Dear Queenscliff Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to Term 4! I hope all of our QPS families had a relaxing Spring break and enjoyed time doing activities with your loved ones. It’s hard to believe we’re already in the final term of the year — an exciting time filled with learning, celebration and reflection.
This term promises to be a busy and rewarding one, with a range of events, excursions and activities planned including the musical production, Year 5/6 Melbourne Camp, Nippers, Transition Day and end of year events. We look forward to working in partnership with our families to support every student to finish the year with confidence and success.
Thank you to our School Council and other parent volunteers who assisted with the Footy Day BBQ on the final day of term. We are grateful for your support in organising food supplies, cooking and delivering orders to classrooms.
GAWS Fundraiser
On Friday 10 October, our school held a GAWS Dress Up Day to fundraise for Geelong Animal Welfare Society. This initiative was led by our Student Leaders. In addition to the dress up, the Pawesome Photo Competition was held whereby students submitted photos of their pets into four categories - Cutest Photo, Funniest Photo, Most Look-A-Like Photo and Most Creative Photo. In total, our school was able to raise a total of $358.25. It was impressive to see our students get behind the fundraiser with their donations, efforts in dressing up in animal-themed costumes and submitting photos for the Pawesome Photo Competition. Certificates to the winners for each category will be presented at assembly on Friday. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Student Leaders on organising and leading such a wonderful initiative to support a local not-for-profit organisation.
School Capital Works
Over the December and January school holiday period, our school will undertake capital works in the main building with the establishment of walls between classrooms in the 5/6H, Year 1, Year 2, Prep and 5/6C classrooms. The construction of walls aim to reduce the noise transfer between classrooms, improve the acoustics of the building and as a result enhance the overall learning environment for all students. Doors will be included in the works so that students and staff can move between the classrooms. The Capital Works project is being funded by the residual funding from the VSBA Grant from the Specialist Classroom and Toilet refurbishment project. We are delighted with the outcome and look forward to seeing the new works commence over the summer holiday break.
Division Basketball
On the last day of Term 3, Friday 19 September, our Boys Basketball Team represented our school at the Division Basketball Competition at the Geelong Sports Hub. Our boys competed against students from Lisieux Catholic Primary School, Torquay College and Mount Duneed Primary School. Overall QPS came 8th in the Division, after some very competitive and challenging games. Congratulations to Ravi Patel, Oli Talbot-Dunn, Xavier Grainger, Sol Eldridge, Louis Humphris, Charlie High, Jude Spencer, and Nate Thapa for their outstanding efforts.
Prep’s Rockpools Excursion
Last Thursday 16 October, Mrs. Morris and our Prep students walked to the Queenscliff Beach to visit the rockpools, as part of their Integrated Studies unit this term on oceans and marine environments. Students had an opportunity to explore the rockpools, learning about different sea creatures and habitat features of rockpools. Thank you to our parent volunteers who assisted on the day to make this excursion such a success. The Preps did a tremendous job in coping with the warm and windy conditions on the day.
Queenscliff Music Festival BBQ - Seeking Volunteers
Our school has been invited by Queenscliff Music Festival (QMF) to host a BBQ at the upcoming festival from Friday 28 November to Sunday 30 November 2025. This is a fantastic opportunity for our school to be involved in the festival as the local primary school and also to fundraise for grounds and garden projects (including the Nature Play Space). Parents, grandparents and other friends of our school are invited to volunteer.
We are seeking parent volunteers to:
- Form an organising committee with school staff
- Participate in the BBQ with cooking and serving food items
QMF has generously offered to provide free tickets to parent volunteers with the following conditions:
Provide a free 3-day pass to volunteers who volunteer for 8 hours or more at the BBQ (one shift or split over the festival days)
Provide a free 1-day pass to volunteers who volunteer for 4-5 hours. Entry to the festival will be on the day of volunteering.
We require parent volunteers for the following shifts over the three days:
Thursday 27 November
11:00am - 1:00pm (Bump In and Setup)
Friday 28 November
3:30pm - 11:30pm (8 hours) (30 mins setup/organisation before festival opens and 30 mins pack up)
Saturday 29 November
9:00am - 2:00pm (5 hours) (1 hour of setup for 10am open)
2:00pm - 7:00pm (5 hours)
7:00pm - 11:30pm (4.5 hours) (30 minutes pack up)
Sunday 30 November
9:00am - 2:00pm (5 hours) (1 hour of setup for a 10am start)
2:00pm - 6:00pm ( 4 hours) (1 hour for pack down if needed - Bump Out)
We will require 5-7 volunteers per shift.
Our school's ability to run the Community BBQ at the festival will depend on the number of parent volunteers that we have register.
If you are interested in volunteering to be part of the organising committee and/or to assist with the BBQ over the festival weekend, please complete the following registration form. We ask that you nominate preferences for shifts over the weekend to allow flexibility in rostering.
Festival entry tickets will be provided to volunteers prior to the festival weekend. Due to safety regulations, students/children are unable to volunteer. Volunteers will be required to complete a short Safe Food Handling course online.
Please complete the Parent Volunteer Registration form by Friday 24 October 2025.
QMF Community BBQ Parent Registration Form
St Patrick’s Flower Show - Face Painting
On Saturday 18 October, we had a group of students participate in the St George’s Flower Show at the Old School Hall offering face painting. It was so wonderful to see our students involved in such an important community event. I was highly impressed by the level of care and detail our students put into their painting efforts and the leadership they showed within our community. Congratulations to Mrs. Kelly Caldwell for organising this opportunity for our students.
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.
Class Placements for 2026
This leads me to describe the process by which students are assigned to classes. The decision as to which class a student is assigned is based on academic, social, and behavioural considerations, friendships and discouraging combinations of students who do not work well together. The process is thorough, as we are committed to making it work for each student, based on what we know of them in our school setting. We want all our classes to be balanced academically, socially and behaviourally to achieve optimal learning conditions for all students.
All students will have an opportunity to nominate preferences of peers they would like to have in their class in 2026. We will ensure your child has more than one peer preference in their class next year.
While we are not in the business of having parents choose their child’s teacher, if you have a legitimate and compelling concern about class allocation for your child or would like to provide further information about your child that you feel would be useful for our school to know when forming classes for 2026, please ensure that this information is emailed directly to the Principal by Friday 7 November 2025, at Mathew.mcrae@education.vic.gov.au .
Parents and carers are encouraged to refer to our School’s Class Placement Policy for further information. There will be no changes made to student placements in classes for 2026 after classes are announced prior to Transition Day. Our school deeply considers every child’s academic, social, emotional needs whilst ensuring classes are balanced with learning needs, personalities and dynamics to optimise learning for all. As a small school, we are limited with options due to the number of students enrolled at the school.
2026 Student Leader Applications
Our Year 5 students are currently considering if they wish to apply for Student Leadership positions in 2025, including School Leader and House Leader positions. If students wish to be a candidate for a position, they are to submit a written application to the school office by Friday 24 October. Submissions will be reviewed, and then interviews will be organised for Monday 10 November. A timeline of the leadership process and key information was provided to all Year 5 students at the end of Week 1 of this term.
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.
Year 3-6 Nippers Program
The Year 3-6 Nippers Program will commence on Friday 7 November. Key information regarding the Nipper Program, including what students are required to wear and bring with them to the beach, has been uploaded to Compass for parents to review and make final payments. We will be hosting a Nipper Briefing on Thursday 30 October at 3:15pm for all parent volunteers who are assisting with the Nipper program. If you are interested in volunteering, please email Mrs. Melissa Fitzgerald at melissa.fitzgerald2@education.vic.gov.au
Year 5/6 Melbourne Camp
Next week, our Year 5/6 students will be venturing on a train from Marshall Station to Melbourne for their two-night camp. Whilst at Camp, students will have the opportunity to explore Melbourne visiting the Immigration Museum, IMAX, Archie Bros Arcade and the Melbourne Zoo for a night tour. Also students will go ice-skating and participate in a disco. The Melbourne Camp is 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!
Curriculum Day
On Monday 3 November, our school will be having a Curriculum Day whereby our staff will be engaging in professional development focused on assessment and reporting. Students will not be required to attend school on this day. The following day is the Melbourne Cup Public Holiday on Tuesday 4 November. This is a Public Holiday and the school will be closed.
‘Shrek Jnr’ Musical
The countdown is on until we hit the Production Week for our school’s musical production of ‘Shrek Jnr’. Students have been getting increasingly excited over the past few weeks, as they have had runs throughs of the show during Performing Arts and finalised their costumes. We have some tickets still available and we have opened ticket sales to the wider BoQ community. We encourage parents and carers to invite friends, relatives and other members of our community to join us for this spectacular occasion!
2026 Book Packs and Parent Payment Information
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 5 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 19 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
This Sunday 26 October, the Queenscliff Community Market will be running at Princess Park. The cycling event ‘Around the Bay’ will be held on Sunday, and cyclists will be riding through Queenscliff. 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 6:30am-8:30am Monday to Friday. Currently, we do not have many families booking into the service. If this continues and their appears to be minimal need for Before School Care, then the service will no longer be offered.
Assembly
Our next assembly will be held on Friday 24 October. Parents, carers and community members are invited to join us for this special celebration whereby we will have 3/4T, Year 2 and 5/6H showcasing their learning.
School Council
On Monday 20 October, our School Council met to discuss school operations, strategic vision, and financial planning.
Key topics that were discussed include:
School Uniforms
Parent Payments for 2026
Technology
Semester Reports
Stationery and Book Packs
School Events (Nippers, Musical)
Queenscliff Music Festival Involvement
Our final School Council meeting for the year is scheduled for Monday 24 November 2025.
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 .
Nyatne baa Gobata
(Thank you and take care)
Mat McRae
Principal
