2025 Term 2 Week 2 Newsletter

Principal's News

Thank You to our amazing Pittsworth Community

Pittsworth United Lodge

We sincerely thank the Pittsworth United Lodge for their donation of $500 to help subsidise the cost of the Term 4 2025 swimming program. 

For your information:  the total cost of the swimming program in 2024, that is the total amount paid to Belgravia Leisure for 294 students to undertake ‘learn to swim lessons’ including entry fees, swimming instructors, pool hire for carnivals was $15 071, this does not include wages for school based personnel (teachers and aides).  The donation of $500 by the Pittsworth United Lodge will help to decrease swimming fees in 2025 for which we are greatly appreciative.

ANZAC Day (school) Parade and (town) March

Well done to all students who marched in the local ANZAC Day March. Whether you wore the school uniform and marched with staff, or represented the Vikings, Danes, Pony Club, Scouts, Dance, Netball or your great-grandad from WWI, it is wonderful to see the tradition and spirit of ANZAC live on in the current generation.

Thank you to all involved in the delivery of a solemn parade at our school to recognise the ANZACS: Mrs Murphy for leading parade, Mrs Wheeldon and the PSS Choir, student wreath bearers, student leaders, Liam Rauchle (trumpeter) and the Pittsworth Cadets Catafalque Party.  

ANZAC Day Donations

We are the grateful recipients of book donations from the following organisations: Qld Fire Department Pittsworth Station, Pittsworth & District Wildcats Netball Club, Club Pittsworth, Broxburn Music Club, Pittsworth Basketball, Pittsworth State High School, Pittsworth Community Concert Band Black Inc. 

Guidance Officer Week

Guidance officers are specialist teachers who deliver a broad range of services to school community members. They contribute to the development of a comprehensive student support and wellbeing program that is responsive to the needs of the school community.

Thank you to Ms Charmaine Gubbins who is a highly experienced Guidance Officer based at our school for three days a fortnight.

No excuse for school abuse

Respect is essential in every interaction within the school community.

Schools are workplaces and, just like any workplace, abuse or aggression of any kind is unacceptable. While most interactions are positive, there's no excuse for aggressive or harassing behaviour either in person or online.  Mistreatment of school staff is never acceptable.  

We are all responsible for keeping our schools safe and respectful—a safe learning environment for your child and a safe workplace for our staff.

PARENT DROP OFF & PICK UP

Morning routine:  Years 1-6 parents drop their children at the front gate and students enter the school site.  Prep parents escort Prep children to the Prep learning environment. 

Afternoon routine:  Years 1-6 students exit the school grounds to be collected by parents.  Parents wait outside of the school grounds for collection of their children.  Prep parents wait behind the PFC for collection of children.

Any persons entering the school site are to enter the main Admin gate and proceed to the main office.  Parents / carers / visitors are asked to wait at the office for further instructions.

Parents / carers are allowed to enter their child's classroom once authorisation from a member of the administration team is received.

Need to collect your child from school between the hours of 9am and 3pm?  Proceed to the office and inform a member of the administration team.  Your child will be called to the office for collection.

These measures are in place for the purpose of student protection.  We need to know who is on the school site at any given time.  Visitor numbers on the school site needs to be controlled and potential disruption to teaching and learning minimised.

Parents and carers are encouraged to contact a member of the admin team or their child's teacher to schedule a mutually convenient meeting time.

Prep Playground

Our Prep Outdoor Learning Environment upgrade is complete with an outstanding nature play space for students.  The construction of the play space was made possible through the GenQ Health & Wellbeing grant, the School Subsidy Scheme 2023 (SSS) and the Qld State Government Playground & Tuckshop Upgrade funds.

PSS advocates for children to experience structured and unstructured outdoor play in natural environments. 

Outdoor learning and nature play has many positive impacts for children.  Nature play is about letting children go and do what they need to do to learn and to grow in the outdoors.  Nature play and outdoor play is a chance for students to engage in controlled, managed and safe risks, adventures and challenges.

NEW Junior Play Equipment funded by YOUR P&C!

Our next project is installation of NEW play equipment in the Junior play area, funded by your P&C.  The P&C have worked tirelessly over many years to raise funds in order to provide new play equipment.  The project is expected to be completed in July!

YEAR 5 Leadership Folios

A reminder for Year 5 students to update their 2026 Leadership Folios.

Aussie of the Month

Aussie of the Month encourages our students to be active citizens.
What does that mean?  Active citizenship simply means getting involved in your community.
Aussie of the Month encourages and recognises the Australian values of fair go, mateship, respect and inclusion.
Fair Go:  same opportunity for all people and having a go
Mateship:  generosity of spirit and compassion for those in need
Respect:  for self, for others, our way of life and the environment
Inclusion:  acceptance of difference, feeling of belonging

Know someone who is eligible for "Aussie of the Month"?  Please email a member of the admin team.

Curriculum

Year 3/4 Excursion to Pioneer Village and RSL

On Wednesday 23 April 3A, 3/4B and 4E gathered their packs just like the soldiers did and made the trek through Pittsworth with classes splitting and visiting the local RSL and Pioneer Village.

At the RSL we learnt about the history of the Soldiers Memorial building, it was built in 1930 to give soldiers somewhere to go to be with their comrades. We saw the uniforms that the Army, Navy and Airforce wore and many questions were asked around medals and what the coloured ribbons meant. We learnt that purple poppies were for remembering the animals that served in wars, the red poppies were for the soldiers and white poppies were for peace. Students saw the ration packs that the soldiers had to carry and were able to feel the weight of the backpacks that they wore. No one complained about the weight of their school bag after that! Students enjoyed looking through all the displays and were appreciative of the time they spent at the RSL.

Both groups combined at the Pioneer Village where we enjoyed morning tea together before separating again to explore the next attraction. We were guided through the display sheds where we saw more War memorabilia. We were lucky enough to be allowed to climb on and sit in an old Army Jeep and climb on military artillery and pretend that we were back in time. We loved exploring the shed with lots of old farm equipment and climbing on a horse and buggy and feeling what it was like to drive an olden day car. It was great to take a step back in time and experience what it was like to go to school in the 30s and 40s, how simple kitchens were and what houses looked like. We loved exploring Pioneer Village and could have stayed all day. After visiting both these places we have realised how lucky we are to live how we live today, and are thankful for the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for us.   

Oakey Army Flying Museum Visit

5CN and 56S were grateful for the opportunity to visit the Oakey Army Flying Museum last week.  Students were guided around the centre by army veteran and curator, Scott, who enthusiastically shared his wealth of knowledge from the first planes used to train our army pilots, which looked very scary and challenging to say the least, through to stories of how WWI began, the massive loss of life, how the most important role was surveillance and the impressive aircrafts - Black Hawk and Chinook.  Students were fascinated and excited for the opportunity to sit in and look around many of the aircrafts once used in action.  Once our tour was over, we had the chance to explore the museum and the many hands-on activities on offer.   What a perfect way to increase our knowledge and remember the importance of ANZAC Day.

Emu Gully Camp

On Monday 31st March and Tuesday 1st April our Year 5 students went on the Year 5 camp ‘Emu Gully Challenge’. ‘The Challenge’ is an exceptional leadership and team building program based on the character values of courage, mateship, sacrifice and perseverance.

Students spent their 2 days undertaking activities based on heroic actions and character values shown in past wars, including trusting a partner to undertake crossing the ‘Bridge over River Kwai, the ‘Kokoda Track mud challenge’, the high rope swing into the dam, the white dam water slide, ‘Tunnel rats of Vietnam’ and the night bush walk including the big black night slide. The students had plenty of fun and plenty of action over their 2 days, taking home with us important life lessons on giving our 100% best to all challenges we face and always helping our mates across the line. It was a wonderful time for students to rise to new challenges, show leadership and form tighter bonds with their peers.

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Readers Cup

Our school has registered one team of five students to participate in the Years 5/6 competition of the annual Readers Cup to be held in Toowoomba on Tuesday 10 June.  Heidi, Max, Reva, Tessa and Oskar have five novels to read before then!

Premier's Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge is not a competition but a way to encourage students to develop a love of reading for life. Students are encouraged to select a range of fiction and non-fiction books suited to their reading ability and record books read during the reading period, between the 6th May to the 22nd August. The reading record and consent form is attached and can also be collected from class teachers if required. . Forms MUST be signed by a parent/guardian.

To complete the challenge:

• Prep to Year 2 must read or experience at least 20 books
• Years 3 and 4 must read at least 20 books
• Years 5 to 9 must read at least 15 books.

The following activities can be counted towards the challenge:

• reading independently
• shared reading
• being read to (Prep – Year 2 for books written in English; and all year levels for additional languages).

The following literature forms can be counted towards the challenge:

• printed books
• e-books, virtual books and digital publications
• graphic novels and comic books
• audio and braille books
• newspapers, magazines and recipe books
• books in additional languages (other than English).

If they have time, students are welcome to read more books than the challenge requirements. These additional books will just need to be recorded on a separate reader record form. All books read will go towards Queensland’s total PRC tally, so the more the better!

 The aim for the 2023 challenge is to engage more students to read than ever before! Last year more than 1.9 million books were read by Queensland students throughout the Premier’s Reading Challenge period.

We would love to see as many Pittsworth State School students participate as possible!

Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing Survey

In Term 2, students in Years 3-6 will be asked to take part in the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey.  We know that wellbeing and engagement are important parts of your child’s life at school. The QEW Survey is designed to measure how students view their wellbeing and engagement across different topics. The information we get from the survey helps us better understand and support our students.

Homework Centre for Years 3-6 students

Register your child today to attend Homework Centre every Wednesday from 3pm – 4.15pm.  Afternoon tea included!

Yr 7 in 2026 PSHS

Please see flyer below with information for Yr 7 in 2026 at PSHS

Sporting News

Cross Country Results

Congratulations to:

Age Champions: 

5yr old boys - Benny K        5yr old girls - Nadia M 

6yr old boys - Flynn H         6yr old girls - Olivia L 

7yr old boys - Chad K         7yr old girls -  Elsie D 

8yr old boys - Hugh L          8yr old girls - Brydie S and Esther B

9yr old boys- Hudson K       9yr old girls - Tess W 

10yr old boys - Lachlan C   10yr old girls - Hayley C 

11yr old boys - Will G         11yr old girls - Verity C 

12yr old boys - Beau B        12yr old girls - Tia B 

New Record Holders: 

9yrs girls - Tess W 

9yr old boys- Hudson K 

10yr old girls - Hayley C 

11yr old boys - Will G 

12yr old girls - Tia B 

Congratulations to IDZ Students attending Millmerran this Thursday- William G, Brodie T, Tia B, Hayley C and Lachlan C

Winning House - Leslie 

Olympian Unleashed Visit – Ria Thompson

On the 28 April, Years 3-6 had the privilege of listening and learning about Ria Thompson. who is an Australian Olympian Rower. Ria attend Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and won Bronze. She also attended the Paris Olympics last year.

She gave an inspirational speech on be resilient and having a village of people around you to support and encourage you to pursue your dreams. She spoke about how she received an injury twelve months prior to the Paris Olympics and how she overcame and never gave up on her dream to represent at the Paris Olympics.

Students were mesmerised by how Ria overcame so many challenges and worked hard to achieve her goals.

Congratulations

Brodie T, Preston W and Nate S – made the Bunya/IDZ Team for Rugby League .

Brodie T made the South West Basketball Team and Patrick S is a shadow for the DD/South West Team.

Congratulations Boys!

Senior Track and Field Carnival (9 years - 12years)

FRIDAY 20 JUNE 

Bridgman Oval

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Consent & Payment for Sporting Trials

For Parents and Carers nominating children for Qld Schools Sporting Trials (9 years - 12 years):

There is a clear process that parents & carers must follow when nominating their child to participate in a Qld School Sports Trial.

It is the parent's responsibility to ensure the "School Sport Trials Permission & Student Health Information Form" is returned to the school within the specified timeframe.

The Principal or HPE Teacher is required to sign the "School Permission section" of this form to give approval for your child to attend. The form then needs to be returned to you and handed to officials on the day of the trial.

The trial fee must also be paid via Qkr! by the due date for your child to be eligible to attend.  Pittsworth State School cannot see who has paid or not paid, as we do not manage payments and registrations.

Failure to return the form and/or pay the trial fee by the due date will render your child ineligible to attend the trial. This decision is made by the zone convenor and not Pittsworth State School.

No form = No trial

No payment = No trial

As a parent/carer of a sporting child, nomination and payment is your full responsibility.

2025 Inner Downs & Darling Downs School Sport

Please contact Ms Will for further information regarding these events. These events will be open to students that are interested and have experience in these sporting events. Nominations come out a few weeks prior to events so please let Ms Will know closer to the event if your child is interested.  Students will only be nominated for Swimming, Cross Country and Track & Field if they have made qualifying times.  Ms Will’s email: bwill641@eq.edu.au or 46198333

The Arts

P&C Patch

TUCKSHOP

Tuckshop continues to operate on Wednesdays and Fridays this term.  Orders to be placed via the Qkr! app by 8.30am.

Are you free on Friday mornings? Can you spare a few hours to help us out?  Karla is on the hunt for some more Friday volunteers for Term 2.  If you can spare a few hours on any Friday morning, please contact Karla Trott on 0403 405 327 or email psssecretary@outlook.com.  Thank you to those that have already put their name down.

Mother’s Day Stall 2025

Our annual Mother’s Day Stall will be held next Friday, 9 May.  Students will be able to visit the store with their class and purchase a gift for their Mother/Grandmother/Aunty or other special female figure. There is a wide variety of gifts to choose from, each valued up to $10.

The P&C are currently seeking donations for the stall.  The P&C purchase gifts for the stall but also rely on donations so that each child can buy a couple of items for the special lady in their lives.  A great way to think about donating is to give the equivalent number of gifts as you have children at the school. You now also have the option of donating money rather than an item through the Qkr App.  Simply choose the “P&C Fundraising” option from the menu, followed by the value and quantity you wish to donate.

We also need a few helpers to assist with the stall on Friday 9 May.  If you are able to help, please contact psssecretary@outlook.com.

Art Show

During Term 1, students were very busy in their Art lessons with Mrs Wheeldon, creating their own pieces for our School Art Show.  Be sure to mark this exciting event in your calendars, Friday 1 August.  More information to come

VOLUNTEERS – MANDATORY TRAINING
There is a small amount of mandatory training that must be completed in order to volunteer at school.   It is quite quick to complete (10-15 minutes).  Please sign the form at the back and return to the school office.

NEXT P&C MEETING

Our next general meeting will be held at 6.30pm, Thursday 08 May in the Pittsworth Function Centre.

Mandatory Volunteers Training 

P&C Bank Account Details

Download the Qkr! App to order tuckshop

Tuckshop open Wednesdays and Fridays

SRC News/Eco Club News

School Management

Community News

Cost of Living Support

Families and individuals are encouraged to check their eligibility for concessions and other support by visiting:  https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/