Term 1 - 2025 Week 1 Newsletter

Principal's Message with Mr Ionn

Welcome to 2025

Congratulations to all our students and staff for such a smooth start to our 2025 academic school year at Wynnum State School.

I would like to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly welcome our new and existing students and families.

Our 2025 Agenda

One of the major ‘big rocks’ to achieve this year is the further rollout in our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) journey. PBL is a whole-school framework that promotes positive behaviour across a school and helps schools develop safe and supportive learning environments.

Before we enter into the explicit teaching of expected behaviours through a fortnightly focus (Term 2), this term will focus on knowing our newly formed school wide expectations. They are:

· We are Responsible

· We are Respectful

· We are Safe

We are excited to unfolding this significant work for all members throughout the year.

Phones Away 2025

As we kick off this year, we want to remind everyone of our “Phones Away for the Day” approach. During school hours, students are asked to keep their phones safely put away so they can focus on learning, building friendships, and being fully present when at school. This helps reduce distractions and ensures students get the most out of their time at school. Let’s work together to make this year a positive and productive one!

To find out more, go to the Student Code of Conduct: https://wynnumss.eq.edu.au/supportandresources/formsanddocuments/documents/student-code-of-conduct.pdf      or visit qld.gov.au/PhonesAway.

Internet Day

This year’s theme is all about working together to help make the internet a safer, and more positive place. Check out esafety.gov.au to find out how you can create a safer online environment, including advice and support for reporting online abuse. Make sure to also register for any of the free eSafety Commissioner webinars hosted throughout February.

Planning your Year

Plan your 2025 with the new school calendar and school planner (featuring the weeks of term). Visit the Education website’s calendar page or download from:

https://education.qld.gov.au/about/Documents/school-calendar.pdf

I look forward to catching up at the many different events we have during Term 1.  Here’s to the great start and a promising 2025.

ANZAC Ceremony 2025

Administering Medication at School

 What Families Need to Know:

We’re here to help support your child’s health and wellbeing while they’re at school or participating in school-related activities. To make sure we can safely administer any medication your child needs, here’s a handy guide to what you need to do.

Medications Must Be Prescribed

For us to administer medication, it must be prescribed by a qualified health professional (like your family doctor, dentist, or optometrist).

What You’ll Need to Provide

When sending medication to school, please make sure we have:

• A completed Consent to Administer Medication form (you can get this from the school office).
• The medication in its original packaging, with a pharmacy label that’s up to date.
• If needed, written instructions from your child’s prescribing health practitioner (this might include a letter, a health plan, or a specific medication order).

When Do You Need Extra Information?

• For routine medications (like antibiotics, Ritalin, or enzyme tablets):
  If the medication is taken at the same time each day, the pharmacy label is all we need.
• For emergency medications (like asthma puffers or EpiPens):
  Your doctor will need to complete an Asthma Action Plan or Anaphylaxis Action Plan.
• For insulin or “as-needed” medications (like occasional pain relief):
  Your doctor will need to fill out a special Medication Order.
• If there’s a dosage change:
  Let us know! Your doctor will need to write a letter explaining the change. If possible, ask your pharmacist to update the label to reflect the new dosage.

Need More Help?

Thanks for helping us keep your child safe and supported at school! If you have any concerns or need assistance, please reach out to the school office.

P-2 Science with Mrs Crowe

Welcome back everyone! Our enthusiastic P-3 scientists will be totally immersed in Biological Sciences throughout Term One 2025.

Prep: ‘Growing Well’ (Needs of Living Things)

Year One: ‘Dinosaurs and More’ (External features and Habitats of Living things)

Year Two: ‘Watch it Grow’ (Life Cycles)

Year Three: ‘Feathers, Fur and Leaves’ (Classifying Living Things based on observable features)

Our young biologists will investigate the characteristics of living things, their needs for growth, life cycles and classifications of living things.

Life cycles will be actively observed, through hands-on investigations of live specimens. A cricket house, a mealworm discovery tray, butterfly chrysalis and zebra finches with eggs in the nest! Preps will be involved in planting seeds and caring for their plants as they grow in our P-3 Science Garden (Next to the Junior Science Lab). Please feel free to visit the garden and see the Prep plants growing during the term!

Tuesday, 11th February (Week 3) is ‘International Day of Women and Girls in Science’. Lunch time investigations will be held inside the Junior Science Lab to celebrate, and learn from, the amazing achievements of women in science! Girls from all year levels will be able to work together using authentic scientific equipment as they investigate all learning areas of science.

Looking forward to teaching Biological Sciences with Prep to Year Three classes in Term One! Sue Crowe

Sports Report with Mr Blair

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I am absolutely thrilled to be back at Wynnum State School after my extended leave. I’ve missed working with our talented students and am excited to get back on the field, court and in the swimming pool again to help them achieve their physical education goals.

A big thank you to everyone for your patience and support during my time away. A special thanks to the Bayside Swim School team for teaching and preparing our students for the swimming carnival last year. Also to Shannon Cousins for teaching as well as overseeing and organising lessons and the carnival.  

For Term 1, swimming will commence in Week 2, starting on the 3rd of February. Given the current heat, it certainly can’t come soon enough! Students are required to bring their swimmers, a towel, goggles, swim cap, and swim bag. Swimming notes were distributed to students this week, and we kindly request that these be returned to the homeroom teacher as soon as possible. Please note: without a signed permission form, students will not be able to participate in swimming.

During swimming lessons, we will focus on essential aquatic safety skills, including treading water, floating, stroke techniques, and safe entries and exits in various situations. The overarching goal is to enhance the swimming and water safety skills of all students. For senior students, we will also cover survival sequences and safety protocols for a variety of aquatic environments.

I will be working closely again this year with the highly skilled instructors from Bayside Swim School, who will assist in fostering students' aquatic confidence and competence. They have also recently opened before school squad swimming on Wednesday mornings starting at 7:15am- 8:00am. Email swim@baysideswimschool.com.au or call Rachel on 0401440359 for more information. 

Below is a table displaying the days different classes will have swimming during PE lessons:

Speaking of swimming, if your child swims competitively at a swim club and has Personal Best times measured such as at Wynnum Wahoos, can you please email these times to me at Hdbla0@eq.edu.au so I can potentially nominate your child for the districts swim team. Below is the 2024 times to qualify for the different events. These may change slightly this year but are a good guide for if your child is able to be nominated this year.  

2025 District Sport Information:

Please find information regarding the 2025 District and Regional Sporting Calendar.

 These teams are trialled out of school hours at varied venues, and it is your own responsibility if you wish to attend.

 If you are interested in trialling for a district team the process is below:

• Mark in your calendar when your trial will take place (dates are subject to change)
• Check to see if you qualify for the criteria: students who have prior experience playing sport at a representative level- either through school and or through club (must be Division 1 or equivalent) and have demonstrated a high level of performance of a wide range of skills specific to the sport, they should be encouraged to apply for the district team.
• Inform Mr Blair your interest in attending and trialling.
• Understand school trials will need to occur pending on interested participants.
• Collect and return paperwork prior to your trial from Mr Blair/Ms Gibbons.

District Sport Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bayside-District-School-Sport-111228100234264

District Sport Website information: https://meteastschoolsport.eq.edu.au/district-sport/our-districts/bayside

Instrumental Music 2025: Welcome Back!

Welcome back to band at Wynnum SS for 2025! A special welcome to our new Grade 4's joining the program! A reminder to return any enrolment forms: Loan form EQ11 (if applicable), Student Resource Permissions and Commitment Contract.

Year 4 Beginner Band: Lessons for beginners will begin on Tuesday 4 February with a special extended length lesson. Please bring all equipment named with you to school next Tuesday (EXCEPT music stand which is for home practice).

Year 5 & 6 Senior Band Continuing Students: Senior Concert Band will begin weekly rehearsals after school on Tuesday 4 February and lessons on Tuesday 11 February for all students.

Please ensure your email contact is up to date if there have been changes, as we use email for communication.

Thank you, and looking forward to a great year of music making and learning. Reach out if you have questions,

John Cosic: jcosi7@eq.edu.au

Vivienne Thomas: vthom38@eq.edu.au

P&C News

Welcome to 2025 from our P&C Community. 

Welcome Kelsey our Retail Manager for Tuckshop and Uniform Shop. She is supported by our team Annetta, Kate and Savannah. Feel free to say hello.

Volunteer opportunities on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Fridays. Please email Kelsey (wynnumss.tuckshop@gmail.com) with your name and contact phone number. Volunteer for as little as an hour or for all day. Volunteer hours are recognised by Centrelink. No experience necessary and you can choose your frequency. 

Meetings

Our General Meeting schedule for the year is Thursday 6:30pm location TBA.

20th Feb, 20th Mar (AGM), 15th May, 19th Jun, 17th Jul, 21 Aug, 16th Oct, 20 Nov

To join the mailing list, become a member or renew your membership please complete Membership / Mailing list form

For all updates follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WSSPandC 

Munch monitor Tips and Tricks

REMINDER: Update your class for 2025 on the Munch Monitor profile.

Login details if logging in for the first time https://www.munchmonitor.com/ 

School ID: wynnumss 

password: munch4178

Any concerns please email wynnumss.tuckshop@gmail.com

Make sure you receive the confirmation order. Options available to allow snack money to reduce cash handling.

Low termly account fee – don’t pay per transaction or even per child!

Uniform Shop ordering – You receive an email to confirm the purchase order but not a follow up to say the order is ready to be collected. Orders are diligently filled in the next opening days (Tuesday am and Thurs pm) and then placed at the requested pick-up point: Uniform Shop, PCYC or Mega-Bite Cafeteria (any morning before 8:45am)

Wynnum Wahoos 

 NOW accepting enrolments for Term 1. Cost is half the price for the remainder of the term 1. 

Some key dates to note

 Friday, Jan 31st - Term 1 start, first Friday night races

• as normal, 6pm gates open as usual, 6:30 races start

 Saturday, Feb 15th 2025 - Wynnum Wahoos & Mayfield Marlins swim carnival.

• This event follows from last year's first successful running of the carnival between our two clubs.

• Mayfield Marlins will host the 2025 edition.

• Gates open at 3pm for 4pm race starts.

 Saturday, March 8th 2025 - Nev Rice Shield - Wynnum Wahoos & Manly West Manta-rays

• Wynnum Wahoos hosting

• Gates open at 3pm for 4pm race starts.

 Friday, March 21st 2025 - Term 1 final races for the season

• as normal, 6pm gates open, 6:30 races start

• this is the last event for swimmers to gain points for Club Champs.

 Sunday, March 30th 2025 - Club Championships

• 10am gates open, races start 11am.

Gold Sponsor - Allied Interest PTY LTD

Sports X @ Wynnum SS

Cricket @ Wynnum SS

Exciting news—Cricket Lessons are coming to Wynnum State School!

This is a fantastic opportunity for kids to learn new skills and have fun! Whether your child is new to cricket or looking to improve their technique, this coaching program is designed to cater to all levels.

Don’t miss out on this chance to be part of the action! Sign up now for more information and to secure your spot:

https://nathanreardoncricketcoaching.com.au/school.../

School Facebook Page

Please visit the page via this link https://www.facebook.com/WynnumStateSchool  and click Like!

Qparents

Have you downloaded the Qparents app?

QParents is a secure, online portal that has been created to provide parents/carers of Queensland state school students with 24-hour access to their child's information.

Qparents allows you to securely access information about your child and communicate directly with your child's school.

Features of Qparents:

• attendance details
• report cards
• invoices
• payment history
• excursion permissions

Currently we have roughly 80 percent of parents/carers on Qparents. If you haven’t already made an account with Qparents, new invitation codes have just been emailed home.

Any further questions please contact the school office.

Absentee Line

To notify the school of your child's absence, please text your child's name and reason for absence to 0429 467 361.

School Bus Services

Reminder that we have a bus service that runs from Wynnum State School. Below is a link to both services.

https://jp.translink.com.au/plan-your-journey/timetables/bus/T/815

https://jp.translink.com.au/plan-your-journey/timetables/bus/t/819/outbound/2022-05-31

A Go Card will need to be purchased to be able to utilise this Translink bus service. The following link lists retail outlets of where to purchase a Go card https://translink.com.au/tickets-and-fares/go-card/locations 

Community News