Barkly Highway State School - Term 4 Week 3

Principal's Welcome

Welcome to Week 3 - Term 4!

I hope everyone had a smooth and positive start to the term. It’s been wonderful to see our students return with great energy and enthusiasm, ready to engage in their learning and school activities.

This term promises to be a busy and exciting one, with a number of important events and opportunities coming up, including year 6-7 transition days, school excursions, P&C Bomb the Teachers Event, assessments, or end-of-year celebrations (Awards Parade, EOY Concert, Year 6 Farewell). Please keep an eye on our newsletters and school communication platforms for updates and reminders.

As always, our dedicated staff are here to support every child to thrive both academically and socially. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or contact the school office.

Let’s continue working together to make Term 4 a successful and enjoyable one for all.

ROCK POP MIME

We are thrilled to celebrate the incredible effort and dedication of our students and teachers who embarked on a long, exciting, and fun-filled journey, culminating in a fantastic performance last Friday evening.

Our students showed remarkable commitment, attending lunchtime, after-school and weekend rehearsals with Miss Ruddy, Miss Schaschke and Mrs. Campbell. Their hard work truly paid off!

A special congratulations to everyone involved in creating the backdrop, which proudly won the Best Backdrop Award at the 2025 Rock Pop Mime Show competition — a well-deserved recognition! Thank you to all who supported this wonderful experience.

From the North Queensland’s Acting Regional Director – Paul Pengelly

“It is very exciting to be stepping into this role for Term 4 this year. I am looking forward to learning about the North Queensland region and the exceptional schools that Joseba never stops talking about with immense pride.”

Mr Pengelly has been in the education system for over three decades across Queensland’s state education sector. He is currently serving as School Supervisor for the Metropolitan North Region overseeing the performance and development of 30 secondary and P–12 principals, collectively supporting over 40,000 students. We look forward to meeting Mr Pengelly when he visits Mount Isa this term.

New role in our school in 2026

Family Support Coordinators (FSC) are a school-based position being piloted from term four 2025 until term four 2026 in a select number of state schools. Barkly Highway SS (0.3 FTE), Healy SS (0.3 FTE) and Mount Isa Central SS (0.4 FTE) form a cluster with the Coordinator to be based at Mount Isa Central SS.

The FSC role supports vulnerable children and their families and carers in the early years of schooling to assist with a smooth transition into the school environment by establishing positive patterns of attendance, behaviour and engagement in learning.

The FSC will focus on the Prep to Year 2 cohort, working within their school communities to leverage available school resources and existing care teams, as well as develop connections and partnerships with external care services for better access to specialised support for children and their families and carers.

Looking forward to having this new staff member 2 days a week to support the work for students’ attendance and engagement over the next 12 months. Our whole school student attendance target is 90%, however, over the last term we have seen it drop from 88.9% to 87.2%.

K-2 Deputy News

Supporting smooth transitions to and through school

As we move toward the end of the year, our school is already thinking ahead to the next one and how we can make the transition process as smooth and positive as possible for every student. Change can bring excitement as well as a few nerves and we know that feeling prepared and supported makes a big difference.

How we’re preparing at school

• Teacher Conversations: Our teachers meet to share important information about each student; their strengths, learning styles, friendships, and any areas where extra support might help. This ensures that next year’s teacher has a clear picture of every learner before the new school year even begins.
• Student Visits: In the final weeks of term, students will have the chance to visit their potential new classrooms and meet different teachers. This helps them see familiar faces, ask questions and start to imagine what next year will be like.
• Building Confidence: Throughout Term 4, teachers will be supporting students to reflect on their achievements and to talk about what they’re looking forward to next year. These conversations help children feel proud of their growth and ready for the next step.

How families can help at home

• Talk Positively About Change: Encourage your child to share what they’re excited about and remind them that it’s normal to feel a little nervous.
• Keep Routines Consistent: Regular sleep, meals and time to unwind help children feel calm and secure.
• Celebrate Growth: Look back on how much they’ve learned this year, celebrating progress builds confidence for what’s next.

Transitions are an important part of growing up, and by working together; school, teachers and families, we can make sure every student feels ready, supported, and excited for the year ahead.

Mrs Roberts' Report

Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) Initiative

This semester, I have had the opportunity to engage in professional learning with staff from schools across our town as part of the Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) initiative.

Children’s mental health is fundamental to their development and learning. Good mental health means having a positive sense of wellbeing, coping effectively with challenges, and being able to realise one’s potential.

In Queensland, MHiPS is supported through the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation’s Brain Health in Queensland Schools (BHiQS) initiative, which complements the Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership’s Brain Builders program. As part of this work, the MHiPS team collaborates with the University of Queensland’s Queensland Brain Institute, also funded under BHiQS, through its Brain Healthy Schools initiative.

Together, these efforts aim to build a prevention-focused, system-wide approach that strengthens schools’ capacity to support the wellbeing of both students and staff, while also establishing clear referral pathways for students who may need additional assessment and support.

The aims of the MHiPS initiative are to:

1. Train experienced school staff to become Mental Health and Wellbeing Leaders (MHWLs), supporting colleagues to build their capacity to identify and address mental health needs, and promote positive wellbeing across the school.

2. Create and strengthen clear referral pathways within schools and to external community-based services for children requiring further assessment and intervention.

3. Connect education and healthcare sectors, along with community services, to support the early identification and management of emerging difficulties, helping prevent the development of more significant mental health concerns.

Supporting children’s mental health is everyone’s business, and initiatives like MHiPS help schools continue to create safe, caring, and responsive environments where all students can thrive.

I am looking forward to continuing our MHiPS journey and supporting the staff and or school community in this important line of work.

5/6 Red – Exploring Science Fiction Narratives

In 5/6 Red, we are thoroughly enjoying our narrative writing unit as we explore the imaginative world of science fiction. Using The Wild Robot as our mentor text, students have been analysing how authors use language features such as descriptive noun groups, figurative language and powerful verbs to bring settings, characters and futuristic worlds to life.
We have also been learning how to use narrative structure to hook and engage our audience by planning stories with sizzling starts, rising tension and satisfying resolutions. Students are now applying these skills to become authors of their own original science fiction narratives.

English in 3/4 Red

In English this term we are reading the text Rowan of Rin. We’ve just reached the exciting part where Rowan and his friends set off on their quest up the mountain to discover what’s stopping the water from flowing. Students have been using their imaginations and exploring the language features in the text to create detailed drawings that capture key moments from each chapter. Below are some of the wonderful artworks students produced for Chapter 5 – The Mountain.

HOT WEATHER LUNCH BREAKS

🌞 Hot Weather at School – What We're Doing to Keep Kids Cool

Hi everyone,

With the hot weather well and truly here, we wanted to let you know how we’re helping students stay cool, safe, and happy during the school day.

🌡️ Hot Weather Lunch Routine

On very warm or extreme heat days, we make a few changes to our usual lunchtime routine:

• Less time in the sun – We move it indoors if it’s just too hot.
• Shaded play only – Some areas, like the oval or the play equipment, might be closed. Students are asked to stay in the shade or use cool indoor spaces like the library or classrooms.
• Lots of water breaks – Teachers remind students to keep sipping water, and we encourage everyone to bring a full water bottle each day.

👒 How You Can Help at Home

A few simple things make a big difference:

• Send your child with a hat every day – No hat means no cool play!
• Pack a water bottle – Preferably one they can refill easily.
• Choose light, breathable uniforms – Leave the jumpers at home.
• A piece of fruit or something cool and fresh in the lunchbox is a great idea, too!

As always, Mrs Roberts is keeping a close eye on the forecast and making decisions day-by-day to keep our students safe. Thanks for your support and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions!

Tuckshop Day - 07 November 2025

The daily efforts of our tuckshop workers and the many volunteers who support our students and our school have been tremendous this year.  We should remember to say please and thank you every day, but on Tuckshop Day, Friday 07 November, we will say a very special thank you to this wonderful team. Our tuckshop provides a great service that helps out families who have to juggle many different tasks at the start of each day and some good food helps the students study and play through the day. We don’t take their hard work for granted and it is great to see parents putting up their hands and getting involved with our school. Thank you to our convenor Jenny and our ever reliable Shellea for all that you do in the tuckshop. We have also had some amazing volunteers like Kate, Amanda, Rob and Leah volunteer their time when needed so thank you also to those. 

Book Fair 27 - 31 October

Monday to Thursday 8:00 - 3:00

Friday 8:00 - 11:00

Our second Scholastic Book Fair for the year will be open next week.

All classes will be visiting the Book Fair for 30 minutes to browse between Monday and Wednesday. Students have the opportunity to write a wish list to take home.

This is also a great opportunity to visit the Book Fair with your children before or after school and browse some new books on offer, maybe getting in early for Christmas.

Book Fair is a fantastic fundraiser for the school and with commission earned, we are able to purchase new resources for the school, directly benefiting all our students.

We accept cash and card for payment.

We are looking forward to seeing all our Barkly Highway SS families in the Resource Centre.

As always, please contact us with any 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

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