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Dear Craigslea Community,
Our New Play Precinct
Our new play precinct is open and it has quickly become the talk of the school! On Monday morning, the excitement was clear on the faces of students, families, and staff as the construction fencing finally came down. Throughout the week, students from Prep to Year 6 have delighted in exploring and playing in the new space. On Thursday afternoon, we hosted a special “Stay and Play” event, where families enjoyed time together on picnic blankets while students played. It was a wonderful afternoon of connection and celebration.
A heartfelt thank you goes to our P&C, both past and present, whose dedication and fundraising over many years made this project possible. Their hard work has provided our students with a truly special place to learn and play.
Learning @ Craigslea
Over the past fortnight, the leadership team and I have been visiting classrooms to talk with students about their learning. This term, most year levels are focused on persuasive writing (with our Preps learning to share their experiences orally). Having visited classrooms regularly over the past seven terms, we have noticed a remarkable improvement in how confidently students can describe their progress, identify what they are learning, and explain what they need to do to improve. This has been a key focus for teachers, and I commend them on the impact of their work.
In Years 4–6, teachers have also introduced explicit morphology lessons as part of implementing reading through the Australian Curriculum. Morphology teaches how words are built from smaller units of meaning, or morphemes. For example: happy → unhappy → happiness. Students are thoroughly enjoying this work and are experimenting with increasingly complex words.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Bookings open this afternoon for Term 3 Parent Teacher Interviews, which will be held on Tuesday 16 September in the hall. These interviews are a valuable opportunity to connect with your child’s teacher and discuss their progress as we prepare for the final term of 2026.
SUNCORP Volunteers
On Tuesday, we welcomed 14 SUNCORP volunteers who generously gave their time to complete projects across our school. Together, they:
- Revitalised the Year 1 garden with new planting and mulch
- Painted poles along the pathway between 2/3 CPA and the music room
- Covered 184 new early years reading books
- Helped prepare slabs of pizza for the tuckshop
We are so grateful for their contribution. It has made a real difference for our school.
Celebrating Our Teacher Aides
Next week is Teacher Aide Appreciation Week. Our teacher aides play an invaluable role in our school community, supporting student learning and wellbeing with patience, care, and dedication. Their work makes a meaningful difference every day, and we are deeply thankful for the many ways they support both staff and students.
2026 Class Placement Information
Families will have received a Schoolzine link last week to provide information to support class planning for 2026. If you would like to complete the form, please do so by Friday 12 September.
Help Needed!
With the support of our P&C, we are expanding our bank of readers to strengthen our teaching of reading across all year levels. This year, we have purchased $10,000 worth of early years readers and an additional $3,000 worth of Year 3–6 readers. With so many wonderful new books arriving, we would greatly appreciate family support in covering and preparing them for classrooms.
Uniform and Hair Expectations
At Craigslea, we show pride in belonging by wearing our school uniform every day. This includes ensuring shoulder-length hair is tied back. Thank you for your support in upholding this important expectation.
Reminder: Student Free Day—Friday 5 September
"If we want to give children a gift, the best thing we can do is to teach them to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning.”
Have a great fortnight.
Yours in learning,
Melanie Rehm
Principal
Yours in Learning,
Erin Wiles
Science week
Craigslea State School will celebrate Science Week 1 - 4 September.
All CSS students:
- will participate in a variety of science activities across the week in their classrooms,
- are invited to join in Science Week activities at lunch time clubs and in the library,
- can join in the Science Week home project with the whole family.
Music
All Instrumental Music families have been emailed the details of the Music Gala.
Access to Carparks
All gates along Hamilton Road will now be closed at 9.15am each morning. The pool carpark gate will be opened at 2.30pm to assist with student end of day collection. All other gates will be opened at the usual time of 2.45pm. We appreciate your understanding with needing to keep our school gates closed throughout the day.
If you require access to the school during school hours, you will need to park along Hamilton Road and enter through the student gate near the flagpole.
Reading
At our school, one of our priority goals this year is to continue improving reading and literacy outcomes for all our students. Reading is such an important life skill, and like any skill, it becomes stronger with practise, consistency and encouragement.
We’d love your support in helping your child grow as a reader. Reading together at home, even for just a few minutes each day, can make a huge difference to your child’s confidence, accuracy and understanding.
Your child can read with any adult in the household who can read, an older sibling or even over facetime to a grandparent.
Here are a few ideas you might like to try:
If your child is still developing their reading skills:
- Shared reading – You read 1–2 pages, then your child reads 1 page. This helps them follow the story, build understanding, and gradually read for longer stretches. Provide corrections for errors.
- Repeated reading – Read a short section aloud to your child (2 minutes), then have them read the same part back to you. Take it in turns.
- Celebrate effort – Reading can be hard work, so setting small goals and celebrating when they achieve them (like a special outing or playtime together) helps build motivation.
- Book choice – If your child’s library books don’t feel like the right fit, please contact their teacher so we can help them find books that are better suited.
If your child is a more fluent reader:
- Listen to your child reading or take turns reading pages from a more challenging novel.
- Pause often to chat about the story: why characters make certain choices, what might happen next, or new and interesting vocabulary.
- Encourage them to make connections between the story and their own experiences.
Other fun ways to build reading into daily life:
- Have your child read recipes aloud while you cook.
- Play card or board games that involve reading.
- Keep a shared diary where you write to each other.
- Involve them in writing and reading shopping lists.
- Write and exchange letters or emails with family members.
- Read comics, magazines or song lyrics together.
I encourage all parents to find 10 minutes, five nights a week for reading aloud, as this can make a big difference to your child’s reading fluency, stamina and enjoyment.
Thank you for working with us to help your child become a confident, lifelong reader.
Renée McGregor
Head of Inclusion (HoI)
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LIFE AWARDS Week 6 Recipients |
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| Class | Name | Reason |
| Prep C | Sarina | For being a great learner and for independently writing a recount about investigations. |
| Prep K | Daniel | For his growing confidence to share his learning and ideas. |
| Prep N | Shreyanvee | For levelling up her speaking by adding in great details about what she did on the weekends. |
| Prep T | Sophia | For demonstrating commitment to challenging tasks and for always having a go. Keep going and never give up. |
| 1B | Josie | For independently having a go at all learning activities. |
| 1C | Vincent | For being an inclusive friend and always being kind to others. |
| 1D | Lauren | For always trying her best even when faced with challenging tasks. |
| 1R | Noah | For approaching new and challenging tasks with a positive attitude and perseverance. |
| 2HG | Nina | For using our learning wall to help her persuade our class on going to McDonald’s for an excursion and trying her best in spelling and reading. |
| 2S | Cung | For using great modality words in his persuasive text |
| 2W | Eugene | For demonstrating a connection to learning within the classroom and developing his skills in his persuasive speaking. |
| 3A | Aaradhya | For being a great friend, by including others and always showing kindness. |
| 3H | Lily | For being a learner by developing her confidence and persuasive speaking skills. |
| 3K | Hudson | For a huge effort in persuading your teacher to give you a special job in our classroom. It was wonderful to see you use our learning wall to “bump up” your work. Keep up the super effort! |
| 4B | Netra | For her wonderful sentences and oral presentation. |
| 4D | Jeremy | For demonstrating commitment to problem solving tasks in mathematics. Keep up the great work Jeremy. |
| 4G | Simon | Great job, Simon, for working hard to compare mixed and improper fractions on a number line using thirds, fourths, and halves! Your effort in understanding how these fractions fit together shows your dedication and growth in math. Keep it up! |
| 4J | Julian | For consistently taking on and implementing teacher feedback to improve his work. |
| 5JK | Joel | For improved effort in independent learning tasks – showing you are a Craigslea Learner |
| 5M | Thomas | For striving for excellence in his reading by using expression |
| 5S | Diya | For being a collaborator to extend her learning in Mathematics. |
| 6C | Olivia | For working hard during our spelling morphology lessons to improve her lessons. |
| 6D | Tyson | For working independently and trying hard to improve his learning. |
| 6H | Evan | For being a learner in Mathematics by asking clarifying questions and contributing his understanding to whole class discussions. |
| 6K | Evelyn | For being a learning and using feedback to improve her facts to support her persuasive writing. |
| LIFE AWARDS Week 7 Recipients | ||
| Class | Name | Reason |
| Prep C | Aurora | For excellent work writing words with digraphs and for using these words in sentence writing. |
| Prep K | Harvi | For being a researcher and using learning tools to help her when writing. |
| Prep N | Sett | For his amazing retells of weekends spent in the garden with his family — captivating us all with tales of sunshine and adventures. |
| Prep T | Araina | For working hard developing her decoding skills when reading. |
| 1B | Douglas | For providing clear and detailed reasons when giving peers feedback on their presentations. |
| 1C | Dean | For consistent effort across all areas of the curriculum. Dean brings a love of learning to our classroom. |
| 1D | Emilia | For being a kind friend to classmates and having a go when faced with challenges. |
| 1R | Hayden | For your willingness to give a helping hand to support and assist others, showing great leadership qualities. |
| 2HG | SJ | For his continuous improvement on his persuasive speech! Great job persuading your teacher to go to the Ekka! |
| 2S | Piper | For a huge effort in Maths when working with tricky topics like arrays, well done! |
| 2W | Eva | For always trying hard and giving her best effort in her writing tasks and for always showing manners and kindness to your classmates. |
| 3A | Lincoln | For outstanding effort in creating a strong persuasive text using high modality words. |
| 3H | Quinn | For being a learner by participating and contributing his own ideas to learning activities. |
| 3K | Eloise | For consistently giving your best effort and showing kindness by being a caring and supportive friend to others. |
| 3P | Hamish | For being an active learner through seeking and applying feedback to Bump Up his writing. |
| 4B | Theo | Showing improved focus and participation in class activities. He used good listening behaviours to stay attuned to class sharing and instructions. His participation exhibited a desire for excellence. His general behaviour in class was a fantastic model for others – being prepared, being a learner, and his general organisation. |
| 4D | Christopher | For demonstrating exceptional perseverance, dedication and problem-solving when engaging in daily mathematical modelling challenges. Your hard-work stands as a testament to your commitment to excellence to mathematics. Well done! |
| 4G | Ari | In recognition of his outstanding hard-work, unwavering dedication and remarkable perseverance during mathematical modelling tasks. Your commitment to tackling complex problems and finding innovative solutions exemplifies the true spirit of excellence in mathematics. |
| 4J | Isabel | For actively using the Bump It Up wall to improve her persuasive writing. |
| 5JK | Kabir | For settling into the Craigslea Community nicely and showing his is a student who follows the LIFE rules |
| 5M | Qhenzi-Rocha | For actively participating and working hard in the morphology and spelling lessons. |
| 5S | Anna | For independently using our English Learning and Bump It Up walls to improve the introduction to her persuasive speech. Excellent effort Anna! |
| 6C | Archie | For being a supportive class member, consistently working well with others, and helping others whenever possible. |
| 6D | Elisia | For being a learner and trying her best and attempting each question on her unit conversion assessment. |
| 6H | Aaliyah | For always putting her best effort into her learning by listening and following instructions and participating in whole class discussions. |
| 6K | Christopher | For being a learning and seeking feedback on his English persuasive to be able to bump up his work. |
In this edition…
- Bush Dance Tonight it’s not too late to join the fun https://www.trybooking.com/DBCKP !
- Fathers and Fellas Stall Wed. Sept. 3RD. URGENTLY NEED VOLUNTEERS!!!!
https://volunteersignup.org/KTAYF
- Craigslea School Fun Run fundraising of to a fantastic start!
Also…
- We are excited to let you know that we’ve hired a new OSHC Coordinator – Nathaniel (Nat) Patterson! Nat brings 17 years of experience in Outside School Hours Care. We are working with Nat to finalize a start date, and look forward to welcoming him to the Craigslea community.
- We’re excited to welcome Rebecca Sparrow—author, columnist, and speaker—to our upcoming P&C meeting on 1 September. Rebecca is renowned for her engaging talks on parenting, resilience, and helping kids navigate friendships and social challenges. Her insights are especially valuable for parents seeking practical strategies to support their children’s emotional wellbeing. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from one of Australia’s most thoughtful voices on raising happy, confident kids. https://rebeccasparrow.com/
- Free Fathers & Fellas Breakfast! Join us at OSHC on Wednesday, September 3rd for a special morning celebrating dads and important male role models. Enjoy a delicious breakfast and great company — we’d love to see you there!
- Entertainment memberships help us reach our fundraising goals. This month when you purchase and Entertainment membership you will get a FREE upgraded to a multi-city membership. You can purchase your membership here: https://subscribe.entertainment.com.au/fundraiser/225332
- Bushdance Friday Aug 29th!
- Tickets on sale now. https://www.trybooking.com/DBCKP
- Change of plan for the dinner, it will now be fish and chips.
- Fathers and Fellas Stall! • Wednesday Sept 3rd.
- Celebrate the amazing men in our community with a free breakfast at OSHC and a special stall
- Volunteers needed: Sign up at volunteersignup.org/KTAYF
- Don’t forget to either send your child with cash on the day or Pre-Pay on Munch Monitor.
- Craigslea School Fun Run is coming Sept 19th Start fundraising today!
- Sign up at funrun.com.au
- This week your child brought home a wristband with a unique code. Enter the code into their profile and they will go in the chance to win $500 worth of prizes!
- Next week any class that reaches thier fundraising target of $850 will go in the draw to win a pizza party!
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P&C Executive |
Joel (President), Raechal (vice president), Kim (Treasurer), Sophie (Secretary). |
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OSHC |
3350 8724 / 32563688 |
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Tuckshop |
Deb 33508744 |
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Uniform Shop |
Emily 33508744 |
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Swim Club |
Wendy |
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Sustainability Committee |
Jen sustainability@craigsleapandc.org.au |
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P&C Facebook Page |
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM All day 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM 7:00 PM - 12:00 AM 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM 29 Oct 2025 - 30 Oct 2025 All day All day Recurring event 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM 03 Nov 2025 - 05 Nov 2025 9:15 AM - 10:45 AM All day 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM All day All day
Eco Club - Term 4
BYOD Parent Session - Year 4 2026
Aussie Bird Count
QVA Primary School Volleyball Cup
Eco Club - Term 4
Rockaoke
P&C General Meeting
Eco Club - Term 4
Parade Performance - Senior Band
Justin Coulson - Antifragile
Prep Vision Screening
Music Gala
Sports Gala Day
Eco Club - Term 4
Year 5 Camp Currimundi
Prep 2026 Transition Day
Sports Gala Day
Eco Club - Term 4
Tuckshop Appreciation Day
Outdoor Classroom Day
Let’s Empower Families with Financial Literacy and Savings!
Saver Plus is a program designed to help eligible families develop essential financial skills and build savings for education costs.
If parents commit to saving up to $50 a month for 10 months, ANZ will match their savings up to $500 for education costs, such as school uniforms, stationary, textbooks, computers.
NOTICEBOARD