2025 - Term 2, Week 6 Newsletter

Calendar

P&C Day

Our school community celebrated P&C Day last week by recognising the amazing contribution our P&C makes to our school. We have a terrific P&C Executive who are ably supported by a number of committee members. This group continues to support the P&C business units to thrive (Outside School Hours Care, Uniform Shop and Tuckshop). As a collective, our P&C is highly focussed on making Buderim Mountain State School the best it can be for our whole school community.

Below are just some of the amazing ways our P&C supports our students, teachers and our school community:

• Continually supporting the improvement of our facilities and resources including funding over $1 million to enhance our new school hall construction, new soccer goals, approved resurfacing of the netball/tennis courts, resourcing our PERKS Peaceful Place, supporting our chaplaincy program etc.
• Providing an award winning OSHC service, a full day Banksia Café service for before school, lunchtimes, evening meals and school events, as well as providing and upgrading our uniform shop.
• Organising, running and supporting events such as our upcoming 150^th celebrations, Mother’s and Father’s Day Stalls, Movie Nights, School Discos, Working Bees, Year 6 Graduation, Parent Presentations, Trivia Night and the ever popular Breakfast Club.

Our Buderim Mountain State School community is very lucky to have such an excellent P&C and we ask you to please join us in saying thank you for all of their hard work!

2026 Prep Enrolments

Enrolments Open

Children born between 1st July 2020 and 30th June 2021 are eligible to enrol in Prep for the 2026 school year.

Early enrolment assists the school with planning, so we encourage families to submit applications as soon as possible.

How to Enrol:
✅ Enrolment packs are available from the school office.
✅ Enrolment forms can be downloaded from the school website.
✅ All required documentation must be submitted with the enrolment form for processing.

Know a family with a child eligible for Prep?
Please share this information with them so they don’t miss out!

Out of catchment applications close Friday 27 June 2025. In catchment applications are due by Friday 19th September 2025.

Prep Tours

📅 When: Every Monday at 9:30 AM, from Monday, 28th April – Monday, 27th October 2025
📞 Bookings Open: 31st March – Call 5477 2777 or visit the school office to secure a spot.

Prep Tours are very popular, so we encourage families to book early to avoid disappointment.

For any questions, please contact the school office. We look forward to welcoming our new Prep students for 2026!

In Our Classrooms

Prep CF

This week in Prep CF, we had an exciting adventure learning all about koala habitats as part of our literacy focus on the "k" sound! The students were fascinated to discover where koalas live, what they eat, and how they spend their time in the treetops of Australia's native bushland.

To bring our learning to life, we built a giant Eucalyptus tree right in our classroom! The children helped create the leaves and branches, turning our space into a mini koala habitat. Then, they each made their own adorable koala craft, carefully placing them in the tree to show off their understanding of koalas — and to celebrate the “k” sound!

Our classroom tree is now full of cuddly koalas, and it's been a wonderful way to connect our phonics learning with science and art. We are so proud of our creative learners and their growing knowledge of the world around them!

1TF

ITF have loved having Chappy come into our class to read and explore the book The Mindful Magician and the Trip to Feelings Town. Through the book the children are learning to identify their strong feelings; recognise the effect of the sights and sounds around them; explore fidgety feelings, movement feelings and inside/outside feelings. We are learning how to describe, express and manage these feelings when they arise in our body and do it in a positive way. We created a "STOP" sign to help us manage our strong feelings. The children will earn a rainbow wand of the Mindful Magician at the end of our journey. We look forward to Chappy showing us her magic tricks at the end of the story to celebrate our learnings. 

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2MS

In Year 2, we have jumped into the wild world of Australian animals! We've been busy learning about and writing our own informative texts, and the excitement in our classroom has been growing with each new creature we discover.

One of our absolute favourite animals in 2MS so far is the Mary River turtle – we couldn’t believe it breathes through its bottom! The students have loved becoming animal experts and sharing all the wonderful facts they’ve learned.

3LS

In 3LS this term, we have been doing lots of research about our favourite animals in order to write an information report. Students have loved finding fascinating animal facts and sharing them with the class. They have practiced researching through the use of both texts and online websites. Students have particularly been enjoying constructing compound sentences to link their ideas together. We have additionally been using the ‘skim and scan’ reading strategy in our reading groups to find interesting facts about all kinds of animals.

In maths we have been enjoying learning to tell the time on an analogue clock. Students have had fun consolidating their learning through the use of concrete materials in our maths groups. Some areas we have been focussing on include addition and subtraction problem solving strategies, partitioning and multiplication facts using arrays. We have been very busy!

4MD

In HASS we have been learning about Captain James Cook’s first journey. First, he travelled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Secondly, he travelled to South America. After that, Tahiti on the 14th of July 1769. Then he went to NZ the next year. After New Zealand he travelled to Botany Bay (Australia) and onto Jakarta, Indonesia. Finally for his last destination he travelled to Cape Town, South Africa.  We are really enjoying this unit of work. Thanks to all the teachers and the things they taught us.(Thank you, by Aram & Sandra B).

5MT

In Science, we are learning about the International Space Station. The ISS is a research lab that stays in space.  Astronauts go to it the ISS to undertake experiments that we can’t do on Earth. We love this unit of work in Science. We were also excited to explore the Cosmodome. 

In English, we are learning how to create informative paragraphs. We are working on using the bump it up wall to improve our writing, for example we need a variety of complex, compound and simple sentences. We also need supporting details and to introduce the subject using a clear topic sentence. That’s not all, we need to focus on one aspect of the subject using facts and opening sentences. We’ve also done a couple of informative paragraphs based on Lions and Wombats. Our assessment will be based on the International Space Station.

In HASS, we have been learning about countries around the world, specifically Mexico and Sweden. We have also been learning about the properties of a map. We are studying the lines of latitude. To help us remember the properties of a map we have been using BOLTSS. BOLTSS stands for border, orientation, legend, title, scale and the source.  We have also been learning how to identify specific countries on a map. For our assessment piece this term we will choose a country of our choice and compare it to Mexico.

This term in Maths, we are learning about elapsed time.  It is important to learn about because we need to know when an event would start, how long it will go for and when the event will end. In class we have had to practise this skill because 24-hour time is used everywhere including airports, train stations, military units and hospitals. This term we are also learning about multiplication and regrouping.  This had been tricky, and we’ve had to practise this skill heaps.

Written by students for 5MT.

6SA

Wet weather was unable to dampen the moods of Mr. Allen’s year 6 class, who enjoyed their time learning both within and outside of the classroom.

The STEM program has proven to be particularly enjoyable this term, with students utilising their mathematical and scientific knowledge to create 3-D storage trays for the classroom. This use of skills built in the classroom to create physical, functional items as the assessment medium, rather than the traditional methods. This has led to excitement surrounding the subject and what it will bring in the future.

Students were also provided an opportunity to attend the performance of a play hosted at Maroochydore State High School, which involved a variety of 90’s pop music that relates to their current music unit. Students described the excursion as “a very fun trip that taught us a lot”, alluding to the entertaining, yet educationally beneficial role that trips such as this play.

Back within the classroom, students have been using an online learning format called Mangahigh, to enhance their mathematics understanding. The ‘gamified’ aspect of the website makes learning much more satisfying for students, who expressed that the change to learning methods similar to games they play in their free time made content much easier to get through and understand.

It is clear students within Mr Allen’s class openly value the learning methods utilised and have enjoyed them substantially, whilst also learning a great deal.

Thoughts are gathered from Ned, Jemima and Ky and collated by our first-year pre-service teacher Mr Morgan.

Sport and Sporting Representatives

Over the past term we have had several students represent our school as part of  Nambour District, Sunshine Coast Regional or State sporting teams.  Congratulations to the following students:

Sunshine Coast Regional Representatives:

Netball - Henry P, Ned B

Hockey - Mackenzie F, Grace T, Heidi V, Lachlan M

Golf - Finn D

Swimming - Imogen H, Elka S

AFL – Rylan W, Hendrix O

Cross Country results (Competitive Races):

2015 Boys – 1^st Hugh W, 2^nd Josh T, 3^rd Jacob E, 4^th Wes M; 5^th Leo W

2015 Girls – 1^st Lydia M, 2^nd Imogen H, 3^rd Riley J, 4^th Elka S; 5^th Keira O

2014 Boys – 1^st Oscar S, 2^nd Oliver R, 3^rd Patrick A, 4^th Tannyn M; 5^th Thomas O

2014 Girls – 1^st Chanel D, 2^nd Kylah D, 3^rd Heidi L, 4^th Indiana H; 5^th Milla S

2013 Boys – 1^st Harley O, 2^nd Lewis P, 3^rd Hudson O, 4^th Noah R; 5^th Hayden E

2013 Girls – 1^st Isla W, 2^nd Jemima L, 3^rd Isla J, 4^th Lara C, 5^th Lucy T

A HUGE Congratulations to our sporting stars!

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students who have represented our school in District and Regional sports teams throughout the semester. Their dedication, sportsmanship, and talent have truly shone across a wide range of disciplines, including swimming, cross country, netball, football, rugby, hockey, golf, basketball and tennis.

Whether competing on the field, the court, or the track, these students have demonstrated not only skill and perseverance but also the core values of teamwork, respect, and resilience. Representing our school at such high levels is a tremendous honour, and these athletes have worn our colours with pride.

A special thank you also goes to the families and coaches who have supported our students on this journey—your encouragement and commitment make a huge difference.

We look forward to seeing even more success in the coming terms!

District Cross Country

The District Cross Country Trials were held on Friday 2 May at Bli Bli State School.  Under a mixture of grey skies, interspersed with some blue, we had 31 very talented BMSS students participate in their races against other Nambour District schools.  Bli Bli has a fabulous and challenging 1km loop with uphill, downhill and flat sections to challenge the runners. The 10 years ran 2 laps of the course and the 11 and 12 years ran 3 laps. The athletes can be extremely proud of their efforts. A big congratulations to the students who have qualified to represent Nambour District at the Regional Trials to be held on 3 June at Noosaville State School.

Cross Country Results

2 Age Champions

10yrs Boys – Rylan W

12 yrs Boys – Harley O

6 Podium Finishers

Rylan W, Harley O, Chanel D, Isla W, Lydia M and Hugh W

11 Chosen to Represent Nambour District

Rylan W, Harley O, Chanel D, Isla W, Lydia M, Hugh W, Imogen H, Riley, Kylah D, Lara C and Jemima

A huge congratulations to all our runners who were great representatives for our school both on and off the track.

A HUGE Congratulations to Our Sporting Stars!

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our students who have represented our school in District and Regional sports teams throughout the semester. Their dedication, sportsmanship, and talent have truly shone across a wide range of disciplines, including swimming, cross country, netball, football, rugby, hockey, golf, basketball and tennis.

Whether competing on the field, the court, or the track, these students have demonstrated not only skill and perseverance but also the core values of teamwork, respect, and resilience. Representing our school at such high levels is a tremendous honour, and these athletes have worn our colours with pride.

A special thank you also goes to the families and coaches who have supported our students on this journey—your encouragement and commitment make a huge difference.

We look forward to seeing even more success in the coming terms!

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Regional Softball Trials

Several students from Buderim Mountain State School recently took part in the Regional Softball Trials as representatives of the Nambour District. The event brought together young athletes from across the region to compete and develop their skills in a supportive and competitive environment.

As part of the Nambour District team, the students trained and competed under the guidance of coach Mr Anthony Hawes, who provided valuable support throughout the process. The team demonstrated strong teamwork, consistent effort, and a positive attitude both on and off the field.

Participating in the regional trials is a valuable experience for students looking to grow in their sport and contribute to school and district teams. Congratulations to all involved and thank you to Mr Hawes for his continued support of our school’s sporting programs.

Year 4-6 Athletics Events

Athletics Preparation

Throughout Term 2, students have been enthusiastically developing their athletic skills and have had the opportunity to showcase their abilities through ongoing assessments. Despite a few interruptions from the weather, preparations for the upcoming carnival are steadily progressing.

Students who have qualified for a field event have been identified during their HPE lessons and are aware of their participation. If your child represented the school at last year’s Nambour District Trial and will be unable to attend the carnival, please reach out to Mr Hawes before the end of Week 8, as there may be an opportunity to make alternative arrangements.

In Week 7, an online nomination form will be shared. Year 5 and 6 students will complete the form during class time, while Year 4 parents will receive the form via email to complete at home.

As we lead up to the carnival, pre-carnival events will include the 100m and 200m heats, the 200m final, and the discus event. We look forward to a fantastic display of school spirit and athletic talent!

Carnival Day

Please ensure your child is well-prepared for the day by packing a clearly labelled water bottle and their school hat. They should come dressed in their sports house shirt with appropriate footwear, and sunscreen should be applied at home before arriving.

We are incredibly grateful to our dedicated staff who generously contribute their time and energy to make all our events successful. Their commitment to ensuring everything runs smoothly is truly commendable.

As we have a variety of exciting events planned throughout the day, we kindly ask parents to remain on the sidelines and enjoy watching the activities as they unfold. This allows our students to fully engage and showcase their efforts.

Should you have any questions or concerns on the day, please feel free to approach Mr. Hawes directly. He will be more than happy to assist you.

Our students are giving their best and, most importantly, having a fantastic time. Your support and cooperation play a vital role in creating a positive and enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Thank you for being an essential part of our school community!

Awards and Announcements
All results from the carnival will be shared on Friday 19 June, before the end of the day. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of our students, including the announcement of the overall winning house, the recipient of the Toohey’s Cup Trophy, and Age Champions for the 10, 11, and 12 year categories.

Nambour District Athletics Trial
Selection for the school team to compete at the Nambour District Athletics Trial, will be based on recorded times and distances. Please be aware that winning an event does not automatically guarantee selection. Students eligible to represent Buderim Mountain State School at the District Trials will be notified in Week 1 of Term 3.

See below the program for the day. Students will take their lunch breaks at the usual times and will leave the oval and use their normal eating areas.

More Sport News

Finn D competed in the Australian Junior Age Division Golf Championships on the Gold Coast in the April school holidays. This competition sees around 70 elite junior golfers compete in each age division for both boys and girls, with age groupings from 6 – 18 year olds. Competitors come from across Australia and internationally.  Finn won his age division (9-10 year old boys) and now holds the title of Australian Champion Junior Golfer for his age group!  Winning the championship also means he’s been invited to compete at two major events in the USA and another major event in Ireland called ‘The Champion of Champions’. Congratulations Finn.

Incursions & Excursions

Prep: Mother's Day

During Week Three our Preps enjoyed hosting a special people morning in honour of Mother’s Day. We went all out to make sure our loved ones felt special and knew how important they are to us!

We spent the morning giving massages, painting nails, making crowns, painting portraits, and doing special activities together!

Thank you to all our special people for taking the time to play and celebrate with our Prep Superstars!

Prep: Farm Day

On Tuesday 13 May the Prep classes had Farm Day.  We all came dressed as farmers and did some farm related activities in our classrooms.  The best part of Farm Day was going to see the animals.  Some of our favourite things at the farm were the little pigs digging in the dirt, the ducks in the water trough having a bath, brushing the calf, feeding the sheep, crazy chickens running around and the goat head butting.  It was a fun day and we were very lucky the sun was shining.

Prep: Puppet Show

Prep children enjoyed watching an engaging and funny puppet show which featured well known nursery rhymes and traditional fairy tales. Children loved seeing familiar characters come to life on the puppet stage. We saw The Big Bad Wolf, Little Red Riding Hood, The Gingerbread Man, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and many others. Students also sang “We’re going on a bear hunt”, met a snow bear and it snowed on us! We even got a sneak peek of the puppets behind the scenes after the show.

Year 1: Fire Education

This term, Year 1 have been lucky enough to have had two visits from our local fire brigade. We learned all about the importance of fire safety, practiced ‘get down low and go, go, go!’, explored the important equipment within a fire engine, learnt that once out of fire we need to stay out and even got to have a go using the fire hose to put out a pretend fire!  A big thank you to our local Buderim Fire and Rescue Station for taking the time to visit us!  

Year 1 challenges all of our families to do the following: 

1. Count how many fire alarms are in your house 
2. Test your fire alarms to check if they work
3. Learn your home address 
4. Learn your parent/carer's phone number  
5. Come up with and practise a fire escape plan with your family

Under 8’s Day

1CF's Reflection

Year 1 had a wonderful time at the Under 8's Day with so many activities to enjoy! The children loved spending time with their classmates, getting messy and engaging in many hands-on activities. 1CH had a hard time choosing their favourite activity but this is what they came up with: biscuit making (Eloise), totem tennis (Ben), stress balloons (Hannah, Cora), shaving foam (Summer), kinetic sand (Romy), water painting (Zoe), beads (Eleanora, Edward), obstacle course (Violet), glitter playdoh (Ivy, Elke, Tom), chalk (Lincoln), rock painting (Saige), ice breaking (Tommy), hula hoops (Aurelia, Olive), paper folding (Ellis), box construction (Remy, Taylor), bubble dance (Daisy).

1SB's Reflections

What a fun and fabulous time we all had at our Year 1 Under 8’s morning on Friday. The weather was perfect and there were so many exciting and interesting activities for us to explore. It was wonderful to see so many family members there to share in the fun, and there were lots and lots of smiling faces. We really loved having our picnic lunch together too, when it was all finished.

Here is what the children from 1SB had to say about the morning.

The kinetic sand felt like fairy floss and all slimy. It was fun to pretend it was plasticine that was falling apart. It was a good material to make sandcastles from. We banged the ice so we could get the sea animals out of it. There was ice shaped like watermelons and it made our hands freezing cold. When the shaving cream was nearly gone, you could write your name in it.

By Olivia, Charlotte R and Clementine

We loved making the stress balls because they are fun to squish. There were two different things to put inside – rice and flour. They feel amazing and they are good for our hands.

By Luxie, Charlotte T and David

We liked weaving the baskets because it was really challenging for our brains and we like using our brains a lot. Our baskets turned out amazingly.

By Gemma, Kyah and Jasmine

We liked painting the rocks because most people like painting. The rocks were a great material to paint on because they were smooth, and the paint went on well.

By Nathan, Max and Nash

Year 2 and Prep:

This year the Preps and Yr 2s celebrated their Under 8s day at the same time.  With over 300 students eager to participate, the rain couldn’t dampen their spirits.  It was a quick change of venue and modification of some activities due to the wet weather but fun was had by all.

This fun and educational event was a wonderful opportunity for students to come together and celebrate learning through a range of hands-on activities that support the Australian Curriculum and our Early Years philosophy.

There was plenty of Bubble blowing, LEGO construction, Paper plane making, face painting, skipping and dancing.

Thank you to all of our amazing teachers who make events like this such a success and all of the parents and carers who helped out on the day.

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Year 2: Science

A Day of Hands-On Discovery!

Last week, our Year 2 students were treated to an exciting and engaging Science Incursion held in the school hall. Led by the enthusiastic team from the Sunshine Coast Environmental Education Centre, the focus of the day was all about forces—especially the concepts of push and pull.

The morning kicked off with a rotation of hands-on activities that had students investigating whether they were using push or pull forces. From jumping frogs and spinning copters to parachutes, croquet, and traditional Indigenous games, the activities were not only educational but packed with fun. Students loved experimenting and predicting how different forces were being used in each scenario.

In the middle session, we explored how push forces could be used creatively by making dinosaur fossils. The highlight of the session was a science experiment involving toy cars and ramps. Students tested how the height of a ramp affected the distance a car could travel—an exciting way to apply their growing understanding of forces.

The day wrapped up with an engineering challenge where every student had the chance to build their very own toy car. It was a fantastic opportunity for hands-on learning - all while reinforcing the science concepts from the day.

A huge thank you goes out to our wonderful parent volunteers who assisted throughout the day. Your support helped make the day run smoothly and ensured the students had a memorable and enriching experience.

We’re so proud of how curious and enthusiastic our Year 2 learners were – what a fantastic way to bring science to life!

By 2SM

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Year 5: Cosmodome

The year 5 Cosmodome was not just any space incursion but a science related 3D space experience that was truly amazing and an unforgettable moment in time. We watched some really cool videos that gave important and interesting information - they were amazing. When inside the dome we got to see every single planet including the Sun and Pluto. Everyone got to see a closeup of every planet in our solar system. When entering the Cosmodome we saw a picture of the sun in the middle of the screen.  It was like stepping into your very own planetarium.

By Adam S

Our Year five Cosmodome incursion was an unforgettable 3D experience. Before entering the Cosomodome, we went through some basic rules about entering including no talking and no walking around so people can see. After the rules we went one by one through the passageway to get inside the Cosmodome. When we sat down there was a picture projecting on the screen of a house and some land. On the corner there was the sun.  The presenter, Paul, zoomed into the sun and we saw all the planets orbiting it. We zoomed in to each planet and had a closer look. Paul also showed us all the moons for each planet. After that we spread out and we laid down to watch some videos and we looked at some things that we can’t see with the human eye. It was amazing!

By Willow B

Queensland Symphony Orchestra

On Friday 23 May a group of BMSS Instrumental Music students had the absolute privilege of watching the Queensland Symphony Orchestra perform at QPAC in Brisbane. The program was titled “Art of the Score” where we delved into the thoughts of Hans Zimmer and his music writing expertise in bringing stories of fantasy to life through dramatic music.

This was by far the best QSO concert we have experienced over the years, all thanks to the organisation of Mrs Payne and her side-kick, Mr Scullett-Dean.  Students witnessed the discipline of the professional musicians and the inspirational sound that comes with the craft of performing.

Sunshine Coast Regional Lego SUMO Competition

The BMSS Robotics Club has had 15 teams of students busy over the last few months designing robots using Lego Spike kits to compete in sumo events. Along with designing cool and unique robots, each team had to create a code to:

a) seek out their opponent to push out of the sumo ring; and

b) keep their robot away from the edge of the ring to ensure they do not drive off the edge.

Earlier this term, we had our own inter-school competition to find the top 10 teams that would advance to represent the school at the Sunshine Coast Robocup at Sunshine Coast Grammar School, Friday May 23. Over the last few weeks, these 10 teams (along with some very keen eliminated teams) continued to fine tune their robot designs and codes.

Finally, the day arrived, and the 10 teams made their way to the Sunshine Coast Grammar School to take part along with 50 other teams from across the Sunshine Coast. Each team took part in 6 rounds, with some Buderim robots going up against each other. At the end of the preliminary rounds, 3 BMSS teams made it through to the top 16:

• Circuit Crew 1: Ulises E and Jack M
• Circuit Crew 3: Evie N, Grace T and Poppy V
• Circuit Crew 5 : Eli G and Aiden D

Circuit Crew 3 made it to the quarter finals before being bundled out, which was a great achievement. Circuit Crews 1 and 5 were on the same side of the draw and won through to meet each other in the semi-final. Circuit Crew 5 edged out 1 and made their way to the Grand Final. The boys put up a gallant fight in the final but went down in a close fought bout.

Final results in the primary school division:

BMSS won 2^nd and 3^rd!

Finally, it was great to see two former Buderim students also finish 2^nd in the secondary competition – Noah C and Xander R.

It was amazing to see what the students created and achieved throughout their time in Robotics Club so far this year. We look forward to attending again next year and maybe going that one step further.

Thanks

Mr. J

Planeteer News

Recently the Planeteers have been focussing on waste management, particularly recycling in our classrooms. This includes training our Planeteers as “waste champions”, to remind and educate other students about correct recycling, and what can and cannot be put in the yellow classroom recycling caddies.

Over the next couple of weeks, selected Planeteers will be carrying out bin audits for every single classroom in the school. The five criteria that will be assessed are:

1. Are the collection bins side by side?
2. Are there only recyclables in the recycle bin?
3. Is the recycle bin clearly signed and coloured yellow?
4. Are there only general waste items in the general waste bin?
5. Is the general waste bin clearly signed and coloured red?

We are hoping to see lots of classes achieve 5 stars!

The above criteria comes from the Sunshine Coast Council, as part of the Waste 2 Resource STARS Program recommendations. In Week 2, we were very lucky to have Amy from Envirocom visit us, as part of BMSS’s journey in the STARS Program. Planeteers audited a general waste bin, sorting through its entire contents. We found that 40% of its contents were recyclable, and 20% compostable, meaning a staggering 60% of waste in one wheelie bin could have been diverted from landfill! With more education and awareness, we are hoping for improved recycling practises across the school.

The Planeteers look forward to another visit from Envirocom in Week 10, focussing on composting and worm farming!

Belinda Thompson

Chappy Week

Week 5 saw the school joyfully celebrate Chappy Week, honouring the incredible contributions of our school chaplain, Chappy Alexia. Our Chappy is a beacon of kindness and compassion, providing unwavering support to students and families alike. Through initiatives like the Breakfast Club, she ensures every student starts their day with a nutritious meal and a sense of belonging. Her dedication fosters a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and supported.

The week was filled with engaging activities that brought our community closer together. Students participated in parachute games, creative drawings, 9 squares in the air, chuck the chook, and year-level challenges. Many expressed their appreciation by crafting handmade cards, drawing Chappy portraits, and composing heartfelt acrostic poems. Classes also showcased their spirit by singing favourite songs and capturing fun, crazy photos—a wonderful way to relieve stress and bond with classmates.

These celebrations highlight the strength we gain when we work side by side, allowing each other to shine. Our Chappy's unwavering commitment and compassion continue to profoundly impact our school community.

Chappy’s dedication extends to supporting families in need, offering resources and assistance to help them through tough times. By building strong relationships within the school and connecting with local organizations, our Chappy creates a network of care that uplifts the entire community.

As we celebrate Chappy Alexia, we express our deepest gratitude for the positive impact she has on our school. Her kindness, compassion, and commitment make our community stronger and more connected.

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National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week is time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.  It is about celebrating and building on respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and other Australians.  The dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey – the successful 1967 referendum (27 May) and the 1992 High Court Mabo decision. (June 3)

The National Reconciliation Week 2025 theme, Bridging Now to Next, reflects the ongoing connection between past, present and future.

Bridging Now to Next calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.

In the National Reconciliation Week 2025 theme artwork created by Kalkadoon woman Bree Buttenshaw, native plants − which are known for regenerating after fire and thriving through adversity − symbolise our collective strength and the possibilities of renewal. This is a time for growth, reflection, and commitment to walking together.

Australia’s history of reconciliation is not a linear one, we have made great strides and experienced disappointing setbacks.

Twenty-five years ago, Corroboree 2000 brought together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous leaders in an historic call for reconciliation. We continue that work in 2025, inviting all Australians to join us in Bridging Now to Next – building a more united and respectful nation.

If you would like more information on National Reconciliation Week, please use the attached link:

https://www.reconciliation.org.au/

NAIDOC Week

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. You can support and get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities through activities and events held across the country. 

The 2025 theme, "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy," celebrates not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of our young leaders, the vision of our communities, and the legacy of our ancestors. 

Over the decades, NAIDOC Week has grown into a powerful national celebration, a testament to the enduring strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As we commemorate this 50-year legacy, we also look forward, honouring the next generation who will carry the torch, shaping the future with courage, insight, and deep respect for our roots. Guided by the wisdom of our Elders and the groundwork laid by our forebears, each NAIDOC Week reinforces our vision.

In 2025, our school will celebrate “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy” through having Gubbi Gubbi people visit our school and work with all students from Prep through to year 6.  More information about our NAIDOC Week celebration will be shared in our next newsletter.

ICAS Assessments

Buderim Mountain State School will be participating in the ICAS competitions again this year. The competitions will be available to students from Year 3-Year 6 in all subjects – Digital Technologies, Writing, English, Science, Spelling Bee and Mathematics. All tests will be held between Week 5-Week 10 in Term 3. At Buderim Mountain State School, all tests are held in the mornings, before school.

If you wish for your child to participate in the competitions, please read the information provided and purchase tests at:

https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps and enter our school code – JNS825

Please purchase tests before Monday the 17th of June.  Specific test dates and locations will be provided to families early Term 3, once registrations have closed.

If you would like any further information, please contact the teacher coordinating the assessments – Jo Macan jmaca47@eq.edu.au.

Reminders

Late Arrivals & Early Departures

To ensure the safety of our students, we kindly remind you of the procedures for dropping off late students and picking up children early.

• Late Arrivals: If your child arrives late to school, please bring them to the Health Room to sign them in. This helps us keep accurate attendance records and ensures your child is properly accounted for.
• Early Pickups: If you need to pick up your child before dismissal, please go to the Health Room and bring a valid photo ID. The Health Room staff will call your child’s classroom, and your child will meet you there.

These procedures help us maintain a safe and organized environment for all students. Thank you for your cooperation!

Thank you also to all families for ensuring students attend school with their lunch in their bag or their tuckshop ordered. Any students who have forgotten their lunch should go to the school office for assistance.

Nambour Show Holiday

A reminder to all families that the Nambour Show Holiday is on Friday 13 June. The school will be closed on this day due to it being a public holiday.

Uniforms

Thank you to all families who ensure students are in full school uniform each day. As the weather is continuing to get cooler this term, it is important that all students continue to wear the correct Buderim Mountain State School winter uniform. We are fortunate to have excellent support from our parents in ensuring students are in full school uniform each day. Thank you for continuing this and only wearing the following winter uniform to school:

• Unisex jackets – bottle green and maroon double fleece with embroidered logo
• Unisex pullovers – bottle green and maroon double fleece with embroidered logo
• Long bottle green tracksuit or cargo pants, or bottle green tights under skorts
• Additional winter items must be plain bottle green or maroon in colour (including jumpers)

PERKS

Our PERKS lesson for our Year 1 to 6 students in Week 7 this term will further build on their knowledge and understanding about RESILIENCE.

We all know that RESILIENCE is the ability to bounce back again and again when things don’t go our way. Our students have explored what behaviours would be evident when we are being resilient and what behaviours we would see if we are not.

A big part of becoming resilient is learning to ask ourselves “How bad is it, really?”

The CATASTROPHE SCALE can be used to help us put our problems into perspective. Problems may be rated from 0 (no problem) to 10 (worst ever). This helps us understand that some problems may not be as bad as we first thought.

In a book called The Resilience Project, the author Hugh Van Cuylenburg describes his experiences in a remote desert community in India where despite the community having very little to call their own, they were incredibly happy.

He learnt from these people that practising GRATITUDE, EMPATHY & MINDFULNESS daily leads us to be happier and more resilient. He calls this GEMs to make us more resilient rich.

GRATITUDE is paying attention to what we have, not what we don’t have. It is the act of being thankful and appreciating what you have in life.

Mrs Brennan speaks with students about how they could write in a GRATITUDE journal daily by just answering some simple questions:

• What are three things that went well for you today?

OR

• What was the best thing that happened to me today?
• Who am I most grateful for today and why?
• What am I looking forward to most about tomorrow?

EMPATHY is putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes and trying to imagine what they are going through. Showing empathy for others makes us more likely to treat people with kindness. Being kind to others also makes us happy.

MINDFULNESS is being calm and living in the present moment. We can practise mindfulness in an organised way by completing meditation, breathing exercises, mindful colouring etc or in a more casual way by just paying close attention to what we are doing and not letting our mind wander. Mindfulness is good for our physical and mental health.

We will be practising all of these GEMs with our students and hope that parents will find it useful to follow up with these at home.

PERKS Peaceful Place

We are excited to announce the opening of the PERKS Peaceful Place in Week 2 this term—a calm and quiet space designed for students to relax and recharge during their lunch breaks. Whether it's reading a book, practicing mindfulness, or simply enjoying a peaceful environment, the space offers a welcome retreat from the hustle and bustle of the school day.

The initiative has already proven to be extremely popular among students. Due to high demand, the space operates with a maximum limit of 20 students per break to ensure it remains a calm and comfortable environment for everyone.

We’re thrilled to see so many students benefiting from this new addition and look forward to continuing to support student wellbeing through peaceful, purposeful spaces like this.

Curriculum Corner

The information below was shared in the last newsletter. We are sharing these details again given the Semester 1 report cards will be emailed to parents Friday Week 1, Term 3.

Reporting Scales

As per the Department of Education Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Framework Version 9, assessment tasks and academic reporting will have some changes as of 2025. The table below shows the terminology for the five-point scale when grading summative assessment and for report cards.

Specialist Learning Areas

Assessment and reporting for HPE, Languages, Performing Arts (Music, Dance & Drama) and Technologies: The Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework outlines the minimum reporting requirements for these learning areas/subjects.

The table further below has the minimum reporting requirement for each learning area/subject and then in bold when BMSS will report to parents in 2025.

Learning in these specialist areas occurs more frequently than assessment and reporting. For example, in Technologies, students will experience learning in Design and Digital Technologies even if they are not being assessed that semester or year.

We have ensured all curriculum elements are being covered as per the requirements from the Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework. Refer to the Year Level Overviews for more information.

Please ensure the office has your latest email addresses in the database. These addresses are linked to the emailing of academic report cards, which will be sent to parents/carers Friday Week 1, Term 3.

Our Yearly Curriculum Overviews are located on the website.

https://buderimmountainss.eq.edu.au/curriculum/teaching-and-learning

Kristie O’Keefe

(Head of Curriculum)

Library Lounge

Thank you to all our wonderful students, families and volunteers for making our Book Fair a huge success!!!!

We will be able to fill our library with many new books using the Scholastic school rewards system.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is an annual state-wide initiative for Queensland state students from Prep to Year 6. The PRC aims to improve literacy and encourage children to read for pleasure and learning.

If your child wishes to participate in the challenge, a Reader Record Form can be collected from the library. Years 3 to 6 students are to record the books they have read on the Reader Record Form and return it to the library by Friday 22nd August.

All Prep, Year 1 and Year 2 students will complete the challenge in class. Therefore, these students will not need to have an individual Reader Record Form because they read the required number of books with their teachers.

Happy reading,

Library Team

QParents

Our school has been using QParents in recent years for all year levels. All new families should have received an email inviting you to register for QParents.  If you have not received this email, please check your spam or junk box, and if you cannot find the email, please contact the school office so we can assist.  In order to register for QParents, you will require the regular 100 points of ID.  Attached to this newsletter is an outline of the types of ID accepted. QParents is a simple way to pay for any school excursions or fees without having to send money or paperwork back to the school. Parents can also gain an update on your child’s attendance and submit absence information. Finally, parents can update personal details automatically and student's past report cards can be accessed via QParents. If you have not received an invitation, please advise us immediately.

If you are an existing parent and have yet to register for QParents, please either call the office on 54772777 or email info@buderimmountainss.eq.edu.au

To register for Qparents, you will need to follow 4 easy steps

1. Check that you have received your unique invitation code sent to your email. This also includes your child’s EQ ID number (if you haven’t received this, email our HR team to assist via resources@buderimmountainss.eq.edu.au),
2. You need an active email account
3. Access to 100 points of ID to verify your identity. (See table below)
4. Go to https://qparents.qld.edu.au and register

Student Drop Off and Pick Up

In order to keep all of our students safe at school drop off and pick up, we kindly ask parents to: 

• Ensure the driver remains in the vehicle at all times when dropping off and picking up students in the Elizabeth Street Stop, Drop and Go Zone. There are 6 x 2 minute zones in Elizabeth Street where the driver must remain in the vehicle as well as other regulated parking along the street.
• Only crossing at the lights when the green walking image is displayed. Please do not cross at crossings when the red walking image is displayed.
• Only parking legally around the school - all parking is well signposted and will show drivers when and where you can park. There are a number of cameras installed on Main Street, Elizabeth Street and Clithero Avenue, which can result in parking fines issued by the Sunshine Coast Regional Council if parked illegally.
• Not parking on private property or in front of driveways (private businesses, church grounds, private residential properties etc)
• Only crossing at the lights on Gloucester Road – please ensure you walk up to the Main Street lights to cross Gloucester Road if using this exit to the school.

Our students learn from adults modelling how to follow safety rules outlined in the information above. We appreciate all parents and carers being good role models to our children by assisting with this.

Student Mobile Phones & Smart Watches

This year the State Government is continuing with their Mobile Phone and Smart Watch policy of  “Away for the Day”.  With this initiative, students are to keep mobile phones switched off and not on them during the school day.  All of our year 5 and 6 classrooms have safes, where students are to place their phone when arriving at school.  Students in lower year levels are still to hand their mobile phone to the school office staff upon arriving at school.  All students can collect their phone from the safe or office when school finishes at 3pm.  Wearable devices, such as smart watches must also be switched to School Mode so phone calls, text messages and other notifications cannot be sent or received during the school day. 

A reminder also to parents that should you need to send an important message to your child during the school day, it should be done via the school staff.  A big thank you to all parents and carers for ensuring Smart Watches are set to ‘school mode’.

Absence Text Messaging System

All Queensland public schools are required to implement a text messaging system to follow up on unexplained absences. Effectively, if a child has not arrived at school and a parent has not informed the school, it is a requirement for the school, to send a text message requesting a reason for the absence on a daily basis.

We ask that parents assist by ensuring all absences are explained on a daily basis. From time to time, we predict that we may make some errors with texts and ask for your support as we fulfil this process. It would be appreciated if parents can still respond by text to let us know. While we will aim to not have any errors, with over 1170 students at our school, this may occur occasionally.

The following options are currently in place to contact the school regarding absences with QParents being the preferred option. To avoid unexplained absences, please report the absence before 8:00 am.

• QParents: https://qparents.qld.edu.au/   This is our preferred method to report reasons for absences to the school.
• Student Absentee Call Line (5477 2760)

Emails and Notes: We are aware that absences can be reported via emails and notes, but we encourage parents to use QParents. Emails and notes can be processed but are often delivered at varying times or double-handled by teachers and other staff. This may cause a time-lag in accurate roll marking. Thank you for your assistance with this.

Keeping our Students Safe

To assist with keeping all of our students safe, we would like to remind everyone our playground equipment is not permitted for use before or after school, even under parent supervision. The equipment requires a teacher on duty to supervise all children for safe play. We appreciate your support with following school procedures and to ensure our children are safe.

Parades

Parades will continue each week, in our new school hall, at the following times with parents welcome to attend:

Parades include the presentation of weekly awards, messages and occasional performances.

Principal’s certificates, banners and medallions are usually presented twice per term. Any awards that are submitted by the Wednesday in the week prior to the dates shown below will be presented on these parades:

From the Office

Upcoming events and payment dates

Please make sure that you have paid the amounts in full by the due dates. Payment for excursions can be made via:

• QParents
• BPoint
• Payment window- open Wednesday 8:00am-9:30am

QParents Frequently Asked Questions

How much do I owe?

• QParents enables you to view invoices as well as details of paid invoices. Click the ‘To Pay’ checkbox next to any invoice to make a payment.
• Note: If you are viewing the payment screen within the combined student view (accessed through the Payments tile on your home screen), click on the student name which will navigate you to the individual student profile where you can make a payment.
• Watch this video for an overview of the payments screen and making online payments in QParents.

If I pay an invoice does that mean my child can attend the event?

• You will also need to give your ‘consent’ (permission) for your child to attend. In the past, we have sent out permission letters however, we now use QParents to gain your consent. It is important that you provide consent (your permission for your child to attend the event) as well as pay for the invoice.
  
  

I notice QParents has ‘Consent Management’. What is this?

• Consent Management is a new feature in QParents. It enables you to provide consent (permission) for events/excursions. This is a great feature as it removes the paperwork previously required for every school event your child would attend (please note, you still need to pay for the event as well as give your consent- two part process).

2025 Facility Hire

If you are interested in hiring our facilities (outside of school hours) in 2025, please complete an Expression of Interest. Facilities that are available include: oval, pool, library courtyard, hall and the tennis courts.

BMSS P & C News

P & C Events and Special Dates

150^th Anniversary Celebrations

The BMSS 150^th Anniversary celebrations are on the weekend of 21 June. Register your interest in attending the epic events in store (including fireworks!) at: https://www.bmsspandc.org/150

To give you an idea of the special and endearing nature of this historical event, check out this special video, created in conjunction with 150^th supporters, Reflected Image: https://player.vimeo.com/video/1085407221

You can also register on the above link to lend a hand – we’ll need a small army of volunteers to help deliver this historical event to our school and local community.

Thanks to a range of local businesses, we have an absolutely epic raffle to celebrate our 150th Anniversary (including over $10K worth of prizes!). All proceeds from raffle ticket sales will go to the BMSS chaplaincy fund. Winners will be drawn at the 150th celebrations on 21 June. To buy tickets, head to the 150^th page on our website  at: https://www.bmsspandc.org/150

We also acknowledge our generous sponsors for the 150^th events, especially the Gregory Ward Team from Ray White Real Estate, who are Platinum sponsors for our 150^th Anniversary Celebrations! We also thank and acknowledge additional sponsors, including Bendigo Bank, ABC Dentistry and URBN Town Planning. In addition, BMSS is a proud recipient of a grant from the Buderim Foundation, for which we are immensely grateful.

150^th Anniversary Art Competition

We had 89 wonderful artworks entered into the 150th Anniversary Art Competition – thank-you to all our entrants! Selecting pieces to feature on our commemorative tea towel was not an easy task.

We were able to produce three bright and colourful tea towel designs showcasing more than 30 winning artworks. Prize-winners, along with thumbnails of all entries, have been posted on the Uniform Shop blackboard. Certificates and awards are on their way and tea towels available to order instore or on Flexischools.

A huge thank-you to Eckersley’s Minyama and our bookpack supplier, Your Office Choice, for generously sponsoring Encouragement Awards for our Budding artists.

Keep an eye out for our display of all entries at the 150th celebrations on 21 June.

Please see below the tea towel designs! Congratulations again to our three featured print prize-winners. L-R: Penny, Alexander, Giselle.

4556 Coffee Table Book

BMSS has been gifted a limited number of ‘Four Five Five Six - the Buderim region coffee table book to sell for our 150 Year Celebrations, with all proceeds going to our school!

This limited-edition coffee table book captures the history of Buderim from First Nations and our farming heritage, through to our current lifestyle. The book has 291 stunning photographs, informative maps, stories and interesting facts about the Buderim region. What a great gift for your Buderim family or for a friend!

Order the book now for $88 (price set by the publisher, all proceeds go to BMSS) via Flexischools.

Uniform Shop

• Arts Polos: All pre-orders have now been delivered to classrooms. We do have a few additional Arts Polos, now available instore or on Flexischools.

• Senior Polos: Last sizes now listed on Flexischools.

• School Jacket Donations: Demand for pre-loved school jackets is rising as the weather cools, but our secondhand rack is running low. If you have outgrown school jackets, please consider donating them to help us fill this need. Thank-you for ensuring donations are in clean condition.

• Sewing Volunteers: Handy with a sewing machine, or a hand-stitching guru? We’d love to hear from you! If you’re able to help out with a little mending, or transforming reclaimed fabric into scrunchies, please reach out – uniform@bmsspandc.org

• Did you know? We don’t just sell uniforms. We also stock replacement buttons, iron-on adhesive for badges, handballs, clarinet and saxophone reeds, and permanent markers for labelling. We also now have a range of limited-edition items to mark the 150th anniversary of BMSS. If there’s something we could stock which would make your life a little easier, do let us know – suggestions welcomed.

• Show holiday week (week 8) opening times: please note the uniform shop will be open on Wednesday afternoon 11 June, instead of Thursday, in Week 8. Friday 13 June is a public holiday, so no uniform deliveries this day.

Banksia Cafe 

Take Home Meals – Available Now!

Introducing delicious, nutritious and convenient meals for your family now available from Banksia Café!

What’s on Offer?
🍲 Fresh or Frozen Family Meals
💚 Made with Love & Quality Ingredients
🌟 Limited Quantities – Order Early!

Pick-Up Times:
Tuesday - Friday | 7:30 AM - 2:45 PM

How to Order:
✅ Order via Flexischools
✅ Purchase Over the Counter at Banksia Cafe

Outside School Hours Care (OSHC)

OSHC Winter 2025 Vacation Program - Out Now!

We are excited to welcome bookings for the Buderim OSHC Winter Vacation Care program these coming school holidays. We are confident the Vacation Care program will be a great opportunity for your children to make new friends, explore new experiences and develop their skills. Check out the program to see the fantastic array of activities, incursions and excursions in store, including a Slumber Party, a ‘Kidchella’ Festival, visits to Inflatable World, Australia Zoo, and more!

• Here’s what you need to know about the program and how to get your kids into the action: - Bookings & Enrolments: To create bookings, please do so via the OWNA app.
• Cancellations & Absences: 1 weeks' notice is required for the cancellation of days (without charge).
• Food & Drink: The service will provide a light morning tea and afternoon tea, but children are required to bring a packed lunch (preferably nut free due to allergies within the service).
• Clothing: Children are required to wear sun safe clothing; no singlets and midriff tops to be worn. Children are also to wear enclosed shoes while at the service and on excursions.
• Finances and Childcare Subsidy (CCS): All financial information (including statements) is accessed via the OWNA Home app.
• Excursions: If your child is booked on an excursion day, they must attend the excursion as we do not offer an alternative program at the service.

For more information, or to access programs, forms and links, just head to: www.buderimoshc.org or email: oshc@bmsspandc.org.

BMSS P & C Socials

Follow Us on Socials

Stay up-to-date and make sure you follow us on social media.  Our accounts always have lots of great information.

Access our website and socials using the links below: