2025 Term 2 - Week 7

From the Principal's Desk

What an energising few weeks it has been since our last newsletter!

Earlier this week, eight of our passionate teachers attended The Resilience Project Teacher Seminar, where they explored powerful ways to embed gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness into everyday classroom practice. They returned full of practical strategies to strengthen our whole-school approach to wellbeing and, most importantly, to support your children’s social and emotional development. I’d like to acknowledge their commitment to professional learning and thank them for leading the way. Their next step is to design and deliver professional development sessions for all staff, helping to embed these important practices from Prep to Year 6.

The Resilience Project Teacher Seminar was inspiring!

In order to equip our community with the same tools our staff utilise when engaging in The Resilience Project, we are hosting a Resilience Project Parent Information Session next Wednesday, 11 June from 4:00 – 5:00 pm in the DT Room (beside the Library). We will unpack the program’s core pillars and share easy strategies for weaving resilience-building habits into family life. I warmly invite every parent, carer and community member to come along.

Year 6 Graduation Disco - Community Feed In

As a school we are always looking at ways we can better enhance ways in which we work. With regards to the end of Year 6 celebrations, it is a very busy time for our Year 6 students, teachers and families.

We are looking at reviewing the Graduation Week Program. This year we are consulting with Year 6 students, staff and their families around a possible change in venues for the Graduation Disco. Currently the Graduation Disco is held on site down at the hall.

Tell Us Your Thoughts!

Complete the poll below to add your view to the community voice in this space.

What venue option would you like your child to attend for their graduation disco?

Poll is closed

We look forward to hearing what the MCSS community thinks about this idea.

Parent-Teacher Meetings – Week 10

A reminder that Parent-Teacher Meetings are scheduled for Week 10. Keep an eye on your email for the booking link and session details. These conversations are an invaluable chance to celebrate your child’s progress and set goals for Term 3.

Junior & Senior Athletics Carnivals – Week 10

Week 10 will be a busy one! Alongside meetings, we will cheer on students at our Junior and Senior Athletics Carnivals. Timetables and event information will be sent home shortly—dust off those house-coloured shirts and get ready to roar!

HOUSE COLOURS

BIRRAGIN - BLUE    KIRRI - RED    

KUNUM - YELLOW    TARAN - GREEN 

Thank you for your continued partnership. I look forward to seeing many of you on 11 June.

Warm regards
Ben Morris
Principal

Senior School

Student Leadership Team- GRIP Conference

Our wonderful student leadership team had the opportunity to attend the GRIP Student Leadership Conference last month down in Coolangatta. This was a fantastic opportunity for our leaders and they had so much fun. They engaged in collaborative activities with other school leaders from schools from the northern rivers region and south east Queensland region.

Over the next two terms our leaders will be working with Mrs Fog and myself on unpacking the activities from this event, discussing what makes a great leader and how can they make change as leaders across our wonderful school.

Well done to all of our leaders who attend this event.

Robina State High School Opportunities

Over the last few weeks we have had many of our senior students take advantage of Robina SHS experience days, sports days and STEM days. From the reports that come back to me, RSHS staff are very excited about our incoming Year 7 MCSS students for next year. Not only are students performing well academically or in their chosen sports, but once again are standing out for the way in which they behave and demonstrate maturity and respect.

Well done to all students who have been over at Robina SHS.

Warm regards
Tim Thompson
Deputy Principal

Junior School

Our Creek Kids Playgroup continues to grow each week.  Families are welcome to join us as often as you can on Wednesdays from 9-10am for some fun each week.  Mrs Edwards and Miss Rachel enjoyed taking our Creek Kids out to the playground this week to explore and play in the sunshine.

Year One students are continuing to make gains with their reading.  This week I was able to join 1D for a game of bingo as they consolidated their earlier prior learning about magic E. Games such as bingo are a fantastic tool to practise learning through play.  If you would like some ideas on games you can play at home to help consolidate the learning happening in class, please reach out to your child’s teacher.

Home Reading Parent Workshop

For those families who were unable to attend our earlier parent workshop on how to help with home reading, we are pleased to offer a repeat session on Tuesday 10 June 2025 from 8:30am-9am.  Mrs Kym Edwards will present this session and give you some tips and hints on how to support your child at home with their home readers. 

Our Prep students have been at school for almost 80 days of learning!  The Prep playground continues to be an extension of the classroom learning environment for our youngest students.  Learning how to make new friends, join in with games, negotiate how to play games and solve problems in the playground are all very important skills that are taught in the Prep Health curriculum by teachers.  Our students have also embraced the lessons on empathy and understanding how others may be feeling during our weekly Resilience Project lessons. 

Our Year Two students have been learning about the sun and planets in our Solar System.  Students have been investigating how the rotation of the sun impacts shadows and were very glad to see the sun out so that they could complete their experiments.

Year Three are very much looking forward to their postponed excursion to Mudgeeraba Historical Museum.  Students have been learning about life in colonial Australia during HASS lessons this term with Ms Barrett and are looking forward to stepping back into history at the museum. 

Warm regards
Lesley Dekker
Deputy Principal

IDEAS

Supporting Your Child’s Learning at Home:
Helping Your Child Thrive Beyond the Classroom

At Mudgeeraba Creek State School, we believe that learning doesn’t stop at the end of the school day—it continues at home, in the car, at the dinner table, and during everyday moments. As parents and carers, you play a vital role in your child’s education, and the support you give at home can make a big difference to their confidence, motivation, and academic progress.

Here are some simple, effective ways you can support your child’s learning at home:

Create a Learning-Friendly Environment

Set up a quiet, comfortable, and well-lit space for your child to read, write, draw and create.  Having a place in the home that is dedicated to these tasks helps to signal that learning is important and valued by the family.  Stock this area with books, paper, pencils, pens and art supplies.

Establish Routines

Consistent routines help children know what to expect and manage their time well. Try to schedule a regular time each day for reading, writing or quiet learning activities.  Providing time each day for focused tasks such as reading books together builds attention and reinforces the learning that happens at school.

Show Interest and Encourage Effort

Ask your child about what they learned at school. Show enthusiasm for their projects and assignments and acknowledge how they are progressing each week. Celebrate their effort, not just the outcome—this builds resilience and a love of learning.

Read Together

Reading with your child every day is one of the most powerful ways to support their literacy development.  Younger children love being read to by their parents and this is a terrific calming activity to build into the bedtime routine.  For older students, reading side-by-side or discussing books helps build comprehension and vocabulary.

Use Everyday Moments for Learning

Cooking, shopping, gardening, and even driving can be learning opportunities. Measure ingredients together, calculate costs at the supermarket, talk about road signs, or explore nature. Parents should look for ways to incorporate learning into daily tasks and give children jobs to do so they can work and learn alongside you. Real-life contexts, experiences and tasks help reinforce classroom learning in practical ways.

Recognise the Power of Play

Play is one of the most natural and effective ways children learn. Through imaginative games, building with blocks, creating art, role-playing, or outdoor play, children develop problem-solving skills, creativity, language, and social confidence. Don’t underestimate how valuable unstructured play time can be for learning!

Limit Distractions

Turn off the television and put away devices during family time such as during meals, bedtime routines, car rides and doing chores together.  Spending time together without digital distractions builds relationships and provides opportunities for conversations.  Learning happens best during interactions with others and children thrive participating in shared activities with adults.

Stay Connected with the School

Be sure to read all school communications, attend parent-teacher interviews and school events when possible. If your child is experiencing difficulties with their home or school life, then please inform your child’s teachers.  Working together ensures we can best support your child’s unique needs.

Encourage a Growth Mindset

Help your child see mistakes as part of learning. Phrases like, “You don’t know it yet, but you’re learning,” can encourage persistence and a positive attitude towards learning.  Encourage children to always keep trying despite a setback and ensure that you are always acknowledging the effort they put into learning tasks. 

Every child learns differently, and your support at home helps reinforce the great work happening in the classroom. Whether it’s reading a book, playing a board game, exploring the backyard, being out and about in the community - meaningful learning can happen anywhere and does not just occur at school.

Warm regards
Pamela Lidstone
Head of Student Services

Every Day Counts!

Attendance remains a constant priority of the school and the Department of Education. Please visit the Every Day Counts website for more information regarding attendance. Attendance data is monitored and tracked regularly at our school across all year levels. Regular attendance ensures a smooth academic learning pathway.

Past and future attendance can also be tracked via QParents for registered users.

Attendance – Parent obligation for reporting a student

As part of Education Queensland’s same day absence notification process, the school needs to ensure all students are safe and accounted for every day.

REPORTING AN ABSENCE

Please report student absence prior to 9am in one of the following ways:

QParents:

1. Log into QParents
2. Select ‘Notify Absences’ from the ‘Absences’ section in the home page
3. Complete all relevant details and submit once completed
4. Successfully lodged absences will receive a QParents confirmation email

Telephone or email:

• Phone the Absence line – 5565 0333 and select option 1
• Email the attendance officer attendance@mudgeerabacreekss.eq.edu.au If you normally email the teacher, please include the attendance officer in this email correspondence.

The attendance officer is responsible for managing student absence and ensuring all students are accounted for each day.

Please ensure you state:

1. Student name
2. Class
3. Your name and relationship to the student
4. Reason for their absence and expected duration.

Please note: Early release absences should not be logged through QParents, as we are unable to facilitate these entries.

Teachers should be notified directly via email and please include the attendance officer attendance@mudgeerabacreekss.eq.edu.au

LATE ARRIVALS

Please be reminded that schools are efficient organisations that need to run on time. 

Student lateness causes unnecessary interruptions and compromises the school’s capacity to operate effectively.  Unnecessary lateness is therefore unwelcome.

Late Arrival to School Process

If you have an unavoidable reason that your child will be late to school (i.e. medical appointment, car issues etc) please notify the attendance officer prior to 9am in one of the following ways;

• Phone Contact via the Absence line – 5565 0333 and select option 1
• Email the Attendance Officer attendance@mudgeerabacreekss.eq.edu.au

Upon Arrival

Please ensure your student proceeds directly to the Administration Office or Library Student Window to ‘check in’ and obtain a late slip before proceeding to their classroom.

UNEXPLAINED ABSENCES

If the school does not receive a notification of your student’s absence or expected late arrival to school prior to 9:00am, a text message will be sent to the parent.

Please reply to the text message as soon as possible with a reason and expected duration of absence.

If you believe you have received a text message from the school in error (i.e. your child was dropped off to school), please contact the school immediately so we are able to confirm their attendance.

ABSENCE REASONS

Students are required to be at school every day unless there is a valid reason such as illness.

Absences such as birthdays, shopping, visiting relatives (unless under exceptional circumstances) are not considered valid reasons for not being at school, and will be recorded as unacceptable on your student’s record.

We thank you for your support and cooperation in making every day count. 

Finance Matters

Understanding your Statement of Account

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

Your P & C

🎉It’s Back – Our Entertainment Fundraiser! 🎉

We’re thrilled to announce that we’re fundraising with Entertainment again this year! 
Get ready to unlock amazing savings on dining, shopping, travel, and more – all while supporting a great cause.

💥 Don’t miss out on this fantastic offer – check it out today and start saving big!

  Interested? Click here for more information on how to purchase.

Thanks for supporting a P & C Fundraiser.

TUCKSHOP DAILY MEAL DEALS

🚀 Don’t miss out on these delicious second break deals (1pm)! Place your order by 9am each day at www.flexischools.com.au and treat the kids to something they’ll love! 🌟🍎

Tuckshop Volunteers Needed!

Warm Regards
P&C Committee

Student Council Fundraiser

✨ Silly Sock Day - What a Success!  ✨

Thank you to all the families, students and staff who supported our Student Council Silly Sock Fundraiser.

We are excited to announce that $605.70 was raised and will go towards installing extra bubblers around the school – an amazing outcome that wouldn’t have been possible without your help.

 Your support is always so appreciated.

A huge shout-out to Mrs Fog and the Student Council Team for organising the event. 

What's On @ The Creek