Term 3 Week 2

Principal's Report

Dear Coolum families,

Welcome to Term 3! It's hard to believe that we are halfway through this year! Our school has had a busy start to the term and students are already diving into their new units of work. I chatted to some Year 2 students this week who are working on a Totally Wild style information presentation on an animal, and I learnt some interesting facts about the saltwater crocodile from them! I also had the pleasure of talking to some Year 5 students who are writing a historical narrative as a character from gold mining times and using the strategy of "show not tell" to engage the reader. It's wonderful to hear how positive these students are about their learning.

This week you will have received an email requesting you to complete an opinion survey about Coolum State School. This information is incredibly valuable for our school as it gives us feedback on what is working well, and what might be areas for us to address. It can also be used to monitor and track progress of any initiatives we may have implemented in the past 12 months. This survey collects the opinions of staff, parents and students (in Year 5 and Year 6) and is a great source of information for our future planning. Can I ask parents to please take the time to complete the survey and have your say about our great school.

A valuable opportunity is being provided to parents/carers of our schools within the region, to participate in a free face-to-face 1.5-hour workshop facilitated by Bully Zero, a leading bully prevention organisation. The workshop Bully Zero, is designed to proactively support parents to understand what bullying is and what parents can do to support their children to be safe both online and when face to face with their peers.

The attached flyer provides information regarding locations, inclusive of the online option and how to register for the workshops. Participants must register for the workshops.

Last term our dedicated P&C reviewed our school uniform policy. The review was sent out to parents for feedback and then endorsed through our last P&C meeting. I have attached the updated copy to the newsletter. Please take the time to have a read and review your child’s uniform. The main purpose of the review was to clarify some inconsistencies in our previous policy, and to give clear expectations for students. The changes were minimal and struck a balance between high standards at our school, and our coastal community feel.

All state schools are required to have a student Code of Conduct. Over the past 12 months, Coolum SS staff have been discussing student behaviour, expectations and responses to behaviour so that we can have a consistent whole school approach. The main change to this is our behaviour matrix and the lessons that students engage in each week about our expected behaviours. Again, our parents and students had a voice in this through our 2024 School Opinion Survey results and consultation through our P&C and other conversations. We will review this document each year and continue to work together to make sure that students are safe and supported at school. I will share information from this in our newsletters this semester, but if you would like to have a look at the whole policy, it is on our school website.

Thanks for a great start to the term!

Deputy Principal News

As we head Semester 2, it's an exciting time to start thinking about the future and the leadership roles available for 2026 for our current Year 5 students. Becoming a School Leader is a wonderful opportunity to make a positive impact on our school community.

What Makes a Great Leader?

The best way to prepare for a leadership role is by being a positive role model every day. This means:

· Being Respectful: Treating others with kindness and consideration.

· Being Responsible: Taking ownership of your actions and duties.

· Getting Involved: Participating in school activities and showing initiative.

We are thrilled to announce another Leadership Day with the UPP (Unleashing Personal Potential) team in Semester 2. These days are fantastic for developing leadership and teamwork skills. Through engaging activities and workshops, students learn how to lead with influence and kindness, even without a badge.

How to Get Involved

Between now and the end of the year, look out for opportunities to participate in school events, assist teachers or teacher aides. Every experience is a chance to grow your leadership skills.

In the classroom the Year 5s are working on a great unit where they are writing an historical narrative from the perspective of a child living on the Australian goldfields during the 1850s! Already the students are quite immersed in this engaging unit. I look forward to all Year 5 classes developing the historical narrative genre for this unit.

Finishing Year 6 with a Great Attitude

As the Yr 6s approach the final six months of their primary school journey, it's a wonderful time to reflect on what has been achieved and the legacy, as the present Year 6s are creating. I have reminded all year 6 classes that this is your chance to leave a lasting impression on your school community.

Be the Best You Can Be

Every day presents an opportunity to demonstrate leadership and set a positive example. Continue to:

· Show Respect: Treat everyone with kindness and consideration.

· Take Responsibility: Own your actions and contribute positively to your school environment.

· Be respectful: To your peers, teachers and parents.

· Stay Involved: Participate actively in class activities and school events.

Preparing for High School

Transitioning to high school is an exciting step, and your teachers are here to support you every step of the way. In Semester 2, the Transition Program with Coolum State High School will become more regular. This program is designed to help you:

· Familiarise yourself with High School Life: Understand what to expect in Year 7.

· Develop New Skills: Learn about different subjects and activities available.

· Build Confidence: Meet new friends and become comfortable in a new environment.

These sessions are a great way to transition into high school and feel prepared for the changes ahead.

In the classroom the Year 6s are working on an engaging and interesting unit of work this term in which they create a written and multimodal unit of work on a chosen country for a Cultural Expo Day in the PCC. The children really enjoy this unit as they research and learn an array of interesting information about their country. I very much look forward to the development of this unit and the Cultural Expo Day at the end of the term.

Terry O’Brien

Deputy Principal – Years 5 and 6

3W News

This term in 3W, we are exploring special places in and around Australia. As part of our learning, students will be researching and writing an information report about a chosen special place within Australia. We look forward to showcasing our work at our very own Class Expo, where students will proudly present their work to their peers and parents.

This Friday, 3W and 3J will be performing on parade! We’re excited to share some of Australia’s most special places through storytelling and a fun dance celebrating our wonderful country. Below each student also shares their favourite place in Australia and why it’s special to them.

It’s shaping up to be a busy and exciting term!

Mrs Westera and Mrs Tucker

What is your favourite place in Australia and why?

Frankie: My favourite place in Australia is Double Island Point because it is really, really good for surfing. It is also my favourite place because you can go 4WDing and camping.

Jaxon: My favourite place in Australia is Double Island Point because it is an awesome place to surf and it is a great place to hang out with your family and go 4wding.

Finn: My favourite place is the Gold Coast because there is really big and good waves to surf on.

Edward: My favourite place in Australia is Coolum Beach because you can surf, swim, boogie board and play volleyball.

Rosalina: My favourite place in Australia is the Coolum soccer fields because I feel free when I am playing soccer and I have been playing there for multiple years.

Hayden: My favourite place in Australia is Kakadu because it has so much culture. It also has so many cool animals like buffalos, crocodiles and a lot of snakes.

Lennox: My favourite place in Australia is Brisbane because that is where my cousins, Aunties and Uncles live and it makes me happy.

Levi: My favourite place in Australia is the Big Boing because I have so much fun there.

Maia: My favourite place in Australia is the Gold Coast because it as a lot of fun things to do.

Arna: My favourite place in Australia is Brisbane because there are huge, fancy hotels and there is awesome food.

Will: My favourite place in Australia is Uluru because it has rock art and weird animals with sticks.

Fred: My favourite place in Australia is Brisbane because it is a big city and has the coolest bridges.

Tallow: My favourite place in Australia is the Gold Coast because there are wonderful views and amazing places.

Jack: My favourite place in Australia is Sydney because there are amazing views in the apartments and in the city and the Sydney Opera House lights are beautiful at night.

Lulu: My favourite place in Australia is the Sunshine Coast because it is full of lots of fun places such as Aussie World and the Big Pineapple and there are a lot of fun beaches to explore.

Gracie: My favourite place in Australia is the Sunshine Coast because there are theme parks like Aussie World and it is lots of fun. There are even beaches and the Big Pineapple.

Juno: My favourite place in Australia is the Sunshine Coast because there are so many cool places like Aussie World, the Big Pineapple, beautiful beaches and so much more. The animals are also beautiful.

Archer: My favourite place in Australia is the Big Banana because there is a rollercoaster and it is very yellow.

3J News

3J and 3W are presenting their parade performance this week. We have been studying Australia and the many wonderful places within it. We hope you enjoy watching it and singing along to “Australia, It’ll Amaze Ya”.

My favourite place in Australia is…….

Sydney, because it has a beautiful beach to surf and it has a lot of stadiums to watch footy and more. (Kauai)

Longreach. I love it because it has the best pies and they also have great motels to stay in. The museum is so good, they have so much vintage stuff to look at. Darcy’s café has the greatest acai bowls and bacon and eggs and they also have the best sticky date pudding. (Zaidy)

Stradbroke Island because it is so beautiful. You can go snorkelling and 4 wheel driving. You can go with friends and play 24/7. It is so fun!! (Finn L)

Adelaide because it is beautiful and they have farms. You get to milk the cows and at night get into cosy blankets. (Mia)

Tewantin. It is a nice, beautiful place and also I live there. (Isla)

Hamilton Island. I love it because you get to ride a buggy. It’s a lot of fun. If you wake up early you can see the beautiful sunrise. There are lots of cute cockatoos. (Shiloh)

Coolum Beach because in the summer the water is lovely. It is a great place to bring your dog or your kids. (Bonnie)

Twelve Apostles because it is a really calm place. It also has a really nice view and there are amazing sea creatures and my grandma lives close to them. (Ziggy)

Uluru. It is the biggest rock in Australia. It’s huge. It’s an orangey-red colour and very pretty. (Lakey)

Australia Zoo because the animals look so cool and you can learn so many things and also learn the animals’ life story. You can meet snakes and put them around your neck. You can see animals who were rescued. (Willow)

Victoria, because my aunty lives there and she has a farm and if you are lucky you can see snow there. (Harriet)

Hamilton Island because you get to go around in golf buggies and somehow they fit in a huge food shop. You get to live in houses and there is a beautiful view of the beach. (Riley)

Agnes Waters because when I was there our cabin was right behind the beach so every day my sister, Immy, took me out surfing and we stayed in a town called 1770 and I went shell collecting. Once I had enough of surfing, my dad would take my sister out. It was the best! (Sage)

The Great Barrier Reef because it’s a really beautiful place to snorkel and you can see really pretty green sea turtles and the reef sharks are also really cool. The coral in the Great Barrier Reef is so beautiful and colourful. (Caoimhe)

Maryborough because my grandma lives there and I love spending time with her. (Beau)

Port Douglas because there are markets and a nice beach. Also, the weather is amazing. (Finn N)

Mount Coolum, because when you get to the top of the mountain you can see an amazing view of the Sunshine Coast. (Max)

Hervey Bay. The reason is the cute turtles and ducks and the big jetty. Hervey Bay also has wonderful afternoons and if you are on the beach it’s even more pretty. (Charlie)

Cairns in Queensland. I like it because it has an amazing beach there and the Great Barrier Reef. I also love it because it has an

amazing music festival and you can camp there and it has amazing food. (Stevie)

Airlie Beach because there is clear, blue water. You can go snorkelling and see lots of fish, turtles and coral. You can also go on glass boats. (Teo)

Fraser Island because there’s good places like Eli Creek and Lake Mackenzie and all the dingoes. (Hugo)

Coolum Allstarz Dance Team

Coolum AllStarz Dance Team

Light Up The Stage Dance Competition

The first Saturday of the holidays, our talented Coolum AllStarz Dance Team represented the school at the “Light Up The Stage” Dance Competition, held at the Suncoast Events Centre in Woombye. Unfortunately, two of our beautiful team members, Ruby and Immy were unwell and couldn’t attend. The AllStarz worked together as a team and made quick changes and solutions to all routines and pulled it off superbly. Wow, what a team of cool, calm and collected members-just amazing! Once again, everyone performed exceptionally well, against other schools and mostly Dance Studios, achieving some incredible results.

The talented team of 25 dancers competed in six categories and received the following results:

1st - POM,

1st - Musical Theatre

2nd - Lyrical,

2nd – Hip Hop,

3rd - Contemporary

Highly Commended – Jazz

A special mention to Sophie and Mikayla who progressed into the top 5 in the Improv Section (out of about 40 dancers). Well done, girls, such a great achievement!

Congratulations, girls! You were outstanding and did an amazing job! You have worked so hard and are a very dedicated team, with great support for each other. Well done! A huge thank you to the wonderfully supportive families and friends who came along to support the girls.

Term 3 is a busy term for the AllStarz. We are all looking forward to our next competition-“The Australian Pinnacle Dance Challenge” which will be held at St Theresa’s Catholic College in Noosa on Sunday, July 27th. Once again, the Coolum AllStarz will be performing six routines.

Well done, Coolum AllStarz! You certainly made Coolum State School and Miss Bollard super proud!! Congratulations!! 😊.

My New Gallery

Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July

Our wonderful Environmental Team have been promoting Plastic Free July at Coolum. They are looking at ways to reduce the amount of single use plastic. Take a look here for more information about the campaign https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/

The team have all made pledges to help reduce their use of plastic.

Milly - only use recycled plastics

Kendall - says don’t use single use plastic in your lunchbox

Adam – use paper cups not plastic

Mahli – if you use plastic, make sure you recycle it where you can

Claudia – use a Bento box and no single use plastics for your lunch

Olivia – says only use reuseable straws

You can get involved too. This month if you buy a drink from our PiCCilo café you will be entered into a weekly draw for a free drink. What’s the catch? You MUST bring your own cup!

Don’t have a cup? Our uniform shop has a limited supply for sale, just $8 each. Drop in and pick one up

Book Week Dress Up Day

Celebrate Book Week 2025 – “Book An Adventure!”

We are thrilled to invite our school community to celebrate Book Week 2025, which marks an incredible 80 years of celebrating books and reading across Australia! This year’s theme is “Book An Adventure!” – and what better way to spark imagination, curiosity, and a lifelong love of reading?

We have some exciting events lined up:

📚 Paint the Town READ – Tuesday 19 August Our Prep to Year 2 students will be taking part in this joyful reading celebration, designed to build a love of books and stories from the earliest years. Expect visits to local businesses, stories and plenty of fun!

🎭 Book Week Dress-Up Day & Story Dogs Kindness Day – Friday 22 August All students from Prep to Year 6 students are invited to come dressed as their favourite book character! Let’s fill the school with wizards, wild things, and wonder! Join us at parade to admire the costumes. We’ll also be supporting Story Dogs Kindness Day, raising awareness and funds for the amazing Story Dogs program, which helps children build confidence through reading with dogs. On this day Coolum students will be involved in acts of kindness and giving to support others.  Please send a gold coin donation with your child on the day to show how much we appreciate out Story Dog helpers. Our school council will share more information closer to the event.

Why Reading Matters: Reading is more than just a school skill – it's the foundation for learning, imagination, and success. Regular reading helps children grow their vocabulary, improve concentration, and explore the world around them. Let’s continue to build a community of curious, confident readers together.

We can’t wait to celebrate the magic of stories with your children.

Book Fair

It is almost time for our Coolum State School Book Fair. It will be running from Monday 28 July to Thursday 31 July and will be held in the Library this year. Opening hours for purchasing will be 8:00am to 8:30am and 2:40pm to 3:15pm each day. Flyers will be sent home with the students next week. We hope to see you all there to purchase some great books and support our school.

Premiers Reading Challenge

2025 Premier’s Reading Challenge

We are nearly halfway through the Premier’s Reading Challenge for 2025. I hope your children are enjoying the challenge to read as many books as possible in the three-month period.

The PRC is a way to encourage students to develop a love of reading for life. The students are encouraged to select a range of fiction and non-fiction books suited to their reading ability and record books read during the reading period, from 6 May to 22 August. Students can collect a copy of the reader record form to tally books read throughout the challenge from their classroom teacher or from the PRC website. You are welcome to return more than one record sheet. We encourage them to see how many books they can read in the challenge period. The more books read, the greater our school total can be.  

To complete the challenge:

• Prep to Year 2 must read or experience at least 20 books
• Years 3 and 4 must read at least 20 books
• Years 5 to 9 must read at least 15 books.

Experiencing books can include shared reading, listening to stories, or reading picture books. The aim for the 2025 challenge is to encourage students to make time to read. Last year saw more than 216,000 children from around the state participate.

Every student who completes the challenge, and returns the completed record reader form, will receive a Certificate of Achievement.

To make it extra fun, we have some special Coolum State School prizes. There will be a prize for:

• the class that reads the most books
• the top individual reader from each year level
• the top reader of the whole school.

As a treat this year, all students can earn five spirit points for their house team with every sheet that is completed, signed by a parent, and handed in.

If your child wishes to participate in the PRC, please return the completed record reader form to your class teacher by 25 August 2025.

Book suggestions are available on the PRC website:

https://prc.median.com.au/BookList

Happy reading!

Susan Gers

PRC Coordinator

Coolum State School

Academic Competition

Lost property

Lost property is situated next to the uniform shop. It is filling up with lost jumpers and jackets. There are also lots of water bottles and lunch boxes that will be disposed of on Friday, as due to health reasons, they can not be held over the holidays. Please check lost property before Friday for any misplaced items. Please fully name (first & last names) all items brought to school, that way they can be returned to the student.

Reporting your child's absence

If your child is absent from school it is important that you notify us as soon as possible. To report your child’s absence please either complete the short form available on the website at https://coolumss.eq.edu.au/our-school/absences or telephone us on 5471 9300.

Absences may be reported both on the webform and on the telephone in advance for planned absences.

We thank you for your assistance.

Contact details

Have you changed your mobile number recently? Have you moved house?

It's important that we hold up to date contact details for you and your nominated emergency contacts. If you would like to update your details please pop in to the Administration Office or email us at info@coolumss.eq.edu.au . 

QParents

Did you know that the QParents portal is available for Coolum State School? QParents enables schools to offer parents secure access to information about their child. Parents can communicate directly with the school and update their child’s address and medical conditions and submit reasons for absences.

QParents is available to all families and not just our new families! If you would like to receive your unique invitation code and child's EQ ID please email us info@coolumss.eq.edu.au to request this. 

SSA Bowls

Ride Score

CDC Queensland Bus information