16 July 2025

Principal’s Pride

Dear Parents, Caregivers and Community Members,

A very warm welcome back to Term 3 for our staff, students and parent community. Whilst the temperature outside may be a little cool, it is wonderful to see so many happy, relaxed faces back at school eagerly embarking upon a new term of learning.

The start of Term 3 heralds the commencement of the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Students with a Disability (NCCD) and the annual Staff, Student and Parent/Caregiver DoE School Opinion Surveys. Our Year 5 students have also this week been introduced to the selection processes involved in nominating for a 2026 Student Leadership position.  

Some upcoming events to look forward to in the first few weeks include our NAIDOC Week celebrations, re-scheduled Athletics Carnival, 100 Days of Prep, Year 6 Camp and Semester 1 Academic Excellence Awards.

NAIDOC Week

This week we will celebrate and acknowledge NAIDOC Week focussing on the key messages of the 2025 theme – ‘The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy.’ 

I would like to acknowledge our school NAIDOC Committee for all their work in not only coordinating the NAIDOC Whole School Assembly held on Tuesday morning, but also organising the range of activities that will be completed in classrooms and at break times throughout the week. Activities will include yarning circle sessions, dance, art and craft and story-telling opportunities.  It was wonderful to share at our whole school assembly, our very own filmed TWSS indigenous students giving an Acknowledgment of Country and sharing the filmed thoughts of our emerging indigenous leaders about what the 2025 NAIDOC theme means to them.

On Friday, 18 July, students are able to wear an Indigenous shirt or a shirt that has colours connected to their culture to acknowledge the end of NAIDOC Week. All clothing worn must be sun safe and appropriate for school.

We look forward to sharing many photos of our students engaged in their NAIDOC activities across the week with our school community via our school Facebook page and upcoming newsletter.

Athletics Carnival – RE-SCHEDULED TO TERM 3, WEEK 1 – Thursday, 17 July

I am looking forward to seeing staff, students and caregivers enjoying this annual event together.  All previously distributed information for this event will still apply.

Early in Week 2, a short whole school assembly will be conducted to distribute age champion medals and the winning house trophies.

Academic Excellence Awards – Semester 1

The Semester 1 Academic Excellence Awards will be held in Week 3 on Tuesday, 29 July. 

Parents of student award recipients will receive an invitation to this event over the course of this week. We look forward to seeing as many parents/caregivers attending as possible to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of their children.

The Academic Excellence Awards CRITERIA are as follows:

Bronze Award – 3 or 4 ‘A’ ratings
Silver Award – 5 or 6 ‘A’ ratings
Gold Award – 7 or more ‘A’ ratings
Academic Excellence Medallion – Straight ‘A’ ratings

2025 School Opinion Survey – Parents/Caregivers

The annual suite of School Opinion Surveys will be conducted in Term 3. All families, school staff and students (Year 5 and 6 only) will be invited to participate. We encourage you to take this opportunity to have your say about what our school does well and how we can improve.

This year the Department of Education is running the state-wide School Opinion Survey process for staff, students and parents/caregivers similarly to 2024 procedures. I have included some information about this below for your reference:

• Families with one or more enrolled children at our school will receive one invitation to complete the survey. The parent/caregiver to receive the invitation is selected based on information and email addresses in OneSchool. 
• Participation is by invitation only. There is no generic survey link that can be used by all parents. Each link is unique and can only be used once by the parent. One parent per family will receive the survey link via email.  No logins or passwords are needed.
• Parent survey invitations will be sent over a number of days in the week beginning Monday, 21 July. The survey will close on 22 August. The survey can be completed as soon as the invitation has been received.
• The survey invitation email uses the subject line: School Opinion Survey for parents/caregivers, 2025; parents should check junk email folders if it can’t be found. The email will come from the Department of Education, not the school.
• The survey will take approximately 5 minutes to complete using a computer, tablet or smart phone.
• Parents/caregivers who do not have access to the internet at home are welcome to complete their survey online at school. School computers/tablets can be made available upon request if needed.
• Translations of the Parent/Caregiver Survey are available online at https://intranet.qed.qld.gov.au/ResourceCentre/Statistics/schoolopinionsurveys/Pages/forms.aspx

ADVANCE NOTIFICATION: State-wide Student Free Day – Friday, 5 September (Week 8)

The Term 3 Student Free Day (SFD) has been scheduled by the Department of Education for Friday, 5 September.  Please note this date in your calendars – there will be no school for students on this day.

Term 3 Calendar

Please view the calendar date claimers included within this newsletter for upcoming dates of significance for your children. Additional information/permission notes will be distributed to relevant student groups regarding specific events. Please ensure you adhere to all payment and/or permission deadlines to avoid disappointment for your child.

Semester 1, 2025 Student Reports – previously emailed in Week 10 of Term 2

The Willows State School emailed Semester 1 Report Cards at the end of last term to the parent/caregiver email addresses recorded in OneSchool as receiving correspondence.

Please contact the school if you have NOT received your child’s report card via email so that we can rectify this and confirm email addresses are correct.

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

• year of schooling
• category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
• level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

This information assists schools to:

• formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
• consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
• develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.

The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.

The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.dese.gov.au/about-us/resources/department-education-skills-and-employment-complete-privacy-policy-0).

Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).

If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the school. Data submission in Queensland state schools is required to be finalised early in Term 3. 

Term 3 - 75 Star Rewards

75 Star Rewards sessions are held twice per term – at the conclusion of Weeks 5 and 10. To be eligible to attend students must have accumulated 75 Stars on their Star Chart – star stamps are provided by teachers for following school rules, expectations and routines.

I look forward to seeing the majority of our students eligible to participate in these year level reward sessions in both Weeks 5 and 10. Please encourage your child to set a personal goal NOW to work toward these achievements.

Have a wonderful week. Our next newsletter for Term 3 will be issued on Wednesday, 23 July.

Warm regards,

Michelle Donn
Principal

Upcoming Events

Year Level Parade Times

Positive Behaviour Learning (Safe, Respectful, Responsible)

FORTNIGHTLY FOCUS

Welcome back, we hope the students had a wonderful winter break.

The Fortnightly Focus to start Term 3 ‘We know what’s cool... We follow the rules!’ delivers the message that at The Willows State School students follow the school rules to keep everyone safe and show respect for others. This makes it easier for everyone to learn and teaches students to be responsible.

Students follow instructions of adults at our school the ‘First time, every time,’ and focus on being in the right place at the right time. We use correct bathroom etiquette when visiting the toilets, walk calmly around the school using the pathways and leave school directly to the gates via the pathways safely.

NAIDOC WEEK

This year’s NAIDOC theme The Next Generation: Strength, Vision, and Legacy is about celebrating young people – the next generation. It reminds us how important it is to listen to their ideas, support their dreams, and help them grow strong and proud in their culture.

• Strength means being strong and proud of who you are.
• Vision means using your imagination to think about a happy and good future.
• Legacy means the special things we learn from the people before us, and the good things we will share with others when we grow up.

It’s a theme that asks us all to work together – young and old – to build a future where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, voices and knowledge continue to grow stronger.

We were extremely fortunate to welcome some very special guests - the talented Clontarf Academy Dance Troupe from our neighbouring school, Kirwan State High School on Tuesday. They performed two dances for us at our NAIDOC assembly and reminded us all of the power of dance to connect people and to celebrate culture and community.

At the same assembly, we saw a video created by our Senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander emerging leaders. In this video, they shared their thoughts on the 2025 NAIDOC theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy, and what it means to them. BIG Thanks to Mr Menzies and our Cultural Leaders Harleim and Eva for this amazing video.

We have had lots of activities happening during the lunchtimes this week to celebrate NAIDOC Week.

This Friday 18^th July - Come dressed in your indigenous colours/floral to represent culture through clothing. No donations.

It can be a shirt with florals to represent Torres Strait Islanders, an indigenous shirt or the colours yellow, red or white to represent the aboriginal flag.

We will finish our NAIDOC week with a Community Catch Up and Yarn starting at 8:00am Friday, 18^th July at the TCBC kitchen. Please join us for a cuppa and a chat to celebrate NAIDOC at TWSS.

Defence News

Hello and welcome to all Defence families/caregivers and students,

Welcome back to Term 3.  Hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing break.

There have been some recent changes to the Defence School Mentor (DSM) Program which have impacted the way my role is delivered at the school.  As a result, from Term 3 onwards, I will now be available Monday to Wednesday, 8:00am to 3:30pm. If there are any urgent concerns outside of these hours, please contact the school office or your child’s classroom teacher. While my time at school has changed, my commitment to supporting our Defence students and their families remains the same. This is a high tempo time, with many members currently away from home, and I understand it can be particularly challenging for our families. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you would like to discuss any supports or strategies that may assist your child or family during this time. 

Starting from Week 2, I will be relocating to the Prep 2 building (formerly PYC’s room).  This new space allows us to run a Junior Kids Club at first break and a Senior Kids Club at second break, providing students with a friendly space to connect.

I have also introduced a “Borrow A Bear” initiative. In the morning, Defence students are welcome to stop by my room to borrow a bear to stay with them throughout the day. This commenced in Term 2 and was very popular with students who had a loved one away. Bears are returned at second break or the end of the day.

Please feel free to pop in and say hi in the mornings or afternoons – I’d love to see you!  Looking forward to a great Term 3.

ADF FAMILY HEALTH PROGRAM – FREE CARD - Did you know that ADF families can access funds to maintain a healthy lifestyle? The ADF Family Health Program provides reimbursement for physiotherapy, dental, specialist appointments and more of up to $800 a year per dependent! Get one now! For more information on how to register, visit Home - ADF Family Health Program

Families with Special Needs you can access support through the Defence Special Needs Support Group (DSNSG) or call 1800 037 674.  For more information on assistance measures go to the website or email specialneeds.families@defence.gov.au

Education Assistance Scheme is available to access for tutoring within 18months of posting to a new school. This is available for all primary and high school aged children who may require support in Maths and English. Contact the DMFS Helpline on 1800 624 608 for all details on how to apply. With approval your child can have access to 14hrs of tutoring for both Maths and English through a private tutor. Contact me with any questions. Flyer below with details.

The Partner Employment Assistance Program (PEAP) is again available to partners to claim reimbursement up to $1500 per financial year for a variety of employment services. More details and how to register are on the Defence Website or you can ask me for a flyer. 

Kookaburra Kids is in Townsville, this organisation supports defence kids living in families that are affected by mental illness.  For more details on activities contact Hannah Galliner on 0484 544 451 or check out the website www.kookaburrakids.org.au

For what’s coming up in Townsville for Defence Families see attached flyer or register to receive their newsletter and updates dmfs.townsville@defence.gov.au or follow on Facebook.

Geckos Family Centre-North Queensland is at Lavarack Barracks and is open for parents and families to drop in. Organised daily activities on offer. Follow them on Facebook or phone them on 07 4411 7031 for more details.

TO BE UP TO DATE WITH “WHATS ON IN TOWNSVILLE” CHECK     whatson.townsville.qld.gov.au

UPCOMING EVENTS/DATES TO REMEMBER

WELCOME HOME BANNERS & PIZZA NIGHT – Friday,18 July

Townsville families, do you have an ADF member who is currently deployed or absent? DMFS Townsville would like to help you welcome home your ADF member.

Come along to our banners & pizza night and make a ‘Welcome Home Banner’ that you can put on display for when they arrive home.

This event is open to all ADF family members that can access Lavarack Barracks and is not limited to families with kids.

While creating your masterpiece, enjoy a relaxed night with pizza, get to know other Defence families and the DMFS Townsville team.

There will be 1 banner per family for you to create together.

Date:               Friday 18 July 2025
Time:              5.30-7.30 pm
Venue:            Geckos Family Centre, Lavarack Barracks
Tickets:          via Eventbrite

IMPORTANT CONTACT DETAILS

Defence Family Helpline 24/7 - 1800 624 608 - Need Help give them a call    

DMFS Office at Nathan Business Centre on Ross River Rd, call 07 4430 3879  

Open Arms support former and current serving ADF personnel and their family members can use the service – office is at the Nathan Business Centre or call 1800 011 046 www.openarms.gov.au

Mates4Mates – Townsville FRC 4771 9600 townsville@mates4mates.org

Café now Open from 9am-12.30pm every day, you are welcome to attend for a chat and to have a look around.

The Oasis Townsville for Ex-ADF Community in Townsville  hello@theoasistownsville.org.au

Dirty Books Café – 1 Staging Camp Avenue, Oonoonba – 07 4759 8777 is currently under renovation

DFA (Defence Families of Australia) – NQ Delegate Larissa Ostermann 0418 796 561 nth.qld@dfa.org.au

DSNG Defence Special Needs Group - 1800 037 674  www.dsng.org.au

Beyondblue.org.au www.australia.gov.au

Geckos Family Centre Nth Qld Lavarack Barracks - Contact for enquiries on 07 4446 1238 or follow on Facebook

Kookaburra Kids Charity Organisation Mental Health Service - 1300 566 525   www.kookaburrakids.org.au or contact Hannah Galliner 0484 544 451/1300 566 525

Defence Holidays NQ at Lavarack Barracks (opp the Gym) - 07 4725 3842 admin@defenceholidaysnq.com.au

Have an awesome week!

Correna Wheeler
Defence School Mentor

Community News

Thuringowa SHS – 2026 Year 7 Information Night