Dear Families,

It is with gratitude; I extend to you a warm welcome back to school to the students and yourselves after the past few days of disruption and uncertainty.

Whilst our school site fared reasonably well, recovery of our school communities will take time, but research highlights key priorities for moving forward effectively:

• Re-establishing a sense of normalcy – Routine, consistency, and predictability help families, students and staff regain a sense of security.
• Providing emotional and mental health support – Access to support staff and wellbeing resources for students, staff, and families is vital.
• Strengthening connections – Fostering a sense of belonging and community is essential to rebuilding trust and resilience.
• Recognising and addressing ongoing challenges – Ensuring ongoing support for those facing long-term impacts from the crisis.

Over the coming weeks if you or your child are experiencing any ongoing distress or trouble locating the resources you need, please reach out either to me directly or to one of our staff whom you feel familiar with or have an existing connection of support.

Support personal on the school site are our Student Services Team, Guidance Officer and Student Wellbeing Officer who will be able to put you in touch with a range of school supports or community support agencies.

Over the last few weeks of term we have many opportunities for our families to come along and connect as a community. Parent Teacher Interviews and Harmony Day next week and Year 4-6 Swimming Carnival and Cross Country the week after. I look forward to seeing many of you at these events.

Have a restful weekend.

Eunice

NAPLAN Years 3 and 5

As NAPLAN testing approaches next week, it is important to create a calm and supportive environment for your child. Encourage a positive mindset by reassuring them that the test is just one way to show what they have learned, not something to worry about. Ensure they get plenty of rest, eat a healthy breakfast, and arrive at school feeling relaxed. Avoid putting pressure on results—focus instead on their effort and progress. A little encouragement and a stress-free approach can help them feel confident and ready to do their best.

Parent-Teacher Interviews (17^th March and 27^th March)

Parent-teacher interviews are a valuable opportunity to discuss your child’s progress so far and set goals for the rest of the semester. During meetings, teachers and caregivers will reflect on student achievements, strengths, and areas for growth, while also identifying ways to support learning at home and in the classroom. This is a great chance to work together to ensure your child continues to thrive academically and personally. We look forward to sharing your child’s journey with you and planning for continued success.

Senior Swimming Carnival

On Monday 24^th March 2025, students in years 4, 5 and 6 will participate in a school swimming carnival at the Moorooka State School Swimming Pool.  The purpose of this carnival is to; promote a fun and inclusive school swimming event for students in years 4, 5 and 6 and to contribute to House Points.

Students will participate in the carnival in their year levels and will be taking the bus to the Moorooka Swimming Pool for their swimming time.

• 9:00am – Year 4
• 10:30am – year 5
• 12:00pm – year 6

The winning house trophy will be presented on assembly in week 10. Please note there are no competitive events, age champions, or timing of events – this will occur at the swim meet in term 4.

What Students Need to bring

• Students arrive at school in swimming togs under their uniform (year 4)
• Students change into their swimming togs at YSS before departing (year 5/6)
• Students need to bring: towel, cap, rashie, goggles, thongs, drink bottle.

All students will eat their lunches at school, so food isn’t necessary to bring to the pool. 

Consent is now active via Qparents.

We’re looking forward to a fun event!

Music Teacher Courtney Truce on Leave 

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Courtney Truce for her incredible dedication and passion for music at Yeronga State School. Her commitment to nurturing a love of music in every child as well as leading school choirs and performances has brought joy and confidence to many students. 

Her enthusiasm and creativity have made music an integral part of our school community. We wish her all the best during her leave and look forward to welcoming her back in the future. 

Fairwell Charmaine Andreatta 

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Teacher Aide Charmaine Andreatta for her many years of dedicated service at Yeronga State School. Her unwavering commitment to student learning and her ability to engage and inspire young minds have left a lasting impact on our school community. With her kindness, patience, and exceptional skills in supporting students, she has played an invaluable role in their educational journeys. Her presence in the classroom, her encouragement, and her dedication will be greatly missed. We wish her all the best in her next chapter and thank her for the incredible contributions she has made to YSS over the years.

This Week's Behaviour Focus

Respectful Relationships with Self, Others, and Place 

? Building a Sense of Belonging 
How do we acknowledge and greet others in ways that foster a welcoming and inclusive classroom and school community? 

? The Power of Good Manners 
How can using good manners demonstrate respect and contribute to a positive, friendly environment for everyone? 

Thank you

Thank you to our staff members who were able to make it into school last Monday to provide supervision for students.

Prep Progress

We have enjoyed watching our Prep students learn almost all initial sounds in the alphabet, engage in developing story understanding and improve their knowledge of number.  They have shown wonderful learning capacity and have demonstrated their knowledge in a range of contexts.  Well done students and our wonderful Prep Team!

Student Council School Improvement Workshop

Last week, the Student Council came together for a school improvement workshop.  Students reflected on the big question of “What school improvements are needed that we can positively influence?”

We started by looking at what things around our school need improving, and then generated some solutions.  The key themes that emerged were: cleaner toilet facilities, senior nature play, more fun experiences and fundraising and reducing rubbish in our school environment. 

Students worked together in teams to develop a plan of action, focusing on the problem, solutions and positive impact to the school.  Through a consensus voting process, the main areas for the Student Council to work on for this year emerged; more fun experiences and fundraising and cleaner toilet facilities.

The Student Councillors will now embark on their plans for the year to bring their ideas to life and positively influence the improvement of our school.

We have just enrolled all our students and teachers in Sora with is a digital library. These include ebooks, audio books, and magazines. Here are the instructions on how to use it.

The school instrumental music program is off to a flying start with weekly group lessons and before-school ensemble rehearsals in full swing. With the beginner program, just under 50 year 3 and 4 students have begun learning a strings or band instrument and they are so excited to be starting on their musical journey. The students in the Senior Band and Senior String ensembles are enjoying learning a wide variety of repertoire- their favorites tend to be the popular tunes which this term include Defying Gravity from Wicked and Rolling in the Deep by Adele. 

Beginner Instrumental Music Evening 

Our Beginner Instrumental Music Evening for year 3 strings and year 4 band players is coming up in week 10 on Thursday April 3 in the Curiosity Center for strings students and the Classroom Music room for band students. Students need to arrive at 5:45pm for a 6pm start with their instrument and music books. At the evening the students will demonstrate what they've been learning on their instruments so far this term with their very first group performance!  Parents will also receive some hands-on practice tips and instrument care and some more information about the strings and band programs.

Instrumental Music Dates

• Senior Strings rehearsal with guest conductor- Friday March 14, 7:30am, Classroom Music room
• Beginner Strings and Beginner Band information evening- Thursday April 3, 6pm- Curiosity Center and Classroom Music room
• School Anzac Day Assembly- Thursday April 24, Senior Band and Chamber Strings
• QYMA performance- Wednesday evening May 7, St Peters Lutheran College- Chamber Strings
• Winter Concert- Thursday June 12, All Strings and Band students, 6pm YSHS Cultural Center

Tamsyn Eastgate (strings) and Alex Grodecki (band)

Running Club

Running club will commence next week (2) and continue until the end of Term 4 on Mondays and Tuesdays, with Mr Bateman. Mr Sutherland has commenced his sessions on Fridays. The sessions will take place unless the weather makes it impossible to run safely. Sessions will be held on Mondays, from 3:15 to 3:45 and Tuesdays from 7:45 to 8:15 with Mr Bateman. Mr Sutherland will hold his sessions on Fridays from 7:45 to 8:15. Remember that all of these sessions will occur on the main, or years 3-6 oval. Parents are most welcome to participate.

Cross Country Carnivals

My goodness! It is week 7 and we are on the cusp of the most anticipated sporting events of term 1; The Junior and Senior Cross Country Carnivals. Thank goodness, touchwood, that the weather seems to be cooling. I will include approximate times for the different age groups below. If you are able to lend a hand we would be most grateful. Please be aware that the Senior (Year 4 to 6) course takes our runners into the park; around the junior rugby field, and the Junior (Prep to Year 3) course is confined to the school grounds; and in particular, the main school oval. Remember that 9 to 12 Years students who finish in the top 10 in the Cross Country will be encouraged to participate in the 800m and 1500m races at the school athletics carnival later in the year.

The event times are as follows;

Years 4 to 6 Cross Countries

9:00            Boys Born 2013

9:15            Girls Born 2013

9:30            Boys Born 2014

9:45            Girls Born 2014

10:00          Boys Born 2015

10:15          Girls Born 2015

10:30          Boys Born 2016

10:45          Girls Born 2016

Prep and Year 1 Cross Country

11:50          PREP Boys

12:00          PREP Girls

12:10          Year One Boys

12:20          Year One Girls

Year 2 and Year 3 Cross Country

12:30          Year Two Boys                                        

12:40          Year Two Girls

12:50          Year Three Boys

1:00     Year Three Girls

Congratulations to Our District Swimming Competitors

Congratulations to our students who competed at the Sleeman Swimming Complex on the 26^th of February to qualify for the Met West Regional Swimming Team. They were;

Natalia A, Madeleine A, Daniel S, Jamie Y & Audrey G.

I had a very limited opportunity to catch up with them, but those who I did see swam their best. Unfortunately none of our fantastic swimmers qualified this year. Well Done Again! It is a big venue and it takes some courage to go out and swim your best.

Congratulations to Our District AFL Girls

The following girls were successful in their quest for selection. Fingers crossed for Willow S, Millie C, Kalani K, Jemima W, Chloe A, Olive R & Milana S as they vie for Met West Regional selection on 26^th of March.

Important Sporting Dates Term 1, 2025

14 March 2025 – 10 – 12 years District Boys & Girls Golf & Hockey Nominations

19 March 2025 – 10 – 12 years District Boys AFL

20 March 2025 – 10 – 12 years District Boys Basketball

20 March 2025 – 10 – 11 & 11-12 years District Boys & Girls Rugby League

24 March 2025 – Yeronga (Yrs 4-6) 25m Swimming Carnival

26 March 2025 – Yeronga State School Cross Country; Senior (Years 4 to 6) 9-11am &

Junior (Prep to Year 3) 11:45am-1:15pm

28 March 2025-Gala Day 1 for Years 5 & 6

Volunteering Opportunities

The P&C is looking for people to help out with a few upcoming events. The assistance would involve helping to make and serve Sno Cones as well as taking gold coins for said Sno Cones during the Swimming Carnival (24th of March) and the Cross Country (currently 26th of March.)

Guidance will be given on the day how to prepare and serve the Sno Cones, where to store the gold coins and how to not overdose any kids on sugar haha.

If you are interested in helping or have some free time, feel free to send an email to vicepresident1@yerongasspandc.org.au for more information about signing up.

Easter Raffle

The P&C’s first event of 2025! Please bring in your donations anytime up until 3 April 2025.

Tickets can be purchased at the following link: https://www.raffletix.com.au/?ref=4p9cn

Make sure to grab a ticket to be in the running for one of the 50 prizes to be given out on Friday the 4th of April.

Vacant Position

The P&C Executive are still looking for a Communication and Marketing person to join the team. The purpose of this role is to promote P&C events and share news about our projects and priorities with the school community. This will include writing content for the school newsletter on a fortnightly basis, sharing information with the school’s parent rep coordinator, and overseeing our social media (Facebook) page. A knack for designing flyers and posters for events would also come in handy!

If you are interested in this role please contact:

president@yerongasspandc.org.au

Not currently part of the P&C?

Sign up below to be the first to learn about what’s happening around the school.

https://yerongasspandc.org.au/

Follow us on Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/share/18kChesVB7/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

ENROL NOW

For enrolments, please complete and submit an Expression of Interest form on our website.

For enrolment interviews, please bring:

Your child that is being enrolled

Birth certificate/passport/travel documents

Most recent school report card/NAPLAN reports

Enrolment application documents

To watch the Yeronga State High Video, please click the link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxI0tsaM6Ss&t=2s

To watch Y Yeronga (Why Yeronga Video) please click on the link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYNam89UzIY

OPEN DAY

Yeronga SHS Open Day will be held on Thursday 3 April 2025. On Open Day you’ll have the opportunity to explore our school and meet the staff and students that make Yeronga State High School such a special place to learn. Open Day is when we have a chance to showcase our school to prospective students, their families and the community. Visitors will have the opportunity to experience what Yeronga State High School has to offer and explore the school, visit academic and co-curricular interactive displays, learn more about our Academies of Excellence, enjoy performances and a whole lot more.

A highlight of Open Day is a ‘behind the scenes’ tour hosted by our current student leaders. Not only will you be guided around our wonderful school but they will share with you stories about their very own student experience along the way!

YERONGA SHS ACADEMIES

Please click on the link below to find out more about our Academies. Enrol now for 2026!

https://yerongashs.eq.edu.au/curriculum/specialist-programs

Click on the link below to watch a video on our academies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk6R_wfrp5M&t=54s

BECOME A HOMESTAY PROVIDER