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Welcome to the first newsletter of Term 3 and a special welcome to all of the new students and families who have joined the Sunshine Beach State School community this term. It has been a wonderful first fortnight and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks for the warm welcome I’ve received from students, staff and families. I’ve spent the last fortnight visiting classrooms, joining in playground conversations, working with staff and getting to know the unique spirit of our school community. It’s clear that Sunshine Beach State School is a place where students are known, valued and supported to thrive.
Last week was a great snapshot of the joy and energy in our school – from the excitement of the 100 Days of Prep celebration (what a milestone!) to the energy of the Year 5 and 6 disco and the colourful fun of PJ Day. It has been wonderful to see the students engaged, smiling and connected.
A highlight has been seeing achievement data from Semester 1 coming through, with several year levels already meeting or exceeding our end of year targets for students achieving an A or B in Mathematics and English. This is a strong testament to the hard work of our students and the dedication of our staff.
Over the coming weeks, I look forward to listening, learning and working alongside you to continue the great work already happening here. Please don’t hesitate to say hello if you see me out and about. It was wonderful to meet many families at our first Breakfast Club this term. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of our families over the coming months.
Warm regards,
Elise Maguire (Principal)
A critical reminder - please use the school crossing
Safety around our school is everyone’s responsibility. All parents and carers are asked to use the designated school crossing when arriving and leaving.
There are growing concerns about families moving between parked cars, crossing behind reversing vehicles and stepping between buses—actions that put both children and adults at serious risk.
Multiple near misses have occurred, including students and adults standing in blind spots as cars reverse and families walking directly into oncoming traffic, forcing drivers to brake suddenly or stop. These situations could have devastating consequences.
With the number of unsafe crossings increasing daily, it is only a matter of time before a serious accident occurs. Please model safe behaviour, use the school crossing, and remain alert—particularly around reversing vehicles, e-bikes, and scooters.
Let’s work together to keep our Sunshiners safe. Please find attached a flyer which we ask that you discuss with your children on how to cross the road safely.
Prep 2026 - Parent Information session
Do you have a friend, neighbour or family member with a child starting school next year? Invite them along to our upcoming Prep Parent Information Session. It’s a great opportunity to hear about our excellent Prep Transition Program, meet key staff and discover what makes our school such a welcoming and supportive place to start the school journey. Registration: PTP- Parent Information Session registration #3 2025
Family holidays during term time: what parents need to know
We understand that from time to time, families may choose to take holidays during the school term. While we acknowledge and process exemption applications for these planned absences in line with Department of Education guidelines, it is important for families to be aware of what this means in terms of curriculum and classroom learning.
While an approved exemption allows your child to be absent from school, it does not require teachers to provide individual catch-up work or re-teach missed content. This is because holidays taken during term time are not considered a reasonable excuse for absence in terms of curriculum delivery, and schools are not obligated to replicate learning for students who miss class due to family travel.
During time away, students may miss important lessons, activities, and assessments, and this is a natural consequence of being absent during scheduled teaching time. With an increasing number of students taking leave for holidays during term, it is not feasible or sustainable for teachers to prepare personalised work packages or offer additional instruction outside of regular class time.
This approach differs from absences due to illness or unavoidable and approved reasons, where catch-up support may be provided as appropriate.
To support your child’s learning during any planned absence, we recommend the following:
- Visit the Department’s Learning@Home website, which offers high-quality, curriculum-aligned resources.
- Contact your child’s class and specialist teachers before the absence to request an overview of the key content that will be covered, so you can support your child’s learning independently while away.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a fair and manageable approach for all staff and students. If you would like to follow up on general topics your child may have missed, you’re welcome to contact the relevant teacher. However, please note that teachers are not expected to provide one-on-one instruction outside normal class time or catch individuals up during class for holiday-related absences.
Thank you for working with us to support consistent, high-quality learning for all students.
Breakfast Club is back!
We’re excited to announce that Breakfast Club has returned and will be held every Thursday morning from 8:00 – 8:20am!
All students from Year 1 to Year 6 are welcome to come along and enjoy a healthy start to the day, with a choice of a banana smoothie, toast and fresh fruit. To help our youngest students settle in, Prep students are welcome too but must be accompanied by a parent or carer.
Our Breakfast Club is more than just a morning meal – it's a wonderful opportunity for students to relax, make connections and start the day in a positive and social way. Mats are set out to create a welcoming space where children can sit, chat and enjoy each other’s company.
The club is run by Chappy Simone along with the support of our amazing peer and school leaders. It’s also a great time for parents to connect – tea and coffee will be available, so feel free to stay, catch up, and enjoy the morning community atmosphere.
We also invite you to come along and meet our new principal, Elise Maguire! It’s a perfect chance to say hello and get to know the person helping to lead our school community.
We look forward to seeing many smiling faces bright and early on Thursday mornings!
Bully Zero Workshop
A valuable opportunity is being provided to parents/carers of our schools within the region, to participate in a free face-to-face 1.5-hour workshop facilitated by Bully Zero, a leading bully prevention organisation. The workshop Bully Zero, is designed to proactively support parents to understand what bullying is and what parents can do to support their children to be safe both online and when face to face with their peers.
The attached flyer provides information regarding locations, inclusive of the online option and how to register for the workshops. Participants must register for the workshops.
Uniform reminder
As the cooler weather settles in, we’d like to remind families of our school uniform expectations, which help foster a strong sense of belonging, pride and equality among our students.
During the colder months, students should be wearing their school jumper and blue track pants to keep warm. If a school jumper is unavailable, a plain blue jumper may be worn as an alternative. Please ensure it is free from hoods, logos or writing.
We understand that many students wear beanies on chilly mornings, which is completely fine! However, beanies need to be removed and placed in school bags before entering the classroom.
Footwear is another important part of our uniform. Students are expected to wear plain white school socks, ideally paired with plain black, closed-in shoes to ensure comfort, safety, and consistency.
Thank you for your support in maintaining our school’s high standards. Wearing the correct uniform helps students feel part of our community and ready for learning every day.
If you have any questions or need support with uniform items, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.
Performing Arts
This term in the Arts, students will be focusing on Media Arts. Below is an overview of the learning experiences your child will be engaging with:
- Years 1 and 2 – Students are exploring the fundamentals of communication by identifying different audiences and designing personalised greeting cards. Through this, they are learning to craft thoughtful messages and appropriate visual elements tailored to specific recipients—such as family members, friends, or members of the community. This unit supports the development of empathy, design thinking, and purposeful expression.
- Years 3 and 4 – Students are being introduced to the world of advertising and media literacy. They are learning how persuasive language, visual elements, and sound can influence audiences by developing their own advertising materials. This includes a radio jingle, a short television commercial, and a print advertisement. These projects allow students to apply storytelling techniques while critically examining how media messages are constructed.
- Years 5 and 6 – Students are collaborating to produce a class magazine, with each learner responsible for a section aligned with their interests—ranging from sports and current affairs to entertainment, puzzles, and feature writing. This project fosters teamwork, independent research, and editorial skills, while encouraging students to express their voice and creativity in a published format.
Remember our Preforming Arts extracurricular activities available to all learners this term:
| Monday 1st Break | Dance - Junior (years 1-3) Hall |
| Tuesday 1st Break | Dance - Seniors (years 4 - 6) Hall |
| Wednesday 1st Break | Sunshine Singers/Choir – Performing Arts Room |
| Thursday 1st Break | Drama club/ Practice for Sunshine’s got Talent - Arts Room |
| Friday 2nd Break | Sunshine’s got Talent – Red Rock |
Sunshine Spectacular
This special event celebrates the talents and hard work of our students across the Performing Arts. Families will enjoy performances from both our Concert and Strings Bands, as well as presentations from our dance, singing and drama groups. It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to demonstrate their skills and creativity in a live setting and for the school community to come together in support of the Arts.
Unveiling of our Black Cockatoo sculpture
Families are welcome to join us on Thursday 5 August 11:30am with special guests to officially unveil this sculpture. More information to follow.
Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD)
Each year, Australian schools take part in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). This important process helps build a clearer picture of the number of students with disability in schools and the adjustments made to support their learning.
The census date for this year’s NCCD is Friday 1 August.
The attached letter from our Learning Engagement Team provides further details, including how the data is collected, who it involves and how student privacy is protected throughout the process.
Premier’s Reading Challenge
We are participating in the Premier’s Reading Challenge! All students are invited to join and discover the joy of reading. Whether it’s a novel, picture book, comic or audiobook—every book counts.
The challenge runs until Thursday 22 August (Book Week Parade Day), with prizes and certificates awarded to those who complete it.
Interested students can ask their teacher or visit https://readingchallenge.education.qld.gov.au/
Cheesemaking in the garden
4TM got hands-on in our permaculture garden last term, learning about cheesemaking and the importance of using fresh, quality ingredients. They also explored how sustainability plays a role in producing healthy food – from garden to table! Yummo!
PJ Day smiles
A big thank you to all the students and staff who took part in PJ Day last week. It was lovely to see our classrooms filled with dressing gowns, slippers and a relaxed end-of-week vibe.
A truly special addition to our school grounds
We’re thrilled to share the arrival of a magnificent wooden sculpture created by local artisan Shane Christensen. Carved from the remaining stump of a tree that had to be removed for safety, the sculpture features a Glossy Black Cockatoo—a threatened species in Queensland.
Our Sunshiners were captivated, describing it as amazing, beautiful, cool and fantastic. When asked how it made them feel, words like happy, fabulous and amazed came flooding in.
A heartfelt thank you to Shane for this meaningful and inspiring piece.
Writing wins in Prep!
It’s amazing to see just how far our Preppies have come—from learning letters and sounds to now writing full sentences with confidence and pride! Big cheers to all our Sunshiners for the awesome work they’ve been doing this year.
Read LessP&C meeting reminder
Come along and be part of our next P&C meeting! It's a great way to stay connected, share ideas, and support our school community. Everyone is welcome—we’d love to see you there!