28 February 2025

Woree State School – Vision & Values

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents and Carers 

We have had a great fortnight here at Woree State School.  

Thank you to all of the parents who have made it in this week to attend parent/teacher interviews.

We have received a lot of positive feedback that parents have appreciated the early opportunity to get to know their class teacher to find out how their child is going with their learning and settling into the new class and routine for the year.    

This year promises to be an exciting one, filled with opportunities for all students to thrive. Our school improvement priorities for 2025 is to increase student outcomes in English/Mathematics through greater student engagement, also teaching with an inclusive approach. We believe that when students are engaged in their learning, they can achieve their very best. To support this, our teachers will continue to make deliberate choices in their teaching practices to create engaging lessons that challenge and inspire our students.

Our attendance at the moment is just above 86.5% across the school. This is slightly below our school target and regional average. We know that to keep improving we need to maintain high attendance and engagement.  We also know that there is a strong link between irregular attendance and poorer student performance.

We can see the correlation between low attendance and lower achievement in our school data. It might seem okay to let students have a day off school once in a while, without genuine reason, but it actually can have real impact.  Just a day off a fortnight (90% average yearly attendance), equates to having 1.5yrs off school by the time your child finishes Year 12. 

I encourage you to reach out to your class teacher or to our Community Liaison Officer for assistance if you are having difficulty with attendance and/or engagement.    

This Year the National Testing Program (NAPLAN) is again being held in Term 1 for all Year 3 and 5 students.  NAPLAN assesses skills in literacy and numeracy that are developed over time, through the school curriculum. Currently, Year 3 and 5 students are experiencing what the NAPLAN online environment is like by engaging in practice activities.  This is an opportunity for students to familiarise themselves with how the online process works and the different tools that are used.

All students are expected to participate in the tests. However, if you are seeking to withdraw your child from NAPLAN, or an individual test, please contact your child’s Deputy Principal. Your child’s wellbeing is a priority and we will work with you to support your child. 

If you would like to know more about NAPLAN you can access the Public Demonstration Site which has information for parents, practice tests and FAQs  

I would like to emphasise that it is really important that primary students do not feel unnecessary pressure leading up to and during NAPLAN.  Whilst NAPLAN results are useful as a whole of school data set, they are not used to determine individual students’ levels of achievement.  We use the A-E rating scale against the Australian Curriculum to inform you of your child’s progress.  Let your child know that NAPLAN is just one part of their school program and urge them to take their time and simply do the best they can on the day.

Here’s to a fantastic year ahead. Together, let’s make 2025 a year of discover, strive and shine!

Tania Kaitara
Principal

Enrolment

Woree State School is currently taking enrolments.  Please contact the office or visit our website for more information.

Ph: 4054 9111    Email: info@woreess.eq.edu.au    Website: https://woreess.eq.edu.au/

Student Services

Woree PBL Messages

This weeks focus skill is: 

Present, centred and ready to learn

• Last weeks most positive behaviour’s were from year 6 with an incredible 47 entries
• Lorikeet had the most house tickets with 273
• Class with the highest attendance was 5B with 98.86%
• Girls had the highest attendance with 88.04%

Donations

Did you know we accept donations? 

We love the support we receive from our community, if you have anything you would like to donate please drop off to Miss Leisa’s office in block 8.

• Uniforms
• Book / Stationary
• Bread
• Fresh Fruit
• Lunch Snacks

If you are not sure what you can donate talk to Miss Leisa today.

P&C News

What does your P&C do?

The Woree State School Parents & Citizens’ Association supports your children’s development by partnering with the Woree State School to provide essential services that include the Outside School Hours Care program, the Butterfly Café (tuckshop) and the School Shop. Our mission as a community-based not for profit association is to provide valuable support through reinvestment of monies and time back into the school to provide additional resources as seen necessary by the principal and essential to the development of the school community.

We ask all families to support your children’s journey by supporting our mission and encourage all parents and carers to play an active role in their child’s development through joining the P&C community.

Being a member

Interested in becoming a part of the Woree State School P&C Association?

Being an active member does not mean having to attend every meeting. You can attend as many or as little as you want. We do however ask you to attend the annual general meeting where a new committee is elected to office for the next 12-month period and critical direction is commonly discussed.

Remember NO P&C = NO TUCKSHOP / NO OSHC / NO SCHOOL SHOP

Volunteering

Being a volunteer comes in all shapes and forms. It does not necessarily mean having to help at every fundraising event. It could simply mean helping us with the administration of our Facebook page or a couple hours at our awesome Butterfly Café making sandwiches or pouring drinks. If your time is available, you may consider helping us with one of our main fundraising events? Our fundraising calendar supports a maximum of six events per year.  Any support around this is always highly valued and happily received.

Why Volunteer?

• Volunteering helps you to connect to your community by strengthening your connections.
• Children whose parents are involved in their schools do better. Research has shown that children of a school volunteer make better grades and perform better on tests.
• Volunteering helps you spend more time with your kids.
• Helps you get to know teachers and other school team members.
• Makes the school a better place to learn.
• Allows us to use your strengths.
• Why NOT!

More Information

If you want to become a general member or a part of the P&C executive team, simply contact us at operations@WoreeSSPandC.com.au or come along to one of our monthly meetings.

Regards
The P&C Executive Team

School Shop

Did you Know?

The Woree State School P&C are the only authorized sellers of Woree State School uniforms.

You can place your school uniform and stationery orders anytime you like using our 24/7 Flexischools app and website www.flexischools.com.au ordering platforms. Our full catalogue is 100% online. We deliver your order the following day directly to your child’s classroom making it super easy, effortless and efficient.

If you want to pick up your online order, you can pop into the school shop, or we can drop it at the front office if it’s outside shop open hours.  

If you prefer to do things in person our school shop’s opening hours are Monday & Thursday 8:15am – 10am (except Public Holidays). Feel free to come in.

Book Pack Solutions

Every year we offer a no fuss complete book pack solution from prep to Yr6 that make starting school the following year easy and seamless.

Layby

We support our book pack solutions by offering a layby facility from September every year to help spread the cost into manageable payments. Our Layby option can be initiated through email, over the phone or in person at the school shop. (T&Cs apply)

For more information email: schoolshop@woress.eq.edu.au or call 4054 9167 during business hours on Mondays & Thursdays.

Regards
Linda Circus
School Shop Coordinator

Butterfly Café

At the Butterfly Café all food is prepared fresh daily and is constructed with the guidance of Smart Choices for Queensland Kids. We open daily for breakfast from 8:15am and for both lunch breaks. We also do affordable classroom catering for birthday parties and special occasions.

You can place your orders via the Flexischools app and their website www.flexischools.com.au or directly over the counter. Orders need to be in by 9:30am every day to be delivered to the classroom.

The Butterfly Café is open for over-the-counter sales before school and through the lunch periods.

Using Flexischools app or website to order lunch can be done at any time of the week or day, but it needs to be placed before 9:30am the day you want the meal for first break orders or in before 12pm for second break orders.

Things to remember

• Breakfast is served from 8:15am daily
• Lunch orders can be placed anytime of the week via Flexischools, but you need to make sure it’s in by 9:30am for first break or 12pm for second break on the day you want it.
• All food is made fresh daily, and we make some yummy treats for your kids.
• No over the phone lunch orders – please use the Flexischools app or website.

Please place orders by 9:30am daily, to avoid disappointment as our items are all made fresh daily.

Facts to know about the Butterfly Café:

• We are operated by the Woree State School P&C Association, so all proceeds are re-invested back in the school – supporting us supports the school and your kids learning!
• We make café-style barista coffee – so why not grab a latte when you come to the next parade
• We are always making special treats for your kids, look out for them on our red day menu or Flexischools ordering platforms.
• We can cater for your child’s birthday party in classrooms and take-home packs.

Regards
Tanya Boyce
Tuckshop Convenor

Outside School Hours Care

Events

Harmony Day

Harmony day is to celebrate students strengths and cultural identities. We are inviting students and parents to join us, before school for a free breakfast provided from our schools P&C association and IGA. This will include a sausage sizzle and some fruit. There will be music provided by DJ Miss M and a photo booth. This will be located in the LCPA or tuckshop area and will start at 8:15 and go till 9:00am.

School Photos

NQ School Photography has taken our school photographs this week, orders can still be placed online at www.nqsp.com.au using this code: 6JQUZE3N. The purchasing of photos is made directly by a parent or caregiver with the external photography company.  Woree State School has no control over the purchasing or issuing of student photos.

NAPLAN at Woree State School

From the 13th-25th March, Woree State School year 3 and 5 students will participate in NAPLAN (National Assessment Program, Literacy & Numeracy) testing, as will all other year 3 and 5 students across Australia.

Across these days, our students will participate in a total of four tests; Numeracy, Writing, Reading and Conventions of Language (grammar, punctuation and spelling). All students across the country will complete NAPLAN online, meaning they will complete their testing on computers, with the exception of Year 3 Writing which is completed on paper.

A major benefit of our students completing testing online, is that the testing is tailored to each student, so the test automatically adapts to a student’s test performance, giving questions easier or harder depending on the student’s answers at juncture points. In questions where reading is not being tested, such as the Numeracy test, students also have the option of pressing a speaker button to have the questions read to them.

NAPLAN tests are constructed to give students an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge they have learned throughout their school curriculum journey, across their years of schooling, and NAPLAN tests are treated as just another routine assessment in our school assessment calendar.

Students at Woree State School are well prepared for NAPLAN through the intensive school focus on reading and writing, the teaching of language conventions and spelling our focus on daily writing and the explicit maths lessons occurring daily in their classrooms. 

If you are interested in seeing the types of questions students encounter in NAPLAN, please visit https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site where you can view sample tests that you can do with your child.

Prior to NAPLAN our year 3 and 5 students will participate in a practice test to enable us to ensure our computers and systems at school are ready for the actual test. This practice test is not scored or marked, and students are encouraged to play with the functions and the other assistive options in the testing platform, to gain familiarity before NAPLAN tests.

If you would like further up to date information regarding NAPLAN generally, please visit the ACARA (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority) NAPLAN website at www.nap.edu.au . A parents and carers information brochure is available on this website at https://www.nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/naplan-information-brochure-for-parents-and-carers.pdf and information regarding the privacy of student data is available at https://nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/naplan-student-privacy-notice.pdf

If you have any queries regarding NAPLAN at Woree State School, please contact me via the school office.

Michelle Hanlon
Deputy Principal

Nurse Practitioner

Our Nurse Practitioner is available every Tuesday 9am-4pm, contact the school office on 40549111 or email nurseadmin@woreess.eq.edu.au to make an appointment.

How to Stop the Spread of Germs

🦠 Colds, flu, and tummy bugs spread fast at school! Here’s how to stay healthy:
👐 Wash hands for 20 seconds (sing "Happy Birthday" twice!) 
🤧 Catch coughs & sneezes in your elbow
🚰 Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated 
🏠 Stay home if sick 

Is It Just a Tummy Ache? 

🤔 Many children complain of tummy aches, but when should you worry? It might just be nerves or hunger, but if your child has: 

🚨 Frequent tummy aches 
🚨 Pain after eating
🚨 Ongoing constipation or diarrhoea 
🚨 Weight loss or poor appetite 
…it’s worth checking!

NP Mel can assess tummy troubles and guide you on next steps, help with checking symptoms, managing coughs & colds, and giving advice on staying healthy. 

Community News