Dear Palm Beach State School Community,

Welcome Back to 2026

Welcome back to school for 2026! It has been wonderful to be back today and to see so many happy, smiling faces across our school.

A very special welcome to our new families joining Palm Beach State School and a special welcome to our Preppies who are starting their very first day of school today. We are so pleased to have you as part of our school community, and I’m confident your time with us will be both positive and rewarding.

Our Focus for 2026

This year, our key school-wide focuses are on strengthening reading outcomes for all students and continuing to build a strong sense of belonging and engagement across our school. When students feel connected, supported and valued, they are best placed to succeed both academically and socially.

Welcome New Staff

We warmly welcome our new staff members to Palm Beach State School and are thrilled to have them join our community. Please say g’day when you see them around the school and help make them feel welcome—I’m sure they’ll love being part of Palm Beach and play an important role in building strong belonging, engagement and positive outcomes for our students.

Kerry Campbell (Business Manager)
Megan Marshall (Year 1A Th/Fr)
Chloe Groot Obbink (Year 3G)
Jackson Clark (Year 5C)
Megan Bastin (Year 5H – Th/Fr)
David Croucher (Year 6C)

Attendance and Starting the Day Well

Regular attendance is vital to student success, and our school attendance target for 2026 is 93%. Everyday counts, and consistent attendance makes a real difference to learning, friendships and confidence.

Our first bell rings at 8:40am, with learning commencing promptly at 8:45am. Arriving on time helps your child feel calm, confident and ready to learn, and supports a smooth start for the whole class. Thank you for helping us give every student the best possible start to their school day.

Playground Use Before and After School

For safety reasons, students are not permitted to use playground equipment before or after school, and this also applies to younger siblings. Playground supervision is provided only during designated school hours, and we appreciate your support in reinforcing this expectation with children.

Bikes, E-Bikes and Scooters on School Grounds

To ensure the safety of all students and community members, bikes, e-bikes, scooters and any similar wheeled devices are not to be ridden within school grounds. Students, parents and carers are required to ‘walk your wheels’ by dismounting and walking as you come into the school gate. Thank you for supporting this important safety requirement.

Day 8 – Final Student Numbers

A reminder that Day 8 is on Thursday, 5 February, and it is an important date for our school. This is when final student numbers are counted, and these numbers determine our school’s staffing and resourcing for the year.

Although we are hoping for no changes to our current class structure, depending on final enrolment numbers there may be some class changes. We will do everything we can to avoid this, and any changes would only be made to best support student learning and wellbeing.

If your child has not yet started, or you know of any changes to enrolment, please contact the school office as soon as possible so we can ensure our records are accurate.

QParents – Important Information

From Term 2, Palm Beach State School will be transitioning to QParents as our primary platform for permissions, invoices, report cards and school communications. Families who are not registered on QParents may be unable to be invoiced for excursions, sporting events, swimming programs or other school activities.

If you are not currently registered, please ensure you accept your QParents invitation when it is sent, or contact the school office for assistance.

Back to School Boost

The Queensland Government’s Back to School Boost provides families with $100 per primary school student (Prep to Year 6) to support school-related expenses.

Families will receive a form attached to school correspondence allowing you to indicate how you would like the Back to School Boost to be used. This form will be available until the end of Term 2 and must be returned to the school.

Families may choose to use part or all of the Back to School Boost towards school-organised activities, including excursions, sporting events, swimming programs and other learning experiences. Any remaining balance will stay on your child’s account and may be used at a later time.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office via admin@palmbeachss.eq.edu.au.

Palm Beach State School is an outstanding community because we work together — families, staff and students — to support learning, wellbeing and belonging. We look forward to another great year of learning, belonging and shared success.

Warm regards,

Scott Anderson

PrincipalPalm Beach State School

Beach Buzz Palm Beach State School

Issue 10 · 28 Jan 2026

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