Newsletter - 02/04/2025

Principal News

As we wrap up another bustling term at Fitzgerald State School, it’s exciting to reflect on all that has happened during a jam-packed term 1. Recent school events such as our annual Cross Country Race, Year 3 & 5 NAPLAN Testing, School Life Education sessions, Parent Teacher Interviews and the P&C AGM meetings have made this term fly by.

As communicated in last fortnight’s newsletter, Tracey Adams is currently on Long Service Leave until the 12^th May and I will be Acting Principal. Can I thank Kathryn Zammit for her leadership in the Acting Deputy Principal role within the Prep-Year 2 sector during the last two weeks- your hard work has been very much appreciated. Teri Robson will be filling in as acting Deputy Principal for the first three weeks next term.

Throughout the last two weeks, myself, Kathryn and Peter have been pleased to see how learning has progressed throughout the term in all of our classrooms across the school. Many of our classes have been busy finalising assessment and we are encouraged to see and hear how students’ learning is steadily progressing. This is a credit to the hard work of all our teachers and teacher aides and of course- our students.

Our school attendance for term 1 is sitting at 92%, which is an improvement from last year, but just shy of our 95% goal. Students will be coming home with high attendance certificates this week to recognise their efforts in ensuring they are at school every day. Students will receive a Platinum Award for 100% attendance or Gold Award for 95% and above attendance. Well done to those students.

On Monday night, it was pleasing to see a large proportion of our parent community engaging in parent teacher interviews in the school hall. As a school, the partnership we have between teacher and parent is crucial in supporting your child with their education. I hope that parents found this beneficial as well.

On the 24^th of May the P&C Annual General Meeting was held. I would like to thank and welcome our new 2025 P & C executive of: President- Jessica Majid; Vice President- Timothy Horder; Treasurer- Rebekah Hoffmann; Secretary Haley Moran-Green & Tia Bulmer. A sincere thank you to our outgoing 2024 P & C for all of their hard work and support that was provided to our school community.

The rain held off briefly on Friday 21^st March for our annual Cross Country race. A big thank you to Russell Hope for his ongoing efforts in ensuring the event could go ahead- all be it on a heavily modified track. It was fantastic to see all competitors giving 100% through the course on what was a very hot and humid day. A big congratulations to our age champions and of course Eagle House for winning the Cross Country Shield.

Cross Country Age Champions & House Champions

As the term wraps up this week, we still have lots happening. This Friday from 1.30-2.00pm in the School Hall we will be holding our annual Easter Bonnet Parade for our Prep – Year 2 classes. We would love to see school community members come along and support this afternoon and see all of the students’ Easter Hat on display. Along with this, a number of students will be involved in “Sing Out” in the school hall along with a number of other schools in Mackay.

For those of you travelling away for the Easter Holidays, I wish you a safe and happy break and am looking forward to seeing everyone back for the beginning of term 2.

Have a great Easter

Timothy Campbell
Acting Principal

Guidance Officer

Our year 5 and 6 students will be participating in the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing survey during weeks 1-4 of term 2 and further information has been distributed to carers this week.

What is the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing Survey?

The Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey is designed to measure how state school students view their wellbeing and engagement. This information will help schools to better support students and their needs.  No individual students are able to be identified from their responses, but results are reported as a school and as a comparison to schools across the state. 

What kind of questions will the survey ask?

The survey measures many aspects of students' wellbeing, engagement and experience at school. It includes questions about resilience; school climate; sense of belonging; motivation and perseverance; academic self-concept; personal social capabilities; general life satisfaction; future outlook and aspirations; relationships with peers, teachers and at home; and general health.

The survey is a ‘non-diagnostic’ tool that is able to provide information about groups of students (e.g. year levels) but does not assess the wellbeing of any individual student.

10 tips for surviving school holidays

(from https://www.parentline.org.au/)

While school holidays are a welcome break from the busyness of school routines, there is never a break from parenting.

The following tips will help you have fun and connect with your kids so you make the most of the school holidays:

1. Plan

• Get your kids involved in making a list of activities that they would like to do
• Plan for good and bad weather
• Schedule downtime and time-out as well as time for one-on-one and family group activities

1. The best things in life are free

• Make sure the list includes plenty of free activities such as picnics, bike rides, trips to the beach, the local library and the great outdoors

1. Boredom is good

• Unstructured time and time away from electronic devices is good for young minds

1. Use opportunities to teach new skills and self-reliance

• Not having the pressure to rush out the door in the morning can allow for kids to develop new skills such as getting their own breakfast and lunch, taking the dog for a walk.

1. Ask for help

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help to share the load. For example, asking friends or family to help care for children or to provide assistance in other ways.

1. Accept that things may not always go to plan

• Even the best made plans may need to be discarded at the last minute due to unforeseen events such as weather, illness or accidents. Whilst stressful, these unforeseen events often teach us and our kids valuable life lessons and may even become the source of family bonding or stories down the track.

1. Don’t forget self-care

• Look after yourself and take time out to relax, even if it’s half an hour whilst you have a cuppa and read a book. Remember, happy and relaxed parents make for happy children.

1. Support and company

• Having a support system can be crucial to any parent. It also gives parents the opportunity to interact with other parents whilst giving the kids a bit of play time.

1. Consider your child’s mental health and wellbeing

• Whilst it may be a family tradition to go on an annual family holiday or attend a family dinner, maybe your teenager is too depressed or your child with ADHD will be labelled by judgemental relatives. Consider if it’s really worth maintaining the tradition when it may be at the cost of mental health and wellbeing.

1. Holiday connections help us the rest of the year

• School holidays provide unique opportunities to connect with, listen to and get to know your kids. Use the time to spend one-on-one time with each family member.

Parent Line can also provide over the phone support throughout the holiday period if you need some extra help. Our counsellors are here for you seven days a week, 9am to 9pm weekdays and 4pm to 9pm.  tel:1300301300      https://parentline.com.au

Alexia Wotherspoon
Guidance Officer

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Katelyn Sartor
PBL Coach

Music & Instrumental

Choral News

Choral Fanfare

Creative Generation Choral Fanfare (Choral Fanfare) is the biennial choral festival for Queensland state schools which promotes and celebrates school-based choral music programs. More than 9,000 students participate in the program which showcases the outstanding vocal talents in Queensland's state schools through performance.

Choral Fanfare aims to:

• offer students, as well as conductors, the experience of expert adjudication and feedback
• provide students with the opportunity to perform alongside choirs from other state schools
• highlight school-based choirs
• promote excellence in choral performance.

Mackay Regional Final - Monday 9^th June – Fitzgerald School Hall  - The Junior and Senior Choirs will be competing in this competition.  Parents and community members are most welcome to attend.  Information will be sent home in Term 2 regarding this event.

SHEP 

Students in Year 5 and 6 (Senior Choir) are eligible to nominate for Choral SHEP (State Honours Excellence Program) – an educational program for choral students to pursue musical excellence.  This program is run by the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.  Further information about SHEP can be found at https://www.griffith.edu.au/arts-education-law/queensland-conservatorium/opportunities/open-conservatorium/state-honours-ensemble-program

Fee                      $290

Dates                  August 29 – 31

Venue                Mackay North SHS (Valley Street)

Times                 Friday 4 – 7pm; Saturday 8 – 4pm

Notes have been sent home with interested Year 5 and 6 senior choir students.  Please return early in Term 2 to Mrs Miller - lmill269@eq.edu.au

Instrumental News

Beginners Afternoon Tea

Last Tuesday, our beginning instrumental students had their first performance in the School Hall.  Well done to our budding musicians!

Twilight Concert

(for all beginning and continuing instrumental students and recorder ensemble) – Wednesday 21^st May (Week 5, Term 2) – 6pm in School Hall

Regional Instrument Camp

Sunday 22^nd June – Wednesday 25^th June (Seaforth) – for accepted Year 6 instrumental students only (to be advised in Term 2).

Linda Miller
Music Teacher/Instrumental Music Coordinator 

From the Resource Centre

                                  Brittany Kendall              Jo Struthers
                                     Teacher Librarian           Teacher Aide

Speech-Language Therapy

Upcoming Events

P&C News

First, I would like to give a warm welcome to all our new families and thank the Fitzgerald school community for their support in 2024.

In 2024 the P&C committee were able to achieve some wonderful things. They held our Colour Run fundraiser and the neon disco. Our students enjoyed shopping at the Mother’s Day stall and buying donuts for Father’s Day. Tuckshop was a challenge in 2024 with minimal volunteers and staff changes, despite this; the committee were able to open the Tuckshop in term 4. They are thankful to each and every person who helped, whether it was volunteering at events, selling icy cups, washing lost property or attending meetings.

The Fitzgerald P&C is a volunteer-based, not-for-profit organization of parents and staff dedicated to supporting the school community. They provide feedback on school policies and procedures, help secure resources, and participate in fundraising, school events, and Tuckshop operations. Their efforts enhance students' education and strengthen the school community.

The P&C held the AGM last Tuesday afternoon where we saw 18 members join and welcomed our new committee. The executive team for 2025 are:

Jess Majid: President
Jess is a friendly and creative mum of four, with two children in Grades 1 and 2 at Fitzy. She runs a small home business braiding hair and loves meeting new people. Jess and her family are crafty and love fishing during good whiting season. Jess has a lot of years left at Fitzy and is very passionate about invoking positive change to the benefit of all of our children.

Tim Horder: Vice President

Tim is continuing on as Vice President in 2025. He has one child in Year 1 and another in Kindy, he joined the P&C to help provide exciting and enriching experiences for all Fitzgerald students.

Haley Moran-Green: Secretary of Minutes

Haley is a passionate Speech Pathologist dedicated to supporting children's communication. As a mum of Year 2 twins, she loves crafting and spending time outside with her family. She joined the P&C to help create fun events for the kids and gain a deeper understanding of how the P&C supports their school experience.

Tia Bulmer: Secretary of Correspondence

Tia is a dedicated Speech-Language Pathologist with the Department of Education. When she's not working, she loves camping, cooking, and traveling with her family. As a parent of a Year 2 student and a Kindy-goer at Pioneer Community Kindy, Tia is passionate about creating memorable experiences and events to enrich our children's primary school journey.

Rebekah Hoffmann: Treasurer

Bek is an administration officer and proud parent of two children in Grades 1 and 3. She loves spending weekends on outdoor adventures, enjoying great food, and making memories with friends. Driven by her children's experiences, she is passionate about creating a positive and fun school environment for the entire Fitzgerald community.

Tanya Taylor: Fundraising Coordinator

Tanya is a full-time class teacher at Fitzy and a returning member of the P&C. Having served as P&C President in 2023, she was proud of their previous fundraising achievements and is excited to collaborate with the school community and the new executive committee this year. Together, we aim to provide fun events for students and raise funds for the new Year 2/3 playground.

Our 2025 vision highlights include; operating the Tuckshop five days a week with online purchasing (in the near future) and raising funds through grants and events to build a new Year 2/3 playground and cricket pitch. Our team is welcoming and believes "the more, the merrier!" You don’t need to be a P&C member to help—just send us an email with your skills and/or availability. Support can include event setup, barbecuing, volunteering, sponsoring or donating goods or services. Ideas and feedback are always welcome at fitzgeraldsspc@outlook.com.

The P&C meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30PM in the laptop space, lasting about an hour. The next meeting is week 2 Tuesday the 29^th April. We hope to see you there!

Easter Hat Parade - Prep-Yr2

Community News