20 August 2025

From the Principal – Liam Hackwood

This week I was reflecting on the different things we do outside the classroom. Just this week, we have the PCYC Wheelie Wise program, Elders coming in to visit, Year 1&2 swimming, the Year 3 Excursion not to forget tomorrow’s Bookweek Parade.

I am so proud of our staff taking on the extra planning time that these events require to ensure that our children at the school can make quality memories with their different learning experiences. These experiences should never be taken for granted, rather, they should be celebrated and supported as our staff go above and beyond. I know that I am a very lucky Principal to have such a supportive staff here at Morayfield East State School. Going that extra mile for your children!

School Gates Opening at 8:15am

A friendly reminder to all families that our school gates open at 8:15am each morning. We’ve noticed an increasing number of students arriving as early as 7:30am, which is well before staff supervision begins. For safety reasons, students should not be on school grounds before 8:15am, as supervision is not available, and we want to ensure every child is safe and supported. If you need care outside of these hours, we encourage families to explore before-school care options such as our OSHC service, which provides a structured and supervised environment for early arrivals. We appreciate your support in helping us maintain a safe start to the school day for all.

Working with Other Schools

As part of our commitment to strong teaching and learning, our staff have recently engaged in external moderation with Morayfield State School and Minimbah State School, ensuring consistency and quality in student assessment. Additionally, we are visiting Caboolture State School as part of our Critical Friends Network (CFN). These professional collaborations are a valuable opportunity for our staff to learn, share, and grow together with colleagues from neighbouring schools. It strengthens the teaching practice across our region and ensures our students benefit from a highly consistent and aligned educational approach. We are proud to be working together for the benefit of all children in the Morayfield area.

P&C News

We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Read as our new P&C Treasurer. Sarah brings with her enthusiasm and a passion for community involvement. A big thank you also goes to our entire P&C team for their ongoing efforts to support our school. Last Friday night’s school disco was a huge success and a testament to the time and energy this team pours into our school community. Events like these bring students, families, and staff together and make Morayfield East such a warm and welcoming place. If you’re interested in getting involved with the P&C, we encourage you to come along to the next meeting – everyone is welcome and will be held in September.

Student Free Day Date Saver

A reminder to parents and carers that on Friday 5 September, our school will be having a student-free day. This means that there will be no staff on site for the day and our OSHC service Camp Australia will be operation on the day.

School Subsidy Scheme Announcement

We are excited to announce that Morayfield East State School has been successful in receiving a School Subsidy Scheme (SSS) grant through the Department of Education. This will contribute approximately $100,000 towards the development of a new outdoor learning area, located between our Prep and Year 1 classrooms. We as a school will be contributing about $70,000. This space will support early years learning and create an engaging environment that encourages exploration, collaboration, and creativity. This project is part of our long-term vision to improve facilities and enhance learning spaces for all students. Thank you to our staff and community for supporting our school’s growth and improvement.

School Resource Scheme 2026 Planning

As we plan for the future, we are reviewing our Student Resource Scheme (SRS) for 2026. The goal is to continue ensuring all students have access to high-quality resources while reducing the cost and pressure on families. We are proposing a model where more resources are centrally managed by the school, simplifying the process and ensuring equity across classrooms. This proposal will be presented at the September P&C Meeting, and we encourage interested families to attend and have their say.

Every Day Counts

Regular attendance is one of the most important factors in your child’s academic success and wellbeing. The Department of Education Queensland reminds us that “Every Day Counts”, and missing even a few days each term can add up significantly over the year. For example, just one day missed per fortnight equates to four weeks of lost learning in a school year! We ask all families to prioritise school attendance and to contact the school if support is needed. Building good attendance habits early sets students up for success now and into the future. Let’s work together to keep every child attending, learning, and thriving.

Thanks to you all for your ongoing commitment to our school and our community. Liam

Deputy News Prep – Natalie Arthur

Yay! It’s Book Week 

With Book Week and Book Fair on this week across the school, there is an extra focus around books, reading and going on adventures in our minds.

Our prep teachers are starting to enjoy those first moments when our students start to read whole words and sound out unknown words using their growing phonics knowledge. When children discover the love of books and reading, it’s truly a magical moment and time to ‘Book an Adventure’.

Our annual Book Week Parade is on this Friday 22August in the Hall and all parents and carers are invited to attend. Students will parade around the hall showing off their costumes of a favourite book or movie character and the hall will be filled with joy and music. We hope to see you there.

Don’t forget to pop into the library too, to see the Book Week display and visit the Book Fair. There are many books and stationary items to purchase for your child and they make wonderful birthday presents. Prices start at $5.

Prep students learn the importance of feedback

This term our teachers have been looking at ways to improve student learning outcomes by providing them with feedback on their writing tasks.

One of the ways our students have been learning from feedback is by listening to the story, ‘Austin’s Butterfly’. Prep D teacher Ms Sims introduced this to our team and many teachers have found this a fun and useful way to teach our students that feedback is a positive thing that can help them improve.

Below are some examples of students who drew a butterfly, then received feedback from their peers and were able to improve their butterfly drawings.

Another example of feedback being used in our prep classrooms is the use of ‘Green is Good and Pink Makes You Think’, introduced by Ms Pfister. Our prep students are learning to re-read and check their writing for errors by looking for capital letters, finger spaces between words and full-stops at the end of their sentences. The students LOVE to get green!

Morayfield East Mini’s Playgroup

Date claimers in our Prep calendar.

18- 22 August                        Book Week
22August                                Prep – 2 ‘Book Week Dress Up Parade’ in the Hall
2- 4September                      Father’s Day Stalls throughout the week
4 September                           Prep ‘Dudes and Donuts’ celebration
11 September                         RUOK? Day
17 September                         Prep 2026 Orientation – Session 1

Prep 2026 Enrolments

If you have a child born between 1 July 2020 and 30June 2021 then they are eligible for Prep in 2026.

Our first Prep 2026 Orientation Session is on Wednesday 17^th of September. Families are encouraged to contact the school and book their enrolment interview as soon as possible, so you and your child can participate in the Orientation Days. See below for details. 

Our first Orientation Day is Wednesday 17 September.

News from Prep C with Mrs Barnes

In Science this term, our prep class has been learning all about the different properties of materials. To make our learning hands-on and fun, we set up a special Bunnings Warehouse play space in our classroom!

The children have loved exploring a wide range of materials – from wood, plastic, and cardboard to fabric, metal, and more. They have been investigating how materials feel, how strong they are, and what they can be used for.

Using their creativity and teamwork, students have been building, designing, and problem-solving with the materials just like real builders. This play-based learning has sparked wonderful curiosity and conversations about why certain materials are better suited for particular jobs.

We can’t wait to see what amazing creations the children come up with next!

News from Prep G with Miss Watson

This term in science we have been exploring materials and their properties. We are investigating which materials would be the most suitable to build a new house for the Three Little Pigs. We have investigated to see what materials are waterproof or absorbent. We are loving working together and using our tools to construct houses.

News from Prep F with Mrs Matson

Prep F students have been learning about healthy and sometimes foods in our health unit of work. Students created a healthy plate of food and participated in class discussions around this. We have been identifying actions that help keep us healthy and physically active such as wearing a hat, washing hands, drinking water to stay hydrated and brushing our teeth.

Students have recognised that they are growing and changing. They drew pictures of themselves when they were younger and what they look like now. Students shared what they couldn’t do when they were younger and compared that to what they can do now.

Deputy News Years 1 & 2 – Paul Simpson

We are just past the halfway point of a very busy term for the team in year 1 and 2. Swimming is almost complete for year 1. Year 2 students start at the second half of the week. The students are well into their next units of work, writing procedures for English and focusing on 2D and 3D shapes for Maths among many other elements. I am certainly looking forward to learning how to play games as described by the year 2 team.

No Assembly this Week – Book Week Parade instead!

No Prep to Year 2 assembly on Friday 22nd August as the assembly will be replaced by the Book Week Parade. Reminder the 2025 theme is “Book an Adventure!”. 2025 is also a milestone year as it celebrates 80 years of Children’s Book Week! The junior school will parade through the senior section of the school to show off their fabulous costumes.

Reminder of the Book Fair this week with the purchasing time before (from 8:15am - 8:50am) and after school 3:00pm until 3:30pm. Parent and students can peruse and purchase books at these times. Students will also be able to access the fair at lunchtime and their assigned viewing time for their class.

Our next assembly for Prep – Year 2 is Week 7 Friday 29th August.

Swimming for Year 1 & 2

Year 1 Swimming is coming to an end on Wednesday 20th August with the year 2 cohort starting their lessons on Thursday 21st through to Thursday 29th August. Thanks to everyone involved in supporting the students with this important initiative. Just a reminder to parents and carers, please ensure that all clothing is clearing named as the often the busy times between lessons and movement to the bus is when clothes are misplaced or end up in other’s bags.

Parent/Teacher Interviews – Congrats for Your Participation

Thanks to everyone, staff and parents, for participating in last week’s interview. It was a successful process for all involved and goes a long way towards support your children through year one, two and beyond. If you were unable to make it on the night to speak with your child’s teacher and still wish to do so, please reach out to the individual teacher via email or text or ring the office.

Finally, the countdown is on for Father’s Day Stall – Dates and Times Out Soon!

On the horizon, just a few weeks away is the Father’s Day stall. Be on the lookout for your child’s designated day and time to visit the P&C fund raising stall.

Deputy News Years 3 & 4 – Sue Clifton

Hard to believe we are already past the halfway mark of this term. What a busy, but fun six weeks we have had. Year 3 students started swimming lessons and had a visit from Rick Rosser, learning Aboriginal culture - faces painted, trying to light fires, learning to throw boomerangs and waxing feathers into their hair. I’m sure parents loved this. This week we have also had our excursion to the Wildlings Forest School in Nambour.

Year 4 students visited Osprey House and rotated through a variety of activities across the day, these being- Rethink Waste, Indigenous Culture, Nature Walk and On the Brink.

I attended the Osprey House excursion with the Year 4 students, and it is always nice to be part of and share the learning experience with students whilst they are off school grounds. Back on school grounds, it is also a highlight to get into classrooms, check-in an see the great learning that is happening.   

Be resilient… teach mindfulness

We all lead incredibly busy lives, including our children.  It is vital that as the most important adults in their world, parents create the time to teach their children strategies to be resilient.  Mindfulness is just one strategy that can help.   

Mindfulness is the practice of focusing your attention on the present moment. Being mindful means you have clear comprehension to assess the issues you are facing and rationally respond to them. The practice of mindfulness can also encourage children to be more compassionate and patient with themselves. It teaches them how to respond calmly in a challenging situation instead of reacting impulsively or aggressively. It can help children become aware of their thoughts and feelings, making it easier to regulate their emotions.

• Start with simple exercises such as standing tall, rolling the shoulders, stretching arms overhead or side-to-side movements.
• Get creative and have them imitate animal poses like a turtle, a bear or an eagle!
• Dancing, walking, jumping, kicking, and shaking are all movements that can make children stay in the present moment while identifying how their body feels during each motion.
• Focused breathing is one of the most important strategies and there are many websites and videos available online to show you some great ideas

Our Murri dancers visited New Direction Aged Care in Bellmere and performed for the residents. Our Captains started the morning with an Acknowledgement to Country, followed by singing 5 songs and dance. They also role played a story narrated by Mrs Dunleavy. A wonderful morning enjoyed by the residents and students.

Year 3

Students and staff had a great time learning about Aboriginal Culture with Rick Rosser. Rick told the Dreaming story of “How the Emu came to be”, using Ochre. He showed the students how to safely throw a returning boomerang and attached emu feathers to their hair with bee’s wax. Students were shown how to rub sticks together to make a fire, and then tried their hardest to start a fire using this traditional method.

3F have been focusing on and working towards their English assessment. The task is to create a spoken text to express a preference and opinions about a favourite activity.

Students have been undertaking some of their learning outside, whilst enjoying the winter sunshine. Using iPads, students worked in pairs to record themselves delivering their opinion text presentations.

With guidance from Mrs Bayley and her support team, students have been learning how to use the Talk-to-Text feature. This exciting tool allows students to record their ideas and have them transformed into written text, giving them another way to share their learning. An activity was created in the Seesaw application and students have been practising using Talk-to-Text to create a story using either a text or visual prompt.

The activity has supported students to become more independent learners while also strengthening their problem-solving skills, resilience, and presentation skills. By carefully thinking about their tone, pace, and volume when speaking, students are learning how to communicate clearly so that the software can understand and record their words accurately.

It has been a valuable learning experience, empowering students to use technology in meaningful ways and giving them confidence to share their voice in the classroom.

In maths, 3B have been learning about the properties of 3D shapes and have used playdough to make their own shapes to count the faces, edges and vertices. While in science, students have been learning about the states of matter, in particular how states can change from one into another.

Year 3 Excursion

Students and teachers alike had an absolute blast at the Wildlings Forest School excursion earlier this week. It was such a hands-on, fun experience, with a few slips and slides on the muddy ground for both students and staff.

Free creek play had students exploring the area and searching for crystals. They made ochre and used different utensils to engage in water play. Some of the students decided that all in was the best way to play with the water.

Cubby town allowed students to use natural materials around them as well as rope provided to do their best to make a cubby of some form. They worked together and managed to create not just shelters, but a swing too.

Nature craft activity had students using natural materials such as wool, sticks, crayons, ribbons etc, to be creative and make whatever they could design. Some of the things created were windchimes, headbands, dream catchers, just to name a few.

Year 4

Ms Cooke and 4E invited me in to check out the new feedback system in their classroom. Working alongside their feedback folders, they have a wall where each student has a card, all starting at “turtle” level, with opportunity to earn stars to fill their card and move up to the next level. Students earn stars four ways – answering a feedback or check in question, through the leader board or a random star given by Ms Cooke. The stars link to their online learning, through the Stile platform, where each lesson is individually numbered and then referred to on the learning wall. For example, if a student is working on rhetorical questions, the learning wall shows where this is on the marking guide and students can go back to that lesson for review/support etc. Every student was able to talk about both the card and the alignment to learning via the Stile platform and/or the learning wall. Very impressive!

Year 4 Excursion

The excursion to Osprey House kept students busy, moving through 4 rotational activities, and directly linked learning to their current English unit of work.

Rethink Waste had students challenging themselves to identify opportunities to reduce waste production (using the three R’s). ‘Rethink waste’, while learning how composting can make food waste a resource.

Watching a video and a card sort was an activity students undertook whilst engaging with the ‘On the brink’ session. Students identified and explained problems impacting Australia’s flora and fauna species. They proposed actions and developed an understanding of how a positive difference can be made.

Interaction between local First Nations people and the environment was the focus during the Indigenous Culture session.  Students participated in an artistic connection to the environment and local First Nations culture tracing embossed plaques along the board walks.

During the nature walk, students had a guided walk through the natural habitats surrounding the centre. They looked at what makes up an ecosystem and why it is important when identifying plant and animal species.

I hope you all have a wonderful week, and I look forward to sharing some more fantastic learning from our students in week 9.

Sue Clifton
Deputy Principal

Deputy News Years 5 & 6 – Karen Herburg

Welcome to Week 6, Term 3!  This term has been very busy, and we are on the downhill slide to the September holidays.  I have been spending time recently in all my Year 5 & 6 classes, talking with students about their learning.  Can I acknowledge the great learning that is happening in classrooms; students work extremely hard to be the best they can be.  There is still so much going on through the term, so please keep an eye out on events.

Book Week Character Dress-up

Book Week will be happening all through next week.  Book Week Character Dress up will on Friday 22 August 2025.  I would love to see our Year 5 and 6 students come dressed up as something fun.  The staff do a wonderful job in getting into the spirit of the day, and have some fun with the students.  It is also a wonderful photo opportunity for the year book which also creates some wonderful memories.

Year 6 Year Book

The Year 6 teachers spend a lot of time creating this wonderful memory for our outgoing Year 6 students.  Included in this will be a Prep photo and a Year 6 photo of the students.  If you have not already, please send a Prep photo to your students class teacher for inclusion in this wonderful memento of Primary School.

Year 6 Bridge Excursion

All permission slips for the Year 6 bridges excursion have gone home.  The excursion will be on Thursday 4 September 2025.  Please ensure that your return monies and permission slips to the office by the due date.  As you can imagine, there is a lot of organisation with transport that has to be considered.  It will be a great day out for the students.

Year 5 Camp

We’re counting down the days until camp begins, and we can’t wait to welcome our campers! Behind the scenes, our team has been hard at work preparing an unforgettable experience — from planning activities and organising all the fun details.  As we finalise everything, please take a moment to ensure that all camp payments have been completed. This helps us stay on track and ready to deliver the best possible experience for your child.  Year 5 camp dates are Monday 8 September to Wednesday 10 September 2025.

Year 6 Leadership Program 2026

All Year 5 students will have an opportunity to participate in the leadership program for 2026.  In the next week, they will be sent a nomination form to fill in online.  I will be sending home with them the criteria for the Captain positions. I am very excited to start working with those students who choose to become our Senior Leaders for 2026.  We will be holding a Leadership Day next term, and I look forward to seeing them work in teams and shine on the day.  A note will go home about this in early Term 4.

Positive Culture for Learning (PCL)

We are a PCL school and instil in the students our school expectations of:

Be a Learner, Be Respectful and Be Safe and Responsible.  We believe in the importance of building relationships between teachers, students and parents.  If you are having any concerns with your child, please get in touch with your teacher and have a chat.  Problems that arise, can often be sorted quickly.

Spotlight in Learning!

The students of 6C enjoyed completing their PLD spelling online using Seesaw. Each week they engage in a range of activities including speaking/listening, reading/viewing and writing and creating - each activity linked to their carefully chosen list of words. The activities created involve a range of skills to suit the wide variety of learners in our class.

🎉 Minecraft Legends Win 3rd Place! 🏆

We are thrilled to announce that our Year 6 team, the Minecraft Legends, has won 3rd place in the prestigious Queensland Parliament Minecraft Competition! Competing against students from Years 4 to 12 across the state, the Minecraft Legends impressed the judges with their creativity, precision, and teamwork as they recreated iconic parts of Queensland’s Parliament House in Minecraft Education.

Using a model of the Green Chamber as a starting point, students were challenged to match the scale and construct the following adjoining elements of the George Street wing:
- George Street entrance and building façade
- Entrance foyer and staircase
- Corridor joining both Chambers
- Red Chamber, formerly the Chamber of the Legislative Council

As part of their incredible achievement, each team member will receive a certificate, a commemorative plaque, and exclusive ‘Queensland Parliament in Minecraft’ merchandise. Our school will also proudly display a framed memento in honour of their success.

Congratulations to the Minecraft Legends on this fantastic accomplishment—your innovation, dedication, and teamwork have made us all proud! 👏💻🏛️

Until next time ……..

Karen Herburg
Deputy Principal

LEAP Update – Alistair Watt

The LEAP students have had a great start to term 3. A number of students have successfully transitioned back to their mainstream class after showing great progress with their learning in Semester 1. We have also welcomed new students into all three LEAP classes and they have all transitioned fantastically into their new class. All students are currently focused on completing their spoke assessment task in English. The Year 1/2 class dressed up while completing their spoken task in class.

My New Gallery

Term 2 Walking Club Winners

Congratulations to the term 2 Walking Club winners. A reminder that walking club is on the oval every morning starting at 8:15am. Students should remember to bring their QR code each morning to ensure that their laps are counted each day.

Prep

1^st: Isobel – 114 laps
2^nd: Piper - 92 laps

3^rd: Leo – 69 laps

Year 1

1^st: Jasmine  - 81 laps
2^nd: Peyton – 23 laps
3^rd: Thenuli – 16 laps

Year 2

1^st: Jakiyah – 214 laps
2^nd: Ryan – 193 laps
3^rd: Maggie – 143 laps

Year 3

1^st: Harley – 222 laps
2^nd: Casey – 218 laps
3^rd: Kyson – 209 laps

Year 4

1^st: Evie – 111 laps
2^nd: Beau – 62 laps
3^rd: EJ – 51 laps

Year 5

1^st: Deep – 159 laps
2^nd: Riley – 102 laps
3^rd: Eli – 50 laps

Year 6

1^st: Eli – 320 laps
2^nd: Sonny & Diezyl – 284 laps
3^rd: Olivia – 190 laps

Date Claimers

News from the Health Room

What is Asthma:

Asthma is a medical condition that affects the airways (the breathing tubes that carry air into our lungs). From time to time, people with asthma find it harder to breathe in and out, because the airways in their lungs become narrower – like trying to breathe through a thin straw. At other times their breathing is normal. There is no cure for asthma, but it can usually be well controlled.

For more information on Asthma Symptoms please visit Asthma Australia.

For good control of asthma you need:

• medicines – taken the right way, at the right time
• regular medical visits for check-ups and to learn more about living with asthma
• an action plan, so you know exactly what to do when symptoms happen.

Managing Asthma while at school:

If your student requires treatment for Asthma while at school, please stop in and see the Health Room staff.

You will need;

Asthma Action Plan (In-date and completed by a GP)

Inhaler (In-date and pharmacy labelled)

Spacer – for more information on how a spacer significantly improves medication distribution click here

Consent to administer medication documents - completed by parent/carer available from the Health Room.

The Asthma Action Plan, Inhaler and Spacer are placed into a small bag and kept in the classroom for easy access. This bag will also follow students to all specialist lessons, excursions and camps.

Please contact the Health Room for more information on how we can assist your student with their Asthma management while at school.

P&C News

Hello, Morayfield East Families and Friends,

We’ve officially reached the halfway point of Term 3 — and what a fantastic term it’s been so far!

P&C Term Highlights

Our amazing team has been hard at work planning a range of exciting events for the whole school community to enjoy, including the School Disco, Father’s Day Stall, Father’s Day Raffle, and a Holiday Movie Day still to come!

Recently, the P&C supported the School Musical by running a snack and drinks stall. A big thank you to Hook’d on Seafood for generously donating Two Budget Buster Meals (valued at $45) as raffle prizes for the two-day event.

Our School Disco last week was a blast! It was wonderful to see all the children dancing, laughing and enjoying time with their friends. A massive thankyou to our dedicated teachers and volunteers who work hard to make the night run smoothly. A special thanks as well to Super Butcher for donating the sausages for the night – your continued support of our school and the community is greatly appreciated!

Father’s Day is just around the corner! That means so is the Father’s Day Stall which will be held on September the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th. Vouchers can be purchased through the QKR app and class timetables for visits will be shared soon.

We are also running a Father’s Day Meat Raffle - More information will be available on Facebook in the coming days!

We are always looking for keen volunteers so if you are interested in helping with any of our upcoming events or wanting more information, please don’t hesitate to email us at:

• fundmess@outlook.com (Fundraising and Events)
• messpandc@gmail.com (General Enquires)

P&C Treasurer Role
We are pleased to announce that at our recent Special Meeting, Sarah Read was officially elected as the new P&C Treasurer. Congratulations, Sarah – and thank you for stepping into this important role.

Our next general meeting will be held on the 15September. These meetings are a great opportunity to stay informed on what’s happening around the school, contribute your ideas, and help shape upcoming events and initiatives. Whether you're a regular or it's your first time, everyone's welcome!

Warm Regards,
The MESS P&C

News from the Tuckshop

Paper bag orders can be placed at the tuckshop before school, or you can use the QKR App if you wish to order online.

QKR is a convenient way to order food, uniforms, sports shirts and purchase tickets for discos and other P&C events. If you need assistance using QKR, please see Katie at the tuckshop.

QKR online cut off time is 8.30am. (If you are halfway through an order at 8.30am it will not work! You will need to come into the school or ring up. If there is no answer in the morning before school (especially Friday) you will need to come in!)

PLEASE NOTE: If orders are made over the phone or after 9am, only the sandwich package will be available. This includes a sandwich (choice of one of the following Cheese, Vegemite or Jam), an apple, popper or water and an ice block for $7.

There are no over-the-counter sales for 1st break, these must be pre-ordered. Students can purchase drinks and ice creams as normal at 2nd break.

If you have any questions regarding the tuckshop, please contact Katie on 5428 8423.

Katie, Chrissy and Kristen are our awesome tuckshop workers all do an amazing job of making sure the orders go out fresh and on time, but they are always in need of extra hands! If you can help out any day at any time even just for an hour, please let Katie know. If you volunteer for four hours in one day you will receive a $10 credit in the tuckshop for your child.

When you are volunteering, please ensure that you sign in and out of the main office before and after each shift.  Before commencing your first shift you will need to complete the Parent and Community Volunteer Policy paperwork, available at the office.

Community News

Qparents

Morayfield State High School Parent Information Session

Academy Trials Morayfield State High School