Volume 14 Issue 7 Term 2 16th May 2025

Principals Report

Dear Parents and Community,

It has been an incredibly busy term, filled with wonderful events and special moments.

Mother’s Day High Tea and Liturgy: Last week, we had the pleasure of welcoming many amazing mothers, grandmothers, aunties, mother figures, and women from our wider community to celebrate our Mother's Day High Tea and Liturgy. It was a fantastic afternoon, and our students always love the opportunity to spoil their special guests. A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated teachers and staff for preparing the beautiful food, and to Jennie Anderson for her sweet treats—always a favourite!

Under 8’s Day: A huge thank you to Quilpie State College for their fantastic organisation and to our teachers and school officers for their contributions to the combined schools' Under 8’s Day. The students thoroughly enjoyed the activities, and we greatly appreciate the council for providing the morning tea.

St Finbarr’s School Open Day: Today, we hosted our first-ever St Finbarr’s School Open Day, where community members and prospective families were invited to be part of our school assembly, visit classrooms, and experience a band practice. Guests enjoyed a school tour and a Q&A panel with Miss Derry and Dr Cathcart. Thank you to everyone who attended, and a special thanks to our students for showcasing their learning so proudly. It was a truly enriching experience.

Leadership Forum: Next week, I will be away attending the Leadership Forum in Goondiwindi. In my absence, Mrs Harris will serve as the deputiser, and Mrs Lee-Ann Weaks from Toowoomba Catholic Schools will be visiting to provide additional support for our teachers as they conduct testing. A big thank you to Mrs Harris for her leadership and to Lee-Ann for travelling all this way to assist.

Touch Football District Trials: The District Trials for Touch Football will take place next Tuesday in Charleville. Miss Barron will be accompanying our students, and we wish Cleo, Layla, James, Maldon, and Nate the very best of luck!

Regional Cross Country Trials: Next Wednesday, the Regional Cross Country Trials will be held in Chinchilla, and we extend our best wishes to James as he competes to qualify for the Queensland State Cross Country Carnival, representing South West Queensland. We are incredibly proud—James made it to the state level last year and is eager for the opportunity again this year!

George’s Marvellous Medicine Workshop: In Week 6, on 27 May, students from Years 2–6 will participate in a workshop with visiting performers from George’s Marvellous Medicine. This free workshop will be held at 1:30 pm at the Quilpie Shire Council. Thank you to Toni Bonsey and the council for organising this valuable experience! That evening, the entire town is invited to attend the George’s Marvellous Medicine stage show at 6:00 pm at the Quilpie Shire Hall.

Finally, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the incredible dedication and hard work of our staff. Their commitment to our students and community is unwavering, and I feel privileged to work alongside them. As the saying goes, "To teach is to touch lives forever."

Until next time,
Mrs. Kara Marsh
Principal, St Finbarr’s

School Absences

Term 2 Fee's

St Finbarr's Pillar Awards 2025

Prep - 1 Classroom

Term Two has started with great energy! Our Prep One class has been strengthening their understanding of information reports and building perseverance when faced with challenges. Students have also begun a health unit focused on emotional regulation, learning strategies to stay calm and focused. Additionally, they are practising essential social skills such as sharing and effective communication.

In science, we've been exploring the properties of different materials and how to describe them. Students have embraced their role as scientists, observing the world around them with curiosity. Using binoculars, they have investigated various materials found in our classroom, developing keen observational skills.

Meanwhile, our number skills continue to grow each day. Our prep students are now confidently counting to 20, while our Year 1s are expanding their range up to 120. The Learning Through Doing approach remains a favourite, allowing every student to engage in hands-on, meaningful learning. Whole-class number warm-ups encourage movement, interaction, and active participation, making learning both fun and effective.

4-6 Classroom

Year 5/6 Newsletter Update – A Fantastic Start to the Term!

Our class has hit the ground running this term with plenty of engaging and exciting learning experiences!

In spelling, the Pentagon group has been diving into word sorts, discovering four key rules for words with the suffix. This activity has helped build their understanding of word patterns and spelling strategies in a fun and interactive way.

In Math's , students have been deepening their knowledge through hands-on Learning through Doing (LtD) activities. They've been using decimats to represent decimal numbers up to three places, strengthening their understanding of place value and number representation in a practical and visual manner.

Looking ahead, Term 2 brings an exciting opportunity for our students to participate in the South West Reader’s Cup. This thrilling competition, taking place in Charleville on Monday of Week 10, will see teams of five students reading five novels and working together to learn everything they can about the stories. Not only will this encourage a love for reading, but it will also allow students to develop teamwork and comprehension skills in a supportive and rewarding environment.

We are looking forward to all the fantastic learning and opportunities still to come this term—keep up the great work, everyone!

2025 Mother's Day High Tea

We were delighted by the wonderful turnout at this year’s Annual Mother’s Day High Tea, with mothers, grandmothers, friends—and even a few flies—joining us for this special occasion. Our dedicated staff put immense effort into preparing the students for their readings, and they delivered them beautifully. As always, the day passed in the blink of an eye!We truly hope you enjoyed this year’s event, and for those who couldn’t make it, we look forward to welcoming you next year for another memorable gathering.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 61

Next

Quilpie & District Sport

Good luck to James, Maldon, Nate, Cleo and Layla who are competing tomorrow at the district trials for Touch Football and then on Wednesday James who will be competing at the Regional Cross Country Trials in Chinchilla 

Good luck to all

Prep-1 Vison Testing- this week

This coming week our Prep-1 students have the opportunity to have their vision tested by Optometrist Micheal, Young this week, 22nd of May, if you have not done so already, please return your form to school by Thursday at the latest. 

PPF 2025

Under 8's Day -15th May

Under 8s Day for 2025 was a celebration of all thing's science. The Children enjoyed a range of exciting activities designed to spark their curiosity and imagination. Even Ms. Derry joined in the fun, enthusiastically crafting her own volcano—a highlight of the day that had everyone had fun. It was a wonderful opportunity for our young learners to engage, play, and discover, and we can’t wait to see what next year's theme will be!

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 17

Next

2025 Open Day

Today marked a significant milestone as our school hosted its first-ever Open Day. Under the leadership of Mrs. Marsh, our dedicated staff invested considerable effort in preparing an engaging and informative event, designed to highlight the innovative teaching methods and programs that define our approach to education.

We were thrilled with the turnout of parents, whose enthusiasm and insightful questions during the Teachers’ Q&A session contributed to a dynamic and enriching experience for all. The day was a success, and we are already looking forward to next year's event, aiming to make it even bigger and better.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 13

Next

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Maggie for Wednesday. 

Project Compassion Boxes

Last Call for Project Compassion boxes, if you have a box at home please return to the Office, thank you for your efforts towards fundraising for Caritas Australia.

St Finbarr's Church Service

George's Marvellous Medicine Show @ Hall

Tuck-Shop 2025

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 11

Next

Your Contact Details

If your details have changed in the past year, especially your emergency contacts, please let the Office know so our records are accurate and up to date.

School Website & Calendar

Have you downloaded the School Calendar to your phone yet! This is the quickest way to see upcoming events for St Finbarr's as they will already be on your phones Calendar 

Below shows you in 4 steps on how to subscribe the school online calendar onto your phone's calendar, when reading school newsletter via your phone 

 St Finbarr's School, Quilpie, Calendar 

 St Finbarr's School, Quilpie Website

Tuck-shop Roster

Assembly

School Yard access

School Bell Times

Term Dates 2025

St Finbarr's Student Protection Contacts

It is a legislative requirement that all non-state schools have at least two nominated staff members to whom a student can report the behaviour of another staff member that the student considers inappropriate.  We call these specially trained staff members School Student Protection Contacts, or SSPCs.  Each SSPC has been nominated by the principal in recognition of their integrity, approachability and knowledge in the area of student protection.  Whilst students are encouraged to speak up to any trusted adult in the school community, it is important that they know they can access these specific staff members at any time should they have worries, queries or concerns. You will have noticed posters throughout the school depicting our current SSPCs.  The SSPCs are also published on our school website along with information about our student protection processes.  In everything we do at St Finbarr's student safety is our highest priority, therefore the SSPCs at our school are key personnel in our overall safeguarding processes.  Please see the poster depicting our current SSPC team.