Primary School News

Dear Parents and Caregivers,  

Welcome to Term 4!

The Primary staff and I are looking forward to welcoming you back to Term 4 on Monday 30 September (Week B). Term 4 is fast paced, and as we near the end of the school year, I ask students to take a moment to reflect on all they have achieved thus far, and to continue to be focused and engaged in their learning for Term 4. There are so many wonderful activities and end of year events that we look forward to sharing with you. I hope you find the information below helpful as we begin the last term of the school year together.

Summer Uniform

All students are asked to wear their Summer Uniform from Monday 30 September.

Summer Uniform

Female

• Green and white stripe dress 
• Green and white stripe shirt
• Navy skort
• Panama hat
• Current white crew socks

Male

• Green and white thin stripe shirt
• Navy shorts
• ¾ navy with green and gold stripe socks 
• Boater hat

Could I please draw your attention to the following uniform requirements:

• Plain gold or silver studs, sleepers or small white pearl earrings, are to be worn
• If hair length exceeds the collar, it should be tied up with a green ribbon or scrunchie, and fringes must be kept out of students’ eyes
• The navy fleece is only to be worn with the PE uniform
• Sports Uniform may be worn on all HPE days (theory and practical)
• No Hat No Play – includes before and after school activities

Sun Safety

Clayfield College follows the National Australian Standards for Sun Safety. Please find sections of the Sun Safety Policy attached for your reference. Thank you for your partnership in keeping our students and community sun safe.

After School

Our duty of care is handed over at the end of the school day and it is the College’s preference that pick up times are strictly adhered to. However, if you are on campus with your child, please be aware that you are fully responsible for their supervision. 

Year 3 Technology

For students moving into Year 3 in 2025, it is timely to share with you the type of device required for Year 3. Laptops are the preferred device used in Year 3. Please refer to the following link to view the BYOT Handbook.

If you have any questions, please email Mrs Bryan - mbryan@clayfield.qld.edu.au

Independence in Lower Primary

Term 4 is the ideal term to instill some independent habits ahead of the next year of school. If you have been escorting your child to and from the school grounds, this might be the perfect time to let them walk in and out without assistance. Packing their own bag the night before school and helping with filling their lunchbox and drink bottles are also important skills. 

Students from Prep to Year 3 are encouraged to walk into school independently. At the end of the school day, if you would like to collect your child from the campus, we kindly ask you to please wait in the Amphitheatre. If you are concerned with your child making their own way into school, please reach out to your child’s teacher, so they can assist. Thank you for helping the staff as they do everything, they can to make the students’ transition from one year to the next, as seamless as possible.

Crunch ‘n Sip

As a reminder, we would like to encourage all Primary students to bring a separate container with a small fruit or vegetable snack. We understand some students have a very early breakfast and may not eat again until 10:20am; therefore, allowing this small snack provides an energy boost to maximise learning.

Parent Lounge Details

It is a school’s legal requirement that all family details are up to date. At Clayfield College, this is done via Parent Lounge. If any parent/caregiver details have changed pertaining to email, address, phone numbers or medical details, could you please make the appropriate changes on Parent Lounge.  For instructions to access your Parent Lounge please refer to Clayfield College Website and the guide below.

P&F: Friends of Primary Meeting

We would like to encourage all Primary parents who are interested in being part of our wonderful Friends of Primary Group in 2025, to attend an information Zoom meeting on Thursday 3 October at 5:00pm to 5:30pm. In this session we will discuss the support required for each of the events that Friends of Primary look after throughout the year, and how we aim to share the responsibility amongst a group rather than one member. 

Please register your attendance via the registration button which will close at 3:00pm Thursday 3 October.    

The Zoom link will be emailed to all registered once the registration has closed.

2025 Primary Student Leadership

In Term 4, students in Year 5 begin the very exciting journey of being elected for student leadership positions in 2025. Communication was emailed home to parents and students, along with a hardcopy at the end of Term 3.  

Year 5 students will be involved in a leadership session on Thursday 3 October, and following this session the Primary student leadership nomination forms will be emailed home Friday 4 October.  

There will be opportunities for students to write and deliver speeches in front of their class and House groups. I look forward to announcing select positions on Primary Presentation Day.

Illuminate Showcase

To celebrate the culmination of the 2024 Illuminate Program, we warmly invite parents and carers of students in Years 4 to 9 who participate in the Illuminate Program to a breakfast showcase event. This event will provide an opportunity to hear what students have experienced during the Illuminate Science, HEEL and Creative Arts Programs and view their final products. The event will begin with a light breakfast, followed by a tour of student work. 

Please RSVP by Monday 30 September:

Crazy Sock and Hair Day

On Friday 4 October Youngman House will be hosting a Crazy Sock and Hair Day, where all students from Pre-Prep to Year 12 are invited to wear their craziest socks and hairdos! Youngman House will be raising money and awareness for The Kid’s Cancer Project. All money raised supports vital scientific research to develop better treatments for all children with cancer. 

Several students will also be participating in The Big Chop, donating their hair to make wigs for cancer patients. All fundraising days can be paid online, and children do not need to bring a gold coin. If you have not yet made your donation, please do so via the Pay Online section of the College Website. Select College Tours – Excursions & Activities – House Fundraisers 2024.

The Big Chop

On Friday 4 October, Meghan Guthrie-Quinn and Tia Tyler (Year 11 students) will be running the Clayfield Big Chop! The Kids Cancer Project’s Lose Your Locks Campaign encourages people to sponsor others to cut their hair. By taking part in the Big Chop or sponsoring others, you will be helping researchers develop kids' cancer treatments, give kids their childhoods back or allow their confidence to be restored with a life-changing wig. The minimum donation of hair is 20cm. If your child is interested in having their hair cut by our on-site hairdresser, please fill out the survey form attached.  

If you would rather keep your locks, we would love for you, your family and friends to donate to our Clayfield Big Chop Campaign Page, all of the funds go towards the Kids' Cancer Project. Thank you for your support! 

Co-Curricular Photos

As previously communicated in the Clayfield Collective and on the College App, Clayfield College Co-Curricular/Group Photos will be held in Week 2 on Thursday 10 October. 

Please see attached schedule and note the following:

• Parents/students are requested to please check the schedule for photo time.
•  Students are to be dressed in their required uniform and move promptly to the Assembly Hall for arrival by the noted photo time.  
• Students appearing in photos which require a specific uniform (eg Sports) to be worn, must have the correct uniform to appear within their photo on the day. 
• Students appearing in photos wearing the Summer formal uniform or Sports uniform must have the correct uniform to appear within their photo on the day. 

Please note: students who do not show for their photo and/or do not have the correct uniform will be marked as absent. 

Primary School Orientation Days

2025 Pre-Prep to Year 6

We are very excited to welcome our new and transitioning students into their 2025 year levels on Thursday 31 October. For current students to the College, this will be a regular school day, where they will spend the morning immersed in a different classroom and environment, meet some of the new friends who will be joining the cohort and complete some learning for the year level above. 

Please be aware, the teachers that the students will be placed with on Orientation Day, won’t necessarily be the teachers they will have for the 2025 school year. Our teachers may move around from year to year in the Primary Years. Classes and teachers will be shared with our community ahead of the new school year. On this day, our current Year 6 students will be involved in an alternate program for Lessons 1 and 2.

Year 7 2025

Year 6 students will partake in their Orientation Day in Secondary School on Tuesday 8 October. The students will have another exciting day meeting new friends in their cohort and participating in activities. More information on what to bring on this day will be shared soon. Any student not participating in this day will be set learning tasks and work in the LRC.

The College App

This is the main form of communication used by the College. As a condition of enrolment, we request every caregiver download the College App (free download). The App provides current information about events and activities, as well as important notices and alerts (for example, training cancellations or venue changes, wet weather plans and ETA of buses returning from co-curricular activities). It also includes a live school calendar and key school contacts. You are able to manage your notifications and subscriptions to ensure you are only seeing what is relevant to your family.  Please refer to the below link for information and access.

Pre-Prep Rating Visit

Pre-Prep were delighted to pass the recent Assessment and Rating (A&R) visit with flying colours and appreciated the assistance of everyone who helped over the course of the week. The A&R gave us the opportunity to affirm our practices and reflect on areas of growth and development. Highlighted areas were our warm and welcoming environment, our pedagogical practices including our skills with students who are neuro and culturally diverse and the way in which our staff interact with students. I am very grateful to our wonderful Pre-Prep staff; Angela Lord, Kara Madders, Mya Coombes and Robynne Bailey who spent a considerable amount of time reflecting, analysing and sharing our environment, during the week of Assessment. 

Term 4 HPE Swimming Program

We are excited that our swimming program will commence in Term 4, Week 1. Please see schedule below for the date for your child’s class:

Students must bring the following items on their HPE days:

• College swimming togs
• College rashie 
• College swimming cap
• Towel
• Goggles (only if required)

All these items can be purchased from the Uniform Shop. Your assistance in ensuring ALL items are named and brought to each HPE lesson is greatly appreciated. 

If your child is unable to swim due to injury or illness, please email their class teacher to ensure they are not marked as unprepared for class. 

Primary Sport

For all the latest updates on Andrews Cup and Britton Shield sporting events, please refer to the Clayfield College Collective and our College App. Make sure to check these channels weekly for important information.

If you have any further questions or inquiries, please don't hesitate to contact:

Clayfield College Sport: sport@clayfield.qld.edu.au

Ms Cerene Hughes - Head of Sport and Activities: chughes@clayfield.qld.edu.au

Miss Amy Lewin – Primary Sports Co-ordinator: alewin@clayfield.qld.edu.au

Andrews Cup and Britton Shield

Swimming

In preparation for the Andrews Cup and Britton Shield Swimming Competitions in Term 1, 2025, we invite all interested Year 1 to Year 6 students to join the Primary Swimming pre-season training squad during Term 4.

Training sessions will commence on Tuesday 1 October and the schedule is as follows:

• Tuesday at 7:15am to 8:00am
• Thursday at 7:15am to 8:00am 

All interested students must attend at least one session per week. Please note these sessions are not Learn to Swim classes and are intended for students who can swim competently for 25 metres in Freestyle and Backstroke.

Current Year 1 students and Year 2 students, who were not in the Andrews Cup or Britton Shield swimming team this year, will need to undergo an assessment to ensure they meet the appropriate standard.

Assessments, which take approximately 10 minutes, will be conducted by a member of the Clayfield Swimming coaching team. Please contact Miss Amy Lewin to get your child booked in. 

Clubs Program

The lunchtime Clubs program will begin in Week 2 of Term 4 and information in relation to this will be distributed via the Clayfield Collective next week. Clubs are optional, at no cost to families and the offerings change each term. 

I look forward to a productive and enjoyable term as we near the end of another wonderful year of learning. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child's teacher or Student Services and they can further direct you to the appropriate place.

External Co-Curricular Activities

The following external sports and activities will be available for students to participate in Term 4. Please contact the provider directly for bookings and information, and Mrs Lisa Humphrys is the College contact for any questions you may have studentservices@clayfield.qld.edu.au. 

Staffing News

Mrs Katrina Ash will be working in the English Department in the Secondary School during Term 4; and therefore, we welcome Mrs Leisa Harvey to the Learning Resource Centre on Thursdays and Fridays. Mrs Harvey has been working in the EALD Department for many years and we are delighted to have her assisting in the Primary Library.

Key Dates for Term 4

Please refer to the Clayfield College online calendar for all Term 4 events, which you can access via the College App or in Parent Lounge.

I look forward to a productive and enjoyable term as we near the end of another wonderful year of learning. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child's teacher or Student Services and they can further direct you to the appropriate place.

Yours sincerely,  

Mrs Audrey Fellowes  

Deputy Principal - Head of Primary  

afellowes@clayfield.qld.edu.au