Dear Parents/Carers,

THANKYOU SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION OFFICERS

Our school is so fortunate in having such capable and caring administration officers who support our parent community, staff and learners every day. Their patience is endless. 

A day for School Admin Officers was marked across the state a couple of weeks ago but we had some key members out for professional development, so our school will be marking this day next week.

The team is capably led by De Hansell (Business Manager) who is supported by Sarah Reed, Linda Richardson, Rachael Williams and Kendall Cardwell. We love the work of this team and we hope they enjoy some surprises of appreciation, next week. 

De Hansell	Sarah Reed	Linda Richardson
Rachael Williams	Kendall Cardwell

CYBERBULLYING

Last week I provided some resources on the topic of bullying given our school's marking of National Say No to Bullying Day." This week, my focus is on Cyberbullying. The school does on occasion spend time dealing with matters reported to us by parents/carers, where they believe their child has not been treated well online. Parents/carers play a very important role in keeping their children and the children of others safe. Therefore,

• Use guidelines from the government around whether certain apps and websites are age appropriate and follow their advice.
• Monitor carefully any "chats" in which your child is involved. 
• Expect your child may have multiple accounts so you don't see what they and their friends are really chatting about. 
• Trusting that your children can make decisions themselves online is a big call. Leaving primary aged children unsupervised in an online environment can be as dangerous as giving them the keys to your car.

Keeping your child safe online

The online world is constantly changing—and it can be hard to know how to keep your child safe online.

Parents who understand online safety are better prepared to guide their children in managing digital conflicts. This has been shown to reduce cyberbullying by up to 20%.

Source: eSafety Commissioner, Australia, 2023

You play a key role in helping your child stay safe and confident online. Here are some practical things you can do:

• UseParental controls External link—use tools for online monitoring.
• Walk the talk—set reasonable screen time boundaries External link and prioritise device-free moments for the whole family (even for yourself).
• Talk about it—start non-judgmental conversations (PDF, 1.76MB) External link with your child about their online activities to build trust.
• Setfamily rules External link—involve your child in setting age-appropriate rules. Display them for the family to access and stick to them consistently.
• Learn about online safety—stay informed about online trends. Teach your child about privacy, risks of sharing personal info and respectful online behaviour External link.

Visit the eSafety Commissioner's website External link for trusted, up-to-date information and resources for families.

Supporting your child when things go wrong online

Keeping children safe online can be a challenge. Even with your best efforts, negative experiences, such as cyberbullying, exposure to harmful content or unwanted contact, can still occur.

Here are some steps you can take when things go wrong online for your child:

1. Listen and support External link—create a safe space for your child to share their feelings. Actively listen without judgement, providing emotional support to build trust.
2. Collect evidence External link—seek professional help immediately if your child is at risk. Gather evidence such as the usernames of the accounts and URLs of the profiles used to target your child, and the times and dates the content was sent or shared. This information can be used for reporting.
3. Report External link and block—use online platforms' reporting features to address inappropriate behaviour. Guide your child through reporting and blocking users involved in online bullying.
4. Contact your child's school—share concerns with your child's teachers or school administrators. Schools have processes to address online issues that involve other students.
5. Seek professional help for your child—consider support services like eSafety External link, headspace External link, Kids Helpline External link and Parentline External link for additional assistance.

If you need someone to talk to or are looking for advice to support your child, services like Parentline External link or the Raising Children Network External link are available to help.

My child is doing the bullying

It can be confronting and upsetting to learn your child may be involved in bullying. But staying calm and approaching the situation with curiosity rather than anger can help your child feel safe enough to open up and reflect on their behaviour.

Getting professional advice can make a big difference

Parentline External link offers support and practical guidance on how to respond, what to say, and how to work through it together.

Steps you can take to help:

1. Stay calm—a calm, curious approach builds trust and helps your child feel safe.
2. Ask gentle questions—use open, non-judgmental questions like, 'What was going on for you when that happened?' to better understand your child's perspective.
3. Prioritise connection—how that you're there to support them. Kids are more likely to change when they feel heard.
4. Avoid rushing to punish—focus on understanding the underlying reasons behind your child's actions, rather than immediately punishing.
5. Encourage empathy—help your child consider how their behaviour affects others.
6. Collaborate with the school—work proactively with teachers, reach out to the support staff in your child's school or connect with the Parent Navigator service.
7. Model respectful behaviour—demonstrate positive interactions at home and discuss respectful ways to manage conflict.
8. Seek external support—consider support services such as Parentline for additional guidance.
9. Listen—listen to your child, let them share what's happened, how they feel and what help they need.
10. Check in—check in with your child regularly about how things are going, and taking further action such as following up with the school again if necessary.

Support for parents and carers

Knowing what to do if your child is involved in bullying behaviours can be challenging and emotional, but you are not alone, and there are steps you can take.

You can:

• reach out to your school. There are a range of support staff in schools who can help
• call Parentline External link on 1300 30 1300 (available from 6am to midnight, 7 days) for free and confidential support.

Parentline provides free and confidential support and for a range of parenting concerns, including bullying.

As part of the Parentline service, Parent Navigator provides free service for parents seeking support in working with their child's school about bullying behaviour concerns. Find out more about Parent Navigator.

Additional resources:

• Bullying No Way External link—is a resource that can help you understand the definition of bullying and the role of parents as well as practical tips for families around working with schools.
• Raising Children Network External link—provides evidence-based resources to help parents understand, prevent, and respond to bullying at school and online.
• Managing conflict and recognising bullying in the Early Years External link—is a guide focused on young children and offers strategies to promote positive behaviour and resolve issues early.

Support for children and young people

If your child is experiencing bullying or struggling with their mental health, these services offer free and confidential support.

Kids Helpline
24/7 free, confidential counselling for young people aged 5–25.
Call 1800 55 1800
Chat online External link
Website: kidshelpline.com.au External link

Headspace
Mental health support for young people aged 12–25.
Call 1800 650 890
Chat or email online External link
Website: headspace.org.au 

Where appropriate, schools can report to Queensland Police and the e-safety commission when there is evidence of children behaving unsafely online. 

Have a good week,

Kathy

Kathy

Year 6 Camp 2026 - Parent Survey Results

Thank you to all the families who participated in our recent parent survey regarding the 2026 Year 6 camp destination. We are pleased to share that we received an impressive 97 responses, reflecting strong community engagement and interest in this important decision.

The survey presented two options for consideration:

• A 5-day camp in Cairns, featuring a variety of educational and adventure-based activities, including visits to the Great Barrier Reef and Kuranda.
• A Great South East experience, highlighting local attractions and learning opportunities within our region.

The results were clear:

• 78% of respondents were in favour of the Cairns trip.
• 22% preferred the Great South East option.

Based on this overwhelming support for the Cairns experience, we are excited to announce that a deposit has now been secured for the 2026 Year 6 camp to Cairns.

We believe this destination will provide an unforgettable learning opportunity and a wonderful way for our Year 6 students to celebrate their final year of primary school.

More information regarding dates, payment plans and itinerary details will be shared in the coming months.

Thank you once again to our school community for your input and continued support.

Year 5 Science Day at Centenary High State School

Crazy Hair Day and National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence

A big thank you to our wonderful school community for your amazing support during Crazy Hair Day last week! It was fantastic to see so many creative and colourful hairstyles around the school.

We also want to express our appreciation for your support of National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence by proudly wearing purple. We raised a total of $942 which will go towards resourcing some buddy benches throughout our school grounds. 

Thank you again for your ongoing support with these initiatives. 

Kindness in Action

Congratulations to Year 1 learner Arrabella H, who received both a KINDNESS Award and a ZINGER Award at last week’s Junior Assembly!

Arrabella was nominated for the Kindness Throne after Mrs Zaiko observed her showing extraordinary kindness in the library to one of her peers. This isn’t the first time Arrabella has been recognised—she has been nominated for a Kindness Award in the past, showing that her thoughtful actions are not a one-off.

On top of this, Arrabella has also been impressing with her writing, receiving a ZINGER Award for her fantastic procedure on Making a Mask.

Well done, Arrabella—we are so proud of you!

Celebrating National Tree Day 2025

A huge thank you to Mrs Stuart, Mrs Mannheim, Mrs Fowler, Clare Hourigan and Maria Wilson for the time and effort they put into organising our school-wide Scavenger Hunt to celebrate National Tree Day 2025.

Learners were set the exciting challenge of exploring our school grounds to identify different trees, record their findings on a scavenger hunt form, uncover missing letters, and finally unscramble them to reveal the mystery word—Biodiversity!

It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and curiosity our learners brought to the challenge. A highlight of the day was watching older students step in to support our younger learners, showing teamwork, patience, and encouragement as they worked together to solve the puzzle.

Thank you again to everyone who helped make this a fun and meaningful way to celebrate the importance of trees and caring for our environment!

E-Waste

Our E-Waste campaign, is taking place this coming week, beginning Monday, 25th August and running up until Friday 29th August. It will be open each morning this week, with the drop-off of items to take place in the Beanland St pick up zone. 

During the week, we will be collecting: 

• Phones/ iPhones
• iPads/ Tablets
• Computers/ Monitors
• Printers/ Scanners
• TVs
• DVD Players
• Game Consoles
• Sound systems

We are not able to collect:

• Whitegoods such as fridges, washing machines, dryers etc.
• Batteries 

We are pleased to be supported again by eWaste Collection. They will not only collect our E-Waste from the school but will also provide a presentation to our Conservation Club about the E-Waste recycling process.

Although this year's E-Waste collection will not serve as a fundraiser for the school, it remains a crucial initiative for helping our environment and promoting sustainability within our community.

Prep 2026

If you have a child ready for Prep in 2026, please submit their enrolment forms as soon as possible. Below are the remaining transition activities this year.

Prep Interviews:

Friday 24th October

Prep Orientation Morning:

Friday 14th November - 9:00-11:00am

Lunchtime Clubs and Activities

For Term 3, we continue to offer a wide range of clubs and activities designed to engage and support our learners. With something on offer for everyone, we’re confident your child will find an activity that sparks their interest.

Please note that some clubs have updated times this term. Refer to the Club Overview Term 3 (V 22-8) for full details of what’s available. A few key changes to note:

• Self-Care is a new student-led club starting this week for 3 to 6s (check out details below).
• AFL jnr is a new club for Year 2 & 3s being run by Mrs Ridley with some more details below
• Dance –  don’t forget Dance is still running  - we have had a few Wednesdays off and it is back on!
• Lego Club has moved to Friday 1st break (previously Wednesday)
• Maker Space will now be held only on Tuesday 1st break – open to all year levels
• Conservation Club – now confirmed to be open to Year 1 to 6 learners

We encourage you to explore these options with your child and support them in trying something new. If they’re unsure about joining a club, we suggest they attend at least once—it might be just the right fit!

Clubs in the spotlight

Introducing Self-Care Club! - Year 5 & 6 Tuesday 2nd break in 6F classroom | Year 3 & 4 Wednesday 2nd break in 4M Classroom

Created by Rosha (with a little help from her friends Willow, Mackayla), the Self-Care Club is your go-to space for good chats, and positive energy!

Running during 2nd break on Tuesdays (Years 5–6) in 6F classroom and Wednesdays (Years 3–4) in 4M classroom, this club is all about knowing yourself, liking yourself, and connecting with others. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed, need a brain break, or just want to meet new people, this is a safe space where you can talk, listen, and be heard.

Rosha started this club because she knows what it’s like to feel alone—and she wants others to know they’re never truly alone. There’s always someone to talk to, and sometimes, a little colouring-in or a team-building game can make a big difference.

Expect positive self-affirmations, calming activities, and maybe even help finding a trusted adult to talk to. It’s all about supporting each other and building a community where everyone feels seen and valued.

So come along, bring a friend, and take a moment for YOU.

Willow, Rosha, Georgia and Mackayla

Debating Teams Shine in First Round!

On Thursday night, we had four debating teams head to Brisbane Christian College to take part in the first round of the Queensland Debating Union (QDU) Primary School Competition and they absolutely smashed it!

Despite a few early nerves, every team brought their A-game, showing off impressive speaking skills and thoughtful arguments as they tackled the topic: “All children’s media should have a happy ending.” Three of our teams walked away with wins, but all learners should be incredibly proud of their efforts and teamwork.

A huge congratulations to everyone involved!

Our debating club is guided by Dr Erin McCabe, a parent with extensive debating experience, who’s helping students sharpen their skills and prepare for four exciting rounds of competition. We can’t wait to see what the next round brings!

Aashika, Siya, Nikita and Kate (Left, Y6 Team 1); Samarth, Thomas, Mitchell (Right, Y6 Team 2)

 Emma, Neve, Cora and Grace (Left, Y5 Team 2); Kaden, Ryan, Evelyn, Naeha (Right, Y5 Team 1)

Footy Fridays with Mrs Ridley – Year 2 & 3 AFL Club!

Get ready to kick off your Fridays with fun and footy! Mrs Ridley (2B teacher) is starting a Junior AFL Club just for Year 2 and 3 students. Held every Friday during 1st break on the oval near the Year 2 building, this club is all about learning basic AFL skills and finishing with a friendly mini-game.

No experience needed, just bring your own footy and come ready to play, learn, and have a blast with your friends!

Coming up soon in our school music calendar

Week 6 – Instrumental Recruiting begins

Week 8 – Singfest (Senior Choir)

Do you want your child to play an instrument beginning in 2026?

If your child is currently in Year 2, they can be considered to begin a string instrument.

If your child is currently in Year 3, they can be considered to begin a band instrument (percussion, brass or woodwind).

Expressions of interest have opened this week. Year 2 and 3 Families have been emailed, more information is contained in the email. Here is the EOI link for current Year 2s. Here is the link EOI for current Year 3s. These EOIs close on 7 September. Next week all Year 2 and 3 students will have a demonstration of all of the instruments.

Here is the timeline for the recruiting process. If you have any questions please email Mrs Brydon dbryd1@eq.edu.au

WESTCENT

Back in Week 3 quite a few of our Instrumental Students attended Westcent, a day (or two day) workshop with other schools. Intermediate students attended one day on the Thursday and Advanced students attended two days on Tues and Wed. The days finished with great concerts. So much music learning happened in those days as well as some friendship building across schools. Congratulations to all who attended on your commitment and musicianship. Thanks to Mr Hoey, Mrs Price and Mrs Zorzetto for organising this wonderful opportunity for our learners.

Consistent music learning builds better brains

New research continues to show that children who regularly engage in musical activities, especially learning an instrument, develop stronger verbal abilities and higher general intellectual ability. And it's not about strict hours or daily practice routines (although they help with the music learning!). What truly matters is ongoing, meaningful engagement with music across the years. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

A little bit of music fun

Here are the clips that some 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 4 -  OK Go - Love (Official Video)

Week 5 – Debussy, Syrinx (for solo flute) ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

Book Week

CBCA Book Week has been taking place all over Australia this week in schools, pre-schools, libraries and child care centres. Library classes have been busy exploring these books over the last couple of months and have enjoyed guessing which book would be judged book of the year by the CBCA judges.

At JHSS we have moved Book Week to week 7 as we have a very special guest joining us for our annual costume parade / Book Week assembly.

Bestselling Australian children's author Andy Griffiths is visiting our school to celebrate his brand new book, You & Me and the Peanut Butter Beast. Andy will be delighting us with a fun presentation about his books and what it is like to be an author. Order your copy of You & Me and the Peanut Butter Beast and other Andy Griffiths books from Where the Wild Things Are Bookshop using this form or online at  https://wherethewildthingsare.com.au/c/andy-griffiths-august-2025. Online orders must be placed by 9am Thursday 28th August and will be delivered to the school that day. All the books will be signed by Andy on the day!

Book Week Activities and Competitions

Indigenous Literacy Foundation Book Swap

Thank you to the parents and students who donated coins and online donations to the ILF. We raised $439 for this wonderful organisation – thank you.

Questions?

If you have any questions, 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.

Sports Representatives

Huge congratulations to the eight Athletes selected into the Northern Eagles Athletics team to compete at the Met West Track and Field trials in a few weeks time! We wish the best of luck to: Emmie, Will, Hudson, Becky, Mackayla, Edie, Abbie and Zara!

Interschool Sport

With the unfortunate cancellation of week 1 due to the weather, we will be utilising the wet weather day on the 24th of October.

JHSS Interschool Sport dates will now be:

Term 3: Week 7, 29th August; Week 9, 12th of September

Term 4: Week 1, 10th September, Week 3, 24th September

Well done to all of our teams who have been training hard in preparation for our upcoming fixtures! As always, thank you to our amazing staff for their support, organisation and coaching skills which allow Interschool Sport to occur!

Running Club

Running Club continues on the oval from 8am on Tuesdays for Year 1-6. Come along for some running fun! Please bring a hat, water bottle and a change of shoes or socks as the oval is quite damp in the mornings.

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