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- Across the Principal's Desk
- Enrol Now for Prep 2026
- From the Deputy Principals
- Fancy Hat Parade
- Anzac Day
- 2025 Brisbane City Schools ANZAC Ceremony- A proud tradition
- Lutwyche Road Drop off Zone - Safe at last!
- Parking and Consideration of Others
- Teaching and Learning
- Windsor Week 10 Award Winners
- Ruby's Round Up!
- Library News
- The Sustainable Garden
- Disco Fundraiser- Thank You Students and Thank you Staff!
- Internet Safety Day and Parent Information Evening
- Congratulations Representatives- City Districts Hockey Selection
- 2025- Positive Student Recognition
- 2025 Year 6 Canberra Senior Trip & Future Senior Trips
- AMC (Australian Maths Competition) 2025
- ICAS Assessments 2025
- Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing Survey- Term 2
- P AND C Events
- Seawolves
- Uniform Shop
- YMCA Windsor OSHC
- Consent to Administer Medication Forms
- QParents
- Kedron State High School Expo
- The Gap High School
- Tim Nicholls Easter Colouring Competition
- Community Noticeboard
- P&C - Crown Hotel Partnership
Dear Windsor Community,
Congratulations to our students for their outstanding levels of engagement and participation throughout our first school term of 2025. The ongoing weather disruptions have been navigated with resilience and while some frustrations were felt, our 29 classrooms now reflect a successful 10 weeks of learning.
When talking with students I use the term showing off your learning, and this is what they have been doing particularly over the last month. This may have been through end of unit assessments, NAPLAN or daily checking for understanding quizzes. We know that we can elevate learning progressions when students are able to clearly articulate what they are learning, how they are going and what they did to get there. Our Show and Shine afternoon provided an opportunity for families and teachers to hear from all of our students. Thank you to those who were able to attend this celebration of learning which occurs at the end of term 1 and term 3.
Cross Country is one of our big 3 annual sporting events and the frustrations of weather interruptions continue to be felt. Our commitment to 100 % participation and fun continues as we ensure Prep- Year 2 is a non-competitive time in school sport. This is mirrored in how we organise our swimming and athletics carnivals at Windsor. Our cross-country course is unique but certainly ensures that we run on a variety or surfaces with obstacles as per the cross-country brief!
As the rain continues, we also continue to look for solutions. The Years 3-6 cross country is planned for tomorrow Friday 4th April with the back-up plan (version 4.0) Tuesday 22nd April. We will not be running a P-2 event this term due to competing agendas. We are open to a Term 2 event for our little ones, so keep the house spirit burning bright! This may be in the form of a 2pm fun run before pick-up 22nd April or a long run event at athletics – so stay tuned.
Thank you to families who know the heart of Windsor and recognise the enormous effort and integrity of our staff. The support felt when we do have to make difficult decisions is appreciated, as is respectful communication. In school communities that I lead, there is no place for anything less.
Arts & Health – Term 2
Ms Marita McVeigh will be taking leave in term 2 to peruse an opportunity in the United States. We wish Marita well and look forward to her rejoining our specialist teaching team in term 3. During her absence Mrs Rachel Carter will teach Senior Health and Mrs Mattsson and Mrs Kennedy will teach Senior and Junior Arts. Windsor Wigglers will continue with Ms Arthur and Mrs Robertson joining to help out. We are a fortunate school to have such a wealth of quality teachers to draw upon.
Junior Playground Project Commences
The wait it over! During term 2 we will commence our NEW early years playground. Fencing will go up on the 28th April (week 2) and the project will be completed by June 30th 2025 (end of term 2). This exciting project is the result of Windsorfest 2024 and funds raised by YOU, our incredible community. The project will be led by the team at Prestige Group Australia whom I met with yesterday at our start up meeting.
During the construction phase we will need to change up some play spaces slightly which will see more of our year 1 students using behind and beside our hall. It will also mean that the space for YMCA becomes a priority and where/how families wait for students may also encounter variations. More details will be shared after the holidays.
160 Years Old
This year Windsor State School will celebrate 160 years of operation. This coincides with the centenary of Greater Brisbane. Prior to amalgamation, the townships of Windsor, Ithaca, Hamilton, Toowong, Sandgate and Wynnum made up the area that we now know as Brisbane. On October 11th 2025, the Windsor Historical Society will be holding an event to celebrate this centenary. Windsor State School will be joining in to celebrate our own milestone, by hosting school tours on this day. More details of what this event will look like are still being considered. If you are interested in getting involved in this smaller but significant event please make contact via admin@windsorss.eq.edu.au
Term 2 will commence on Tuesday 22nd April following the Easter Monday public holiday. Please enjoy a lovely break with your families and I look forward to seeing the Early Years hat decorating skills on show tomorrow morning!
Yours in Education
Shona
No Playgrounds Before School
A reminder that students are welcome onsite form 8.30am for supervision in the undercover areas, or can be standing or sitting with parents/carers on school grounds. There is no access to playgrounds before school for any student, unless enrolled and participating in the YMCA before school care programming. This message is reinforced to children throughout the year, but we would also like to take this opportunity to remind all parents and carers that if onsite waiting for the bell with your child, please ensure that they are sitting or standing near you and not on the playgrounds.
Thank you to all parents and carers who have sent through images of their students celebrating their receipt of a 5 Keys Collector Card to the following email address:
5_Keys_Collector_Card_Celebrations@windsorss.eq.edu.au
It is great to see students taking pride in their demonstration of our 5 Keys to Success, which are:
- Persistence
- Resilience
- Organisation
- Getting Along
- Confidence
Prep, Year 1 & Year 2
On Friday 4th April, we will be celebrating the end of term with some fun at the annual
P-2 Fancy Hat Parade. A special guest may even be hopping along to Windsor SS for the parade!
The children from Prep to Year 2 are invited to participate in the parade on this morning. The Easter Fancy Hat Parade will begin at 9:15am in the Hall, and will be finished by approximately 10:15am. Parents and families are welcome to attend.
The parade will feature a song performance from each of our year levels, as well as a procession of fabulous Easter hat creations.
Please note that the hats are to be made at home. Parents/carers are asked to assist their child as required to make these wonderful creations at home.
We are aware that some families have made travel plans for this day. If you do intend to leave school with your child after this parade, please ensure that they have been signed out with their class teachers before leaving the school grounds.
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We are proud to take our Year 6 cohort annually to the Brisbane City Schools ANZAC Ceremony. We will do so again this year on Wednesday 23 April 2025.
This is a free event, but requires the permission of Year 6 Parents and Carers to enable their student to participate with their peers and teachers. To provide permission for a Year 6 student, please head to your QLearn Account and seek the consent section.
We know that parking around schools in all metropolitan areas in Brisbane and more broadly, poses a challenge. However, in order that our neighbours are considered and treated with common courtesy, we kindly ask that anyone seeking a park in the streets adjacent to Windsor State School always consider a couple of key things.
1. Please take heed of driveways and leave these spaces clear so that local residents can come and go as they require.
2. Please take heed of all parking signage and avoid parking in no-standing zones
We know that the community appreciate those parents and carers who think about others and show courtesy and respect in their driving behaviours.
Lisa Heard (Head of Curriculum)
Last edition, we began looking at ‘A simple model of teaching’ (below) which outlines how we can teach most effectively to match how students learn. As discussed, the first most important part of that hierarchy is the environment (see previous issue for more on this). Once / assuming we have set the students’ class and school environment to create the best conditions for learning, we then go about engaging students in the learning required. This requires a great understanding of how learning happens and cognitive load theory (developed by Professor John Sweller).
It is believed that our working memory, where the ‘processing’ of learning occurs, can only manage 4-7 ‘elements’ before it becomes overwhelmed. This essentially means that we need to chunk the information and presentation of new knowledge very carefully, and engage prior learning for students to ‘anchor’ that new knowledge to. We then scaffold the building of knowledge and skills incrementally to enable a level of mastery with each new component in learning.
To do this well, two things must happen: We must know the curriculum well and have planned it to enable the content to be delivered in manageable ‘chunks’, and the teaching of the new knowledge or skill must be explicit and succinct. We then employ techniques to assist with solidifying student understanding (e.g. examples and non-examples, verbalising definitions or concepts and checking for understanding continuously).
There are many ways we can reduce the number of ‘elements’ taking up space in the working memory that are not conducive to the learning required. Ensuring any presentation of information is limited to what needs to be known is important. It is distracting if the focal point for information is not clear or is inhibited by some of the ideas mentioned last week (busy displays, student distraction, being uncomfortable due to having to crane your neck or twist to see, feeling nervous about having to participate in checks for understanding etc…). We can also make sure we provide scaffolds such as models for reference, graphic organisers, sentence stems, worked examples etc…so that some of the thinking can be visible, in turn freeing up some of that working memory.
Obviously, this is just a very tiny insight into what we do and how we do it, but it gives an overview to how we think about learning to inform our teaching. Next edition, we will look at how we drive thought and try to ensure long-term retention of learning occurs.
This edition, we are going to check in with what Year 1 and Year 5 have been up to this term.
Year 1
In Mathematics, Year 1 have been learning how to make tens and ones using bundling sticks, working in pairs to see who can make the largest number up to 99. They can now recognise how many tens and ones there are in 2-digit numbers. The students have also been learning about position and moving through grids using left, right, turns and number of steps. Their favourite game for this is ‘Simon Says’.
Each class has created their own Acknowledgment to Country. Students discussed and illustrated what they feel should be in their class acknowledgement before all ideas were combined and the final draft published.
In Science, we have been learning about sound and light. Students created a musical instrument and identified one way they could change the sound including how loud or quiet it is, if it makes a high or low pitch and how you play different types of instruments. In this unit the students understand that they use sight to see light and hearing for sound.
Year 5: Science Meets Creativity!
This term, our Year 5 students have been diving deep into the world of adaptations as part of their Multi-Modal Science Assessment: Create-a-Creature! Through this exciting project, students have explored how animals adapt to different environments and have brought their imaginative creatures to life in multiple ways. They have crafted impressive artwork, digitally manipulated body parts to enhance their creatures' survival features, written detailed descriptions, and sculpted plasticine figurines to showcase their final designs.
Meanwhile, in English, students have embarked on a journey into the realm of fantasy writing. They have been developing the first chapters of their own fantasy narratives, crafting vivid island settings through descriptive writing and artwork. Each student has created a unique protagonist and antagonist, complete with fantastical powers, setting the stage for thrilling adventures ahead.
We are so proud of the creativity and effort our Year 5 students have shown in these projects, blending science, art, and storytelling to bring their ideas to life!
Happy end of the term newsletter everyone. First term has flown. I have been busy doing Reading with Ruby which is one of my favourite things to do.
My tutu was really hard to walk in so this term my Mum tried to make me a ribbon band with all the house colours. It was still not easy to walk in as the weight pulled it down. So, she is back to the drawing board for how I can show all my house spirit. Does anyone have any suggestions? My Mum would love to hear them. But here I am below supporting all the houses when they did their war cry practice. I even checked out the course before the rain fell so heavily. I have my outfit all ready for Fancy Hat Parade as well so look out for it.
We wish everyone a safe and happy break, hopefully some nice weather and look forward to seeing everyone in Term 2.
Love Ruby
Reader’s Cup
We are excited to have our two Year 6 Reader’s Cup teams finalised and books are being sent home this week for them to start reading. They will read 2-3 designated books before heading to Kurwongbah State School in June to compete against other primary schools in the Reader’s Cup.
We need your cat!
National Simultaneous Storytime is on again in May. This event takes place at thousands of schools and libraries throughout Australia on the same day and it gives students the chance to listen to and enjoy a story written by an Australian author. The book that has been chosen this year is The Truck Cat, written by Deborah Frenkel and illustrated by Danny Snell. We would love to display a photo of your family’s cat as part of our NSS celebrations. Please send them into the Library or email a photo to Mrs Mattsson to print out: smatt48@eq.edu.au
Please write your student’s name and class as well as your cat’s name and we will add it to our display.
SORA App usage during the holidays 
For students in Years 3 – 6 who use an iPad in class, they will have access to SORA and can log on using their MIS ID.
Once in the app, students click ‘Explore’ at the bottom of the screen.
Next, click ‘Collections’ towards the top of the screen. This will take them to a variety of books that are ‘Always Available’, meaning they do not have to wait to borrow them through the app. They are easily categorised by reading level and interest.
Holiday borrowing
Students who have returned their books for this term and have no overdue books will be able to borrow over the holidays. Happy reading and happy holidays!
Did you know? ...
Windsor State School collects cans. At the fun run some helpful collectors (Suzie, Nick and Ed) were able to amass an amazing 7 bags of cans, bottles, poppers. This raises money not only for the Sustainable Garden but also the P&C. During the week students are asked to sort their rubbish into either general, recycling or the Cans for Change bins once they’re finished eating. At Garden Club we get all the Cans for Change bins and empty them into the bags ready to recycle.
Did you know? ....
Composting is a great way to use food scraps like apples, bananas or carrot tops and create rich soil. At Windsor we use the compost bays and compost bins to collect food scraps, leaves and other natural waste fibres. This breaks down in the nutrient dense soil you can see in our garden. We collect the mature compost from our bays to fill our garden beds to support our flowers, fruit and vegetables to grow.
Have a Great 5Rs Week!
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The Term 1 Disco raised some very much appreciated funds to help support families for the upcoming Year 6 Canberra Trip. It was great to see so many students in attendance and families who supported their attendance.
The disco was not only a great fundraiser for our community, but a lot of fun!
It was great to work with internet safety expert, Abi Dargan from YSafe by Quoria in delivering key messages about internet safety to our Year 1-6 students on Thursday 20 March.
The key messages included:
- I protect my personal information online
- Anyone I only know online is a stranger
- I talk to a trusted adult about what I do online
- The internet is public and permanent
- There are rules about what I do online
It was great also, during the evening of the disco, to welcome a strong and engaged contingent of parents into GBLock for an internet safety presentation aimed at parents and carers.
We thank all community members who help to educate and guide their students in their use of technology as a tool for learning and connection.
A huge congratulations goes to Emily T, Fern T, Alice S, Lewis W and William J who have been successful in attaining City Districts Hockey Selection in 2025.
They will stake their claim for selection in the Metropolitan North Team at the upcoming Regional Carnival.
As always, it is great to see our Windsor State School rising stars shining brightly on the sports arena! A huge thank you to all parents and carers who strive to provide sporting opportunities for their students to get active and healthy!
Thank you also, to Mr Farrell (HPE Teacher) and Mrs Robertson (Year 6 Teacher), who will be coaching and Managing the 10-12 Years City Districts Girls Hockey Team this year.
The Windsor Way & the revised Student Code of Conduct
The 2025-2028 Student Code of Conduct is available on our school website, here.
We would love to share some images of families celebrating students bringing home a card during the year by making a photo collage of celebrations, however they may look in your household. If you would ever like to share an image of either one-card coming home, or a completed set, we would love to see them shared via the below email address!
5_Keys_Collector_Card_Celebrations@windsorss.eq.edu.au
After successfully re-engaging with the Year 6 Senior Trip to Canberra in 2023 & 2024, Windsor State School is solidifying and finalising plans for the continuation of our Year 6 Senior Trip to Canberra in 2026 and 2027.The feedback from students and staff who had the privilege of engaging in the 2023 & 2024 Senior Trips was overwhelmingly positive. The students learnt so much, made such great memories and solidified friendships which may very well be with them for many years to come.
The intention of this article is to both celebrate the wonderful engagement and behaviour demonstrated by our current Year 6 students on their Year 5 leadership camp which leads into their Senior Trip this year, and to also provide forward notice to our Year 4 and Year 5 parents and carers regarding this destination as the venue for their students as they move into their graduating cohort in the coming years.
Whilst in Canberra, our Year 6 students will be provided with the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government will continue to contribute $90 funding per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER) program towards the costs of our Senior Trip.
We appreciate that this is a significant investment of time, energy and funding, but strongly believe in the benefits of this learning opportunity for our students.
We wish to pass on a huge thank you to all parents and carers who supported their child’s participation in 2025. We also wish to pass on a huge thank you to Mrs Vincenzi, Mrs Robertson, Mr Shearer, Miss Arthur, Mrs Dwan, Mr Farrel & Ms Arneil who will support our students throughout their week in the nation’s capital this year. It is great to work in a school community that is so passionate about the learning experiences that students are afforded.
Optional Extension and Enrichment Opportunity (Years 3, 4 & 5)
Our Year 3, Year 4 & Year 5 students who are seeking extension and enrichment are able to register to compete in the 2025 Australian Maths Trusts', Australian Maths Competition.
Our Year 6 students will be in Canberra on their Senior Trip this year during the competition window, and therefore unable to participate.
To find out more and/or register your child's participation, please click here.
Optional Extension and Enrichment Opportunity (Years 2-6)
In 2025 we are offering the following optional opportunities for students in Years 2-6 to engage in the extension and enrichment opportunity that the ICAS Assessments afford:
- English: 7:45am Friday 15 August
- Science: 7:45am Friday 22 August
- Mathematics: 7:45am Wednesday 27 August
Each optional ICAS assessment incurs a $20.95 charge, which is payable directly to ICAS.
To find our more about the ICAS Assessments and how to register your child for these optional extension and enrichment opportunities, please click here, or visit the URL below:
Information for parents and carers
In Term 2, students in Years 4-6 will be asked to take part in the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing (QEW) Survey.
We know that wellbeing and engagement are important parts of your child’s life at school. The QEW Survey is designed to measure how students view their wellbeing and engagement across different topics. The information we get from the survey helps us better understand and support our students.
If you have any questions, please contact the school. More information, including FAQs, can be found on the Education website: (https://qed.qld.gov.au/publications/reports/statistics/schooling/students/queensland-engagement-wellbeing-survey).
You can contact the QEW Survey team by email: QEWSurvey@qed.qld.gov.au.
Windsor Mums, save the date! ✨ On May 17, Windsor State School P&C invites you to an afternoon just for you—delicious nibbles ? maybe some bubbles ? and definitely great company ? Mark your calendars and stay tuned for all the details!
A big thank you to Rohan Kamp for taking a lead role in bringing this event to life! A huge thank you as well to the many volunteers who dedicated their time and energy to making the event such a success. It was truly a wonderful event, filled with so many smiling faces!
The P&C Executive are pleased to share that, thanks to everyone's efforts, we were able to raise a total of $9,097.79.
Raffle Winners
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$200 Crown Voucher |
Adrian Dixon |
|
$100 Crown Voucher |
Carrie Cutis |
|
$50 Crown Voucher |
David Holden |
|
$50 Teen Voucher |
Marie Waschka |
|
$50 Teen Voucher |
Olivia Jones |
Thank you to Sunpork, YMCA, Bakers Delight Windsor, Crown Hotel, Finn Builders, Bells Ice and Tim Nicholls for supporting the event.
Happy 30th Anniversary Windsor Seawolves!
The Seawolves wrapped up a fantastic swimming season with an unforgettable finale! Despite some damp conditions, swimmers and their families came together to attend our end-of-season carnival on Saturday, where they were treated to a mostly dry afternoon filled with swimming, singing, and dancing by the poolside! Later, 266 people gathered for the end-of-season awards night, where we celebrated the hard work and dedication of all our swimmers, as well as recognising those who earned special awards for their outstanding efforts throughout the season.
A huge congratulations to all of our season award winners!
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Age Champions |
Seawolves Spirit Awards |
Points Champions |
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6 yrs & under |
Holly B |
John K |
Charlotte M |
John K |
Mila G |
James O'H |
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7 years |
Blake S |
Theodore C |
Olivia T |
Caleb B |
Olive N |
Theodore C |
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8 years |
Sasha B |
Henry H |
Rosemary M |
Seppie N |
Madeline H / Vivienne M |
Oliver P |
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9 years |
Eliza C |
Lachlan R |
Madelyn B |
Harry S |
Edwina B |
Lachlan R |
|
10 years |
Georgia K |
Leo B |
Lucy W |
Hugh O'C |
Sophie N |
Leo B |
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11 years |
Georgia W |
Digby B |
Frances B |
Digby B |
Georgia W |
Owen V |
|
12 years |
Laura K |
Mason P |
Sierra O'N |
Archie G |
Laura K |
Mason P |
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13 yrs & over |
Tova B |
Leo H |
Tova B |
Toby K |
Erin H |
Leo H |
A huge thank you to the incredible Amanda Woolnough, the Seawolves Committee, and Coach Jacquie for all their hard work and dedication in making sure the swim nights and carnivals are such a success. Your efforts are truly appreciated!
We look forward to seeing you all back next season in term 4!
The uniform shop will be open on Friday morning before the Fancy Hat Parade so please drop in if you need any uniforms.
As always feel free to contact us anytime at retail@windsorsspandc.com.au if you have any queries or feedback.
Thanks, Arianne and Mel
Please note, that if your child requires to have school staff administer medication for them whilst they are at school, you will be required to follow the processes embedded within the below hyperlink for each child and for each medication that requires administration:
Please Check Accounts Weekly for Payments and Permissions
QParents is the main portal for school payments and for school event permissions. The first residential parent listed in One School is invited and the parent who nominated 100% responsibility for fees during enrolment will see any amounts outstanding in QParents (unless you have approached the school to request a split agreement, eg. 50-50 responsibility).
We greatly appreciate those parents who regularly check into their QParents accounts to provide any permissions outstanding and to address any invoices outstanding.
If you need help setting up your QParents Account, we are happy to assist at admin@windsorss.eq.edu.au
For assistance, go to: Q Parents help page: https://qparents.qld.edu.au/#/help or phone 13QGOV
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To celebrate Easter, Tim Nicholls Office has launched an Easter Colouring competition with a winning prize of an Easter Egg basket valued at $120.
- Entries Close Friday 11th April 2025
- Winner Drawn Monday 14th April 2025
- Prize to be collected from Tim Nicholls Clayfield Electorate Office
- Entries can be scanned and emailed through or a picture taken and emailed through to – clayfield@parliament.qld.gov.au or handed in out the Clayfield Electorate Office
- Age for entries 4 years to 12 years
Colouring entry forms can be collected from the office.
The Hon Tim Nicholls MP
State Member for Clayfield
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services
Phone: (07) 3638 9100 | Website: timnicholls.com.au
Address: Shop 1, 729 Sandgate Road, Clayfield QLD 4011 | Postal: PO Box 281, Clayfield QLD 4011
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Support the school whilst having a meal at The Crown
The partnership for 2025 has been extended with The Crown Hotel for another year, which means the Windsor State School community can continue to wine and dine and support the school.
How does it work?
Simply order your food and drinks via the App, and ensure you have entered the code: WSS in the backend.
The app can be used at all Aus Venue Co locations and WSS will continue to earn money as part of the agreement. Other venues include Port Office Hotel, The Regatta, The Boundary Hotel, Everton Park Hotel, just to name a few...
App Rewards & Benefits
> $10 Welcome credit for all new members
> 10% off at The Crown Hotel
> Earn 10 points for every $1 spent on the app
> Earn 2000 points and convert for $20 credit
The best part is - every dollar you spend helps to support Windsor State School!
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