Term 1 Week 2 School Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Principal Message

News from the Prep - Year 2 Deputy Principal

It is so exciting to be back for the 2025 school year! I love coming in and seeing all the familiar faces ready to start their next year of school. I have been doing the rounds and checking in to make sure everyone is settled with their new teachers and spaces within the school. It is often a difficult time of the year with new classrooms, new teachers and new friends to meet. It is important to build students resilience and confidence to mix with other students and staff and give the best academic opportunities. Placing 900+ students is a challenge and it does take months to put together. Please rest assured that students are at the centre of the class placement process in our school.

We welcome some new faces to our Prep to Year 2 team.

Mrs Belinda Martin has joined the Prep team working with Mrs Buckley

Miss Grace Male has joined the Year 1 team

Mrs Jo Twine has joined the year 2 team

They are all amazing teachers and are super excited to join our exceptional P-2 team. Please make sure you give them the Trinity Beach State School love!

It has been super exciting to welcome our newest students, our Prep, to Trinity Beach State School! They have had a fantastic start and have been learning about our school rules and the expectations at school as well as all the curriculum learnings which have started already! A very warm welcome to our prep families and also to those families that have joined us for the 2025 school year!

This year we will be continuing our focus on making learning visible and putting students at the centre and in the ‘driver’s seat’ of their learning. Students will be working with their teacher to understand the knowledge and skills required to demonstrate their learning, attain their goals and give feedback.

Term Curriculum overviews will be sent out at the end of week 2. These will give parents an overview of what your child will be learning in each learning area for this term. If you have any questions regarding this information, please chat with your child’s teacher.

In the next few week’s, I am aiming to send out a survey monkey to our 2025 prep families to get some feedback regarding our transition program from Kindy to Prep at Trinity Beach State School. I would really appreciate your feedback so that I can make this transition as smooth as possible for families and most importantly our Kindy/Prep students. Please look out for this in your inbox in the coming weeks.

Thank you for helping your child/ren have such a wonderful start to the school year, by making sure they have everything they need including uniforms, shoes and lunch and making sure they are at school, on time, every day. We really appreciate it!

News from the Year 3 - 6 Deputy Principal

Welcome back to the 2025 school year! I hope that everyone had a chance to enjoy themselves over the festive period. Our students are well rested and ready to get stuck into work in their new year levels and classes.

While we have had a wet start to the term, this has not dampened our spirits and we are excited to continue the teaching and learning journey. The new year has come with some changes to our 3-6 teaching team so I will start by introducing our fantastic teachers:

Unfortunately, due to the weather we were unable to run our meet and greet session on Tuesday of week 2. This has been postponed for now, however if you would like to speak with your child’s new teacher, please contact them to make an appointment.

Our year 5 and 6 teachers and students have been working together to discuss and demonstrate what leadership looks like in the senior years and how to best display school pride and support others. I look forward to seeing all of the amazing ways our new seniors assist in enhancing our school over the year.

School Leadership

On Friday of week 3 (14^th of February) on Parade – 9am to 9.30am - we will officially induct our new school leaders including:

• Student Leaders - Captains
• Student Class Council Members
• Sport House Captains
• Young Scholars
• Music Captains
• Soccer and Netball Academy Students

Young Scholars

Young scholars is set to start in week 4 for a number of our year 5 and 6 students. The program will run on Thursday and Friday afternoons and each group will attend 1 session on either of these days. This year students look forward to participating in:

• MakerSpace (STEM)
• Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow
• Sustainability
• Philosophy in Action
• Adventures in Science

This program is run through our Tropical North Learning Academy (TNLA) which is a strategic partnership between Trinity Beach State School, Smithfield State High School and James Cook University.

The TNLAs mission is to:

Engage young minds to meet the challenges of the future, by offering unique, world-class education programs from the early years to university and beyond.

To find out more about the program and the eligibility criteria we have an information session coming up in week 3:

Please note that your child does not need to be involved in the program this Semester for attendance at this session.

BYOx

Our students have begun to engage with new digital pedagogies in our BYOx classes across Year 5 and Year 6. The beginning of the year comes with setting up expectations, file management, remembering passwords… 😊 If you have a child in a BYOx class and you need some further support with setting up please ensure that you contact us (via the main office) so that we can help you out.

What else is coming up?

Term 1 –

• NAPLAN for Years 3 and 5
• Student Leadership Camp
• Book Fair
• Harmony Day
• Senior Cross Country
• Crazy Hat Parade

 Stay tuned and keep up to date with events through our calendar and via Facebook.

Shannyn McMillan 

News from the Wellbeing, Engagement & Inclusion Deputy Principal

Thank you everyone for the warm welcome I have received since the beginning of Term. I am looking forward to getting to know students and families and working collaboratively to develop our positive school culture. It has been wonderful to connect with so many engaged and supportive parents and teachers so far.

A bit about me...

My teaching background has been in the public and private sectors. I have worked in Early Intervention and Autism specific settings, prior to working in a leadership role at a P-12 school on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Since relocating to Cairns, I have been working as the Head of Special Education at Cairns West State School. I am a passionate inclusive educator and enjoy working collaboratively with staff and families to improve outcomes for students. We can’t do this work without you!

Positive Culture for Learning

This year we are continuing to focus on building a Positive Culture for Learning (PCL). This is a shift in language from Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL), which you may have heard in previous years. The shift in language is reflective of the school’s commitment to create an environment that enables all students to feel safe, supported, engaged and ready to learn. To support this at home, engaging with your child about our school rules and expectations, and reinforcing focus skills, will be of benefit. You may ask:

What does ‘Being Safe’ at school look like? Do you use safe behaviours at school? What does ‘Being a Learner’ look like? You can use this familiar language to reflect on behaviour observed and expected at home as well.

Student Engagement Centre

Our Student Engagement Centre is once again led by Petai Wilson. She is joined by Youth Support Workers, Michelle and Bruno. They have been actively supporting students' transition into the new school year and are a valued resource. The student engagement team provides check-in opportunities for students, alternative spaces for play for targeted students, and run groups to develop targeted skills for development.

Working collaboratively

School can be a challenging place for children for varying reasons. Separating from parents/carers can be difficult, they may have anxiety or worries about the school day (as a parent you may have these too!), connecting with peers and managing friendships, accessing the curriculum and the list goes on... All children experience difficulties at some time, however, if there is a persistent problem, please connect with child’s teacher so that the appropriate supports can be provided to support you and your child. Students are not always capable of self-advocating in the classroom, and this means that sometimes simple strategies that can support them to learn and engage can be missed without your input. Supporting your child to communicate and reflect on what is and isn’t working for them at school is an important step in understanding themselves as a learner. The graphics below from Neurowild, are a snapshot of the diversity we see in our classrooms each day.

If you see me around school, please say hello and introduce yourself 😊.

News from the Head of Inclusive Education

Hello and welcome back for 2025! My name is Caroline Houston, and I am the Head of Inclusive Education this term. Over the past five years, I have worked as an Inclusive Education Teacher here at Trinity Beach State School, and I look forward to, again, being able to collaborate with the wonderful families in our school community.
Many people ask what we mean by inclusion in schools. The Inclusive Education Policy reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to fostering an inclusive education system.
Inclusive education ensures that all students can access and fully participate in learning alongside their same-aged peers, supported by reasonable adjustments and teaching strategies tailored to meet their individual needs. It encompasses every aspect of school life and is strengthened by a supportive culture, policies, and everyday practices.
Inclusion differs from integration, where students may be placed with their peers but do not receive the necessary adjustments to meet their needs. Without these supports, their ability to fully access or engage in learning is limited. Integration alone is not necessarily a step toward true inclusion.
Reasonable adjustments are measures or actions taken to support students with disabilities so they can participate in education on the same basis as their peers. Examples include modifications to the classroom or school environment, personalised learning materials and equipment, personal care support, and tailored planning to meet individual student needs.
If you would like to learn more about inclusion at TBSS or discuss reasonable adjustments for your child, please feel free to visit me at the Inclusive Education Centre. I look forward to working together to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all students.

News from the Head of Department Curriculum Prep - Year 6

I’d like to begin on welcoming everyone to Trinity Beach State School 2025, particularly all of our new families in prep and those who have moved schools. I hope you all had a fantastic break over the Christmas period.

For those who don’t know me, my name is Chris Paterson. I have been teaching at Trinity Beach since 2017 in years 6 and 4 and since the beginning of term four 2022, I have been in the Head of Curriculum role.

This year as Head of Curriculum, my main work will be involve working with our great teachers to assist them in their planning and delivery of the Australian Curriculum.

I will also be co-ordinating our amazing team of specialist teachers and the many events that they run within our school. All of this work will be centred around providing the best possible education for our students.

In the first two weeks of school, I have been in many classrooms across the school and have seen all of our students engaged in their learning with the teachers.

I am looking forward to working with all of our students and staff at our school to ensure that 2025 is a great year at Trinity Beach.

Chris Paterson 

News from the Guidance Officer

Student services and support programs

Supports for students, parents and families.

During school hours, students may require support around their learning, their wellbeing, their relationships or their behaviour.  The staff within the school who assist with this are as follows:

• Class teacher– your first point of contact should be with your child's class teacher.  They are in a position to have a good understanding of your child's needs, and work with you to assist.  In a lot of cases, this can be all that is needed for your child to feel understood and supported at school.
• Student Engagement and Wellbeing Process (SEWP) team– if you and the teacher both agree that your child requires additional support, the school process to determine what support can be offered is known as SEWP.  The teacher will provide information about your child to a panel of staff (including the Principal, Deputy Principals, Head of Special Education, Guidance Officer, Social Worker, EAL/D teacher and Speech Language Pathologist) who will then consider what supports should be put in place.  These supports are then reviewed approximately once a term.
• The Wellbeing, Engagement and Inclusion team may be linked with your child if they require specialised support around behaviour, engagement, specific learning needs or wellbeing.  This team is made up of a Deputy Principal, Head of Special Education, Guidance Officer, Social Worker, Student Engagement Teacher, and Youth Support Workers (x2).

To access any of these staff, call 40571444 or send through an email to our front office staff at admin@trinitybeachss.eq.edu.au – they can pass on your enquiry to the correct staff member/s.

Outside of school hours, families can often require support to negotiate difficult circumstances as they arise.  The following services can assist in this regard – links to websites / contact numbers are also provided for ease of reference.

• Act for Kids – Family and Child Connect is a service designed to provide you with advice and contact with other support agencies / Intensive Family Support is an intensive model whereby a worker assists you to set up longer term supports for you and your family, working alongside you and providing support and advocacy.  You can self-refer to this service to seek either of these levels of supports.  Both of these services can be sought by contacting their intake line, Local number Ph: 40338500 or check out their general website on https://www.actforkids.com.au/ External link
• Beyond Blue is here to help all people in Australia achieve their best possible mental health.  Whether you're seeking mental health information or 24/7 qualified support for you or someone else, we're here for you. It's free and confidential.  Call a counsellor on 1300 22 4636 or chat to a counsellor online at https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/talk-to-a-counsellor/chat External link
• WuChopperen Health Service - a community-controlled health organisation providing primary health care services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Cairns.  Their main office is located at 6 Moignard Street, Cairns Queensland 4870, their phone number is 40801000 and their website is www.wuchopperen.org.au External link
• Stride Cairns – offers counselling and mental health support for children and young people.  Families can self-refer by phone and discuss what sort of support would be helpful.  Their local office is located at 163 Bunda Street, Parramatta Park, Cairns Queensland 4870, Phone (07) 4036 9000, and their website is https://stride.com.au/ External link
• Centacare Cairns - offers counselling, multicultural support, NDIS, aged care, balance and more services to individuals and families in Cairns and surrounding areas. Their website can be accessed at www.centacarefnq.org External link and their office is located at 22-34 Aplin Street, Cairns Queensland 4870 – Ph (07) 4044 0130
• UnitingCare – offers individual and family counselling and support in the areas of aged care, disability support, crisis support and health care.  Families are able to visit their offices at 127 Anderson Street, Manunda Queensland 4870, call on (07) 4032 6800 or visit their website on https://www.unitingcareqld.com.au/ 

If your family require support, and you’re not sure where to start, let us know!  We’re happy to point you in the right direction, or link you with the right people 😊

Focus

Focus skills are actively taught and reinforced in classrooms and varying environments around the school. They are directly linked to our school rules. A new skill is introduced on a weekly basis and shared with students at Parade. Focus skills support consistent expectations for students and consistent responses from staff when these expectations are not being met. The focus skills for Week 3 and 4 are:

Q Parents

To continue to streamline the school’s sale for all items – school fees, excursions, performances, instrumental music we are moving to a cashless school.  This allows our school to reduce the time, effort and expenses required to collect and follow up payments from parents and students.  When you receive an invoice payments can be made online via BPOINT or QParents.

We are proud of being a relatively-cashless school and thank you for moving online with us!

QParents

QP is an online portal helping the school move toward a cashless and paper friendly school. 

• The QP portal allows Parents and Carers to grant participation consent online for activities such as swimming and excursions which reduces our need to print out paper consent forms
• Also, the QP portal enables Parents and Carers to make payment online for school activities and viewing unpaid invoices payment history.

Thank you to all those parents who have registered for QParents. This means every registered parent now has the opportunity to access to their children’s student records at their fingertips, anytime, anywhere. Haven’t received an invitation from us yet? There’s still time! Please let us know immediately. Or if you are simply looking for further information, videos and FAQs on QParents, visit https://qparents.qld.edu.au

Cybersafety

Phones away for the day

The Department of Education’s ‘Phones away for the day’ will be implemented in all Qld state schools from 2024.This means that all students are required to:

• switch off their phone and hand in to the school office as soon as they arrive at school and collect it at the end of the school day.

• Switch off notifications on Smartwatches and other devices (these can be still worn).

This includes off site school activities such as camps and excursions. In the school bus line, phones must be put away in school bags. If parents need to contact their child/children, a call can be made to our school office and we can send the message to your child’s classroom. If you child needs to access their phone for medical, disability or wellbeing reasons, exemptions will be considered for these reasons on a case-by-case basis by the principal.

Student Medication

Student medication

If your child requires medication at school:

You will be asked to complete and sign the Consent to Administer Medication form.

1. Medication needs to be in original packaging
2. Written medical authorisation, completed pharmacy label, medical order, or action plan completed and signed by prescribing health practitioner.

Student Absences

How to report a student absence:

If your student is absent or needs to leave school early - please contact the office by: 

1. Text (SMS): 0428 621 921 - preferred method 
2. or call the absence line 4057 1444 - press #1
3. or email:  attendance@trinitybeachss.eq.edu.au
4. QParents

(SMS line does not take calls and no emoji's please)

When students arrive late, they must sign in at the student services window and take their late pass to their classroom.  If they are leaving early parents/carers must sign their child/children out from the student services window.  

Attendance Matters

No Hat, No Play

Stop, Drop and Go

hank-you for safely using our Stop Drop and Go on both Madang and Wewak Streets.

Remember no parking and leaving your vehicle. This can be a safety risk for our students. Please refer to our signage to guide the flow.

Dangerous parking or driving can be reported to police via this link https://www.police.qld.gov.au/policelink-reporting

Student Leadership Induction Ceremony

Young Scholars Parent Information Session

Book Club

Piano Tuition 2025

Instrumental Music Program

🎻 **Discover the World of Strings at Trinity Beach State School!** 🎻

Are you or someone you know intrigued by the enchanting melodies of the violin, viola, cello, or double bass?

Look no further than Trinity Beach State School! 

Our prestigious music program is offering opportunities for students eager to explore the rich world of strings. Whether you're child is a budding musician or simply curious about the art of string instruments, now is the time to apply and secure your spot on our waiting list.

Why choose Trinity Beach State School for your musical journey?

- Access to very affordable government-subsidised lessons and instrument hire

- Opportunities to learn and perform throughout the year

- Experienced teachers passionate about nurturing talent

- Seamless transition to year 12 through the tropical north learning academy at Smithfield.

- Students start as early as Grade 3 for strings.

Don't miss out on this chance to embark on a musical adventure.

Apply now and join our vibrant community of aspiring string players at Trinity Beach State School!

📧 Email: Mark Wilkins mcwil1@eq.edu.au

Open Classroom

Prep, Year 1 & Year 2 ‘Say hello and resource drop’ was a real hit! 

First Day of School

Seeing double? 

We welcome 3 sets of identical twins in 2025. What a great start today has been for our students.

Welcome Prep families! You were amazing and we are so excited to share this learning journey with you.

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Student Leaders

Student leaders are already commencing formalities and responsibilities for their leadership roles for 2025. Formal leadership induction ceremony will occur Friday 14 February from 9.00am.

Around the Playground

Sport Captains Allyse from Michaelmas and Annabelle from Agincourt are supporting the Year 1 & 2 students during undercover wet lunch time. Well done girls!

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