Term 1 - Week 5 – Tuesday 25th February 2025

Principal News

Mid Term 1 Update

Thank you to our students and parents for maintaining a fantastic start to the year! This is a key time for learning as students set individual goals and focus on core content and skills. Last week parents had the opportunity to meet with teachers to discuss progress and learning goals. If you missed this, we encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher for any important updates.

Does Your Child Have a Current Health Plan?

To ensure students with health needs can safely participate in all school activities, including camps and excursions, their Health Plan should be up to date. These plans should be reviewed annually. Speak with the Principal about any required equipment, medication, or support. Schools will provide staff training to best assist your child.

Helping Hands – Before and After School Care

Our OSHC program continues to grow! There are still places available and many families benefit from reduced fees through the Child Care Subsidy (CCS). Find more details at Helping Hands Kin Kora. Students arriving before 8.30am should be using this service for supervision.

Every Day Counts – Attendance Matters

Daily attendance is crucial for student success, with our school goal set at 94%. Research shows that missing more than 10% of the school year impacts students socially, emotionally, and academically.

Some students are already showing patterns of low attendance. Parents of these students will receive an SMS this week offering support to improve attendance before formal processes begin. Please take this seriously—every school day matters!

Stay Connected – Important Parent Information

To stay informed, ensure you are connected to QParents (contact the office for help), have updated email and mobile contacts, and follow our Facebook page for key updates. Keeping your details current ensures you never miss important school messages.

QParents

QParents  is a secure, online portal that has been created by the Department of Education to provide parents of Queensland State School students with 24-hour access to their child's information. The portal allows you to securely access information about your child and communicate directly with your child's school.

QParents provides secure, online access to student information such as:

• attendance details
• consent forms
• payment of invoices
• payment history
• behaviour
• report cards and assessment dates
• upcoming events
• timetables
• student photo

In addition to the information provided, it's important to note that the QParents portal only sends invoices to the parent/carer who is listed first. This means that if there are multiple parents or carers who share responsibility for payments, only one of them will receive the invoice through the portal. It is important for parents and carers to communicate and coordinate payment arrangements if they are sharing the responsibility for fees. 

The reality is that any family not connected on QParents runs the risk of not getting information as required.

We encourage you to register for QParents. To do this, simply express your interest by emailing nkenn81@eq.edu.au or by phoning (07) 4971 5111 and Mrs Kenny will email you an invitation to register (which includes your log-in code) and your child’s unique EQID number.

Goal: 90% of families signed up to QParents.
Current: 67.37% families signed up to QParents.

Current Percentages by Year Level

Deputy Principal (Prep to Year 2)

School Photos – 12^th March 2025

School photos at Kin Kora State School will be taken on Wednesday 12^th March 2025 by MSP Photography. All information regarding photo orders, payments, and packages will be managed directly by MSP.

Photo order envelopes will be sent home in the coming weeks and MSP will provide details on how to order. If you have any questions, please contact MSP Photography directly via their website or customer service team.

We look forward to a great photo day!

Deputy Principal (Year 3 to Year 6)

Congratulations to Our 2025 Student Leaders!

We are thrilled to announce and celebrate the incredible group of students who have been selected as the Student Leaders for the 2025 school year! Their dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment to making a positive impact within our school community are truly inspiring.

These student leaders have demonstrated exceptional qualities of responsibility, teamwork, and initiative. They will play an essential role in shaping the direction of student activities, fostering a welcoming atmosphere, and representing their peers with integrity and passion.

As they step into their new roles, we encourage everyone to support them in their journey. Whether it's through participating in student-run events, offering feedback, or simply cheering them on, let’s all contribute to the success of our Leadership Team and the vibrant community we continue to build together.

Congratulations to each of these remarkable students—your hard work and leadership will help shape a fantastic year ahead! We are excited to see the positive changes you will bring to our school in 2025!

School Captains: Abigail and Caleb
School Vice-Captains: Manha and Charlie
Indigenous Captain: Georgie
Prefects: Eliana, Archie, Jasmine, Chloe, Thea, Zahli, Kody, Chelsea, Bruce, Liam, Asha and Erica.

Music Captains:
Strings: Montana
Band: Alicia

Sports Captains - Senior:
Hibiscus: Connor and Ayla
Lotus: Emily and Ryder
Illawarra: Callum and Eva

Sports Captains - Junior:
Hibiscus: Kate and Kobie
Lotus: Memphis and Samuel
Illawarra: Khloe and Layla

NAPLAN – National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy

NAPLAN Wednesday 12^th March to Monday 24^th March  

Year 3 and Year 5 students will participate in NAPLAN Online. Kin Kora State School has been participating in NAPLAN online over the past few years and our students will prepare by participating in online practice test sessions so they are familiar with the online test environment.  

NAPLAN assesses the sorts of skills (general capabilities) that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy. It is important to remember that NAPLAN is not a content test, and it is not about passing or failing, but about assessing learning progress. At the classroom level it is one of a number of important tools used by teachers to measure student progress.  

If you wish to take a look at the types of questions and the functionalities of the online tests, the following link is to the Public Demonstration Site https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site 

We are currently in the process of finalising student participation for the tests. Adjustments for students with a disability will be put in place to support their access and to facilitate maximum participation. Students in Year 3 and Year 5 participate in NAPLAN.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s participation in NAPLAN, kindly contact your child’s class teacher or myself. 

Guidance Gossip

Saver Plus for Educational Costs

School Student Broadband Initiative - National Referral Centre

School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI), established by the Australian Government to provide free home internet for unconnected families with school‑aged students. We are pleased to advise that the Australian Government has extended the Initiative to 30^th June 2028.

The national cap for this initiative has been set at 30,000 and nominations will be accepted until this target is reached.

New families eligible for the SSBI will receive free home internet until 30^th June 2028. Families who have already signed up for the initiative will have their service automatically extended until 30^th June 2028 (no further eligibility checks will be required).

Families are able to self-nominate through the National Referral Centre.

How do I qualify for the School Student Broadband Initiative?

Access to online learning at home is important for your children’s education.

To qualify you must:

• Have a school age student at home (full or part time) enrolled in an Australian school (up to year 12, including Prep in Qld/Vic/Tas, Kindergarten in NSW, Reception in SA, Transition in NT/ACT and Pre-Primary in WA).
• Not have an active nbn® network internet service at your current residential address now or in the past 14 days. (Having a mobile internet service does not affect eligibility).
• Live in a premise that can access the nbn network through a standard connection

• Qualifying families and carers have until the program reaches a cap of 30,000 SSBI services connected to use their voucher. There is a back stop date of the end of 2025 for qualifying families and carers to redeem their vouchers but nbn anticipates the SSBI cap of 30,000 SSBI services will be met well before the end of 2025.
• Call 1800 954 610(10am – 6pm AEDT Monday to Friday, excluding Victorian Public Holidays) to check if you qualify and apply.

Collective Growth - 2025 Group Programs – Something for Everyone!

We’re excited to share our Group Programs for 2025, offering diverse and engaging opportunities for children and teens to build social skills, confidence, and connections in a fun and supportive environment. These programs allow us to support more families in our community while providing exciting ways for kids to grow and engage with others.

Here’s what’s new this year:

🖌 Creative Connections – A social group designed for kids aged 9 to 11 to build friendships in a creative setting. From arts and crafts to collaborative projects, this group is perfect for those who love expressing themselves. Running Wednesday afternoons. Spots still available.

🎓 High School Transition Group – Whether your child is preparing to start high school next year or has already started and is facing challenges, this group provides support, strategies, and social connections to help with the transition. Running Friday afternoons. Spots still available.

🎮 Geek Out and Geek Out VR – Our popular Geek Out social group continues, providing a space for kids to bond over shared hobbies. This year, we’ve introduced two Geek Out VR groups, where participants can explore virtual reality in a safe and social setting. Geek Out VR runs on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

🧱 LEGO Social Group – A brand-new group where kids can collaborate, problem-solve, and socialize while building incredible LEGO creations. A great way to strengthen teamwork and communication skills in a fun and interactive way!

Our Group Programs are a fantastic way for children and teens to enhance their social skills in a supportive and engaging setting. If you’d like more information or to express interest in a program, reach out to our team—we’d love to have you join us!

If you would like more information, please email admin@collectivegrowthcq.com or call (07) 3111 7321.

Welcome to the Kin Kora Arts Department

Instrumental Music:

Welcoming a new face to our Strings department in 2025 – Ms Grace Rackemann. Ms Rackemann will be teaching every Thursday afternoon and all-day Friday.

Beginner and Continuing Strings Lessons:

Our lesson timetables are now displayed outside the Instrumental Music classroom. Students should also have a timetable attached to their desk, and their classroom teachers have also displayed a copy in their rooms. 

Orchestra:

Junior Orchestra (for all 2025 recruits) will begin in Week 5 (27^th February) at the beginning of Second Break.

Check out the String Orchestra’s first early morning rehearsal! While you were sleeping, they were rehearsing! Well done kids and Ms Rackemann!

Mr Chris Allen continues in 2025 for Brass, Woodwind and Percussion tuition.

Mr Allen will be visiting Kin Kora State School every Tuesday all day, and Wednesday from midday.

Check out the Concert Band’s first early morning rehearsal! Sooooo proud of all our musicians and Mr Allen!

2025 Choir Times:

Choir started last week. As the timetable is quite full, all choirs will rehearse FIRST BREAK from 11.00am to 11.40am. All students are welcome to bring their lunches to the Music Room.

Tuesday: 1 2 choir - started singing about all the sounds we “listen” to around our school.
Wednesday: 5 6 choir – had a look at 5 little notes, Galloping, and a Mermaid song.
Thursday: 3 4 choir – started singing about a Roller Coaster which was very scary!!!

Strings Bootcamp and Kickstart Workshops 2025

Last week, over 40 Strings students had the opportunity to attend a workshop held by Mr Mark Sullivan. He was INCREDIBLE! Check out the pics below of some of our students who attended these worthwhile workshops. (Sorry, I couldn’t get everyone during the tuition!)

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P&C Operations

P&C would like to thank Side by Side for their continued partnership with our daily Breakfast Club in 2025. Their support helps us in providing access for our whole school to start the day on a full stomach and ready to learn. 

Annual General Meeting – Tuesday 18^th March 2025

Our AGM will be held on Tuesday 18^th March at 4.30pm in the Resource Centre and immediately be followed by a General Meeting. All parents, guardians and citizens welcome. All executive positions become vacant. You can nominate before or on the night and all new members are welcome. 

It is extremely important that positions are filled and members attend because without support our Uniform Shop and Tuckshop are all at risk of closing down. Our popular events like Fun Run, Disco, and Carols are at risk of not happening.

If you would like more information or to nominate. please contact us pandc@kinkorass.eq.edu.au 

Barbara Reid
Treasurer
Kin Kora State School​ P&C

Tuckshop:

The Tuckshop is open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for lunches and Tuesday 2nd Break for Iceblocks only. Flexischools can be used to order for both Breaks. Cut off is 8:40am on the day it is ordered for.

Uniform Shop:

Uniform Shop Open TUESDAY’S 8:30am – 10:00am              Cash / Eftpos / Flexischools available

(Please allow for 1 week turn-around on all Flexischool orders).

Email  uniformshop@kinkorass.eq.edu.au with any uniform shop related queries.

Nadia Horsten
Tuckshop/Uniform Coordinator
P & C Association

School Calendar – Term 1 – 2025

TODAY - 25th February – Sparks Hockey Come and Try Afternoon – 4.00pm to 5.00pm

Gladstone Suns AFC Sign-On Day – 16th March

GAPDL – Play and Social Groups Calendar