22 August 2025
Woree State School – Vision & Values
Principal’s Report
Tania Kaitara
Principal
At Woree State School we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Woree State School is located, the Gimuy Walabura Yidinji people and pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, the traditions, the culture, hopes and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Welcome to Term 3 Woree State School Families!
Thank you to all families who were able to support the Woree State School teachers on Strike Day. We had regional staff redeployed to our school who were able to support the teacher aides with supervision on the day. All staff left saying how wonderful the students at Woree State School were, especially on an unstructured day like Wednesday.
School attendance
Our attendance is currently 83.4% which is significantly lower then the Departments target.
While this is data heading in the right direction, we still fall short of the Department of Education’s target of 92%. The school is specifically concerned about students whose attendance is below 85%. Students cannot achieve their best outcomes, academically, socially or with their wellbeing unless they feel a sense of belonging and are engaged at school.
We have school resources that you can access to support you or your children to improve their attendance. Please contact the office if you would like to explore the best support for your family.
School Opinion Survey
Each year the department surveys Year 5 and 6 students, staff and parents and carers on various topics about Woree State School. Emails are currently being sent to families. I encourage as many parents and carers as possible to complete the survey. We are provided a report at the start of next term which we use as a pulse check to ensure we are heading in the right direction in alignment to community expectations and we use this data to inform the strategic direction for the year ahead. Your feedback is valuable.
Every day counts
Being at school every day counts. If your child is absent one day per week, this quickly adds up to two months of missed school in a year.
Every day counts is an initiative aiming to improve attendance at school. The initiative promotes four key messages:
- All children should be enrolled at school and attend on every school day
- schools should monitor, communicate and implement strategies to improve regular school attendance
- Truanting can place a student in unsafe situations and impact on their future employability and life choices
- Attendance at school is the responsibility of everyone in the community.
Reduce the risk of skin cancer
- Skin cancer is preventable. Using the five sun protective behaviours consistently when you are outdoors is your best defence from developing skin cancer.
Five ways to reduce your risk:
1. Slip on a shirt
Wear a shirt that:
- Provides a good level of skin coverage, including a collar and long sleeves
- Is made from closely woven fabric in a dark colour (dark colours absorb UV radiation) and has an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF).
2. Slop on sunscreen
Make applying sunscreen part of your everyday morning routine. Choose a sunscreen that is:
- Broad spectrum
- Water resistant
- Sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 50
- Not passed its used by date
3. Slap on a hat
Choose a hat that shades the face, ears and neck, such as:
- A broad brimmed hat
- Legionnaire style
- Bucket hat
Caps and visors are not recommended as they don’t offer enough sun protection for the face, ears and neck.
4. Seek Shade
When outdoors, on sunny or cloudy days, take cover:
- Under trees or buildings
- Under an umbrella or another portable shade structure
5. Slide on glasses
Choose sunglasses that:
- Meet the Australian standards and have an eye protection factor (EPF) of 9 or 10
- Cover the side of the eye area and fit closely to the face
Check your skin
Most skin cancers can be successfully treated if they are found early. Without treatment some cancers can be deadly.
It's important to know your skin and to check it regularly, looking for any changes, especially in spots or moles. Visit your GP if you notice anything suspicious and ask about having a skin check.
Look for spots or moles that might be:
Sore
- Tender, itchy or bleeding
- Doesn’t heal within 6 weeks
Changing
- Size
- Shape
- Colour
- Texture
Abnormal
- Looks different compared to other spots or moles
New
- Appeared recently, especially if a person is over 40 years of age
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/
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
- Fresh Fruit
- Lunch Snacks
If you are not sure what you can donate talk to Miss Leisa today.
Staff Profile
Tabatha Broadway
Guidance Officer
Hi everyone,
My name is Tabatha Broadway and I’m excited to introduce myself as the new Guidance Officer here at Woree State School. I’m pleased to be working on Yidinji Country, and I feel incredibly grateful to be part of the Woree community, supporting our wonderful students and working alongside such dedicated staff.
I’ll be here on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays for the rest of the school year. Please feel free to reach out or say hello if you see me around—I’m always happy to connect and have a chat
Ruth Pearson
Prep Teacher
Hello, my name is Ruth Pearson and I am the teacher of PA this year. I have been teaching at Woree state school since 2013. I was originally sent to Woree from Brisbane as part of my country service, and I never moved back. I love living in Cairns, it really feels like home.
We had have had a great start to the year, welcoming new colleagues, parents and families of the school community. I am an Early Childhood trained teacher and very passionate about creating strong relationships with students and building their eagerness as learners. Seeing children excited to learn is one of the many reasons I love my job!
When I’m not at work, I often spend my time with friends and family. I love getting outdoors and enjoying activities such as camping, hiking and waterfalls. I am grateful for a great region to explore and am excited for more trips to come.
Class Article – 4C
What a fantastic and productive start we’ve had in 4C! Our class has been working hard across all learning areas and showing great determination in their learning.
In English, students have been learning how to plan and deliver persuasive speeches. So far, we have explored real-world topics such as composting, school uniforms, and waste-free lunches. Students have practised using strong persuasive devices including emotive language, rhetorical questions and clear opinions. It has been a joy to watch their confidence grow with each speech they delivered.
In Maths, we’ve been developing our understanding of place value and decimals. Students learned how to multiply and divide by 10, 100 and 1000 and explored how the position of digits changes when numbers are scaled up or down. This learning helped lay strong foundations for future concepts in fractions and measurement. We’ve also continued our regular Speed and Accuracy routine to build fluency with number facts.
Science, students investigated how different forces affect the movement of objects. They have played games to see how forces interact in the real world.
It has been a busy and rewarding semester, and I’m incredibly proud of how far each student has come. Thank you to all our families for your continued support.
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
NAIDOC 2025
Woree State School proudly celebrated NAIDOC Week 2025 with a morning filled with a smoke ceremony, arts and crafts, music, damper and face painting. Throughout the week, classes also engaged in a range of NAIDOC-themed lessons to deepen understanding and appreciation of culture and history.
We extend our sincere gratitude to our families, staff, Wuchopperen, Deadly Choices, Smith Family and our wonderful families who spent time cooking and donated damper for generously giving their time and support to make this event such a meaningful experience for our students.
2025 NAIDOC Celebrations
2025 Swimming & Water Safety Program
Please return permission forms and payment to the school office by Wednesday, 17 September.
Book Week 2025
This year’s Book Week theme, “Book an Adventure”, was celebrated in style at Woree State School. Our students participated in a vibrant parade, proudly showcasing their wonderful costumes inspired by favourite books and characters.
We extend our sincere thanks to our dedicated teachers for organising such a memorable event, and to the parents and carers whose creativity and support helped bring the costumes to life. It was a fantastic celebration of reading and imagination across our school community.
2025 Book Week “Book an Adventure”
Nurse Practitioner
Our Nurse Practitioner is available every Tuesday 9am-4pm, email nurseadmin@woreess.eq.edu.au to make an appointment or book directly online
Who is Nurse Mel?
Did you know there’s a Nurse Practitioner at school every Tuesday?
Mel is here to support your child’s health and wellbeing—whether it’s managing a health condition, checking on development, or having a quiet chat about something on their mind.
Let’s Talk About Puberty
Puberty can start earlier than expected—and it’s different for every child.
Mel can support kids and parents with:
🌱 Early signs of puberty
💬 Age-appropriate conversations
🧴 Managing skin or hygiene changes
🩺 Health checks if you’re unsure what’s “normal”
Community News
Newsletter Sponsors
