Term 4, Week 6

From the Principal - Micheal Grogan

We are excited to announce that our school’s Sustainability Captains, Artemis and Emmy have won the Eco Marines Trash Monsters Competition, a fun and impactful event designed to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and environmental sustainability. Students demonstrated incredible creativity and resourcefulness by transforming everyday rubbish bins into art and educational signage, all while sending a powerful message about the need to reduce waste and protect our planet.

We are incredibly proud of the creativity, teamwork, and environmental consciousness shown by all participants. Each design not only helped to raise awareness about environmental issues but also inspired us all to think about the impact of our waste and the importance of making sustainable choices every day.

Thank you to all the students who participated, and special congratulations again to our winners. Your Trash Monsters will continue to be proudly displayed all around our school, where they will continue to inspire our community!

Together, let’s keep making a difference for our planet. Keep up the great work and remember that every small effort counts toward a cleaner, greener world!

Prep 2025

Today we welcomed our 2025 Prep class into the school for the first of two transition days. It is always great to welcome new families into our community and we look forward to officially welcoming them all into the BCSS family in 2025.

150 Year Celebration

Next year our school will celebrate its 150^th year. It is a significant milestone, and we are excited to be sharing our school’s story with you all. Keep an eye out in newsletters and on our social media platforms for updates and some exciting initiatives to come to help us celebrate.

P&C

Last month at our October P&C we welcomed a new P&C secretary. Deb Lancelot has taken on the role, and we would like to thank her for stepping up to help the P&C.

I’d also like to thank and acknowledge the roll of William Ko who did an amazing job in the first part of the year before having to recently step down. Our P&C is fortunate to have a growing band of helpers and contributors who support their work and ultimately our students and broader school community.

Deputy Principal - Nikolas Taufatofua

Dear School Community,

What a busy and exciting time it has been at our school! I’d like to take a moment to express my gratitude and appreciation for a few recent events that have brought our community together.

Firstly, I wanted to take a moment to extend a heartfelt thank you to our amazing P&C team for organizing such a fantastic Halloween Disco. It was a wonderful evening, filled with laughter, dancing, and, of course, an impressive array of costumes! A huge thank you goes to all the students and families who helped make the night a success — whether through volunteering, decorating, or simply bringing your enthusiasm and creativity. The effort put in by everyone was truly appreciated, and the fun atmosphere was a testament to all your hard work.

In addition, I want to acknowledge the overwhelming success of our recent Colour Fun Run fundraiser. It was wonderful to see so many supporting the fundraiser. Your generosity and participation are truly appreciated — the funds raised will go a long way in supporting our school community. A special mention to everyone who took part in the event, and to those who cheered on our runners, helping to create such a vibrant and supportive atmosphere.

Mr Grogan and I also want to give a special thank you to the students who made last Friday even more enjoyable by spraying us with cool water — it was a relief on such a hot day! It was the least we could do to support the fundraiser and we truly appreciated the cool relief.

Finally, today Mrs Kelly and I had the pleasure of joining our Prep team for the Prep Transition Day. It was a delight to meet so many of our 2025 preps and their families, and to see firsthand the excitement and anticipation as they prepare for their journey with us at school. We are thrilled to welcome them into our community and look forward to supporting them as they take their first steps in their education.

Thank you to everyone for making these events such a success and for continuing to build the strong sense of community that makes our school so special.

Warm regards,
Nikolas Taufatofua
Deputy Principal

Curabitur

Reading Club

We’re thrilled to share the success of our school’s Reading Club, part of our community partnership with Brisbane Grammar School and Brisbane Girls Grammar School. This collaboration offers a unique opportunity for our young readers to connect with secondary school students, who mentor them to foster a lifelong love of reading and the development of oral language through board games.

Recently, Brisbane Girls Grammar made a generous book donation to our library with new titles that are already popular among our students. These books, alongside the guidance of our mentors, have become invaluable resources in our shared reading sessions, where students explore stories together and build strong, supportive relationships.

This partnership not only encourages literacy and oral language development but also nurtures community bonds. We’re excited to see how these interactions continue to build confidence, curiosity and enthusiasm for reading in our students. Thank you to both schools for their ongoing support and commitment to our shared educational values.

Debating

A showcase of talent and persuasion!

This year, our Year 5 and 6 students participated in a fantastic series of the Queensland Debating Union's Primary School Competition. Our students not only showcased their impressive communication skills, but also shared their ability to think critically and work as a team. This year’s topics challenged students to think deeply about real-world issues and share their viewpoints with passion and conviction. 

Each team had the chance to argue both for and against these topics, giving all students an opportunity to consider multiple perspectives. From discussing the nutritional impact of tuckshops on student health to exploring the creative and imaginative power of fiction, our young debaters impressed us with their ability to research, articulate and defend their arguments.

The debate on whether playing outside is better than playing inside was particularly engaging. Students highlighted the physical health benefits and social skills gained outdoors, while others argued about the creativity and learning opportunities offered by indoor activities. Likewise, the debate over banning advertising aimed at children revealed students' keen awareness of media influence and its impact on young minds.

Teachers, parents, and students alike were impressed by the dedication and hard work our students put into preparing for their debates. Watching our Yr 5s and 6s confidently present their cases, showed how well they have grown in their public speaking and critical thinking abilities as the year progressed.

Congratulations to all our Year 5 and 6 students for their wonderful achievements in this year’s debating competition! Most of all, we thank the amazing dedication of all our wonderful coaches - Ms Culverhouse, Ms Lim, Ms Everingham, Ms Kelly and Ms McVean. We look forward to seeing more brilliant debates next year!

CGEN Broadcast and Documentary

The 2024 CGEN broadcast will air at 2pm, Sunday 17 November on Channel 9, so be sure to tune in! A reminder that the broadcast is an edited version of the performance. An archival copy will be made available to all schools as soon as possible following the broadcast. It is up to schools to distribute this copy to students wishing to view the full performance. The archival cannot be distributed prior to the broadcast air date.

We also have the 20-year documentary airing at 3pm (note, this time has changed) on Saturday 16 November on Channel 9. This documentary is a wonderful celebration of the program’s 20 year history, and we hope you will be able to tune in to celebrate how far CGEN has come over the past two decades.

ICAS Assessments - Results and Certificates

Congratulations to all students who sat the ICAS assessments in Term 3 on their effort and ongoing learning progress.  During the past two school assemblies we have acknowledged all the students and celebrated the students who were awarded a Distinction or High Distinction in the ICAS Maths, Writing and/or Science.  We will be distributing the ICAS English certificates next week.  ICAS assessments are designed to challenge highly capable learners and are offered through the school each year as an option parents can take for their children. 

Prep Curriculum Consultation - on Friday the 15th of November 8:45 - 9:10am

Interested parents and carers from all year levels are invited to a focus group discussion as part of our consultation process about our delivery of the curriculum in Prep for 2025 and beyond.  The purpose of the consultation process is to gain perspectives from a range of groups from within our school community. The information gained through consultation will inform us for our decisions making about the delivery of the curriculum in Prep. 

When:  Friday 15 November, 8:45 – 9:10am (before assembly)

Where:  Media room in the school library

Who:  all parents and carers welcome

For more information:  Maureen Kelly, Head of Department – Curriculum, mkell83@eq.edu.au

2025 Booklists

Booklists for 2025 are now available.

Parents can choose to source the supplies themselves, or can order via Jaybel.

Placing Orders

• Ordering is fast, secure and convenient. Simply visit jaybel.com.au/booklists
• Enter your school code and password then follow the easy ordering steps.
• Your School Code: BTSBC001 & Password: BC2025
• If you prefer not to order online, please call our booklist team on 07 3423 5888. They will assist you with placing your order and taking payment over the phone.

Brisbane Central SS booklists are registered with this company, and supplies can be delivered to your home. Order early to ensure delivery by the start of the school year.

BRISBANE_CENTRAL_STATE_SCHOOL_PREP.pdf

BRISBANE_CENTRAL_STATE_SCHOOL_YEAR_1_.pdf

BRISBANE_CENTRAL_STATE_SCHOOL_YEAR_2.pdf

BRISBANE_CENTRAL_STATE_SCHOOL_YEAR_3.pdf

BRISBANE_CENTRAL_STATE_SCHOOL_YEAR_4.pdf

BRISBANE_CENTRAL_STATE_SCHOOL_YEAR_5.pdf

BRISBANE_CENTRAL_STATE_SCHOOL_YEAR_6.pdf

Consent Management / QParents

Queensland State Schools are moving towards online permissions managed through the QParents app.  We believe that moving to digital consent for excursions, SRS and Third Party Consent  managed through QParents would be beneficial to all.  It would remove the need for paper-based permission forms to be printed, distributed, signed and returned.   

Many in our community already have a QParent accounts but for those who do not,  invitations  have previously been sent out to your registered email addresses.  If you require a new invitation please contact the office.  By signing up you will not only have access to digital permission forms but also attendance records, finance (view only), positive behaviour and report cards. 

We understand that everyone is busy, and we hope that by streamlining our services online where we can, we will better service our community.

Book Club Issue 8

Visit scholastic.com.au/LOOP or download the LOOP app.

Please order and pay by credit card and your order will be electronically linked to the rest of your school’s order.

Scholastic bulk delivers the books to school after their issue closing date. However, to have the orders arrive before the school holidays below is the order closing date.

Sometimes your child’s book will not arrive in the bulk delivery because it is on back order. It will arrive.

When the books arrive at school, they will be handed to your child to take home.

Uniform Shop Hours

Library News

Book Fair

Students will visit the Book Fair during their weekly library lesson in Term 4 Week 8.  They will be given a Book Wish List (5 choices) to take home to you. Every book sold during our Book Fair will earn our school up to 20% in commission.

During your visit to our Book Fair in the library Media Room you will be able to select books and take them with you.  You can pay for the books with cash or Eftpos.

Code Camp