Volume 14 Issue 3 Term 1, 7th March 2025
- Principals Report
- School Absences
- Mrs. Cathcart 4/6 Classroom
- St Finbarr's Pillar Awards 2025
- TCS Principals Forum
- PPF 2025
- Quilpie State College Rare Disease Day
- Ash Wednesday
- New Playground Opening
- School Fees
- Quilpie & District Sport
- 2025 Open Day
- St Ursula's College Open Day!
- Project Compassion Boxes
- Tuck-Shop 2025
- Term 1 Swimming lessons
- Scholastic Book club
- NAPLAN 2025
- Your Contact Details
- After school CWA activities
- School Website & Calendar
- Assembly
- School Yard access
- School Bell Times
- Term Dates 2025
- St Finbarr's Student Protection Contacts
Principals Report
Dear Parents,
Playground Opening We had a wonderful morning celebrating the opening of our new playground. Thank you to all the families who joined us. Mayor Hall shared heartfelt words, reminiscing about his time as a past PPF president. He spoke emotionally about the contributions parents make to our school, noting that driving past and reflecting on the legacy left by his family and many others brings him great pride. Once again, a heartfelt thank you to our wonderful PPF and families who contribute their time to fundraise and donate to our school. We are incredibly fortunate and excited to continue working together to help our school grow and remain progressive.
Absenteeism It's essential to understand the importance of regular attendance at school. Referencing Toowoomba Catholic School's guidelines on absenteeism, we emphasise the necessity of planning holidays during one of the four school holiday periods. Core content is delivered explicitly throughout the term, and missing this curriculum can hinder a student's progress. Research links poor attendance to lower academic performance, particularly among students in the bottom third academically. While medical and unplanned absenteeism due to emergencies or sickness is understandable, long-term leave is not the preferred option. Remember missing just one day of school each week can add up to approximately 40 days of missed learning over the course of a school year, which is almost an entire term minus 10 days and can significantly impact a student's academic progress and overall performance
NAPLAN As we approach NAPLAN, let's remember that it's just a snapshot of where our students are at a moment in time. While we aim for high academic achievement, our focus is on nurturing the whole child. Please encourage your child to do their best and reassure them that their best effort is all we ask for. We are proud of each student's hard work and dedication. NAPLAN will begin next Wednesday, March 12th, with Year 3 and Year 5 students starting their writing task at 9 AM. We wish all our students the best of luck and remind you that NAPLAN is a mandatory assessment. If a child misses a day, they will have the opportunity to complete the assessment during the three-week NAPLAN period. A timetable had been sent home and there is a NAPLAN Timetable poster attached to the newsletter.
Cyclone Alfred As a school, we keep those affected by Cyclone Alfred in South East Queensland in our thoughts and prayers.
Our school community shines brightest when we come together for events, and we always strive to make new members feel welcome. Let’s continue to embrace this spirit of inclusiveness and kindness.
“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” – Henry Ford
Until Next Time
Kara Marsh
School Absences
Parents please contact the Office each day when students are unable to attend school.
Please don't send a message with siblings about absences, please contact the school directly each day
Ph 07 46 215 200
Email - quilpie@twb.catholic.edu.au
Mrs. Cathcart 4/6 Classroom
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome Miss Andrade! We are excited to welcome Miss Andrade to our class! She will be observing Mrs. Cathcart and teaching lessons as she completes her final university practicum. We look forward to learning from her and having her as part of our classroom community.
Learning Through Doing: Hands-On Maths This week, our students have been diving into hands-on Maths through our "Learning Through Doing" program. We've been exploring measurement and 3D shapes, and the students are loving the opportunity to apply their learning in whole class, small group, and individual activities. It's been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and engagement!
Exploring Early Colonial Life in Australia Miss Andrade has been teaching us about life in early Australian colonies through bartering. The students have been very engaged in learning about the needs and experiences of First Nations Australians, settlers, and convicts. This interactive approach has helped them understand the historical context and the importance of bartering in early Australian society.
We are looking forward to more exciting learning experiences in the coming weeks!
Mrs. Cathcart
St Finbarr's Pillar Awards 2025
Week 5 " Guided by Truth "Maggie
Week 6 - will be presented in Week 7
Lincoln
Maldon
TCS Principals Forum
In week 5, our inspiring Principals and senior office leaders came together in Toowoomba for our first Leadership Forum of the year. The energy sparked new ideas and collaborations flourished as we delved into strategies, shared insights and set our sights on an extraordinary year ahead. Thank you to St Ursula's College Toowoomba for hosting this leadership forum and to our dedicated team for making this forum amazingly productive! Together, we’re shaping the future of education. #twbcatholicschools
PPF 2025
Please send any Agenda items you may have to the Office or a committee member prior to the meeting.
Quilpie State College Rare Disease Day
Last week, our Finnie's Guardians, Hayley and Elle-Rose, along with Miss Kerri, visited Quilpie State College to present Principal McWaters with our donation for Rare Disease Day, an annual event held at the school. We are happy once again to be able to support this cause. Rare diseases affect over 300 million people worldwide, with more than 7,000 different rare diseases identified[1][2]. This is the first year of our Finnie Guardians, and we hope to organize more fundraising events to support other causes in the future.
Ash Wednesday
Catholic Identity// Our school community gathered for a meaningful Ash Wednesday service, where students, staff, family and parish members reflected on the importance of humility and renewal.The beautiful ceremony was captured in these photos, showcasing the unity and reverence of the day.
New Playground Opening
Today marked the grand opening of our new playground, and we were thrilled to see a fantastic turnout of parents, families, friends, and council representatives. This playground stands as a testament to the fundraising efforts of both past and present PPF committees, who leave their mark on the school, showing families that it truly takes a community to build a future for our school and students.
School Fees
Quilpie & District Sport
2 Weeks to go!! Go Pegler
2025 Open Day
Please contact the Office or Mrs. Marsh if you have any questions.
St Ursula's College Open Day!
We are excited to welcome you to our vibrant campus for Open Day! Explore our facilities, meet our dedicated staff, and discover the unique opportunities that await you at St Ursula's College.
Take advantage of our special "Come and Try Boarding" opportunity, available before or after Open Day. Students can stay in our boarding house to experience boarding life firsthand, while parents and families can be accommodated in our vacant boarding rooms. This is a fantastic chance for everyone to tour the school and see what we have to offer.
Come and witness how we foster unity, belonging, courage, and compassion – the Ursuline way. Don't miss out!
📅 Date: Friday, 14 March 2025
🕒 Time: 2 - 5pm
📍 Location: 38 Taylor Street, Newtown.
Register to attend at Open Event Registration | St Ursula's College
We are also lucky enough to have a visit from St Ursula's Principal on Wednesday 19th March in the morning if you can't make the open day.
Project Compassion Boxes
This Lent, Caritas Australia's Project Compassion invites you to Unite Against Poverty and take action to make a lasting difference., join Project Compassion in 2025 by a making a donation.
Project Compassion boxes have gone home this week and are due back in the first week of Term 2, perhaps your child may like to donate their treat money one week or some spare change. A little goes a long way for those in need.
Tuck-Shop 2025
If families can check the roster sent home, if a date does not suit can we ask that you try and swap with another family before approaching the Office.
Term 1 Swimming lessons
Scholastic Book club
How parents order from Book Club online
- Log in, or create a new account at LOOP
- New parents can follow the Wizard to set up a child's profile
- Click the ORDER tab, and select the child's school and Issue of Book Club
- Select your child's name
- Enter the product item number from the Book Club catalogue
- Apply promotional codes that children may have earned from previous issues
- Make a payment via credit card
- Or return the student order form on back page and payment to school
- Feel great about the Scholastic Rewards that have been earned from the school!
NAPLAN 2025
Our school will complete the online tests from Wednesday the 12th of March to 19th March.
NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are already learning at school.
In readiness for the NAPLAN tests in March, our school will also be involved in a number of practice sessions.
NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school's assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance; however, students and parents may use individual results to discuss progress with teachers.
NAPLAN 2025 information for parents and carers (online)
Your Contact Details
If your details have changed in the past year, especially your emergency contacts, please let the Office know so our records are accurate and up to date.
After school CWA activities
School Website & Calendar
Have you downloaded the School Calendar to your phone yet! This is the quickest way to see upcoming events for St Finbarr's as they will already be on your phones Calendar
Below shows you in 4 steps on how to subscribe the school online calendar onto your phone's calendar, when reading school newsletter via your phone
St Finbarr's School, Quilpie, Calendar
St Finbarr's School, Quilpie Website
Assembly
Don't forget each Friday we have assembly in the Mary Mackillop room, where Student awards are presented and School notices are shared with students and families present, at 8.45am when the bell rings please head on into the Mary Mackillop room
School Yard access
School Bell Times
Start of day bell -8.45am
Morning Tea Bell 11.00am -11.30am
Lunch Bell 1.00pm -1.30pm
End of day Bell -3.00pm
Please don't send students to school before 8.30 unless prior arrangements have been made, playground supervision doesn't begin until 8.30am
Term Dates 2025
St Finbarr's Student Protection Contacts
It is a legislative requirement that all non-state schools have at least two nominated staff members to whom a student can report the behaviour of another staff member that the student considers inappropriate. We call these specially trained staff members School Student Protection Contacts, or SSPCs. Each SSPC has been nominated by the principal in recognition of their integrity, approachability and knowledge in the area of student protection. Whilst students are encouraged to speak up to any trusted adult in the school community, it is important that they know they can access these specific staff members at any time should they have worries, queries or concerns. You will have noticed posters throughout the school depicting our current SSPCs. The SSPCs are also published on our school website along with information about our student protection processes. In everything we do at St Finbarr's student safety is our highest priority, therefore the SSPCs at our school are key personnel in our overall safeguarding processes. Please see the poster depicting our current SSPC team.
