Volume 15 - 31 October 2025

From the Principal

Welcome to Week 5

Building update

We’re already halfway through the term, and there’s a real sense of excitement around the school as our new building project takes shape. This week, the trucks began arriving with the building modules on board — a big step forward! Landscaping has been underway, and now construction can officially begin.

The plan is for the new building to be handed over to us in Week 9 of this term, which is very exciting. There are around 20 modules to be delivered and assembled, so there’s still plenty happening over the coming weeks.

We’ve also been informed that planning will soon begin for our new senior playground, which will be located at the back of the school. This will be another wonderful addition to our growing campus.

The new facility will include a resource centre, three classrooms, and a lift, ensuring accessibility for all students. Our current plan is for our Year 6 classes to move into the new building at the start of 2026.

As part of this project, we have also been allocated funding to purchase new furniture and innovative learning resources — including robotics equipment, drones, and 3D printers. These additions will help us continue to engage and inspire our students through hands-on, future-focused learning.

It’s an exciting time for our school community, and we look forward to sharing more updates as the project progresses!

Swimming Lessons

Swimming continues this week, and we ask that all students come prepared with the necessary equipment so they can fully participate with their class.

Swimming is an important life skill that every child should develop — especially here in Australia, where we are surrounded by beautiful beaches, rivers, and pools. Learning to swim helps keep our children safe and confident in and around the water.

Building Resilience in Our Children

At our school, one of our key goals is to help every child develop not only academically but also socially and emotionally. A big part of this is building resilience — the ability to bounce back when things don’t go as planned.

Resilience helps children manage challenges, cope with disappointment, and keep trying even when things feel difficult. Whether it’s learning a new skill, facing friendship changes, or dealing with setbacks, resilient children are better equipped to handle life’s ups and downs with confidence and optimism.

At school, we focus on creating a safe and supportive environment where children can take risks in their learning, build independence, and develop confidence in their own abilities. We celebrate persistence and encourage students to keep trying even when something feels tricky.

By working together — school, family, and community — we can help our children develop the resilience they need to thrive, not just in the classroom, but in all aspects of life.

Thank you

Andrew Goldie

Principal, Leichhardt State School

From the Head of Department - Curriculum

Future Preppies Roaring at Leichhardt State School

We’re now in our third week of Prep Open Days! This week, Aunty Marly shared culture with our future Preppies through storytelling, dancing, and craft — the children had such a fun time learning together.

If you have a child starting Prep next year, we’d love for you to join us for our next session on Monday at 1:30pm.
Please meet at the office when you arrive.

Exciting Times at Leichhardt State School!

As we head towards the end of the year, things are buzzing with energy and excitement across our classrooms! Students are beginning their end-of-year assessment tasks, and it’s wonderful to see their hard work and learning shine through.

Attendance is more important than ever right now, being at school every day gives students the best chance to finish the year feeling proud of their progress and achievements.

Earlier this year Education Queensland announced that all Year 1 students are to take part in a Phonics Check to assess their decoding skills. We’re thrilled to share that so many of our Leichhardt learners achieved fluent decoder status!

A huge well done to our amazing students, families, carers, and teachers for working together to make reading such a success at Leichhardt. The future of reading is bright here!

If you would like to find out more about how to support reading at home, check out this website link below:

Belinda Whittet - HOD - Curriculum

From the Head of Department - Student Engagement

Halfway Mark!

We’re already halfway through the term, and it’s been wonderful to see students so engaged in their learning. Thank you for your continued support in helping your child be prepared and ready for each day — it makes such a difference!

As the weather warms up, please remind your child to bring a hat and water bottle each day.

Focus of the Week

Best Class on Parade

Congratulations to our Best Class on Parade winners for this fortnight!

• Week 2: 5/6A

• Week 4: 4/5A

Both classes demonstrated outstanding SHELL values—showing respect, helping others, engaging in learning, listening carefully, and leading by example. Well done to all students for their fantastic effort and teamwork!

Attendance Trophy Awards

Congratulations to our Attendance Trophy winners!

• Week 2: 1A with 70.2% and 5/6B with 86.5%

• Week 3: 1A with 80% and 5/6B with an impressive 90%

It’s great to see students and their families working hard to be at school every day and on time. Keep up the fantastic effort—every day counts!

From the Head of Special Education Services

External Providers Requests

External providers can offer a valuable service in supporting individual students. Collaboration between the provider and school can result in more effective support for the student. As part of the external provider’s process of assessing need and supporting students, schools may be requested to provide information regarding a student’s current presentation, progress, functioning and support needs. Given that the information involved is often of a sensitive nature and can rely on specific administration protocols, Leichhardt State School adopts a best practice approach when responding to requests received from external providers. A Consent to Share will also be required to be signed before the school can speak to any external providers and can be found in the main office. To help us process requests efficiently, we kindly ask that the school be given at least four to six weeks' notice. We understand that urgent requests may occasionally arise, and we will do our best to accommodate. 

The Requests for Information and Assessments for External Providers and Consent to Share form can be located on the school website or paper copies can be found at the Sanctuary with Miss Emma. If you require assistance with completing these forms, please see Miss Emma at the Sanctuary. 

Jess Rivett,
HOSES

From the Teachers

Prep News

Our Prep students have been thoroughly enjoying their swimming lessons — a definite highlight of the week! It has been wonderful to see their confidence growing and their swimming skills progressing. They are even learning to take care of their belongings when getting changed and making sure not to lose any items!

Next week, the Preps will be venturing out into the main playground during First Play. They will be encouraged to play in the OLA or the big sandpit. We have been talking about expectations — staying in these areas and listening carefully for the music to come back to class and line up.

In English, students have been practising retelling stories. They are learning to identify the characters, describe the problem, and talk about what happens in the beginning, middle and end. Everyone is really enjoying exploring Thelma the Unicorn this week!

In Mathematics, we continue to work with numbers from 0–20. The children are practising counting forwards and backwards, as well as exploring addition, subtraction and sharing. It’s wonderful to see their growing confidence with numbers!

Mrs Costello & Mrs Krings

Year 6

Year 6 have been working hard on understanding probability. They have been assigned probabilities, conducted a chance experiment, run simulations and analysed results to solve a problem.

In Science, students have had to plan, conduct and evaluate an investigation to identify factors that affect mould growth.

In HASS students have had to investigate a business issue that may affect the individual or the local community. They have had to examine how the concept of opportunity cost involves choices about the alternative use of resources and the need to consider trade-offs.

Year 6 have been enjoying creating their own individual Narratives which are proving to be quite entertaining.

Our students are all getting excited about our upcoming camp and their Year 6 Graduation. It’s been a very busy, but enjoyable Term.

Miss O'Hara and Mr Brown

Fortnightly Feast

Chicken Katsu Cooking Fun!!

This week we have a delicious Chicken Katsu recipe — a crispy Japanese-style chicken dish served with rice and fresh salad. Exploring new flavours from around the world with the family is a fun and tasty way to travel — no passport required!

From the P&C

Christmas Raffle Donations

We’re excited to share that Term 4 we are endeavouring for a substantial Christmas raffle, packed with prizes ranging from a festive food hamper to outdoor equipment and more! To make this raffle extra special, we’re reaching out for donations—if you have any items that could be added to our prize pool, we’d love your support. Whether it’s gourmet treats, sporting goods, or something unique, every contribution helps make Christmas brighter for our school community.

If you’d like to donate or have any questions, please contact the office or chat with one of our friendly P&C volunteers at the tuckshop. Let’s come together and spread some Christmas cheer at Leichhardt!

Tuckshop News

Tuckshop online ordering failed on Thursday, and we can’t Thank you enough for your patience and understanding during this time.  If you have any feedback or ideas for our tuckshop, please feel free to come have a chat of a morning or find us out in the field. Also, we are always looking for more volunteers to help any day of the week, whether be helping with lunches or reading to our younger groups. 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. Meal Deals will now remain on the menu permanently.

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.

Uniform Shop Updates

Uniforms and Sports Hats will be topped up mid Term 4 so get in quick before end of year sell out, we do welcome pre-orders if sold out prior to end of year. 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 outside these times. 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 currently 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.

Questions or Concerns

Got a burning question, a bright idea, or something on your mind about our P&C? We’d love to hear from you! Send us an email at PandC@leichhardtss.eq.edu.au or catch one of our friendly volunteers out and about—they love a good chat. Your feedback, suggestions, and creativity make our community shine even brighter. Let’s keep working together to make Leichhardt the happiest school around!

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

Ipswich Art Gallery Kids

Imagine… you’re riding down the slope of a valley. Is there thick, green forest or vast grassland ahead? There might be a garden with flowers and fruits of every colour. Are they safe to eat or should you ask the birds in the trees?Join us in the Children’s Gallery to dream up and make manifest a vision from your imagination to add to the landscape scene! Follow along to discover each of the mini galleries ‘imagine…’ has to offer!

IAG Kids: Imagine… 13 Sep – 23 Nov 2025

Ipswich Art Gallery | Open daily, 10am–5pm Toddler Time: Friday mornings at 10am - this week is garden themed!

Click the link below for more information:

Riverlink Shopping Centre - Halloween After Dark