Enhancing Reading Outcomes Through Instructional Leadership  

I am writing to you today with great enthusiasm about our ongoing commitment to strengthening reading outcomes for all students at Robertson State School (RSS). As you know, reading is the cornerstone of all learning, and a fundamental skill that empowers our children to navigate the world around them.  

Over the last few years, the RSS leadership team have been deeply engaged in a concentrated effort to implement and embed instructional leadership practices focused specifically on reading. This is a strategic and collaborative approach where we, as school leaders, work directly with teachers to enhance their instructional effectiveness in the classroom, ultimately leading to improved student learning. We are already seeing a remarkable improvement in our data.  

What does this look like in practice for reading?  

• Targeted Professional Development: We as a staff have participated in extensive professional development sessions, delving into the latest research and best practices in reading instruction. This has included workshops on phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension strategies across all year levels.  

• Collaborative Planning and Coaching: Our leadership team has been actively involved in collaborative planning sessions with teachers, helping to design and refine engaging and effective reading lessons. We are also regularly present in classrooms, observing lessons, providing constructive feedback, and co-teaching to model new strategies. This hands-on approach allows us to celebrate successes and identify areas for further growth together.  

• Data-Driven Decision Making: We are continuously analysing student reading data to understand individual student needs and track progress. This data informs our instructional decisions, allowing us to tailor our teaching to ensure every child is challenged and supported appropriately.  

• Resource Alignment: We are ensuring that our reading resources, from decodable readers to authentic texts, are aligned with our instructional goals and cater to the diverse needs of our learners.  

• Cultivating a Culture of Reading: Beyond the explicit teaching of reading skills, we are also fostering a school-wide culture that celebrates reading for enjoyment. From our vibrant library to classroom reading corners and exciting reading initiatives, we want every child to discover the joy and power of books. 

The impact of these instructional leadership practices is already becoming evident. We are observing increased confidence in our students as readers, an increase in teacher confidence and capability, more targeted and effective reading instruction in classrooms, and a renewed sense of shared purpose among our staff. Our teachers are truly dedicated to mastering the art and science of teaching reading, and I am incredibly proud of our teaching team.  

I truly believe that by investing in our staff and providing the highest level of support and guidance, we are directly investing in the future success of our students. I look forward to sharing further updates on our progress throughout the year. We will also be sharing our 2025 NAPLAN Results in our next school newsletter. 

Last week, our Reading Team also met with Brett Shackleton (Our Education Queensland - School Supervisor) and Alyce Ryan (Senior Education Officer - Education Futures Institute - Metro South Region), to share our reading journey over several years and to ask for feedback regarding our Reading Plan moving forward. Our school received amazing affirmation for the work that has been completed in this space by many staff over several years. We received clarity that we as a school are ahead of many in the Reading space. 

Finally, I have connected our school with WoodLinks State School and Toowoomba East State School, as colleagues who are also learning through Instructional Practices in Reading. Over the next few weeks some of their staff will be visiting our school. We in turn will be visiting their schools.  

Thank you for your continued partnership and support in your child's learning journey. 

Principal’s Day (all school leaders’ day) 

Thank you to all staff, students and parents, for your kind and supportive messages last Friday, for Principal’s/Deputy Principal’s/Leaders Day. I appreciate the lovely gifts, cards, balloons, messages and lovely morning tea from our amazing P&C. Thank you for making it so special for my first at Robertson State School.

Tyrone Bruce

Principal

Have Your Say – School Opinion Survey 2025

Each year, the Department of Education conducts the School Opinion Survey to gather valuable feedback from parents and caregivers, students, and staff across all Queensland state schools. The survey helps us understand what we’re doing well and identify areas for improvement—so your voice really does matter. 

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Who is surveyed? 

• Parents/caregivers: One per family, covering all students from Kindy to Year 12 
• Students: All students in Years 5 and 6.  
• Staff: All teaching and non-teaching staff employed during the survey period 
• Students in special schools: As decided by the school’s principal 

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When is the survey happening?

The survey is conducted in Term 3, so families and staff have had plenty of time to get to know the school and provide thoughtful feedback. While we encourage completion during the first week, online surveys remain open a little longer to improve participation.

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How do I do the survey? 

• Parents/caregivers will receive an email invitation from the Department—not the school—with a unique survey link. Please check junk folders if it’s not in your inbox. 

• Those without internet access can contact the school for support or phone the survey team directly on 1800 067 971.
  

Is it confidential?

Absolutely. All responses are confidential and protected under the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld). No individual responses are identified in the results. 

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How are the results used? 

Survey data helps guide our school improvement planning and ensures that student learning, wellbeing, and staff engagement continue to thrive. Summary results are shared in Term 4, and we often include highlights in our school’s annual report. 

A few extra tips:

• It only takes about 10 minutes to complete. 
• Parents/caregivers with more than one child should respond with their eldest child in mind. 

Your feedback helps us make Robertson State School the best it can be. Please take the time to complete the survey—your opinion genuinely makes a difference. 

Deputy Principal

Shae Robinson

Year 5 Mapleton Congratulations

Congratulations to Year 5 who had a fantastic camp at Mapleton Wednesday - Friday last week. Year 5 students rose to the challenge in the leadership activities and team building events Enjoy a range of photos on our school Facebook page.

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Bilingual Pathway Information Session - Invite to Prep Parents for Year 1 2026

We’d like to invite our 2025 Prep parents to an information session and tour of our Chinese Bilingual Program on Friday 15 August at 9am in our Music room (under the hall). This information session will answer questions around benefits of bilingualism, Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) pedagogy, the learning pathway for your child at Robertson and most importantly, the advantages that your child will enjoy as a student in the program at Robertson State School.

Robertson State School’s award winning Chinese Bilingual Program has promoted successful achievement and engagement for students in all learning areas of the Australian Curriculum through practices based on proven cognitive development methodologies. The program was derived from acknowledged research and promotes advanced brain development. The outcome is students with improved cognitive ability, greater verbal working memory and superior problem-solving skills. It also promotes the development of lateral, out-of-the-box thinking.

Research has shown that bilingual people, and in particular students in bilingual programs, have enriched cognitive control and are more likely to have better memory, visual-spatial skills and creativity. The explicit improvement agenda of fostering expert teaching teams and high yield bilingual pedagogical practices has led to engaged, independent, resilient students who are successful learners. The primary goal of the bilingual program is to develop accelerated learning and improved cognitive ability in our students, rather than just language acquisition.

In 2026, we will be continuing the Bilingual Program across the school in Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 depending on student numbers.  This program has been regarded as a positive learning experience for all of our students and they have engaged enthusiastically in the program. We look forward to seeing our prep parents at this session.

Kerin Gordon

Deputy Principal

Administration Office

Robertson State School

We are excited to invite you to our Junior Sports Day on Monday August 25, in Week 7 of this term.

The day will be packed with exciting activities, including an obstacle course, relay races with eggs and spoons, sack races, tug of war, long jump, ball games and parachute games.

All students will participate in running races, ensuring an atmosphere of excitement and cheers throughout the day.

The morning session will be a rotation of fun activities for the students and in the middle and last session students will be involved in their running races.  

Please refer to the attached timetable for the event schedule. Ensure your child wears their hat to school along with sunscreen and that they bring a water bottle. Students are encouraged to wear their house-coloured shirt on this day.  

We look forward to a fantastic day of fun and sportsmanship! 

Renee Montgomery and Chris Rostron

HPE Teachers

Further Instrumental Music Recruitment Information for 2026 

Please see the 24 July newsletter for the detailed information about joining Instrumental Music at Robertson. 

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Instrumental Music Recruitment Evening - Monday 11 August

If you are interested in your child joining the Instrumental Music program, please come to the School Hall at 6.30pm on Monday 11 August.

After this meeting, you will get an email with a link to an online application form. Please ensure your email address is correct at the school office, and look out for the form. You need to return the form by the due date if you wish for your child to be considered. Late forms will not be accepted. 

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Instrument Music - What's Happening Next

Year 2 students have done a short music listening test during their classroom music lessons on Thursday.

Year 3 students will undertake the test in Week 5 or 6 during classtime.

Year 2 and 3 students will all attend a short concert and instrument information session on Monday 11 August with their classes. They will hear the Hultgren Band and Paganini Strings play, and they will hear each of the instruments that are available to learn. 

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Important to know

Please remember that places are limited in the Instrumental Music program, and some interested children miss out on a place. 

Thank you for your interest in Instrumental Music at Robertson. 

Heather Francis, Robyn Gray and Vivienne Thomas 

Music Team 

It’s that time of year again when schools are required to submit data to the Australian Government as part of the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD). 

We report the number of students at our school who are receiving adjustments and also the level of adjustments these students are receiving, to access education on the same basis as their peers.

Personal details such as student names are not provided and protecting the privacy and confidentiality of all students, is an essential part of the NCCD.

More detail can be found in the ‘Fact sheet for parents, guardians and carers’ here.

Have a wonderful fortnight!

Amanda Slinger

Head of Special Education - Inclusion

This fortnight we are focussing on two different lessons:

1. Be Respectful – By allowing others the right to learn and teach

2. Rule Reminder: Be Responsible – Know of and avoid Out of Bounds Areas

Respect at Robertson State School

Respect can be demonstrated in various ways, and we can teach students what respect looks like through a range of concrete examples and social situations.

Showing respect towards someone else can look different from person to person, depending on a range of factors. In that same regard, the potential for someone to feel disrespected may differ from person to person, dependent on their unique perspective. 

In the school setting and at home, we can teach general ways to demonstrate respect through teaching the following skills with the understanding that it’s a continual learning process:

• Listen Up! - Listening when a peer or adult is speaking
• Wait Your Turn - Patiently waiting for a turn during an activity or situation (i.e., raising your hand or waiting for a turn in a game)
• Follow Directions - Following directions or the rules
• Be Honest - Truthfulness shows respect for others’ feelings and experiences.
• Show Kindness - Small acts like a smile, a compliment, or helping a friend goes a long way.
• Help Out - Helping others in the school community shows responsibility and care.
• Work Together - Value others’ ideas and contributions.
• Keep a Safe Body - Respect includes being mindful of personal space and physical boundaries.
• Use Positive Body Language - Demonstrating eye contact and appropriate body language while others are speaking
• Honour Boundaries - Honouring other’s boundaries

Teaching Children Respect

Please encourage your child to show respect to all their teachers and other learners in their class!

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⚠️ Being Responsible at Robertson State School 

Please consolidate this with your child at home:

Students have been reminded about Out of Bounds areas – Area where they are NOT ALLOWED to be.

Students in gardens – ALL gardens are out of bounds

Students must use the footpaths in the back carpark

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Student of the Month July

Well Done to the Student of the Month recipients for July.

Janine Muller

Classroom Teacher and PBL Communicator

Language News

Last week, 12 students from Year 4 to Year 6 proudly represented Robertson State School in the LTQ Speech Competition 2025, competing against students from state, independent, and Catholic schools across the greater Brisbane area. These students demonstrated exceptional skill and poise. The competition was fierce, with all participants showcasing very high standards. 

We would like to acknowledge the dedication of our students to language learning and the tireless work of the teachers who have trained these students over the past two weeks. What a remarkable achievement! 

Congratulations to all our contestants — we are incredibly proud of you! 

Robertson Chess Club

Does your child have a passion for pawns or a craving for checkmates? Students who are interested in learning and playing chess are invited to join the Robertson Chess Club.

When: Fridays - Second Break (1:30pm – 2:00pm)

Where: Library

Whether they’re a beginner or a seasoned player, everyone is welcome. Throughout the term, students will have the opportunity to build their skills, challenge their peers, and enjoy the game.

Each term, a Robertson Chess Team will be selected to compete in an Inter-school Chess Competition at a partnering school.

Selection is based on:

• Attendance at Chess Club
• Previous competition experience
• Chess ability
• Behaviour and sportsmanship

Come along, make your move, and join in the fun — we’re always looking for the next rookie of the year!

♟️

Mr Potts

Year 5 Classroom Teacher

Spring Fest countdown – Only 4 weeks to go!

Get excited—Spring Fest is nearly here, and this year it's bigger, better and more action-packed than ever before! Mark your calendars for Thursday 4th September and get ready for a night of thrills, fun and community celebration.

NEW RIDES ALERT!

We’re bringing the fun with Dodgem Cars, Round Up, Storm, Giant Swing, Super Slide, and the Mega Extreme Obstacle Course! For our little adventurers, don’t miss the Tea Cups, Tugboat, and Jungle Fever! Plus, there’ll be a Petting Zoo and Pony Rides for all our animal lovers!

Come for the amazing rides, fun games, live entertainment, and a spectacular fireworks finale!

Pre-order your ride armbands now on Flexischools to score the best deal—just $35 for unlimited rides all night! (Price goes up to $40 on the night)

BONUS: The next day, Friday 5th September, is a Student Free Day! So, kids can enjoy a big night out and sleep in the next morning!

How can you get involved? We need your help!

• Volunteer your time: We need many helpers! Click here: https://volunteersignup.org/DLD3B
• Donate sweet treats for our always-popular cake stall
• Donate second-hand toys or games in great condition! Now’s the perfect time for a clean-out—please ensure items are clean, complete and in working order
• Contribute a raffle prize – we welcome donations of bikes, new toys and games, restaurant or experience vouchers, memberships, hampers of goodies, alcoholic beverages, or anything fun and fabulous you'd love to win yourself!

Keep an eye out for drop-off dates and details in upcoming newsletters and emails. Don’t forget to check your inbox for our fortnightly Spring Fest newsletter—the last one was sent out Friday 1st August.

Let the countdown begin… and together, let’s make this the BEST Spring Fest ever for our kids!

Free Dress Days – Join the Fun!

Get ready for two exciting Free Dress Days, with prizes and donations to support Spring Fest!

Tuesday 12 August – DENIM Theme

Rainbow Day this week was so much fun, thank you everyone for joining in and bringing in bottles of soft drink! If you forgot to bring a bottle, no problem, please bring it in this coming Tuesday with the chocolate bars.

Dress in head-to-toe denim, on the day before Ekka holiday!

Prize: Free ice block for the most denim worn in each class.

Bring: A block of chocolate (no bars).

Teachers will choose a winner from each class. Staff and parents encouraged to join in!
Parent Reps – please help collect donations to the Mud Room. Thank you!

Father’s Day Stall – Seeking Volunteers

We’re excited to announce our Father’s Day Stall will be held on Thursday 28th and Friday 29th August in Robbie’s Room! There will be lots of fun and thoughtful gifts for the kids to choose from to celebrate the amazing dads and father figures in their lives.

We’re also seeking volunteers to help with the stall on both days, as well as for set-up on Wednesday 27th August. Kids absolutely love seeing their parents involved – and it’s such a fun and rewarding way to help out our little shoppers! The P&C will supply a light lunch for all volunteers at 11am.

If you can spare some time, please sign up here: volunteersignup.org/AFT8P

Reminders for shopping day at the Fathers Day Stall:

• Bring cash in a labelled zip lock bag
• Don’t forget a bag from home for your child to carry their special purchases

Let’s make this a memorable celebration for all the wonderful dads in our community!

Tuckshop Helpers Needed!

Our Tuckshop simply can't run without the help of amazing volunteers – and we’re always looking for more! Come and lend a hand to help feed our hungry kids and keep this much-loved service going strong.

Parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles – everyone’s welcome! It’s a great way to meet new people, or perhaps grab some friends for a fun morning? Your kids will LOVE seeing you ‘working’ at school. Plus, each volunteer (and their child) receives a free ice block or hot chocolate as a thank you.

Sign up here: https://volunteersignup.org/HCTXT

Sponsorship Opportunities

We're currently seeking business sponsors from within our community to support upcoming events and programs at the school. Gain meaningful exposure to our community as well as contribute to enhancing our school’s infrastructure and resources.

If you, or someone you know, owns a business that would like to get involved, please check out our Sponsorship Package at Robertson State School website (Follow to ‘Our Community’, then ‘P&C’) Sponsoring Robertson State School , or contact pcrobertsonss@gmail.com

Stay Connected with Us on Facebook!

We’d love for you to join our new Robertson State School P&C Association Facebook page! It’s the best place to stay updated on school events, P&C news and volunteer opportunities. Be part of our amazing community! Follow us: https://facebook.com/pcrobertsonss

Parents & Citizens Association

Robertson State School