Primary School News

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to Term 2!

We are looking forward to welcoming you back to Term 2 next week, on Wednesday 23 April. We hope you have had a lovely Easter break, filled with family, friends, love and laughter and an abundance of Easter eggs and hot cross buns!

We are delighted to welcome several new students to the College this term. We wish them a wonderful beginning as they start their journey at Clayfield College.

All families are please reminded to download the College App where all information pertaining to College activities and notices can be found. Last minute updates are also provided on this platform. Please note that the parent WhatsApp Groups sit separately to the College's formal communications.

A reminder of the following Public Holidays and Student Free Days this term. The College will be closed:

Primary Co-Curricular Sports and Interhouse Carnivals

Andrews Cup (Years 2 to 6 girls only)

Information will be emailed specifically to those students/families directly involved from the sports department.

Britton Shield (Years 2 to 6 boys only)

Information will be emailed specifically to those students/families directly involved from the sports department.

Interhouse Carnivals

Information will be emailed to all families closer to the events.

Primary Sports Overview Handbook

Please find an overview from the Primary Sports Department outlining details of Britton Shield, Andrews Cup and Interhouse Carnivals for 2025. Please forward any questions pertaining to Primary Sports to Ms Amy Lewin - alewin@clayfield.qld.edu.au

Winter Uniform

Please note the following requirement for winter uniform which is worn in the Primary School in Terms 2 and Term 3. Students in the Primary School are welcome to wear either option of summer or winter as we acknowledge the differences in weather conditions over the first few weeks of the term.

• Pre-Prep

  The College tracksuit or navy fleecy jumper may be worn on top of the Pre-Prep uniform.

   

• Prep to Year 6

  Students may wear the College navy knee length socks or navy stockings with their formal uniform. Only stockings and socks purchased through the Uniform Shop will be acceptable.

   

  Year 6 students who choose to wear the long College trousers, must wear the College navy socks. The College jumper or vest may be worn with the formal uniform. The College tracksuit or navy fleecy jumper may be worn on HPE days only.

Please could all parents check that green accessories for hair longer than collar length are used, and earrings are either a small pearl, gold or silver plain stud or small sleeper.

Parent Lounge

Parent Lounge provides up-to-date information on College life. Such information includes your child’s timetable and teachers, policy documents, excursion details, school calendar and parent directory. Parents are also able to update their contact details and child’s medical details, view Report Cards and schedule Parent/Teacher interviews. Please see below a guide that will assist you in navigating key features of Parent Lounge.

Student ePortfolios

Your child’s Learning ePortfolio supplements the parent-teacher evening feedback from last term and is an important way for you as a family to reflect on their learning journey. The ePortfolio may include work samples, assessment items, goal setting, and reflections, chosen by both the teacher and the student each term. Together, these snapshots form a small part of the learning journey, progress and achievements of your child. 

The ePortfolio for your child is a private space within one of our learning management tools, either Dojo (for Prep to Year 2) or Teams (for Years 3 to 6). Please ask your child to show you their portfolio on their school device and spend some time together reflecting on their work and the teacher feedback. Staff and students will upload their learning toward the latter part of the term, as they select what they would like to share with their families from the previous term.

Positive Behaviour Support

At Clayfield College, our Positive Behaviour Flowchart is focused on the creation and maintenance of a safe, supportive and nurturing environment which promotes learning and wellbeing in all members of the community. We are committed to a culture of connection and care. Such a culture is the result of clearly articulated expectations combined with high levels of accountability. Staff, students and parents and caregivers all have significant roles to play in realising the intent of this flowchart and we thought it timely to familiarise you with our behaviour flowcharts. All documents are found in every classroom and explicitly shared with students.

Infringement System

Negative behaviours are a natural part of the learning process for all students, and we recognise that some students are often still learning the appropriate way to behave and from time to time, make mistakes. 

As part of our commitment to ensuring a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community, staff will use the online infringement system for students from Year 5, and select students from Prep to Year 4 that require some behaviour management support. 

This system will alert both the Primary Leadership Team and parents to the fact that there was an incident which requires further conversation and will allow for a timelier response to behaviours occurring outside of the classroom, including at break times and during after school activities. 

An email will alert you as the parent to a pastoral care issue, recorded in Parent Lounge as an unsatisfactory (infringement). Please don’t be alarmed by the wording: understand that we will still be following our positive / restorative behaviour process and will approach conversations as an opportunity to learn from mistakes and mend the harm. You can also update the school – either your child’s form teacher or to Mrs Bailey, Head of Pre-Prep to Year 2 or Mrs Bryan, Dean of Primary – if you speak to your child and feel that there is further information we may have missed. 

As always, we welcome your partnership in this vital facet of learning at Clayfield College. We are excited to be researching our Positive Behaviour for Learning Framework (PB4L) with the Pastoral Team and staff, and we will be co-constructing documents with students this year.

Staffing

As mentioned in the Collective last term, Mrs McNiff leaves us to begin her Maternity Leave in Week 2, and we thank her most sincerely for the care and dedication she gave to the students, staff and parents of the Primary School throughout her time with the College.

Clubs Program

The Clubs program will begin in Week 2 of Term 2 and information in relation to this will be distributed via The App. Clubs are optional and the offerings change each term. Many are offered at no additional cost to families.

Lunch time clubs are an important way to improve inclusion, peer connections and the development of social and emotional skills. Semi-structured activities which students opt into, organised around areas of interest, foster a sense of personal empowerment and a positive school climate. 

Typically, these clubs run for 20 minutes after eating time. There are no sign-up requirements for these clubs as they run during the normal school day. After-school clubs offer academic enrichment and are open to interested students. They enhance the experience for students beyond the standard curriculum, broadening their intellectual or creative horizons and allowing them to develop and explore skills which stimulate their curiosity and foster a love of learning. 

An example of an after-school club would be Debating, which is offered to students in Years 5 and 6 from Term 2. Students are taught the basics of debate structure and building a case, and work in teams of four to argue either for or against a debate topic. 

There is a requirement for parents to sign their children up for these clubs with the teacher in charge. Please look out for specific information about each club sign on and pick up times and locations coming later in the term on the College App.

Homework Club

Our Homework Club offering is for students in Years 1 to 6; Monday to Thursday. Please find information below pertaining to these Clubs.

If you need to contact the College after 4:00pm, please call the College number (3262 0262) as usual and your call will be diverted to the Lower LRC.

To assist us in our duty of care, please notify Student Services if your requirements for this service change. If we receive no notification, please expect a call from us to clarify the whereabouts of your child. Similarly, if your child attends Homework Club without a booking, you will be called and asked to collect them as soon as possible.

Years 1 to 6 Homework Club Agreements

Homework Club is a school program and as such, all students using this facility are expected to adhere to the Clayfield College Positive Behaviour Process. 

These include listening to staff instructions, arriving for Homework Club promptly at the end of the school day, remaining in the LRC or Tech Lab unless given permission to leave, and respecting peers and staff.

Thank you very much for your assistance with these processes.

External Co-Curricular Activities

The following external sports and activities will be available for students to participate in Term 2. Please contact the provider directly for bookings and information. Mrs Humphrys at Reception is the College contact for any questions you may have.

Gallery Walks

We are looking forward to seeing our families at the Gallery Walks that are scheduled for Term 2. Gallery Walks are part of our collaborative partnership with parents and caregivers as students share their learning.

Assembly Etiquette

As we work towards a more streamlined assembly with excellent student behaviours, we are encouraging the students to come in quietly, sit patiently to wait for the assembly to begin, look at the people on the stage and listen carefully during the assembly. Whilst we also encourage clapping for awardees, we ask everyone to refrain from cheering or whooping. We know that there are times during assemblies when children are excited, for example when House Points are announced, however settling quickly to listen again once the excitement has died down is an important part of learning how to demonstrate respectful behaviours during a more formal event.

Safety during Drop Off and Pick Up

I refer you to the Parent Code of Conduct, which outlines the following when dropping off and collecting your children from the College:

Be a Responsible Visitor and Participant

When dropping off and picking up students from the College, parents are expected to ensure the health and safety of all members of our College community, as well as the wider community, at all times.

Parents must comply with all traffic rules and any College traffic management system in place. This includes adhering to applicable speed limits, observing all traffic signs, limiting the use of car horns (unless indicating imminent danger), and parking appropriately and safely.

Communication with the Classroom Teacher

Effective communication between home and school is essential for supporting your child's success in the classroom. It is important to share any information that may affect your child's wellbeing or ability to engage in learning on a given day. For instance, if your child has had a restless night’s sleep, is feeling unwell, or is experiencing any other situation that could impact their focus or behaviour, please let the teacher know directly.

You may write a note in your child’s diary or speak with the teacher during Pastoral Care time between 8:30am to 8:40am. Please be aware that passing this information through another teacher or relying on email may delay the message, as teachers may not check emails until after their first break in the afternoon. Ensuring that the relevant teacher receives this information directly allows them to better support your child throughout the day, setting them up for success. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Support Lessons

In the Primary School we offer a combination of in-class and withdrawal support for students requiring additional support in areas across the curriculum. This year, the College increased the number of support staff in response to our growth in numbers. These staff work closely with the core classroom teacher to realise the adjustments agreed upon in the Learning Adjustment Plan or Individualised Educational Plan. Should you feel that an adjustment isn’t in place, it is essential that you speak directly with your child's core teacher, who can talk with you specifically regarding this.

Clayfield College offers the intervention programs, MiniLit Sage and MacqLit. MiniLit Sage is the updated researched-based intervention program, especially designed for students in the early years of schooling. The program has been updated to include the latest in reading intervention strategies and practices. MacqLit is an explicit and systematic reading intervention program with a core focus on phonics, or word identification, supported by connected text reading to ensure skills are generalised to authentic reading experiences. Both these programs have been based on the research and development initiative of Macquarie University.

Two mornings a week, students who meet criteria, are invited to participate in before school Literacy and Numeracy Clubs. These clubs are designed to revise and consolidate core literacy and maths skills in a fun way through educational games and activities. The students enjoy the variety of activities offered in these clubs. If you have any questions about the amount of support available or specific to your child, please feel free to reach out to talk with the class teacher who can discuss this with you.

Policies and Procedures

All parents and caregivers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the College's Policies and Procedures, all of which are available on our College's website at the link below. 

In particular, we refer you to the following: 

Useful Contact Details

ANZAC Day - Kalinga Park March

Prep to Year 12 students will be commemorating ANZAC Day with a student/staff Assembly on Thursday 24 April. Clayfield College Primary and Secondary students are encouraged to attend the service at Kalinga Park on 25 April, which has seen the Clayfield community and surrounding suburbs partake for over 100 years. It would be lovely to see as many Clayfield College students attend and join in as we proudly march as a school. 

• Location: Kalinga Park 
• Time: 6:45am for a 7:00am Service  
• Date: Friday 25 April 

Please meet Mrs Bryan on the corner of Park Ave and Kalinga Street from 6:45am. Students are required to wear full summer formal uniform (including hat) to represent Clayfield College with pride.

Mother’s Day Breakfast

P&F Mother's Day Stall

Our P&F Friends of Primary are hosting a Mother’s Day Stall on Friday 9 May, offering a beautiful selection of gifts for students to purchase for their loved ones. Gifts range from $5 to $20, and purchases will be made using pre-purchased tokens. Please ensure tokens are secured in advance via the provided link.

The Primary staff are always available to assist should you require any help, please don’t hesitate to reach out to discuss any concerns or questions you may have.  

We look forward to sharing a wonderful term ahead with you and our fabulous students and staff. 

Yours sincerely,   

Mrs Audrey Fellowes   

Deputy Principal – Pastoral/Head of Primary 

Mrs Miriam Bryan

Dean of Primary