Term 2 Week 4 Newsletter

From the Principal - Mrs Walsh

Supporting Positive Behaviour at Eight Mile Plains SS

At Eight Mile Plains State School, we are committed to creating a safe, respectful and inclusive learning environment where every child is supported to succeed. Our approach to behaviour is grounded in the belief that all students can learn and demonstrate positive behaviours when given the right support, guidance and clear expectations.

Our school's Student Code of Conduct 2025–2027 outlines how we foster a culture of respect, responsibility, and resilience across the school. It serves as the foundation for our behaviour support processes and ensures consistency in the way we respond to both positive and challenging behaviours. You can view the full document here: EMPSS Student Code of Conduct.

Proactively Promoting Positive Behaviour

We take a proactive approach by explicitly teaching behavioural expectations, reinforcing positive actions, and embedding social-emotional learning into everyday practice. Students use their 'Get Happier Project' workbooks weekly to reinforce these skills. These workbooks are included in the student resource scheme payment for 2025.

Addressing and Managing Challenging Behaviour

Challenging behaviour is approached with care, consistency, and a focus on learning. We understand that behaviour is a form of communication, and we are committed to working with students to help them develop the skills they need to regulate, reflect and repair.

Some key strategies we use include:

• Restorative Practices: When conflict or harm occurs, we provide structured opportunities for students to reflect on their actions, take responsibility, and restore relationships with peers and staff.

• Individual Behaviour Support Plans: For students requiring additional assistance, we develop tailored plans in partnership with parents, support staff and relevant specialists.

• Tiered Support Systems: We offer targeted interventions for students who display ongoing or complex behavioural needs, ensuring they receive the support they need to be successful at school.

• Staff Training and Consistency: All staff receive professional development to ensure consistency in how behaviour is addressed and how de-escalation, regulation and redirection techniques are applied.

• Clear Communication with Families: We believe that strong partnerships with parents and carers are essential. We communicate regularly and work collaboratively with families to address concerns and support students.

Ultimately, our goal is not just to correct behaviour but to teach students the skills they need to succeed—socially, emotionally, and academically.

We thank you for your continued support in reinforcing our school values at home and for partnering with us to ensure Eight Mile Plains State School remains a positive and inclusive place for every learner.

From Head of Cirriculum - Mrs Simpson

Reading at Home with your Child

Learning to read is a process that needs step-by-step teaching and plenty of practise at school and at home. Unlike walking or talking, reading is not a skill that we learn naturally — everyone needs to be taught how to read.

Children develop their language skills through the language they hear and read. In the early stages of reading instruction while children are developing their decoding skills, it is very important that they are read to often, so they hear lots of new words and learn about new things that they may not yet be able to read about themselves.

Parents play an important role in helping children learn to read by both:

· listening to your child read aloud to practice decoding words

· reading aloud to your child to build their understanding of language and literacy

How can I help?

As your child reads, you may notice there are words they can read automatically, while other words will need to be ‘sounded out’. When your child comes to a word they do not automatically know, you can help them by saying: ‘Say the sounds as you point to the letters. Now, blend the sounds and read the word.’ For example: for the word ‘hen’, point to the letters and provide the sounds, /h/ /e/ /n/, then blend the sounds to read ‘hen’.

If your child still has difficulty reading the word, it’s okay to tell them what the word is. Remember, they are still learning about letters and sounds and may need more practise and support.

When your child is learning new letter-sound correspondences, they may read slowly, and it may look laborious. This is typical of beginning readers and is no cause for concern.

Remember, practise is key to becoming a skilled reader. Encourage your child to read different texts often and to other family members or alternatively, take the opportunity to read to your child regularly.

News from Prep A - Mrs Scharf

News from Prep B - Miss Lang

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News from 1A - Mrs Van Leer

News from 1/2S - Mrs Stangherlin

In 1/2S we have been very busy learning how to write a simple sentence, using a capital letter, subject (noun), verb/verb group, adjective and a full stop. We are improving every day. We have been very excited to learn all about ladybeetles! Did you know the collective noun for a group of lady beetles is a loveliness of ladybeetles? As we move though the term, we will also focus on constructing compound sentences using our FANBOYS (coordinating conjunctions). These will help us create informative texts about animals. We are exploring the text structure, including images (often photos), labelled diagrams, headings and subheadings, contents pages, glossaries and indexes. When reading informative texts with your child, please ask them to point out these features to help them consolidate their learning. In phonics we are learning long vowel sounds where the vowel says its name, not the short sound. For example, long e can be spelled e_e, ea, ee, y (and others). Don’t forget – when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking. When two vowels walk, the first one says it’s name!  Any support from home is appreciated as children consolidate their learning, moving from short to long vowel sounds. The sounds we are learning each week can be found in the homework.

In Maths we have been working on standard and non-standard partitioning of 2 and 3 digit numbers. We will also be focusing on addition and subtraction and solving problems using learned strategies. In Science, we are learning all about the life cycle of the different animals we are studying. We have discovered that lady beetles have 4 distinct stages – egg, larva, pupa and adult. The pupa is where the magic happens! Metamorphosis occurs and they go from a strange looking larva to the beautiful spotted adult we know and love. In HASS we are learning about the past and present and how to write a historical narrative. 

As you are aware, homework is distributed on a Monday and is to be returned on a Friday. Please fill out the home reading section in the front of your child’s homework book. Students will borrow 4 home readers each week, and two picture books during library borrowing on a Thursday, as long as they have returned their books and brought their library bag. Practise both at home and at school will assist students to consistently practise using what they have learned and help develop a love of reading!  

Thank you for your support.

New from 2A - Mrs Nottage

News from 2/3S - Mrs Koh

News from - Chappy Sonia

Chappy News

Welcome back to Term 2. I enjoyed the break over the holidays, but I genuinely missed seeing everyone. And it’s also great to see the sunshine!

Lunchtimes

We are having lots of fun during our lunchtimes, playing ball games and now skipping. Some of our preps are getting much better at jumping with the skipping rope. I also want to thank our wonderful boys and girls who help me turn the skipping rope for the other students.  We still will be having our Calm Colouring at 2^nd break on every second Thursday. We have some very artistic young people at our school.

Breaky Club

Breakfast Club has started back again this week. A big shout out to the families who have generously donated spreads for the toast. It is gratefully received by the staff and students.  We have plenty of donated honey and vegemite.  If you are thinking of donating items, we are always in need of the Coles and Woolworths brand 1kg margarine tubs and strawberry jam. We seem to go through them a lot quicker.

Upcoming Events

“Family Connect Craft Evening”

In week 6, on Friday the 30^thof May, myself and some amazing volunteers will be hosting a “Family Connect Evening” in the library from 6:45pm until 8/8:30pm. The aim of the night is to allow parents and their children have some quality time together without the digital distractions of the TV, phone/tablets. Each parent, with up to two children with them, will choose from several simple craft activities and enjoy doing it together with their parent/caregiver. There will be limited places for the evening. I will send out a flyer with a QR code to register your place in the coming weeks.

There will be an entry fee that will include the craft supplies and a delicious supper as well.

More information to come.

Keep the date free: Friday 30^th May.

Hope to see you there. ( If your child gets “bored “with doing craft, we will also have a variety of board games you can play together. )

Subway Meal Deal

We will be running Subway meal deal on Tuesday the 3^rd of June, in week 7. More information closer to the date.    

Much thanks, Chappy Sonia.

Chappy Week - Free Dress Day

Rochedale State High School Year 7 Enrolment for 2026

2025 Uniform Shop Hours

Uniform shop hours are every Thursday from 8am - 9am for all of your school uniform needs.

News from Helping Hands