Attendance FAQ's

What if my student is unwell?

Any child who is showing signs of illness or feeling unwell, should stay at home.
If a child is showing signs of illness at school, the school will contact the parent or carer to collect the child.

Does School Plus automatically know we are away?

No. If you have a regular booking with School Plus Outside School Hours Care, it is your responsibility to notify them directly if you need to cancel or amend a booking, will be away or if your student is absent due to illness.
Please phone 0458 052 153 or email newfarm@schoolplus.com.au 
If you fail to notify School Plus of an absence Police may be notified in accordance with the 'Missing Child Policy'.

What if my student is attending a school activity somewhere else?

If the school trasnports students to an acitivity via bus or walking groups, the school will mark a roll and account for the students.

If you transport your student to the activity, please notify the school they have arrived and are participating in the activity. 
To advise of an off campus activity, you can:
1. email absences@newfarmss.eq.edu.au 
2. phone student absence line (07) 3358 7333 option 1
3. QParents app via 'Notify Absences' tab

How does the Absence SMS from school work?

If your student is not present at 9am roll marking and the office has not been notified they would be away, an SMS is generated and sent to parents. You are able to reply text to this SMS. 

If your child/ren have a medical condition requiring regular or emergency administration of medication, please make sure you have supplied school with the following:

1. All medications must be in the original container and have clear chemist labels with the students name
2. Any allergy/asthma/anaphylaxis plans must be completed and signed by a GP
3. All parents must also complete a consent to administer form that aligns with the GP directed plan - there must be a form completed for each medication

IF YOUR CHILD/REN SELF ADMINISTER THEIR MEDICATION THIS NEEDS TO BE CLEARLY DISPLAYED IN BOTH THE LETTER FROM THE DOCTOR AND IN THE ACTION PLAN

Parents are also required to provide a letter detailing their consent for their child/ren to administer their own medication.

Parents are welcome to drop medication to the Admin Office between 9am – 3pm daily.

Students are not permitted to transport their own medication. An adult must attend and provide medication and complete any require consents.

For all emergency medication, once it has been received and recorded by administration, all medication (e.g. asthma medication, anaphylaxis medication) will be put into a labelled box and stored in the administration building First Aid Room.

If your child/ren’s medical status changes (e.g. asthma action plan no longer relevant, allergy severity decreased etc) please let the school know via email through firstaid@newfarmss.eq.edu.au so that we may update our systems.

Dr Carmel McGrath

As we begin the new school year, I want to share our school vision and values with our community.  These vision and values were the collective result of a term’s consultation following our mid 2023 full school review by external educational School Review team.  The vision and values underpin the work we do in both our long term 4 year strategic planning and our subsequent annual planning. The other important aspect of our school operating system that you will hear a lot about, are the key priorities – these are our 4 Pillars:  Innovation, Cultural and Inclusion, Curriculum and Pedagogy and Well-Being and Engagement.

Vision

At New Farm State School, we are dedicated to cultivating a vibrant learning environment that intertwines hands-on, real-world experiences with academic rigour. Our vision is to empower students as resilient and empathetic learners, ready to embrace their futures with confidence and respect. 

We commit to clear, inclusive communication, ensuring every voice in our school community is heard and valued. Balancing technological advancement with the importance of nature and physical well-being, we strive to foster a culture that values both educational excellence and personal growth. 

Our approach is characterised by consistency in behaviour management, curriculum delivery, and social-emotional development, providing a stable and nurturing enviroment for all. Recognising the need for continuous improvement, we focus on effective, fair practices and support for our dedicated staff. 

New Farm State School envisions a community where every student is equipped with the skills, qualities, and emotional intelligence to contribute positively to society, reflecting a balanced, respectful and engaging educational journey. 

Values

Authentic Learning:  Learning through differentiated and innovative experiences.

Community: Valuing an inclusive and diverse community.

Respect: Building respectful relationships among staff, students and their families.

Well-being: Balancing physical, social and emotional wellbeing.

Swimming

Swimming lessons began this week for Years 1-6.  In terms 1 & 4 our Physical Education lessons focus on swimming, with the exception on Prep who swim only in term 4. Permissions and payments, best done through QParents, are required for participation.  If you need any financial assistance for any events, please contact our Business Manager Stan Williams on businessmanager@newfarmss.eq.edu.au .

Contact Details

In order to ensure there are no delays for collection of students during the day, please ensure you have updated your emergency contact list and notified the office via email or phone if a person other than the parent is collecting. 

Communication

Attached for your information is a parent brochure explaining our main modes of communication.  Two of the main points to note is that:

1. Class dojo messages may not be addressed during the school day as teachers will be teaching.
2. For concerns, complaints, after school arrangements or appointments for meetings, please email the administration.

Arrival times – students should arrive near 8:30am. 

Our Schools Plus service uses our area until this time so if you are not attending Schools Plus, please do not arrive before 8:30am as there is no formal supervision before this time. Before school play areas from 8:30 include the oval, netball court and the prep play area (for Prep students only). 

Students and families are not permitted to go into the classroom blocks until the 8:45am bell. 

If you are waiting, you should not be in upper D Block, A Block or E Block as the waiting areas are near the school office, the netball court or oval, and for preppies, it is the lower D Block area.

Students and families are requested to wait until 8:45am before moving to classroom areas as teachers are still preparing for lessons before this time.

Day 8

This Thursday is our Day 8 census day which means whatever our enrolments are on this day, it directly dictates our staffing and resourcing allocation for the 2025 school year.  Any changes to class allocations will be made in a timely manner once allocations are confirmed by our central office.  I will confirm or make notice of any changes as quickly as possible following this confirmation period. 

Loren Schmidt

Here at New Farm State School, we work hard to form meaningful connections with our students and families, to ensure our community feel welcome and part of our wonderful school culture. As a new staff member here at New Farm, I can already feel the spirit of the school community and positive culture that has been built within the school. I have been overwhelmed with just how friendly the staff and students are here and by the warm reception I have received.  Over the past two weeks I have also met many families and I thank each and every one of you, for making the time to chat with me and introduce me to your children.

It is such a pleasure to see students on task and engaged in their learning as I walk through our classrooms throughout the day. We have been quite busy already this year, getting to know our new teachers and making new friends. Dance and swimming lessons started this week and our lunch time clubs have also kicked off. I have also experienced firsthand, the fierce handball competition we have here, not quite being able to make it into King just yet, hopefully soon if I keep practising! I encourage you to talk to your students about their learning and play time each day to hear about the friendships they are forming, the interests they have and any potential areas for growth in their learning. You never know, they may even surprise you with some of the incredible things they have already learned.

Keep an eye out for all the amazing things coming up this term, including Parent Information Sessions, Colour Run and Harmony Day to name a few. I look forward to working in partnership with you and your child’s teacher, as they continue their learning journey every day.

Stan Williams

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope this message finds you well. We would like to inform you that invoices for the following activities were issued last week:

• SRS (Student Resource Scheme)
• Year 1-6 Swimming
• Year 3-6 Dance
• Year 6 Camp

These invoices have been emailed to the fee-paying parent from the email address swill1236@eq.edu.au. We understand that receiving multiple invoices from a non-generic email address can be confusing. However, this is the system we are working with in collaboration with Education Queensland.

To make the payment process easier, all invoices can be viewed and paid via the QParents app, which we highly recommend. Please note the following:

• Invoices will appear in the QParents app overnight, not instantly.
• Payments will also take until the following day to clear in your QParents account. Please be mindful of this to avoid making duplicate payments.

We encourage families to apply for payment plans if needed. In cases of severe financial hardship, please reach out to us for assistance. We are here to help and support you.

Enzo, Mabel, Everleigh, and Olivia will attend the trials, at Lawnton Pool, on 12th February.

They will compete for places in the District team for the Regional Trials, and we wish them the best of luck.

Join the Kingfishers Swim Club!

Looking for a fun, friendly swimming club where every child is celebrated? Welcome to Kingfishers!

We're a community-focused swim club where participation and encouragement matter more than performance. If your child can swim 20m with a kickboard, they're ready to join the fun!

Who can join?

• Primary school children (including Prep)
• Younger siblings welcome
• Open to all schools in our community

What makes us special?

• Supportive, encouraging environment
• Focus on fun and participation
• Lots of cheering and celebration
• Family-friendly atmosphere

Every club night includes:

• Swimming activities for all abilities
• Delicious sausage sizzle and snacks
• Refreshments for parents (including beer and wine)

When: First night: Friday, February 7th Then every Friday until end of Term 1 Arrive: 5:15 PM Start: 5:30 PM Finish: 7:00 PM

No pre-registration required - just come along and join in!

Questions? Email Paul at pf_scott@yahoo.com

Join our friendly community where every swimmer belongs!

BOOK CLUB issue 1 is here!

Look out for your copy of Book Club in your child's schoolbag! It's packed with hundreds of books and starting from just $3 to help you on your child's reading journey. This the your last chance this year to get some great Books to start off the year, and fun activities (away from the screens!)

Please place your order by Friday 14th Feburary 2025 

No cash orders will be accepted at school. Please use the LOOP order and payment function.  Scholastic.com.au/LOOP or download the LOOP app

Look out for a copy of the brochure in your child’s bag, or at this link here

https://www.scholastic.com.au/book-club/book-club-parents/

There is never any obligation to purchase from Book Club, but each order earns also earns more resources for our library and classrooms. Thank you.