Primary Bulletin

National Week of Action Against Bullying

This year our College proudly supported Bullying No Way: National Week of Action, Monday 11 August to Friday 15 August 2025. 

Bullying No Way Week was an opportunity for students to demonstrate their commitment to kindness and friendship. It gave the opportunity to connect with students and staff to implement workable solutions to prevent bullying. The theme for this year's campaign was Be Bold. Be Kind. Speak Up. 

Over the past two weeks, the Pastoral Team and teachers engaged students in meaningful discussions and activities aimed at promoting empathy, understanding and respect for diversity. They highlighted the themes of kindness and friendship and explicitly taught strategies to encourage and embed these important social and emotional and skills. 

We encourage families to take this opportunity to have open and honest conversations about the difference between friendship challenges and bullying. This information and conversation starters may help. 

What is bullying?  

Bullying is when someone deliberately and repeatedly hurts or intimidates another person, often using their power to cause harm. It may be face-to-face or online and includes:  

•  Verbal (e.g. name-calling, teasing, threats) 
•  Physical (e.g. hitting, pushing, damaging property) 
•  Social (e.g. excluding others, spreading rumours) 
•  Online (e.g. hurtful messages, posting private images). 

It’s important to know that bullying is not just a one-off disagreement or occasional teasing. Those situations can still cause harm, but bullying is targeted, repeated, and creates a power imbalance.  

Clayfield College has zero tolerance for these behaviours and is outlined in our Student Code of Conduct.  

Ways to strengthen family connections  

• Spend time one-on-one: Even 10 minutes of child-led time a day strengthens trust.  
• Family time: scheduled regular shared family time is linked to better behaviour and communication.  
• Listen without judging: Ask open questions, and let your child express themselves fully.  
• Be a role model: Show kindness and respect in your own relationships, online and offline.  
• Be consistent: Clear routines and boundaries help children feel secure and respected.  

Conversation starters 

Keeping the conversation open can help your child feel safe to talk. Try:  

• “Who did you spend time with today?”  
• “What was something that made you smile?”  
• “Was there anything that made you feel uncomfortable or upset? 

If your child is demonstrating unkind behaviour  

• Stay curious, not angry: “Can you help me understand what’s been going on?”  
• Talk about empathy : “What do you think the other person felt?”  
• Set clear expectations: “In this family, we treat others with fairness and respect.”  
• Guide them to repair harm: Talk about apologies, making amends, or writing a note.  
• Work with the school: Ask about positive behaviour support  

Look out for another important event in our school calendar;  RUOK? Day on Thursday 11 September. We will be wearing a touch of yellow to remind ourselves about checking in with our friends, and seeing how we can help one another. 

Short-Stay Student Farewell

On Tuesday we celebrated our Short-Stay students who have spent four weeks experiencing school life at Clayfield College. We loved hearing about their culture and the differences between schools and countries. Many of our students will continue the friendships they made throughout this time. Thank you to Miss Connolly, Miss Kosa, Mrs Harvey and the Primary School teachers for making their time at Clayfield College so warm and welcoming. 

Primary Book Week Parade

We look forward to our much-loved Book Week Character Parade for Pre-Prep to Year 6 on Friday 22 August.  Students may come dressed as their favourite book character (closed in footwear, appropriate for the playground must be worn). If students have HPE on that day, please bring your PE gear. Students must also bring a hat for playtimes. The Theme for this year's Book Week is 'Book an Adventure!' 

What: Book Week Character Parade Pre-Prep to Year 6

When: Friday 23 August 8:45am to 9:45am

Where: PE Centre (Families are welcome)   

Medication Storage for School Trips, Tours and Camps

To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students during school excursions, it is essential that any required medication is provided in a clear and organised format. For this reason, all student medications must be supplied in pharmacy-prepared blister packs. These packs must separate medication by day and dose, and each compartment should clearly display the student's name, the name of the medication, dosage instructions, and administration times. 

This approach helps ensure accurate and timely administration while maintaining consistency with a student’s prescribed treatment plan, especially in off-site settings. Medications must be accompanied by any written directions from the prescribing specialist, including specific requirements such as timing in relation to meals or any storage conditions.

This process supports a safer and more efficient approach to managing medication during overnight school excursions. Parents and guardians are asked to organise blister packs in advance through their local pharmacy and ensure all required documentation, including medical forms and specialist instructions, are submitted to the school before the departure date. Information regarding medication submission, will be shared closer to each specific trip.

We understand that the organisation of medication requires a planned consultation period and therefore this new process will begin from 2026.

Thank you for helping us ensure the continuity of care for students and allowing staff to focus on supervision and support, knowing that medication is clearly organised and ready for safe use.

Should you have any questions about this, please reach out to Mrs Audrey Fellowes: afellowes@clayfield.qld.edu.au or the Health Centre: healthcentre@clayfield.qld.edu.au

Before School Hours and Supervision

A friendly reminder that, unless students are participating in co-curricular activities, they are not permitted on the College campus before 7:30am, as there are no staff members on duty.  

The Learning Resource Centre (LRC) is open from 7:30am if students arrive before 8:00am.

Thank you for your attention to this important safety matter. 

Primary School Arrangements 

If arriving before 8:25am, students are permitted to drop their bags outside classrooms, put their hats on and go to the playground or Lower LRC area. 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 Amphitheatre, Palm Grove playground and grassed area in Leopard Terrace are available for play between 8:00am and 8:25am; however, the Tree Tops playground in Leopard Terrace is strictly out of bounds before and after school. The Pre-Prep classroom door opens at 8:30am daily. A parent or carer must wait with their Pre-Prep student until such time. 

Grandparents' Day

We invite grandparents to join our Pre-Prep to Year 6 students for a delightful morning of celebration.

Father's Day Breakfast

P&F Father’s Day Stall 

Clayfield College P&F Friends of Primary are proud to present the Father's Day Stall 2025, taking place on Thursday 4 September. We invite you to purchase tokens for your child to spend on gifts for the important father figures in their life, whether they are fathers, grandfathers, or other special individuals. 

The stall will be cashless again this year, with gifts available at various price points: $5, $10, $15, $20, $25, $30, and $50. You can choose any amount and combination of tokens to suit your child’s preferences. Token purchases will close on Monday, 1 September 2025, so be sure to secure yours in time.

Please browse the attached Father's Day Stall catalogue to view our amazing selection of gifts.

Use the following link to purchase tokens: 

ICAS

Students enrolled in ICAS testing will be required to attend the Primary Tech lab (71) on the following days: 

Years 1 to 3 Homework Club Change of Days

Due to a lack of enrolment numbers for students attending Years 1 to 3 Homework Club, our new weekly offering will be on Monday and Wednesday only from the beginning of Term 4. 

Students in Years 4 to 6, will continue with Homework Club 3:10pm to 5:00pm, Monday to Thursday. 

Bookings are essential through Student Services. 

Professor Jellybean

Our Pre-Prep children took part in a science incursion with Professor Jellybean. They became young scientists for the day with their lab coats and safety glasses, exploring a series of engaging experiments designed to spark thinking and discovery. 

The children experimented with Freaky Goo Worms, creating a calcium solution and using their senses to observe changes in texture and form, and explored the magic of chemical reactions with Fun with Fizz & Foam. Each experiment offered opportunities to observe, predict, and discuss cause and effect in meaningful ways. 

Pre-Prep to Year 2 Science Fair

Our Pre-Prep to Year 2 Science Fair followed on from the success of Monday’s Years 3 to 6 Science Fair when the Pre-Prep to Year 2 students engaged in a range of science activities organised by our wonderful teaching team. While our youngest students did bubble blower painting, Space Lego, made astronaut masks and painted with sunscreen, our Year 1 and 2 students launched marshmallows through paper tubes, focussing on Newton’s Second Law of Motion.  

Science Fair

As part of Science Week ‘Decoding the Universe’, the Year 3 to 6 students participated in a Primary Science Fair. From 12:00pm to 12:50pm on Monday, students were involved in a range of science activities including rocket making, lightning painting, moon phases with Oreo cookies, pop top blow-ups and float and sink investigations. Led by the Primary staff, these hands-on experiments sparked curiosity and inspired many thoughtful conversations.   

Preparing your Child for Camp

If your child is feeling nervous about going to camp, it's completely normal, and there are several ways you can help ease their anxiety.  

• Have open, positive conversations about what to expect, focusing on the fun activities and opportunities they will have to better connect with friends. 
• Acknowledge that it's okay to be nervous about new experiences. 
• Involve your child in the preparation process: such as packing their own bag or choosing new items.  
• If possible, practise separation through short sleepovers with friends or family. Discuss a sleep routine that will work for them at camp. 
• Pack a comfort item from home, like a pillowcase, quiet activity, book or plush toy. 
• A short letter from a loved one can be helpful, but for some students it can be detrimental. 
• ‘Virtually’ visiting the camp location(s) through photos or videos, can help make it feel more familiar.  
• Reassure them that homesickness is common and that they’ll have trusted adults at camp to support them. 
• Discuss what to look forward to after camp- ‘their favourite meal’, ‘a weekend activity’, ‘the feeling of accomplishment’, ‘new-found independence’  
• Encourage students to reach out and speak to their teacher about their nerves — sometimes this is enough to lighten the load. 

• CC Sport Event Sign-On Process

• Important Reminder 
• To ensure the safety and correct record-keeping of all students attending sporting events, it is essential that parents complete the sign-on process via Parent Lounge. This allows us to maintain up-to-date rolls and access important information.
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• When signing your child on for a sporting program or event, please ensure the following steps are completed:
• Accept the event sign-on via Parent Lounge
• Complete the transportation form when event information is released. 
• If there are any changes to your child’s transport arrangements, please notify the appropriate sports coordinator via email as soon as possible.
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• Following the event, all students must be signed out with the nominated supervising staff member/s before departing the venue.
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• We appreciate your support in helping us maintain a smooth and safe event experience for all students.