30 May 2025

Principal’s Update

Dear Parents,

We are mid-way through Term 2 and very much at the ‘business end’ of Semester 1. Students are familiar with school and classroom expectations and teachers are looking to see students displaying a greater degree of independence, self-management, and engagement with their learning.

Teachers will soon begin to prepare Semester 1 report cards for each of their students. Report cards will be emailed out to each family on Wednesday 25 June.  In the meantime, parents can support children to be at their best by ensuring they are at school on time every day, and on the way to school discuss with your child the day ahead providing them with tips on how to make great choices with their behaviour and remain focused on their learning.

Holloway Street:  The traffic woes of Holloway St continue to cause frustration and concern for many within our school community.  As Principal of a wonderful school with so many things to celebrate daily, it is really disappointing to continually receive reports of parent drivers who create unsafe situations through double parking, blocking driveways and parking in unauthorised areas. 

If you are currently using Holloway St to access the school it is important for you to note the following:

1. Holloway St was not a purpose designed entry/exit point for students and parents at our school. Holloway St is not a safe access option due it being a cul-de-sac and lacking in parking space.
2. Official school access points are Gate #1 – Dianella Drive and Gate #2 – Brightwater Bvd. These gates are far safer and provide easy walking access to parking areas.
3. A yellow line along the edge of the road means: NO STOPPING.  Drivers must not stop/park for any reason. The fine for parking on a yellow line in Qld is $322. This fine also applies to stopping in a signed no stopping zone.
4. The school driveway on Holloway St is for staff access only and heavy vehicle access such as garbage trucks.
5. Pedestrian access to the Holloway St staff carpark is strictly prohibited and is not safe for children or parents to use as a walk through.
6. Students who ride bikes to school from Kawana Island, may enter the school via the pedestrian gate on Holloway St.

In an effort to improve this situation, I will be convening a meeting next week with members of the Sunshine Coast Regional Council including traffic enforcement, residents of Holloway St, Camp Australia managers, P&C reps and Ventia facilities managers to discuss potential solutions for improving student safety. 

If you would like to be involved in the conversation, please contact the front office providing your name and contact details.  This initial meeting is scheduled for Friday 6 June.

In the meantime, I would strongly encourage parents currently using Holloway St as a drop off / pick up point to change practice and use Brightwater Bvd and Gate #2 as a safer option.

Thank you for your support and attention to this matter so that Brightwater kids remain safe.

Regards,
Robyn Taplin, Principal

Deputy Principal News

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Under 8’s Day Fun!

Thank you to our P-2 parents and caregivers for joining us for a fun-filled morning last Friday in celebration of Under 8’s Day! Our littlest Brightwater learners had a blast engaging in the many activities on offer! Our morning together was calm, organised and joyful. A huge thank you to our Brightwater staff for their careful planning and dedication to creating such a delightful celebration!

Under 8's Day

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Winter is Coming!

The cool breezes are starting to blow in the Brightwater community! As we approach our cooler season, now is a great time to start thinking about getting out jumpers, trackpants and stockings. Our little learners grow a lot in a year so they may have already outgrown their winter clothes from last year. Our second-hand uniform shop may have the winter goodies you’re after so be sure to check them out on Monday and Tuesday mornings. As always, please ensure that your child’s belongings are labelled so that lost items can successfully make their way back to you!

Enrolments Now Open for 2026!

We’re excited to announce that enrolments for 2026 are now open!

We warmly invite all potential 2026 families to our Open Day on June 20th at Brightwater State School. This session will run from our 9am-10am in our school hall and will include information sharing from our Executive Team and a school tour. We welcome existing families to share this event with friends, family and neighbours looking to enrol in 2026.

Regards,
Jessica Lewis, Acting Deputy Principal

Classroom Learning in Action – Years 4 to 6

It’s been wonderful to see the exciting and engaging learning happening in our Years 4 to 6 classrooms this term!

In Year 4, students have been exploring the arrival of the First Fleet through informative texts. They’ve been busy researching, writing, and sharing facts about the early days of European settlement in Australia.

Our curious scientists in Year 5 have been diving into the world of animal adaptations. They’re learning how different species have developed unique features and behaviours to help them survive in their environments—sparking some great discussions and creative thinking!

Meanwhile, Year 6 students are developing essential life skills through a budgeting unit in Maths. They’ve been working out how to manage money, plan spending, and make wise financial choices—great preparation for the future!

It’s fantastic to see our students so engaged in hands-on, real-world learning across the upper school.

Important Safety Visit from Senior Constable Rob Ward

Last week, our Year 5 and 6 students had the opportunity to meet with Senior Constable Rob Ward, who visited our school to speak about some very important safety topics.

Students learned about the laws surrounding e-scooters and e-bikes, including the key message that children under 12 years of age are not allowed to ride e-scooters outside their private property. This law is in place to help keep all our students and community members safe.

Senior Constable Ward also spoke about bike safety, highlighting the importance of always wearing a helmet and following road rules, whether riding to school or out with friends.

Finally, the session covered safe online communication. Students were reminded that no one under the age of 13 should be using social media platforms such as TikTok, and that being respectful, kind, and cautious online is just as important as being safe in the real world.

We thank Senior Constable Ward for taking the time to educate our students and support our school’s commitment to safety.

Year 7 2026

A reminder for Year 6 parents to contact their child’s high school for 2026 for enrolment information to ensure a smooth transition to high school.

Regards,
Ian Marsden, Acting Deputy Principal

Student Engagement News

At Brightwater, we support our students in becoming STARs—Safe, Thoughtful, Active learners, who are Responsible and Respectful. This term, our STAR behaviour focus is Being Thoughtful, and we are exploring how our words—whether spoken face-to-face or shared online—can have a powerful and lasting impact on others.

As part of our Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) approach, students are learning that thoughtful communication builds trust, friendships, and a safe environment for everyone. We are discussing the importance of:

• Thinking before we speak or post
• Using kind and respectful words
• Supporting each other through positive language

Whether at school or at home, being thoughtful is a key part of being a Brightwater STAR. We encourage our students to consider how their actions and words reflect who they are and how they affect others.

Parent Conversation Starter:
"Can you tell me about a time today when you used kind or thoughtful words? How did it make you or someone else feel?"

Together, we can help our students use the power of words to lift others up and create a caring community.

Just Be Kind Week – Week 8 (9–13 June)

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” – Jennifer Dukes Lee

In Week 8, we are excited to celebrate our termly Just Be Kind (JBK) Week at Brightwater! This special week is all about shining a spotlight on the power of kindness—towards ourselves, others, and our wider community.

Throughout the week, students will be taking part in meaningful activities that promote empathy, gratitude, and care. We’ll also be encouraging everyone to embrace the “Pay It Forward” philosophy: doing something kind for someone without expecting anything in return, simply to spread positivity.

Ideas for At-Home Kindness Activities:

• Create a "kindness jar" and fill it with ideas to try each day
• Bake something together to share with a neighbour
• Write a thank-you note to a teacher, coach, or friend
• Pick up litter during a family walk

JBK Week reminds us all that kindness is a simple but powerful way to make a difference—at school, at home, and beyond. Let’s continue to grow a culture where kindness is part of who we are, every day.

Every Day Counts: Why School Attendance Matters

At Brightwater SS, we believe every school day matters in shaping your child's future. Regular attendance is not just a legal requirement—it's the key to your child’s academic success and overall wellbeing.

Did you know that even a few days away from school can affect your child’s learning progress? Research shows that students with higher attendance generally perform better in school. Every day at school helps children build important social and emotional skills like communication, resilience, and teamwork.

Parents and carers have a legal responsibility to ensure their children attend school every day, unless there is a valid reason. If your child is unwell or needs to be absent, please notify the school as early as possible on

(07) 5438 3111.

If you’re experiencing difficulties getting your child to school, do not hesitate to reach out. Our school is here to help with support and strategies to keep students engaged and thriving.

Remember—every day counts toward a brighter future!

Jo Rothwell 

Head of Student Services 

Music and the ART’S News

We are excited to introduce our two Band Leaders, Suze who plays the Clarinet and Dustin who plays the Tenor Saxophone. They both have stepped into their leadership roles with great enthusiasm and a positive attitude! Suze and Dustin are already making a wonderful difference, bringing creative ideas to the band and supporting their fellow band members.

Each week, they have been a huge help to their teacher, Ms Payne, assisting with extra music jobs and keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes. It is fantastic to see how much they enjoy the role and the responsibility that comes with it.

Well done to our Band Leaders, we are so lucky to have you as part of the team!

Musically yours,

Margot Payne
Experienced Instrumental Music Teacher

Sport News

District Cross Country

District Cross Country trials took place this week at Beerwah State High School. A huge congratulations to all the students in Year 4, 5 and 6 that took place in either the 2Km or 3Km race. Students displayed model Brightwater Star Values at the event and competed with determination and sportsmanship. Congratulations to all! Well done to Gemma C and Charlie K for qualifying for Regional Cross country trials. They will compete in Noosa next week and we wish them every success. Congratulations to you both. 

Senior Athletics Carnival

Our senior (Year 4-6) athletics carnival will be held on Tuesday 17 June from 11:30am-2:40pm and Wednesday 18 June from 9am to 2:30pm (Week 9). This day is about House pride and the students having fun with Participation as the focus. The carnival will run on rotations. Students that wish to qualify for District Trials will have the opportunity to do so over these two days. Parents are invited to come and cheer on their children and house teams. An information note with program of events and times will be sent out later in the term.

Junior Athletics Carnival

Our Brightwater Prep to Year 3 Athletics Carnival will be held on Thursday 26 June (Week 10).  Our Junior Athletics Day is about encouraging participation for all children with fun activities lead by our Teachers and Student Leaders. Students will start the event with a march past and sprint races then students will then participate in rotational activities. Parents are invited to come and cheer on their children and house teams. An information note with the program of events and times will be sent out later in the term.

Lightening Cup Preparation

The Lightening Cup Netball competition will take place in August 2024. All interested students in Year 5 and 6 have begun training on Tuesday mornings before school with Miss Trapnell and team. We will hopefully be taking 3 teams to attend the competition and selection for these teams will be finalised by the end of term 2. Preference will be given to those that show dedication to training, skills and teamwork.

Soccer Morning Fitness Program Term 2

The program kicked off with a bang this week! Students enjoyed an action-packed session with three coaches from Football Australia!

The remaining sessions will be on Mondays for the rest of Term 2. Please arrive promptly at 07:40am in the Central Covered Area (C.C.A) next to the café. Students need to leave their bag on the stage, mark their name off with Miss Pettifer and head out to the oval to meet coaches with their hat and water bottle.

Don’t forget your child must come dressed in their sports uniform with their runners (soccer boots will not be permitted), shin pads (must be worn) and socks on ready to start the session. Students will need to bring their school uniform and school shoes to change back into after each session. They are to bring their bag to the session and will need to bring along the following items:

• A towel
• A water bottle
• School uniform, a change of socks and school shoes
• Shin pads and socks that cover the shin pads (for safety)

If a session is going to be cancelled, you will be notified on the school Facebook page by 7:00am on the day and via email.

Session dates

Rugby League

Karyn Murphy Cup

The Karyn Murphy Cup Challenge hosted by NRL will be on Monday 2 June 2025 under the safe play code at Coolum Colts Junior Rugby League Club, David Low Way, Coolum.

This is a friendly challenge against local schools for Year 5/6 Girls and a great opportunity for them to watch girls from Sunshine Coast High Schools compete for the Karyn Murphy Cup. For this event the school will not be providing transport and parents will need to transport your own child to and from the venue. The draw for this competition will be released the day before with teams playing multiple games through the day. The competition will start at 9:15am and finishing by 2:10pm. Students will need to arrive at the fields by 8:45am on the day and report to Mr Neven. This competition is run in conjunction with Sunshine Coast Rugby League under the Safe Play Code.

Steve Belsham Shield

Steve Belsham Shield will be held on Wednesday 11 June 2025 at Maroochydore Junior Rugby League Club, Wises Rd, Maroochydore. For this event the school will not be providing transport and parents will need to organise private transport. The Draw will be sent out the week of the competition and students will need to be at the field for warm up and briefing by 8:45am and report to Mr Neven. The competition and presentations will be completed by 2:20pm and this will be confirmed when the draw is sent out.

The Steve Belsham Shield is the Coastal Districts competition to compete in the Sunshine Coast Primary Mark West Cup. This competition is broken into 2 stages a District Gala Day where students will compete against local State and Catholic school. The winner of the Steve Belsham Shield will then progress to the Regional Invitation Day to find the 2025 winner of Mark West Cup.

Mountain Creek State High School Gala Day

This has been postponed to the last week of the term at this stage. As soon as we get a confirmed date we’ll communicate this to everyone.

Thank you.

Buntie Pettifer and Jade Harvie
HPE Teachers

QParents

We currently have 47.3% of our students active and linked to their parent with a QParent account. This is an increase of 3.3% from last fortnight.

It’s great to see parents are using QParents to let us know about their child’s absences, thank you. You can let us know about a same day absence, a future absence and also past absences which are currently recorded as unexplained in the Department’s system using the QParents app.

Benefits of using QParents

QParents provides parents with 24/7 online access to:

• viewing attendance records
• providing absentee notifications
• updating address details
• advising and updating medical conditions
• academic reports
• some upcoming events.

Additional parent invites to set up as QParents Account Owners (QPOA). We are now starting to process these. Please email your request to office@brightwaterss.eq.edu.au with the following:

Your name:
Your email address: (please send your email from this email address)
Your child’s name:
Your child’s class:

With the emails that were sent out in March, we are able to resend your invite if you are not able to find it in your emails. Please email office@brightwaterss.eq.edu.au with the following:

Your name:
Your email address: (please send your email from this email address)
Your child’s name:
Your child’s class:

P&C News

Sizzling success

Thanks to all the volunteers at our very popular Under 8s Day BBQ – there were just 4 sausages left at the end of the morning and our takings were over $1000! We are still working out the profit. Funds raised will go toward technology resources for the school and the development of the school’s market garden.

Pyjama Party Disco

This term the P&C and school are putting on a disco in the hall on Thursday 12 June. The student council has decided the theme will be Pyjama Party.

Tickets: $8 Pre-order through Munch Monitor or $10 on the night

Ticket price includes glow necklace, snack, drink and lolly. Additional snacks, drinks and glow sticks will also be available on the night for cash purchase.

Two disco sessions

• Prep-Year 2: 4:30 pm – 5:45 pm
• Years 3-6: 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

To purchase a ticket via Munch Monitor:
Log into Munch Monitor https://www.munchmonitor.com/
Select 'School Shop"
Select your child's name
Select ‘School Disco’

Please consider volunteering some time at the disco! We’ll need many hands on deck for things to run smoothly. Sign up: volunteersignup.org/KKBJ8

Pre-loved uniforms

The school's uniform shop is located next to the cafe in the Central Covered Area (CCA) and is open Mondays and Tuesdays 8.15am-8.45. 

Run by P&C volunteers, the shop provides pre-loved items at affordable prices. Most are $9. 

Volunteers and donations welcome – especially winter items as we are very low. If you are curious about the P&C, please drop in for a chat.

Welcome new P&C members

We have welcomed more than 25 new members, and dozens of returning members this year so far. We are looking forward to seeing you all at the general meeting on 4 June, or at the disco if meetings aren’t your thing.

Being part of the P&C is a great way to give back to the school and connect with other parents. If you are not yet a member or are yet to renew for 2025, please pick up a 2025 application form from the front office.

You’re invited! 4 June meeting

Members of the school community are welcome to join P&C general meetings, where working groups update us on projects and we hear from the Principal and other key school community reps such as Camp Australia.

The next meeting will be held online and in person at the school on 4 June, 6-7pm.

Meetings are held twice per term. Dates for the remainder of the year: 23 July, 27 August, 15 October, 19 November.

Nicky, Caroline, Lisa, Jacinta and Josh
P&C Executive
President@bwsspandc.org.au

Contacting the P&C Association

Email: pandc@brightwaterss.eq.edu.au  
Facebook: search Brightwater SS P&C Association or visit the link below.  

Date Claimers

School Information