Barkly Highway State School - Term 3 Week 8
Principal's Welcome
THINKING ABOUT STUDENT TRANSITIONS
The transition of students occurs across all year levels of the school, with the biggest impact occurring as students move from Kindergarten into Prep at a primary school and year 6 students transition to year 7 at a secondary school. Over the last few years with P1000 (2022-2025) and CLC Academic Achievement Transition (2024-2025) Barkly Highway State School has joined with other state schools in Mount Isa to establish strategies and targets to improve the transition process for all students.
Our Prep transition events will shared by our K-2 DP, Yvette Candy, who will inform of these events, some that have already occurred, but more importantly for those that are planned over the next term.
The year 6-7 transition program was reviewed at the end of 2024 and we have seen an increase and change in timelines of events. An activity which has given insight into how students feel about transition into high school, was done through a survey of our current year 6 students answering questions of what high school might be like, and a survey ex BHSS year 7 students answering questions of how different it actually is to what they thought or had been told how it was going to be. The data from these surveys was then discussed by both year 6 teachers and year 7 teachers, to adjust the practices and conversations with students to align the misconceptions and improve the transition processes.
Here are a few of the responses from students:
Current Year 6 student at BHSS | |
What is worrying you about high school? - Walking from class to class - Carrying lots of books in my bag - Really hard exams - It will be harder than primary school | What parts of high school do you need more information? - In scholars’ class do you use your laptop for everything? - Are the lessons fun at high school? - What are the teachers like? - How do the classes work? |
Year 7 student – ex BHSS student at Spinifex SC | |
What were you most worried about going to high school? - Being in a class with people you have never met before - Making new friends - Getting lost | How could transition have been improved? - To not exaggerate how “scary” it is - Told me that I don’t need to fit in with everyone - More transition days - Tell me more about the different subjects |
K-2 Deputy News
Transitions
The beginning of a new school year or starting school for the very first time can seem like a big and daunting time for many of our students and families. That’s why at Barkly Highway we start the transition process early on in the year. This term has a been a big one for transition activities for our 2026 Prep students. We have held our annual Prep Open Day, weekly pre-prep playgroup and hosted an excursion from our local Kindy. As we look to the end of the term and into next term, we will add our Prep enrolment chats and Prep transition mornings. Next term, we’ll also introduce more opportunities for our current students to visit the classrooms and teachers they may have next year, helping them feel familiar and confident about the transition.
These transition activities not only help students and families get to know our school and feel confident for the year ahead, but also give us the opportunity to connect with families and prepare to support their needs from day one.
ClassDojo – A Reminder for Families
ClassDojo is a great way for teachers to share classroom news, student learning, and important updates with families. You might see notes, flyers, or photos that give you a glimpse into your child’s school day.
Please remember while ClassDojo is used for sharing information, all other communication such as questions, concerns, or personal messages should go through the school office or your child’s teacher via email. This ensures messages are received and responded to in a timely and appropriate way.
Thank you for helping us keep communication clear and consistent!
Mrs Roberts' Report
What a fantastic term it has been! Our students have worked hard, shown persistence, and achieved so much in their learning. We are very proud of the effort and enthusiasm shown both in the classroom and in school activities.
We have participated in NAIDOC day, district athletics, Mount Isa Street Festival, Book Week dress up, Year 6 camp, school photos, Gala sport days and so much more!
As we head into the holidays, we hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved break filled with rest, fun and family time. Stay safe and make the most of your time away from school.
We look forward to seeing all our students return next term, ready to jump back into learning and new adventures together.
SPINIFEX STATE COLLEGE SCHOLARS APPLICATIONS & SPINIFEX STATE COLLEGE BURSARY APPLICATIONS
Closing date for applications to be submitted is Friday 12 September.
Parents and carers, please ensure that applications are being discussed with your year 6 students, if they want to be considered for either or both of these year 7 opportunities at Spinifex State College.
The due date is the last day of year 6 camp so please complete and return to Spinifex Junior Campus ASAP.
For further details see attached Spinifex State College documents and if required, contact Spinifex State College - Junior Campus
English in 1/2 Blue
1/2 Blue took their English learning outside last week ☀️ They were exploring a traditional Indigenous game called Bowitgee. To recall the steps of the game, they played a part of the game and then added it to their presentation planner. This supported students to remember the sequence of the game clearly 🙌🏼🏃🏾
Library News
Book Club #6 orders have been placed and we are awaiting the delivery. Books will be taken to students as they arrive. We very much appreciate your support for events like Book Club and Book Fair as they are valuable fundraisers throughout the year for new resources, that will directly benefit your student.
Book Week Dress-Up Day was absolutely amazing! We were in such awe of so many great costumes and the amount work that was put into them, and then proudly worn on the day! All students looked as so they thoroughly enjoyed the day, and especially the parade, as much as we did. Thankyou to all the families for helping your students to be in costumes also to our wonderful staff who were involved in making the parade a success. We are looking forward to next year’s edition!
Our second Book Fair for the year will be coming in the last week of October, a great chance buy some stocking fillers.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or queries you may have.
Kind regards,
Svenja Spitzner-Lewis
Events & Flyers
Want to know what's happening within the school? Check out our School Calendar to keep up to date.
https://barklyhighwayss.schoolzineplus.com/calendar/1
Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barklyhighwaystateschool
Upcoming dates
- 9 September | P&C Meeting
- 8-12 September | Year 6 Camp (Tallebudgera)
- 19 September | Last Day Term 3
- 6 October | King’s Birthday Public Holiday
- 7 October | Term 4 begins