Wow! What a fantastic start to the year at Palm Beach State School, with our classrooms buzzing with energy, curiosity and purposeful learning. Students have settled in exceptionally well, showing strong engagement in their lessons and a genuine sense of pride in being part of our school community.

We also extend a very warm welcome to all new families joining our school — we are so pleased to have you with us and look forward to partnering with you in your child’s learning journey. It has been especially wonderful to see our Prep students off to such a confident and happy start as they begin their schooling journey.

A strong sense of belonging is evident across the school, and we are excited about the rich learning and opportunities still to come this term. I will be on leave for part of Week 7 and all of Weeks 8 and 9 this term, and during this time Mrs Megan Woodley will be Acting Principal — I thank her in advance for her leadership and know the school will continue to thrive.

Day 8 2026

Our confirmed enrolment count on Day 8 this year is 898 students. While this is slightly below our earlier projections, we will be maintaining our current structure of 38 classes. The school will fund an additional teaching position to support this model.

This means we will not need to create an additional Year 2/3 composite class. We’re pleased to be able to keep our existing class arrangements in place and provide continued stability for students and staff.

2026 Student Leadership Team

Last week we officially inducted our Palm Beach State School leaders.

We are so proud of each of them and the way they have already shown courage, kindness and a strong sense of belonging within our school community.

We can’t wait to watch them grow, lead and make a positive difference as they begin their leadership journey.

Congratulations to our wonderful leaders - our community is cheering you on every step of the way!

SCHOOL CAPTAINS: Lincoln , Parker

SCHOOL VICE CAPTAINS: Hayden, Mia

STUDENT COUNCIL CHAIR: Audrey, Presley

MUSIC CAPTAINS: Selah , Alby

SCHOOL HOUSE CAPTAINS

DOLPHINS: Marley, Eden, Ryder, Dakota

STINGRAYS: Huxley, Lucy, Milly, Leilani

SHARKS: Mojo, Mackenzie, Tilly, Frankie

Tree Removal

Unfortunately, the large and much-loved fig tree near the library will need to be removed due to significant damage to surrounding infrastructure, including the concrete around the library, bitumen and gutters in the carpark, and nearby pathways.

Following a detailed arborist report and recommendations from the Department of Education’s Infrastructure Services, removal has been advised, and we are aiming to complete this work before or over the Easter holidays to minimise disruption to learning.

We will carefully consider what will go in its place to ensure the area remains both functional and welcoming for our school community.

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.

Dogs on School Grounds

A friendly reminder to all families that dogs are not permitted on school grounds at any time. This includes dogs that are being carried. While we know many of our community members are responsible pet owners, this rule is in place to ensure the safety, comfort, and wellbeing of all students. Some children are fearful of dogs and others have allergies, so we appreciate your understanding and support in helping keep our school environment safe for everyone.

Kiss and Go Safety

Thank you to the many families who are using our Kiss and Go zone correctly each day. To keep traffic flowing and students safe, please remember that this zone is for quick drop-off and pick-up only — parking is not permitted. If your child needs help getting into a car seat or requires extra time, please park in a designated parking area and collect them from the waiting area instead. Please also ensure there is no double parking in this zone. Following these guidelines helps the line move efficiently and reduces risk for our students.

Playground Use Before and After School

We are continuing to see students and younger siblings using the playgrounds before and after school. All playgrounds are out of bounds at these times unless supervised during school hours. Even with signage and previous reminders, this remains an ongoing issue. We ask for your support in reinforcing this expectation with your children and refraining from playground use outside of school hours to help us maintain a safe environment.

Kindy Carpark Courtesy

Please do not park in the C&K Kindy carpark unless you are dropping off or collecting a child enrolled there. These spaces are reserved for kindy families and access needs to remain available for them at all times. Thank you for being considerate and respectful of our neighbours.

School Uniform

Thank you to families for your continued support with school uniform expectations. Wearing the correct uniform each day builds a strong sense of belonging and school pride, and helps students feel connected to our community. If you are experiencing any difficulty with uniform items, please contact the school office — we are always happy to assist.

Students must wear the school uniform correctly on all school days, except for special occasions designated by the principal, such as athletics days and free dress days. Alterations to the uniform are not acceptable. We encourage students to take pride in their appearance by keeping their uniform clean, neat, and tidy.

Black Shoes and White Socks

All students are required to wear fully enclosed all black shoes (no coloured soles/stripes etc) preferably black jogger-style shoes with black laces, and white socks. Due to Workplace Health and Safety regulations, thongs and sandals are not permitted.

Hair

Hair must be clean, neat, and tidy. Styles and colours should be appropriate for school. Long hair for boys and girls must be tied back. Hair accessories should be in school uniform colours (blue, white, black, or natural hair colours). Mohawks, spiked multi-coloured/coloured hair, rats’ tails, tracks, razor cuts are not permitted.

Jewellery and Accessories

Jewellery is not permitted, with the exception of watches and small gold or silver studs or sleepers for pierced ears. During sport, only studs may be worn, and watches should be removed for safety reasons.

Make-up, Nail Polish, and Tattoos

Make-up, coloured nail polish, and tattoos (permanent or temporary) are not permitted at school.

Thank you for your support in upholding these expectations.

Library Reading Room

Thanks to the P&C’s generous donation, we’ve created a new Reading Room in the library. This welcoming space gives teachers a dedicated area to bring their classes, encouraging the simple joy of reading together while offering a calm place to pause and slow down.

NAPLAN 2026: Be There, Be Ready

NAPLAN is for everyone

Across the country, students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in NAPLAN. The online tests have many features to enhance the test experience for students with and without disability. We also provide adjustments and alternative test formats to allow students with disability to access the tests and show what they know and can do. Talk to us if you need more information.

You might hear your child talking about NAPLAN.

When your child comes home from school, they might mention NAPLAN. They might talk about NAPLAN activities they have done in class, including practice tests.

Students don’t need to practise for NAPLAN. But we do want your child to be familiar with:

the online test environment

the device they’ll use during the test

the different kinds of questions, how they use their time and how they check their work.

When your child talks about practice tests, they’re talking about resources like the NAPLAN public demonstration site. This site helps students to become familiar with the different kinds of questions they will see in a real NAPLAN test.

Your child’s welfare is the most important thing.

We do these activities to help your child feel safe, confident and capable. They will know what to expect and what they have to do. Students do not need to stress about NAPLAN. It’s just one part of their school program, and we simply encourage students to do the best they can.

Have a go at the test yourself and contact us if you need to know more.

See what NAPLAN will be like for your child by visiting the public demonstration site. Find out more by visiting the department’s NAPLAN page for parents and carers.

ACARA’s student privacy notice on the collection of student information for NAPLAN is also available.

Once we have finalised our testing schedule, we will share this with our Yr. 3 and 5 families.

STUDENT NEWS