Welcome Back! 

I hope you have enjoyed a well-earned break with your loved ones and the students are well rested for a busy term ahead. I had a wonderful break visiting my family and friends in Cairns. I look forward to continuing to connect with as many parents as possible this term. 

ANZAC Day 2025 

ANZAC DAY is a commemoration, not a celebration. It is not a celebration because we are not celebrating a war. Wars ruin lives – they ruin the lives of those lost in war, and they ruin the lives of those left behind. Anzac Day is a commemoration – we pay tribute to the brave men and women who gave up their lives to fight for their country. They fought for our freedom, the right to live our lives without fear and without violence. 

Australia is often spoken of as a lucky country, we are lucky because most of us have enough food, clean water, education, a roof over our heads and hope for the future. Australia can only stay a lucky country if we continue to work to ensure that everybody can live their lives as they choose, without fear of oppression, violence, or war – without fear for our lives. 

The best way that we can honour the people who gave their lives for our country is to honour their memory and never forget their contribution. We aspire to keep the country of Australia a free country where people can live in peace and harmony. To make sure that the future is positive, at school we begin with rules to guide the way we behave. A great country starts with each and every one of us – how we behave towards each other. 

At our school we have the rules of, “be Responsible, be Respectful and be Safe”. These rules form the basis of a safe community. If we obey these rules, then we will all have happy lives and learn how to communicate with each other and get along with each other. 

The ANZAC tradition is based on valuing the contribution of selfless people to the lives of others, of understanding that belonging to a community means respecting all of the members of that community. When I think of Anzac Day, I think of the men and women who were brave, who sacrificed that most precious of things – their lives. I think of men and women, some of whom were barely out of childhood, who looked out for each other, who followed the instructions of their leaders, who did not think of themselves, but did what was the right thing to do for their country. 

This ethic must live on. To live in a country such as Australia is a privilege, and to earn that privilege we too must uphold the Anzac values. We must look out for each other, be respectful of other people, be responsible for our own actions and contribute to society and be safe in our behaviour. This is what it is to be Australian. To be comrades, to be friends, and respect our country and all who live in it. We must not forget our traditions and our values and the journey of those before us who made this country what it is.  

Thank you and congratulations for a job well done in terms of our Anzac Day commemoration. Thank you to Mr Gordon and all of our parents and community members who provided flowers. To our School Captains we can all feel very proud – Great Job! Thank you to staff for teaching our children on how to behave at official ceremonies. Thank you also to our special guests who add so much to our event with their individual contributions, our music department for such moving renditions of the musical items, and to our students for such outstanding respectful behaviour. 

Lest we forget. 

Brisbane City Council Safer Schools Program 

I am happy to announce that Robertson State School has been confirmed to be included in the Brisbane City Council (Council) Safer Schools Program for Term 2, 2025. This program aims to promote safe parking practices and ensure compliance with local traffic regulations around schools.  

Child safety is paramount, and illegal parking within school zones remains a significant concern for parents, residents, and our school. Limited parking spaces around peak drop-off and pick-up times often leads to competitive and potentially dangerous parking behaviours.  

While we understand the challenges parents face in navigating school zone drop-off and pick-up, it is crucial to prioritise safety. Over the coming term, Council officers will be conducting regular patrols around our school to monitor parking compliance. The enforcement approach will use a combination of foot patrols and highly visible Community Safety and Regulation vehicles, that can identify alleged offences using Automatic Number Plate Recognition and GPS software. Compliance action will be taken on any observed breaches.  

I kindly request that parents, guardians, and visitors to adhere to all parking regulations in the vicinity of our school. Please find further information below from Brisbane City Council.  

School Zone Parking 

Parking in accordance with all road rules and signage is important to keep our children and other road users safe. Unfortunately, Brisbane City Council has received an increase in the number of reports of illegal parking around our school. As a result, our school has been added to Council’s Safer Schools Program this term. 

What does this mean? 

Brisbane City Council’s Parking Compliance Officers will be actively patrolling the streets surrounding our school over the coming term to encourage safer parking behaviours. These patrols will be conducted on foot and in highly visible Community Safety and Regulation vehicles that can identify alleged offences using Automatic Number Plate Recognition and GPS software. Please be kind – they have a job to do. 

What are the common parking signs around schools? 

A guide to common parking signs around school zones can be found on Council’s website by searching the term ‘School Parking’.  

We appreciate your cooperation in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all students and other road users. If you wish to discuss the matter further, please contact Curtis Boyle, Parking Supervisor, on 3027 4337. 

News, Dates and Deadlines  

In an endeavour to limit numerous communications from the school, our News Dates and Deadlines will now be aligned with our fortnightly newsletter. 

2025 School Calendar and Parent Handbook 

At the end of last term, 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