2025 – Term 1 completed in a flash. 

I cannot believe another term has come to an end. Time seems to fly when we are having so much fun learning at school. I want to thank all staff for their dedication to our students and our community. Thank you also to our awesome students who are so proud of their school and love coming each day. We expect our Robertson Champions to be Responsible, Respectful and Safe. My vision for our school students is that all students grow up to have, “a life of choice not chance”. I want our beautiful young champions to “Dream and Believe”. Finally, thank you to our parent body/community/P&C for your support in what has been a very busy, but relatively smooth start to 2025. 

I hope all staff, students and parents have a healthy and relaxing Easter break. Enjoy this time with your loved ones and rest up for what will be a busy and exciting Term 2. Stay safe and see you all back for Term 2 on Tuesday 22 April 2025.  

I have included again some information below regarding the importance of keeping a watch on our school – Thank You. 

KEEP A WATCH ON OUR SCHOOL THESE HOLIDAYS 

With the holidays fast approaching, we are asking you to look out for after-hours crime in our school. If you see anything suspicious, please remember to call the School Watch number – 13 17 88. 

The School Watch program is a partnership between the Department of Education and Training, the Queensland Police Service and the State Government Protective Security Service. It aims to reduce vandalism, theft and arson in Queensland schools. If you would like to know more about the School Watch program, please call our Emergency and Security Management Unit on (07) 3034 6013. 

Year 6 Canberra Learning Tour 

I wish all staff and students well in Canberra and hope that they have had an amazing learning experience. This is an amazing trip that the students will remember for a lifetime. Thank you to our staff who are attending, for giving up family time for our school and students.  

2025 School Calendar and Parent Handbook 

This week you would have received an email with an electronic copy of our 2025 School Calendar and Parent Handbook. I do apologise for the late delivery of this document. In an endeavour to maximise our school funds for essential learning resources, I have decided to send this document electronically and to keep an up-to-date copy on our school website page, under forms and documents.  This will make sure that the calendar remains as current and clear as possible regarding important school events.   

Website Calendar link: https://robertsonss.eq.edu.au/calendar-and-news/events-calendar 

2025 School Calendar and Parent Handbook: https://robertsonss.eq.edu.au/SupportAndResources/FormsAndDocuments/Documents/Documents/Parent-handbook-and-calendar.pdf

Tyrone Bruce

Principal

2025 ANZAC CEREMONY 

Year 1 to Year 6 

DATE: Thursday 24 April, 2025 

TIME: 2.10pm – 2.50 pm 

VENUE: Hall 

SEATING: Special guests at the front. Students will be seated in the main area. Parent seating will be behind the students. 

WREATHS / FLORAL TRIBUTES

Robertson State School is preparing for the upcoming ANZAC Day service, and we are once again planning to create  commemorative wreaths to be presented by each class from Years 1-6 at the ANZAC Ceremony assembly. 

We would greatly appreciate parent support in coordinating the creation of this wreath. The wreath is an important symbol of remembrance, and we’re hoping to have your help in gathering a group of volunteers to help with its preparation. We appreciate all efforts whether it's by donating materials, helping with the crafting, or organising helpers to participate. 

Please reach out to your parent reps if you are able to offer assistance.

Thank you for your continued support in making this an important event for our school community. 

COPY OF THE ODE:

They shall grow not old, 

As we that are left grow old, 

Age shall not weary them,

Nor the years condemn, 

At the going down of the sun,

And in the morning, 

We will remember them.  

Kerin Gordon 

Deputy Principal 

Well Done on Term 1

As we come to the end of the first term, we need to celebrate all the wonderful achievements we’ve made as a community so far this year. It’s been a time full of learning, growth, and excitement, and I am incredibly proud of how our Prep to Year 2 students have embraced each challenge with enthusiasm and curiosity. Whether mastering their phonics, exploring new maths concepts, or diving into creative projects, our little learners have shown tremendous growth, not just in knowledge but in confidence, teamwork, and resilience. This term, particularly, we’ve witnessed our students display remarkable resilience in the face of adversity, especially during the recent cyclone. Despite the disruptions, our students continued to approach their learning with determination, and we couldn’t be prouder of how they have bounced back through challenging times. It’s inspiring to see the joy and determination on each student’s face as they reach new milestones. A special thank you to our dedicated teachers, support staff, and families for creating such a positive and nurturing learning environment. Your hard work and collaboration have been key in ensuring each child thrives both academically and emotionally.

As we head into the holiday break, I encourage everyone to take this time to rest, recharge, and enjoy the company of loved ones. It’s been a busy start to the year, and a well-deserved break will give us all the chance to come back ready for the exciting adventures ahead. Wishing all of our students and families a very happy and relaxing holiday. We look forward to seeing everyone back next term, refreshed and ready to continue this wonderful journey of learning.

Parent Rep Coordination Transitioning Back to P&C

We are excited to announce that from now on, the coordination of the Parent Representative (Parent Rep) program will be managed by the P&C. 

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the new executive team of the P&C for their enthusiasm and dedication. Their commitment to supporting the school and fostering a collaborative environment is truly appreciated. We look forward to working together to make this new chapter a success and to continue building a strong, connected school community.

Thank you to all parents for your ongoing support!

Shae Robinson

Deputy Principal

Next term, we will hit the ground running with Hultgren Band performing along with Cantabile Choir for our school ANZAC ceremony on the 24 April at 2.00pm. All parents are welcome.

Changes to Rehearsals

There will be some rehearsal changes due to the Easter Monday public holiday. 

Hultgren Band

• Before-school Hultgren Band rehearsal will be on Wednesday 23 April and Thursday 24 April.
• Lessons will be held on Thursday 24 April.

Grainger Band

• There will be no rehearsals for Grainger Band in Week 1. 
• Lessons will still be held on Wednesday 23 April.
• Please ensure that you have responded to consent for the Combined Schools Beginner Band Day at MacGregor State School, and have followed the email link to order sausages for the BBQ (bring cash on the day).

Grainger Band will perform on assembly later in the term, and both Grainger and Hultgren bands are busy preparing for our Winter Music Showcase Concert on Monday 2 June, which is sure to be a fantastic night showcasing amazing performances! 

Vivienne Thomas

Band Instrumental Music Teacher

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String News

Mini Mozarts

A huge congratulations to all of our Mini Mozarts Students for receiving their bow licences during their lessons this week.  We will be presenting these on assembly on Monday 28 April along with the students' very first assembly performance so please mark this date in your calendar. 

Corelli Strings

All Corelli Strings have also received their first assessment piece for this semester that will be filmed during classtime in Week 2, so continue to practise over the holidays and check Seesaw for a video of your assessment task and a copy of the task sheet in case you ‘misplace it’. 

Paganini Strings

Our Paganini Strings have their first performance at our Combined Schools Advanced String Workshop on Tuesday 6 May and this consent form is due soon on QParents.   

Save the Date

Our Winter String Soiree will be held in the Assembly Hall on Tuesday 3 June from 6pm (doors open at 5.45pm) for all String students.  Please mark the date in your calendars so that you don’t miss this spectacular event.  

 

Robyn Gray

Strings Instrumental Music Teacher

Chris Rostron and Renee Montgomery

PE Teachers

Welcome to Week 10!  

Each fortnight, I’ll be featuring one of our staff members within the WISH team, so our families can get to know who is supporting the students at Robertson State School.   

This fortnight, we meet one of our Inclusion Teachers, Karen Ginns.   

Wishing all of our Robertson families a wonder Easter break.  Stay safe and have fun! 

Until next fortnight,   

Amanda Slinger  

HOSES  

Speech-Language News

Supporting Your Child’s Reading, Oral Language, and Literacy Skills Over the School Holidays

Set Your Child Up for Success in Term 2!

As we approach the Easter break, it's a wonderful time to reflect on how we can continue to support our children’s learning even during the holiday season. Research shows that keeping kids engaged with reading and language activities over the break not only strengthens their skills but helps them return to school ready for success in Term 2.

From Prep to Year 6, developing strong literacy and language skills is essential for your child’s academic journey. The good news? There are plenty of fun and simple activities that parents can do at home to keep these skills sharp without the pressure of formal lessons. Plus, the more you engage with your child, the more fun it becomes!

Activities to Boost Literacy and Language Skills Over the Holidays:

1. Read Together Daily:

• Reading with your child is one of the most effective ways to improve their literacy skills. Whether it’s storybooks for younger children or chapter books for older students, take time each day to read aloud together.
• Why it's fun and important: Reading builds vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. It also sparks creativity and imagination, helping children connect to the world around them. Plus, it’s a perfect way to unwind together.

2. Create a Family Storybook:

• Get creative and write a family story with your child. Have them dictate the story to you, or work together to come up with ideas, characters, and plot twists.
• Why it's fun and important: Writing reinforces spelling, grammar, and sentence structure, while also boosting creativity and confidence. Children love to see their own ideas come to life in a book!

3. Play Word Games:

• Games like Scrabble, Boggle, or simple rhyming games (e.g., “I spy with my little eye something that rhymes with 'cat'”) are fantastic for improving oral language skills.
• Why it's fun and important: These games help children expand their vocabulary, improve spelling, and enhance their understanding of word patterns.

4. Engage in Conversations:

• Take time to have daily conversations with your child about their interests. Ask open-ended questions and encourage them to explain their thoughts.
• Why it's fun and important: This builds oral language skills, boosts confidence in speaking, and enhances listening and comprehension skills. It also helps children learn to express themselves clearly and effectively.

5. Visit the Library

• Make a trip to your local library an exciting outing! Many libraries offer holiday programs, storytelling sessions, or themed book clubs that can spark your child’s interest in reading.
• Why it's fun and important: Libraries are a great resource for finding new and exciting books, and reading widely exposes your child to different writing styles and genres. It also helps to foster a lifelong love of reading.

6. Act Out a Story

• Pick a favorited book or fairy tale and have your child act out the characters and scenes. You could even make simple costumes or props for extra fun!
• Why it's fun and important: Acting out stories enhances comprehension, memory, and verbal skills. It also encourages your child to think critically about the characters and plot.

7. Practice Spelling with Fun Activities

• Turn spelling practice into a fun activity by using materials like magnetic letters, chalk, or playdough. You can also create a “spelling bee” at home with fun challenges!
• Why it's fun and important: Spelling is a crucial part of literacy and practicing it through hands-on activities makes it more engaging and less like a chore.

Engaging in reading and language activities over the holidays not only keeps your child’s skills sharp but also sets them up for a smoother transition back to school. As we look forward to the next term, let’s take advantage of these opportunities to strengthen our children’s literacy skills in a fun and meaningful way. After all, learning doesn’t stop when school does – and the holiday break is the perfect time to enjoy some quality learning moments together.

Warm regards and until next time, 

Morgan Johnson  

Speech-Language Pathologist  

Robertson State School (Wednesdays & Thursdays) 

Easter and Qingming Festival: Honoring Traditions 

While Easter (復活節 Fùhuó jié) is celebrated by many in Australia, in Chinese culture, it is nearly time to celebrate the 清明节Qīngmíng jié. 清明节Qīngmíng jié, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival dedicated to honouring and remembering ancestors. It usually falls on April 4th or 5th each year. The festival has been observed for over 2,500 years and is deeply rooted in Chinese culture, blending Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist traditions. 

Reasons for Celebrating 清明节 Qīngmíng jié: 

• Honoring Ancestors (祭祖 - jìzǔ): Families visit the graves of their ancestors to clean the tombstones, make offerings, and pay respects. This reflects the Confucian value of filial piety (孝 - xiào), emphasising respect for elders and family heritage. 
• Tomb Maintenance (扫墓 - sǎo mù): Cleaning the graves symbolises respect and care for departed loved ones. It is believed that a well-maintained tomb brings blessings to the family. 
• Offering Food and Ritual Items (供品 - gòngpǐn): People place food, tea, wine, and other symbolic items on the graves. Some also burn joss paper (纸钱 - zhǐqián) or symbolic money, believing it provides for ancestors in the afterlife. 
• Spring Outings and Nature Appreciation (踏青 - tà qīng): Qīngmíng jié marks the arrival of spring, making it a time for outdoor activities like hiking, kite flying, and enjoying fresh air.

Wishing everyone a restful Easter and Qīngmíng jié 清明节 break.

Languages Teacher 

This week’s lesson is:

Zones of Regulation – Recognising Facial expressions?

Why is it important to know what someone’s facial expression means?

. . . Reading facial expressions in communication is important because it can improve communication efficiency, enhance trust, increase interaction, and help understand others. Facial expressions are an important part of nonverbal communication and can provide information about people's personalities, emotions, motivations, or intent. They can also help in social coordination and enculturation. Understanding facial expressions can help in deepening conversations, increasing empathy, and sharing emotions.

Remember...

A facial expression is a clue to what a person is thinking or feeling.

When you read what others are thinking, you can adjust your actions.

Well done to the Students of the Month for March, it has been a hectic month with a lot of assessment so a big Congratulations to these students:

Janine Muller 

Classroom Teacher and PBL Communicator 

Harmony Day Assembly

Prep experienced their very first assembly at Robertson this week!

At the end of assembly, Prep D recieved the Assembly Award for their excellent assembly manners. Well done Prep D.

Shane Galbraith

Classroom Teacher

Introducing Our P&C Team 2025 

We are excited to welcome our new Parents & Citizens (P&C) Executive Team,  a group of volunteer parents committed to fostering an inclusive school community here at our wonderful school! Our RSS P&C Team is dedicated to supporting our students, staff and families through collaboration, fundraising, and engaging school initiatives. 

Meet our new P&C Executive Team: 

President - Ngaire Chan   

Vice President - Teneille Mylrea   

Treasurer - Michael Chen   

Assistant Treasurer - Nidhi Chhapwale 

Secretary - Marie Lo 

Photo above, from L to R: Marie, Teneille, Ngaire, Nidhi, Michael 

Fun Fact… Collectively, we have 11 current students and have spent 27 years at RSS! 

We look forward to these wonderful events in May: 

MOTHERS DAY STALL – 8th & 9th May  

What better way to say, ‘I love you’ to Mum, Grandma, Aunts and loved ones, than gifting a present specially selected by the children themselves! 

We have so many exciting gift options on offer, and this year, we would love to give our community two NEW opportunities to become even more involved!

• Opportunity 1: Handmade gifts 

Do you LOVE to create, or know of someone that loves crafting? Perhaps you may crochet, paint, grow succulents, make pottery, candles or jewellery… this is your opportunity to share your talents with our community!  

We are looking for high quality handmade gift options that are priced between $1-20 (the most popular price point $5-10) to offer at our Mother’s Day Stall. In exchange for this exciting opportunity, the proceeds would be shared 60% to the maker, 40% to support our P&C. 

There is nothing more special than handmade, so get crafting over the school holidays and please submit photos and descriptions of items for approval to pcrobertsonss@gmail.com by Friday 25th April. 

• Opportunity 2: Donations 

Do you own a business that may like to donate suitable gifts to sell at the Mother’s Day stall? It could be a great opportunity to increase exposure for your brand, and may include items like trinkets, cosmetics, spa products, gift vouchers, etc.  To show our appreciation, your business name will be credited in table signage and you may include business cards with items. Please contact pcrobertsonss@gmail.com by Friday 25th April. 

GLOW IN THE DARK DISCO – Friday 23 May evening – Save the date 

Let’s glow wild at our grooviest, most magical night at school! Kids can dance the night away, while parents enjoy a picnic under the stars. There will be music, yummy food, show bags, raffles and more! 

Families, if you are able to assist with anything to make this event INCREDIBLE, we would love to hear from you now!! It could be donations to the raffle prizes, goodies for the show bags, assistance with food, lighting (indoor disco lights & outdoor lights), music or entertainment options, etc. So much fun to be had, please contact us with your ideas! 

P&C MEETING – 13th May, 6.30pm (Every 2nd Tuesday of each month) 

Want to know what other exciting plans we have, or have ideas on how to make our P&C even better? Join us at our next meeting in the Boardroom, everyone is welcome to come along for this monthly get together! 

We have a wonderful, supportive community here at RSS, and we would love to create another opportunity to make a difference, through the formation of a new Events Committee. This amazing group will have a chance to make these special events memorable for our kids! Don’t miss this opportunity to be involved, so please come along to the May meeting to find out more! 

The P&C look forward to working together with our families to create a positive and engaging school community. If you’d like to get involved or have any questions, feel free to reach out to us on pcrobertsonss@gmail.com or say hi to us on campus! 

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to a fantastic year ahead! 

P&C Executive Team 2025 

Ngaire Chan

P&C President