Sally Donohue
Deputy Principal

We’ve had a fantastic and positive start to Term 2 in the Year 3 and 4 classrooms at Baringa! Thanks to Mrs Amanda Peterson for filling in during my absence for the first 2 weeks of term.

Middle School Cross Country

Recently, many of our students took part in the Middle School Cross Country event, demonstrating amazing effort, determination, and school spirit. It was wonderful to see everyone trying their best and supporting one another throughout the day. Congratulations to all who participated and made the event such a success!

Mother’s Day

Our Mother’s Day Stall is in full motion. A huge thank you to the P & C for your organisation - students have enjoyed purchasing gifts this week. The final day for purchasing will be this Friday. Any students who have not yet had the chance to buy a gift can visit the Learning Kitchen during lunch breaks for any last-minute purchases.

We are sure the lucky recipients of these gifts will be delighted with the thought students have put into the selection.

We also wish all of our mothers and mother figures, a wonderful day on Sunday.

                Mother’s Day joke for a giggle:

What did the mommy spider say to the Baby spider? You spend too much time on the web.

Year 4 Turtle Talk

To support the English Unit for this term, our Year 4 students will be visited by Leisa from Turtle Care on Tuesday 20^th May. All students will attend the presentation on the school site. They will learn important information to support the writing task for the term.

Year 3 Australia Zoo Excursion

Staff are currently organising an excursion to Australia Zoo to culminate the current unit of work in English. Students are learning how to write an informative text on an animal.

The excursion will take place on Wednesday 18^th June and will have an approximate cost of $40. Please keep an eye out for Consent and then invoice which will be sent out soon.

Level 1 Rewards Days for Term 2

Year 3 Level 1 Rewards Day will take place in the school hall during Week 10. An exact day and time will be provided closer to the date. Students will participate in a disco and will be given a treat to eat. This activity was the most popular, chosen through a survey by students.

Year 4 Level 1 Rewards Day will take place on Wednesday 25^th June. A timetable will be sent out prior to this date. Students will participate in a Nerf Archery Activity which was the most popular activity chosen through a survey by students.

More information will be provided for both activities closer to the date.

Indigenous Cultural Activities Committee Meeting

We have some great ideas to enact later this term, if you would like to be involved please come along to this meeting. If you can not make the meeting but would like to be involved please contact me prior to the meeting.

Sally 

Geoff Habel
Deputy Principal

Years 5 and 6 Deputy Principal’s Report

ANZAC Day Ceremony

Several weeks ago, students and staff commemorated ANZAC day with a very special ceremony today. Our special guests were Mr Shane Pieschel, and his daughter Ella Pieschel (Year 5). They shared what being the defence force was like for them as a family

Congratulations to our school captains for conducting the ANZAC Day assembly. They did a fantastic job as our school leaders.

Across the school, students learnt and studied the history of ANZACS and WW1. Different topics are taught in each year level and suited to the age group of students. ‘Lest we forget’. 

Every Day Counts
Parents are reminded of the importance of sending children to school every day. Being at school every day is important, with one day absent each week quickly adding up to two months of missed lessons in a year.

Unless your child is ill, it is expected that your child will be at school learning every day of the school year.

By sending your child to school every day we are together developing good habits for success at primary school and beyond. When parents do not support developing a solid routine of attending school every day issues of truancy and poor work habits can emerge.

Senior Cross Country

Congratulations to all participants who ran in cross country and fun run races recently. Thank you to our Mr Kerley and Mr Kimber for their organisation and running of the events. 

Good luck to the students in years 4-6 that have been selected in the Baringa State Primary School Cross Country Team.  These students will represent our school at the Glasshouse District Cross Country Trials on Monday 12^th of May

Year 5 Coastal Excursion – Exploring Our Changing Coastline

Our Year 5 students will soon be taking part in an exciting excursion focused on coastal erosion and environmental management. This experience will support their current studies on the changing local landscape, with a particular focus on the Pumicestone Passage and Kings Beach, and the impact of Cyclone Arthur.

Dates: Wednesday 28 May & Thursday 29 May 2025
Time: 9:15am – 12:45pm each day
Who: Five Year 5 classes (approx. 140 students, 3 groups per day)

Throughout the day, students will rotate through a range of engaging activities, including:

·         Coastal Discovery Van (presented by Coastal/EnviroCom)

·         Coastal Management Strategies: Living Seawalls, Groynes, Beach Nourishment, and Dredging

·         Catchment Story & Other Fun Activities (facilitated by Waterways staff – details to come)

This experience is designed to give students hands-on learning opportunities, expand their understanding of coastal processes, and spark meaningful discussions about how we manage and protect our coastlines.

We’re thrilled to have support from Sunshine Coast Council, whose staff will guide students through real-world strategies for managing coastal change now and into the future.

Stay tuned for photos and reflections from our young coastal scientists after the event!

Student Council Update: Crazy Hair Day

We are excited to announce that our Student Council will be hosting a Crazy Hair Day on Thursday 29^th of May to raise funds in support of Chappy Sarah, our much-loved school chaplain.

Chappy Sarah plays an important role in our school community, offering care and support to students, staff, and families. This fun event is a great way for students to show their creativity while giving back to someone who gives so much to our school.

We are asking students to bring a gold coin donation if they wish to participate. If you’d like to show a little extra support for Chappy Sarah, feel free to donate double for Chappy – every contribution helps!

Our Tuckshop will also be running a meal deal for lunch, with $1 from every meal going to support the student council’s initiative. Meal deal orders will open on Thursday 22^nd of May.

We look forward to seeing a colourful array of crazy hairstyles and the generous spirit of our school community in action.

Show Holiday 30 May 2025

The Maleny Show Holiday is scheduled for Friday, 30 May. This day will be a public holiday for the Caloundra Region.

Exciting Announcement – Year 5 & 6 Level 1 Rewards Day!

We’re pleased to announce that our Year 5 and 6 Level 1 students will be celebrating their positive behaviour and efforts with a special Rewards Day at the Caloundra Rollerdrome!

Earlier this term, students were surveyed about their preferences for the Rewards Day, and a visit to the Rollerdrome was the clear favourite. This outing recognises those who have consistently demonstrated our school values and maintained their Level 1 behaviour status throughout the term.

Where: Caloundra Rollerdrome

When: 27 June 2025

Who: Year 5 & 6 - Level 1 students

Why: To celebrate their fantastic attitude, effort, and behaviour!

Students will enjoy skating in a safe and supervised environment, with music and plenty of fun guaranteed. All skates and protective gear will be provided by the venue.

Permission notes with full details will be sent home soon.

 

 

Sarah Mewah 

Head of Department & Prep 

What Are We Learning in Prep This Term?

We have such a busy and exciting term ahead in Prep!
In English, our students are building confidence in reading through decodable books and beginning to write simple sentences. This term, our focus is on engaging with informative and imaginative texts about farm animals, which ties in beautifully with our upcoming farm incursion.

In Mathematics, students are exploring early number concepts through a variety of hands-on activities. This includes:

• Representing and ordering numbers to 10
• Using part-part-whole strategies to partition numbers
• Subitising collections up to 5
• Copying and continuing repeating patterns
• Describing the location of themselves and objects in relation to others

Our classrooms are full of curiosity, excitement, and joyful learning!

Tadpoles Pre-Prep Playgroup

Last week, we welcomed families back to Tadpoles Playgroup for Term 2 with Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Witton. Playgroup runs every Friday from 9:00am–10:30am on the Prep playground and in the playgroup classroom.

• 9:00am – 9:30am: Free play on the Prep playground
• 9:30am – 10:30am: A fun and engaging session inside with crafts, painting, puzzles, storytime, home corner, and more!

Please note the following schedule changes:

• No Playgroup on Friday 23rd May – Join us instead for Under 8’s Day!
• No Playgroup on Friday 30th May due to the Caloundra Show Holiday

We are also thrilled to welcome Goodstart Baringa, who will be visiting weekly with a small group of children to support Prep readiness. Strong early partnerships with families and early childhood providers create positive outcomes for our children, and we are proud to foster these connections through our playgroup.

Tadpoles is a wonderful opportunity for children aged 3–5 to build confidence, make new friends, and become familiar with our school in a nurturing and welcoming environment.

Enrol Now for Prep 2026!

We encourage families to enrol early to secure your preferred time and day for your child’s play-based enrolment interview. Early enrolments also allow our Prep team and I to begin working closely with your child’s kindergarten or day-care to support a smooth transition into school.

For more information or to enrol, please contact our office on 5390 2330.

Save the Date

Under 8’s Day (Prep – Year 2) – Friday, 23rd May
Families are warmly invited to attend. This year’s theme is "Unleashing Your Scientific Thinking!" with a variety of science-themed and traditional activities. Plus, we’ll have the Brew Box coffee van on-site for parents and carers!

Farm Incursion (Prep only) – Thursday, 29th May
We’re bringing the farm to school! Please check QParents and your email to provide consent and complete payment.

Junior Athletics Carnival (Prep – Year 1) – Monday, 17th June
More details will be shared closer to the date.

Level 1 Rewards Day – Teddy Bear Picnic at the Park – Thursday, 26th June
Look out for the flyer and upcoming email with further information.

We look forward to seeing you at these exciting events throughout the term.

Warm regards,

Sarah

Jo Klein 

Head of Curriculum

The Year of Reading - Supporting your child’s reading journey

You might start to notice or hear your child talk about some changes in the way reading is being taught at school. That’s because our school is aligning with the Department’s new Reading Position Statement (PDF, 2MB) This guide helps teachers use the most effective ways to teach reading, based on up-to-date research from the Effective Teaching of Reading Literature Review.

The goal is to support all students as they develop strong reading skills, not just in English, but across all subjects and year levels. In the coming weeks, our newsletter will include more information about how teachers, families, and students can work together to support reading both at school and at home. We’re excited to partner with you on this important journey!

How Do Children Learn to Read?

Did you know that learning to read is not something we’re born knowing how to do? It takes step-by-step teaching, regular practice, and support both at school and at home.

Reading involves two key skills:

• Decoding – sounding out and reading the words on the page.
• Comprehension – understanding what those words mean.

At Baringa we use a systematic synthetic phonics program to teach letter- sound correspondences in carefully sequenced order through our InitiaLit program. To support this learning, younger students may bring home decodable books. These books only include the letter-sound patterns they've already been taught. As their confident grows, children progress to reading authentic texts that build both their word recognition and language comprehension and may include texts from across curriculum areas.

Fluency Pairs

In Term one all classes introduced a new reading practice called fluency pairs. Reading fluency refers to the ability to read with accuracy, appropriate speed, expression, and phrasing. It is the result of strong foundational reading skills, including decoding, phonemic awareness (such as blending, segmenting, and manipulating sounds), vocabulary, syntax and grammar, and background knowledge. Fluency plays a critical role in reading comprehension, as fluent readers are generally better able to understand and engage with the texts they read.

To support the development of fluency, students engage in repeated reading activities at the word, phrase, sentence, and full-text levels. As part of our daily Fluency Pairs routine, students take turns reading aloud to a peer or teacher using a method known as echo reading. In this strategy, one reader models fluent reading of a passage, and the other repeats it, mimicking the pacing, expression, and phrasing. This practice helps reinforce reading skills and build confidence in a supportive, collaborative environment.

How Can You Help Support Reading at Home?

• Listen to your child read aloud. As your child reads, you may notice there are words they can read automatically, while other words will need to be ‘sounded out’. When your child comes to a word they do not automatically know, you can help them by saying: ‘Say the sounds as you point to the letters. Now, blend the sounds and read the word.’ For example: for the word ‘hen’, point to the letters and provide the sounds, /h/ /e/ /n/, then blend the sounds to read ‘hen’.
• Read aloud to your child often. This helps them hear new words, understand more complex ideas, and enjoy stories they can’t yet read themselves. Pause while reading and take the time to discuss details in the story can support your child’s oral language development. The conversation might focus on the storyline, such as characters or where the story takes place; it may focus on similar experiences the child has had to those that happened in the book; it may focus on specific words; aspects of print; or concepts that are new to the child.
• Try echo reading. You read a line or page first, then your child repeats it.

It’s normal for new readers to read slowly at first. With regular practice and support, their reading skills and confidence will grow!

Stay tuned — over the next few newsletters, we’ll be sharing more ways families and teachers can work together to help every child become a successful reader.

Importance of Regular Eye Tests for Children 

With the increasing use of screens at home and in the classroom, looking after our children’s eyesight is more important than ever. Whether it’s for schoolwork, watching TV, or playing games, children today spend more time on digital devices than previous generations.

Regular visits to an optometrist help detect vision problems early—often before your child even realises there’s an issue. Clear vision is vital for learning, reading, and overall development, and untreated eye conditions can affect behaviour, concentration, and confidence in the classroom.

It is recommend that children have their eyes tested at least once every two years, or more frequently if advised. Eye tests are quick, painless, and free.

Help give your child the best chance to learn and thrive, call your local Optometrist to book an eye test today.

Sam Pullen                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Guidance Officer

Baringa State Primary School

Discovery Centre News

ANZAC Day Thank You

A sincere thank you to all of the Baringa families who shared photos and information for our annual ‘Baringa Heroes’ videos for ANZAC Day.  We are so proud of all of our student’s family members who serve or have served in any conflicts. If you missed the videos, you can watch them on Facebook here:

A

Student Video - Part 1

https://www.facebook.com/BaringaSPS/videos/1052144383485848

Student Video – Part 2

https://www.facebook.com/BaringaSPS/videos/600695116323480

Staff Video

https://www.facebook.com/BaringaSPS/videos/702314618882993

National Simultaneous Storytime

National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. 

Whilst NSS is officially held on Wednesday 21 May, our students will be taking part in NSS throughout the week during Library lessons and in classrooms across our school.

By facilitating NSS we aim to:

• promote the value of reading and literacy,
• promote the value and fun of books,
• promote an Australian writer and publisher,
• promote storytime activities in libraries and communities around the country,
• and provide opportunities to involve parents, grandparents, the media and others to participate in and enjoy the occasion.

This year, students will be reading The Truck Cat, written by Deborah Frenkel and illustrated by Danny Snell.  Students will also be taking part in learning activities related to the book.  

Happy Reading!

Kylie Everett

Head of the Discovery Centre

Chappy Chat 

Term 2 has started with a bang at Baringa! In Week 2, 10 of our Year 4 and 5 boys kicked off an exciting 8-week ‘Mentoring through Sport’ program. This wonderful initiative, in partnership with SunnyKids and the Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Football Club, allows these young participants to engage in the SunnyKids Mentoring Through Sports (MTS) program, which is available at schools across Queensland. Over the course of eight sessions, the program focuses on promoting positive changes in attitudes and behaviour. It emphasises building healthy relationships, core values, self-awareness, physical development, and overall health and wellbeing. 

Calling All Battery Recycling Superheroes!
We need your help to recycle as many batteries as possible and make a real difference through the BIG BATTERY RESCUE! Each classroom and the front office have designated containers where students can drop off used batteries for recycling. A huge thank you to The National Theatre for Children and Stockland for supporting this initiative!

Did You Know?
In Australia, over 300 million household batteries are thrown away with regular waste every year. Shockingly, less than 12% of them get recycled, which means a staggering 14,000 tonnes of batteries end up in landfills annually.And here’s some extra motivation: There’s a pizza party up for grabs! To enter, simply create a poster or drawing highlighting the benefits of battery recycling. Drop your creation off in Chappy’s office, and your class could win a pizza party!

Heart Hub – Here to Help!

Life can be challenging, and if your family is facing tough times, I may be able to help with meals, school lunch supplies, and uniforms. Don’t hesitate to reach out—I’m here for you.If you need someone to talk to or have any questions about chaplaincy support, feel free to get in touch! I’m at school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, or you can email me at slitt145@eq.edu.au.

Chappy Sarah

As the year progresses more students find the confidence to come to the tuckshop or start to tag along with their friends.  Snack money is great for those who are extra hungry that day, or maybe have forgotten their lunch to be able to buy something over the counter. Snack money is set up under the student profile and even though you are not standing there with your student at the time of purchase you are still in control as you can set a daily or weekly limit which they can spend; you can select particular days if desired (needed for daily limits) and even go through the menu and select items you don’t want them to buy.

There are still many profiles that are not complete with a current student photo, so please have a look at the examples below and double check that your profile photo is valid.

Hello wonderful Baringa Families and welcome to Term 2!

Your P&C has been hard at work this year with a new executive team at the AGM at March, we are delighted to welcome Emma Daniels as our Secretary, and Erika Jenner as Vice President with Ben Amos continuing as Vice President. It is a very different landscape to what the P&C face just a few years ago with no one able to nominate for one of these roles.

We are still looking for a Treasurer and we are sure there is one amongst our great school! You don’t need to be a bookkeeping whiz – just organised, able to regularly attend monthly meetings and open to learning.

Thank you to the wonderful students who have shopped the Mothers Dy stall this week, we know there are going to be some very spoilt Mum’s, Grandma’s and Aunty’s this Sunday.

Coming up in Term 2 is one of the kids favourite events in the calendar – our first disco for the year! You can buy your tickets on Munch Monitor. Please note that there are no ticket sales and the door and ticket sales close online approx 1 week before the disco.

You are probably aware that the school are excitedly preparing for the very first Baringa Primary School Musical – The Wizard of Oz. With this comes a large number of costs to make it spectacular. We are kindly seeking sponsorship from local businesses to help make this musical one to remember and in exchange your business will receive marketing through the school and P&C channels, including the electronic signboard facing towards Lukin Terrace. We would love to hear from parents and grandparents who have a business and would like to be a part of something great. Sponsorships start at just $500. If you’d like to find out more get in touch with fundraising@baringaprimarypandc.com.au

Are you following us on Facebook? The P&C posts updates and information about events to keep you in the loop. Make sure to follow us so you never miss out!

We’d love to see you at our next meeting!

Kyanne Hooper

P&C President

Thank you!

A huge thank you to our P&C fundraising coordinator Mel Johnson for organising and delivering a fantastic Mother's Day breakfast for our lucky families on Friday morning. The event gets better each year with the most amazing food, drinks and delicious coffee for the ticket holders. We appreciate the effort that goes into the event and we are very grateful for the support of our P&C and incredible volunteers.

Thanks team !!! 

A big thank you also to our school community for supporting the event and, to the local businesses who donated to our Mothers Day Breakfast.

Mel Johnson and her amazing volunteers also organise and work the Mother's Day Shop that has been running for the last 3 days. This shop is a great initiative and gives students the opportunity to purchase a lovely gift for the significant people in their lives. Thanks again Mel and team for giving our students this opportunity and raising much needed funds for the P&C 

Happy Mothers day to all, we hope you get to celebrate and cherish time with your family.