Barkly Highway State School eNewsletter

Principal's Welcome

Welcome to our second newsletter of the term which we are excited to share with our school community.

NORTH QUEENSLAND REGION EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE PRINCIPALS’ BUSINESS DAY (Townsville)

After the opening and welcome by North Queensland Regional Director, Joseba Larazabel, the Minister for Education and the Arts, John-Paul Langbroek, discussed current government priorities in education in Queensland, then the Director-General, Sharon Schimming held a Q&A on our current Equity and Excellence Strategy.

The remainder of this day was allocated to reflecting and feeding back details based on the next version of the Equity and Excellence strategy which will be released in the coming months. It will be interesting if the next version of our current strategy will be renamed and or reformatted.

LEAD THE LEARNING DAY

This day was based on the feedback from Term 1 collaboration day so differentiated for school teams attending. During morning sessions each school presented their priority cohort and phase of implementation challenge (Engage/ Enact/ Embed) to peers during a Counsel Approach protocol discussion. This process supports the refinement and greater precision in instructional leadership. Barkly Highway State School focus was on the Collaborative Learning Community priority cohort (year 5/6 marker students – drilling down our focus to our year 5 student data). The following sessions we listened to the work of Heatley State School and their engagement of First Nations students through the Australian Curriculum anchored by the two overarching themes: high-quality pedagogy and utilising multi-tiered system of support learning success in the before stage of moderation

For some of our longer-term community members, Kamrynn and I met up with past staff including Christien Payne, Bec Cremona, Michelle Dalley-Anderson, Marjorie Sanim, Kylie Hennaway who all say hello!

ACADEMIC REPORTING (to be emailed week 1 term 3)

To align our Academic Reporting as documented in the department’s K-12 Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework (K-12 CARF), Academic reports, dependent on the year level template, will include:

"- the learning areas and/or subjects provided in the reporting period

- the achievement, against the reporting scale

- results for behaviour and effort” (p39 K-12 CARF)

Information on learning areas and specific units previously documented in Academic Reports, can be found in Year Level Curriculum Overview’s forwarded to all families at the beginning of each term.

Kind regards,

Fiona Kropp

K-2 Deputy News

Under 8s Day Celebration – A Fun-Filled Day of Scientific Discovery!

Earlier this term our school was buzzing with excitement as we celebrated Under 8s Day — and what an amazing day it was! Students from Prep to Year 2, along with their families, came together for a joyful celebration of learning, discovery, and community.

The theme this year was Unleashing Scientific Thinking Through Play, and our teachers did an outstanding job designing a variety of engaging activities. From sensory exploration and hands-on experiments to investigative play and creative art stations, there was something to inspire every young mind.

We were also delighted to welcome children from MIDNK Kindy, who joined in the fun and brought even more energy to the day. It was heartwarming to see our younger visitors so engaged and curious!

A big thank you to the incredible community organisations who supported us on the day: the fire brigade, ambulance service, police, the LEAD Alliance, Ngukuthati, and the Mount Isa City Library. Their involvement added a rich layer of learning and excitement to the experience.

Special thanks also go to our amazing Year 9 students from Spinifex — many of whom are former students of our school — who returned to help run activities and support the little ones throughout the event. Their leadership and enthusiasm were appreciated by all.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the generous support of our parent helpers, who supervised and even ran activities on the day. Your time and effort made a big difference!

A highlight for many was a surprise visit from Barkly the Bee, who was an absolute hit with the children.

Thank you to everyone who helped make Under 8s Day such a success. It was a truly memorable day that celebrated the joy of learning through play and the power of community.

As we approach the final weeks of the school term, we’d like to remind families just how important regular attendance is — especially during this busy assessment period.

Teachers are working hard to complete end-of-term assessments and gather important information about each child’s learning. If your child is unwell or unable to attend school, please be sure to notify the office as soon as possible.

For planned absences or early holidays, we ask that you let your child’s teacher know in advance so we can plan assessment activities accordingly.

We appreciate your support in helping us make the most of every learning day!

Celebrating a Big Term of Learning in Prep–Year 2!

As Term 2 draws to a close, we want to take a moment to celebrate the incredible learning that’s taken place across our Prep to Year 2 classrooms.

This term, our students have been exploring the world of non-fiction texts — investigating, researching, and discovering fascinating new information. With the support of their teachers, they’ve learned how to turn what they’ve discovered into informative and impressive written texts of their own. The creativity and effort that has gone into these pieces has been truly outstanding!

A huge shout-out to our dedicated teachers, who have worked tirelessly to create interactive and inspiring learning environments that have brought the unit to life. From research corners to engaging displays and hands-on activities, each classroom has been a hub of curiosity and excitement.

Well done to all our students for your hard work and enthusiasm throughout the term. Let’s finish the term strong — and then enjoy a well-deserved, relaxing mid-year break!

Mrs Roberts' Report - Year 5 Camp

On Monday 2 June, our Year 5 students, accompanied by their teachers and some wonderful parent helpers, set off bright and early for an unforgettable adventure to Darradgee Environmental Education Centre. After a mammoth 16-hour journey, our students arrived full of excitement and energy – true troopers!

Throughout the week, students engaged in a variety of hands-on learning experiences and team-building activities that encouraged cooperation, problem-solving and resilience. Highlights included team challenges that tested their communication skills, a visit to the stunning Babinda Boulders, and the ever-popular "Faulty Towers" activity, which had everyone working together.

Of course, no camp experience would be complete without delicious meals – and the Darradgee kitchen did not disappoint! The food was a definite hit with students and adults alike.

We are incredibly proud of our Year 5s for embracing every opportunity with such positivity and enthusiasm. A big thank you to our staff and parent volunteers who helped make this experience such a memorable one for our students.

This week, Prep Blue took on an exciting challenge: to identify and recommend digital technologies that could help Farmer Rex both relax after a hard day’s work and better care for his animals.

With creativity and enthusiasm, the children explored how modern gadgets could ease Farmer Rex’s daily routine. They suggested practical household technologies like a robot vacuum to keep his home clean without effort and an air fryer to prepare quick, delicious meals — saving precious time on chores.

But the innovation didn’t stop indoors. Prep Blue also recommended installing video cameras in the chicken coop. This would allow Farmer Rex to monitor his chickens remotely, ensuring they stay safe and healthy even when he’s busy with other tasks. The children’s imaginative approach combined technology and empathy, demonstrating how digital tools can make life on the farm more manageable and enjoyable.

Well done, Prep Blue! Your creativity and problem-solving skills are amazing!

5/6 Red Informative Texts

This term, our the 5/6 Red students have been busy globe-trotting — through their writing! As part of our informative text unit, students chose a country to research and have been diving into fascinating facts about landmarks, culture, food, climate, and more. From the pyramids of Egypt to the street food of Thailand, they’ve learned how to organise their ideas clearly, use topic-specific vocabulary, and write with flair to teach others. We’ve loved watching their enthusiasm shine as they become mini travel guides on paper!

Maths in 3/4 Red

This term we have been developing our understanding of the different measures of time. This week we have been looking at how long different events take. We went outside and timed how long it took us to run around the oval, walk on a balance beam and crawl through a tunnel. It was wonderful to watch students work in small groups to time how long it took them to do each activity. We are now moving onto timing how long it takes us to make different things such as an origami whale.

Pinball Machines - 3/4 Blue

¾ Blue have been working hard in Design Technologies to create their pinball machines.

In week 6, the SEP team along with prep to year 2 students enjoyed planting fruit and vegetables in the garden pods. The students were involved in getting the garden bed ready, planting the seedlings, creating a trellis, mulching and watering the plants. The students wrote their names on the front of the pod as well as what is growing in each pod. Over the coming weeks, students will be able to water the plants and watch them grow. We are looking forward to eating what we grow! Come on down and have a look at our great gardening!

Our first Book Fair for this year was once again a good success, with many families coming through during this event. Due to your generous support for this great fundraiser, our school will be able to purchase $500 worth of resources from Scholastic through the commission we earned. These in turn, will directly benefit your students.

Our highly popular guessing game was won by Bienna from Prep Gold. Congratulations, Bienna! Her guess was the closest to the actual number of 85 lollies. Bienna won $20 worth of books from the Book Fair, and her class is very excited to be able to share the jar of lollies with her!

A huge thank you goes to our staff volunteers ,who so generously give up their precious time to help during our Book Fair. A very big thank you as well to our great student volunteers, who also gave their lunch time to help. A great job for taking on responsibility and accountability.

Parentline service supporting parents and carers

Parentline is a free, confidential counselling service available for all Queensland parents and carers.

If you need support navigating challenging situations, Parentline offers qualified counsellors who can help with expert advice, emotional support and referrals when needed.

Parentline’s services include: · practical parenting resources on their website

live webchat with professional counsellors
phone support for immediate assistance (1300 30 1300)
the option to pre-book ongoing sessions with the same counsellor
online counsellor-facilitated parenting forums for shared support
referrals to other family support services when additional help is needed.

Visit their website (parentline.com.au) for more information today, or give them a call on 1300 30 1300.

Connect with us

There are a number of ways you can connect with us to stay up-to-date about your child’s education and our school community:

contact school admin on 07 4437 3633 or email admin@barklyhighwayss.eq.edu.au for general inquiries
contact your classroom teacher directly to organise a meeting
subscribe to our school communication channels - ClassDojo (forms need to be completed to be added)
follow our Facebook page www.facebook.com/barklyhighwaystateschool

We value open and respectful parent/carer communication, to support your child’s learning and engagement. Guidelines are now available to help parents/carers understand the types of information they can expect to receive from state schools and appropriate contact channels. Find out more about these guidelines in Queensland state schools: https://education.qld.gov.au/parents-and-carers/positive-school-culture