Yeronga State School eNewsletter

Welcome back! We hope you all enjoyed a restful and refreshing break. As we begin Term 3, the leadership team is excited to continue working in partnership with you to support students and their learning.

This term promises to be a vibrant and productive one, filled with rich learning experiences, centered around this term's concept of discovery as well and meaningful connections across our school community. We look forward to the continued growth of our students and celebrating their achievements together.

From the Principal:

Dear Families,

Early Years Playground Area Upgrade- Update re. trip hazards to astro turf in the Year 1 play area

Allocation of funds has been made under the Department of Education’s 2025 – 2026 Targeted Maintenance Program for this project. This is welcomed news, and we look forward to a much-needed renovation of this central play and meeting place for our families and students.

The PandC are applying for the next big round of the Gambling Community Benefit fund to upgrade the area under the big fig trees outside the Prep Classrooms. The long-term vision is that the areas surrounding the Prep and Year 1 Buildings will work cohesively into an intentionally planned space to support the creative play and gathering of families.

Use of technology - 1:1 iPad and Smart Watches at School Review

Recently school staff and I have become aware of incidents where student smart watches with phone capability are posing a risk to privacy and good order and management of the school. As of Week 2, Smart Watches will be required to be removed during school hours and kept in school bags as per the personal mobile phone procedure. See more information regarding Smart Watches and Phones from the deputies below.

Kindest regards,

Eunice Webb

Principal

Smart Watches at School

As per Principal Eunice Webb's message regarding smart watches, please contact Deputy Principals Clare Trigggell (YP-2) or Talia O'Sullivan (Y3-6) if you have any concerns or questions pertaining to the use of a smart watch for your child.

Mobile Phones

Students are encouraged NOT to bring mobile phones to school due to the risk of theft and/or misuse of the mobile by self or others. Students are not to lend or share their phones and they will be held responsible for any inappropriate action where their phone is involved.

As such students must have phones turned off and not visible during class time, must not use the phone during school hours and any phones brought to school remain the student’s responsibility. Failure to comply will result in the phone being held at the office until a parent/caregiver can collect the phone.

Inappropriate use of the mobile phone at school will incur consequences as per the Yeronga State School Student Code of Conduct

NAIDOC Week

We celebrated NAIDOC week with various learning activities throughout the school. Each class also decorated their own ‘deadly door’ to display their connections and understandings. We finished the week with an assembly and whole school dance.

2026 Instrumental Music Information Evening- Year 2 and Year 3 families

The Instrumental Music Information Evening for families with students who are interested in joining the school’s Strings or Band program in 2026 will be held on Thursday September 4 at 6:30pm in the school hall. Current Year 2 students are eligible to apply for the 2026 Strings program and current Year 3 students can apply for the Band program. Current Year 3 students who are already participating in the Strings program are not eligible to join the Band program next year. If a student wishes to be considered for selection in the 2026 Instrumental Music program, it is highly recommended that the student and one caregiver attend the information evening. This will ensure all families have a comprehensive understanding of the program and are aware of the commitment and costs involved.

Parents will be able to register their interest in their child participating in the program at the information evening. If you are unable to attend, you will need to email the strings teacher Tamsyn Eastgate at teast42@eq.edu.au or the band teacher Alex Grodecki at agrod3@eq.edu.au prior to the information evening to ensure that we know that your child would like to apply for the program.

Participation in Instrumental Music at Yeronga is in high demand and there are limited places available. The selection process involves aural testing of all year 2 and 3 students in classroom music lessons, consultations with classroom and specialist teachers, and physical testing on the string or band instruments that allow students the opportunity to try out different instruments and determine their physical capability for an instrument.

Upcoming Instrumental Music Events

Tuesday 9 Sept to Thursday 11 Sept- Southside Senior Music Workshop- selected year 6 strings and band students- Chandler Theatre, Sleeman Sports Center- 8:15am to 2:45pm each day

Monday October 27- MusicFest String Ensemble performances, all strings students- Iona College, Wynnum. Chamber Strings from 4pm, Senior Strings and Junior Strings from 6pm.

Thursday November 27- YSS Big Play and Awards- All band and strings students- Yeronga State High School, 6pm.

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC Week is a special annual celebration at YSS, and this year was no exception. Throughout the week, students had the opportunity to engage in a variety of optional activities both in class and around the school, all designed to celebrate and deepen their understanding of First Nations culture.

From scavenger hunts to dance sessions, the school was alive with energy and learning. A standout highlight was the creation of Deadly Doors by several classes, with 4L leading the way through their inspiring exploration of the Yuendumu Doors. You can learn more about this important cultural artwork here. Be sure to check out the incredible doors on display using the maps before or after school—or take a moment to view the display in the front office (starting next week).

Of course, NAIDOC Week wouldn’t be complete without our school assembly. Unfortunately, the rain had other plans for our outdoor assembly so we were moved to the hall, and then the smoking ceremony was also cancelled. But it was heartwarming to hear students speak about their class’s Deadly Doors, and we ended the celebration with a joyful whole-school dance.

A heartfelt thank you to the families who joined us—it was truly a special week of connection, culture, and community.

Library News

We have been working hard to update our library with books students really want to read. So far this year we have catalogued 761 new books to our library. This includes library books and curriculum books. We have culled 1510 books. The books that are still in good order have been donated to an organisation that takes them to schools and libraries in Papua New Guinea. We have sent over 15 boxes of these books through.

During term two we focussed on updating our Non-Fiction section, as we believe that it is important for students to be able to triangulate the information, they find online and verify it in a book. This is a vital information literacy skill. In order, to make it easier for students to find books, we have generified the books into groups of books that align with our Inquiry Learning and Conceptual Curriculum.

Unfortunately, nonfiction books are more expensive and have exhausted our library budget. If you wish to contribute to our school library I have created a wish list through Amazon. We will continue to add to this list. You do not have to purchase the books through Amazon though. Click here to find the library Wish List

When you bring the book in please clearly mark the book with your name so that we can add a certificate of appreciation on the inside if the cover.

ICAS

A reminder to parents that registrations close soon. Parents will need to register and pay by Monday 28 July to confirm their child’s participation.

How to participate in ICAS

If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please go to the Parent Portal to sign up to your chosen subject areas using the link and code below.

Registration for all subject areas closes on Monday 28 July at 11:59pm.

Sign up here	shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps
Access code	EPM691

This year, our students can elect to sit the following assessments:

We will host the assessments before school from 7:45am on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the Library

Subject	Sitting Date	Cost (AU$)
English	11-15 Aug	$20.95
Science	18-22 Aug	$20.95
Spelling Bee	18-22 Aug	$20.95
Mathematics	25-29Aug	$20.95

Dear Parents and Carers,

We’re excited to announce that Yeronga State School will be hosting our very first Global Explorers Conference on Thursday 23 October 2025 — a full-day event designed to inspire our students (Years 4-6) to think globally, act responsibly, and develop the skills to become future changemakers.

This event is proudly supported by the Queensland Government’s Growing Global Competence Fund, and is all about building authentic connections between our students and the wider world.

As part of the conference, we are looking to connect students with real-world voices — and we’d love to hear from you!

Are you a global thinker, problem solver, or creative communicator?

We are seeking parent professionals to be part of the day as workshop facilitators. Whether your work involves sustainability, culture, science, global connections, human rights, technology, or anything that broadens students' worldviews — we’d love you to express your interest.

It’s a chance to share your passion, make an impact, and bring your work or life experience to life in a way that inspires and engages our students.

No public speaking experience needed — just a willingness to share!

On the linked page below, you’ll find a list of possible workshop ideas. It’s not exhaustive, but it’s designed to spark your thinking. We’re happy to work with you to shape your idea and match your skills to a suitable session.

Global_Explorers_Conference_Workshop_Explanations.pdf

Global_Explorers_Conference_Workshop_Explanations _pdf 113.97 KB

If you’re interested in getting involved, please contact Deb Cowie (dcowi11@eq.edu.au) or Chiara Leek (crdav1@eq.edu.au) by 25^th July, 2025.

We can’t wait to bring our community together for this exciting event!

Dear parents, guardians and carers

Re: Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

year of schooling
category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

This information assists schools to:

formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.

The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.

Yeronga State School is committed to fostering an inclusive school environment that is supportive, respectful, compatible with human rights and provides all students with opportunities to engage in quality learning. Inclusive education at our school means that students from all backgrounds, of all identities and all abilities are able to access and participate in education that offers opportunities for success. As a school we continue to review our whole school resources both human and physical to enable students to achieve their potential and achieve a successful pathway regardless of any barrier.

At Yeronga State School we offer all students the right to education with a range of differentiated supports tailored to suit the individual student and their needs.

The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.dese.gov.au/about-us/resources/department-education-skills-and-employment-complete-privacy-policy-0).

Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).

If you have any questions about the NCCD, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.

Kind regards,

Anthea Grant

ajgra1@eq.edu.au

Head Of Special Education /Inclusion

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Senior Athletics Carnival (Sports Day) Wrap-up

The 2025 Senior Athletics Carnival was an exciting event for the upper school students. Everyone had the opportunity to participate in a running, throwing, jumping and relay event. Students gave their best in both the competitive and participation activities. The House Captains were amazing as they lead the way with encouraging everyone to have go. A big thank you to all the people behind the scenes that made the event possible. Also, we wish the students participating in the District Athletics all the best.

House Champions: Evans House

Age Champions

	Girls	Boys
9 Years	Samara D	Nash A
10 Years	Ruby B	James I
11 Years	Rita F	Hyuga B
12 Years	Violet C	Finnley C

Record breakers:

Clara J – 11 years Discus (23.67m) and 11 Years Shot Put (9.97m)

Hyuga B – 11 Years Long Jump (4.30m)

Yeronga Gift Winners:

Girls: Violet C

Boys: Siwoo L

Junior Sports Day Wrap-up

What a day! The weather was amazing and excitement levels were high. For the Preps it was their first Sports Day and for the Year 3s it was their last Junior Sports Day. It was great to see all the hard work done in Health and Physical Education lessons on display. With the aim of the day to have fun, have a go and try your best. The students certainly put on an amazing show. The House Captains from the Senior School were brilliant! It was wonderful to see the large number of family members that came to support the students. Congratulations and thank you to all involved.

District Athletics Squad

Congratulations to the children listed below who will attend the District Athletics on the 21^st and 22^nd of July at QSAC. Our qualifiers are; Mack A, Natalia A, Hayden B, Ruby B, Hyuga B, Harrison B, Isabella C, Chiara C, Elis C, Finley C, Jackson C, Deuel D, Griffin F, Rita F-P, Max G, Harry G, Harper H, James I, Finn J, Clara J, Nina J, Kalani K, James L, Siwoo L, Hudson M, Daniel M, Mackenzie M, Ncumisa M, Anna N, Elizabeth O, Harper R, Vivien R, Olive R, Daniel S, Oscar S, Willow S, Milana S, Xavier T, George T, Joseph W, Vivienne W, Imogen D, Jaxon P, Lennox M, Violet C & Jade D,

Ball Games

This important school event will occur on the 12^th of September. Please do come along to enjoy the colour, creativity and sporting prowess on show during our only class based sporting event with all classes across the school dressing in their class theme. I’ve included the program below for your convenience.

Ball Games Program

9:00: Prep to Year 2

Year Two Mixed Heat One & Two

Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put

Year One Mixed Heat One & Two

Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put

Year Two Mixed Heat Three

Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put

Year One Mixed Heat Three

Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put

All Prep Mixed Heat (Approximately 10:30)

Under Over Ball, Tunnel Ball & Take & Put

Years 5 & 6: 11:45

Year 5 Mixed Heat One & Two