Issue 2, 28 February 2025, Week 4 Term 1

Dear Families,

There’s no denying it – it’s simply been a huge fortnight of events since our last newsletter. Highlights include our Meet and Greet Breakfast, Year 5-6 Camp and our school Athletics Carnival.

What an amazing turnout to our Kingston Primary School Meet and Greet Breakfast. We cannot thank our community enough for giving up their Wednesday morning to further connect with our school. Events like the Meet and Greet Breakfast reinforce the overwhelming sense of community here at Kingston Primary School. It is so fabulous to see the community throw its support behind events, but also the support shown in the day-to-day interactions between school and home, fostering such a positive environment for our children. Thank you to all who were able to attend and to our wonderful and generous volunteers. A special thank you to Wendy Thomson who was instrumental in organising the event. We appreciate your hard work in facilitating the Meet and Greet Breakfast and our entire School Community for showing their support.

Last week all Year 5 and 6 students enjoyed a two-night, three-day School Camp experience at The Lea Scout Camp. Classroom Teachers and Senior Staff used this time to build stronger, more positive relationships with all students, building connections that will extend well into 2025 and beyond. These crucial bonds were also strengthened amongst the students themselves, creating lasting peer connections that will set the entire cohort up for an incredibly successful school year.

The success of camp is largely thanks to the instrumental planning and dedication of Mr Anagnostis who ensured an engaging, successful and accessible camp for all. His efforts are truly appreciated. We also extend our sincere thanks to our fabulous Canteen Supervisor Wendy Thomson for the outstanding catering throughout the camp – we were all incredibly well fed! The dedication and commitment of our Teachers – Mr Stafford, Mrs Munday, Mrs Leppard and Ms Cai – and our team of Teacher Assistants were exemplary. Their willingness to go above and beyond, from early mornings to late evenings, was essential to the camp’s overall success. Our Teacher Assistants certainly shone brightly in 2025 and with plans already underway for 2026, our current Year 5 students will have the chance to defend the title of Spotlight champions!

Athletics Carnival

Wow, what marvellous Athletics Carnivals last Tuesday and Wednesday! Thank you and congratulations to everyone who participated. I was so impressed with the atmosphere and level of engagement in the day. The House Captains did an outstanding job leading classes and the level of enthusiasm and encouragement by all was brilliant to see. A special thanks to Mrs Cockerell for her outstanding leadership and organisation. Mrs Cockerell was onsite from 6.30am each day to set up and ensure each day was a huge success. It was great to see so many students participate with huge smiles on their faces. Thank you to everyone that came along to support our amazing students. It was great to be able to have families supporting these important school events.

Attendance

Being at school is the best place for our children. It is where they learn and grow alongside their friends and where they benefit the most. At Kingston Primary we have processes in place to record student attendance and plan for regular engagement in school when attendance is challenging. Putting provisions and plans in place at Kingston Primary School to support all students to attend regularly are discussed regularly in our Support Meetings. It is at these meetings additional supports are arranged. These supports can include anything from Breakfast Club to assisting students with bus travel. We do understand that there is ongoing illness that can prevent students from attending regularly. In this instance it is vitally important that the school is contacted so that attendance can be marked accordingly. However we encourage families to ensure that students are attending school as regularly as possible to gain the rewards of being at school every day. Every day counts in the ongoing success of student learning.

Parent Teacher Discussions

During the week beginning Monday 31 March to Friday 4 April 2025 we will be conducting Parent-Teacher Discussions. Discussions are an important aspect of our School Reporting Procedure and provide opportunities for Teachers to share information with you about Class Programs and how your child is progressing this year. Discussions will be held in your child’s classroom and will be for 10 minutes duration.

Ange Crane
Principal

Validation packs were sent home at the beginning of Term 1 and are due back now.  It is vital that these forms are updated every year with correct information.  If you haven't already returned these forms, please do so as soon as possible.

Levies have now been processed and you should have received an invoice in the mail.  Please endeavour to pay levies by the end of Term 1.  Alternatively, please contact our School Business Manager Maree Voss to discuss a payment plan.

Invoices for Year 5/6 Camp have also been mailed.  Please pay as soon as possible, or contact Maree Voss regarding a payment plan.

In Kinder Suffolk we have had a flying start to the year. We have been busy exploring our Kinder classroom and playground and learning the Kinder rules. We have started to form new friendships and are doing a fantastic job learning to share and play with each other.

Nominations for the School Association Committee close at 3.00pm on Monday 3 March 2025.  The School Association's role is to discuss our future strategic and financial direction.  Please consider joining the Committee and helping to steer the future direction of our wonderful school.

Below is information relating to a new school bus service commencing in Term 1 2025 from Spring Farm Estate to Kingston Primary School and Kingston High School.

This service is for an initial 12 months and during this time Department of State Growth will be reviewing the patronage and stop locations to assess suitability of the route.

New Bus Agreements have been sent home this week with students who travel to and/or from school via all Wisby's Bus Service routes. Please return them to the School Office as soon as possible.