Brookfield Banter 28/05/25

From the Principal - Leanne Duncan

The Brookie Show!

This year’s Brookfield Show was a hive of activity, bringing together locals and visitors alike for a weekend of fun, food, and festivities. From the exhibits to vibrant performances, and animals, there was something for everyone to enjoy.

I would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Show Society, for welcoming our Brookfield students, showcasing our art and working with us so closely. The connection to our school helps make the Brookfield Show a highlight on our community calendar.  

I along with many of you enjoyed the fireworks on Saturday night and was delighted to watch Mrs Julie Jelley, who we all know and love, be awarded with the Brookfield and District Community Member Award. Congratulations Mrs Jelley!

Brookfield State School's Sporting Excellence 

We are proud to celebrate the achievements of several of our talented students who have recently excelled in metropolitan West competitions with five of our students at regional cross-country event today. Their hard work, determination, and school spirit have truly paid off.

The students below delivered outstanding results today.  This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to their dedication to training and perseverance.

Congratulations to Mia P and Sam M who won first place, Tom M who achieved second place and Harper S who placed fifth!

In addition, we are thrilled to acknowledge, Audric G who is competing at Metropolitan West School Sport Golf (10-19 years) team at the State championship in June.

The Remarkable accomplishments of our students highlight the depth and variety of talent within our school community! The way students have competed in various sporting events this term with team spirit and sportsmanship is something for us to feel proud of. 

Community Calendar - Term 2

From the Deputy Principal - Leah Cathcart

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

National Reconciliation Week 2025

This week we continued to discuss and reflect on being RESPECTFUL as we focussed on The National Reconciliation Week 2025 theme - Bridging Now to Next.

At BSS, we are always striving to be RESPECTFUL. This week, we have been focussing on our First Nations learning journey.

We are learners about Australia’s earliest history.

Our school sits on the Turrbal people’s Country or very special land where they have always felt a deep belonging and still do.

The First Nations Turrbal people owned and loved this land for 60 000 years before people came across the seas in ships from Britain and other countries.

Both the Yuggera (or Jagera) people and Turrbal people always lived and continue to live in Brisbane. The Jagera generally living south of the Brisbane River and the Turrbal mostly living north of the river although their boundaries are not exactly clear. Brookfield is north of the Brisbane River.

In our classrooms we shared and discussed the BSS connection to the Turrbal people.

When our school turned 150 years old in 2021, we had meetings with Maroochy Barambah, Songwoman, Lawwoman and Elder of the Turrbal people and her daughter Baringa Kukoyi, dancer and Songwoman in training. 

From these meetings, we were given a very special message from the Turrbal people just for us. It is on the first page of the Brookfield State School 1871-2021 Celebrating 150 years Anniversary Book which is the library. Your family might have a copy of this book from 2021.

We hope to connect more with the Turrbal people in the future so we can learn more!

The message to us from the Turrbal people.

In our 150th Anniversary Book, the Message from the Turrbal people told us their history. It was written for adults and is long.

It tells us that when the English men came in ships in 1825 there were many battles until there were almost no Turrbal people left out of the 3000 Turrbal people before, by 1861.

It tells us that only the chief `The Duke of York’ Daki Yakka’s brave and strong daughter, Kulkarawa escaped. She then grew her own family which now has almost 50 Turrbal people in it today. She is Maroochy Barambah’s great, great grandmother!

It tells us that “one of [the Turrbal people' primary objectives is to continue to keep our culture and traditions alive as we are doing here by sharing our story.”

“We would like to thank Brookfield State School … for giving us the opportunity to share our story - we are truly grateful.” We are very grateful they have shared it with us!

In our 150th Anniversary Book, the Message from the Turrbal people told us their history. It was written for adults and is long.

It tells us that when the English men came in ships in 1825 there were many battles until there were almost no Turrbal people left out of the 3000 Turrbal people before, by 1861.

It tells us that only the chief `The Duke of York’ Daki Yakka’s brave and strong daughter, Kulkarawa escaped. She then grew her own family which now has almost 50 Turrbal people in it today. She is Maroochy Barambah’s great, great grandmother!

It tells us that “one of [the Turrbal peoples’] primary objectives is to continue to keep our culture and traditions alive as we are doing here by sharing our story.”

“We would like to thank Brookfield State School … for giving us the opportunity to share our story - we are truly grateful.” We are very grateful they have shared it with us!

The Turrbal people have told us the name this land is called in Turrbal language,

Tardu nubba yinnell yennill

It means, a place of many creeks.

Prep 2026 – Offers of Enrolment

📩 Enrolment Offers

This week, Prep 2026 enrolment offers, have been emailed to our families!

Have you returned your child’s enrolment forms to the office or emailed the admin-team your enrolment forms, found on the BSS website?

📝 How to Enrol

✔ Collect an enrolment pack:

Pick one up from our Administration Office or access a digital version on our website:

🌐 https://brookfieldss.eq.edu.au

🏫 Enrolment Tours

Would you like to see our beautiful school in action?

We are currently taking bookings for enrolment tours every second Tuesday.

📞 Call us on 3374 7333

📧 Or email: admin@brookfieldss.eq.edu.au  to make a booking.

We look forward to welcoming our newest BSS learners!

Life Education: Free Parent Seminar – Let’s Talk About Puberty

Join the team from Life Ed for a free online seminar hosted by a Parenting Specialist on Tuesday, 17 June at 7:00 PM. This informative webinar will cover everything you need to know about puberty — the physical and emotional changes, how to handle tricky conversations, and tips for supporting your child through this important life stage.

If you’re interested in joining the online seminar, please refer to the attached flyer for registration details.

Don't miss this valuable opportunity to feel more confident and informed as a parent!

From the Deputy Principal - Katie Lewis

Fanfare - Good Luck to Our Choirs

Wishing our Junior, Intermediate and Senior Choirs all the best tomorrow at their Fanfare performances at Kenmore State High School.  We kick off the day with Mrs McMillan and the Intermediate Choir (accompanied by Mrs Catherine Roberston), followed by our Junior Choir with Mrs Kienzle and our Senior Choir with Mrs McMillan (accompanied by Mrs Catherine Roberston).

Parents of students in our choirs will have received emails from Mrs McMillan and Mrs Kienzle with details on uniform requirements, what food or water to bring and bus timings. Please be sure to read these emails and have your child ready for their performance on Thursday. Huge thank you once again to our amazing music team here at Brookfield for providing these opportunities for our students.

Gala Day #2

Our Year 5 and 6 students will participate in Gala Sports Day #2 next week 

When:               Wednesday 04 June, 2025

Where:             Soccer – Moggill FC (Moggill); Netball – WDNA Courts (Graceville)

Transport:       All participating students are to travel to and from the venue by bus. 

Time:                 PLEASE ARRIVE at SCHOOL BY 7.45am for 8.00am departure.

Students are to walk along the path, down the steps and wait in the area near the Music Room. 

Students are scheduled to return to school by 2:55pm (updates via SMS/email/Facebook if this changes).

What to wear/bring:

• ALL students are required to bring their own lunch and water bottle/s.
• ALL students are to wear FULL school uniform (Interschool Sports (Friday) Shirt) including hats.
• ALL students should apply sunscreen before leaving home.
• ALL students should remove jewellery, watches and earrings.
• SOCCER students are required to wear SHIN PADS (and long socks).

As always, we have reminded students of the importance of being ‘good sports’ when they are representing our school at Gala Days.  We have referred to our Code of Behaviour which you will have had sent home for discussion with your child – thank you for your support with this.

Parents are welcome to come along to the Gala Days, and we ask your assistance in setting up slightly away from the school tent areas to ensure students can remain focused as part of their team and be ready for instruction from teachers and ready for their games on the day.

Year 3 to 6 Athletics Carnival - NEW DATE & NEW VENUE

Due to the current conditions and ongoing earthworks of the school oval, we have to adjust the 2025 Athletics Carnival – and change both the date and location.

The Year 3 to 6 BSS Athletics Carnival will now be on Monday, 9th June 2025 at The University of Queensland (UQ) in St. Lucia.

We are very excited about the venue and believe it is a great opportunity for the children to experience a professional venue.  We are currently working out costs but estimate it to be no more than $25 per students for venue hire/use and buses to and from the venue.  The venue includes toilets, change rooms, grandstands, private access to the running track, long jump pits, shot put rings and high jump mats.

With the current state of the oval, we appreciate your understanding to accommodate this late change and look forward to welcoming all the students to UQ for this event.

Please mark the new date and location for the BSS Athletics Carnival in your calendars now and keep an eye out for further communication including program and invoicing.

From the Head of Curriculum - Lisa McKay

Reading at Brookfield

At our school, we use research-based approaches to support every child’s reading development. One important model is the Simple View of Reading, which explains that reading success comes from two key areas: word recognition (being able to read and decode words) and language comprehension (understanding what those words mean). Both parts are essential—if one is missing, reading can’t happen effectively (Gough & Tunmer, 1986).

Another helpful way to think about this is Scarborough’s Reading Rope. It shows how many strands are woven together to build strong reading skills, including vocabulary, background knowledge, and the ability to recognise words quickly and accurately. As children develop, these strands become more tightly woven, leading to skilled, confident readers (Scarborough, 2001). By focusing on both decoding skills and language understanding, we aim to give all students a strong foundation in reading. Please see the images below, which illustrate both the Simple View of Reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope.

What is DIBELS?

DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) is a research-based, norms referenced assessment that helps track how children are developing key reading skills. It includes a number of short subtests that give teachers clear insights into areas like phonics and spelling, fluency, and comprehension. These check-ins help us to monitor student reading progress throughout each class and across the school. Most importantly, they guide us in providing targeted teaching and support when needed.

As a school, we use DIBELS three times each year. Our second check-in for 2025 will take place during Weeks 8–10 this term. If you have any questions about your child’s reading progress, please contact their class teacher.

Term 3 Planning

Over the next few weeks, teachers will be released for a day to plan and discuss the units of work for Term 3. During this time, they will closely examine the Australian Curriculum, effective pedagogy, and assessment strategies, working together to calibrate and develop a shared understanding of what will be taught next term.

These planning days support consistency across the year level and give teachers the opportunity to engage deeply with the curriculum. Detailed plans are always left for the supply teacher to ensure students continue learning smoothly in their teacher’s absence.

From the Social Worker - Mrs D

Cultivating the right mindset from a young age is essential for a successful and fulfilling life. When children understand that effort and effective strategies can lead to improvement, they feel empowered to take on challenges and persevere through difficulties. This belief—that their abilities can grow with dedication—fosters confidence, resilience, and a willingness to embrace failure as part of the learning process. When kids realize that their brains are capable of growing and adapting, they become more motivated, open-minded, and prepared to thrive in the face of adversity.
As our student's head into the last half of the term and are faced with assessments and possibility some challenges, lets encourage and remind them about their growth mindset that will lead to successfully over coming challenges. 

Music News

Fanfare 2025

Tomorrow, Thursday 29 May, our three choirs head off to Kenmore SHS to compete in the biennial Fanfare competition. We know that they will represent our school beautifully with both their singing and their behaviour, and we wish them well for the day. Huge thanks go to those parents who have put up their hand to assist with supervision on the bus and at the venue.

Junior Choir are asked to arrive at school in correct school uniform (named school jumpers only please). They will board the bus at 10am with Mrs Drew and Mrs Hogg. Please make sure they have a named water bottle and a lunch box to take with them.

Intermediate Choir members are reminded that they need to be at the Music Room no later than 7:45am for an 8am departure. If your child is unwell and unable to come with us, please notify the school in the usual way, as well as sending Melissa McMillan an email (mmcmi10@eq.edu.au) so that we don’t hold up the bus waiting for students to arrive.

Senior Choir members have been asked to wear their black and white performance uniforms to school in the morning. Don’t forget to pack a school uniform in to change into – these students will all have a PE lesson when they arrive back at Brookfield in the afternoon.

Helping Hands News

Extra-Curricular Calendar - Term 2

Office News

Office Hours

• Monday, 8:00am - 3:30pm
• Tuesday to Friday, 8:00am - 4:00pm

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us at admin@brookfieldss.eq.edu.au

Payments Methods

The following are the payment methods available to you for your child/ren's invoices.

• BPoint
• EFTPOS
• Cash
• QParents
• Qkr

The link below will direct you to the BPoint payment system. This can also be found at the bottom of any invoice and statement. If you use the link provided below you will need to enter your details manually.

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

Kenmore State High School – Year 7 Enrolments for 2026 open Monday May 26

Kenmore State High School's enrolment applications for Year 7 in 2026 open Monday May 26, 2025 including applications for limited places still available in our Programs of Excellence for 2026 only.

All students need to have an enrolment interview, as enrolment documentation for Year 7 in 2026 is to be submitted at enrolment interviews.

Enrolment interviews for Year 7 in 2026 will occur only on Saturday 14 June 2025 and bookings are essential. Online bookings close 7.00pm Wednesday 4 June, 2025.

Click here to learn how to book an enrolment interview and submit an enrolment application for Year 7 in 2026.

Applications are also open for 2026 Programs of Excellence including Ken-X, German Immersion and Extension (GIEP) and Music Extension (MEX) – for limited places still available.

Click here to learn more about the Programs of Excellence and how to apply.

Kenmore State High School plans for the success of every student they enrol and therefore have a range of processes and activities planned before the end of this year. Please help them to meet these commitments to you and your child by enrolling your child in line with the timelines. Kenmore SHS enrolment timelines can be found via the link below:

Click here to view more information.

Any enquires regarding enrolments should be directed to Kenmore State High School.

W: www.kenmoreshs.eq.edu.au

E: enrolments@kenmoreshs.eq.edu.au

P: (07) 3327 1555

Brookfield Tennis Centre

The Brookfield Tennis Centre are offering a free trial tennis lesson for all kids at the Brookfield State School courts or at the Brookfield Tennis Centre courts. Brookfield State School has a very proud tennis tradition with roughly half the school enrolled in tennis lessons at any point in time and we'd love your child to be a part of it. 

This a great way for your kids to make new friends, learn a great set of skills and a game for life and have a wonderful time in the process.  All kids that enrol into lessons will receive a free tennis racquet from the team at the Brookfield Tennis Centre to help them get going.

Their coaching staff will take good care of them during the session. They will walk your child up to their class after the lesson in time for the bell.

To register your child please email John and Roanne at tennis@brookfieldtennis.com.au.  Spaces are limited.