Acknowledgement of Country
Our School acknowledges and pays respect to the Bullongin Peoples who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which our school is built and where learning takes place. We also acknowledge and pay respect to the Kombumerri Peoples who have connections to and stories about this land. We extend that acknowledgment to Elders past, present and future and thank them for allowing us to work together, share knowledge and stories, and walk alongside them in the education of our Jarjums.
Friday 15th March 2024
Principal Report
Dear Parent and Carers,
On Tuesday we held our P&C AGM, and it was lovely to see the strong support for our school through parent representation.
Congratulations to our newly elected committee members:
President: Jade Stopforth
Vice President: Kanako Boothman
Vice President: Sue Evans
Vice President: Amiee Dickinson
Treasurer: Jayton Joesph
Secretary: Samantha Murphy
Secretary: Olivia Goode
Parents waiting outside classrooms before school
It is important that when you are waiting with your child before school to wait with them in their designated covered area. For Prep-3 it is the central undercover area and for Years 4-6 they wait under the senior learning centre. As a school we are working on improving the consistency of processes and practices of our routines. If we have students and families waiting in different areas all over the school the routine and expectations become less clear. Thank you to all the families who have been supporting us with this process so far.
Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing Survey
In Term 2, students in Years 4, 5 and 6 will be asked to take part in the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey.
We know that wellbeing and engagement are important parts of your child’s life at school. The QEW Survey is designed to measure how students view their wellbeing and engagement across different topics. The information we get from the survey helps us better understand and support our students.
I will be on leave from Wednesday March 20 for the remainder of the term. Mrs Clare Ferguson will be replacing me as Acting Principal during this time and Mrs Tanya Andalis will be replacing Mrs Clare Ferguson as Deputy Principal of Prep and Year 1.
Finally, I would like to wish all our families a safe and enjoyable Easter.
Kind regards
Nicole Stride
Principal
Advanced Life School Photo Orders
Thank you to everyone who has already purchased school photos online. Though photos have already been taken it is not too late to order. Late orders can be made through the following website using
Online Order Code: BGE 5MX JQB
Late fees will apply to each package purchased after photo day.
Curriculum Connections
Positive partnerships between home and school
Open and regular communication with your child's teacher is crucial for ensuring your child's academic success and overall well-being. By maintaining a strong line of communication, you can stay informed about your child's progress, identify any challenges they may be facing, and collaborate with their teacher to provide appropriate support. Regular communication also allows you to address any concerns or questions you may have and fosters a positive relationship between home and school.
Parent-teacher interviews begin next week. Hopefully you have already booked an interview time with your child's teacher. Please take the time to book and attend an interview, as these interviews offer a valuable opportunity to discuss your child's academic, social, and emotional development in detail.
To make the most out of these meetings, it's essential to come prepared with specific questions or topics you want to discuss. During the interview, listen attentively to the teacher's insights and observations, and don't hesitate to share your own observations or concerns. Remember to approach the conversation with an open mind and a collaborative attitude, focusing on finding solutions and supporting your child's learning journey. After the interview, follow up on any action points discussed and continue to maintain open communication with the teacher throughout the school year.
For more information about parent-teacher interviews, click the following link to an article from the ABC. Be sure to read to the end, which includes advice from the perspective of two teachers about parent-teacher interviews and how to ensure these are positive and worthwhile.
Kathryn Field
Head of Teaching & Learning Year 4-6
Music News
GUITAR ACADEMY
Guitar Academy is in full swing, and the students are sounding excellent! We have been exploring riffs from various genres. When students master a riff, they earn a badge. So far, students have been collecting both rock and pop badges. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for performances later in the year.
Mr Howland, Mrs Hueston, Mr Parmenter
ROCK SCHOOL
Our Rock School has finished the boring weeks of learning how to wrap a cord and where to plug in instruments, and we have started to learn some rockin’ tunes! Our Thursday band, 'Squirrel Squad,' has decided to perform 'TNT' and has begun to understand that practicing is key to a rock band sounding good. Our Friday band, 'J.A.M. (Just Ask Mum),' wants to play 'Sweet Dreams' and has learned that listening to each other is key to keeping in time. I am very proud of both bands' progress, and I am looking forward to sharing their progress with some live performances soon.
Mr Howland
Health & Physical Education
Dear Parents, Caregivers and HRSS Community,
Our Prep - 6 students have been learning the HRSS Cross Country course and are putting their fitness to the test in Physical Education lessons, to prepare for the race. It is great to hear and see that some students have been building their fitness during their own time at home or on the weekends at Parkrun.
In Term 2 (Week 1), students will be participating in the 2024 Highland Reserve State School Cross Country, which will be held on Friday, April 19.
Parents and caregivers are welcome to attend and spectate on the oval. However, it is important to keep in mind that the races will be scheduled and spread across the whole day. Students will only visit the oval to run in their own race. Senior students will run in the morning, while the lower school will participate in the second half of the day. A more detailed timetable and scheduling of races will be released closer to the day of the event.
If you have any questions or queries surrounding the HRSS Cross Country for 2024, please contact Beau McCracken at
bamcc0@eq.edu.au.
Keep up the great work HRSS!
Regards,
Beau McCracken
Health and Physical Education Teacher
Classroom News
Prep A
Prep A is happy to report that our caterpillar completed a whole life cycle, and we saw it turn into a beautiful monarch butterfly. Prep A completed their last observation drawings of the chrysalis (which was now empty) and the new butterfly, and we released it back where it came from on a milkweed plant.
Chloe Eynon
Prep Classroom Teacher
Year 6A
Year 6 students recently participated in an excursion to the Port of Brisbane, where we witnessed global interconnections and the dynamics of imports and exports. The first group of Year 6 students saw a ship unloading brand new cars and the second group witnessed a cruise ship across the inlet at the new Brisbane cruise ship terminal. It was obvious that our port brings jobs for Brisbane people, creates revenue, and contributes to our overall economic growth. We found it interesting that our port is the third busiest port in Australia and that 43 years ago, the Port of Brisbane was underwater. The knowledge we gained from this excursion will now help us better prepare for our HASS assessment.
Mrs Karyn Lively
Year 6 Classroom Teacher
Year 6D
Helen Hawksford
Year 6 Classroom Teacher
Office News
Winter Jumpers and Jackets
Our stock delivery of HRSS school jumpers has arrived! The HRSS jackets can still be worn if you have one.
The uniform shop operating hours are Monday & Friday 8:30am - 9:30am or purchases can be made through
Flexischools anytime.
Please ensure jumpers and jackets are clearly labelled. Please rename if you have purchased a second hand item. We do have a few second hand jackets that have been donated to the school. If you are facing financial hardship and are unable to purchase a school jumper, please contact Madonna Hinkins on
mhink5@eq.edu.au.
Whilst the uniform shop does not sell the items, students may wear navy blue tracksuit pants during the cooler weather. Girls may also choose to wear navy blue stockings/tights.
Reducing Cash in Schools
Reducing the amount of cash received at our school site will be a significant saving in time and resources required to receipt, count, balance and bank the daily cash takings. It eliminates the security risk of school staff managing cash and storing it on premises.
Highland Reserve SS will be making the following changes regarding cash payments:
- We will no longer be accepting cash via the finance window for the payment of invoices or uniforms.
- We will no longer be accepting cash on Mondays at the tuckshop.
How Else Can Money Be Received?
Flexischools is used for online ordering for both tuckshop and uniforms, making the process for ordering easier and more convenient.
While they do have an app, you can also use the browser to place orders.
Invoiced Activities
Bpoint is our preferred method of payment due to the valuable time saved by the automatic receipting. When you use Bpoint, you will receive an email receipt immediately.
Part payments can be made via Bpoint as well. Just enter the amount you would like to put against the invoice. You can also set up automatic payments using Bpoint via eDDR (Electronic Direct Debit). Please contact Jo-Anne on
jwebb211@eq.edu.au if you would like to utilise this option.
**Remember - you need an invoice from OneSchool to pay via Bpoint.
Accessing Bpoint
To pay an invoice via Bpoint, click on the link in the bottom left corner of your invoice and this will take you directly to the Bpoint page and automatically populates some of the details of your invoice.
Preferred
Option 1: BPoint (Credit card payments)
(All details can be found on your invoice)
Option 2: QParents (Credit Card Payments)
Pay directly from viewing your child’s account.
You must be registered with QParents
(see office for details)
Option 3: EFT
Account Name: Highland Reserve State School
BSB: 064-486
Account: 1024 3582
Reference: (Student’s full name & class)
(Please note if you are paying via Bank Transfer please allow 2 working days for payment to be received)
Option 4: In Person – Uniform / Finance Office
EFTPOS ONLY
Office Hours: 8:30am – 9:30am Monday & Friday
QParents
Highland Reserve State School is currently rolling out registrations for QParents for all year levels. For more information on what QParents offers please see link below:
As a QParents account owner, you can also utilise online consent management.
The Consent Management module supports the distribution and collection of consents from parents for school related activities. The module is compliant with Department of Education requirements, easy to manage for Teachers and school administration and convenient for parents to use.
QParents account holders will receive the consent and respond electronically. Other parents/carers will be manually emailed an excursion consent.
Young Discoverers OSHC
Please find below the link to our vacation care program.
https://youngdiscoverers.org.au/childcare-upper-coomera-oshc/
Alternatively, click here to download the Young Discoverers OTW Vacation Care Autumn 2024 PDF
Young Discoverers OTW Vacation Care Autumn 2024 (PDF, 2MB)
C&K Highland Reserve Community Kindergarten