Brookfield Banter 11/06/25

From the Principal - Leanne Duncan

Bush Dance community get together!

Last Friday, the Brookfield State School community came alive with boots, bush dances, and big smiles at our annual Bush Dance! The night was filled with laughter, toe-tapping tunes, and dancing under the stars and Festoon lights – all made possible by the incredible efforts of our volunteers and supporters.

A massive thank you to our P&C team, whose energy and dedication brought this much-loved event together once again. We’re also grateful to Helping Hands for their support, and to all the volunteers who cooked, served, supervised, cheered us on throughout the night and also the weeks of behind-the scenes planning that made everything run smoothly. Thank you to Beefers, once again for supporting Brookfield State School's Bush Dance who always bring the music vibe to the night!

Special thanks to the P&C for their grant funding, which helped light up the evening with magical festoon lights! A fabulous asset for the P&C to have.  

Events like this remind us of the power of community and coming together. Thank you, Brookfield – we can’t wait to do it all again next year! 💃🕺🌌

Report Cards

We are getting closer to the end of a reporting term!  Achievement, progress and social emotional growth are all important to the growth of our individual learners. Celebrate all of these successes when report card time arrives!

Oval Update

What a fabulous silver lining to our oval upset - Years 3 to 6 students experienced the venue at UQ for the 3-6 Athletics Carnival! What a memorable day and smiling faces throughout and on return!  Essentially turfing was scheduled for this Monday gone, however the ground is too wet!  We are ready and waiting for the contractors to lay the turf when suitable. Hopefully the clear skies will continue!

Community Calendar - Term 2

From the Deputy Principal - Leah Cathcart

PBL: Positive Behaviour for Learning

Our Rules and Values in Action at Brookfield State School

At Brookfield State School, our mission is clear: Belong, Strive, Succeed. Every day, we support our students to live this mission through our shared values of being Respectful, Responsible, and Safe.

Our school rules help guide us:

• 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

🚻 Toilet Expectations in the Junior School

This week in the Junior School, we focussed on being RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE, and SAFE when using the toilets at BSS.

💚 We are RESPECTFUL:

• One person per cubicle
• Giving others privacy
• Giving people space
• Keeping hands and feet to ourselves
• Cleaning up after ourselves

💛 We are RESPONSIBLE:

1. Go
2. Flush
3. Wash
4. Leave – get back to learning!

💚 We are SAFE:

• Using the sink, toilet, toilet paper, and hand dryers appropriately
• Going, Flushing, Washing, Leaving – and getting back to learning!

Thank you for supporting our shared expectations to create a safe, respectful and responsible environment for all students.

In the Senior School this week our focus turned to our school protocols and expectations for ICTs, mobile phones, smart watches and devices.

📱 Student Device Expectations at School

At Brookfield State School, we understand that students may bring personal devices to school. To ensure a safe and focused learning environment, the following expectations are in place:

• Mobile Phones: If students choose to bring a phone to school, it must be switched off and kept in their class toolbox during school hours.
• Smartwatches & Wearables: These can be worn, but notifications must be turned off during the school day.
• Laptops & Devices: Devices are not to be used before or after school. They must remain in school bags until students are inside the classroom.
• Cameras: The use of cameras on any device is strictly prohibited on school grounds or during excursions, unless explicit permission has been given by school staff.
• During School Hours: These guidelines apply during lessons, break times, and all school activities.

Thank you for supporting a respectful and distraction-free learning environment for all students.

🎒 The Aim of Away for the Day

At Brookfield State School, our aim is to create a focused, safe, and connected learning environment.

Away for the Day is our whole-school approach to managing personal devices like mobile phones and smartwatches during school hours.

This expectation is part of a Queensland Government initiative in place across all state schools to support student wellbeing and engagement.

By keeping devices off and away, we aim to:

• Support positive social interactions
• Reduce distractions in learning
• Encourage students to be present and engaged
• Promote a sense of belonging and inclusion

We thank our families for supporting this shared approach — helping every student to Belong, Strive, and Succeed

Triple P: Positive Parenting Programs

Pressing pause on tech tantrums: positive switch-off strategies

Does managing screen time feel like a daily battle in your family? If so, you’re not alone. Many parents face frustration and pushback, but these challenges don’t mean you’re doing anything wrong.

The pull of screens is strong, and kids easily lose track of time: what feels like five minutes can turn into fifty. Many apps and games trigger dopamine responses, making it harder to step away. So, when the screen goes off, children are not just pausing a game: they are abruptly ending something deeply absorbing and enjoyable.

But with the right tools and strategies, you can turn screen time struggles into opportunities for balance and connection, for any age group. By making screen time predictable, introducing engaging follow-on activities, using visual timers, and modelling calm responses to frustration, we can help kids navigate tech challenges with confidence.

Triple P’s latest article empowers parents and carers with straightforward information like this for a calm and positive approach to switching off screens.

For more tips and strategies to help you raise capable, confident kids, check out their free online programs.

From the Deputy Principal - Katie Lewis

Year 3 to 6 Athletics - WOW!

What a FANTASTIC day we had on Monday at UQ with our Year 3 to 6 students competing in their Athletics Carnival. The venue was simply superb and our students thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to use the amazing facilities, the highlight being running on the tartan track.

We are proud of how all of our students participated on the day, and they were certainly kept busy all day with events and activities.  Thank you to our teachers and teacher aides who ran the various events and supported students on the day. Thank you also to the parent helpers who chipped in and supported our staff at stations, raking sand, measuring shots, moving the high jump bar and assisting with place judging.

Finally, a MASSIVE thank you to Mr Mitch Bidner and Mrs Lizel Moore who coordinated and ran the carnival, hours of planning, preparation and execution to ensure the day was smooth and most importantly, fun!

We completed our events with the 1500m at the Showgrounds this morning. Well done to all involved for your flexibility and understanding as we have navigated this carnival without the use of our Oval. I am proud of how we have managed to ensure our students were able to participate in and enjoy their Athletics Carnival for 2025.

At our Senior Assembly this afternoon, we announced the Age Champions, congratulations to the following students:

• 8 Years Girls - Estelle G
  
• 8 Years Boys - Barney G
• 9 Years Girls - Amelia E
• 9 Years Boys - Bodhi S
• 10 Years Girls - Tilly C
• 10 Years Boys - Sam Mc
• 11 Years Girls - Mia P
• 11 Years Boys - Fletcher O
• 12 Years Girls - Vicky A
• 12 Years Boys - Tom Mc

Students will be presented with their medals at Whole School Assembly on Wednesday 25 June, parents are welcome to attend.

And for the final result:

• Paterson - 3rd
• Lawson - 2nd
• Mackellar - 1st

Congratulations MACKELLAR! Now taking out the double - Cross Country and Athletics!

Senior Choir - Fanfare REGIONAL FINALS - Thursday 19 June

Congratulations again to Mrs McMillan and our Senior Choir students who will represent our school at the Regional Fanfare Finals on Thursday 19 June at the Old Museum. Students are required to wear performance uniform. Further information will be sent to Senior Choir families - please keep an eye on your emails. 

Year 5 Camp - Mapleton - 23 to 25 June

Our Year 5 students are excited to head to QCCC Mapleton for their Camp in Week 10. They will be accompanied by Mrs Cole, Miss Laidlaw, Mr Skehan and Mr Williams.

Social Media Supports for Families

Carrying on from information shared last week to support families navigate the online space with children and as adults ourselves - in terms of Social Media. Please find below a brochure which outlines guidance on how to engage in Social Media platforms and also how to report concerns if needed.

From the Head of Curriculum - Lisa McKay

It is Reporting Time

As teachers support students in completing assessments and they are busy preparing reports, it's a good opportunity to remind you of the updates to the K–12 Curriculum and Reporting Framework (CARF) introduced this year. The CARF guides us on how we teach and report on student progress. These changes were outlined in earlier editions of our Banter and can be found below. If you have any questions about your child's report, please see their class teacher.       

Prep Reports

While Prep students have continued to study all curriculum areas, they will only receive formal grades for English, Mathematics and Health and Physical Education (HPE). For other subjects, students have engaged in learning experiences, and instead of the usual formative assessments, they will participate in monitoring tasks to track their progress. The changes will be reflected in the end of Semester 1 report, which will be emailed in Week 10. 

Reporting Scales and Descriptions

The scales below will be used in the end of Semester 1 report, which will be issued via email in Week 10. 

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 Healthy Minds

We all know that parenting is a tricky business, with new joys and challenges each week.

The Raising Children Network has developed a free, personalised, pocket resource to help parents and carers raise confident, resilient children. Co-designed with parents and experts and funded by the Australian Government, Raising Healthy Minds aims to support children’s social and emotional wellbeing with evidence-based information.  

You’ll find information on topics like dealing with worries and making friends, as well as ideas for day-to-day life, like creating family routines, looking after yourself as a parent, and building strong relationships.  

The app offers a mix of quick-read articles, videos and animations aimed at parents and carers of children aged 0-12 years. You can tailor information to the age of your child and opt-in to receive helpful 

 Download from Google Play or the App Store or go to raisingchildren.net.au/rhm to learn more and raise a healthy mind.

From the Inclusion Team

What is the NCCD?

Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992This link will open in a new window (DDA) and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (the Standards), Australian students with disability must be able to access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers. To ensure this, students with disability may receive adjustments to access education, based on the professional judgement of teachers, in consultation with the student and/or their parents, guardians or carers.

The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD) gives Australian schools, parents, guardians and carers, education authorities and the community information about the number of students with disability in schools and the adjustments they receive. The Australian Education Regulation 2013 requires all schools to report the data collected for the NCCD to the Australian Government on an annual basis. This year the census date is the 1^st August 2025.

When is a student eligible to be included?

The NCCD counts all school students where:

1. the student’s impairment meets the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 broad definition of disability and
2. the functional impact of the student’s disability results in the school actively addressing or supporting the student’s specific individual education needs arising from their disability within quality differentiated teaching practice and/or monitoring the student or providing a ‘supplementary’ or higher level of adjustment or support.

To determine whether a student is eligible to be counted, consider whether:

1. there is evidence at the school that the student is being provided with an educational adjustment to meet ongoing, long-term specific needs associated with disability
2. decisions have been made in consultation with the student and/or their parents, guardians or carers.

Notes:

• The definition of ‘long-term’ for this purpose is over a minimum period of 10 weeks of school education (excluding school holiday periods) in the 12 months preceding the NCCD.
• The adjustments do not need to take place each and every day over the 10 weeks. The 10-week period of adjustments does not need to be consecutive; it can be cumulative and split across school terms in the 12 months preceding Census Day.
• If a student is participating in a school-based activity during the school holidays (eg camp) where the school is providing adjustments, then this time can be included in the 10 weeks.
• Where a student receives adjustments for any amount of time within a school week, that constitutes a ‘week’ for the purposes of the 10-week rule. The amount of time an adjustment(s) is provided to the student may vary from infrequent or occasional (e.g. for a specific class or activity) through to all day every day of the week.
• An approved person may request consideration of an individual student for inclusion in the census because of special circumstances that apply to that student (e.g. if they were not in attendance during the reference period due to their medical condition). The request must be submitted through the Special Circumstances Application.

If you have any questions about the NCCD or your child’s adjustments being included in this dataset please contact inclusion@brookfieldss.eq.edu.au.

🧹 School Cleaner’s Day – Monday 16 June

On Monday 16 June, we celebrate School Cleaner’s Day, a time to recognise the amazing work of our dedicated cleaning staff.

We’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Mone, Santi, Lar, and Nu—our incredible team who work tirelessly every day to keep our school clean, safe, and beautiful.

Your commitment and care does not go unnoticed, and we are truly grateful for everything you do.

Thank you!

Sports News

🏃‍♀️ Prep to Year 2 Athletics Carnival – Tuesday 17 June

Our Prep to Year 2 Athletics Carnival will take place on Tuesday 17 June from 9:00am to 11:00am on the school oval and tennis courts.

Parents and carers are warmly invited to come along and cheer on our youngest athletes as they participate in a morning of fun and fitness!

A program and oval map can be found below to help you navigate the day.

To keep warm and enjoy a treat, a coffee van will be on site serving hot drinks—perfect for a chilly winter morning.

Cupcakes will also be available to purchase for our little athletes for $2.00 each, organised by our wonderful P&C!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Music News

Choral Fanfare Regional Finals!

Our Senior Choir is busy polishing their songs ready for next Thursday’s Met North Choral Fanfare Regional Finals at the Old Museum in Bowen Hills. Parents, keep an eye out for the QParents notification, as well as an email from Melissa McMillan with more details for the day. In the meantime, get those performance uniforms ironed, black shoes polished, and singing voices primed ready for a great day.

Moggill Beginner Strings Workshop

Also on next week is our Beginner Strings workshop at Moggill SS. All our Year 3 String players will combine with other local schools for a day of accelerated learning and fun. Thanks to Mrs Ellen Harle for her part in organising the day for our students. We wish our Year 3 Stringies all the best for a great day.

Library News

BSS Readers Cup Team

Readers Cup is the flagship event of the Children’s Book Council of Australia – Queensland Branch. It is a state-wide event where teams of students read 5 books and then compete with other teams in their region to answer quiz questions. Winners from each regional competition then compete in the State Final.

 Our BSS team is competing next Tuesday at St Aidan’s Anglican Girls School with 25 other schools in the Brisbane West regional event. The Yr 5/6 team members are Felix W, Matias L-A, Declan R, Oliver A and Shaurya M. We all wish them the very best of luck!

P&C News

🧁 P-2 Athletics Cupcake Drive – Tuesday 17 June

The P&C are organising Cupcakes for the P-2 Athletics Carnival!

To keep our little athletes smiling at the finish line, we’re calling on our fabulous Prep to Grade 2 Parent bakers and helpers!

If you can donate cupcakes, we’d love your support. Not only will it give our students a sweet treat after all their running and jumping, but it’ll also help raise valuable funds for the P&C. 

📍 Drop off on the day from 8:30am onwards:

• Drop to Sue in the Tuckshop

🔖 Please label your Tupperware with your name. Containers will be available for pickup from the tuckshop after the event.

Thank you for helping us keep the energy high and the fundraising going!

Helping Hands News

Extra-Curricular Calendar - Term 2

Office News

Office Hours

Please note the changes to the opening hours of our administration office below.

• 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

Permissions

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

Sharks Camp 2025 - July.

GET IN QUICK LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE!! Sharks Camp is a four-day volleyball camp designed to cater to athletes of all skill levels. With elite development opportunities available and pathways into club and state-level volleyball, this camp has something for everyone!

The Dates:

8th July | 9th July | 10th July | 11th July

We usually hit capacity pretty quickly, so if you're interested sign up today to secure your spot!!

YEAHHHH SHARKS!!

Visit our website for more information https://sharksvolleyball.com/sharks-camp." 

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.