Dear Queenscliff Parents and Carers,
It's a bird!...
It’s a plane!...
No….
It’s Shrek Jnr!
With only two sleeps to go, the excitement and nervous energy is building amongst students and our community for the most spectacular musical production of ‘Shrek Jnr’. Today and tomorrow students will travel to the hall for rehearsals and this will provide them with a valuable opportunity to get used to the stage and backstage areas of Point Lonsdale School Hall. Thank you to all of our parent volunteers who have assisted this week with bump in at the hall and also the vast array of last minute jobs that need to be done in preparation for the shows. Thank you!
I wish to extend my deepest gratitude and thank you to Tamsin Jackson who has designed and made all of our props and sets for our musical production. Tamsin’s creativity and craftsmanship is nothing short of professional. Her creativity, design and attention to detail in creating the sets and props for the show has brought our production to another level, and beyond the expectations of a small regional primary school. I am so thankful to Tamsin for all of the time, effort and energy she has put into this crucial part of our production. Join me in thanking and congratulating Tamsin when you see her next! I am sure, like me, our audience will be blown away by the outstanding craftsmanship and creativity of Tamsin.
We originally sold out both nights, but we have managed to add in additional seating due to many community members and relatives of students wishing to attend. There are still tickets available for purchase by using the QR code below.
Parents, carers, friends and community members are invited to come along to the show early on both nights to enjoy the Shrek Snack Bar from 5:45pm. A wide variety of beverages and snacks are available for purchase, as well as the Shrek Jnr Program. A huge thank you to our amazing local sponsors who have taken our Shrek Snack Bar to the next level. Payment will only be accepted on card, no cash will be accepted on premises.
Remembrance Day
On Tuesday 11 November, we paused to remember and honour the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve our country in times of war, conflict and peacekeeping. Our School Leaders, Anouk Ulph, Jack McDonald and Lottie Boyd represented our school at the Borough of Queenscliff Remembrance Day Service held at the Queenscliff Point Lonsdale RSL Hall. They laid a wreath, and our leaders read the poem by John McCrae, 'In Flanders Fields', as part of the Service.
Year 3-6 Nippers Program
Last Friday 7 November, our Year 3-6 students had their very first session of Nippers at Santa Casa Beach. Students participated in the program with enthusiasm, resilience and determination despite the cooler conditions. Students learnt a variety of skills when participating in the afternoon including beach sprints, CPR, beach safety, wading, dolphin diving, swimming and board paddling. Thank you to all of our amazing parent volunteers who assisted with the running of the Nipper activities, as well as setup and pack up at the end of the afternoon. At the conclusion of the Nippers afternoon, it was magical to see a pod of dolphins swim by which brought a lot of excitement to students, staff and parents. It was a beautiful way to conclude a very successful afternoon.
We are always seeking more parent volunteers to assist with our Nipper program from 12pm-3pm on Friday 21 and 28 November and Friday 5 and 12 December. If you are available to assist, please email melissa.fitzgerald2@education.vic.gov.au
Year 5/6 Melbourne Camp
Our Year 5/6 students and teachers had the most incredible time away in Melbourne for camp from Monday 27 October to Wednesday 29 October. It was impressive to see our students use crowded trams to move from one side of the city to the other, even in peak hour traffic, and display independence by sleeping away from home, and exploring Docklands Shopping Centre. Students visited the Immigration Museum to learn about different people in our history who have migrated to Australia for various reasons. Students undertook a night tour with zookeepers at the Melbourne Zoo where they were able to get up close and personal with interesting animals. Also, our Year 5/6 students ventured to the ice rink in Docklands where they learnt how to ice skate and visited Archie Bros Arcade to play a variety of engaging games. The Melbourne Camp was a wonderful opportunity for our students to build their confidence and independence by visiting the ‘big smoke’ and being exposed to all of the vibrance and diversity of Melbourne. I am grateful to Mrs. Ebony Tannouri, Mrs. Yvette Hurley, Mr. Leigh Churchill, Miss. Mackenzie Woodman, Mrs. Kirby Young and Mrs. Hannah Petrie for taking time to be away from their own families to make this Camp experience possible for our students. Thank you!
Queenscliff Music Festival
School BBQ Fundraiser - Bump Out Help Needed
Thank you to all of the parents and carers as well as staff who have volunteered to assist with our school barbeque fundraiser at the Queenscliff Music Festival.
On Sunday 30 November, we are seeking if any parents and carers could assist with Bump Out from 5:00-6:00pm, preferably with a trailer or ute. We need to transport several BBQs, stock and supplies back to the school and need assistance from our school community. If you are able to assist, please email queenscliff.ps@education.vic.gov.au
Cafe 3225 Lunch Orders for Year 3-6
A reminder that this Friday 14 November is the final day for the school year that students in Year 3-6 will be able to have a lunch order with Cafe 3225. All other Fridays till the end of the year, students will be participating in the Nipper program and will be unable to have a lunch order.
Transition Day for 2026
On Tuesday 9 December 2025, students will participate in a Transition Day. This will involve your child spending time in their new classroom with their new class for 2026 and they will meet their new class teacher. The transition session will occur from 9am until 1:30pm. The Transition Day aims to reduce your child’s anxieties and worries about the commencement of school in 2026 in knowing more about their class and teacher for the following year. Students will participate in a range of activities throughout Transition Day including 'getting to know you' tasks, team building initiatives and developing classroom expectations and agreements for 2026. Students will receive a letter from their teacher and will have an opportunity to write a letter to their new teacher to tell them about themselves, how they learn best, strengths and their interests. After lunch, students will resume back in their current classes for the remainder of the day. Our new 2026 Prep Class will be connected with a Year 5 student who will be their Year 6 Buddy in 2026. Students will be informed of their class and teacher for 2026 prior to the Transition Day on Tuesday 9 December.
2026 Student Leader Applications
On Monday 10 November, our Year 5 candidates for 2026 Student Leadership positions met with our school leadership for an interview to discuss their character traits, previous experience as a leader within our community and vision for 2026. Candidates will present a two-minute speech to staff and students in Year 2 to Year 5 on Monday 17 November, explaining why they believe they would make a good student leader for our school in 2026. Following this, students and staff will vote. We look forward to seeing our candidates shine on Monday!
Sunsmart Term 4
In Term 4 students are required to wear a QPS hat during recess and lunch breaks as part of our SunSmart Policy. Please ensure your child has a hat to wear at school, labelled with their name. Students who do not have a hat will be required to play in a designated shaded area during break times.
End of Year Concert - Friday 5 December
Parents, carers, friends and community members are invited to come along to our End of Year Concert on Friday 5 December from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. Families are encouraged to bring along a picnic filled with snacks and drinks to enjoy, as students perform musical acts. We will have classes performing as well as individual and small group acts from students who have worked closely with Maddy Serong over the semester during their music lessons.
Final Assembly - Friday 12 December
Parents and carers are invited to attend our special final assembly of 2025 on Friday 12 December. At our final assembly, we will present Excellence, Endeavour and Citizenship awards to students within each class, present our Year 6 graduates with their certificates, farewell families leaving our school, award badges to our new school leaders for 2026 and present community awards to our Year 6 students. We will have special guests from our school community joining us for this assembly. The assembly will commence at 9am.
Early Dismissal on Final Day of Term 4 and Curriculum Day
On the final day of the school year on Thursday 18 December, students will be dismissed early at 1pm. The McHarry’s Bus will not pick students up on this day. Students will require any early pick up on this day or students may wish to ride to and from school on their bikes. On the following day, Friday 19 December, staff will engage in a Curriculum Day, whereby they will engage in a comprehensive handover of information related to students’ learning and wellbeing needs from one class teacher to another.
2026 Book Packs and Parent Payment Information
Reminder: Backpack and Parent Payments are due by 5th December if you wish to get free delivery. Orders after this date will incur a delivery fee of $12.95. We ask that all families purchase a stationery pack before the 19 December to guarantee that your backpack arrives before the commencement of school in 2026.
Information regarding book packs and parent payments for 2026 has been sent out to families via Compass last week and is available on our school website. This includes details for stationery and book packs, curriculum and other contributions.
Parent Payment Information for 2026
Parent Payment Video Presentation - Accessing WINC Portal
In order for our school to offer quality resources and equipment for our specialist programs and other educational programs, we require support from our parent community through Parent Payments for 2026 under ‘Curriculum’ and ‘Other Contributions’. The outline for each area of the Parent Payments is provided for each year level. Parent Payments make a significant contribution to supporting the success of educational programs, building and grounds improvements, administration and wellbeing supports for students.
WINC are offering free delivery to families’ home addresses if your order is over $60 and completed through the WINC portal by 5th December 2025. All orders after this date will be required to pay a delivery fee of $12.95.
If your book pack order is placed prior to 19th December, WINC guarantee delivery prior to the start of Term 1, 2026. Orders placed after 19th December cannot be guaranteed delivery prior to the start of school.
Students are required to bring their stationery book pack supplies to school on their first day, Thursday 29 January. Students are encouraged to label their books ONLY with their name. Please do not label individual stationery items, including pencils, sharpeners, whiteboard markers and rubbers.
There will be Curriculum Days (student free days) on Tuesday 27 January and Wednesday 28 January 2026.
For families experiencing financial difficulties, we encourage you to contact the school via phone or email - queenscliff.ps@education.vi.gov.au for further assistance with a payment plan. In addition to this, some families may wish to setup payments for the Curriculum and Other Contributions on Compass to be paid in 2026.
Queenscliff Market Parent Volunteer Roster
On Sunday 30 November, the Queenscliff Community Market will be running at the Bellarine Queenscliff Railway site, instead of Princess Park due to the Queenscliff Music Festival. As a result, there will be some road closures and detours for parking that families need to be aware of if you plan to visit the Market on Sunday.
Please see below Market Roster for all of our parents in our community.
Queenscliff Market Parent Volunteer Roster
In the event that a family is unable to volunteer on their assigned day, we ask that you connect with another family to arrange a swap. Once confirmed, please email the school at queenscliff.ps@education.vic.gov.au or phone 03 5258 1696, so that we can keep the roster up to date and ensure the Market runs smoothly. If families wish to volunteer more than they have been rostered, they are welcome to contact the school via email or phone. When Parent Volunteers arrive at the Market for their allocated time, we ask that you check-in with the parent volunteers who have been rostered on prior to you in the pavilion to change over. Also, we ask parent volunteers to arrive 5-10 minutes early before their designated shift.
If you have any questions regarding the Queenscliff Market season for 2025/2026 or the Parent Volunteer Roster, please do not hesitate to email queenscliff.ps@education.vic.gov.au or phone the school on 03 5258 1696.
Thank you for your support for the Queenscliff Community Market. It is a key fundraiser for our school to support our students' learning and wellbeing, and we are grateful for your contribution as a volunteer.
OSHC - TheirCare in Term 4
TheirCare has commenced Before and After School Care with our this term. The OSHC Service is held in the Specialist Classroom. Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to meet with various students who are currently participating in the service and they reported that they enjoyed the delicious afternoon tea, learning and play board games, dressing up and acting our skits and enjoying lots of hands-on activities.
A reminder to families that TheirCare are offering Before School Care from 6:30-8:30am Monday to Friday. Currently, we do not have many families booking into the service. If this continues and there appears to be minimal need for Before School Care, then the service will no longer be offered.
Assembly
Our next assembly will be held this Friday 14 November. Parents, carers and community members are invited to join us for this special celebration whereby we will have 3/4R, 5/6T and Year 1 showcasing their learning.
School Council
Our final School Council meeting for the year is scheduled for Monday 24th November 2025. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our School Council members who have made a significant contribution to our school this year, engaging in valuable discussions and decision making. Thank you Daniela Sayegh, Fleur Hewitt, Lisa Golightly, Naomi Stacey, Richard Fewster, Melissa Fitzgerald, Heidi Boyd, Morgan-Lee Hickey. Your contributions, effort, time and insights have been invaluable to our school this year.
If you have correspondence or feedback you would like to provide to the School Council, parents and carers are invited to email our School Council President, Daniela Sayegh at daniela.sayegh@education.vic.gov.au .
I look forward to seeing many of you at the musical production of ‘Shrek Jnr’ on Thursday and Friday!
Nyatne baa Gobata
(Thank you and take care)
Mat McRae
Principal
