21 March 2025

Principal’s Report

Celebrating NAPLAN Completion

A huge congratulations to all our Year 3 and 5 students who have now completed NAPLAN for this year! These assessments can sometimes feel challenging, but we are incredibly proud of the resilience, determination, and positive attitude our students demonstrated throughout the testing process.

In the lead-up to NAPLAN, students worked hard to develop key literacy and numeracy skills, and it was wonderful to see their confidence grow. While NAPLAN provides us with valuable insights into each child’s progress, we want to remind everyone that these tests are just one part of a student’s learning journey. Their effort, curiosity, and daily learning experiences matter just as much—if not more—than the results of a single test.

Understanding NAPLAN

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9 across Australia. It evaluates essential skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and numeracy, providing valuable insights into each student's progress. NAPLAN is not about passing or failing but about understanding where students are in their learning journey. Learn more about NAPLAN here.

Individual Literacy Assessments and Targeted Learning

Over the past few weeks, our leadership team has been working one-on-one with students to assess their literacy skills. These assessments, which take place three times a year, provide us with important insights into each child’s strengths and areas for growth.

The results from these assessments directly inform our daily literacy block, which takes place immediately after first lunch. This structured learning time is designed to reinforce and build upon the specific skills that each student needs to develop. By aligning our teaching strategies with the assessment data, we ensure that every child receives the support they need to grow in their reading, writing, and comprehension skills.

If you would like to discuss your child's progress, please reach out to their teacher or contact our office to schedule a meeting.

The Importance of Completing Homework

Homework plays a vital role in reinforcing the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning in the classroom each week. The tasks we set are designed to directly support and build upon the concepts taught at school, giving students the opportunity to practice, consolidate, and deepen their understanding in a familiar and structured way.

We understand that many families have busy schedules with extracurricular activities, work, and other commitments. However, setting aside time for homework each week provides children with additional practice that can make a significant difference in their learning progress.

We encourage parents and carers to support their children in developing a positive homework routine. Even short, focused sessions can make a meaningful impact. If you have any questions about your child’s homework or how best to support them at home, please feel free to reach out to their teacher.

Jeff Jepson
Principal

Deputy Principal’s Report

The Mount Archer Day

Our Mount Archer Day Fortnightly Focus centres around creating a safe, respectful, and organised environment for all. This Fortnight we have focused on the expectations of end of play. Please take a moment to discuss these expectations with your child.

When the bell rings, students are expected to immediately stop playing and make their way to the toilets if needed, remembering to wash their hands properly before heading to the eating area. Safety is a priority, so students should walk calmly to their designated eating areas to avoid accidents.

Once in the eating area, children should get their lunchboxes straight away and begin eating without delay. This allows them enough time to enjoy their food before returning to the classroom for learning.

At second break, students who have borrowed school hats must return them to the bucket before moving on to the next part of their day. This ensures all hats remain available and in a clean condition for future use.

Finally, we encourage all students to take responsibility for keeping our school clean. All rubbish must go into the bins to maintain a tidy and welcoming environment for everyone.

By following these simple steps, we can ensure a smooth transition from playtime to eating, fostering responsibility and respect within our school community. Thank you for your support in reinforcing these expectations with your child.

Julie Griffin
Deputy Principal

Guidance Officer’s Report

Harmony Week

Celebrating Harmony Week at Mount Archer State School!

This week, we celebrated Harmony Week at Mount Archer SS! Harmony Week is a special time to recognise and appreciate the diverse cultures that make up our school and community. It’s a reminder that everyone belongs—no matter where we come from, what language we speak, or what traditions we follow.

On Friday, students took part in fun activities that promote inclusion, kindness, and respect within their classrooms. These may have included, storytelling, music, art, and learning about different cultures from around the world.

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We encouraged everyone to wear orange on Friday, as orange is the official colour of Harmony Week. It represents communication, freedom of ideas, and mutual respect—all important values that help us build a welcoming and inclusive school community.

Harmony Week is a great time to celebrate what makes us unique while also embracing what brings us together. Together, we can make Mount Archer SS a place where everyone feels valued and included!

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Happy Harmony Week!

Nikki Broome
Guidance Officer

Online Consent and QParents

Mount Archer State School is moving towards an online consent system for all school-related permissions and communications. This transition will not only streamline processes for our staff but also make it more convenient for you as parents.

To ensure a smooth experience, we highly encourage all parents to sign up for QParents. QParents will be your one-stop shop for all student-related information and permissions, making it easier than ever to stay connected with your child's school activities, view and update important details, and submit consents quickly and securely from the comfort of your home.

Why QParents?

Simplified access: No more paper forms. You can give consent for excursions, events, and other activities with just a few clicks.

Real-time updates: Stay informed with up-to-date information on your child's attendance, reports, behaviour and progress.

Convenience: Access everything you need in one place, 24/7, using your smartphone or computer.

We believe QParents will significantly improve communication and make managing your child's school-related matters much easier.

If you need any assistance with signing up for QParents or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office. We are more than happy to help!

Thank you for your cooperation as we make this transition to a more efficient and convenient way of managing school consent.

Read more about QParents at 

Help and more information

Further help with registering for QParents can be found on the QParents Help page at 

If you have any other questions or require some assistance with the registration process, please contact the Service Centre on 13QGOV (137468).

Mount Archer Day and Erimus Winners

Week 6

Congratulations to Prep B and 3J for being the winners of of our  Mount Archer Day Fortnightly Focus: Walking in lines , and 1L for receiving the Erimus trophy for the best class for this week’s parade.

Week 7

Congratulations to 1D and 4LG for being voted as the winners of the MAD Award for this week. The Mount Archer Day focus for this week was - End of Playtime

When the bell goes, students should:

• Stop play
• Go to the toilet and wash their hands.
• Walk safely to the eating area.
• Get their lunchboxes straight away, and start to eat.
• At second break, return borrowed hats to the bucket.
• All rubbish in the bins.

3S were awarded the Erimus Award this week for being the best class at this week’s parade. You'll spot them at Parade next week on the special seating.

Classroom Foyer Displays

6E

6E have been diving into the word bioluminescence during Literacy Block, breaking it down into its morphemes to understand how words are built. They've explored real-world examples of bioluminescence, by researching an anglerfish. They even created their own "glowing" artwork. Through this activity, they saw how language connects to science in fascinating ways.

Morpheme Breakdown of Bioluminescence

• Bio- (Greek: bios) → life
• Lumin- (Latin: lumen) → light
• -escence (Latin: -escentia) → the process or state of becoming

So, bioluminescence means “the process of producing light through living organisms.”

6O

Like all classes at Mount Archer State, 6O have begun implementing a daily Literacy Block aimed at improving the reading, writing, spelling and handwriting of our students. This is a brand new process for all, but 6O students have taken to the new routine well , engaging in activities on our mini whiteboards and special literacy books.

Community Hub Coordinator

Thanks,

Hannah Patson
Community Hub Coordinator

WHAT IS QPARENTS?

QParents is an online portal that is free for Queensland state schools to use and allows parents at your school to:

• view attendance details, behaviour information, report cards, timetables, invoices and a history of payments
• provide digital consent, reasons for unexplained absences and to notify the school of future absences
• view and pay school invoices online
• update student details including residential and postal address as well as medical conditions.

Help and more information

Further help with registering for QParents can be found on the QParents Help page at 

If you have any other questions or require some assistance with the registration process, please contact the Service Centre on 13QGOV (137468).

Upcoming Events

Contact Details & Absences

Contact details

• There are times when we may need to contact parents and carers. Do we have your most up to date contact details? If not, please contact the school office on 07 49235222 or alternatively email - admin@mtarcherss.eq.edu.au and complete the attached form, so we can update our records. These details include parent/carers’ name, address, phone numbers, email address and emergency contact details. Please contact the school if any of these details change.

Absence notification process

• Please call the school on 07 49235222 or send an email to admin@mtarcherss.eq.edu.au early in the morning if your child is going to be away or late for school so your child’s absence can be recorded correctly.

Same day notification

• Our school will contact parents as soon as practicable on the day if a student is not at school and we don’t know why. If you are advised by the school that your child is away without a reason, please contact us as soon as possible by replying to the Absentee SMS or on 07 49235222 to let us know where your child is. We will follow-up with parents if no response is received.

School zone parking and pick-up

• School zone times have been standardised in Queensland to help motorists remember when to slow down. The standard operating times for most school zones in Queensland are 7:30–9am and 2–4pm.
• School zones are areas around schools where, during certain times, reduced speed limits apply. Speed limits and drop-off, pick-up and parking rules exist to keep children, parents and carers safe and to minimise speed and traffic jams around schools.

Community, Sporting and Cultural Events

headspace Rockhampton Family and Friends

We are growing our 'Family and Friends’ reference group to make a difference.

headspace Rockhampton is welcoming parents, carers, family members, siblings and members of first nations, multicultural, LGBTQI+ communities to share their expertise, perspective, and ideas to shape our service delivery.

Meet with us in a relaxing atmosphere for a chat, light refreshments provided.

5:00pm - 6:00pm
Wednesday, 30 April 2025
155 Alma Street
headspace Rockhampton

If you can't make it, but are interested in participating call headspace Rockhampton PH: 4911 6040

Doug’s Dojang

We are pleased to let you know that two physical activity workshops will be available for primary-aged children on the upcoming school holidays.

These sessions are being delivered by Doug’s Dojang with the support of the Frenchville Sports Club Community Partnerships Program. Both events are free to attend.

Strong Communities

Strong Communities has free parenting programs available in Term 2. These programs provide valuable support to families and individuals, helping to strengthen parent-child relationships and equip caregivers with practical skills.

We have three programs available:

• Circle of Security – Supporting parents to better understand their child’s emotional needs.
• Tuning in to Kids – Helping parents develop emotional intelligence in their children.
• CQ Dads for Kids Program – A dedicated program for fathers, with weekend and online options available.

We also have Play & Connect sessions held during the school holidays in the Rockhampton Region.

Foster Carers Needed

Local kids need local foster carers.

We are looking for people who are able to provide a secure, nurturing environment and are willing to take on a challenging yet immensely rewarding role. Foster carers can be people of all ages, cultural backgrounds and walks of life.

It doesn’t matter if you are single, a couple, or a family with children of your own. You might live in a regional centre or in a small community, not working or working part-time or fulltime.

Scan the QR code for more information.

Port Curtis Road State School

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