Victoria Park State School Newsletter - Week 7, Term 1, 2025
Principal's Report
This week ends Week 7 of our first school term. A key feature of this week has been our kids nailing their NAPLAN testing like champions! This newsletter also contains information about our upcoming P&C AGM, Cross Country and Harmony Day.
NAPLAN
Well done to our students in Year 3 and Year 5 who have had a great start to NAPLAN testing. Testing continues throughout next week - we are grateful for the assistance of our families who have made sure students are coming to school well-fed, well-rested and on time. Thank you in advance for your continued support of our students as they complete their NAPLAN testing throughout Week 8.
P&C AGM
Our P&C Annual General Meeting is scheduled for this coming Wednesday March 19 at 3pm (right after Cross Country presentations). The meeting will be held in the classroom adjacent to the hall (right next door to our Breakfast Club window). We encourage any member of our school community (parents, grandparents, extended relatives, community members with close links to our school) to become involved with the P&C. I understand we are all busy which can limit how much spare time we have available to devote to the P&C however even a small contribution can help. Our P&C services our school in a myriad of ways including facilitating 5 days a week of tuckshop and selling our school uniforms - without a committee, these services may not be possible. We appreciate any contribution - big or small that you are willing to make. We're hoping to cater our upcoming meeting - with this in mind, please use the polls on our social media pages to let us know if you're planning to attend. We hope to see lots of our families and extended community members in attendance.
Cross Country
Our students have been training hard in preparation for next week's Cross Country. Cross Country for students who are 9, 10, 11 and 12 years old is scheduled for this coming Tuesday March 18 from 9:00am to 10:50am. We take advantage of our adjacent position to Queens Park for our Cross Country and you'll notice us set up near the rotunda. Prep to Year 3 students will run their Cross Country race on Wednesday March 19 from 9:00am - 10:50am also in Queens Park. Families are most welcome to attend to cheer on our students. We will stage Cross Country Presentations in the Hall at 2:30pm on the afternoon of Wednesday March 19 and similarly invite our parents to celebrate the successes of our students with us. We hope to see you there!
Harmony Day
Next week our school community will acknowledge Harmony Week culminating in Harmony Day on Friday March 21. In addition to a range of activities we have planned throughout the week, we encourage students to trade their school uniform on Friday for either something orange or clothes representative of their culture or heritage. Keep an eye out on our social media pages for our Harmony Week Happenings.
Parent Teacher Interviews
Parent Teacher Interviews will be held on Monday March 25 between 3pm and 5:30pm in our school hall. Online bookings have now opened. Bookings must be finalised before Thursday March 20 at 5pm.
Bookings can be made with your child's teacher using the following link: https://victoriaparkss.schoolzineplus.com/interviews. A step-by-step guide for parents and carers can be found here.
For parents without internet access, please phone the school on 4951 6333 to make an appointment. Interviews are strictly 10 minutes long and spaces are limited. If you require more time, please contact your child's teacher directly to make alternative arrangements. We look forward to engaging with you to discuss your child's progress throughout Term 1.
Sarah Mutton,
Principal
Celebrating Success
Highlights this week are from our Student Leadership Induction. We were most fortunate to be joined by a large number of our families in addition to special guests including Mr Nigel Dalton, Member for Mackay and last year's School Captains, Sienna, Patrick and Zarli who returned to help present this year's school leaders with their badges.
Photos of the Week this week feature our Prep classes who featured in the Daily Mercury on Thursday. We're proud to be able to show off our three amazing Prep classes for 2025!
Date Claimers
Don't forget that you can find key dates in our live calendar linked below in addition to our weekly 'what's happening' card on SZapp.
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)
PBL Goals of the Week
Below you'll find links to videos that illustrate our two PBL goals for this fortnight;
- Be Ready for School
- Be a Team Player
School Improvement
Our Strategic Plan 2023 - 2026
Our 2023-2026 strategic plan encourages us to R.I.S.E. to the challenge;
R – Responsive Curriculum. We want to ensure that our curriculum is relevant to our local kids, is responsive to modern educational trends and is interesting for our students.
I – Innovative Instruction. We want to capitalise on being Mackay’s first school with laptop classes to ensure that through the use of engaging teaching approaches and clever use of digital technology, every lesson is exciting and engaging for our students.
S – Strengthened Systems. Our 2022 school review revealed that there are strong systems in place with regards to how we operate at VPSS. In deference to the great work that has come before, we want to ensure that we strengthen these to continue our great progress.
E – Expert Educators. We want to ensure that our kids at Victoria Park are learning from the very best educators and have committed to facilitating this.
Parent and Community Engagement
A key feature of our parent and community engagement strategy is facilitating regular opportunities to discuss the progress of our students with their families. Parent teacher interviews are scheduled for Monday March 25 from 3pm. In order to accommodate the large number of families with students enrolled at Vic Park, we set our interview times at 10 minutes each. Given the short timeframe, it helps to have a think beforehand about the things you'd like to know from your child's teacher. The guide below gives some helpful hints that might prompt some ideas. If the 25th doesn't suit, don't worry - our teachers are very approachable, and appointments can be arranged with them at any time by contacting them directly by email or phoning our office staff to arrange an appointment. We look forward to meeting with lots of our families on Monday March 25.
Attendance Awards
How should we celebrate attendance at Victoria Park State School?
Class of the Week on Parade
26.09%
End of Year Award for students
27.54%
An each-term reward for students
34.78%
Best Attendance Per Week - One Individual Student For Each Class (Other)
1.45%
Celebrate/acknowledge It For Individual Students (and The Parents Who Actually Make It Happen) On The Semester Report Card - Right Up Front And Your Child Achieved ?% Attendance - Thanks For Your Efforts. Incentive Coming To School By Giving The Kids A Choice About This And Involving Them In Decisions E.g. A Little Extra Break Time, A Hobby Club. Value On Intrinsic Motivators Not Just Rewards. With The Class Of The Week A Lot Of Good Kids Who Put In Effort Miss Out. Some Kids Love The Atten (Other)
1.45%
There Are Pros And Cons For Acknowledging Attendance. In My Opinion, Cons Can Be Reduced In Number By Celebrating Attendance Success As A Class At School Parades Which We Currently Do, And Are A Great Idea. Note: It Might Be Worthwhile To Occasionally Remind Students And Caregivers The Pros Of Celebrating Attendance At Parades. Happy To Discuss Further. Kind Regards Brett Thomas Brett9609@gmail.com (Other)
1.45%
Poll is closed
Students of the Week
Week 6
Prep A | Koby | For embracing our PBL Rule of the Week: Accepting consequences. |
Prep A | Thomas | For approaching each day with a positive attitude. |
1B | Charlie | For always remembering to use his amazing manners. |
1B | Quinn | For being such an amazing friend. |
1C | Eliana | For being a motivated and independent student with a great love of learning. Well done Eliana! |
1C | Francis | For being a polite and responsible member of 1C. You are amazing Francis! |
1D | Lyla | For being a kind and helpful friend to everyone in our class. |
1D | Vihen | For approaching each day with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. |
2A | Anuhitha | For being a happy and enthusiastic member of our class. Well done, Anuhitha! |
2A | Jaxxon | For always trying his best and always following our class rules. |
2B | Bill | For always listening carefully and following instructions. |
2B | Isaac | For always completing his work to the best of his ability |
2C | Archer | For your consistent effort in improving your mathematical skills. Keep up the hard work. |
2C | Ihimaera | For your participation and thoughtful contributions to class discussions are greatly appreciated. |
2/3 | Jacob | For always trying his best in class and being a kind classmate to others. Great work Jacob! |
2/3 | Rosalie | For building her persistence and resilience when things get hard in the classroom. Great job! |
3A | Annalyce | For always having a positive attitude towards completing all tasks. |
3A | Ruby | For great use of expression during Reading on the Same page. Great Work! |
3B | Chantal | For your excellent effort in all learning areas |
3C | Elijah | For actively contributing to classroom discussions |
3C | Isobella | For always giving 100% effort into her class work |
3/4 | Elijah | For working like a champion in the mornings and completing lots of school work. |
3/4 | James | For being an interested and keen class member. Well done! |
4A | Jakson | Knows when he needs help and asks for it willingly. |
4A | Riley | For showing great enthusiasm in class discussions this week by confidently sharing his knowledge and ideas. |
4B | Alice | Using her amazing inferencing skills when reading. Great work Alice! |
4B | Beau | Great work explaining the life cycle of an axolotl and editing your work! |
4C | Marla | Showing interest and enthusiasm in all aspects of learning. |
4C | Royce | For being polite, courteous and kind to his peers. |
5/6M | Chloe | Excellent knowledge and understanding about Natural Disasters. |
5/6S | Lillian | For a fantastic effort on her natural disaster art. |
5/6S | Toby | For his creation of engaging sizzling starts on his homework, incorporating tricky vocabulary. |
6A | Heinrich | Producing high level work in all areas. |
6A | Reagan | For working hard and following all instructions. |
6B | Marian | For always having a positive attitude and working hard in class! |
6C | Abraham | For working hard to complete tasks |
Week 7
Prep A | Elayna | For demonstrating improved confidence in the classroom. |
Prep A | Joan | For being a safe, respectful and responsible learner. |
Prep B | Alfie | For outstanding behaviour and effort in all areas of Prep. |
Prep B | Hudson | For being a responsible and respectful learner |
1A | Abrielle | For a great effort with retell writing this week. |
1A | Taytum | For trying his best at all maths activities this week. |
1C | Dante | For being a kind friend and demonstrating resilience and persistence during learning times. |
1C | Vela | For being a responsible student of Vic Park. Well done, Chronicle! |
2A | Chronical | For being a responsible student of Vic Park. Well done, Chronicle! |
2A | Phoebe | For contributing well to classroom discussions. Keep up the great work, Phoebe! |
2B | Clyde | For being organised and ready to learn every day. |
2B | Led | For always presenting his work to a high standard. |
2C | Brooklyn | For trying really hard with her demand writing. |
2C | Xavier | For active participation in classroom discussions |
2/3 | Hayley | For consistently trying her best in class and being an excellent learner. Great work Hayley! |
2/3 | Mason | For being persistent in his learning to complete his writing and art to a high level. Great job! |
3A | Brock | Your optimism and can-do attitude are inspiring to your classmates. Amazing work and positivity! |
3A | Jacob | Your incredible effort and interest in mapping during Maths is really paying off. Great work! |
3B | Asha Deah | Being an amazing classmate! |
3B | Laura | Applying herself to all learning tasks. |
3C | Ethan | For always taking initiative to help his peers in class |
3C | Zoey | For always paying attention in class |
3/4 | Hannah | For always being a polite, respectful and hard-working student. Keep it up! |
3/4 | John | For being a responsible and trustworthy Class Captain. Great work! |
4A | Abby | For always having a positive attitude to her learning. |
4A | Isaac | For working well in class and trying his best to complete all his work. Well done, Isaac! |
4B | Veronica | Consistently following classroom expectations promptly. You're a star Veronica! |
4B | Yaxsi | Excellent effort in Mathematics. Keep it up Yaxsi! |
5A | Blaise | For the way in which you conduct yourself during class. What a positive influence you are! |
5A | Zane | For your valuable contributions and attention during our class reading of Deltora Quest. |
5B | Jack | For your confidence and willingness to give anything a go. |
5B | Keira | For being hard working and always trying your best. |
5/6M | Paul | Working mathematically with integers. |
5/6S | Marey | For always showing initiative and being a great helper in the classroom. |
5/6S | Orion | For actively contributing to Science lesson discussions around Cyclones and weather. |
6A | Dusty | Great focus in the classroom during discussion |
6A | Senuli | Supporting her peers during class time. |
6B | Lachlan | For contributing valuably to class discussions during our science lessons. |
6C | Maddison | For always maintaining a positive mindset in her learning |
From the P&C
Victoria Park State School is lucky to have an incredible Parents and Citizens Association. Here you can find out all about what our committee is up to. We very much encourage anyone and everyone to get involved - many hands make light work!
Contact Us
Phase Leaders
To ensure we get to know each and every one of our students, each member of our school leadership team oversees a cohort of students. 'Phase Leaders' are the next step to resolving an issue after the classroom teacher has been contacted.
ECDP Phase Leader: Ms Roanna Capone - ecapo4@eq.edu.au
Prep Phase Leader: Mrs Kristi Elworthy - kelwo2@eq.edu.au
Year 1 Phase Leader: Ms Roanna Capone - ecapo4@eq.edu.au
Year 2 Phase Leader: Mrs Kristi Elworthy - kelwo2@eq.edu.au
Year 3 Phase Leader: Mrs Jenny Whittington - jwhit211@eq.edu.au
Year 4 Phase Leader: Mrs Jenny Whittington - jwhit211@eq.edu.au
Year 5 Phase Leader: Mrs Sarah Mutton - samut0@eq.edu.au
Year 6 Phase Leader: Mrs Sarah Mutton - samut0@eq.edu.au
Phone conversations or appointments to speak to Phase Leaders can be made by calling the office (4951 6333).
Staff List
Email addresses for all teaching staff can be found below. We ask that parents respect teachers' right to disconnect outside of work hours and be reminded that emails may not always be answered immediately - especially during the day when teachers are teaching. Urgent messages should instead be communicated to the office via a phone call (4951 6333).
Staff Contact List: https://victoriaparkss.schoolzineplus.com/staff-email-list
Victoria Park Community Noticeboard