Welcome Back

Welcome back to another great year of learning at Palm Beach State School. A very special welcome to new families to our school, I know you will love your time at our school and in the Palm Beach community. A huge welcome to our 115 new Prep students starting school for the very first time, they have all settled in very well and are off to a great start to their schooling journey.

I am very excited for 2024 and beyond as we continue to implement strategies to ensure every one of our students is succeeding at Palm Beach State School.

Day 8

Yesterday our student numbers were officially submitted with 860 students enrolled so far in 2024.

50th Year

2024 promises to be a very special for Palm Beach State School as this year we celebrate our 50th year. Some special events will be planned for later in the year to commemorate this special milestone so please stay tuned!

New staff

Welcome to our new staff joining the Palm Beach team this year.

Mrs Tanya Roden (Year 1 - Biggera Waters SS)

Mrs Zoe Fawaz (Year 1 – Pallara SS)

Mrs Claire O’Boyle (Year 2 – Clover Hill SS)

Mrs Denise Fortuna (Year 3 - NSW)

Mrs Natalie Gibbs (Year 3 - Manly SS)

Mrs Shelley McDonnell (Year 3 - Caningeraba SS)

Miss Ebony James (Year 4 – Edens Landing SS)

Mrs Tamara Jinks (Year 4 – Kedron SS)

Mrs Sandra Kardum-Roatz (Year 5 – Mudgeeraba Creek SS)

Mrs Cherrie Jones (Year 6 – Gilston SS)

Student Leadership Badge Ceremony

Next Tuesday morning we will officially induct our 2024 school leaders at our leadership badge ceremony. This ceremony will take place on our PAC and will commence at 9am. Congratulations to our leaders who will receive their badges on Tuesday.

STUDENT LEADERS 2024

SCHOOL CAPTAINS

Vasu and Charlie

SCHOOL VICE CAPTAINS

Lochlan and Zali

STUDENT COUNCIL CHAIR

Amelia and Amelia

MUSIC CAPTAINS

Katie and Beni

SCHOOL HOUSE CAPTAINS

DOLPHINS - GOWANDA

Mila, Taj and Tamati

STINGRAYS -WEHM

Brahx, Mia and Sam

SHARKS – BOWAI

Cooper, Sarah and Iluka

This is a very important occasion for these students and our school and all parents are welcome to attend this ceremony.

Uniform

At Palm Beach State School, we take great pride in our school. The wearing of school uniform promotes this pride and sets the high standards expected of all students. Please be reminded it is an expectation that all students are in full school uniform. From the commencement of the school year, there are many students not wearing full school uniform including black shoes.

The below is from PBSS Dress Code and Appearance Policy.

All students are required to wear fully enclosed black shoes, preferably black jogger style shoes with black laces and white socks. Due to Workplace Health and Safety, thongs or sandals are not permitted.

• ALL students are required to wear the uniform correctly, are encouraged to take pride in their appearance and to keep their uniform clean, neat and tidy

• Underwear, sport underwear e.g skins, t shirts (long sleeve and short) are not permitted to be worn if observable and showing from under the uniform

• Hair must be clean, neat and tidy. Styles and colour should be appropriate for school.

- Mohawks, spiked multi-coloured/coloured hair, rats tails, tracks, razor cuts are not permitted.

- Students with long hair are required to have it tied back.

- Ribbons, clips, scrunchies and headbands etc are to be in school uniform colours blue, white, black or natural hair colours.

• JEWELLERY is not appropriate at school and is not permitted. Students may wear a watch.

Students with pierced ears may wear gold or silver studs or sleepers. No other facial piercings are permitted. During sport, for safety, only studs may be worn and watches need to be removed.

• MAKE-UP and coloured finger nail polish are not appropriate at school and are not permitted.

Excellence Awards

This year we are making some exciting changes to our school assemblies and our recognition of our students’ achievements. We are introducing ‘Excellence Awards.’ We believe in celebrating excellence in all aspects of our students' lives. The Excellence Award is a special recognition given to students who embody outstanding qualities in their academic journey and/or personal development. We recognise that excellence can present itself in many different ways. Students receiving these awards will receive a special certificate and also a badge/pin that can be worn on their school uniform.

Student of the week awards will now be presented by classroom teachers weekly to students in their class.

Dogs on School Grounds

Please remember that animals (including dogs and puppies) are not allowed on schoolgrounds. While we appreciate the value of interactions with animals, safety and hygiene are our top priorities. If your child wants to share their pet's joy, consider options like show-and-tell. Thank you for ensuring a secure and inclusive environment for everyone. Your cooperation is greatly valued.

Playgrounds Out Of Bounds

Please remember that all playgrounds are out of bounds before and after school. Even with parental supervision, students and their siblings are not permitted to play on this equipment. This is again to ensure the safety of students on our school grounds.

Away for the Day

From 2024, it is policy that Queensland state school students are required to keep mobile phones switched off and 'away for the day' during school hours and while attending school activities, such as representative school sport, excursions and camps.

Wearable devices, such as smartwatches, can be worn to school but notifications must be switched off so that phone calls, messages and other notifications cannot be sent or received.

Your child can continue to bring their phone to school to communicate with you, their friends and employers outside of school hours. At our school, students are required to sign phones into the office before school and they may be signed out at the conclusion of the school day.

'Away for the day' supports schools to maintain a strong focus on educational achievement, and student wellbeing and engagement by:

providing optimal learning and teaching environments
encouraging increased face-to-face social interactions between students
promoting the health and wellbeing of students through increased social interaction and physical activity
reducing the potential for students to be exposed to the negative impacts of the digital world, resulting from unsafe or inappropriate technology use.

As a parent or carer, you play an important role in supporting your child to engage with technology in safe and respectful ways. Parents can support schools to implement the 'away for the day' approach by:

talking with your child about the requirement to sign their phone into the office for the day, and/or notifications disabled on wearable devices
using the school's preferred communication method to contact your child during the day, such as phoning the school office
encouraging your child to report to a staff member in the first instance if they become unwell or experience an issue during the school day
raising questions about the school's local implementation approach with school staff
establishing routines at home to help your child balance their use of devices and screen time.

Below are some FAQ’s in relation to this policy.

Will there be exemptions for students who use a phone / wearable device to manage a health condition?

Yes, exemptions will be made available for students who require access to their mobile phone or wearable device for health monitoring purposes. This should be documented in their health care plan in accordance with the Managing students’ health support needs at school procedure.

What devices are covered under ‘away for the day’?

Mobile phones and wearable devices include all mobile phones, smartwatches, handheld devices and other emerging technologies which have the ability to connect to telecommunication networks or the internet.

My child forgot their lunch, how will I contact them?

You can continue to contact your child through existing school processes, such as phoning the school office.

How will I contact my child at school in the event of an emergency?

In the event of an emergency, you will still be able to contact your child through existing school processes, such as phoning the school office.

How will my child contact me while they are at school?

If your child becomes unwell or experiences an issue during the school day, it is important that they report to a staff member in the first instance. Staff will follow appropriate school processes and make contact with parents and carers.

In the event of an emergency at school, the school will follow their Emergency Response Plan to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students and staff, which includes processes for communicating with parents and carers.

Can my child use their phone while they are on excursions?

Mobile phones and wearable devices are not to be used during school activities such as representative sport, camps and excursions, unless an exception is made by the principal.

If this is the case, information will be included in the excursion permission form.

School Attendance

Why is regular attendance at school important?

Regular school attendance will mean that your child gets a better chance at life. Your child will achieve better when they go to school all day, every school day:

• they learn better

• they make friends

• they are happier

• they have a brighter future

Why must I send my child to school?

Under Queensland law, you must make sure your child of school age is enrolled and attends school all day, every school day unless they have a reasonable excuse. Illness, competing in a school sporting event or going on a school excursion are reasonable excuses for being absent from school.

Avoid keeping your child away from school for birthdays, shopping, visiting family and friends, if they sleep in, looking after other children, minor check ups or care such as hair cuts.

School Costs

School costs are due by end of February 2024. Students with overdue costs after this date may experience a temporary suspension of access to the Literacy and Numeracy Apps, including

Literacy Planet, Mathletics/ Maths Seeds, Australian Decodable Readers online library. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

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