2025 Term 1 Week 2 Newsletter
Principal's News
A Fancy Dress Ball: what a fabulous way for our P&C to start a new school year!
Our school community is invited to attend a Fancy Dress Ball to be held at the Pittsworth Town Hall on Friday 21 February from 6pm - 10pm.
Gather together your friends & family, find a fancy costume, come along and dance the night away with DJ Jazzy!
The P&C is hosting this event FREE for YOU!!! Connect with family & friends and create some great memories for the start of the 2025 school year.
Doors open at 6pm. Gold Coin Donation ...AND.... a free glow stick for every child!
Prizes for best costume, best dressed family and more! Dance & party games will be played!
Licenced bar, snacks, chocolates, chips & lollies for sale.
So…..what is “fancy dress” and what are some ideas?
- A Costume: dress in a costume and pretend to be your favourite movie character or favourite book character!
- Harry Potter, Spiderman, Anne of Green Gables, Cinderella
- Wear last year’s Book Week dress up costume!
- PSS parents are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G with making costumes!!
- Dress yourself, your partner & kids as your “favourite famous family”
- Toy Story, Despicable Me, Addams Family
- Special clothes that you wear for a party or a disco
- Glitter, glitz & bling! Bell bottoms, platform shoes, mini skirts, tutu & tiara, fave dance costume
- “Fancy clothes” that you would wear for a wedding (suit, tuxedo, tie, ballgown, cocktail dress) or a period costume (think “Bridgerton”)
- Make your own mask (masquerade)
- Wear a crazy hat (cowboy hat, tiara, sombrero)
- Jeans & boots (cowboy & cowgirl is always popular!)
- .....anything goes!
Dress up & have fun at this family friendly, fabulous Friday Fancy Festive event!
2025 Staff
| Prep B | Miss Lauren Byrne | Prep S | Mrs Toni-Ann Smith, Mrs Terri Neale | |
| Year 1C | Mrs Kaitlyn Cherry, Mrs Terri Neale | Year 1HJ | Mrs Tracey Hayes, Mrs Jen Jackson | |
| Year 2H | Mrs Delma Hafey | Year 23W | Mrs Kaitlyn Withers | |
| Year 3A | Mrs Tamara Attwood, Ms Donna Reinke | Year 34B | Mrs Jess Briggs, Mrs Kathryn Denning | |
| Year 4E | Miss Millie Edwards | Year 5CN | Mrs Megan Neylon, Mrs Danielle Cameron | |
| Year 56S | Mrs Lucyann Stevens | Year 6MP | Mrs Annie Murphy, Mrs Lizzie Price | |
| Head of Special Education | Ms Carol Bucton | Special Education Teacher | Mrs Kathryn Denning | |
| HPE | Ms Breanna Will | The Arts | Mrs Beth Wheeldon | |
| Head of Department Curriculum | Mrs Sharon Bendle | Support Teacher Literacy & Numeracy | Mrs Ronnie Macneil | |
| Schools Officer | Mr Jason Beattie | Teacher Aides | Lynelle Gordon, Casey Byford, Melissa Morris, Suzy Rauchle, Jenny Beil, Brooke Langton, Selena Petersen, Kristie Fletcher, Kristie Grimmer | |
| Admin | Mrs Leah Kelly, Mrs Kylie Ladner, Mrs Ashleigh Smith | |||
| Cleaners | Wendy Follington, Karyn Cousins, Helen Palmer, Amanda Griffiths, Marion Gray | District Relief Teachers | Mr Michael Santsingh, Ms Donna Reinke | |
| Guidance Officer | Mrs Charmaine Gubbins | Psychologist | Ms Heather D'Arcy | |
| Chaplain | Chappy Steve |
Update your personal details today!
Please advise the office of any change in circumstances and personal details including change of: name, address, parent contact details, emergency contacts, legal orders, email addresses, medical history.
Bus Transport in the Afternoons
If your child has set days they do not catch the bus home, please notify admin via email: admin@pittsworthss.eq.edu.au
Curriculum
Term 1 Curriculum
5CN Uniform Poem
As I get ready for school,
even if the weather is cool,
I remember my gold and blue
to be worn proud and true.
No coloured socks,
only gold or blue in my locks.
Now my school hat...
how great is that?!
Students from 5CN teaching everyone the expectation to: Be respectful, abide by the student dress code.
Student Dress Code
As per our Student Dress Code, students are expected to wear the full school uniform every day. We believe that by wearing a full school uniform, students are clearly identified as belonging to our school which develops a sense of pride in "who we are"!
As we begin a new school year, staff will pay particular attention to ensure that students wear the correct:
- school polo shirt, or, school dress
- navy bottoms (shorts, skort, skirt). No leggings.
- sneakers (preferably black)
- socks (white, black, navy)
- minimal hair accessories (navy, gold or white, must fit under a school hat)broad brimmed blue school hat
Staff will also be ensuring that students have:
- tidy hair, long hair tied back (health & safety)
- short fingernails, no polish, no fake nails
- earrings - studs or sleepers only
- minimal to no jewellery (health & safety reasons)
Parents will be sent a SMS identifying if their child is not in appropriate school uniform and providing a friendly reminder to meet our student dress code. Parents can also provide a message to admin or their child's teacher if there is an inability to meet the dress code on a particular day (eg wet shoes, ripped shorts).
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards. NAPLAN will commence on 12 March 2025, in Term 1. Visit nap.edu.au for more information.
Read With Me Club
Read With Me Club (RWMC) is a school wide initiative to encourage and promote reading. Students are encouraged to read daily and record this in a reading log that is sighted by the classroom teacher. As the students reach milestones of reading for a total of 25, 50, 75, 100 days/nights etc they are rewarded with a range of incentives including extra Gotchas, ice block vouchers, pick from the Gotcha Box and free books. Students are presented with these incentives on parade. Please see your class teacher if you require further information.
2025 Student Awards Criteria - Awards Ceremony
Click on the link below to review the eligibility criteria for student awards, pertaining to the 2025 Awards Ceremony.
Online Safety basics
Together families and our school community can help our children stay safe online. The e-safety Commission have some basic steps to reduce online risks.
The support and guidance we give our children to help them make safe decisions online and the confidence to ask for help when they need it is critical.
Three key strategies:
- Be engaged, open and supportive
- Set some rules
- Use safety features and settings
For further information and specific recommendations for age groups, visit the esafety Commission.
Carbal Hearing Screening: Tuesday 11 February
https://carbal.com.au/clinical-services/hearing-health/
Please click on the link above to register your child. Screening will take place on Tuesday 11 February at the school.
Sporting News
Sporting events to mark on your calendar:
- Auskick Gala Day – 5-7 February
- Cross Country training starts in week 3, Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8:30am, with Ms Will on Bridgman Oval.
- Cricket Gala Day – 26-27 Feb
- Netball Gala Day – 7 March
- Hockey Gala Day – 19 March
- Cross Country - 27 March
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
State School Sport | Inner Downs (IDZ) Trials date | Darling Downs (DD) Trials date |
Swimming | 24th February | 5th March |
Hockey | 5th March | 2nd April |
Girls Cricket | No Convenor | 6th March |
Boys Cricket | No Convenor | 10th March |
Netball | 17th March | 1st April |
Orienteering | School Based Nomination | 20th March |
Australian Football | School Based Nomination | 31st March |
Basketball (Girls & Boys) | 3rd April | 24th April |
Boys Rugby League | TBA | 29th April |
Golf | School Based Nomination | 30th April |
Cross Country | No Convener | 20th May |
Rugby Union | School Based Nomination | 27th May |
Boys Soccer | No Convener | 29th May |
Girls Soccer | TBA | 30th May |
Tennis | School Based Nomination | 9th June |
Touch (Boys and Girls) | TBA | 10th June |
Girls Rugby League | 25th June | 25th July |
Track & Field | 19th or 20th August (weather pending) | 1st & 2nd September |
Aquathlon | School Based Nomination | 25th October |
Softball | School Based Nomination | TBA |
The Arts
Choir: All students in year one to year six are invited to participate in school choir rehearsals every Wednesday in Bottle Tree Hall (starting at 8.00am).
Choir Camp: Year three to year six students who attend Wednesday choir rehearsals are invited to participate in this year’s seventh Pittsworth Choir Camp. Choir Camp will be held at the Pittsworth Town Hall from Wednesday 19 March to Friday 21 March (week eight). Participating students will spend three days rehearsing fifteen songs in a Massed Choir of 80-100 students from local schools. A spectacular concert on the Friday night will showcase our talented singers, dancers and drummers. Our wonderful P & C will once again be supporting this incredible event and will finalise all details at their upcoming meeting. Official Choir Camp paperwork will then be sent home to parents. Extra rehearsals will be held in the Art Room every Thursday (11.00am – 11.40am) in the lead up to Choir Camp. These rehearsals are only for year three to year six students attending Choir Camp.
Visual Arts: During term one every child in every class will be creating an acrylic painting. Please check the attached information for details about class paintings that are being prepared for our Art Exhibition on Friday 2 May.
Art Club: Students in year four, five and six who are keen to spend extra time creating individual and group artworks for our exhibition are invited to attend Art Club. The Art Room will be open for Art Club every Friday during term one: 8.30am - 8.50am and 11.00am – 11.40am.
CGEN 2025: Thank you for nominating your child for this year’s exciting CGEN experience! Rehearsals will begin when the CGEN team sends out this year’s music. Parents will be notified of our rehearsal commencement date. Thank you to Mrs Dillmann for once again rehearsing with our Pittsworth Cluster Massed Choir singers!
Date Claimer:
18-21 March - Choir Camp
Friday 02 May - ‘Where the Forest Meets the Sea’ Art Exhibition
16-19 July - CGEN 2025
P&C Patch
Annual General Meeting
6pm - Thursday 13 February
Pittsworth Function Centre
General Meeting to follow
Welcome back for 2025! We hope you all had a fantastic break and are ready for another busy year. It was great to see some new and old faces at our Welcome Morning Tea on the first day of school. Thanks to all that came and to the P&C mums that helped put together the morning tea and the tissue packages for our Prep parents and carers.
There is a lot on the calendar already for our P&C in 2025 and we need your help! Being a member of the school P&C is one of the best ways to contribute to our school community. We understand that life is busy and as a member of the P&C, you would not be expected to take on a major role or attend every meeting. What we would like from you is your ideas, opinions and extra hands to assist with events such as:
- Mother’s Day stalls
- Father’s Day breakfast
- Home baking for fundraising events
- Carnival canteens
- Fancy Dress Ball
Yellow P&C Membership forms will be sent home this week with the eldest child in each family. They were also emailed to all families last week. Please return these to the school office or to the P&C Secretary, Morgan Pearce, via email psssecretary@outlook.com. Spare forms are available from the office.
Please note that all P&C Memberships from last year lapse so everyone who wishes to be a part of the 2025 committee will need to complete a new form.
All positions will be declared vacant. Nominations for executive positions must be in writing and returned to the school office by Wednesday 13 February. P&C Executive Officer Nomination forms were also emailed to all families last week.
TUCKSHOP
Tuckshop is back up and running on Wednesdays and Fridays. Orders can be placed through the Qkr! app and close at 8.30am. Class lists have now been updated for 2025.
We are again very short on Tuckshop helpers this term. On Fridays, we need two volunteers to help Karla, our Tuckshop convenor. Thank you to the people that have already put their name down. If you think you could possibly spare a few hours on a Friday morning, please contact Karla in the Tuckshop or email psssecretary@outlook.com
What volunteering in the tuckshop looks like…
2.5 hrs of your time
9:00am – 11:30am (or longer if you wish)
- Printing and sticking on labels for online orders
- Burger/sandwich/wrap prep
- Pack orders with pre-prepared food items (muffins, milo balls, sumo cookies)
- Pack hot foods/drinks into order bags
- Wash and clean up
- Serve ice cream and ice blocks
It is that easy and the time will fly!
Unfortunately, we will have to reduce our menu options if we aren’t able to get Friday volunteers.
Fancy Dress Ball
We are very excited for our first major event of the year! We look forward to seeing your costumes at our Fancy Dress ball on Friday 21 February. Keep an eye out for more details.
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). Link below.
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
| Office Hours: 8.30am - 3.30pm | Visitors must sign in and out of the school via the Office. |
| Join QParents | Late to school? Parents must sign children in to the office. |
| Transport Forms | Time Out Poster Keeping Our Kids Healthy |
| Birthday Celebrations at School | Medication at School |
| Mandatory Volunteers Training | School Dress Code |
| Payment Methods | Health Food and Drinks at School |
Communication with Parents/Carers
| |
Community News
Dental Van: Oral Health Care for Prep and New Students
Forms have been sent home to all our new Preps and new students in Years 1-6. Please complete and return the Registration Form at your earliest convenience.
| Kids Helpline 1800 551 800 | DV Connect 1800 811 811 |
| Family and Child Connect 13 32 64 | Life Care Pittsworth. Free & Low cost food. 0418 615 773 |
| Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 | Bullying. No Way! |
| headspace | Lifeline 13 11 14 |
| Parentline 1300 30 1300 | Standby – Suicide Bereavement Support 1300 727 247 |
| Chaplaincy Donations gratefully received! BSB 084004. Account # 833694350. Pittsworth Primary School: 178532. | |
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/