Principal's Patch

As we move towards the halfway point of another busy and rewarding term, I would like to thank our wonderful school community for the support, care and encouragement you continue to show our students and staff. Palm Beach State School is a very special place, and it is the strength of our community that makes it such a warm, welcoming and connected school.

School Opinion Survey

Thank you to all of the parents and caregivers who took the time to complete this year’s School Opinion Survey. 

The results highlight many strengths that reflect the positive culture of our school. Parents and caregivers rated “This is a good school” at 100%, “The expectations and rules are clear at this school” at 100%, and “My child feels safe at this school” at 98.3%.

Our student results were also very pleasing. Students reported that “My teachers expect me to do my best” at 98.6%, “My school encourages students to respect one another” at 97.7%, and “The expectations and rules are clear at my school” at 96.8%.

These are results our community can be proud of, and I thank you for your ongoing partnership in supporting our school.

SWELL Sculpture Installation

We are incredibly proud to now have the SWELL sculpture installed outside our library, and I would like to extend a huge thank you to Mrs Jacqueline Morrison, one of our school mums, for her incredible work in bringing this to life. This year, our Year 6 students were fortunate to be involved in the SWELL Sculpture Festival, working alongside Jacqueline to create their own miniature sculptures and contribute to her artwork, Embers of Becoming. The artwork represents the powerful ideas of Dream, Believe, Create and Succeed, and provided our students with a wonderful opportunity to see first-hand how artists plan, problem-solve, refine and create. We are so grateful to Jacqueline not only for including our school in this special project, but also for the time, care and effort she has given in installing the sculpture on our grounds for our community to enjoy. Having this beautiful artwork displayed at our school is a very special gift, and we sincerely thank Jacqueline for her hard work, generosity and support of our students.

Animals on School Grounds

A reminder to all families that animals are not permitted on school grounds. This includes all animals — dogs, cats, snakes and any other pets. Thank you for your support in helping us maintain a safe and comfortable environment for all students, staff and visitors.

Dance Troupe

Last Thursday, our talented PBSS Dance Troupe enjoyed an outstanding day rehearsing and performing for a large audience at The Star Theatre as part of PBC High School’s Dance Night.

Our team represented Palm Beach State School beautifully, performing with pride and grace. I would like to sincerely thank Miss Hayman for her dedication to our Dance Troupe and for the many hours of her own time that she so generously gives to support our students. Her commitment, care and passion provide wonderful opportunities for our dancers to grow in confidence and shine on stage.

I am incredibly proud of the way our students conducted themselves throughout the day. They demonstrated kindness, encouragement, wonderful manners and genuine support for one another. They were outstanding ambassadors for our school. Thank you also to PBC High for having us, and congratulations to our amazing dancers on such a beautiful performance.

Staff Appreciation Day

Last week we celebrated Staff Appreciation Day with a special staff breakfast. I would like to sincerely thank our P&C for always looking out for our staff and for the thoughtful ways you show your support. A special thank you also to Mia and Sarah in the tuckshop for their amazing catering. Our staff felt very appreciated, and we are grateful for your generosity and care.

Late Payments and Consent Deadlines

I would like to remind families of the importance of meeting payment and consent deadlines for school events, activities and excursions. Once closing dates have passed, a range of administrative, financial and organisational processes must be completed. For this reason, we are no longer able to accept late payments or late consent forms.

I understand that it is disappointing when a child misses out, and I genuinely do not like seeing that happen. However, these timelines are necessary to ensure school processes are managed appropriately and that we meet required financial and compliance obligations.

I also ask all parents and caregivers to remember that it is never acceptable to speak disrespectfully to our office staff if a deadline has been missed. Our office team work incredibly hard to support families and students and should always be treated with courtesy and respect. If a payment or consent date has been missed, this is not the fault of school staff, and inappropriate behaviour towards them will not be accepted.

All Schools Touch

We wish our teams competing in the All-Schools Touch competition this weekend the very best of luck. Thank you to Mr Locke for giving up his own time to provide this wonderful opportunity for our students. I know our teams will represent Palm Beach State School with pride and demonstrate excellent sportsmanship throughout the competition.

Phones and Watches

Students and families are reminded that mobile phones must be signed in each morning and collected again in the afternoon. Students are not to access or use their phones while at school, including before and after school. Our expectation is that phones are off and away from ‘gate to gate’.

We appreciate families supporting this expectation so that students can remain focused on learning and engaged in positive interactions throughout the day.

Report Cards

Following valuable feedback and consultation with our P&C, there will be a change to report cards this semester. There will no longer be a general comment included on the report card. Instead, each teacher will send home a personal postcard for every student with an individual message.  As the postcards are addressed to the student this means that they will be posted to the address recorded for them in our school system. 

This approach aligns more closely with our school values and beliefs, particularly our commitment to fostering a strong sense of belonging for every student. 

Teacher Transfers for 2027

Each year, we are fortunate to welcome new teachers to our school as they complete service in other Queensland schools. In 2027, we are pleased to welcome:

• Miss Sussanah Sharp from Edens Landing State School, Logan
• Miss Shanai Carton from Happy Valley State School, Mount Isa
• Miss Chloe Fisher from Browns Plains State School, Logan
• Mr Steve Kotzikas from Trinity Beach State School, Cairns

We warmly welcome them to Palm Beach State School. I know they will love becoming part of our school community, and I am sure our students, staff and families will make them feel very welcome.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our school. 

School Uniform

A reminder to families that our School Dress Code and Appearance Policy, agreed to by all parents and caregivers upon enrolment, outlines the expectation that students attend school in full and correct uniform each day. This includes fully enclosed black shoes. Recently, we have noticed an increase in coloured shoes, as well as black shoes with white or coloured soles, and these are not considered part of the school uniform.

I do appreciate that, with the recent wet weather, shoes may occasionally become wet. If this is the case, please provide a note so we are aware. In addition, hair is expected to be neat, tidy and a natural colour for all students. Coloured or bleached hair is not permitted.

Following consultation with our P&C, and as clearly outlined in our policy, students who are not in full school uniform — including those with coloured hair — will be unable to represent Palm Beach State School in sport, attend excursions or participate in other activities where they are representing the school. This is not intended to be harsh, but rather to ensure that our agreed expectations are upheld consistently and fairly across the school. We thank families for their support in maintaining these standards.

Volunteers Morning Tea

Christmas Concert

This year, after careful consideration and with the support of our P&C, we have made the decision not to hold our annual Christmas Concert. Over the past four years, the event has been consistently impacted by storms or wet weather, which has resulted in a significant financial loss to the school each time. Unfortunately, this is not something we can continue to sustain.

While we know this event has been a valued tradition for many families, classes and year levels will be in contact with parents and caregivers to share how they will be inviting families in to celebrate the end of the year in other ways. We look forward to still providing meaningful opportunities for students and families to come together and mark the end of another wonderful school year.

We are very happy to revisit what this may look like in 2027 and in future years.

Warm regards, Scott