Carbrook State School eNewsletter

Pupil Free Day

Carbrook State School will be closed on

Friday 5 September 2025

This is a Pupil Free Day.

2026 Enrolments

PREP - Year 6 ENROLMENTS FOR 2026 AVAILABLE

Prep to Year 6 in catchment positions available for 2026. You can pick up your enrolment pack from Carbrook State School or download it from the webpage carbrookss@eq.edu.au

Please bring your child's original birth certificate for sighting to complete the enrolment.

Any other enquiries you can call Carbrook State School on 3209 0888.

School Opinion Survey

SCHOOL OPINION SURVEY

School Opinion Surveys are undertaken each year by the Schools and Student Support Division of Education Queensland, to obtain opinions about schools from parents/caregivers, students and school staff. The surveys are designed to help schools identify what they do well and find areas which may need improvement.

At this stage our school’s response rate is lower than anticipated. Due to this, surveys will remain open for an additional week, that is, through to Friday 29 August 2025. This will allow additional time for parents to participate in the surveys. Please check your emails to complete the survey. We really value your feedback.

Principal Mark Winrow

This week we are celebrating Book Week. This special annual event is an opportunity for us to share the power of great literature and the many adventures and emotional rollercoasters a great book can lead us on. There have been so many great activities for the children to enjoy and develop a love of reading, culminating in the costume parade. A huge thank you to our Library team, led by Mrs Julie Ariel, for making Book Week a success.

Behaviour Focus

Last week we recognised Anti-Bullying Week with explicit lessons, poster competitions, in-class activities and a whole community celebration event on the Thursday which was a huge success.

Anti-Bullying Week was the most recent, in an extensive range of supports, our school has provided students throughout this year to address our most frequent major behaviour – physical aggression. The Department of Education defines physical aggression as “Student intentionally engages in actions involving physical contact with others where injury may occur (e.g., hitting, slapping, punching, hitting with an object, kicking, hair pulling, scratching, etc.). This includes premeditated acts or incitement of others to undertake physical aggression. Physical aggression may be directed towards peers, adults, visitors or animals; or flora or fauna.”

Other supports which we have implemented this year to support children with choosing non-physical solutions to problems and conflict include:

Daily explicit lessons
Weekly Play is the Way social skilling lessons
Incidental teachable moments
Parade messaging
Playground passports
Structured play
Modifying games
Restorative conversations
Intensive modelling (individual and small groups)
Individual check-ins
Parent meetings and communication
Social stories
Individual behaviour tracking/reward systems
Positive reinforcement – gotchas, fair play tokens

These comprehensive supports have been provided in line with our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) belief that when students struggle with demonstrating particular behaviours, they require additional support to learn the expected behaviours. Unfortunately, despite this intensive support, our data shows that some students are still choosing to use physical aggression to solve problems and conflicts.

In line with our school’s Student Code of Behaviour, we are now at a stage where we need to implement significant consequences for students who are not demonstrating our school-wide expectation to Be Safe by keeping hands and feet down. Everyone at our school has the right to feel safe and this is a right we take very seriously. We strongly encourage families to discuss this with their children to avoid these serious consequences (which may include suspensions from school).

I thank our community for their support. I would also like to acknowledge the patience and tolerance of our school staff in trying everything to teach the expected behaviour before we resort to these serious consequences. Their commitment to supporting our students to be safe, responsible and respectful learners is of the highest quality.

Brisbane South Youth Parliament

Last Friday six of our student leaders participated in the Brisbane South Youth Parliament at Parliament House. This program gave our leaders the opportunity to debate motions in the Chamber being lead by Queensland Members of the House. Our leaders engaged the room with their expertly prepared speeches, in line with Parliamentary Protocols. It was a great opportunity for them to see politics in action and impress a wide audience with their educated opinions.

Deputy Principal Kerry-Ann Reese

We are excited to invite families to our upcoming Celebration of Learning in Week 7. On Wednesday 27 August, classrooms will be open from 3:30pm – 5:00pm, giving families the opportunity to wander through and share in the wonderful learning that has taken place this term. This is a chance for students to proudly showcase their work, talk about their learning journey, and for families to experience the vibrant learning happening across our school. We look forward to seeing you there!

We are opening all our classrooms, Library and Art/Stem Studios from 3:30 – 5:00pm for you to explore in the learning and projects undertaken by our learners at Carbrook State School . Everyone welcome.

Science is Coming to Carbrook!

We are excited to announce that Street Science will be visiting our school on Thursday 18 September, thanks to the generous support of our P&C and school funding, all students will have the opportunity to attend this exciting event at no cost to families.

Street Science delivers engaging, hands-on shows and workshops that bring science to life in fun and memorable ways. Students will experience amazing demonstrations, fascinating experiments, and interactive learning that will spark curiosity and excitement about the world around them.

This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to see science in action and to be inspired as young learners. We look forward to an engaging and educational day that promises to be one of the highlights of the term.

A big thank you to our P&C for helping make this experience possible for every child at Carbrook.

1:1 Digital Device Program

In an ever-evolving digital world, it is essential that students develop the skills needed to navigate and thrive in future workplaces and everyday life. Technology is no longer just an option—it is a vital tool for learning, communicating, problem-solving, and creating. By embedding the use of digital devices and platforms into everyday learning, we help students become confident, capable users of technology. These skills empower them to think critically, work collaboratively, and adapt to new challenges—setting them up for success in a future we can’t yet fully imagine.

As a school, we continue to explore ways to enhance student learning through the use of technology. Currently, as a school we have Year 4 – 6 students participate in a Computer for Student’s Program using laptops. This is a user pay system where the school loans a device for students to use at school and at home at a cost of $100 a term over 3 years. The total cost of participating in this program amounts to $1200 which includes the device and protective case, accidental damage warranty, tech support for repairs and servicing.

Many schools across Queensland currently run a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program that involves the use of iPads. In this model, families purchase an iPad for their child’s learning, like how they buy items from a school booklist. The device is then used regularly throughout their child’s schooling and owned by the student.

After researching a range of options and consulting with other schools and Regional IT support personnel, we are considering implementing a BYOD program at Carbrook State School in 2026 for our upcoming Year 4 students that focuses on the use of iPads rather than laptop computers.

This BYOD iPad program was discussed at our last P&C meeting on Tuesday 5 August, 2025 and was endorsed as a preferred program moving forward.

We believe a BYOD iPad program will provide a number of benefits for families and our student learners including:

Offering a more intuitive and user-friendly interface which will increase student engagement
Better portability and longer battery life
More durable device with the fitting of a screen protector and heavy-duty case
More cost effective over a 3 year period
Ability to have family sharing to control the use of the device
Different focus modes can be set up on the device to have a different interface for home and school
Access to a wide range of educational apps that support creativity, collaboration and personalised learning
Fewer technical issues/problems compared to laptops
Ability to put adequate controls in place to restrict access to other applications
Ability to transition to high school with IT skills (Note: Feeder high school Shailer Park State High School use iPads)

Before moving forward, we have surveyed our staff and Year 3 parents, and we are eager to hear from our parent community in Prep – Year 2. Your input will help guide our planning and ensure that the decisions we make are in the best interests of our students and families.

We kindly ask you to take a few minutes to complete our short feedback form by Friday 29 August 2025. Please click on this link to access the survey.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=xccAZrUWr0uekzI72MAduikHT0BjjZ9EtNYjstk3BrVUMElONkFXTVNOQlpVRE9NV1Q2RkdPSFNZMS4u

Thank you in advance for your support and feedback.

Staffing Update

We would like to share some staffing news with our school community.

Our LOTE teacher, Mrs Christie McDonald, will be taking leave until the end of the year. Mrs Katrina Boobyer will be stepping in to lead this area of learning, in addition to her teaching commitments with the Arts and Technology. We are excited to announce the appointment of Mr Julian Casey who will be joining the Carbrook team to support Mrs Boobyer in developing curriculum expectations across the Arts and Technology.

In Week 10, we will also farewell Mrs Christie McDonald (Year 3A teacher) as she prepares to welcome her second child. As Christie has been working part-time in Year 3A, Mr Julian Casey will take over this role and work alongside Mrs Kylie Smith for the remainder of the year.

We wish Christie all the very best and warmly welcome Katrina and Julian into their new roles.

As you may be aware, Mrs Melissa Dillon (music teacher) has been on leave. Unfortunately, sourcing a music teacher has proven difficult. We understand that this curriculum area is important, however with the current teacher shortage, positions are not able to be fulfilled. Mrs Samatha Kupfer has joined the Carbrook Team to provide students with additional social lessons in Play is the Way each week in lieu of music lessons. Mrs Dillon is due to return in Term 4.

National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence

Last week, on Thursday 14 August, the school hosted a morning of activities in support of the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. Students participated in a variety of activities to raise awareness that there is no place for bullying and violence and to promote respectful relationships and kindness within our school and wider community.

Thank you to the parents and grandparents who engaged in the morning’s activities. It was a morning filled with fun, positivity, kindness, and a strong sense of community spirit truly.

Unfortunately, yet again our scheduled Year 4 – 6 Senior Sports Day will need to be postponed due to wet grounds. This is extremely disappointing. We endeavour to reschedule this event when our grounds are in a suitable condition to host such an event. Thank you for your understanding.

Library News

Hello brave explorers and amazing families!

Our Book Week adventures have concluded, and what a fantastic journey it has been! We wanted to send out a huge thank you for your incredible support and the wonderful effort you put into helping your children get involved.

The school was buzzing with excitement all week, with students engaging in a treasure chest of activities in the library. From designing book covers to embarking on a thrilling treasure hunt and voting for their favourite shortlisted books, every student truly embraced the "Book an Adventure" theme. All our courageous competition winners will be announced in upcoming weeks.

The absolute highlight, of course, was our spectacular Book Week Dress Up Parade. The hall was filled with an amazing array of imaginative costumes, and it was clear how much time and creativity went into each one. The students (and families!) truly outdid themselves, and we can't thank you enough for making it such a memorable event.

The fun doesn't stop there! Get ready, because our Scholastic Book Fair is right around the corner. It's like having a fantastic pop-up bookshop right here at our school, filled with brand new books waiting for you to discover!

Here are the details you need to know:

* When: Wednesday August 27 to Friday August 29

* Where: The Art Room

* Hours: Open before school, during second break, and after school.

* Payment options: Cash, Eftpos or Prepay (on the back of Wishlist and Book Fair flyer).

A special opening!

For those attending our Celebration of Learning the Book Fair will also be open, so you can pop down to the Art Room after you've visited the classrooms. The Lab and the Library will also be open for some extra exploration, so feel free to check them out too!

Thank you again for your continued support in fostering a love of reading and adventure. We can't wait to see you at the Book Fair!

Positive Learning Behaviour - PBL

Arts Kat Boobyer

Drawing Competition Winners

Thank you to all the awesome artists who entered this year’s school-wide freestyle drawing competition. The response and the creativity was overwhelming!

Congratulations to our winners - the independent adjudicator was extremely impressed.

Celebrate the Arts

We are delighted to present Carbrook State School’s first “Glow Show” this year in the lab (at the rear of the library) during our Celebration of Learning. An amazing array of under the sea artworks from the imaginations of our Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 students is set to light up under our UV lights with student-created soundscapes to fully enhance the immersive experience. Don’t miss it!

Tooth Fairy at Carbrook State School

To make an appointment: https://toothfairyandco.snapforms.com.au/form/consent-form

Community News

Shailer Park High School Flagship Program for Year 4 and 5 students

🌟 FREE program for Year 4 & 5 students! 🌟

Shailer Park State High School is excited to invite your child to our 4-week outreach program – an afternoon (or morning for Instrumental Music) of fun, hands-on activities that showcase the amazing opportunities at our award-winning school.

🎶 Create, explore, and try something new
🏆 Meet our talented teachers
✨ Make new friends and have a great time!

📅 Starts soon – places are limited!
📍 Shailer Park State High School
💰 Cost: Absolutely FREE

📲 Register now – details in the flyer below. We can’t wait to see your child here!

Shailer_Park_outreach_program.pdf

Issue 13 Friday 22 August 2025