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 transports students to an activity 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

Year 6 Camp

Thank you to Ms Cuthbertson, Mr Fleming, Ms Smith, Mrs Krohn and Ms McLeod for supervising students during Year 6 Kindalin Adventure camp this week.  I was pleased to join the Year 6 staff and students for their annual camp, such a worthwhile, memorable experience for students.  They enjoyed the challenges of the flying fox across water, bush crafts, Aeroball games, canoeing, bush walks and lots of team work focused activities.

Cross Country

Big thanks to Kent Rainbow for organising the make-up Cross Country Day last Tuesday 22 April.  I really appreciate his work and effort especially first day back after the Easter break.  Thank you to all staff and parents who helped and supported the preparation and running of the day at New Farm Park.

Late Student Arrivals

Just a reminder that Students arriving after 9.00 am should report to the office for late arrival procedures.

The office staff will record the late arrival in OneSchool, print out a ‘late slip’ from OneSchool and give it to the student.

Students arrive at class and present the late slip to the class teacher which verifies time of arrival.

ANZAC Day

A huge thank you to Sarah-Rose for coordinating this year’s ANZAC Day.  An absolutely polished ceremony with so much respect to the history and service of our armed services.  The variety of the program was well done with: student contributions by Captains Charlie and Madeline, as well as speeches by Isla S, Isla B and Maya K, special guest Major Liam Knowles, and special New Farm historical presentation by Wendy Maslen and Sarah-Rose Dixon. Thanks also to Bec Davis for her work with the choir who did a lovely job.  Thanks to Peter Curby for the PowerPoint presentation and big thanks to our groundsman Tony for the excellent set up for this morning. Thank you to our local councillor Vicki Howard, Members of our Historical Society and the local RSL who once again attended our ceremony. 

Kay Bradley

Coming Home

I really enjoyed my term at Petrie Terrace State School and learned a great deal, however it is good to be home!  I’ve missed the wonderful New Farm community; students, parents and staff and beautiful work environment.  Thank you to Ms Schmidt for her hard work and dedication during term one.

Year 6 Camp

Our campers have been enjoying the wonderful weather at Camp Kindalin. From all reports the food, accommodation and activities have all gone down a treat.

Winter Uniform 

It’s time to dig out those school jumpers.  As the weather cools, students may wear other jackets and jumpers to and from school, but will need a school jumper at school.  Similarly, scarves, hats and can be worn to and from school but are not during learning time. 

Parent Teacher Interviews

Our parent teacher interviews are scheduled for Wednesday, May 14 and Thursday, May 165.  You will be able to book appointments via the following link: 

Teachers have been allocated one interview slot per student.  Please contact admin on administration@newfarmss.eq.edu.au if you have a family situation that requires an additional slot.

Specialist teachers are available but do not have enough interview time to meet with the parents of all the students they teach.  To maximise their time please only book if you have a specific question or issue to raise.    

The interviews are timed so that they do not run behind.  Unfortunately if you do arrive late your interview time will still finish at the designated time

New Half Basketball Court Coming Soon

If you’ve walked past the Heal Street end of the netball court recently, you may have noticed construction underway — we’re thrilled to announce that a new half-size basketball court is being built! This fantastic addition is thanks to the generous support of our school community, with funding proudly donated by the P&C. We can’t wait to see students enjoying this new space. Stay tuned as progress continues in the coming weeks!

Modern Digital Signage on the Way

Our school is also upgrading its signage! The current billboard on the corner of James and Heal Streets will soon be replaced with a vibrant new digital sign. Additionally, a second digital sign will be installed at our Annie Street entrance. These upgrades will enhance communication with our school community and give our campus a fresh, modern look. We’re very excited for this next step forward!

Parent Teacher interviews will be held Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th of May.

Interviews will be 10 minutes in length and will take place in the school hall. 

At these meetings, teachers will be sharing information about students’ progress and their next steps. Logistically, teachers have time for one interview per student, unless there are exceptional circumstances, that merit two. 

Specialist teachers do not have the capacity to meet to discuss every student in the school. Specialist teachers will only be able to meet parents with particular concerns or questions: Ms Lee (Chinese) Year 4-6, Ms Davis (Music & Art) Prep – 6 and Mr Rainbow (Sport) Prep – 6.

Bookings are open now - closing Friday 9th May 8am

1. To book an interview time with your class teacher, follow this link:2025 NFSS Parent Teacher Interviews
2. Click 'Add New Student' icon and fill in your child's details, ensuring you do this for each child.
3. On the ‘Staff’ screen, select teachers you would like to book a session with for each. For those with multiple children, ensure you are selecting the correct teacher for each child. Then select ‘Next’.
4. On the ‘Select Times’ screen, select them time for each teacher. Scroll to the left or right using the grey arrows to see alternative days. Select ‘Next’.
5. On the ‘Review Times’ screen please check the booking time is correct. If you are booking with multiple teachers there will be a new screen for each booking time.  Enter your first and last name, then select ‘Next’.
6. The final page shows a ‘Success’ message and a ‘Your booking is complete’ notification. You will also receive a confirmation email from ‘newfarmss@schoolzineplus.com’ subject “New Booking”.

Any questions or concerns please contact the Administration Office - Email administration@newfarmss.eq.edu.au or Telephone (07) 3358 7333

Beeston Street Crossing Upgrade – Coming Term 3

We’re excited to share that a Children’s Crossing will be installed at the existing pedestrian refuge island on Beeston Street.

Brisbane City Council has confirmed that the works will take place during the Term 2 school holidays, with the crossing to be operational for the start of Term 3, 2025. The Department of Transport and Main Roads has also confirmed that crossing supervisors will be in place to support student safety from day one.

A big thank you to Brisbane City Council for being so responsive to community concerns and for moving quickly to make this important upgrade a reality.

This is a great outcome for student safety and for all families using the Beeston Street entrance.

Paul Scott
Beeston Street resident and parent

It’s coming!

The New Farm State School Fete is coming in 2025!

Every two years, NFSS holds a key fundraising event for the whole community to enjoy - the NFSS Fete - and this year is one of those years! This year the fete will be held in Term 3 on Saturday 23rd August. 

The NFSS Fete is a P&C endorsed event run by a sub-committee of the P&C, the Fete Committee. 

Over the coming weeks and months, you will notice expressions of interest to join in, calls for services, sponsors, raffle prizes, class stalls, general volunteering shout outs, and more! 

So many ways to get involved! 

If you would like to be involved in ANY way for this year’s school fete, please get in touch and let us know (big or small, any help, service or volunteering is really appreciated!!) 

Feel free to contact us directly on fete@nfsspandc.com.au. 

Whether you’d like to be involved in the Fete Committee in a key role, assisting with a particular activity such as marketing or logistics, organising a class stall, helping with fundraising efforts, selling raffle tickets in the lead up, baking treats for the bake stall, assisting with lifting and moving in set up and pack down, or volunteering at the BBQ or a stall on the day, we’d be happy to hear from you!  

Contact us directly or sign up to be involved or volunteer via SignUp Zone here: https://signup.zone/DPo3LrY6ayWbQJSJz 

In the lead up to the fete, keep an eye on Class Dojo for update posts, shout outs and calls for assistance. 

Give us a share, a like and a follow online here: 

Instagram handle: @newfarmfete

Facebook page: New Farm State School Fete 

Get involved and join in the fun of the fete! 

Contact: fete@nfsspandc.com.au