Principal
Dr Carmel McGrath
School Closure - Weather Event
Tropical Cyclone Alfred is predicted to produce significant rain, strong winds and flash flooding in our community. This weather is expected to continue over the coming days.
I am writing to inform you that New Farm State School will be closed tomorrow, Thursday 6 March and Friday 7 March due to safety concerns and transport networks not operating.
Please keep your child at home on Thursday and Friday.
As part of our disaster management protocol, we follow the advice of emergency services. We always act in the interests of the safety of students, staff and the wider community. This decision is based on an assessment of the current conditions and risks associated with movement in and around our community.
We will continue to provide updates and information to our families via our Email, Class Dojo and Text Message regarding arrangements for Monday 10 March.
Student absences
Absences due to emergencies and natural disasters and when a school is closed, will not be recorded on a student’s report card.
School re-opening
I will continue to liaise with the Department of Education and emergency services and I will keep you informed of any developments, including when we expect our school to re-open.
Up-to-date information on school closures is available from closures.qld.edu.au. Early childhood service closures are available on the service and temporary closure information website.
Monitoring the situation
Please continue to listen to our local ABC Radio service and monitor emergency services’ social media accounts for updates and advice. Information about current weather conditions can be found on the Bureau of Meteorology website at www.bom.gov.au. If you need immediate help, call Triple Zero (000) and remember, if it’s flooded, forget it.
It is incredibly important that you take time to look after yourselves and your families. I encourage you to access the information available for parents and students to support health and wellbeing during these difficult circumstances.
Thank you for your ongoing support and I trust that the impact of this event on our school will be minimal.
Look Out Program
Thank you to students who are waiting so respectfully each afternoon in the Annie Street pick up zone. Prompt arrival and clearly displayed name tags in cars, are really assisting in this area working well for all.
The one issue I would like to see improved is the pedestrian crossing on Annie Street. Unfortunately, some parents are still crossing the road with their children at the bottom of the stairs and going between cars. This is very dangerous and distracting for staff who are trying to help students get into cars using the pick-up zone. My main aim is to support students to learn to use the designated school crossing and to have a safe place to cross with our crossing supervisor. Thank you for your cooperation in this area.
Evacuation and Lockdown Drills for Term 1
Each term we conduct both Evacuation and Lockdown drills in our school. Last week we held our evacuation and lockdown drills. I commended the staff and students for the orderliness with which they proceeded to the evacuation assembly point on the oval. It was very impressive for only a few weeks into the year and our preppies did a wonderful job.
Year 6 Leadership Ceremony – Monday 17 March 9-10:30am in Hall
Due to a clash with another Year 6 excursion, we had changed this year’s Induction and Badge ceremony to Monday 17 March. We warmly welcome Year 6 Parents and families to attend this year’s Leadership Ceremony where students will receive their Year 6 leadership badges and recite their oaths for the school and parent audience. Students should attend neatly dressed in full school uniform for the event. We look forward to seeing you all there and celebrating the induction of our 2025 School Leaders.
Homework Review
Following the launch of our Digital Teaching and Learning Strategy 2024, we committed to a program of works which includes components such as (1) our Financial Model, (2) Teacher Capacity Building, (3) Well-Being, (4) Curriculum, (5) Tech Support and (6) Digital Learning Partners. This week I am highlighting work within the Curriculum Component, where this term we focused on 2 key actions:
- Providing more clarity of the selection and purpose of Digital Teaching and Learning within the Curriculum and this can be now seen on the Term Overviews which are sent home to parents at the beginning of each term.
- Homework Term 1 is Tech Free. We made this commitment at our DT&L launch in 2024. Our HOD is currently leading the consultation and review of our HW policy and procedures and parents will be have an opportunity for feedback during this term.
I look forward to sharing more of this work as our program continues to roll out.