Junior School Bulletin

It has been a slightly quieter event week following a very busy week last week, including the Care@Clayfield session with Dr Justin Coulson and the fantastic P&F Junior School Disco. It was wonderful to see so many students and families in attendance. While a fun evening for the students, it was also a valuable opportunity for parents to connect with one another. 

As we move towards the end of Term 2, there are several key events and reminders for the weeks ahead. 

Semester 1 Co-Curricular Photographs

Our Semester 1 co-curricular photographs will take place next week, with Junior School students involved on Tuesday 2 June. (Wednesday 3 June is only for Senior students) Please refer to the below schedule for the day.

This document also outlines the required uniforms for each group, noting that expectations differ for music and sporting photos. Please ensure your child has the correct uniform(s) on the day. If you have any questions, please contact the Junior School Office via juniorschool@clayfield.qld.edu.au. 

Year 6 Camp

We are looking forward to our first Junior School camp of the year, with our Year 6 students heading to Noosa North Shore for two nights and three days at the end of next week. 

We hope both students and staff have a fantastic experience. A sincere thank you to the staff attending, their willingness to give their time to support these opportunities is greatly appreciated and provides students with meaningful experiences that will stay with them for many years to come. 

Year 7 (2027) Experience Day - Monday 8 June

Year 6 students will take part in our Clayfield Experience Day on Monday 8 June as part of our Countdown to Commencement Program. 

This program provides a series of transition and orientation opportunities designed to support a confident and positive move into Senior School. 

Experience Day offers students the opportunity to engage in a range of interactive activities across STEM, The Arts, Health, Wellbeing and Sport, giving them a genuine insight into Senior School life in a relaxed and engaging environment. 

Later in the year, students will also participate in Orientation Day (12 October), continuing this transition journey and further building familiarity with the campus, routines and staff. 

Together, these experiences help students build confidence, develop connections and ensure a smooth transition to Year 7. We look forward to supporting these students in the journey into the senior school here at Clayfield. 

Andrews Cup Netball

Due to wet weather, the Andrews Cup Netball competition scheduled for this week has been postponed and will now take place on Monday 8 June. 

Further information has been shared directly with families involved. We wish our students all the very best for the day in Toowoomba. 

All Girls Maths Tournament

On Tuesday five girls from Year 5 and Year 6 represented the College at the All Girls Maths Tournament that was hosted at All Hallows’ School. The girls enjoyed the two events within the competition. The highlight was the team relay event where they worked in pairs to complete Maths word problems.  

Illness Reminder

As we move into winter, we ask that all families please be mindful of our community. 

If your child is unwell, please keep them at home until they have fully recovered. We understand that a minor residual cough or croaky voice can remain; however, your support in reducing the spread of illness is greatly appreciated. 

While we strongly support consistent attendance and recognise the positive impact this has on learning, this must be balanced with the wellbeing of the broader community. Unwell students attending school can contribute to the spread of illness, affecting the attendance and wellbeing of others. 

Sun Safety

A reminder that Clayfield College operates a No Hat, No Play policy. Please ensure your child brings a hat to school each day. For hygiene reasons, hats are not shared. 

Junior Assembly

Reminder about change of date 

A gentle reminder of the following change to our assembly schedule. There will be no Junior Assembly on Tuesday 9 June. The Co-Curricular Awards Assembly will instead be held at 2:20pm on Tuesday 16 June (Week 9). 

We look forward to celebrating our sports award recipients, Da Vinci Decathlon participants and enjoying a number of musical performances. Thank you again for your ongoing support, particularly across the many recent events. If you have any questions regarding the above, please don’t hesitate to contact the team. 

Code Camp

Please refer to the attached for further information regarding the upcoming Code Camps at Clayfield College.

Term 3 Parent–Teacher Conferences

Please note that Junior School Parent–Teacher Conferences will take place in Term 3, Week 6 (17 to 21 August). 

These conferences provide an important opportunity to discuss your child’s progress following their Term 2 report and to build on conversations from earlier in the year. If you have any questions after reports are released in mid-June, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher at the start of Term 3 to arrange a time to meet. 

We look forward to continuing to strengthen the partnership between home and school as we support each child to achieve their personal best. 

BEEP Department - Year 5 Catch Up

Our Year 5 students have been busy this term! Recently, they have begun their Entrepreneurship Program with Mrs Carter and are learning about enterprise skills and how they are used in our every day lives. We are looking at the process of business name creation and the important role slogans and jingles play. Next term, students will begin their Project in bringing an idea to life!

In Health and Physical Education with Mr Woods, students have been performing the specialised movement skills of throwing and catching with a Tchoukball rebounder. Some even managed some complex jump shots to score outside the "forbidden zone"! Tchoukball is a global sport, played on every continent, but it is most popular and competitive in Asia and Europe. Students applied their movement concepts to create strategies because in Tchoukball both ends can change between defence and offence. Students demonstrated social and personal skills to work collaboratively and play fairly during Tchoukball games, and some were brave enough to attempt officiating a match.

Gallery Walks / Pre-Prep Stay and Play Morning

Another gentle reminder that the opportunity for you to visit your child’s classroom and hear from them about their learning is starting from next week. Please see the schedule below.

Year 1 Excursion to Mt Coot-tha

On Thursday 21 May, the Year 1 students enjoyed an exciting excursion to Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens. Throughout the day, students explored the beautiful gardens while learning about the different parts of plants and the important jobs they do. 

Students also discovered a variety of animals living within the gardens including bees, birds, lizards, bush turkeys, amphibians and turtles. We explored how living things need sun, air, shelter, food and water to survive, and saw how different habitats provide these. A fun fact students enjoyed learning was that Mt Coot-tha comes from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander term “Coo-ta,” meaning “place of the honey.” 

During the excursion, students participated in a colour walk where they matched colours found in nature and carefully sketched the lines and shapes of leaves from the gardens. It was a wonderful day of hands-on learning, exploration and creativity for all students involved. 

Calm, Brave and Helpful

Last week, the Pre-Preps participated in a Mini Medics incursion, where the children engaged in hands-on learning experiences focused on safety, helping others and responding calmly in an emergency.  

The children learned some simple first aid steps including checking for danger, checking if a person could wake up, rolling someone carefully onto their side and using an app to call an ambulance for help. The children also explored how to wrap a bandage and discussed what to do if they see a snake in the wild. 

Experiences such as Mini Medics support children to develop a growing understanding of wellbeing, safety and caring for others within their community. We encourage you to continue these conversations at home with your children. 

Year 3 Excursion to Ngutana-Lui Cultural Centre

Last Wednesday, Year 3 students enjoyed a rich and memorable excursion to the Ngutana-Lui Indigenous Cultural Centre. Throughout the day, students learned how traditional Aboriginal women used the bush to create medicines, experienced a Torres Strait Islander storytelling session and explored the many ways Indigenous peoples share stories through art, dance, song and oral traditions. The students themselves were able to partake in dance and create their own meaningful artworks. The day was highly engaging and hands-on, with boomerang throwing a clear highlight for many students. 

Year 4 Incursion: Living History

Last Thursday, students enjoyed an engaging Living History incursion that brought the past to life in a fun and memorable way. During the session, students interacted with a range of historical artefacts, participated in role-plays that recreated key events and stories, and took part in dress-up activities that helped immerse them in early colonial Australia. The informative and interactive presentation, led by experienced presenters, captured students’ interest and helped students better understand the content they have been learning in HASS.  

Year 6 Noosa Northshore Camp Reminders

We are looking forward to the Year 6 Outdoor Education Camp next Wednesday to Friday. It is extremely important the students have a warm sleeping bag and a sleeping roll mat. It is also recommended that students have warm trackpants and a jumper for the evenings and another zip through jacket for the day activities.  If you have any questions or queries, please reach out to your class teacher.