via email. These overviews are a great way to stay informed about what your child will be learning across all subject areas this term, including key dates, upcoming events, and classroom focuses.

We’re also excited to share some wonderful writing from our Year 3 students! As part of their English unit on informative texts, students have been learning how to research and write engaging facts about different topics. One standout theme has been sunflowers—and the Year 3 classrooms are blooming with impressive reports and colourful diagrams.

Keep an eye on your inbox for your child’s Term Overview and thank you for your continued support.

Miss Curwen

On Sunday, we celebrate all of the amazing Mums in our community. The Helping Hands Fernbrooke team has been kindly asked to organise and run this year’s Mother’s Day Stall, and they’re thrilled to be a part of this special occasion.

The Mother’s Day stall will run on Friday, May 9.  A range of lovely gifts will be available for purchase, priced at $2, $5, and $7. To help things run smoothly, we kindly ask that students bring correct money where possible, as we will only have a small float available on the day.

Thank you for your support – we can’t wait to help your children pick out something special!

Warm regards,
Helping Hands Fernbrooke Team

Hi families!

The Hub has some exciting (and totally free!) programs happening, we’d love for you to come along. Drop in for a cuppa and a chat, the hub is open Monday to Thursday.

This Thursday at 9am, we’re having a Teacher Aid Information Session with Strategix. If you’re interested, it’s a great chance to learn more about the course starting Week 1 of Term 3, which runs Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 2pm.

For more information, contact Kerry Asquith kasqu2@eq.edu.au

Thanks,
Your Community Hub Leader,

Kerry Asquith

Week 3 - PBL Focus: Thinker - Follow cohort eating expectations  Students were learning to be a thinker by following their cohort eating expectations.

Congratulations to PF, 3B, and 4B for reaching 100 STARS!

Perry’s Marketplace

It is only Week 3, and Perry’s Marketplace has been busy handing out rewards! Our amazing students have been working hard earning Perry Points to purchase their rewards for being Fernbrooke STARS by Exceeding Expectations. Keep up the good work and see you at Perry’s Marketplace!

In addition to the emailed copies, the Curriculum Overviews are also accessible on the school website for your convenience. Simply visit the website (https://fernbrookess.eq.edu.au/curriculum) , and you’ll find the overviews available for each year level, outlining the key topics, learning goals, and upcoming activities for the term.

We encourage all parents and guardians to review these overviews to better understand how you can support your child's learning at home. Should you have any questions about the curriculum or wish to discuss your child's progress, please don’t hesitate to reach out to their teacher.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting our students' education!

In the next few weeks the students in Year 2 to Year 6 will be asked to take part in the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey.

We know that wellbeing and engagement are important parts of your child’s life at school. The QEW Survey is designed to measure how students view their wellbeing and engagement across different topics. The information we get from the survey helps us better understand and support our students.

An information letter was sent home to parents and carers last week. If you have any questions, please contact either Kasey Curwen (WEB) or Kerry Alberts (DP: Year 5 & 6). More information, including FAQs, can be found on the Education website: (https://qed.qld.gov.au/publications/reports/statistics/schooling/students/queensland-engagement-wellbeing-survey).