2025 Term 3 Week 8
1. Welcome to Week 8
Principal's Message
Welcome to Week 8!
This term is going incredibly fast. For our Year 10 students, they move into their final 10 weeks of schooling at Wallumbilla State School.
SDK
This week, our Kindy students will be moving to three days a week instead of two. Their days will be Wednesday to Friday.
Student Free Day
On Friday 5th September, we have a state-wide student free day. This means that students are required to stay home on Friday.
Book Week
Arrr, me hearties! It great to see every dressed up on Friday of Week 6 for our annual Book Week parade. It is fantastic to see that we have a love of reading in our school. Well done to all our prize winners. A big thank you needs to go to Mrs Dorrstein and Mrs Dickson for their work in this year’s book fair, book week and Premier’s Reading Challenge. We also need to congratulate all 27 students who completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge!
Parent Teacher Interviews
Next Tuesday, we are holding our Term 3 Parent Teacher Interviews. Last week, a SMS was sent out with the link for booking a session with teachers. If you have not booked a time, please do so by Friday afternoon at 5:15pm. Please use the link below if you have misplaced the message.
https://wallumbillass.schoolzineplus.com/PTInterviewsT3
End of Term Rewards
Students have been busy working hard in class and earning Dojos. As we come to the end of the term, most classes have reached their threshold to hold their end of term reward. This term, we have tried using Schoolzine’s Web Forms to gather parental consent. We are planning on moving to form of gaining parental consent to limit our paper usage at school.
I look forward to getting around to all our classrooms to see our students working hard as we come to assessment time. Please ensure that students are attending every day unless sick, so that teachers can complete assessments by the end of the term.
Thanks,
Ben Meiklejohn - Principal
2. Curriculum Corner
Primary Snapshot
Kindy/Prep
In Design Technology this term, Preps have been exploring the characteristics and properties of materials and components that are used to produce designed solutions. They are learning the importance of following sequenced steps. The K/P class followed instructions to make a paper aeroplane, then tested them out on the tennis courts. Afterwards, students evaluated the design and production processes.
Year 1/2
In science this fortnight, students have been consolidating their knowledge all about the sky and the landscape. Students have enjoyed looking at the different landscapes in the Outback magazine and discussing the features they can see and most importantly making prediction with how these landscapes could change.
Year 3/4
This week in the Year 3/4 classroom, students have been celebrating Book Week with a strong focus on reading. Together, we completed our class novel Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien and enjoyed a variety of shorter novels and decodable texts during our daily paired reading sessions.
Year 5/6
Book Week has brought plenty of excitement to the Year 5/6 classroom! Students have been immersed in The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, exploring Roz’s journey and sharing their favourite parts of the story during paired reading.
End Of term Rewards
As classes work toward achieving their whole class Dojo goal, they will be eligible to participate in the end of term class celebration.
These will occur in Week 10 of the Term, with more information sent home closer to the date
3. Health & Wellbeing Matters
School Based Youth Health Nurse News
The SBYHN service is available to all secondary students in state schools and supports social and emotional wellbeing. Wallumbilla's SBYHN, Emma, is a Registered Nurse employed by Queensland Health and provides whole of school health promotion, classroom education and individual student consultations that are confidential and voluntary within school hours. Students can self-refer, be referred by peers, school staff and parents. She can also provide resources and education to parents as requested.
If you have concerns or feel there is an issue within schools that requires attention, please let school staff or Emma know. Emma visits Wallumbilla every two weeks during the school term. Don’t hesitate to contact her if you have any questions or concerns.
Weekly Wellbeing Focus
As part of our Health and Wellbeing Program, each week in 2025 we have a school focus that is designed to optimise students’ learning and wellbeing. Our school diaries aren't just an important tool for communication and organisation, they also set out our weekly wellbeing focus in an age-appropriate way.
Each term we are using our diaries to explore the Berry Street Education Model wellbeing domains. In Term 1 our emphasis was on recognising and regulating stress responses in the body. In Term 2 our focus is one the importance of relationships to our wellbeing.
Term 1: 'Body'
In Term 1 our emphasis was on recognising and regulating stress responses in the body. Students explored how to maintain creativity, focus and motivation, and to stay "in the flow" during their learning.
They developed strategies to manage stress and improve their overall wellbeing, ensuring they’re ready to take on challenges with a positive mindset.
Term 2: 'Relationship', 'Body' and 'Stamina'
We started Term 2 by exploring relationships - developing positive, respectful relationships with peers, teachers, and the wider school community. By focusing on strategies to build trust, empathy, and effective communication, we aim to strengthen students' social-emotional skills and enhance their ability to collaborate and thrive in a supportive learning environment.
By the middle of the term, it was time to revisit the 'Body' domain by updating our 'Ready to Learn Plans' and adding some 'Mindfulness' strategies. At the end of a big Semester 1, we began to investigate the 'Stamina' domain!
Term 3: 'Stamina', 'Body', and 'Engagement'
In Term 3, we begin by building Stamina through resilience—exploring what it means to learn from setbacks and how to reframe failure as a natural part of growth. Students reflect on the idea that “FAILure is the First Attempt In Learning” and practise letting go of negative thoughts by harnessing the power of positive thinking.
As the term progresses, we will revisit the Body domain with a focus on tools for both relaxation and regulation. Students experiment with using mandalas as calming tools, learn to recognise signs of escalation and de-escalation, and explore how movement, rhythm, and mindfulness support their learning and wellbeing.
In the second half of the term, we shift into the Engagement domain—highlighting how positive emotions help students stay engaged and find their flow. They will practise savouring what’s going well, seeking out “just right” challenges, and using strategies like brain breaks to stay present, centred, and grounded.
We finish the term by revising and updating our Ready to Learn strategies, making sure each student’s plan continues to support their growth and readiness for the final term of the year.
Not sure what week it is or what the topic's all about?
Go to today's date in the school diary to find out!
Term 3 Weekly Topics
| Week 8 | E04 | Movement and rhythm for learning | Positive primers and brain breaks are great regulation strategies. |
| Week 9 | B17 | Present. Centred. Grounded. | There's a reason why it's called the 'present'. |
| Week 10 | B18 | Ready to Learn strategies (revision/additions) | Make sure plans stay relevant. |
4. Awards & Celebrations
Students of the Week in Week 6
Week 6 Reading Awards
Students of the Week in Week 7
Week 7 Reading Awards
A huge thank you to Megan Dickson and Meegan Dorrstein for organising the 2025 Premier's Reading Challenge and Book Week celebrations! So many of our students got involved, embracing the joy of reading and the magic of books. It was such a positive and memorable experience for everyone—thank you both for making it happen!
5. Student Council Notices
6. Arts & Cultural Activity
Instrumental Music
This term, the Year 3/4 students at Wallumbilla State School have been filling their classrooms with the delightful sounds of recorders as they embark on their first musical journey! Learning to play the recorder is a fantastic way for students to explore the basics of music while having fun.
7. Sports Report
Congratulations to the following students for competing and being selected in representative school sport recently:
- Well done to Jorja T, Jordan J, Ryon B, Lauren H, Carter P, Lachie B, Ewan B, Lucy B and Ryon F who competed at the South West trials in St George last week.
- Congratulations to Carter P for representing Wallumbilla at the State Touch Football Championships last week in Roma.
Well done to these students!
8. Parents & Citizens News
Tuckshop Helpers needed
The P&C is also in need of helpers on a Thursday. Without a helper it's not possible to offer the full menu - so please, if you have the time, come along and give Petrina a hand.
9. Community Noticeboard
10. Teacher Aide Appreciation Week
This week we are celebrating Teacher Aide Appreciation Week! At Wallumbilla State School, we are so fortunate to have an amazing group of Teacher Aides who work tirelessly to ensure our school runs smoothly. On Thursday we held a special Parade to acknowledge Rachell Duncan, Sarah Houston, Vicki Brown, Meg Dawes, Karen Sainty, Tracy Haddow and Olivia Murphy. Wallumbilla State School wouldn't be what it is without you all, we appreciate you and thank you so much for all your hard work.
