Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome back to Term 2.

REPORTING

The end of this term marks an end to a semester of learning. To reduce time pressure on learners, we will allow the units of learning and their associated assessments to be implemented for the full ten weeks of the term. Therefore, report cards for Semester 1 will be issued in Week 2 of Term 3. Deputy Principals and the Head of Student Services, read every report card issued in their year level/s of responsibility so there is time required when teachers finish writing the report, to allow the leadership team to proofread them. We will distribute report cards to parents/carers one week earlier than last year, based on parent/carer feedback from our last reporting survey. 

DIGITAL LEARNING SURVEY

The school has been using iPads and laptops for some years to support and enrich learning. Given that the digital and online landscape has changed and will continue to change rapidly, it is timely to undertake a survey to gain some feedback from parents/carers about the provision of digital learning at Jamboree Heights. I have been working with a small group of interested parents/carers about how the school can work with families to ensure they have the support they need when their children utilise devices at home. Please look out for the survey which will be issued via email in the coming weeks.

IMPORTANT WARNING: DISCO GLOW WANDS

You will recall I sent an email before the holidays asking parents/carers to carefully dispose of  the Glow Wands that were given out at the school disco last term. We have been contacted by the Office of Fair Trading who are working with us to ensure the suppliers of these items are complying with regulations around items that contain button batteries. Of course, going forward any items purchased for the school disco will be carefully vetted prior to distribution. Please read carefully the attached pamphlet around the dangers and disposal actions needed for button and coin batteries.  If you return the glow wands to our school office as soon as possible, we will arrange for safe disposal. 

Have a good week,

Kathy

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope the school holidays gave you all a chance to rest, recharge, and enjoy time with family and friends.

It has been wonderful to see our learners return with such positivity and enthusiasm.

This term, we continue to place a strong emphasis on Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) across the school.

A big thank you to all teachers, learners and staff for their incredible efforts with PBL this past term. We’ve had so many learners receive the 25 and 50 gotcha rewards and Kooka’s shop has been in full swing.

We had a wonderful disco celebration for all learners to reward their consistent efforts in upholding the school expectations of being safe, responsible and respectful.

You might have noticed in Mrs Canavan’s weekly happenings the PBL focus for each week, this will continue in Term Two, so keep those eyes peeled.

We’re looking forward to another incredible term and can’t wait to see our learners thrive!

ANZAC Day Commemoration – A Remarkable Community Effort

Last week, our school came together to commemorate ANZAC Day with respect, reflection, and unity. It was an incredibly moving event, and we would like to extend our sincere thanks and congratulations to the entire school community for their outstanding efforts.

Our Year 6 student leaders did a wonderful job leading the assembly, demonstrating maturity, confidence, and respect throughout. We were honoured to welcome special guest speaker Mr Terry Stevens from the Centenary RSL, who shared heartfelt words that deeply resonated with our parent body, staff and learners.

A special thank you to Corporal Andrew Kopittke for his stirring rendition of The Last Post—a moment that brought a profound sense of reflection to the entire assembly. This was Corporal Kopittke’s sixth occasion performing the Last Post at our school’s ANZAC assembly! 

The beautiful ANZAC wreaths, lovingly created by our parents and staff, were a visual tribute to the sacrifices made by Australian service men and women. Their contribution added a meaningful and personal touch to the ceremony.

Finally, we would like to acknowledge the exemplary behaviour of our learners. Their respectful participation during the assembly was truly commendable and reflective of the values we uphold at our school.

Thank you to the JHSS learners and families who at the last minute, attended the Darra RSL service after the Centenary Service was cancelled. Another fabulous show of respect and commitment from our school community!

ANZAC Colouring and Writing Competition

Congratulations to all learners who participated in either the Prep-Year 2 ANZAC colouring competition or the Year 3-6 ANZAC writing competition, organised by our Year 6 student leaders.

The winners of the Prep-Year 2 colouring competition:

• Emma HS - Prep D
• Jovan - Prep F
• Marija - 1L
• Agasthya- 1D
• Teddy - 2B
• Isabella - 2B

The winners of the Year 3-6 Writing Competition:

• Oliver - 3T
• Naira - 4J
• Cora - 5W
• Mitchell - 6G

The Highly Commended awards for the Year 3-6 Writing Competition:

• Aurora - 3Z
• Ryan - 4L
• Vyan - 5D
• Matthew - 6H

Bogan Bingo is Back!

Bogan Bingo, proudly sponsored by RE/MAX Ignite-Profile, is back and taking place on Saturday 24th May. Single tickets are available on QKR for $25, or $35 which includes a delicious burger and a bevy! Please note that if you would like a burger, you will need to pre-order on QKR. 

The Bogan Bingo event commences at 5:00pm with Happy Hour, burgers and raffle tickets, with the Bingo fun running from 6:30-8:30pm. 

Everyone who attended Bogan Bingo in 2024 had an absolute blast, with many excited to go again this year. A reminder that all money raised through this event goes back to our school!

Although tickets are sold as singles, you will be able to sit in table groups! 

Welcome back to Term 2! I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday. It is lovely to see all of our learners back and settled in classrooms for what will be a busy term.

Prep 2026

Thank you to the families who attended the Parent Information Sessions for Prep 2026 earlier this week. We had a great mix of returning families, as well as families looking to join the Jamboree Heights community for the first time.

We also appreciate our new and returning families who have returned Prep enrolment forms for 2026. Not only does this assist us with our prep classes for 2026, it also allows us to communicate upcoming transition events and booking platforms. If you know anyone who has a child commencing Prep in 2026, we ask they submit their enrolment forms as soon as possible.

At Jamboree Heights, we are passionate about getting to know each of our Prep learners and their families. We look forward to continuing this journey during the Prep transition sessions commencing next term. Keep an eye out for a booking link that will be emailed later this term.

Prep Transition Activity Sessions        

• Monday 4th August
• Tuesday 5th August
• Wednesday 6th August                                                                   

Prep Interviews

• Friday 24th October

Prep Orientation Morning

• Friday 14th November

Prep Street Science

At the end of last term, our Prep learners attended their first incursion, Street Science. Street Science encouraged Prep learners to use their senses to learn more about their world. They also presented a workshop on safety in Science and during science experiments and snow was made to allow learners to use their senses of touch and sight. The properties of the materials used to make the snow were also discussed, teaching learners some new vocabulary. It was very exciting that learners collected their snow and took it home to share with their families!

Prep and Year 6 Buddies

In the last week of Term 1, some of our Prep classes welcomed their Year 6 buddies for a morning of Easter craft. This was a great chance for our junior and senior learners to build relationships during fun activities. The Buddy program has multiple benefits and it is so wonderful to see our learners so engaged, having fun and enjoying this opportunity. We look forward to more buddy sessions in the future.

Term 2 brings an exciting range of new clubs and activities designed to engage and support our learners

For Term 2, we have so many new clubs and activities now available to engage and support our learners, and believe there is something on offer for everyone. Please see the overview below for details on what’s on offer. We encourage you to explore these options with your child and help them find something they’re excited to try. If your child is unsure about joining a club, we suggest they attend at least once to see if it’s a good fit.

Clubs in the spotlight

Year 3 & 4 Hang-out Zone (Years 3 to 4, Mon to Thur, 2nd break in 4M classroom)

The newly opened 'Hang-out Zone' is a fun space where learners can come and hang with friends or great place to meet new friends.   It is packed with awesome activities to spark creativity, connection, and laughter, such as chess, lego, colouring-in/drawing, board games... 

Garden Club Year Prep to 6 (Tues 1st break for Y1 to 6; Thursday before school, 8am for prep to Y6)

The garden is looking amazing thanks to the efforts of Mrs Hourigan, Mrs Wilson and many student helpers. Always things to do in the garden and everybody welcome!

Drama and Optiminds Challenges (Years 3 to 6, Thursday, 1st break in the hall)

With the guidance of Mrs Biegel, 'Drama and Optiminds Challenges' is a chance to work as a team, bring your imagination to life, get creative to solve problems and have fun.  In sessions, learners practise spontaneous challenges and explore mini versions of each long-term challenge — perfect for anyone keen to get involved in Optiminds this year.

Jambo Dance Club (Years 1 to 3, Wednesday 1st break in the hall)

Love to move and groove? Join Jambo Dance Club’s fun, high-energy 30-minute class—no experience needed—where you’ll build confidence, learn new moves, and express yourself in a supportive space! First session kicks off in Week 3 with Mrs Donaldson in the old hall. 

Book Club Issue 3

Issue 3 catalogues have been delayed in transit. We hope to hand these out by Tuesday 6th May – deadline for orders is the 12th May. In the meantime, you can access the online catalogue here. All orders are to be placed online through LOOP ordering.

Book Fair – May 21st - May 26th 

Our first Book Fair for the year will be starting Wednesday, May 21st in the library. There will be plenty of books, posters and novelty stationery items on sale. 30% of all sales comes directly back to our library in the form of dollar-for-dollar reward points, to spend on new books and resources for the library. Thank you for supporting Book Club and Book Fair, our major fundraisers for the school library.  

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) Day – May 21st

On the same day Book Fair kicks off, we will also be celebrating NSS across the school. Every year the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) selects a wonderful Australian book to be read by millions of people in Australia and New Zealand simultaneously. This is a fun celebration of reading for pleasure.

This year the book selected is “Truck Cat” by new author Deborah Frenkel, with illustrations by award-winning artist Danny Snell. This touching tale explores themes of cats and humans, immigration and identity, and the experience of losing and finding home.

To promote and celebrate this book and event, we will be holding an in-school competition during the week of NSS, with a chance to win a copy of the book, bookmark and stickers. 

Readers Cup Teams

Congratulations to our 10 learners who have made the team for Readers Cup this year.

Year 5 – Krutir, Neel, Sophie E, Sofia L, Miles

Year 6 – Emma C, Chase H, Laura L, Matthew V

These learners have been busy reading the 5 selected novels in readiness for the competition, to be held at St. Aidan’s AGS, June 17th.

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.

Year Two Choir

If your Year Two child would like to join Year Two Choir please fill in this online form. Year Two choir started on Friday 2 May but it’s not too late to join. Year Two Choir rehearse at second lunch on Fridays. Children are welcome to come and have a trial but I do ask that after the first week or two they make a decision and if they want to be in choir that they commit to coming to every rehearsal, not just when they feel like it. Choir will cost $10 for the year and you will be invoiced in a few weeks.

Most of our performances throughout the year will be on assembly, we will have one out of school time rehearsal which will be our end of year Gala Concert in the MPC. More information will come about that later in the year. If you have any questions about Year Two Choir please email, Mrs Brydon dbryd1@eq.edu.au

Sign up here: https://forms.office.com/r/ZNpjmFzYUQ

Lullabies

Lullabies aren’t just soothing—they’re brain boosters for infants! ?? Research shows that lullabies have a regular and repetitive pattern that helps babies neurally track the music, strengthening their auditory and cognitive development. 

This means every time a baby hears a lullaby, their brain is practicing key skills needed for language, memory, and emotional connection. If you have a baby in your life, keep singing to them and boosting their brain!

A little bit of music fun

Here are the clips that upper school 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 1 -  Guess the music

Week 2 – Oh Potato Dog - Parry Gripp

Sports Representatives

We have had a busy and hugely successful Term 1 in representative sport! 32 learners across Years 4-6 have been selected into a Northern Eagles Team from JHSS. Several of our learners have represented across multiple sports. This is a huge achievement and potentially the largest number of athletes ever selected at JHSS!

We have also had 4 learners selected into the Metropolitan West District Team so far this year. The standard of sport across the region present at these trials is extremely high and selection within their chosen sport is a massive accomplishment!

Huge congratulations to:

Jack – AFL, Mitch – Netball, Megan – Basketball and Henry – Rugby League!

Cross Country

Our competitive Cross Country trials were held last week, just in time to select the JHSS Cross Country team to compete at the Northern Eagles trials on Tuesday.

Well done to those who placed in our competitive races:

Huge congratulations to the 32 Runners who competed at the Northern Eagles trials on Tuesday!! We had some fantastic times and results on a very challenging track!  Top 10 finishes from JHSS were: Edie 6th and Vyan 9th in the 10 years girls and boys 2km races.

Running Club

Running Club has a new day! With the commencement of Junior Band, Running Club is moving to Tuesdays. Please meet Mrs Dragona at 8am on the oval with your hat and water bottle. Running starts next week, week 3 and will run until week 9 of term. There will not be any Running Club week 8 due the Senior Athletics Carnival.

Touch Football

Mr Cumner is starting open sessions next week for athletes from Year 5 & 6 who are interested in participating in Touch Football! Training will be on Thursday mornings on the oval from 7.30am to 8.30am. Mr Cumner has coached and managed the JHSS Touch Football team to great success over the last several years. A squad will be chosen from these open sessions to compete in several competitions in Term 3.

Interschool Sport

Interschool Sport started this week for Year 5 & 6. The rain hampered our training efforts at the end of Term 1 but teams have been very busy making up for it this week! Well done to all our learners who participated, your wonderful sportsmanship, kindness and helpful attitude contributed to a fantastic first week of competition. We are looking forward to the next round!

• 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

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.