Welcome to Term 3 – Another term of Learning, Celebration and Connection

We hope the recent school holiday was a memorable time for you and your families. We are delighted to see our students return to school.

As we embark into Term 3, we remain mindful of the winter season and its impact on wellbeing. If your child is feeling unwell, we kindly ask that you keep them home to rest and recover and please notify our office of their absence. Once they’re well enough, we look forward to welcoming them back because every day at school is a day full of opportunity for learning and engagement.

This term promises to be a vibrant one with a suite of events, acknowledgements and celebrations that reflect our school’s dynamic spirit. Including our 135-year celebration! We encourage all families to review the Term 3 calendar included in this newsletter.

 School closures this term:

• Wednesday, 13 August – School closed for the EKKA public holiday
• Friday, 5 September – School closed for Term 3 Student Free Day

Bullying No Way: National week of action 11 – 15 August

This term we will continue to prioritise the development of an inclusive and respectful school culture. We are taking part in Bullying No Way! week from 11–15 August, embracing the theme: Be Bold, Be Kind, Speak Up.

This celebration is more than a campaign, it’s a reflection of our commitment to creating a safe and nurturing environment for every student. Our school explores effective strategies for addressing behaviour concerns, building empathy and reinforcing our expectations for respectful interactions across our school community.

At Aspley, we believe success is not just academic, it’s also found in friendships, personal growth and the shared joy of belonging. Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to build a thriving and connected school culture.

When a student engages at school and that engagement with peers or other members of our community is less than positive, the ripple effects are felt by all. Bullying can take many forms - verbal, physical, social or online - and it’s not always easy to identify. The key question is: What is bullying? It’s a complex social issue that requires thoughtful understanding and a shared commitment to respectful behaviour. We encourage families to take a moment to explore the national definition of bullying as outlined on the Bullying No Way! website located here.

Bullying and negative behaviours can be shaped by a range of influences, especially during the primary years when social and emotional development is still underway.

These include:

• Peer pressure and popularity dynamics – as students form social circles, the desire to fit in may lead to exclusion or targeted behaviours.
• Emotional regulation skills – some students are still learning how to manage frustration, disappointment and conflict in healthy ways.
• Community environment – behaviours seen outside the school gate (including online or on television) can influence how children interact with others.

In response to these influences, our school has committed to a comprehensive wellbeing initiative as part of our 2025 Annual Implementation Plan. (link)

This includes:

• Play Is The Way® (link) – a social and emotional learning methodology using interactive games and guiding concepts to build empathy and self-regulation.
• Respectful Relationships Program (link)– a Queensland Government initiative promoting respect, problem-solving and resilience for primary students.

These strategies have led to explicit teaching of social and emotional skills, respectful relationships education, and a strong emphasis on positive mental health and behaviour. This aligns closely with our participation in Bullying No Way! week, where students are encouraged to Be Bold, Be Kind, Speak Up.

We understand that incidents may arise, and we are committed to responding in a timely and constructive manner that supports all. For more on our school’s approach to behaviour the Student Code of Conduct Policy (link), is available on our website.

Were you aware of the Parent and Community Code of Conduct? We encourage families to review this (included below), which outlines how we can work together to foster respectful relationships between staff, parents and caregivers.

For additional support and advice, including fact sheets on types and signs of bullying, review the Bullying No Way! family resources included below:

• Support and Advice – For Families
• Fact Sheets for Families and Students (with translations)- definitions, key facts, signs of and types of bullying.
• Early Childhood to Year 2 - Resources to learn from home or school. 
• Year 3 to Year 6 -  Resources to ‘Be Kind Online'.

If any member of our community, student, staff or parent feels that bullying has occurred, we urge you to contact the school immediately. Your child’s classroom teacher may be your first point of contact, along with our Deputy Principal, Principal, Guidance Officers and specialist support staff. We are all here to help.

Bullying No Way! week is scheduled for Week 5 this term. In past years, students were invited to wear orange to mark this occasion. The updated campaign for 2026 encourages schools to incorporate the colour purple in recognition of the 'National Week of Action'.

Students are welcome to wear purple items - such as socks, hats, jumpers, t-shirts, shorts, hair ribbons – with their uniform, on Monday 11 August (week 5). Students should wear their school uniform as usual; however, if they have an item in purple, they’re welcome to wear it on Monday to support the theme Be Bold, Be Kind, Speak Up as a symbol of connection and unity. Participation is entirely at your discretion. All clothing should be sun safe and appropriate for school routines.

Week 5 is a short week due to the EKKA public holiday on Wednesday, 13 August. We will also celebrate our Book Week Assembly held on Friday, 15 August. This date has been selected to accommodate all student’s participation, particularly those who are attending school camps this term.

Together, we remain proactive in valuing learning and valuing each other.

2025 School Opinion Survey (SOS)

The suite of School Opinion Surveys is undertaken each year by the Department of Education to obtain opinions about our school from families, school staff and students in target year levels (Year 5, 6, 8 and 11). The surveys will help identify what we are doing well, and understand where we can improve.

The survey invitation will be emailed in the week beginning 21 July and is titled School Opinion Survey for parents and caregivers, 2025. Each school family will receive one email invitation from the Department of Education to complete the Parent/Caregiver Survey. 

The survey is anonymous, and the results are not reported in ways that an individual’s response can be identified by the school. Parents/Caregivers are encouraged to complete the survey. The survey can be completed via computers, tablets or smart phones with an internet connection. For Parents/Caregivers who do not have access to the internet school computers/tablets will be available. Please contact our administration for more details.

Parents/caregivers who experience difficulties accessing the survey can request a new survey from the School Opinion Survey team via email schoolopinionsurvey@qed.qld.gov.au . The survey is facilitated by this designated team and not managed by the school.

Can’t find your invitation? If your family has more than one parent/caregiver, check that they haven’t received the invitation and/or check your junk email folder.

Planning and Preparations for 2026

There will be many operational matters to address as we prepare for 2026. Yes, it’s time to start the conversation.

2026 Enrolments and Classroom Configurations

We need your most updated details and information, to commence the 2026 planning and preparations for our school. At this stage we predict the same school model as 2025, with twenty-eight classrooms. This includes four classes in each year level.

Confirmation of the classroom teachers appointed to the year levels will be announced at the end of the Term 4, this is subject to change and based on HR and departmental staffing requirements.

Below are frequently asked questions that could assist all during this busy time.

Is your child changing schools at the end of 2025?

If you are planning to move from Aspley State School at the end of 2025, please share this information with our administration team and your child’s classroom teacher/s.  Send an email with your child’s name, year level as well as their intended departure date and reason for leaving to the admin@aspleyss.eq.edu.au  and 2025 classroom teacher/s email.

Alternatively, please give us a call on 3863 9111 our office is open 8:00 am – 3:30 pm to take your message.

Do you wish to enrol a student in a Prep – Year 6 class for 2026?

Our 2026 Prep enrolment process is well underway, with 2026 Prep meetings occurring in Term 3 and in Term 4 our Pre-Prep Transition Program will commence.

Contact our administration team now, if you wish to be considered for an enrolment opportunity in 2026. Space is limited.

Is your family planning a late return to school in 2026?

From time to time, families will extend their overseas trip or holiday adventures, returning to school in week two or week three of Term 1. It is important that we have your best contact details and information about your intended late start in 2026. 

Our school resources and funding are based on Term 1 confirmed enrolment numbers. If we have correspondence from you indicating a delayed start, we can assure your child is allocated to a class.

Contact our administration team at your earliest convenience, to share the details for your possible late return to school next year.

Do I need to contact the school if my child is in Year 6 and going to high school?

You are not required to contact us about 2026. If your Year 6 student is enrolled into a state high school, we will be provided these details via our OneSchool system and will ensure their records are updated before the end of the year.

If your child is attending a high school within the private sector, we appreciate knowing where they will be attending school in 2026.  We can assist with transitions.

Can I share information about my child for consideration in their 2026 classroom placement?

Yes, we will accept written correspondence from parents/caregivers who wish to share information, for consideration, for their child’s 2026 classroom placement. This information will be considered, private and confidential and should be sent via email to your child’s 2025 classroom teacher.

The 2026 classes will be constructed by our teachers, who know your child, their learning, engagement and adjustment needs. They will consider your requests, which are not guaranteed.  With approximately 700 students to consider, we spend up to three weeks investing in this process, looking for the best fit for everyone.

Contact your child’s 2025 classroom teacher via email at your earliest convenience.  We will be working on student placement in their 2026 classes from week 1, Term 4. All relevant information must be emailed to the 2025 classroom teacher by Friday 19 September 2025, for review and consideration.

If you feel the information you wish to share about your child is more considered or private, you can email the sector Deputy Principal or Principal. Prep to Year 3, Ms Jenny Gross or Year 3-6 Ms Robyn Bassa can hold these details for you to assist with class placements.

Thank you to everyone who has secured enrolments for 2026.

2026 Student Resource Scheme (SRS)

The school is aware of the rising costs of living pressures for all families and actively working to minimise these. SRS support consumable curriculum resourcing and online subscriptions, parents are invited to participate.

• In 2026 our classroom SRS will remain as per 2023/24/25 costs - SRS contribution amounts are as follows.
• SRS Prep $200 per year (Prep does not include a booklist)
• SRS Year 1 – 6 $100 per year
• The 2026 Instrumental Music (IM) SRS will remain as per 2025 (for IM students only), $130 per year for Instrumental Hire and/or $70 per year for Instrumental Curriculum consumables.

Aspley State School offers our families to participate in a student resource scheme (SRS.) By participating in the SRS families are able to benefit from bulk purchasing discounts the school receives when buying certain student resources. More information about the 2025 SRS (link) is located on our school website. The details and costs for the 2026 SRS will be shared at our upcoming P&C meeting, scheduled for Tuesday 29 August.  If you have feedback on the SRS program, please feel free to email the school via admin@aspleyss.eq.edu.au email, we value your contributions.

2026 Booklists Year 1-6

Following a successful tender process in 2024, COS were confirmed as our supplier for 2025. We will continue with COS into 2026. This decision builds on positive feedback received regarding the 2025 booklist process and we thank families for their input and engagement.

Our teaching teams will be reviewing the 2025 booklist to ensure resources reflect the learning needs of our students, offer value for money and remain mindful of household costs. Families are able to purchase booklist items by means best suited to them.

Booklist ordering details will be provided in Term 4 to support a smooth process. These details will be discussed at our upcoming P&C meeting on Tuesday, 29 August. We invite you to attend.

For more information on the 2025 Booklists (link) please visit our school website.