Term 2, Week 2 Newsletter

From the Principal - Simone Coogan

Thank you to our staff, students and families for my warm welcome to the Brisbane Central community. As we settle back into the new term, I am greatly appreciative of the support of the administration team, leadership team and staff who have so willingly worked alongside me to assist me to tune in to what people are working on and thinking about.

We have already achieved so much in short time. Many thanks to Ms Wylie for a successful day last week with our Years 3/4/5/6 students on the cross-country course. Thank you also to all our family members for their enthusiastic support on the day. On Tuesday morning we celebrated our age champions, and today our cross-country team attended the City District competition. Thank you to Ms Wylie and Ms Rauluni for accompanying them, and we look forward to hearing how they all went.

Many thanks to Mr Taufatofua for leading our ANZAC assembly on Friday 24 April. We were disappointed to not be able to include our P-2 classes due to the weather. We were grateful for our special guest Captain Lim for joining us to address the students on behalf of the defence forces, and to Mrs O’Connell for leading the school address. Well done to our classes for preparing a wreath to be laid either during our assembly, or in our office area.

This week is Guidance Officer week, and I would like to publicly thank our GO Ms Smith. We are so fortunate at BCSS to have someone with Ms Smith’s incredible depth of experience and level of care. Her dedication to the school is very much appreciated.

Next Friday at assembly we look forward to presenting our Student Council Representatives with their badges. They will be a great team who provide us with important perspectives on the school and our progress.

On Monday evening I had the pleasure of meeting the P&C team. They are a talented and enthusiastic group of people with excellent plans in store for the coming months, especially the 150^th celebrations. I know that the Brisbane Central community will get behind them with their efforts to fundraise and bring people together.

Tickets for the upcoming Trivia Night are through Trybooking, not Flexischools. This is to make it easier for friends and family to purchase tickets. There is also a raffle available with great prizes up for grabs.

Trivia Night link: https://www.trybooking.com/DBGQH

Raffle link:

https://rafflelink.com.au/bcsstrivia2025

If you are voting at our school tomorrow, be sure to support the P&C’s sausage sizzle and bake sale. We are also raising money for our Year 6 Canberra trip.

Have a wonderful long weekend.

Warm regards

Simone

Simone Coogan

Acting Principal

Deputy Principal - Nik Taufatofua

Welcome back to Term 2! We hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable break. It’s been wonderful to see students returning with such positive energy and enthusiasm for the term ahead. We’re looking forward to a fantastic few months of learning, events, and community connection.

Last week saw our school Cross Country event take place, and what a fantastic day it was! A huge thank you to all the students for their enthusiastic participation, the staff for their hard work in organising and running the event, and the parents who came along to cheer on our runners. Your support made the day a great success.

We would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the families who joined us for last week's ANZAC Day ceremony. It was a meaningful and respectful tribute, and your presence helped make the occasion even more special.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to remind you that our Family Movie Night is coming up next Friday evening! It promises to be a fun night for all ages, so bring your picnic rugs, snacks, and get ready for a great time.

And I can't wait for our Trivia Night! It’s shaping up to be a wonderful community event filled with laughs, friendly competition, and maybe a few surprises. I hope to see you there!

P&C News

Library News

Reading opens a world of educational opportunities for young people and provides the foundation for lifelong learning.

'Where will reading take you?'.

Premiers Reading Challenge

The Premiers Reading Challenge is not a competition but a way to encourage students to develop a love of reading for life. The challenge also aims to improve literacy and encourage children to read widely for pleasure and learning. 

Every student who completes the challenge, and returns the completed record reader form, will receive a Certificate of Achievement.

Students are encouraged to select a range of fiction and non-fiction books suited to their reading ability and record books read during the reading period, from 6 May to 22 August.

Your child/ren can collect their Premiers Reading Challenge reader record form from their classroom teacher or the library. The reader record forms are used to tally the books read throughout the challenge.

The forms are displayed in the library on the counter. The finished forms can be put into the Premiers Reading Challenge transparent plastic box which is also on the library counter.

To complete the challenge:

• Prep to Year 2 must read or experience at least 20 books

• Years 3 and 4 must read at least 20 books

• Years 5 to 9 must read at least 15 books.

Experiencing books can include shared reading, listening to stories, or reading picture books. The aim for the 2025 challenge is to encourage students to make time to read.

Book suggestions are available on the Premier Reading Challenge website:

https://prc.median.com.au/BookList

We look forward to as many of our students taking part in the 2025 Premier’s Reading Challenge. Form a reading friendship group and read together.

LIBRARY ASSIST – COVERING PREMIER READING CHALLENGE BOOKS – MEDIA ROOM – THURSDAY 2.15 p.m. to 3.00 p.m.

Our BCSS library recently purchased over one hundred (100) books from the suggested 2023 and 2024 Premiers Reading List to increase our library collection of the Premier Reading Books, however, we need assistance to cover these books.

Are you available on a Thursday from 2.15 p.m. to 3.00 p.m. to come to your child/s library media room and have a wonderful time with other parents/carers and community volunteers to cover books. Ms Diva will be there to guide you with the covering.

If you can only come once we will be delighted, however, you may find that this school community event great fun and we will welcome you any Thursday.

Remember your student/s has access to SORA. Use SORA instructions below.

Expression of Interest - Year 2 Senior Choir

If your student is in Year 2 and is interested in joining choir, Mrs. Clark would be delighted to have you! Please print out the following form and present it to the school office. If you are unable to print it, please see the school office for a printed copy.  

Brisbane City Council Safer Schools Program

Brisbane City Council Safer Schools Program

The school and P&C have been contacted by the Council to let us know that Brisbane Central State School is included in the Brisbane City Council Safer Schools Program for Term 2, 2025. Please find below information from the Council about the program.

Safer Schools

This program aims to promote safe parking practices and ensure compliance with local traffic regulations around schools.

School Zone Parking

Parking in accordance with all road rules and signage is important to keep our children and other road users safe. Unfortunately, Brisbane City Council has received an increase in the number of reports of illegal parking around our school. As a result, our school has been added to Council’s Safer Schools Program this term.

What does this mean?

Brisbane City Council’s Parking Compliance Officers will be actively patrolling the streets surrounding our school over the coming term to encourage safer parking behaviours.

These patrols will be conducted on foot and in highly visible Community Safety and Regulation vehicles that can identify alleged offences using Automatic Number Plate Recognition and GPS software. Please be kind – they have a job to do.

What are the common parking signs around schools?

A guide to common parking signs around school zones can be found on Council’s website by searching the term ‘School Parking’.

Sport Updates

BCSS had a successful Cross Country at Downey Park in week 1. Well done to all our competitors.

Age Champions

Gala

Our year 4-6 students are fortunate to be involved in the City District Gala round robin. Students have selected teams and have had their first training session. Training will be in week 2-4. Our teachers have taken on coaching roles and will be assisting teams to improve their skills. Thank you to our teachers for coaching the teams.

A few reminders about Gala weeks 5-7

Payment and permission forms are due in week 4. Students will not be able to attend if they haven’t paid or brought their permission form back.

What to bring

• Water bottle
• Hat
• Full school uniform with school shoes (no boots to be worn to school)
• Soccer: socks and shin guards

The school has purchased some but it will be beneficial for those that have them bring them as their aren’t enough for everyone).

• Lunch

A canteen is available at some venues. Students will only be able to go to the canteen once during the day.

Athletics

This term in HPE lesson, students will be learning about Athletics. They will be practicing the events for the up coming Athletics Carnivals. Further details will be sent out.

Book Club Issue 3

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.

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 are handed to your child to take home.

BOOK CLUB CLOSES SUNDAY 24^TH MAY

2025 Literary Competition

150th Celebration

New Sushi Supplier!

Trivia Night

Mother's Day Stall

Mustachery on Brunswick

Rose Soiree