Welcome Robertson Families!

Welcome back to a new school year and welcome to our new Robertson families! We hope you had a relaxing summer break and are as excited as we are for the start of another school year. Whether your child is beginning Prep, moving up to a new year level, or joining our Robertson community for the first time, we are thrilled to have you with us. This year promises to be full of learning and social opportunities, and we’re dedicated to supporting your child’s growth and success in every way possible.

Our focus remains on creating a positive, safe, and engaging environment where every student can thrive. There are many exciting events planned by your wonderful teachers to nurture academic, social, and emotional development, while continuing to foster resilience, leadership, and a growth mindset. We know the start of the year can bring a mix of emotions, but please rest assured we’re here to support you and your child every step of the way. Here’s to a year of new discoveries, lasting friendships, and plenty of growth!

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Start your Child’s Reading Journey Strong in 2025

One of the great strengths of our Robertson community is the proactive involvement of parents in supporting their children’s learning. The Education Queensland’s Literacy Hub has developed a range of excellent resources to assist you in nurturing reading and literacy skills at home. The hub offers links to stories that families can enjoy reading aloud together. Additionally, it provides a Reading Awareness Checklist, which can help you assess your child’s progress in developing reading skills. Over the term, we will share the Literacy Hub’s resources so you can start the year with some wonderful strategies that can support your little ones reading journey at school

https://www.literacyhub.edu.au/for-families/resources-to-support-reading-at-home/  

Follow up Strategies for Families from the Literacy Hub:  

• Access Helping young children to read – What parents can do  – a great resource for families.
• Make time to read every day with your child.
• Share the pleasure in stories through sites such as  https://storyboxhub.com/ OR  https://soraapp.com/welcome Please contact the library or your teacher for login details. 
• Provide varied reading material — some for reading pleasure and some with information about your child’s hobbies and interests.

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Reading@Robertson

We would like to invite you to join us in the library for our annual 'Reading@Robertson' information sessions.

These sessions are designed to provide information and strategies to our families so that they are better equipped to support their child's reading development. The sessions are NOT restricted to Prep parents/carers, all year levels are welcome to attend.

Please book in to one session only using the link below. All attendees require a ticket.

Monday 17 February 9.00am - 10.00am

Wednesday 19 February 3.30pm - 4.30pm

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Writing@Robertson

We would like to invite you to join us in the library for a 'Writing@Robertson' information session.

This session is designed to provide information and strategies to our families so that they are better equipped to support their child's writing development at home. Parents/carers of children in all year levels are welcome to attend.

Each session will explore the traits of writing that great writers juggle together to create excellent texts.

Please book in to one session only using the link below. All attendees require a ticket.

Monday 3 March 9.00am - 10.00am

Wednesday 5 March 3.30pm - 4.30pm

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Shae Robinson

Deputy Principal

NAPLAN@Robertson

We would like to invite parents/carers of Year 3 & 5 students to join us in the library for a NAPLAN@Robertson testing processes information session.

This session is designed to provide information and strategies to our families so that they are better equipped to support their child's NAPLAN experience.

Each session will focus on the testing format and question types, where to find practice materials, how to reduce anxiety and ensure your child has the best opportunity to do well during the testing process.

Please book in to one session only using the link below. All attendees require a ticket.

Monday 24 February 9.00am - 10.00am

Wednesday 26 February 3.30pm - 4.30pm

The NAPLAN app to be downloaded for students is found in the app store using this link:https://apps.apple.com/au/app/nap-locked-down-browser/id1086807255 and looks like the below picture (called NAP 2025)

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Safer Internet Day 2025 and Cyber Safety

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Kerin Gordon

Deputy Principal

Resource Scheme 2025

The 2025 Resource Scheme letter was emailed to you on Friday 7 February 2025 and attached to this newsletter.

The Queensland Government supports your child’s education by providing funding for instruction (teachers), facilities (school grounds, buildings, internet) and administration (staff to run the school). Funding for school does not extend to individual resources such as textbooks, equipment for personal use and many other resources used by your child in the classroom, therefore the Student Resource Scheme (SRS) helps parents to access these resources at Robertson at a minimal cost.

The SRS contribution will purchase the resources as outlined in the ‘direct out of pocket expenses’ costing table which is also attached. We anticipate that for parents to purchase these resources outside of the SRS and the online subscriptions will cost in excess of $1,500.00. We can keep the cost to a minimum due to the school’s bulk buying power.

The cost for participation in Robertson’s SRS for 2025 will be;

• Prep - $130.00
• Years 1 to 6 $130.00
• Choir Years 2 - 3 $20.00
• Choir Years 4 - 6 $50.00
• Instrumental levy $76.00
• Schools Instrumental hire $150.00

We encourage families to take advantage of this cost-effective scheme to ensure students have access to all necessary learning materials. These fees will be reviewed annually.

Preferred Payments

Payments can be made BPOINT and EFTPOS (Credit/Debit Card).

When paying by BPOINT, please use the Customer Reference Number (CRN) and invoice number printed on the invoice received from the school. If unsure of your CRN, please contact the school.

The Department is asking that all schools move to cashless payments.

Payments will now be accepted by credit card at the office or online payments by BPoint.

Stella Kho

Business Manager

Cultural Connections

What a wonderful celebration we had on assembly for Lunar New Year last Monday.

Here at Robertson State School we have families from many different countries and cultures. We would like to give more families the opportunity to celebrate their country or culture alongside their child(ren), as a part of our assemblies. We are going to call these presentations “Cultural Connection”. If you would like to tell the Robertson school community about your country or culture, please see some ideas below.

1. What country or culture do you represent?
2. Does your celebration happen at a specific time of the year?
3. In what way would you like to present? Short speech, dance, song, costumes etc.
4. Are there other families at school that you know share you culture? Consider working together for a joint presentation.
5. How many Robertson students will you be including in your presentation?

Emma Di Pino and I will be co-ordinating “Cultural Connections", so please email us on hmfra0@eq.edu.au and edipi1@eq.edu.au with your information, and we’ll work out an assembly time for you.

Thank you.

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Heather Francis and Emma Di Pino

Cultural Connection Team

Welcome back!

Hello and welcome back to 2025!  I am looking forward to a fun-filled year of learning and growth.

To our Prep families and the new families to Robertson, my name is Amanda Slinger and I am the Head of Special Education Services (or HOSES, for short). I have a varied role and am fortunate to work with an incredible team of support staff in WISH. Over the coming newsletters, we will be introducing our team.

To start the year, I thought I would outline how student support funding works under Education Queensland’s ‘Reasonable adjustments resourcing’ or ‘RAR’ model.

RAR will provide funding to schools to enable us to make adjustments for students to support them to access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers.

Under the RAR, teachers and teacher aides are allocated to schools as a pool; NOT for individual students.

RAR funding allocations are based on:

• Students who are recorded in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) as receiving adjustments in the highest 3 levels of support
• Prep and other new students to our school where it is anticipated that adjustments will need to be made at the highest 3 levels of support
• Students who receive the most intensive level of adjustments and support, which need to be approved by the Department as meeting the requirements of the Extensive Plus level

What does support look like at Robertson?

Inclusion teachers and aides provide support to students in-class to access the curriculum, during assessments, when transitioning in and out of the classroom and between learning environments, when participating in incursion/excursions, for toileting, emotional regulation and specialised health procedures, to name just a few.

The most commonly asked questions schools receive are:

My child has just received a diagnosis of a disability.  Does this mean they get a teacher aide?

Students are provided support based on their level of need. There are many children who receive a diagnosis of a disability, however, don’t require additional support or adjustments beyond what can be provided within the classroom, by the class teacher, through classroom level differentiation. If they are achieving at or above year level standard academically, and/or are participating and engaging with their peers and do not require additional support beyond classroom level differentiation, they are supported by their class teacher. Classroom teachers are trained professionals and provide a range of differentiated support for all students, regardless of their ability or disability. General teacher aides work in classrooms also, to provide support to students, with a focus on academic support. Not all students with a diagnosed disability require or need additional support beyond the classroom.

My child has just received a diagnosis of disability.  How much funding does my child get?

Under the RAR, teachers and teacher aides are allocated to schools as a pool, NOT allocated for individual students. Many students can have their needs provided for by their classroom teacher, however, there are students who require a higher level of support or additional adjustments. Regardless, individual students do not receive individual funding in the form of a dollar amount or hourly amount per week, of support.

Does my child need to have a diagnosis to receive support?

Students who require reasonable adjustments to participate in their education on the same basis as their peers, will be supported. Schools require a medical report for students starting Prep who require additional resourcing, for Extensive Plus resourcing or for enrolment in an EQ Special School. A documented diagnosis by a recognised medical professional assists schools to submit the most accurate NCCD data.  A documented diagnosis is also encouraged to help us to access specialised services, if required. Students who are achieving a C level standard for English and Maths will not receive academic support from an inclusion teacher (regardless of disability) as they are working at the expected standard for all students in that year level. 

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Amanda Slinger

Head of Special Education Services - (HOSES)

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Speech-Lanuage News

My name is Morgan Johnson and I am the Speech-Language Pathologist at Robertson State School. I am excited to be back this year, servicing the Robertson State School Community again in 2025 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. As we embark on this new school year, I am filled with enthusiasm and optimism for the learning journey ahead. I look forward to working alongside the Robertson State School community, the dedicated teachers, staff and your wonderful children to support their communication, language, and literacy development.

What is the role of Speech-Language Pathologists working in Schools?

As a Speech-Language Pathologist, my role is to support students in developing their speech, language, communication, and literacy skills. These skills are essential for effective learning, student social interactions, and their overall confidence. I work closely with students who may experience challenges such as difficulty pronouncing sounds, understanding or using language, following instructions, or expressing their thoughts clearly.

Collaboration is a vital part of my role and I work alongside teachers, support staff, and specialists to create tailored strategies that help students thrive. I also collaborate with parents, caregivers, and other Allied Health workers (Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists etc) within the Department of Education and externally to provide guidance and tools for supporting communication development at home and within the community. By working together, we can ensure that every child has the best possible opportunity to succeed during their schooling journeys.

Why Are Speech, Communication, and Language Skills So Important?

Strong communication skills are the foundation of learning and social interaction. When children can effectively understand and use language, they are better equipped to engage in classroom activities, build relationships, and express their ideas. Language development also plays a crucial role in literacy, as reading and writing are deeply connected to a child’s ability to understand and produce language.

Throughout the year, I will be using this newsletter as a way to share practical tips, activities, and resources that you can use at home to support your child’s communication and literacy development. Whether it’s fun games to build vocabulary, strategies to support clear speech, or ways to foster a love for reading, I aim to provide helpful and engaging content that makes a real difference.

Here’s to a fantastic year of growth, learning, and communication success!

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Warm regards and until next time,

Morgan Johnson

Speech-Language Pathologist

Welcome to sport for 2025

We start the year with a very busy Term 1. This term includes a major highlight with our Whole School Cross Country. Like last year it is our hope to include a Pre-Prep event for the youngest members of our community alongside our other races. More information will follow about that special day.

There are many different opportunities to engage in sport here at Robertson. In addition to our H&PE classes there are intraschool school competitions, interschool opportunities and Queensland School Sport (QSS) pathways. We also have outside school providers that use our facilities such as gymnastics, tennis, basketball and soccer.

For QSS pathways, Robertson is affiliated with the Eastern Taipans District which is part of Metropolitan West Sport (Metwest). Information about what sports and when trials are on, can be found at the Metwest website at https://metwestschoolsport.eq.edu.au/district-sport/our-districts/eastern-taipans . Children must turn at least 10 years old in 2025 and all nominations are all done through the school.

Miss Montgomery and myself look forward to leading another year in sport, health and physical education. 

Students in Years 5 & 6 will be practicing every Friday in preparation for the Gala Days throughout the year. Additionally, every Tuesday, Year 3 and 4 students will have the opportunity to try a variety of sports, while all students at Robertson will continue to build on their skills during weekly PE lessons.

A friendly reminder to ensure students wear hats to protect themselves from the sun during outdoor activities.

Looking forward to a fun and active year ahead!

Chris Rostron and Renee Montgomery

PE Teachers

Welcome to Languages in the 2025 School Year!

I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Jung Wang, and I am the LOTE (Languages Other Than English) teacher at Robertson State School. Our LOTE target language is Chinese (Mandarin) and this year, I will be teaching Prep to Year 6 from Monday to Thursday. If you have any questions, feel free to reach me at jwang44@eq.edu.au

2025 – The Year of the Snake 蛇 (shé)

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year 农历年(Nónglì nián) or Spring Festival春节(chūnjié), was celebrated on Wednesday 29 January this year. If you were born in 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, or 2013, you belong to the Year of the Snake! Each zodiac year is associated with one of five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, or water. More specifically, 2025 is the Year of the Wood Snake. According to Chinese astrology, those born under this sign are believed to be intelligent, intuitive, and wise. They are also known for being determined, loyal and caring.

Discover your 生肖 (shēngxiào) here.

新年快樂,萬事如意。

Lunar New Year Celebrations

In the spirit of the Lunar New Year, our school community came together for a vibrant celebration filled with music, movement, and cultural traditions. The event began with a powerful drum solo by Oliver E, setting the stage for an energetic martial arts performance by our talented Year 3 bilingual students. Adding to the festive atmosphere, our Year 5 bilingual students delighted the audience with a joyful dance to a traditional New Year song.

Students from diverse cultural backgrounds proudly showcased their beautiful traditional costumes, reflecting the rich heritage of the Lunar New Year. A highlight of the celebration was the spectacular lion dance, a perennial favorite, made even more special this year by the debut of our dragon dance.

The dedication and enthusiasm of our students were truly inspiring, as they devoted their time and effort to mastering these traditional art forms.

As we welcome the Year of the Snake, we extend our heartfelt wishes for a year filled with happiness, prosperity, and good health. 祝大家身体健康，蛇年大吉！

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Jung Wang & Yvonne Lu

Languages Teacher & Bilingual Curriculum Coordinator

All String lessons and rehearsals have now commenced for 2025!  Please ensure you are receiving emails from Mrs Gray and checking Seesaw on a regular basis for updates and emails. Remember, if you would like to be connected to your child’s Seesaw account to see their assessment tasks, performance videos and other important information, please email Mrs Gray.

School String Instruments will be sent home as soon as Instrumental Music Levies are distributed and paid. Please check QParents for these invoices.

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From the Music Team

Heather Francis, Robyn Gray and Vivienne Thomas

Library Borrowing

Borrowing for this year has already begun, with thousands of books already being shared and enjoyed by our students. Students can borrow up to four library books, plus five home readers (Years Prep - Year 2) each week.

Class teachers will determine the type of home readers to be borrowed for each student, and Prep classes will often wait until Term 2 to commence home reading.

Book Club

Book Club Issue 1 catalogues have been distributed via classes. The catalogue can also be viewed online here. All order must be placed online via the LOOP ordering platform by 3.00pm, Friday 14 February. Every order earns free resources for our school!

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eSports & Coding Clubs

Our staff teams are currently planning out our programs for 2025. Signs up will occur in Week 3, with our programs commencing in Week 4. Further information around this will be shared with classes over the coming week.

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Claire Ennis

Teacher Librarian

Welcome back!

Our first meeting of the year will be straight after our AGM (Annual General Meeting) on Tuesday 11 March at 6.30pm in the boardroom at the back of the school behind the hall.

All positions are vacant at this time and all members must resubmit to be a member for 2025. All executive positions also come available at this time. The AGM is THE ONLY meeting where you do not need to be present to join the P&C. Applications may be sent in by email in this instance.

Please find attached, the membership application and the executive member position application.

Uniform Shop 

Our uniform shop is open every Monday and Thursday - see times below:

Monday afternoon from 2.15pm to 3.45pm

Thursday morning from 8.15am to 9.45am

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Mel Kennedy