KSS_Newsletter_W3T4
** Acknowledgment of Country **
** Principal's Update **
Good morning parents and carers,
Last week, FamilyLinQ celebrated their 1st birthday. This is an exciting milestone for our school community. I wanted to pass on my thanks to the FamilyLinQ team and to the parents, carers, staff and students who attended the lovely party that we held to celebrate this event. Please read below to learn more about the event, and more about what FamilyLinQ can offer and support with. This is such an exciting initiative, and we are the very first school in QLD to have FamilyLinQ - if you haven't enrolled yet, please get along and have a look.
I also wanted to pass on some further information in regards to students accessing online social media platforms. At Kingston SS, we take this very seriously, and we have been proactive in supporting our students and families in the following ways:
** Offering parent / carer sessions led by staff based on supporting parents whose students access social media.
** Enacting the Department of Education's 'Phone Away for the Day' procedure to ensure that phones are safely placed in the office for the day, and not accessible during learning time.
** Engaging with our School Based Police Officers to have them present age appropriate lessons in regards to social media, and online safety.
** Our teachers teach lessons in regards to being safe online, as part of the curriculum delivery.
** Communicating regularly in the newsletter different ways in which families can report unsafe behaviour, as well as informing parents of the new laws that are coming into effect shortly.
** Communicating directly with parents and carers if staff have been made aware of an online incident.
We have had instances where parents and carers are wanting to know more about what the school is doing to support with students accessing online content that can be potentially harmful.
I wanted to remind everyone that from 10th December, the minimum age for creating a social media account is being raised from 13 to 16. I also wanted to remind everyone that we do not have social media platforms accessible for students at school, nor, do we have the capacity to supervise students outside of school hours. As a school, we can continue to inform our school community through the actions that have been listed above. As a parent or carer, I encourage you to access the link below to be supported in how you can keep your family safe online. Some other resources have also been shared for your perusal.
If you believe that there is something further that we as a school can do, please reach out via email (principal@kingstonss.eq.edu.au) or phone 3827 6222 to set up an appointment to discuss further.
** Deputy Principal Update **
Enrol now for High school
If your child is in Year 6, now is the time to enrol in high school.
What do you need to do now?
Consider Options
- What is your catchment school?
- Is there a school of Excellence Program you wish to apply for?
- Does your student meet criteria for an Excellence Program?
Ask some questions
- Contact the prospective school for enrolment packs, tour dates and enrolment information sessions
Transition Days
- To assist in the transition to high school, each high school offers various transition days. For your child to be able to be invited and attend these days, enrolment forms need to be completed.
- If your child requires further days to transition, this can be discussed with the high school or Mrs Nolan
If you enrol at Kingston State College before 28 November 2025, you go into the draw to win an ipad. It is important to secure your child’s place before the end of the year.
Attendance
As we are learning new concepts for the term, it is important that the students are at school on time and ready to cross the line of opportunity.
Establishing good routines around school can assist with regular school attendance. These include:
- have a set time to go to bed
- have a set time to get out of bed
- have uniform and school bag ready the night before
- have a set time for starting and finishing breakfast
- set a time for daily homework activities
- speak about school positively
School Based Police Officers
This week our students attended a presentation on personal safety with our school-based police. The students were reminded of what this might look like at school and in the community. A reminder of staying in the school grounds after they have been dropped off in the morning or entering the school grounds immediately after they have been dropped off. This presentation is in conjunction with Daniel Morcombe Day which is this Friday 31 October.
Reboot - Self-regulation
The students have utilized a new self-regulation strategy to help feel calm, stay in control, and make good choices even when they're feeling upset or excited. 5 Senses Grounding helps your brain focus on the here and now. This strategy can be used in all situations in various environments.
Rachel Argue
Deputy Principal
** Head of Department - Student Engagement Update **
Dear Kingston families,
This term, our Reboot focus continues to support every student to stay on the Positive Change Highway by practising self-regulation, making positive and proactive choices, and showing power-with behaviours. Students are learning how to recognise their feelings, take responsibility for their actions, and work together to create calm, connected classrooms.
This term, students are encouraged to use the strategy Stop, Think, Act:
- Stop: Pause and notice how you are feeling. Take a breath to calm your body before reacting.
- Think: Consider what is happening and what choices you have. Ask yourself, “What is the best thing to do right now?”
- Act: Make a positive choice and use a strategy that helps you stay on the Positive Change Highway.
Kingston Kredits
Students earn Kingston Kredits for being safe, respectful learners and displaying Reboot-aligned behaviours such as using the 3 Steps (Stop, Think, Act), demonstrating teamwork, and helping others to stay on track. Kredits are awarded by staff across the school and can be redeemed for exciting prizes every fortnight.
Rewards Day – Term 4: Wet and Wonderful Day!
To celebrate students who consistently make positive choices, we’re thrilled to announce our Term 4 Rewards Day: “Wet and Wonderful Day – Water Play!”
Students who meet the participation expectations will be invited to join in an afternoon of fun, friendship, and water play to celebrate their hard work and positive engagement throughout the term.
More details about eligibility and what to bring will be shared closer to the event.
Let’s continue to celebrate kindness, respect, and responsibility as we finish the year strong together on the Positive Change Highway!
Kingston Class Champions
Congratulations to 3A for earning the Kingston Class Champion reward! They spun the prize wheel and received a Games Afternoon. The class had an amazing time celebrating their teamwork, effort, and the positive learning happening every day in their room.
KSS Class Champions
** Prep Update **
What a Fantastic Start to Term 4!
We’ve had a wonderful start to Term 4! Students have returned full of enthusiasm, ready for an exciting and busy final term of the year.
In English, students are exploring the Pig the Pug stories and will be writing a retell that includes the beginning, middle, and end of their chosen story, as well as sharing their favourite part. In Mathematics, our focus is on understanding numbers, how to partition them, count with confidence, and compare which numbers are greater or smaller.
In Science, students are investigating the changing environment, learning about appropriate clothing choices for different weather conditions and exploring activities suited to each season. In Health, students are learning to recognise how their bodies are growing and changing, and identifying ways to stay healthy, safe, and active. And in HASS students will be learning all about maps, how to identify their features and how to create them.
Homework:
Reading with your child each night is one of the most valuable routines you can share. Regular reading helps build language and literacy skills, strengthens attention and memory, encourages imagination and creativity, and supports emotional connection. Most importantly, it builds confidence and a love of learning, helping children feel calm, capable, and ready for success.
** FamilyLinQ Update **
This week has been pretty special for FamilyLinQ – we celebrated our very 1st Birthday! It was just on 1 year ago that our doors opened and we welcomed our first families in. Since that time FamilyLinQ has worked closely with Kingston State School and the range of services that operate out of the hub. On Wednesday afternoon we had a party with lots of children and families, where we had games, prizes, food and photos. Thank you to the volunteer parents who helped on the day – we really appreciate your help!
On Friday our team attended the Childhood Summit run by The Australian Institute of Play. We listened deeply to children speak on topics including racism, addiction, respect for Elders, child abuse, social media, technology, street safety, community isolation – to list a few. There were many powerful words spoken by children including, “I cannot and will not change who I am”. We felt very proud to hear the children speak with agency, truth, honesty and bravery. How important it is for us to ask and consider – “how are the children doing?”
Week 4 we will be thinking about how important our teachers are. Children - keep an eye out for our ‘teacher appreciation’ sheets that we ask you to fill in and FamilyLinQ will display in the hub as part of National Teacher’s Day.
Don’t forget, if you are interested in any of the following services, just pop in to get connected 😊:
- Food
- Hearing checks
- Getting ready to find a job
- Budgeting and finances
- Connection to services
- Child health
- Paediatrics
- Parenting
- Pregnancy
- Mental health
Have a great week!
The FamilyLinQ team.
** Community Update **
To celebrate World Teachers’ Day (31 October), ABC Kids listen radio is asking primary students to shout out their favourite teacher.
To get involved, students can submit an audio message about why they love their teacher.
Listen to the pop-up radio show hosted by Mr Luke between 8-9am on 27-31 October for a chance to hear your message.
Please see the information below, regarding Saver Plus.
Don't forget about our Prep transition program!
