News from the Principal
We have come to the end of our third term; our students have hopefully presented their work to parents at the student-led conferences a few weeks ago and are taking ownership of their own learning journeys. Term 4 is only 8 weeks and will fly by very quickly, we will be busy with end of year preparations and report cards.
Our staffing process has begun in preparation for next year; we are arranging for any new teachers to fly up and visit us before the year ends at our Bump Up Day on 11th November. Prep transitions from Kindy to Prep will begin next term in weeks 2, 4 and 6, for those joining us in Prep in 2026. Please notify the school if you are not returning in 2026 so we have accurate class numbers as spaces are limited for new families arriving in Weipa for 2026.
Unfortunately, we are finding it difficult to recruit staff in some positions and have been unsuccessful in recruiting someone for our Tuckshop. We thank Miss Jess for feeding us this term, but we need her back helping in the classrooms. Next term, we have made the difficult decision to close the tuckshop for the term. If you know anyone interested, please contact the school as it is a valuable part of our school and this is a difficult decision that we have had to make.
A reminder about students bringing phones to school or smart watches. While I understand parental concerns about your child’s safety walking home and being able to contact someone in an emergency, it is a statewide directive in Queensland primary schools to have the devices always switched off at school. It is disruptive for learning and in extreme cases can be used to covertly bully other students. Students who come to school next term with a phone or smart watch will be asked to hand in the devices to the office immediately on arrival at school and to collect them at the end of the day. Could you notify Kathy in the office next term if you are sending your child to school with a phone or smart watch so we can keep a record and ensure they hand them in. I will be raising this at our next Board Meeting to create an updated school policy on newer smart watches with sim cards on the school premises. If your child walks home with a device remind them of the appropriate usage when unsupervised by an adult.
Enjoy your holiday and travel safely.
Kath Porter