Dear Parents and Carers,

ROAD SAFETY

Schools are busy places before and after school. I feel like I am preaching to the converted as most adults in our school drive safely being aware of how in a minute of carelessness everything can change. Children are unpredictable in their movements, so with this, unsafe driving is a careless mix. There is a proportion of adults in our school that in the busy-ness of their lives, are ignoring the message to drive safely around our school. 

Cars are not using the roundabout and crossing the double line entering and then leaving the OSHC carpark at speed. Cars are parking over the OSHC driveway which does not allow smooth entry and exit from the OSHC carpark. Some folk are parking thoughtlessly in the vicinity of the roundabout which blocks smooth passage. 

All children and families are precious to our school.  In recent times, across Australia there have been major accidents during school pick up or drop off that have resulted in the maiming and deaths of children. These have made national headlines. Such things are heartbreaking for a school community and take a long time from which to recover, if ever.  I am begging all adults who pick up and drop off at our school to drive remembering the fragility of life when pedestrians come into contact with cars.

RESILIENCE

Like you all I am still navigating parenthood raising two "kidults" at ages 19 and 20. We are still parenting hard at times when we probably thought we wouldn't need to! I have learned and still learning that one of the most valuable gifts we can give our children is resilience. There are significant pressure and external influences on families and children today. I reflect back on my thirty-seven years as an educator and note some of these pressures have impacted significantly on their levels of resilience and anxiety, which were not as evident even five to ten years ago. 

In doing some research about why this might be so and what we might do to improve this for our learners and children,  I share some of insights here in trying to make sense of this important topic for contemporary parenting and education. 

Resilience isn't about shielding children from every challenge; it's about equipping them with the tools to bounce back from setbacks, adapt to change, and face adversity with confidence.  As a community, we want to empower Jambo children to be strong, resourceful, and capable of thriving in all aspects of their lives.

Some potential strategies from the research for home and school:

1. Encourage Problem-Solving:

 * As an alternative to immediately stepping in to solve every problem, we can encourage thinking through solutions for themselves. Asking open-ended questions like, "What could you try next?" or "What are some different ways you could handle this?"

 * Allowing children to experience the natural consequences of their choices, within safe boundaries, helping them to learn from their mistakes and develop a sense of responsibility.

2. Foster a Growth Mindset:

 * Praising effort and perseverance, rather than a focus  on outcomes. Learning is a process, and mistakes are opportunities for growth. "I appreciate how hard you worked on that," or "You didn't get it right this time, but you learned a lot."

 * Reframe challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.

3. Build Strong Relationships:

 * Create safe and supportive home and school environments where children feel loved, valued, and heard.

 * Spending quality time together in families and as a school community, engaging in enjoyable activities. 

 * Encouragement of open communication and active listening.

4. Teach Emotional Regulation:

 * Help children identify and understand their emotions.

 * Teaching healthy coping strategies, such as deep breathing, mindfulness, or talking about their feelings.

 * Model healthy emotional expression as adults.

5. Promote Independence and Responsibility:

 * Providing age-appropriate responsibilities at home and school

 * Encouraging them to try new things and take on challenges.

 * Celebrating their successes and supporting them through their failures.

6. Model resilience:

 * Children learn by observing the adults around them. Showing them how we handle stress, setbacks, and challenges that are age-appropriate for them to understand can be helpful. 

 * Talking about our own experiences with resilience and how we overcame obstacles.

At Jamboree, we will continue to reinforce these strategies through our curriculum and pastoral care programs. We believe that by working together, we can equip our students with the resilience they need to flourish.  

Have a great week,

Kathy

Celebrating Our ZINGERS!

A huge congratulations to our talented learners who have been nominated for ZINGERS—our celebration of outstanding writing!

Our Year 2 learners have been working hard to adapt a range of poems, showing creativity and flair as they experiment with rhythm, rhyme, and structure. Well done on your imaginative and expressive writing!

In Year 3, students have been diving into the art of persuasion, crafting engaging and convincing texts. From strong arguments to powerful language, they are learning how to persuade their readers with confidence and skill.

Keep up the fantastic writing, everyone! We can’t wait to see what you create next. ?

Year 5 Shout Out

At Jamboree Heights State School, we love seeing our students take the initiative to create opportunities for others—and this term, our Year 5 learners have been doing just that!

A huge shout-out to the dedicated group of Year 5 students who started the Elastics Club! They have shown fantastic leadership, organisation, and kindness by creating posters, spreading the word, and running engaging sessions each Wednesday at first break. Due to its popularity, they are now planning to add another session on Fridays! It’s been wonderful to see students of all ages getting involved, learning new skills, and having fun together.

We also want to acknowledge another incredible group of Year 5 learners who have been enthusiastically running a Gymnastics Club! With energy and passion, they have been leading sessions where students can develop their flexibility, coordination, and confidence. It’s fantastic to see students supporting and encouraging each other in a fun and active environment.

A big 'well done!' to these young leaders for their initiative and dedication. It’s amazing to see student-led activities fostering a strong sense of community and teamwork at our school. Keep up the great work!

KINDNESS SHINES AT JAMBOREE HEIGHTS!

We are constantly inspired by the kindness we see in our learners each day. It is heart-warming to witness how deeply kindness is embedded within our school community. From small, spontaneous acts of kindness to thoughtful, intentional behaviours, our learners have truly embraced the spirit of compassion in ways that continue to enrich our school culture.

From the very beginning of the year, it has been a joy to see how many learners embrace the opportunity to engage in random acts of kindness throughout the day. Whether it’s offering help to a classmate, sharing a kind word during a challenging moment, or simply being there for each other, these small acts collectively make a significant impact on the well-being of everyone at Jamboree Heights.

Today, during our assembly, it was incredibly moving to see so many students recognised by a large number of teachers, for their kindness. These awards are a testament to the extraordinary efforts of our learners who go above and beyond to make others feel valued, supported, and cared for.

We will continue to nurture this culture, recognising and celebrating kindness at every opportunity, and encouraging our learners to spread that kindness beyond the school grounds.

Halogen National Young Leaders Day

The recent Halogen National Young Leaders Day was an unforgettable experience for our school’s leaders. Held at the Brisbane Convention Centre, the event brought together school captains and vice captains from across the region for a day of powerful speeches from four incredible guest speakers, each sharing their personal journeys of resilience, hard work, and leadership.

Our first speaker, Sam Mostyn, the Governor-General of Australia, inspired us with her powerful message about the importance of actively listening to others and being compassionate. She shared how her perseverance led her to become the second female Governor-General and emphasised the need for leaders to consider the perspectives of those around them, especially young voices, for a better future.

Next, Kasey Rainbow, a renowned children’s author, shared her story of overcoming childhood bullying. Her message of strength and perseverance resonated deeply with everyone. She reminded us that with kindness and the right words, we can change lives. Her quote, “It doesn’t matter how many times you fall, it matters how many times you stand up,” truly stuck with us all.

The third speaker, Dayne Zorko, former captain of the Brisbane Lions, shared his journey of resilience and determination. He spoke about his experiences in professional football and how he faced challenges with tenacity, never giving up even when the odds were against him. His story reminded us that with hard work and humility, great things are possible.

Finally, Todd Hazelwood, the Bathurst 1000 winner of 2024, shared his inspiring story of overcoming financial struggles to pursue his dream of becoming a race car driver. Despite the many challenges he faced early in life, Todd’s passion for racing never wavered. His dedication and perseverance finally paid off, as he achieved his goal of becoming a Supercar driver and winning a major race.

The day was filled with valuable lessons about leadership, persistence, and empathy. The guest speakers’ stories showed us that great leaders are not only resilient and hardworking but also compassionate and driven by a sense of purpose.

As a group, we left the event with a renewed sense of motivation, ready to face challenges and inspire others with our actions. To cap off the day, our teacher, Mrs Gray, kindly treated us to a Happy Meal from Maccas, rounding off what was an entertaining and inspiring experience.

We look forward to future opportunities like this and are excited to apply the lessons we learned about leadership in our own lives.

Emma C, Emmie, Karan and Flynn

Hi-5 Poem

Speak friendly, speak firmly, walk away and ignore,

At the end of the day you just have to report.

Step 1: Speak friendly, say could you please stop,

If they’re still acting like they’re on top…

Step 2: Speak firmly, speak loud and clear,

Then make sure everyone can hear.

Step 3 and 4: Walk away and ignore,

That’s the best thing to get them to stop.

At the end of the day if they still haven’t gotten their head back into port,

Move on to step 5, it’s time to report. 

By Matthew (6H)

Year 6 learner Matthew wrote a poem about the Hi-5 strategies, creatively capturing the essence of the Hi-5 approach.

Prep Vision Screening Reminder

Our Prep learners will begin vision screening in week 7. The Health nurses will be here on Monday, March 10 and Tuesday, March 11. The online portal for consent will remain open until Sunday, March 3 for those who have not yet completed the form.  If your child will be absent on any day during the screening next week, please let your class teacher know so we can organise a catch up.

Prep Hearing Screening

On Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 March, we will be providing free hearing screens at school for all prep learners conducted by Hear and Say to help ensure children are hearing as well as they can be.  

The screen includes the following three assessments in both ears:

• Examination of the ear canal and ear drum
• Testing of middle ear function
• Hearing screening under headphones

The screen takes no more than 10 minutes per student and parents are not required to attend.

For your child to take part, please complete the online parent consent form as emailed by your class teacher no later than Sunday 9 March. 

To help scheduling, if your child will be absent for one of the test days, could you please let us know so as to ensure they are screened on the day they are at school. 

Enrolment Process for Prep 2026

Lunchtime clubs and activities on offer in Term 1 

In 2025, we will continue to offer a number of before and during school clubs and activities to engage and support our learners. Each week, more clubs are now coming online and to find out what is on offer for next week, please refer to the overview below and I encourage you to promote these with your child. With any club, if your child is unsure, I encourage them to come along at least once and see if they like it.      

Clubs in the spotlight

Lego Club - Years 1 to 3 - Wednesday 1st break

Over the past couple of weeks, learners in Year 1 to 3 have been completing a bridge challenge, needing to get some Lego people from one side of a table to another. As always, there were some very creative designs. Particular shout out to some of the boys and girls in Year 3 who created an amazing story around their bridge! Check it out below. 

The talented Lego Masters Caleb, Casper, Hamish, Aansh, Joshua, Mabel and Luca.

Isabelle, Anabelle and Marija (left) and Keziah and Kavika (right)

Meisa and Mattie (left) and Caleb and Casper (right)

Garden club

Years 1 to 6 (and prep Thur morning) - Tuesday 1st break, Thursday before school (8am onwards). 

A big thank you to Clare Hourigan and the Sustainability Committee who are now looking after the school garden. We have had learners busily weeding, planting and regularly watering. Can't wait to see it grow!   

Club details

Full details of all clubs can be found in the overview below.

NAPLAN 2025 – Wednesday 12 to 19 March

Our Year 3 and 5 learners will again take part in NAPLAN this year, an annual online literacy and numeracy assessment. The test window set will be the 12 to 19 of March.    

If your child is taking part in NAPLAN in 2025, they will complete a writing, reading, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy test.  These tests will be completed online using iPads via the NAP Locked down browser 2025. All learners will need to have the NAP app downloaded or updated if they have an earlier version.  

The main preparation for this test is the day-to-day quality reading, writing and numeracy instruction that occurs in the classroom. With this said, learners do benefit from some familiarisation with the test format and some practice with the different formats and test tools will be provided at school in Term 1. If you would like to help familiarise your child with the test format at home, practice questions can be accessed via the NAP Locked down browser “Demonstration tests.” 

For those with learners in Year 3 or 5, further details can be found in the NAPLAN Parent Information Letter.

If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact Alister Warren (awarr26@eq.edu.au).

Book Club

Issue 1 Book Club orders have arrived and will be delivered to the classrooms by Friday 28th February. Thank you for supporting Book Club and Book Fair, our major fundraisers for the school library, with all sales earning reward points for our library to spend on new books and resources.

Queensland School Library Week Competition

Entries closed Thursday 27th February – thank you to all those entered and good luck!

Borrowing

Just a reminder, all classes from Prep to Year 3 have weekly or fortnightly lessons in the library. Please remind your child/ren to bring their library bag and books to return on this day. Learners may return and borrow at lunchtimes or before school as well.

Year 4-6 learners have an allocated borrowing time with their class and may also come in their own time to swap books.

We have about 40 books not returned from 2024. Invoices were emailed home yesterday.

SORA

All learners from Year 2-6 now have access to the Education Queensland eBook library. The login is the same as their school MIS ID login.

The Queensland State Schools eBooks Digital Library is a shared collection of eBooks, audiobooks and read-along eBooks hand selected for the students and educators of the department. There are thousands of ebooks, audiobooks and read along books to enjoy.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the library or Book Club, feel free to email Ms Edwards – gedwa16@eq.edu.au

You can access our school library catalogue here. Parents are welcome to become library borrowers too. Drop in and see us if you’d like to sign up to be a borrower.

ACTIVE MUSIC MAKING

How great is it that research backs up what is happening in our Music Classroom at Jamboree! We are actively making music in every lesson from singing songs and doing finger plays in Prep to playing recorder and xylophone in Year 4 and 5 to playing ukulele in Year 6 and singing all the way through!

When we experience the musical concepts we are learning about, we understand them further and develop our musicianship. Besides that it is so much fun! Ask your child what music making they did this week.

A LITTLE BIT OF MUSIC FUN

Here are the clips that Year 5 & 6 students have watched recently in Music. We often only watch part of the clip in class due to time constraints and the learners are always asking to watch the rest. I tell them to ask their parents to show them from the newsletter. Why not watch them as a family and share the fun!

Week 4 -  "BOOm BOOm Clap!" a body percussion performance

Week 5 – Disney Medley on Plastic Bottles

Regional Swimming trials

Congratulations to those swimmers selected in the Northern Eagles Swim team who competed at Chandler this week for a spot in the Metropolitan West team! The competition was fierce, with some great results from the JHSS Swimmers! Well done to: Will, Jack, Cody, Summer, Emily, Laura, Edith, Theo and Hudson!

Regional Netball trials

Congratulations to those players who were selected into the Northern Eagles 10-11 years girls and 10-12 years boys Netball teams! These players will compete next week, against the other districts, for a place in the Met West Netball teams! Best of luck to Emmie, Bella, Amelia, Alanna, Mitch and Ethan.

Swimming in PE

Next week, Week 6, is our last week of swimming for Term 1. Thank you for continuing to ensure your child is well prepared for our lessons with the correct equipment. Our learners do struggle to identify their lost belongings. By naming their equipment it can be returned to them easily and quickly.

We will swim again in Term 4. This block will lead into our Junior 3-4 and Senior 5-6 Swimming Carnivals.

Cross Country Fun Run!

Our Cross Country and Fun Run is scheduled for Week 8 of Term 1. Learners have been nominating for the competitive Cross Country in their PE lessons this week. It is expected that those learners who nominate for the competitive section can complete the distance without stopping and in a reasonable time.

10 Years – 2km ; 11 & 12 Years – 3km

Due to our increasing numbers and Northern Eagles selection being limited to the 10, 11 and 12 years age groups, we will not be offering a 9 years competitive section this year.

All other learners, Prep to Year 6, will participate in our Fun Run and earn points for their House!

Running Club

Running Club continues on Monday at 8am on the oval for Year 1 to 6 learners. Please bring a hat and a water bottle.

Before School Play

• Before school each day, all students must be sitting in the Junior Shed unless sitting with a parent near their classroom. We insist on NO play on the various playground structures or playing handball before school even if parents are supervising as it entices others to join in, and we have no formal supervision in place before school.

Allergies

At Jamboree Heights State School, we have a number of students who suffer from a range of allergies. For some students, these allergies can be life-threatening. Therefore, we ask the following of parents of children with an allergy:

• Discuss your child’s allergy with their teacher as soon as possible and consider giving permission to share your child’s medical condition with other students and families
• Ensure all medical records are up to date on our school system
• If your child suffers from Anaphylaxis, please ensure their Action Plan and Epi-Pen are current and renewed annually
• Continue educating your child about allergy management
• Plan with the teacher for camps, excursions, sport, cooking at school, and special occasions throughout the year

For all other families, we ask the following:

• Find out from teachers if there is someone with an allergy in the classroom
• Try to consider children with allergies when sending in special treats like birthday food
• Educate your child about allergies, not sharing food, washing hands, and finding help if a friend is showing the symptoms of a reaction
• Be mindful of lunchbox contents such as foods containing nuts and eggs and the impact it may have on children with an allergy. We have a NO SHARING policy!

Finally, our school staff are educated annually on the topic of allergies and also undertake training in the use of Epi-Pens.

Homework

Our school’s policy on Homework:

At Jamboree Heights State School homework will include nightly reading (using appropriate levels and text types) and Computer or iPad tasks such as Reading Eggs, Reading Eggspress, Mathletics, Maths Seeds, Mighty Maths, etc. and occasional alternative tasks such as research, sight words, unit-based tasks, etc. but NO weekly homework sheet or grid, etc. If parents wish for their child to be given NO homework or only certain aspects above, then they can make a formal request in writing (or email) to the teacher. If computer or iPad access at home is difficult then students can make arrangements with their teacher for additional access before or after school or during breaks.

QParents

QParents allows parents to connect instantly with us to access and manage their child’s student information, anytime, anywhere, through a smartphone, tablet or computer. 

• Attendance and absence details, as well as the ability to notify the school of an absence 
• Academic report cards 
• Viewing unpaid invoice details, payment history, and making payments online 
• Viewing and updating personal student details, including medical conditions and address 
• Enrolment details 
• Online excursion permissions

For more information see the QParents page on our website.

School Payments

Please note that payments must be made by due dates to ensure your child can attend the various extra-curricular events. Departmental financial practice dictates that we must immediately write off invoices for non-payment and therefore notify numbers based on this. At the end of each term we are required to provide Debtor Statements to those with outstanding invoices attached to their account, so it is very important that invoices are removed in a timely manner for each excursion/incursion or event.

Full details of payment methods can be found on the school website.

Messages from Parents

Requests for messages to be relayed to students during school hours, particularly regarding afternoon pickup arrangements interrupt both the office staff and teachers in the classroom. It is a good idea to confirm with your child each morning what the plan is for the afternoon, and have a regular meeting spot for them to go to if they are ever unsure. While some appointments and changes of plans are inevitable, we would appreciate your efforts in keeping these to a minimum.

The Administration email address is admin@jamboreeheightsss.eq.edu.au.

• All student mobile phones MUST be signed in at the office each morning.
• Students are NOT permitted to have any medication on them, all medication MUST be held at the office.
• Jewellery is NOT permitted except ear studs, watches and medical bracelets/necklaces.
• Playgrounds are NOT available to students before school.
• CLASSES START AT 8:50am EVERY DAY! (late arrivals impact on the learning and teaching).
• Student Absence Email Address: We now have an email address for notifying the school about student absence if you find email more convenient than phoning the school office (absentees@jamboreeheightsss.eq.edu.au).
• Payments: We are no longer able to accept cash payment. Both QParents and BPoint are easy, convenient online payment options. Full details of payment options are available on our website. Our office is currently open for payments from 8:00am-9:30am or 2:30pm-3:30pm, Monday to Friday.
• Office Hours: Please note the office hours below. Whilst staff are in attendance before and after these advertised times, these are the times that are available for our community to access office staff:
  
  • 8:00am to 3:30pm