7 March 2025

What’s Happening

Principal’s Report

Doesn’t life throw curveballs at times? This fortnight, Cyclone Alfred has taken affect most likely as I pen this article Wednesday. My thoughts are with fellow schools, staff, students, and families in the five educational regions expected to be impacted. I wish to reassure you that your safety and wellbeing was be the highest priority in all decisions that I had to make.

I trust that all the necessary precautions you took to protect yourselves, your families, and your school communities paid dividends. It is hoped that you felt there was clear guidance and communication provided by our us on school closures or other safety related measures.

I will be communicating clearly when it is safe to return to school – most likely on Sunday after I have checked the premises. Please be conscious not to put yourself or our students in danger upon return. I encourage you to prioritise your safety and make decisions that reflect the unpredictable nature of severe weather events. Where necessary, I will liaise with our school community through the P&C to determine the safest course of action for our school.

Leading through emergencies is never easy, and I want to acknowledge the additional assistance I received from my Executive Leadership Team, Kylie our Business Services Manager and Joel, our Groundsman.

Student Leaders Badge Presentation

Congratulations to all of our 2025 Student Leaders who were formally presented their badges and a certificate from a pertinent member of staff at our Week 5 Senior Assembly. Our captains also received an embroidered shirt which they will wear proudly. We then chatted with our families and enjoyed some treats in the library.

Once again, well done to all students who applied for leadership positions but especially to the below students in their respective positions:

Choir Captain                   Yukari
Strings Captain                 Andre
Band Captain                    Bihansa

Lawson Captains             Izabella and Lucy
Gordon Captains             Sadie and Myles
Patterson Captains          Darla and Toki

Jarjum                               Peleketi
Vice Captains                    David and Tia    
School Captains                Erika and Zoe

Partnerships with Parents

Perhaps one of the most important meetings is on the horizon.

The flourishing of our young learners is integral to all we do and is our common goal. A united home/school partnership is the most effective tool we have in achieving this goal and giving every student every opportunity to be the best they can be. I encourage you to share concerns with us early, seek clarification as needed and share your feedback with us. As a whole school we will do the same. Together we can see every student succeed in their own way.

We will be running our Partnership of Learning Conversations in Week 9, Term 1 2025. 

Please aim to put aside 15 minutes in Week 9, Term 1, as your child would love to share a piece of work that they are particularly proud of as well as providing you with an opportunity to discuss some current goals your child is working on. By attending these short sessions, you are demonstrating to your child that you value their educational efforts and are willing to work in a partnership to support their outcomes.

Book your 15-minute timeslot with your child’s classroom teacher. Student invites should have arrived home next week. We aim to meet with every parent in the school.

Please look after one another and seek support if needed. Stay safe, and take care of yourselves and those around you.

Andrew Stewart
Principal

Deputy Principal Junior Report

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

At Southport State School, we promote and encourage the following values which have been identified by our school community. These values are upheld by both students and staff:

“I am a Learner, I am Respectful, I am Safe”

Each week students engage in a PBL focus lesson. These lessons promote the school values and we talk to students about the behaviours associated with them.

What are the benefits of using the PBL framework?

• PBL helps schools to be consistent in the way they support and respond to behaviour. 
• PBL enables schools to develop clear expectations and boundaries for behaviour and ensures that behaviour support is differentiated according to need.

The week 5 & 6 PBL focus value was Respectful: I will speak up when I witness racism to help ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect. All members of our community deserve to be treated fairly and to feel safe and respected.

Southport State School is committed to providing quality education for all in a safe, respectful and disciplined learning environment. We believe these values teach and promote our high standard of responsible behaviour.

NAPLAN  *Updated schedule

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national proficiency standards. NAPLAN will commence on 12 March 2025, in Term 1. Visit nap.edu.au for more information.

Gabrielle Baldwin
Deputy Principal Junior School

HOPL Report

Strategies to Support Anxious Children

With NAPLAN fast approaching, I feel it is timely for us to take a look at some of the strategies we can use to support anxious children. Beyond Blue is a great organisation that supports both children and adults with anxiety and depression. On their website, which you can access via the link below, they have provided a list of 10 strategies to try with children who experience anxiety. 

1. Start by slowing down
   Encourage your child to take some slow, deep breaths to calm the physical effects of anxiety. Practice together by breathing in for three seconds, holding for three seconds, then out for three. Once they're feeling a bit calmer, you can talk through what's worrying them.
2. Make time to worry
   Setting aside some designated time to deal with worries can stop anxious thoughts from taking over. Try creating a daily ritual called ‘worry time’, and encourage children to draw or write down whatever’s bothering them. You can make the activity a bit more fun by decorating a ‘worry box’ or building a ‘worry wall’ out of post-its. When the time is up – after 10 to 15 minutes – shut the worries up in the box or tear them off the wall and say goodbye to them for the day.
3. Climb that ladder
   Instead of skirting the scary situation, you could try a technique called ‘laddering’ – breaking down worries into manageable chunks and gradually working towards a goal. Let’s say your child is afraid of water and swimming. Instead of avoiding the pool, create some mini-goals to build their confidence. Start out by just sitting and watching other kids swimming. As they feel more comfortable get them to try dangling their legs in the water, then standing in the shallow end, and so on.
4. Encourage positive thinking
   Kids with anxiety often get stuck on the worst-case scenario or 'what ifs' in any situation. You can help them shift these thinking patterns by:
   • reminding them of times they've dealt with similar issues in the past and how things worked out OK
   • helping them to challenge the scary thought with facts and evidence. For example, we know that crocodiles can't survive under our bed
   • make a plan for how they'll respond if things don't go as they'd like.
5. Have a go
   Anxious kids often worry about making mistakes or not having things perfect. This can lead to them avoiding situations or activities – they’d rather sit out than get it wrong. Emphasise giving new things a try and having fun over whether something’s a success or failure.
6. Model helpful coping
   Don’t just tell your child how to overcome emotions – show them. When you get anxious or stressed, verbalise how you’re coping with the situation: “This looks a bit scary, but I’ll give it a go.” And hey, you might even knock off one of your own fears.
7. Help your child take charge
   Think about what you can do to make your child feel like they have some control over the scary situation. For example, if your child gets anxious about intruders, make shutting and locking their bedroom window part of their night-time responsibilities.
8. Be upfront about scary stuff
   Lots of kids have worries about death, war, terrorism or things they see on the news. This is all really normal. Talk through their fears and answer any questions truthfully. Don’t sugar-coat the facts – try and explain what’s happening in a way that puts their fears in perspective.
9. And finally, check your own behaviour
   Kids pick up all sorts of signals from the adults in their lives, so have a think about the messages you’re sending. Over-protective family members can inadvertently reinforce children’s fears that the world is a dangerous place where everything can hurt you. Similarly, parents who ‘over-help’ are subconsciously telling their kids that they can’t do anything without adult support. If you’re prone to ‘helicoptering’, try taking a step back and waiting next time before you jump in. It can be hard seeing your child distressed, but figuring things out for themselves is an important step in building resilience.  

Remember, the goal for most kids isn't to eliminate anxiety completely. It's really about giving them the skills to manage anxiety so it doesn't get in the way of enjoying life.

Poppy Verrall
Head of Personalised Learning

Head of Curriculum

Last week, our Prep and Year 1 students were visited by Ditto and the team from Bravehearts.

The children learnt the following principles of personal safety:

• Differentiating ‘yes’ and ‘no’ feelings.
• Recognising the bodies ‘warning signs’.
• Identifying ‘private parts’ and ‘privacy’.
• Reinforcing that you can say ‘NO’ when you feel unsafe.
• What to do if you feel unsafe or unsure.

Ditto shares 3 rules:

• We all have the right to feel safe with people.
• It’s okay to say no if you feel unsafe or unsure.
• Nothing is so yucky you can’t tell someone about it.

If you would like to learn more tips for parents, visit Bravehearts’ website: https://bravehearts.org.au/what-we-do/education-and-training/for-parents/resources-for-parents/

Thank you to our P&C for funding this important program for our students.

Australian Curriculum

Over the coming years, Queensland schools will be implementing Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum. The updated curriculum is designed to develop successful learners; confident and creative individuals; and active and informed young people who are ready to take their place in society.

It sets the goals for what all students should learn as they progress through schooling – wherever they live in Australia and whatever school they attend.

In 2024, Southport State School implemented Version 9 English. This year, we are implementing Version 9 Mathematics. Please see the attached information sheet that outlines some of the key concepts in the updated curriculum.

Tania Biddulph
Head of Curriculum

Guidance Officer

Responding to traumatic events

When listening to the news or social media there is always a lot of fear around traumatic events. Being informed and having some tools to use with your children can be helpful. The Queensland Government have some wonderful storybooks on their website which can help students understand and cope with natural disasters. Birdies tree story books are easy to read and provide gorgeous graphics. There is one book specifically about cyclones, see link below.

I have also included another link from the Raising Children website that has a lot of information and support options for everyone but particularly children with autism.

Marisa Anderson

Student of the Week Award – Week 3 Term 1