Volume 6 - 15 May 2025

From The Principal

Welcome to our latest newsletter

Firstly, I’d like to take this opportunity to warmly welcome Mr. Jason Day to Leichhardt State School. We’re fortunate to have Jason join us as Deputy Principal for this term. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience, along with innovative ideas for projects and programs we’re excited to explore at LSS. I look forward to working with Jason as a valued member of our leadership team.

At Leichhardt State School we believe that every school day counts—and so does every word your child reads!

This term, we're excited to introduce PLD (Promoting Literacy Development), a structured phonics program that will give our students a strong foundation in reading and spelling. With a clear, evidence-based approach, PLD is designed to meet the needs of every learner, helping children master the building blocks of reading from an early age.

Why Attendance Matters

Children thrive when routines are consistent, and attending school every day helps them:

✅ Build friendships
✅ Develop good habits
✅ Stay on track with learning
✅ Feel confident and connected

When children miss school—especially during these early literacy years—they miss out on more than lessons. They miss the opportunity to practise new skills, receive timely support, and grow alongside their peers.

The Link Between Reading and Success

Reading is one of the most important skills your child will ever learn. It opens doors to imagination, knowledge, and future learning. Through the PLD program, students will:

🔠 Learn sounds and letter patterns
📖 Practise blending words for reading
✍️ Improve their spelling and writing
🎯 Gain confidence as independent readers

When children attend school regularly, they can fully participate in this exciting program and make steady, measurable progress. Every lesson builds on the last—so being present really makes a difference!

How You Can Help at Home

You play a crucial role in your child’s reading journey. Here’s how you can support them:

• Read with your child daily—even just 10 minutes helps!
• Ask them about the sounds or words they’ve learned at school.
• Encourage good sleep and morning routines to help them get to school on time.

Let’s work together to make every day count and give our students the best possible start to their learning journey. If you have questions about PLD or attendance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Warm regards,
Andrew Goldie

Principal

Phones away for the day

Students must have mobile phones switched off and handed into the office and notifications disabled on smartwatches during school hours. Our school is committed to enhancing student wellbeing and creating a learning-focused environment free from distractions. To find out more, visit the link below.

From The Head Of Department - Curriculum

What’s happening in the classroom!

This term, we introduced a program called PLD – Promoting Literacy Development.  This is an evidence-based approach to teaching phonics that aligns with the Australian curriculum.

Here are some Year 1 samples of a PLD activity:

If you would like to know more about PLD, visit the link below or speak to your child’s teacher.

Cheers

Belinda Whittet

HOD-Curriculum

From The Head Of Department - Student Engagement

At Leichhardt State School, we recognise that strong partnerships between families and the school are key to student success.

Why it matters:
When students feel supported and connected, they are more engaged, attend regularly, and achieve improved academic and social outcomes.

How families can support:

• Maintain regular conversations about school
• Encourage healthy routines (sleep, nutrition, screen time)
• Participate in school activities
• Support involvement in external sports and wellbeing programs
• Reach out early if concerns arise

Working together:
If you have any concerns about your child’s engagement or wellbeing, please contact their teacher or our leadership team. We’re here to support every student to thrive.

QLD Engagement Wellbeing Survey

We’d like to extend a big thank you to Years 2 - 6 students who participated in the QLD Engagement Wellbeing Survey. This important survey helps us better understand how students are feeling about their school experience, and it plays a vital role in shaping the support and wellbeing programs we offer. Once the results are available, they will be discussed by our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) team and shared to guide future wellbeing initiatives across the school.

Friendly Reminder: Shoes on Feet for Safety

For the safety and well-being of all students, please ensure your child arrives at school with shoes securely on their feet. Wearing proper footwear throughout the day helps prevent accidents, supports active play, and keeps our learning environment safe and comfortable for everyone. If you have any concerns, please let the school know. 

Healthy Eating

Eating Healthy foods helps our brains and bodies work their best. When we fuel up with protein, vegetables, fruits and whole grains we have more energy, better focus, and a stronger memory. This means we can concentrate in class, stay alert and do our best in learning every day. Healthy eating builds healthy minds!

below is a link for Healthy Eating and lunchbox ideas

Focus of the week

At Leichhardt State School, our focus for Weeks 4 to 6 is on using kind hands and feet and being in the right place at the right time—whether we’re in the classroom, eating areas, lining up, or out in the playground.

Practice Family Engagement

I would like to thank our families for partnering with us around Positive Behaviour for Learning. The Department of Education has outlined the benefits for students of family-school engagement including: improved academic outcomes, stronger relationships with adults and peers, better social skills; and improved mental health. When families and schools work together to reinforce positive behaviours, students benefit from clear expectations and consistent reinforcement both at home and in school. This collaboration helps to create a cohesive approach to behaviour management, fostering a sense of community and shared responsibility for students' well-being and success

From The Head Of Special Education

At Leichhardt, our goal is to ensure that every student feels safe, supported, and ready to learn. To help us provide the right care and accommodations for your child, we kindly ask families to supply or provide up to date medical letters when a student has a diagnosed condition or ongoing medical need. Medical documentation helps us:

• Understand your child’s health or developmental needs.
• Plan for classroom adjustments or learning support.
• Provide access to school-based services such as learning support or health care plans.
• Ensure we’re meeting your child’s needs safely and appropriately during the school day.

Jessica Rivett

Head of Special Education

HPE News

HPE at Leichhardt

The athletics season at Leichhardt is in full swing, with students continuing to improve their skills in the three carnival ball games: Leader Ball, Captain Ball, and Tunnel Ball. These games require teamwork and hand-eye coordination—key attributes that will be crucial on carnival day.

Students have also enjoyed taking part in tug of war competitions, which provided a fun and exciting challenge in both strength and collaboration.

A special highlight this term was when we took 16 Grade 5/6 students to the First Nations Games Day at West Moreton Anglican College. There, they competed in the traditional indigenous game of Kabi Kabi Buroinjin. Our students played 10 games throughout the day and emerged victorious in 9 of them—a true credit to their skill and determination.

What made us most proud, however, were the comments from staff and officials commending our students for the values they demonstrated throughout the event.

Congratulations to Mason and Maiana, who were chosen for the Deadly Award - Most Valuable Players of the Day, and to Xavier and Lakota, who were awarded the Spirit Award – for students who displayed the best sportsman/sportswoman spirit throughout the day.

Mr Scott😊

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⚽ Soccer Season Update – Term 2 at Leichhardt ⚽

Leichhardt students continue to show strong enthusiasm and teamwork as they engage in our school’s soccer programme this term.

Both our Junior and Senior teams have made an impressive start to the season — going undefeated in their first three games! This great run of form sees both teams sitting at the top of the ladder as we head into Round 4.

This year, the programme is focused on inclusion and participation, with a high percentage of students already getting the opportunity to represent the school. It’s fantastic to see so many students taking part, building skills, and enjoying the game.

We’re also excited to announce that the Girls Soccer Team will play an in-house match in Week 7. Families and friends are warmly invited to come along and support — the game will kick off at 1:30 p.m. on the school oval.

Let’s keep the momentum going — go Leichhardt!

Mr Scott 😊

From The Teachers

Prep

Prep A and Prep/1 B have continued to enjoy spending time out in the Prep Playground.  This week the children began piling up sticks in different areas of the forest area to make fireplaces.  We then used bricks to outline the fireplace.  The children began talking about making fires, cooking food on the fires and discussing times they have camped with their families.  Some of the children began rubbing sticks together as if they were making fires.  

This outdoor experience saw the children developing their conversation skills through chatting with their friends. The children also demonstrated making connections to personal experiences by talking about their own personal experiences with campfires.  

We also discussed the shape of the campfire we made with the bricks.  We also introduced counting by counting the number of bricks needed to make a full circle around the fireplace.

It was wonderful to see both prep classes engaged in this experience which provided the students with many play-based learning opportunities.  

Mrs Krings, Mrs Costello and the entire prep team. 

Year 1

The grade 1's hosted a Mother's Day Arts and Crafts Morning for our Mums and Grandmas!! We did colouring ins, painted nails, made photo frames and jewellery, made handprints and ate some snacks. We loved having our mother figures joining us for a morning of fun!

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Year 6

This term, our Year 6 students are diving into a range of exciting and thought-provoking learning areas! In English, HASS, and Media Studies, students are exploring the topic of Migration to Australia. They are investigating stories of people who have journeyed to Australia from around the world, looking at reasons for migration, the challenges migrants face, and the contributions they make to our society.

In Science, the focus is on electrical circuits and renewable energy. Students are developing their understanding of how electricity flows, experimenting with circuits, and learning about sustainable energy sources that are shaping the future.

Miss O'Hara-Smith and Mr Brown

Fortnightly Feast

This tasty and simple recipe is perfect for lunchboxes! Marinated chicken thighs are full of flavour and can be cooked ahead of time, making mornings easier. packed into a wrap with fresh salad, they're a healthy, delicious option that kids will love.

From The P&C

P&C News

P&C Meeting

We have needed to postpone our meeting to later date and will be announced in the near future.

Tuckshop News

Tuckshop runs from Week 2 to Week 9 each term. This year, the tuckshop will be open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Don't forget, online orders close at 8:30 am, and over-the-counter service closes at 9:00 am. Due to time restrictions Fruit Smoothies are now a Pre-Order Only Option.

Qkr! Accounts Reminder

Please take a moment to check your child's details in your Qkr! accounts. We've been receiving orders for students in the wrong classes and Year Levels, and we want to ensure everyone gets the right items at the right time. We are working with QKR! to add new class options as we have composite classes in 2025.

Mother’s Day Stall & Raffle

Congratulations to all our lucky raffle winners from Mother's Day! The event was a tremendous success, with all stock selling out quickly. We hope each of you enjoyed celebrating the day with your loved ones. Keep an eye out for next year’s festivities; we can't wait to make it even more special for our Leichhardt community.

Uniform Shop Updates

The uniform shop is now open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:00am to 9.00am. Our online ordering system has been updated with a new pick-up option for added convenience. Online orders will be processed on tuckshop days. If you need your order at other times, please contact the office, and we'll be happy to assist you. All sizes are now back in stock and available online and over the counter.

Volunteer Appreciation

A gentle reminder: Our P&C is run by volunteers from the Leichhardt community who dedicate their time and effort. Let's show them kindness and appreciation for all they do. If you would like to join the P&C and volunteer at our incredible school, please feel free to contact the office or come have a friendly chat with our volunteers of a morning at the tuckshop.

Looking Forward

Thank you, Leichhardt Community, for all your support. We're looking forward to yet another incredible Term ahead with the Leichhardt Lions!

From The Community