Beerwah State School

Dear Parents/Carers, 

This year, all state schools have an extra week in Term 4.  Week 11 is from the 9th to 13th of December, 2024.  Week 11 will not be a week of curriculum delivery or teaching.  This last week will have a focus on cultural and wellbeing activities through alternate programs.  Students who come to school will have supervised activities in a group with students from other classes.  If you have any questions about supervision arrangements for students in Week 11, please contact the school. 

Congratulations to all our students and families for successfully finishing off the school year. 

Students return to school on Tuesday 28 January, 2025. Students will be required to bring all resources outlined on their book lists. Classrooms will be opened from 8:30am for you to drop off their book packs. 

All students are expected to be in full school uniform, including full black shoes.  

Book packs will be delivered to the school over the holidays, unless you have made alternate arrangements with the company. You will be able to collect your book pack from the school hall on Friday 24 January from 2:00pm – 3:00pm. 

I would like to thank Mr MacNeil for his hard work this year.  Mr MacNeil has successfully gained a District Relieving Teaching position in the Gympie region in 2025. 

Our wonderful Guidance Office Mr Andrew Graham, will be taking leave from the beginning of 2025.  I would like to thank Andrew for his dedication to our students, staff and wider school community for the past 17 Years.  We will miss Andrew and wish him all the best in 2025.  Mrs Tanya Gripske will be our new Guidance Office starting at the beginning of 2025.  Tanya is an experienced Guidance Office who will be working across several schools in our area next year.  

2025 Classes 

Letters were given to each student on Friday indicating their class and teacher for 2025. We thank you for being respectful of the school’s position on class placement. Beerwah teachers and leaders have valuable expertise in creating highly productive student learning groupings and environments. Many aspects are taken into consideration including learning styles and preferences, academic ability, friendships, behaviour and special needs. The teachers and leadership team have worked hard to ensure that your child is placed in the learning environment that is best for them. Staffing in state schools is not finalised until the eighth day of school – 6 February 2025 and while every effort has been made in the organisation of classes for 2025, there is always a possibility that we may experience change and your child may be affected by this change. 

I would like to thank parents/carers for your support here at Beerwah State School.  This year has been so rewarding for me watching our students learn and grow.  I can’t wait to do it all again next year.  Please have a wonderful, restful break and stay safe. 

Prep – Year 5 Awards Assembly 

What a wonderful Awards Assembly!  Thank you to all Parents/Carers who attended.  Congratulations to all of our award recipients.  All your hard work has paid off!  Congratulations to our 2025 Leadership Team who were announced at this assembly.  Thank you to Miss Tania and Miss Coralie for all their hard work in organising and co-ordinating this Awards Assembly. 

Year 6 Graduation 

Congratulations to all of our Year 6 students for successfully graduating on Tuesday night.  Thank you to all Parents/Carers and Staff for attending to make this night really special for our Year 6 students. Thank you to Miss Tania and Miss Coralie for all their hard work in organising and co-ordinating this event. I wish all students a well-earned holiday and a very successful year at high school in 2025. 

Have a wonderful Christmas! 

Scott Bowden 

We’ve come to the completion of another productive year of learning. The outcomes that we’ve seen in the Semester Two reporting period show the amazing learning and teaching that’s occurred this year. These results are only possible with the hard work of students and teachers, great work all – this will truly be a well earned break/

Reporting

Our report cards are due to be distributed on Friday 6 December (week 10) via email. If you have recently changed email address, please contact the office to confirm that we have the correct one on our system.

We use a learning statement approach. This means that for each learning area there will be a statement outlining what has been assessed in the semester. They are written using the Australian Curriculum achievement standards. These learning statements are an overview, they are only bespoke if there are specific plans in place for your child.

For children in Years 1-6, all learning areas will be graded on a A-E scale. In Prep there is a similar scale that uses descriptions (applying-becoming aware).

The following provides a brief explanation of what each overall judgement (grade) means:

C – on balance, the student demonstrated the Australian Curriculum elements in the learning statement

B – on balance, the student demonstrated the Australian Curriculum elements in different contexts and/or at higher complexity

A - on balance, the student demonstrated the Australian Curriculum elements in different contexts and at higher complexity

D - on balance, the student demonstrated some of the Australian Curriculum elements in the learning statement.

E – on balance, the student required support to demonstrate few Australian Curriculum elements in the learning statement.

Student council

Student council completed their ‘school improvement’ project this year by designing, purchasing and installing new decorative signage for toilet doors. A big thank-you to Mr Rob for his help showing us how to install these.

We also ran a ‘teacher torture’. This was a great success with students enjoying it greatly – thanks to all teachers who embraced this and volunteered to join in.

Have a wonderful holidays.

Check out our calendar of events throughout the year, via the school's website at

Beerwah State School

You can sync any event to your personal calendar by clicking to  open the event and click on the  'Add to Calendar' button.  

Check out our Facebook page for more Celebrations and what's happening at our School.

Beerwah State School Facebook page

Well done to the following 5 students who have met the qualifying times for 2025 District Swim Trials in the following events.

Ages are based on 2025:

Levi W– 11 years 50m Freestyle and Backstroke

Edwina W– 11 years 50m Freestyle and Backstroke

Harrison D – 10 years 50m Backstroke, 50m Breaststroke, 50m Freestyle

Braeden F - 10 years 50m Freestyle

Ava R – 10 years 50m Freestyle

At this stage, the Trials will be held on Monday 24th February 2025 (Term 1 Week 5).

Plenty of time to practise over the holidays!!

Consent letters will be sent out when information has been received from District office.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

On behalf of the Chaplaincy committee we would like to thank the school community for their generous donations for the Christmas Hampers which we donated to St Vincent de Paul Landsborough.  Mr McAullife spoke on parade and advised that the hampers will used to assist local families.  St Vincent de Paul Landsborough assist families from Elimbah to Mooloolah.

Come and join our awesome school community in 2025 Prep-YR6.

Enrolling is easy, see the editable enrolment forms on our school website under the Enrolling tab, email back to admin@beerwahss.eq.edu.au or drop into the school office to collect a pack. Once we receive the completed documents, we will book your meeting and tour with our Principal Mr Scott Bowden. 

 Yr1 - 6 Enrolments Open - If you have friends looking to relocate to a new school. We are open to all year 1-6 levels in 2025.

The end of another year

The P&C executive team would like to thank each and every adult and child who has contributed to the school this year. We have held many events and activities to fundraise: the Easter show (raising $14,500), the Mother’s Day and Father’s Day stalls (raising approx $1700), disco catering (raising approx $700), bake sales (raising approx $1000) and Christmas raffle (raising approx $700). The tuckshop has also made approximately $6,000 by opening just one day each week.

We also sold the uniform shop in 2024 with all its stock to the School Locker which gave us another $10,000 to spend on school resources.

The P&C have donated over $26,000 to the school in 2024 which has gone towards upgrading the computers for students, purchasing new decodable home reading books, and subsidising incursions and excursions so the cost to parents is drastically reduced to enable our children to enjoy extra activities.

We received two grants this year, $2,000 from CRT Primary Schools program which went towards the computer upgrades, and $54,000 from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund which will be used to build a permanent shade structure on the oval in 2025.

We have tried not to ask parents for too much this year, we understand it’s a tough time, and we are very fortunate to live in a generous community who has been incredibly supportive to the school so we encourage all families to shop local and support those who have supported us.

We have had a very successful year looking back at everything we have achieved so let’s work together towards making 2025 even greater! Enjoy your break and stay safe 😊

P&C Meetings

We are all finished with our meetings for 2024 and we will return in 2025. We hold meetings on the third Monday of the month at 6pm in the library and everyone is welcome to attend. We try to wrap them up within an hour.

New parents, carers or community members often come to our meetings, just to see how they run and listen to what we talk about. It’s the perfect place to find out what plans the school has for learning and facilities, and what events we are planning. There is no pressure to join the P&C and it’s a great place to meet new people.

Our next meeting will be on 17th February, week 4 in term 1 of 2025, keep an eye on the newsletter and Facebook for reminders.

Volunteering

The P&C is a volunteer run organisation, and if you’ve never given volunteering a go, what better way to begin. There are so many proven benefits to volunteering: health, social, upskilling, sharing, gaining a sense of belonging to name a few.

If everyone plays a small part we can achieve great things.

The P&C Association are an approved volunteer organization with Centrelink (Services Australia) so if you need to complete volunteering hours, the school is a great option. This can be extended to grandparents and other friends, they will need to apply for a Blue Card to volunteer in the school which is an easy process we can assist with. Contact us by email and we can arrange to work out how we can help each other.

Facebook Page

We try to keep our Facebook page very active with all our notices here along with the Audiri (formerly Skoolbag) app.

If you haven’t already jumped onto our Facebook page, you should. It’s a great place to see what’s coming up, what volunteers are needed & helpful reminders in case you missed the notification. We’ll also share our tuckshop specials and any meal deal information, so if you don’t see the posts, you might miss out!

It’s also the easiest place to get in touch with P&C.

Just find our page and like us to start following. BSS P&C Facebook page

Events & Fundraising

Entertainment Book

Don’t forget to keep an eye on our Facebook page for offers for the Entertainment membership. There are continuous bonuses, and we get 20% of the purchase price for our fundraising. With the Christmas holidays just around the corner, this could make a fantastic present for someone, or yourself! Not only are vouchers for discounts in QLD or Australia, but they also even stretch to Bali! Have a look at their website: www.entertainmentbook.com.au Plus, there are currently offers of 5% off all Virgin Flights! When purchasing, remember to select Beerwah State School as your chosen fundraiser.

Easter 2025

Our amazing Easter show will take place on Easter Saturday, 19th April 2025 which is the last weekend of the school holidays.

If you have attended in the past, you will know what a hugely successful event it is, and great fun for everyone. If you haven’t been before, mark it on the calendar as it’s a fantastic day not to be missed, and a major fundraiser for the school.

If you would like to be involved in planning, or if your business is interested in sponsorship of part of the event, please get in touch with Carolyn on 0404 581058 or via email to pandc@beerwahss.eq.edu.au.

Recycling Programs

Let’s group together to try and make small changes to help our planet. By recycling as many items as possible, we can reduce the amount of landfill.

We are registered collectors for TerraCycle for those hard to recycle items.

Please collect:

· empty toothpaste tubes

· old toothbrushes

· pens, highlighters, texters and markers that don’t work

· Glad (or similar) packaging – zip-lock bags or cling wrap.

We collect these items to send to TerraCycle who will turn them into useful products. If you’d like to know more, please have a look at their website www.terracycle.com.au.

Donations can be dropped off to school, collection boxes are available in the library.

The school is also registered to collect drink cans and bottles through Containers for Change. There are bins throughout the school so you can drop off your recycling as you bring your child to school.

Book Club

Our book club has wrapped up for the year and will resume in 2025. Your child will bring a brochure home. The best way to order is online at www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP all books are delivered to the school and distributed to each child. If you would prefer to order as gifts, ensure you select that option and your items will be available for collection from the office.

An extra bonus is that the school receives 15% of all order values to purchase books for our library. Books are such a wonderful addition to any child’s life and there are some amazing prices in the book club.

Tuckshop

Thank you for supporting our tuckshop in 2024, and we thank our volunteers for offering their time and skills to produce wonderful nutritional meals for our children.

If you are able to assist in the tuckshop in 2025, we need your help! It’s not a job for one person, and even 20 minutes will be a great assistance.

Look out on Facebook for updates for our 2025 term 1 menu, we may change the format slightly. If you have ideas or suggestions for meals or inclusions, please get in touch. pandc@beerwahss.eq.edu.au

Uniform Shop

School uniforms are available from The School Locker in Maroochydore.

Ordering is online or in-store, it’s so simple and convenient. Plus, by setting up your free Student Advantage Membership online, you will access special members pricing where applicable.

If you don’t have this information, look at the school website for details.

If you are uncertain of the size you require, one of each size of polo shirt and dress will be available in school to try on. Appointments need to be made in advance, please email janie.bssuniformshop@gmail.com to arrange an appointment.

The P&C have second-hand uniforms available for sale at drastically reduced prices depending on the condition. Contact Janie at the above email address if you would like to have a look at what’s available.

If you have school polo shirts and dresses that are too small, or if your child is leaving school, please drop in your uniforms to the school office as we will happily re-sell to another family who can use them.

With limited volunteers and fundraising opportunities, this is one avenue that will help all families, and the P&C Association.

Did you know that Qkr! Can be accessed from any web browser? If you prefer to use a computer or tablet or unable to download the app, simply go to https://qkr-store.qkrschool.com/store/#/home and set up your Qkr! account to access school payments, uniform shop, and tuckshop ordering.  

Kandoo Joeys is open to all families with before-school-aged children. We open every Wednesday morning from 9.00am-11.00am from Weeks 2-9 of the school Term. You will find us in J Block, next to the Admin Block. Bring along a hat and some morning tea for your little one and come and join in the fun and social connections as your children learn through play. 

For more information contact  playgroup@beerwahss.eq.edu.au  

Helping Hands provides quality before and after school care. This service forms strong, collaborative ties with the school, children, families, and the local community; to ensure the needs and interests of every child and family are supported. We provide an environment in which children feel safe and have fun. Afternoon tea is included.

16th to 20th Dec    Open

23rd Dec to 3rd Jan Closed 

6th 24th Jan Open 

We are located in D Block which is next to the Senior oval. For the children’s safety it is a requirement that you park in the allocated staff car park and use the footpaths to walk to and from the Centre. The car park will be open in the morning 6:30 to 7:30 and afternoon 5:00 to 6:00. Outside of these times, you will need to use the normal school carpark located on Old Gympie Rd. Children must be supervised at all times by an adult.

If you have any questions please phone Helping Hands Co-ordinator Sharon on: 0448 083 043, or click on the link below.

Sincere thanks and farewell from Andrew Graham, Guidance Officer

I would like to wish the Beerwah SS community all the very best in the future as I won’t be returning to the school next year. It has been a privilege to work at this school over the past 17 years and I leave with many fond memories of so many positive relationships and interactions with the dedicated staff at Beerwah SS and the supportive families who work together to care and educate our most valuable and precious assets, our children. My interactions with students, staff and families have involved countless assessments and student/ family support meetings but also various proactive programs including ‘Rock and Water’ which will continue at the school under the leadership of the administration team. Take care everyone and thank you for having me🙂.

Concerns regarding young children with difficult and defiant behaviours? The Management of Young Children Program (MYCP) is available to support you.

The MYCP is supported by Beerwah and Landsborough State Schools (therefore no cost for these families) and is a practical and individualised behaviour support program for parents and carers of young children aged 2½ to 7 years and their families. It is a well-established and evidence based early intervention program targeting children who display defiant or oppositional behaviour with the aim of reducing such problematic behaviours in primary school and beyond.

For more information or interest in participating in the program, please see the school website link or contact the Landsborough State School office 5436 2777.

Our School has our own Skoolbag iPhone and Android App to help us communicate more effectively with our school Parent/Student community. Download the Skoolbag App to receive short messages, reminders and alerts. Parents will also be able to use eForms for absentee notes and change of details.

Click here to visit Skoolbag website