Volume 10 - 25 July 2025

From The Principal

Welcome to Term 3

It’s been a busy and positive start to the new term, and we’re excited about what lies ahead.

At the moment, our school team is working together to shape a clear and inspiring vision for Leichhardt State School. We're asking important questions: What do we want our students to be like when they leave our school? What are the key qualities and values of a Leichhardt Lion?

In my mind, I see our students as a growing jigsaw puzzle—each piece added by our staff, families, and community members every day. Together, we’re helping shape well-rounded young people, ready for the next stage of their lives.

Last week, our staff began exploring the values that are important to our community and to the future of our students. These conversations are a crucial part of building a shared vision for our school.

NAIDOC Day
On Friday, Aunty Marly and her team organised a truly special NAIDOC Day celebration. We were honoured to welcome many special guests, including Elders from the local community, representatives from the regional office, and local government officials.

Our students took part in a range of engaging activities that celebrated and highlighted First Nations cultures. The strong connection between our school and the First Nations community is something we deeply value. A heartfelt thank you to Aunty Marly and her team for their hard work in making this event so meaningful.

Morning Parade
This term, our morning parade continues to be held at 8:20am in the hall. These gatherings are a way to start the day on a positive note, share important messages, and help students get into the right mindset for learning.

We also aim to build independence in our students, helping them feel confident to join their class and connect with their peers. Research shows that physical activity boosts brain function—so our morning dancing is not only fun, but a great way to get ready to learn!

Reading
Our reading journey continues this term, with a strong focus on our PLD phonics program. We’re already seeing some fantastic progress.

Reading is a life skill—essential for everything from reading menus to job applications. When our students leave Leichhardt, we want them to have the reading confidence and ability to access every opportunity that comes their way. Literacy opens doors, and we’re committed to making sure every child has that chance.

Thank you
Thank you for your continued support of our school and your children’s learning journey.

Andrew Goldie
Principal – Leichhardt State School

From The Deputy Principal

Off the Deputy Desk

Term 3 has had a positive and steady start, and we are delighted to welcome students back after the winter break.

We have introduced a new morning routine to support consistency and readiness for learning. Students are now required to make their way to the hall by 8:20am each morning. Our school day officially begins at 8:30am in the hall with important daily announcements, including our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) focus and other key messages.

To support this routine, we kindly ask that all students arrive on time and proceed directly to the hall. It is an expectation that students are seated with their class and not waiting outside or walking around the school grounds. These same expectations apply when moving to classrooms.

We also respectfully ask that parents move away from the hall area by 8:30am so students can focus and prepare for the day ahead without distraction.

In the afternoons, student pick-up will continue from the OLA at 2:30pm. If your child arrives late to school, please ensure you visit the office to collect a late slip. Similarly, if you need to collect your child early, please report to the office, and our administration staff will arrange for your child to meet you there.

We appreciate your cooperation and ongoing support in helping us create a calm, safe, and orderly learning environment.

Attending school every day is essential for your child’s learning, development, and future success. Consistent attendance helps build strong routines, friendships, and confidence. Just as important is positive behaviour—showing respect, following rules, and making good choices creates a safe and supportive environment for all.

Together, we can help every child succeed by making school a priority and reinforcing the importance of respectful behaviour at home and in the classroom.

We are heavily invested in student engagement at Leichhardt State School. Student behaviour can, and will impact their learning. Here are 10 tips to support your child’s behaviour.

1. Invest in One-on-One Time With Kids, Daily

By far, the best thing you can do to improve your children’s behaviour is spending time with them individually, every day, giving them the positive attention and emotional connection they’re hard-wired to need.

1. Get Serious About Sleep

Think of how you feel when you’re overtired–cranky, irritable, your head and stomach hurt. It’s the same for kids, and most toddlers (up to teens) get far less sleep than their growing bodies need.

Teens need more sleep than even younger kids. Consult your family physician about the hours of sleep your kids need by age. If your child has a sleep deficit, try moving up bedtime by 10 minutes every few nights. A well-rested kid is a well-behaved kid and can function better throughout the day, including at school.

1. Focus on Routines

Kids thrive with a routine, so set clearly defined routines for the most challenging times of the day, like mornings, after school, mealtimes, and bedtimes.

Let your kids help decide how the routine will go–do we get dressed or brush our teeth first? How can you help get dinner ready?

For younger kids, write out the order of the routine using pictures or words and let them decorate it, then hang it where they’ll see it every day. Then, stick to it.

1. Everyone Pitches In

For better behaviour, kids need to understand that everyone needs to contribute to make a household run smoothly.

All kids, from toddlers to teens, should have “family contributions” (not “chores!”) they do daily – this helps bring your family closer together, teaches them life skills, and works to prevent the entitlement epidemic.

1. Encourage Your Kids to be Problem Solvers

Time to retire your referee whistle – when parents step in the middle of a sibling disagreement and determine who’s at fault and dole out punishments, it actually makes things worse.

To kids, they see a winner and a loser and a need to escalate the sibling rivalry. Encourage your kids to find a resolution to the problem on their own, which will help them solve conflicts as they grow older. If you have to get involved, don’t choose sides, but ask questions that will help them figure out a solution that all parties can feel good about.

1. Simplify Family Rules, and Be Firm

It can be difficult for kids to keep a mess of rules straight. If it seems like you have 50 or so family rules, whittle down the list to what’s most important. Determine a consequence for each rule, make it clear to kids ahead of time of both the rules and consequences, and don’t give in.

1. Send Time-Out to the Sidelines

Practically every parent has tried to punish or correct behaviour by sending their child to “time-out,” but most have found it doesn’t work or lead to better behaviour.

That’s because a time-out in the corner or bedroom doesn’t teach kids how to make better choices the next time, and generally, a time-out just escalates a power struggle. Kids, especially the strong-willed, will push back, and hard. Instead, focus on training, not punishment. Ask, “What can we do differently next time?” and role-play the do-over.

1. Just Say No to Saying “No”

Kids barrage us with questions every day. More often than not, our answer is “no,” and kids resent it.

Find opportunities to say “yes” when you can. If your daughter asks to go to the indoor pool in the middle of a busy weekday, try saying, “Going to the pool sounds like so much fun. Should we go tomorrow after school or on Saturday?”

Of course, there will always be things that will need a big “no,” but try to redirect them to a more positive option.

1. Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Be the example you want your kids to see. Think about how your kids might describe you to their friends – would they say you’re fun and light-hearted, or that you’re stressed and bossy?

Try changing your energy by simply smiling more. It will help you keep calmer in times of stress, and your kids will notice and keep their behaviour more positive, too.

1. Don’t Ignore the Source of Misbehaviour

Misbehaviour is always a symptom of a deeper issue, and when we can find what causes it, we can use the right strategies to correct it.

Eg: If Bella keeps dumping toys all over your desk, is she upset that you’ve been working all afternoon? Is Eli throwing a fit over having the blue plate because he really wanted to make a choice and feel independent? In the midst of misbehaviour, stay calm and ask yourself what might be causing it.

From The Head Of Department - Curriculum

 In the past, educators have often referred to difficult-to-read words as sight words or high-frequency words, due to their irregular letter-sound relationships.

As part of our PLD program, we refer to these as Heart Words, because they include irregular sounds that students must learn by heart.

Below is an example of some of the Heart Words currently being taught in Prep, Year 1, and Year 2:

For more information visit the link below.

Belinda Whittet

Head of Department - Curriculum

From The Head Of Department - Student Engagement

Welcome Back to Term 3!

It’s great to see everyone back and ready for a fantastic new term!

Each morning, we start the day with Daily Parade in the hall. This includes Breakfast Club for those who need a bite to eat, followed by a fun 15-minute movement session to help students feel energised and ready to learn. After dancing, students sit in their class lines to hear important messages, including PBL reminders, and what’s happening during the week.

We really appreciate the support from our families—especially those who help their children settle in and stay in the hall during parade time. It’s a great way for us all to stay connected and start the day on a positive note.

Thanks for being part of it!

From The Head Of Special Education Services

Welcome to Term 3!

We're excited to kick off another fantastic term of learning and growth. This term, we're proud to support Inclusive Education by highlighting the upcoming Inclusion and Belonging in Schools - Parent Advocacy Toolkit event.

We encourage all families to get involved and be part of the conversation. Let's continue working together to build a community where every child belongs.

Please check out the flyer below for event information.

From The Deadly Room

NAIDOC Day Celebrations

Our school proudly celebrated NAIDOC Day with a vibrant and meaningful day of culture, learning, and connection. Students and staff came together to honour the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We would like to extend our deepest thanks to the Elders and Indigenous community members of Ipswich who shared their stories, traditions and time with us. Your presence and contributions made our NAIDOC celebrations truly special and helped deepen our understanding of the importance of Voice, truth, and connection to Country.

We would also like to thank all our special guests, parents, volunteers and most importantly the Next Generation for making the Day such a huge success.

Thank you for helping us celebrate, learn and walk together in respect and unity.

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From The Teachers

Prep

This term in English, our Prep/1 B students have been busy creating short spoken texts to recount events. They are learning to use sequencing words such as first, next, and after that to help them clearly order the events in their stories. Meanwhile, our Year One students are working on recounting simple procedures through spoken texts. This has been lots of fun, especially as we've followed real-life procedures—making fairy bread and milkshakes were definite highlights! Next week, we’re all looking forward to making pizza!

In Mathematics, the Prep students are exploring numbers from 0 to 20, while Year One students are using number knowledge to solve real-world problems. Both year levels have also been investigating the features of 2D shapes, learning to sort and classify them based on their properties.

It’s been a fantastic term so far, with lots of hands-on learning and enthusiastic participation from all students!

100 Days of School Celebration!

What a fantastic afternoon we had celebrating 100 Days of School! The students were full of excitement as they dressed up as elderly people or wore bright, colourful outfits to mark this special milestone. One of the highlights of the day was our walkway parade, where everyone proudly showed off their creative costumes.

We were thrilled to receive a special paw badge from Leo, which made the day even more memorable! Of course, no celebration is complete without cake, and our 100 Days of School cake was absolutely delicious. After all the fun, students enjoyed playing with their friends in the playground, sharing lots of smiles and laughter.

A big thank you to all our amazing parents who joined us and helped make the day so special. We’re so proud of how far our students have come in just 100 days – here’s to many more learning adventures ahead!

The Prep/1 B Team

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1A

So far this term, 1A has been exploring 2D shapes and using different materials to make them such as play dough and icy pole sticks. We have been counting how many sides and corners each shape has.

We have also started looking at procedural texts and this week we are learning ‘How to wash a pig’. We started off by washing a dirty pig and then wrote about what we did.

6B

Year 6 is starting the term by exploring the War on Waste documentary, focusing on how we can take better care of our environment. In HASS, students are learning about the Great Barrier Reef and the impact tourism has on this unique ecosystem.

In Science, we are investigating natural disasters, including tropical cyclones and earthquakes, and how they affect communities. In Mathematics, students are working with decimals and learning to convert between different units of length and weight.

Fortnightly Feast

This lunch box winner is so easy to make and is loaded with flavour thanks to the addition of olives, ham and fresh herbs. Slice and eat it as is or spread slices of the bread with butter, avocado or ricotta. Fill with cheese and salad ingredients or more ham as a tasty change to the usual Vegemite sandwich! This foolproof loaf is also a good way to get more high-quality protein into your day, making it a wonderful option for kids.

From The P&C

Welcome to Term 3!

We’re thrilled to have everyone back and hope you’re ready for another exciting term of learning, laughter, and memorable moments. This term is already bursting with colour and community spirit as we look forward to amazing events this term.

Monty’s Colour Fun Run coming 19^th September 2025!

Simply go to www.myprofilepage.com.au and click onto the register button to create a cybersafe, online profile page.

Raise $10 to receive your first incentive prize or send your donations to one of the great causes on offer!

You can even earn free bonus donations!

The Colour Fun Run fundraising has truly sparked excitement among the students, giving them something joyful to anticipate and cherish. The positive feedback from families and the wider community has been overwhelming, reinforcing the sense of togetherness and generosity that makes our school so special. It's heartwarming to see everyone rallying behind this cause and celebrating the many colourful memories we’re creating together.

Tuckshop News

We are delighted to announce that the tuckshop has reopened with a fantastic start this week. Our menu is better than ever, thanks to the valuable feedback from our wonderful students and staff. We're grateful for your continued support and always welcome more suggestions. 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.

Uniform Shop Updates

The uniform shop is now open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:00am to 9.00am. We are currently awaiting a restock of size 8’s which are in production, please contact the office if you would like to pre-order. 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.

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.

From The Community