Brookfield Banter 26/03/25
- From the Principal - Leanne Duncan
- From the Deputy Principal - Leah Cathcart
- From the Deputy Principal - Katie Lewis
- From the Head of Curriculum - Lisa McKay
- From the Social Worker - Mrs D
- LOTE News
- Library News
- Save the Date: Photo Day - Wednesday 30 April 2025
- Extra-Curricular Calendar - Term 1
- Office News
- Community News
From the Principal - Leanne Duncan
P and C - Principal Update
Brookfield State School P&C AGM Update
Last Thursday evening, we held our postponed P&C AGM, where we had the opportunity to reflect on the past year and welcome new members to the P&C executive team. We’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the outgoing executive members for their dedication and hard work in their respective roles. A special thank you goes to:
President: Dolly Pole
Treasurer: Maria Vetrov
Promotions & Marketing: Alice V.
Your contributions have made a lasting impact on our school community, and we are incredibly grateful for your commitment.
We are also excited to announce the new and re-nominated executive members, who will continue the important work of supporting our school. Please join us in welcoming them:
President: Tess Stewart
Vice President: Amanda Alford
Secretary: David Sims
Treasurers: Jillian Fischer and Dannette McClean (Accounts Payable)
We look forward to working together to continue enhancing the educational experience at Brookie State School. This update will also be shared with our families this week, so please keep an eye out for further details.
Calendar Updates!
Please check Facebook and Email as we work hard to keep you up to date with the changing dates due to the weather!
Snake Education and Awareness!
Last Friday, a concerning incident took place near the bottom of the stairs by the tennis courts, when one of our Year 2 students, Ari, was bitten by a snake. The snake, identified as a whipsnake, is mildly venomous but fortunately not life-threatening.
Thanks to the quick and calm actions of our dedicated staff, the situation was handled swiftly and effectively. Paramedics who attended the scene commended the team for their prompt response, ensuring that Ari received the necessary care without delay.
Ari’s composure and bravery in the face of this unexpected situation were truly remarkable. Despite the circumstances, he remained calm and immediately informed the paramedics that he knew what to do when encountering a snake, using the SHOUT! acronym. This important safety strategy, explicitly taught in all classrooms at Brookie, was clearly effective. Well done, Ari, for staying calm and demonstrating such courage!
At Brookfield, we are fortunate to share our environment with nature, including snakes and other wildlife. We take every opportunity to teach our students how to stay safe and respond appropriately in these situations. In light of this incident, we have reviewed our safety processes to ensure continued preparedness. Queensland Workplace Health and Safety also praised the school for its strong, proactive approach to snake safety and emergency procedures. This Policy (and resources) will be communicated in next week's Banter after this process is complete.
We are incredibly proud of Ari’s bravery, as well as the staff’s quick and composed response to the situation. Ari has already returned to school and is sharing his experience with his classmates, further reinforcing the lessons learned from this event.
From the Deputy Principal - Leah Cathcart
PBL: Positive Behaviour for Learning
Our Rules
Follow directions straight away
Keep hands and feet to ourselves
Listen and speak in a friendly way
Be in the right place
Care for others, objects and the environment
Our Values
Respectful, Responsible, Safe
Our Mission
Belong, Strive, Succeed
Week 9: This week we focus on our VALUE, we are RESPECTFUL.
We are respectful in the classroom. We are respectful in the eating areas and playground. We are respectful to our friends and classmates. We are respectful to teachers, adults and parents.
Being respectful let’s others know that you not only care about them, but that you care about yourself too. This week we have discussed, shared examples, listened to and viewed stories about how we can demonstrate respect for others, objects and the environment.
Thank you to Mrs D for championing our Harmony Week celebration.
Throughout the week we created BROOKIE BRANCHES OF BELONGING. We enjoyed decorating paper doll cut outs and displaying them on the trees around the school to signify connection to each other and the school environment. We learnt about some CULTURAL GAMES, to play at breaktimes. On Friday we WORE ORANGE and gathered together to celebrate our connections to one another at BSS during a BUDDY LUNCH at first break.
In Week 10 join us for our Year 1-6, final assembly for Term 1. Our Year 1s, 2s, and 3s will perform “The Kindness Song” that Mrs McMillan has taught the students to support our Harmony Week messages.
Parent-Teacher Meetings: Term 1 2025
Prep/Year 1 Families: Weeks 9 & 10 in CLASSROOMS
Parent-teacher meetings will take place during Weeks 9 and 10 of this Term. These meetings will take place in your child’s classroom.
NOTE: When booking make note of the time and date selected and pop it in your diary, there will be NO REMINDER generated or sent. If you are unable to attend your scheduled meeting time as booked, we ask that you contact the office ASAP (T:3374 7333) so that your teacher may be notified.
It is preferred that your child does not sit with us during the meeting. If they are going to be with you, please bring along an activity for them to do and perhaps a snack/drink bottle.
Click here to book (control + click to follow link)
Year 2-Year 6: Tuesday 01/Wednesday 02 April in the HALL
Parent-teacher meetings for Years 2 - 6 will take place in Week 10 this Term, on Tuesday 01 and Wednesday 02 April.
These meetings will take place in the HALL with booking times available from 3:15-6:45.
NOTE: When booking make note of the time and date selected and pop it in your diary, there will be NO REMINDER generated or sent. If you are unable to attend your scheduled meeting time as booked, we ask that you contact the office ASAP (T:3374 7333) so that your teacher may be notified.
It is preferred that your child does not sit with us during the meeting. If they are going to be with you, please bring along an activity for them to do quietly in the Hall-foyer and perhaps a snack/drink bottle.
Click here to book (control + click to follow link)
From the Deputy Principal - Katie Lewis
Student Council
In exciting news, we are establishing a Student Council here at Brookfield State School.
We will kick off with an introduction to the Student Council as part of our PBL Lessons in Week 10. This introduction will outline what is involved in a Student Council, who is part of the Student Council, how students can have their voices heard and the basics around how updates will be shared with students. This will be followed by the first round of Class Meetings and the first Student Council Meeting in Week 10.
We are excited to hear more from our students and for our Student Captains to have the opportunity to lead the Student Council. Below are some of the slides we will share with students next week.
Year 1 to 6 Assembly - Wednesday 02 April
We will wrap up term one with a Year 1 to 6 Assembly in the Brookfield State School Hall from 2pm on Wednesday 02 April. Our Student Captains will run our Assembly and this will include all of our award presentations, the Reward Card draw and an update from Brookie Bear.
We will also enjoy hearing from our Years 1, 2 and 3 students singing the Kindness Song as part of our Harmony Week celebrations. Thank you, Mrs McMillan, for teaching this song to our students and sharing this at our upcoming assembly - it was a joy to hear on our Junior Assembly last week.
Gala Day - Postponed
We made the difficult decision to postpone our Term 1 Gala Sports Day to Wednesday 21 May (due to the inclement weather). In Term 2, we will now have:
- Gala Day 1 on Wednesday 21 May (Week 5)
- Gala Day 2 on Wednesday 04 June (Week 7)
Both Gala Days will involve Soccer at Moggill FC and Netball at Western Districts Netball Association. Payment for this week's Gala Day will be held over to Gala Day 1, with an updated invoice and information to follow for Gala Day 2 during the term.
German Food Day - Friday 04 April
Be sure to place your German Food Day orders (either fish burger and/or donuts) on FlexiSchools for Friday 04 April. Orders close on Monday 31 March.
From the Head of Curriculum - Lisa McKay
Respectful Relationships - What will my child be learning?
Prep to Year 2
Students develop the ability to understand and self-regulate their emotions.
They learn to account for their own feelings and the feelings of others.
Students develop skills to initiate social interactions.
The content focuses on important people in the students' lives.
It helps students initiate and maintain respectful relationships in different contexts (e.g., school, home, classroom).
Students explore their own sense of self and the factors influencing their identities.
They learn about emotions and ways to enhance interactions with others as they grow older.
Students learn about seeking, giving, and denying permission (consent).
Years 3 to 6
The Respect program now focuses on supporting students' wellbeing and that of their family and friends.
Personal and social skills become more important as students look to family, peers, and the community for role models.
Students explore personal and social factors that contribute to their identities.
Students learn how to manage emotional responses in various situations over time.
The program helps students develop skills to build and maintain respectful relationships.
It includes learning how to seek, give, and deny permission (consent).
The Respectful Relationships program will begin in Term 2. For parent resources please click on the links below.
Respectful Relationships – Role of Parents
https://education.qld.gov.au/parents/community-engagement/Documents/rre-role-parents-carers.pdf
Resources for Parents
Recent Updates to our Curriculum and Reporting Framework (CARF) - Reporting
The Queensland's K-12 Curriculum and Reporting Framework (CARF) guides how we teach and report on student progress.
Prep
Starting in 2025, there are significant changes to how reporting is structured for Prep students. While Prep students will continue to study all curriculum areas, they will only receive formal grades for English, Mathematics and Health and Physical Education (HPE). For other subjects, students will engage in learning experiences, and instead of the usual formative assessments, they will participate in monitoring tasks to track their progress. The changes will be implemented this semester and will appear in the end of Semester 1 report, which will be issued at the end of June.
The image below, provided by the Queensland Department of Education (2025), outlines which subjects will be graded and assessed, and which will be experienced through these new monitoring tasks.
Reporting Scales and Descriptions
The scales will be implemented this semester and will be reflected in the way teachers communicate with you during parent-teacher meetings. They will also appear in the end of Semester 1 report, which will be issued at the end of June.
For more information, please refer to the following links.
The Curriculum and Reporting Framework (CARF) can be found at https://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/stages-of-schooling/k-12
If you have any questions about these changes, please feel free to contact the Curriculum Coordinator Lisa McKay on lmcka51@eq.edu.au
From the Social Worker - Mrs D
Raising emotionally intelligent children in a diverse world:
Thoughtful parenting – Amy Webb
Emotional intelligence for kids has become a popular term in recent years, but what does it really mean? I think most of us want to raise a kind child who cares for and gets along well with others. I think this is probably a goal for all of us but somehow in the day-to-day routine of life, sometimes the kindness part of parenting gets lost.
“Hurry, put your shoes on, we have to go!” we prod
“Don’t yell at me!” we (ironically) yell at our kids
I have realized that there are days when I am not a model of kindness to my kids. How are they to learn kindness and emotional intelligence without a good model?
Children need a lot of repetition
My husband is the politeness/manners model in our family. This guy never fails to say “thank you” to waitresses, clerks, or anyone who helps us out. We have been working on this with our sons for years and finally this year my 8-year-old is mostly in the habit of saying “thank you” to helpers. Now, this is just a small thing, yes. This does not make him a model citizen in all ways. However, it shows us how much repetition and reminding it really takes for kids to learn kindness habits like this.
Reflecting on kind acts
Ever noticed a person who was particularly helpful or kind while you were out running errands? Maybe the crossing guard at school is cheery even though it’s 30 degrees outside. Or perhaps a teacher who was very helpful with a hard assignment. It has helped my sons see these acts of kindness if I make an effort to point them out. This really helps them see kindness in action. During certain times of the year like Valentine’s Day or Christmas, make a point to write cards or do thoughtful deeds for those “helpers” in your life.
What you can do:
Promoting emotional intelligence for kids can mean doing hands-on acts of service. Make some cookies together and take them to a local police station or firehouse as a way of thanking the first responders.
Help them think outside their own box
At young ages, kids are inherently self-centred. They don’t mean to be selfish; they just don’t have the brain maturity to consider another person’s point of view. As they reach elementary age and beyond, however, they gain the ability to empathize. As parents, we should capitalize on this time. If you see someone hurting or in need, point it out to your kids (if age-appropriate). Also, if they tell you about a difficult situation at school (e.g., kids being mean or teasing), consider helping them see how the victim feels in that situation. These discussions all help build emotional intelligence in children.
What you can do:
When watching movies or reading books, ask your children if the characters responded with kindness.
LOTE News
New Date for German Food Day: Friday 4 April
In Germany, many people enjoy one of the long traditions of the time leading up to Easter - eating fish for Lent, AND …. eating Berliner donuts!
So, Frau Raben and Sue from the Tuckshop have come up with a really yummy menu for Friday 4 April (that’s Week 10 last day of school) to experience German food.
On the menu will be:
First break: Fischbrötchen – a crumbed fish filet with optional mayo, gherkin and red onion on a German Kaiser roll. The Fischbrötchen is really popular street food in Northern Germany near the sea, in cities such as Hamburg and Kiel.
Second break: Berliner donuts. They are big raspberry jam-filled donuts with a few different names, depending on which part of Germany you are in. In central Germany they’re called Kreppel, in the Capital City Berlin, they are called Berliner Pfannkuchen, but in southern Germany you call them Krapfen.
The buns and donuts are baked fresh for us from King of Cakes, so are sure to be lecker (yummy!)
Orders on Flexischools until Sunday, 30th March.
Please email Frau Raben lcrab10@eq.edu.au if you have any questions or contact Sue if you can help out in the tuckshop that day.
Enjoy your meal! Guten Appetit!
Library News
Date Claimer: Book Fair 20 March - 1 April 2025
The Scholastic Book Fair is still on and will finish up next week Tuesday 1 April. Selling times do vary so check the schedule below.
Parents can make an online pre- payment at Scholastic for their child to come on in and choose books to that dollar value. Click here to make a pre-payment for your child to spend: https://parentpayments.scholastic.com.au/BookFairs
Alternatively, parents could pay in person with EFTPOS at the fair.
The school receives a commission on all books sold to buy new books for our library!
Mrs Allison greatly appreciates the time of the Library Captain parent volunteers at the before-school selling times.
eBooks – Yr3-6
All year 3-6 students with permission are registered to access State Schools digital library which includes over 80,000 eBooks, audiobooks, read-along books and magazines. The eBooks Digital Library is available 24/7 at home and at school on a PC, laptop or mobile device.
To access eBooks, students visit the Sora website or download the free Sora app on a mobile device, search for the school: Education Queensland, and log in using their department username (MIS ID). Parents can access more FAQs on eResource Services OnePortal page. Happy Reading!
Fiona Allison - Teacher Librarian
Save the Date: Photo Day - Wednesday 30 April 2025
Photo Day will be in week 2 of Term 2, Wednesday 30 April 2025. Order envelopes will be distributed once they are delivered to the school. You will be able to place you order online at www.msp.com.au or by putting the exact cash in your order envelope to be brought in on photo day. Sibling photo envelopes will be available at the office upon request by the beginning of Term 2. If you have any questions, please contact MSP on 3865 4291.
Extra-Curricular Calendar - Term 1
Office News
Facilities Update
Oval Closure
The school oval will continue to remain closed to students and staff until we receive back soil analysis results confirming no traces of E. coli or other soil-born bacteria.
Laboratories in South East Queensland have been inundated with soil analysis samples and there is a significant backlog creating extended time frames for test results.
Damage caused by TC Alfred
The school is working closely with Q Build to undertake repairs to damaged fencing and removal of gravel from the oval caused by TC Alfred.
Q Build Disaster Recover Group continue to priorities “Make Safe” repairs to schools in South East Queensland before moving into the “Make Good” phase of works.
A contractor has been engaged to attend the school Thursday 27 March to commence repairs and clean up of the fence and oval.
We feel for our fellow schools who endure major facility impact including loss of classrooms and other infrastructure. We thank our community for their patience as we continue to wait for the re-opening of our oval
Office Hours
The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00am - 4:00pm, during the school term.
If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at admin@brookfieldss.eq.edu.au
Absences
Reporting an absence
Parents can report their student's absence via the following options:
- QParents
- Email - absences@brookfieldss.eq.edu.au
- Phone - 07 3374 7333 option 1
Any absence that is more than 10 consecutive school days must be requested via an exemption form to be approved by the principal prior to the absence. Please see the link below for more information about why an exemption is required from compulsory schooling
Unexplained Absences
To avoid having unexplained absences listed on your child/rens school report, please ensure any unexplained absences are corrected by informing office staff on the day of absence. These can also be updated via the QParents app.
Late Arrival and Early Pick Up
We ask that all parents please bring their students via the office if arriving after 8:55am to ensure they are signed in, which will update their absence on the roll. Please note that even if you have emailed Admin advising your student/s will be late it is still mandatory that they are brought to the office to sign in.
If you need to collect your child/ren early (before 2:55pm) please ensure that you email both your class teacher and Admin.
Please note ALL STUDENTS must come to the main office to be collected prior to 2:55pm, unless confirmed otherwise by Admin.
Ensuring your student/s sign in and out of school correctly is for their safety. We thank you for your understanding.
2025 Term Dates
- Term 1: Tuesday 28 January to Friday 4 April—10 weeks.
- Term 2: Tuesday 22 April to Friday 27 June—10 weeks.
- Term 3: Monday 14 July to Friday 19 September—10 weeks.
- Term 4: Tuesday 7 October to Friday 12 December—10 weeks
Community News
Celebrate the end of term 1 at Brookfield Showgrounds on Friday 4 April from 4pm.
Brookfield Show Society is hosting a FREE family movie, "Clifford the Big Red Dog" on the oval from sunset, around 6:15pm.
Pop down early to secure your spot and enjoy dinner from food trucks and a drink from the bar at 550 Brookfield Rd, Brookfield.
A range of food vendors will be in attendance with something to suit everyone. These include a BBQ from Brookfield United Cricket Club, pizzas from BrizWoodfired Pizza, Asian fusion and chicken nuggets & chips from Hawker Eats and ice-cream from Hit the Soft Spot.
This event is FREE and made possible from our film sponsors: Savages Coffee, Green Spirit Landscapes, 4069 Real Estate and Kenmore Hills Early Learning.
Brookfield Show Society
Would you like to be involved with this years Brookfield Show? We are seeking a steward to run our Childrens Art Section. If you are interested and would like the opportunity to be involved with the show, please contact the secretary at secretary@brookfieldshowsociety.com.au
