2025 Term 2 - Week 1

From the Principal's Desk

Dear Mudgeeraba Creek Community,

Welcome back! I hope your Easter break was a time of rest, connection, and joy with family and friends. It’s been wonderful to see our students return full of energy and ready to embrace the opportunities ahead.

Over the holidays, C Block underwent a fantastic transformation with new paint, carpet, and lino giving the space a fresh, modern feel. A big thank you to our staff and students for their flexibility in moving out of classrooms and adapting so positively—you took the challenge in your stride, and the result has been well worth it.

As part of our strategic planning cycle, our school will participate in a School Review in Week 3. We’ll welcome three visiting Principals who will be with us for a four-day review. This process occurs in all Queensland state schools every four years and plays a key role in shaping each school’s future direction. Reviewers will meet with around 80% of staff, school leaders, community partners, and members of our parent community. They will also be available for informal chats before and after school. If you’re interested in being involved in a scheduled discussion, please reach out to the office or myself—we’d love to hear from you.

We’ve got an exciting calendar of events coming up this term, with plenty of opportunities for students to learn, grow, and connect. A few date savers to pop in your calendar:

• Cross Country Carnivals – 28 & 30 April: Senior students will run on Monday 28 April, and Juniors on Wednesday 30 April. These days are a great celebration of fitness, fun, and sportsmanship.
• Year 5 & 6 Cluster Gala Sports – 6 May & 27 May: Our senior students will be representing the school in a range of team sports across two exciting days. A wonderful opportunity to be active, work together, and showcase great sportsmanship. The third Gala Sports Day will be held in September.  
• Year 2 Star Lab Incursion – 15 May: Our Year 2 students will explore the wonders of space with this immersive, curriculum-linked experience.
• P&C Meeting –15 May: All families are welcome to attend. It’s a great way to get involved and stay informed about what’s happening at school.
• Under 8s Day – 22 May: A joyful celebration of being aged 8 or under, packed with fun, exploration, and early years learning. Keep an eye on your email and our socials for more details soon.
• National Simultaneous Storytime – 21 May: Each year, schools and libraries across Australia join together to read the same picture book at the same time. This year’s story is The Truck Cat written by Deborah Frenkel and illustrated by Danny Snell. This is a heart-warming story about cats and humans, immigration and identity, and homes lost and found.
• GRIP Leadership Conference – 23 May: Our School Captains will attend this event, joining young leaders from across the region to develop their leadership skills and be inspired to lead with integrity and purpose.

Term 2 is always a vibrant time of year—there are too many special events to list in one go! Thank you for your continued support, and here’s to another great term of learning, growth, and community connection.

Warm regards
Ben
Ben Morris - Principal 

Junior School

Learning to Read and Spell at MCSS

The science of reading is a comprehensive body of research that explains how children learn to read and what instructional methods are most effective. It emphasizes that reading is not an innate skill but one that requires explicit, systematic teaching—particularly in areas such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. This approach is supported by decades of research across cognitive science, linguistics, and education.  

InitiaLit is a whole-class literacy program developed by Macquarie University and is the program used from Prep to Year 2 here at MCSS.  InitiaLit integrates phonics-based instruction with rich oral language and literature experiences. The goal is to provide all children with a strong foundation in reading from the start, reducing the need for later intervention by using structured, evidence-based teaching practices right from the beginning of school.

Within each literacy session your child will participate in a range of learning experiences from whole class explicit instruction to independent work.  From working on single sounds and blending sounds into simple consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words in Prep, to learning diagraphs in Year 1 and trigraphs in Year 2, our students are engaged in building literacy skills in a structured and systematic way each day.   

PREP - YEAR 2 CROSS COUNTRY

We are very excited to announce that our Prep to Year 2 Cross Country Carnival will be held on Wednesday 30th April, 2025. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to participate in a fun and active morning with their peers.

Event Details

Location: Mudgeeraba Creek State School – School Oval

Date: Wednesday 30th April, 2025

Time: 9:00am – 11:00am (approx.)

What to Bring/Wear:

• Sports House coloured shirt (no singlets)
• Suitable running shoes
• School sun-safe hat
• Water bottle
• Sunscreen
• Morning tea and lunch (Tuckshop will operate as usual)

Consent

As this event is being held onsite, no consent form is required.

Parents and carers are warmly invited to attend and cheer on our students. Approximate running times are outlined below.

Weather Considerations

If the event needs to be postponed due to wet weather or unsafe running conditions, a notification will be posted on Facebook by 7:00am and an email will be sent to families by 7:30am. The new date will be communicated once confirmed.

Approximate Timetable

• 9:00am – Prep to Year 2 students assemble on the oval
• 9:15am - 9:30am – Year 2 Girls and Boys (2 laps of oval and basketball courts)
• 9:45am - 10:00am – Year 1 Girls and Boys (2 laps of the oval)
• 10:15am - 10:30am – Prep Girls and Boys (2 laps of the oval)

We look forward to a great morning of fun and fitness!

Warm regards
Lesley Dekker
Deputy Principal 

Senior School

Year 4 Jacobs Well Excursion

Our Year 4 cohort returned back from the school holidays into an amazing day adventure at the Jacobs Well Outdoor Education Centre. Once again, the Jacobs Well staff commended our Year 4’s on their outstanding behaviour and also how engaged they were with the activities. Great work students, and thanks to all the wonderful staff who assisted on the days.

Warm regards
Tim Thompson
Deputy Principal 

Warm regards
Tim Thompson
Deputy Principal 

Your P & C

🌸 Get Ready for the Mother’s Day Stall! 🌸
We Need YOUR Help to Make it Unforgettable!

We are thrilled to announce our Annual Mother’s Day Stall on Wednesday, May 7th and Thursday, May 8th, and we’d love for you to join us in making this special event one to remember for our students.

✨ Why Volunteer?
Volunteering at the stall is a heartwarming way to support our school community. It’s a chance to help students pick out the perfect gift, while also connecting with fellow parents and carers. Trust us, you’ll leave with a big smile!

⏰ Stall Hours:
The stall will be buzzing from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM on both days, and any time you can spare—whether it’s just an hour or more—would be hugely appreciated. Your presence will make a difference.

💌 Ready to Volunteer?
Simply drop us an email at pandcexecutive@mudgeerabacreekss.eq.edu.au and let us know when you’re available. It’s easy, and we’ll be so grateful for your time and energy!

🎁 We Need Your Donations!
Got any items that would make a perfect Mother’s Day gift? We’re accepting donations, big or small! Every little bit helps make the stall even more magical. Please drop off your donations at the Tuckshop.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support. Together, we can make this Mother’s Day Stall a wonderful success!

Warm Regards
P&C Committee

Finance Matters

From time to time, a statement of account (Debtor Invoice Statement) is issued to families (only to the parent/carer who normally receives invoices) to provide an update on their school account.  Statements are due to be issued shortly.

WHAT IS A STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT (DEBTOR INVOICE STATEMENT)?

A statement of account lists all invoices owing and any credits for students that you are financially responsible for.  An example statement is below to assist with understanding your statement. Please also note the following:

CREDIT ON ACCOUNT – DO NOT PAY

• A credit on your account will show as a negative figure ie. -10.00 – no payment required
• You can use your credit to pay/partially pay an invoice that is owing – including a siblings invoice (please request in writing to finance@mudgeerabacreekss.eq.edu.au)
• A credit will not automatically be applied to invoices owing, you must request this in writing (finance@mudgeerabacreekss.eq.edu.au)

INVOICES OWING

• Will show as a ‘normal’ dollar amount ie $10
• If part payments have been made on an invoice, the total amount of payments received will show in the ‘payment’ section (see example below)
• The balance owing on the invoice will show in the ‘balance’ section (see example below)

PLEASE DISREGARD invoices on your statement if:-

• Your child is not attending/participating in the event - this invoice will be removed from your account after the payment due date passes
• You have paid the invoice in the 2 days prior to the statement date – some payments take up to 48 hours to apply to accounts
• You have an approved payment plan in place for Student Resource Scheme Fees – the due date is not applicable

MAKING PAYMENTS VIA BPOINT USING YOUR STATEMENT

• The usual BPOINT link is available in the bottom, left-hand corner of your statement should you wish to make an easy, online payment on any one of the invoices owing 
• Please enter the relevant invoice number when making payment – this will ensure payment applies correctly
• BPOINT is our preferred method of payment

Fully paid invoices do not show on a statement of account.

If you are the parent/carer who normally receives invoices and you do not receive a statement of account, this means there are no credits or invoices owing on your account and we thank you for your prompt payment.

We hope this information helps and if you have any queries regarding your statement of account, please contact us anytime.

Warm regards
Finance Team

What's On At The Creek