Primary Bulletin

Playground Access - Morning Arrival/After School Hours and Supervision

Daily Morning Arrival

Teachers are on duty from 8:00am and therefore you will understand the associated risks involved in leaving children before this time. If arriving before 8:25am, students are permitted to drop their bags outside classrooms, put their hats on and go to the Amphitheatre or Palm Grove playground area. The Treetops Playground in Leopard Terrace and oval are strictly out of bounds before and after school.

The Learning Resource Centre is open from 7:30am, with a staff member supervising, if students arrive before 8:00am. There should be no Primary students left unattended before 7:30am.

A bell will ring, which signifies the beginning of the school day at 8:25am and students should line up outside their classroom to wait for their teacher.

The Prep outdoor area and the veranda areas are strictly out of bounds before school, except in inclement weather.

The Pre-Prep classroom door opens at 8:30am daily. A parent or carer must wait with their Pre-Prep student until such time.

After School

Duty of Care is handed over at the end of the school day and it is the College’s preference that pick-up times are strictly adhered to. However, if you are on campus with your child, please be aware that you are fully responsible for their supervision. Treetops Playground and the Main Oval are strictly out of bounds. The OSHC use the Palm Grove playground after school and therefore, we ask families to please respect their time in this space from 3:45pm.

Primary Assembly

We thoroughly enjoyed the 5R presentation of their Kung Fu Punctuation in our assembly this week. Who knew that Grammar and Punctuation classes could be such fun?

Congratulations to our Semester 1 Student Council Representatives and Chapel Leaders who received their certificates and badges in this week’s assembly:

Semester 1 Chapel Leaders

• Arabella Orlando
• Lia Lee
• Ayla Davari Farid
• Lily Strong

Chapel this year is split into two services, both on Wednesdays. The first begins at 11:55am and is for Prep to Year 2 (later in the year, we will welcome Pre-Prep to these services too). The second service starts at 12:20pm and is for Years 3 to 6.

Year 6 Outdoor Education Camp

Parent communication was emailed home on Friday 14 February. Would you please kindly ensure that required action in Parent Lounge has been completed (due Tuesday 18 February).

Parent Resource

Triple P Positive Parenting Programs

Free Parenting Courses | Fear-Less Triple P Online

Build Resilience in children and help them break free from anxiety.

• Module 1: Understanding Anxiety
• Module 2: Promoting Emotional Resilience
• Module 3: Setting a good example and encouraging realistic thinking
• Module 4: Understanding avoidance
• Module 5: Responding to children’s anxiety
• Module 6: Constructive problem solving and maintaining progress

To find out more about these programs please see the link below.

Save the Date

Interschool Chess Tournament for Years 1 to 12

Clayfield College will be hosting a Chess Tournament on Monday 31 March. Students from Years 1 to 12 are invited to sign up. Please let Mrs Bryan know if you are interested in participating. The tournament will run from 9:30am until 2:00pm. Students will need to bring their usual morning tea, lunch and water bottle, and will be supervised all day by Clayfield College staff.

Don’t forget you can book in for chess classes with Chess Mates (External Provider Activity) if you want to get some practice in beforehand at www.chessmates.com.au. 

External Provider Update

Please note the following update for Chess Mates Lessons held on Monday and Wednesday: 

• Both sessions may be booked for students in Prep to Year 12
• Both sessions will be held in Room 55 (6O classroom)

Collection Arrangements

Students are met at Circular Drive by the provider and taken to the classroom. Parents are to collect their child from the classroom at the end of the lesson.  Arrangements other than this must be communicated to Mrs Bryan mbryan@clayfield.qld.edu.au.

“Excellent Start” Parent Workshop Pre-Prep to Year 2

In Week 6, on Tuesday 4 March at 8:45am in the Lower Learning Resource Centre, Pre-Prep to Year 2 parents are invited to come and learn about our Excellent Start in the early years at Clayfield College. 

At this workshop, you will learn how to support our programs in Reading, Writing, Spelling, and Numeracy by assisting in the classroom and at home. You will find out how to ask comprehension questions following reading, what are reading strategies, ways to practise spelling words, developing ideas in writing, and why number sense is important.

Please register your attendance via the form below.

Experiential Learning at the Prep Incursion!

On Tuesday 18 February, Prep were excited to welcome Reverse Garbage for an eco-art incursion. These Wind Chimes workshops, which involved each Prep class, focused on Science concepts and aligned with our current Unit of Inquiry—Materials.

Is it hard, soft, flexible, rigid, or waterproof? The educators guided children through the process of exploring the properties of their salvaged materials by creating a wind ornament or hanging mobile as the starting point for their scientific inquiry. This informed decision-making process assisted children in deciding what tools to select when manipulating their chosen materials.

The activity further enhanced fine motor skills as students worked carefully with their chosen materials to bend, staple, stick, and position pieces to make their wind chime.

Group Messaging and Large Group Chats

At Clayfield College, we strongly discourage the use of group messaging among students.

As per our Technology Agreement, mass messaging (large group or class chats) and chain communication are not permitted. There is a copy of the Student Technology Agreement on page 7A-8A of the student diaries.

These platforms, although popular with students, can foster an environment where inappropriate content, hurtful comments, and peer pressure are more prevalent, making it harder for students to navigate safely. It is a place where reactions to comments cannot be physically witnessed, leading to miscommunication, misunderstandings, and often hurt feelings. Our College takes a firm stance against such communication, and we urge parents to monitor and guide their children in making safe, responsible digital choices.

Three handy hints:

1. Check Privacy Settings: Ensure your child’s accounts are set to private, so they can control who sees their posts and messages.
2. Monitor Chat Activity: Have regular conversations with your child about their online interactions and ask them to show you any messages/chats they are involved in.
3. Encourage Kindness: Remind your child to think carefully before they post or send messages to another student. Encourage them to speak up if they see something unkind happening, or to remove themselves from negative environments immediately.

The English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) staff extend a warm welcome to our new and existing students and families. In EAL/D there are several key focus areas for this term to help students further develop their language proficiency. Grammar is a fundamental area that focuses on the correct use of tense, parts of speech, and sentence structure, which provides a solid foundation for clear communication. Sentence structure is a crucial aspect of EAL/D this term as it helps students form coherent and varied sentences ranging from simple to more complex language for sharing ideas. 

An emphasis on pronunciation will ensure that learners practice speaking clearly, paying attention to intonation, stress patterns, and individual sounds. Reading comprehension will support students’ understanding and interpretation of texts while expanding vocabulary and improving analytical skills. Writing genres such as narratives and persuasive texts will also be explored to support students' knowledge of structuring different texts to meet the intended purposes. The intended learning for our EAL/D students this term will provide a comprehensive approach to developing English language proficiency. 

We thank you for your support and look forward to a term filled with quality learning.

The wellbeing of our students is our top priority at Clayfield College. We recognise that academic success is intertwined with positive mental health. Therefore, fostering a supportive environment for our students is essential. Our staff actively monitor and support student wellbeing through a variety of methods, from observations in the classroom, informal and formal conversations, among others.

In addition to these efforts, we have introduced EI Pulse, an online tool designed to provide greater visibility into the overall wellbeing of students across the school, year levels, and individual classes. This tool helps us highlight areas where students may require additional support.

Each week, students in Year 4 and above are asked to respond to a series of questions about their wellbeing. All questions are anonymous; however, one question specifically asks students how they are feeling that day. This question serves as an opportunity for students to share if they are struggling or request support if needed. EI Pulse allows our students to express their feelings about a range of factors in a safe and confidential manner. Additionally, our staff are also invited to complete their own check-in via EI Pulse, which reinforces the importance of modelling healthy wellbeing practices for students.

This tool has allowed us to check in with students who may not feel comfortable reaching out on their own or may not know how to approach a staff member for support. We want our students to know that they can always approach me, their classroom teacher, our chaplains, or any trusted staff member whenever they need. For students experiencing more complex or ongoing wellbeing challenges, we collaborate with parents and carers to refer them to a network of supports in the community.

Please contact me, Mrs Miriam Brian, or Mrs Audrey Fellowes should you have any questions or wish to discuss this further.

International Women's Day Breakfast

Screens, Social Media and Our Kids

Date: Thursday 13 March 2025

Time: 7:00pm to 8:30pm 

Venue: Online

Cost: Free

In this parent webinar, tween/teen champion Michelle Mitchell and Clinical and school psychologist Dr Matt O’Connor will discuss some practical strategies, tips and insights for helping your child foster a healthy relationship with technology and unpack some ways to

help your family prepare for the upcoming social media ban.

Learn more and register via the link below. 

Michelle Mitchell

Tween/teen expert and parenting educator 

Dr Matt O'Connor

Clinical and school psychologist

Save the Date

Week 8 Pre-Prep Parent/Teacher Interviews and Prep to Year 6 Parent/Student/Teacher Conferences

Information and booking instructions will be emailed shortly.