Browns Plains State School

1-29 Mayfair Drive
Browns Plains QLD 4118

Phone: 07 3809 6222
Fax: 07 3800 3042

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The Magpie’s Call

The magpie appeared on the original BPSS school badge in 1983. The badge was a black and white production created by the first principal, Mr Dave Gray in our first year. In 1986 colour was added to it by Mr Darryl Sampson (original and long term teacher of BPSS) using a computer called an Atari 1040 ST along with the help of the Atari software program, Degas Elite.

In 1983 the school was completely surrounded by bush with no houses to be seen anywhere. There was only a small bitumen track that connected BPSS to Waller Rd. This track just happened to be at the very end of Waller Rd and was an afterthought when it was realised there was no actual road access to the actual school just weeks before the school was opened for its first students in January 1983. Parts of that track still exist today and can be seen near the inside of the fence next to the school bus stop on Mayfair Drive.

The magpie was a common visitor to the BPSS grounds along with many other animals and birds including koalas, possums and different types of parrots. Snakes and lizards regularly visited the school grounds and there was even talk of a platypus living in the creek which was bordering the fence at the bottom of the school grounds. It was never seen. It was the magpie that gained pride of place on the school badge/logo because its song and its presence was a regular part in the beginning of our school’s life.

Sport Houses

Our Sport Houses names and colours originated from athletics who competed and won in the 1982 Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane.

Curry - Lisa Curry (swimming) - Blue
Boyle - Raelene Boyle - (sprinting) - Green
Decastella - Rob DeCastella - (marathon) - Red

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Newsletter

16th May 2025

IMPORTANT DATES
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
FROM THE DEPUTY
FROM THE DEPUTY
FROM THE HEAD OF DEPT - STUDENT SERVICES
FROM THE GUIDANCE OFFICER
FROM HEAD OF DEPARTMENT - CURRICULUM
ADMINISTRATION NEWS
FINANCE NEWS
COMMUNITY NEWS

IMPORTANT DATES

Monday, May 19 – School Photos
Tuesday, May 20 – Book Fair commences
Tuesday, May 20 - School Photos
Wednesday, May 21- Second Hand Uniform Stall in Hall 2.00pm-3.00pm
Thursday, May 22- Second Hand Uniform Stall in Hall 8.15am-9.15am
Thursday, May 22- Year 4 Scrubby Creek Excursion
Friday, May 23 - Free Dress - Bring a packet of seeds for Environmental Club
Tuesday, May 27- P&C Meeting in Library Hub Room at 9.00am
Tuesday, June 3- Prep Vision Screening
Friday, June 20- Crazy Hair Day, Gold coin donation
Monday, June 23 – 800m for Year 4-6
Tuesday, June 24 – Senior Sports Day
Wednesday, June 25 – Junior Sports Day
Friday, June 27 – Under 8's Day
Friday, June 27 – Final day of Term 2

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

By the time this newsletter is read, it will nearly have been a week since Mother’s Day. I hope all of our school mums had a great day and were spoilt with a sleep in! We acknowledge all the mums of Browns Plains State School and thank you for all that you do for your children. A huge thank you to our school community for your support of our Mother’s Day Stall. We hope all the mums enjoyed opening a specially selected small gift last Sunday.

Year 6 Transition to High School

Whilst we are still in Term 2, it is beneficial to advance decisions around which high school your child in Year 6 will attend. Later in the year, a number of transition activities will be available for students who have submitted an enrolment application to their chosen high school. Having a successful start to Year 7 and high school becomes easier when students participate in transition activities. I encourage all of our parents of students in Year 6 to strongly consider collecting an enrolment pack from Browns Plains State High School at your earliest convenience, if it is your preferred high school destination. It is a fantastic high school.

Energy Academy Performance

This week, students were able to attend a live educational theatre incursion, presented by two professional actors, which explored topics such as energy efficiency, conservation, and sustainability in an engaging and age-appropriate way. Be sure to ask your child what they took away from the presentation and encourage them to turn the lights off as they exit their room.

School Priorities

Every year, schools prioritise one to three specific areas to focus on over the course of a year. In 2025, our 3 priorities are:

Staff and Student Wellbeing
English – Structured Literacy
Mathematics

These priorities build upon our work over the past two years and align with Department of Education priorities. We believe that as we continue to focus on these priority areas, we will continue to see positive gains in learning and wellbeing outcomes for students.

All the best!

Mr Poulter

FROM THE DEPUTY

Jellybean Playgroup

Come and join us Wednesdays – 9:15-10:45 am in the hall room. At playgroup, your

child can:

enjoy early learning activities
develop friendships and social skills
build school readiness

. . . as well as a great opportunity to meet and share with other parents.

Starting Prep in 2026?

Kindergarten is a part-time educational program for children in the year before Prep. Kindy is 15 hours per week, 40 weeks per year and is free for Queensland children attending a government-approved kindergarten program.

In Kindy, children have great opportunities to make friends, explore new environments, build confidence and have fun learning. Kindy offers meaningful experiences and interactions that support your child's early learning, wellbeing and development and give them a great start to school.

You can find more information about free Kindy programs here.

If your child is starting Prep in 2026, enrolment packs are now available from the office with 2026 Prep interviews and transition days to begin later in the year.

Leesa Warwick,
Deputy Principal

FROM THE DEPUTY

🌸 Mother’s Day Stall & Raffle – Over $5,500 Raised! 🌸
A huge thank you to our incredible school community for the outstanding support of this year’s Student Council Mother’s Day Stall and Raffle. We are thrilled to share that over $5,000 was raised from the stall alone, with a further $500 raised through our raffle!

Congratulations to our lucky raffle winners:
🥇 Olivia in Prep – 1st Prize
🥈 Devantae in Prep – 2nd Prize
🥉 Christopher in Year 5 – 3rd Prize
🎁 Evie in Year 4 – 4th Prize

We hope all our mums, grandmothers and special caregivers had a wonderful Mother’s Day surrounded by family and love.

School Photos – 19th & 20th May
School photos will be held across two days – Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th May. Please refer to the timetable below for your child’s class photo schedule.

If you would like family/sibling photos, envelopes can be collected from the school office. Sibling photos will be taken before school in the hall, and we kindly ask that parents accompany their children for these photos.

Free Dress Day – 23rd May
Our Environmental Club is hosting a Free Dress Day on Friday 23rd May. Rather than a gold coin donation, students are asked to bring in a packet of seeds to support our sustainability and garden projects.

Let’s help green up our school while enjoying a fun, sunsmart casual clothes day!

Containers for Change – Coming Soon!
We are excited to announce the upcoming arrival of our Containers for Change bins! These special bins will be placed around the school for the recycling of cans, bottles, and poppers.

As part of this program, our school has a unique member number – families can use this number when depositing eligible containers at Containers for Change recycling centres. All funds raised will go directly to support our Student Council initiatives.

One our specialised bins arrive at school; we will let you know! Stay tuned!

Save this code to your phone:

Year 5 Gold Rush Excursion – Well Done!
A big congratulations to our Year 5 students for their exemplary behaviour and enthusiastic engagement during the recent Gold Rush excursion. Students stepped back in time to experience what life was like during the Gold Rush era, with staff presenters fully in character and bringing the history to life.

A sincere thank you to our dedicated staff for organising such a rich and memorable learning experience.

Theresa Kooyman,

Deputy Principal

FROM THE HEAD OF DEPT - STUDENT SERVICES

Congratulations to the classes listed below for their attendance over the last fortnight.

Congratulations again to Prep B! Prep B achieved the best attendance in Term 1. At the end of Week 3 they enjoyed a class pizza party as a reward.

Celebrating Term 1 Attendance

PREP

YEAR 1

1/2

YEAR 2

YEAR 3

3/4

YEAR 4

YEAR 5

5/6

YEAR 6- 100% ATTENDANCE

Please ensure your children are at school every day if they are well. If your child is absent from school, provide a reason for their absence using one of the methods listed below.

Phone: 07 3809 6222
Reply to the text message sent by the school on the day of your child’s absence
Return the Unexplained Absence letter with a reason and signature

Unexplained Absence letters are generated and distributed to students each fortnight. These letters provide dates of your child’s absences which have not already been explained. If you receive one, please fill in the reason/s for your child's absence/s, sign and have your child return it to their class teacher. Please work with us to reduce the number of unexplained absences in 2025!

Second Hand Uniform Stall

This week we held a Second Hand Uniform Stall during the Parent/Teacher Interviews and it was a great success. We intend to hold another one in Week 5 as we have a large number of jumpers and with the weather cooling down it will be a great time to snap one up. If you have any uniforms that your children have outgrown and you would like to donate please drop them off at the office.

Jess Galbraith,

HOD-Student Services

FROM THE GUIDANCE OFFICER

About Guidance Officers

Guidance officers are specialist teachers who deliver a broad range of services to school community members. They contribute to the development of a comprehensive student support and wellbeing program that is responsive to the needs of the school community.

Guidance officers may work directly with students in addition to working with a student's teachers, school support personnel, family, other specialists or external support providers.

Support offered by Guidance Officers includes providing advice and counselling on educational, behavioural, vocational, personal, social, family, and mental health and wellbeing issues.

Meet Sarah!

Sarah is the Guidance Officer at Browns Plains State School.

How long have you been at Browns Plains State School?

"This is my second year at Browns Plains State School."

What made you become a Guidance officer?

"I am passionate about making significant differences in students and families educational journeys and in fostering positive changes to their wellbeing. I draw inspiration from seeing the difference that schools can make in a child’s life when we know our students and cater for each individual and unique need.

Tell us a fun fact about you!

"I was a former state champion swimmer and can cook a mean Laksa. My favourite thing to do is travel and meeting people from different cultures. That’s three fun facts”.

What does a 'normal' day look like for you?

"Being a Guidance Officer is such a rewarding career. Each day is different, but centres around supporting students. I have many meetings with allied professionals who all come together with the intention of making decisions in the child’s best interest. I enjoy having one on one time with students and families and this is often the highlight of my day”.

What do you enjoy most about being a GO?

"I love the interactions we have with students, and those special moments when you feel that you have made a positive impact and changed a young person's life."

What can you help with?

"If you are needing support around your child’s education, personal concerns – friends, family, home life, mental health or general wellbeing, please make an appointment to see me.

You can do this by ringing the administration on 07 3809 6222 or emailing me on slfir0@eq.edu.au

Seasons for Growth will be available at Browns Plains State School in Term 2, 2025 free of charge. Seasons for Growth will be run by Sarah Firth, Browns Plains Guidance Officer.

Expressions of interest can be made through your child’s class teacher or by contacting our school Guidance Officer, Sarah Firth through email; slfir0@eq.edu.au

Alternatively, you can contact Centacare directly. Email: cfrs-gc@bne.centacare.au for more information, phone: 5552 6500

Please sign a permission note should you wish for your child to be considered for a place in the program. Permission notes are available from the office or attached below.

Kindly return permission notes to front office or hand into your child’s teacher.

Sarah Firth,

Guidance Officer

2023_MacKillopSeasons_Grief_Children_Factsheet.pdf

1707266115_Seasons_for_Growth_Permission_slip_2024_1_.pdf

FROM HEAD OF DEPARTMENT - CURRICULUM

The Book Fair is coming to Browns Plains SS! It will be held in the room between the Library and STEM Hub and will be here from the 20^th – 26^th May. Teachers will take classes to visit the Book Fair during the week where students can write their ‘wish list’ of items.

See below for times when the Book Fair will be open for purchasing. Cash and EFTPOS available.

Tuesday 20^th May	Wednesday 21^st May	Thursday 22^nd May	Friday 23^rd May	Monday 26^th May
Closed	8.00- 9.00
3.00-3.30		Closed	3.00-3.30

An order form for pre-paid purchases will be sent home this week. Students can bring this with the ‘receipt number’ to the Fair to collect their items.

Browns Plains SS students are participating in the 2025 Premier’s Reading Challenge. The challenge began on the 6th of May. Students have been given a form to record books they read.

Happy reading!

Casey Consiglio

ADMINISTRATION NEWS

Contact details

There are times when we may need to contact parents and carers. Do we have your most up to date contact details? If not, please contact the school on 3809 6222 or admin@brownsplainsss.eq.edu.au so we can update our records. These details include parent/carer’s name, address, phone numbers, email address and emergency contact details. Please remember to contact the school if any of these details change.

Absence notification process

Please remember to call the school on 3809 6222 or email at admin@brownsplainsss.eq.edu.au early in the morning if your child is going to be away or late for school so your child’s absence can be recorded correctly.

Same day notification

Our school will contact parents as soon as practicable on the day if a student is not at school and we don’t know why. If you are advised by the school that your child is away without a reason, please contact us as soon as possible by 3809 6222 to let us know where your child is. We will follow-up with parents if no response is received.