16 May 2025

Principal’s Report

📣 Every Day Counts at School!

At Mount Archer State School, we believe that every school day counts—and research agrees! Attending school every day helps children build routine, develop friendships, and grow academically. While it might seem like just “a day off here or there,” the effects can really add up.

➡️ Did you know?

• Missing just 1 day a fortnight equals 20 days a year—that’s 4 weeks of lost learning!
• By the end of Year 6, a student who misses a day each week will have missed over a year of school in total.

Every missed day is a missed opportunity to learn, connect and grow. It’s important for students to be at school on time, every day—unless they’re unwell. We understand that illness or unexpected events can occur, and we are here to support families when challenges arise.

If you’re finding it hard to get your child to school regularly, please reach out to our friendly staff. We’re here to help with practical solutions and support options.

🎻 Strings Shine at the Eisteddfod!

A huge congratulations to our Strings Ensemble, who recently performed at the Rockhampton Eisteddfod. Their dedication, teamwork, and love of music were clear for all to see. We are so proud of their hard work and the confidence they showed on stage!

⚽ Football Team Takes the Field

Well done to our amazing football team, who represented Mount Archer in the local Capras Cup competition! They displayed great sportsmanship, determination, and teamwork throughout the event. Thank you to our coaches, families, and supporters for cheering them on.

At Mount Archer, we’re proud to offer a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities—from sport to the arts—ensuring every student can explore their interests and develop new talents. When students attend regularly, they can take full advantage of everything our school has to offer.

Let’s work together to make every day count!

Jeff Jepson
Principal

Deputy Principal’s Report

📚 A Special Gift for Our Prep Students

This week, our Prep students were excited to receive a very special gift—a brand new book, generously donated by the Rotary Club of Rockhampton South.

Several years ago, the Rotary Club made a heartfelt decision to support early literacy across the Rockhampton region by providing a personal book to every Prep student in local schools. This wonderful initiative is part of the Club’s long-standing commitment to education and community service.

Mike Fitzgerald, the program co-ordinator, shared that the goal of the project is simple but powerful: to help spark a lifelong love of reading. By giving children their very own book to keep, the Rotary Club hopes to ignite curiosity, imagination, and a passion for stories that will last a lifetime.

We thank the Rotary Club of Rockhampton South for their continued support of our youngest learners. Their generosity plays a meaningful role in helping children build positive early experiences with books and reading.

Happy reading, Preppies!

Kim Creek
Deputy Principal

Deputy Principal’s Report

Digtial ThinkUKnow presentation

You’re invited to attend a Digital ThinkUKnow www.thinkuknow.org.au presentation on Wednesday, the 4 June 3:00pm for one hour.

As parents and carers, you play an important role in protecting your child from harm whilst online.

ThinkUKnow aims to support you in preventing and managing safety challenges that your child may face, as well as guiding your child to understand these and feel empowered to take action.

This one-hour event will provide an overview of online experiences your children may have today, consider the challenges, and offer options to take action in building a safer online world for them.

Please join by clicking this link http://aka.ms/TUK_Parents between 2:45pm and 3:00pm on the day. 

Please note that this event is for Parents and Carers ONLY.  Some content is considered inappropriate for children.

MAD Focus

Our Fortnightly Focus for the Mount Archer Day in Weeks 3 and 4 has been to speak with respect and kindness to all.

We have been teaching the students the importance of using “I” statements  to respectfully respond to someone when there is a problem.

Our students are learning to deliver their “I” statement in a firm and friendly way, just like our High-5 Hand.

Our students are using the following simple framework to help them construct an “I” statement.

Julie Griffin
Deputy Principal

Relief Positions Available- Teacher Aides and Cleaners

We are currently seeking reliable and enthusiastic individuals to join our pool of relief school cleaners and teacher aides for on-call and backfill opportunities.

Roles Available:

• School Cleaners – Maintain a clean, safe, and welcoming school environment.
• Teacher Aides – Support teaching staff in delivering high-quality education and care to students.

Requirements:

• A current PAID Blue Card
• Willingness to consent to a criminal history check
• Flexibility and availability at short notice
• A genuine interest in working in a school environment

Ideal Candidates Will Be:

• Punctual and dependable
• Able to work independently or as part of a team
• Respectful and professional in a school setting

If you’re passionate about supporting students and school communities, we’d love to hear from you!

To apply or express interest, please send your resume and a brief cover letter to:

The Business Manager
Mount Archer State School
242 Thozet Road
Koongal QLD 4701

For further information please contact the Business Manager on 49 235 222

PE Report

CQ Capras Challenge Cup 2025 🏉

Friday 9th May was an exciting day for our Year 6 students as they proudly represented Mt Archer State School in the CQ Capras Challenge Cup, taking part in the Cam Munster Cup—a local competition focused on fun, teamwork, and participation.

Pool Matches

Our team faced tough opposition in the pool rounds, playing two spirited matches against Crescent Lagoon State School and St Paul’s Catholic School.

The first match against Crescent Lagoon was a valuable learning experience. Although we narrowly missed out on a win, our team showed promising signs and real determination.

In the second game, against St Paul’s, the team rose to the occasion in a thrilling encounter. With the games momentum swinging back and forth, it all came down to the final play—our players dug deep and scored a last-minute try to claim a well-earned victory!

Relegation Finals – A Strong Finish

In the playoff for 5th and 6th place, we faced The Hall State School. From the very first whistle, our team took control of the game. Each player contributed with determination and teamwork, and the cohesion shown on the field was that of a team who had been playing together for years. We wrapped up the day with a confident and deserved win!

Player of the Series – Riona McNeice

A huge congratulations to Riona McNeice, who was named Player of the Series. Riona led by example throughout the day, showcasing skill, sportsmanship, and leadership.

Well done to all of our players for representing Mt Archer with pride and spirit!

Shane Cox
PE Teacher

MSP Photography

Student school photos will take place on 26 & 27 May. Envelopes and further information will be going home soon.

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 https://qparents.qld.edu.au/#/about          

Help and more information

Further help with registering for QParents can be found on the QParents Help page at https://qparents.qld.edu.au/#/help

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 2

A huge congratulations to Prep C and 6E for being our Mount Archer Day winners in Week 2! Your efforts in especting the right of others to learn were outstanding!

Congratulations also to 1D for excellent listening skills on parade. Well done kids and teachers!

Week 3

A big shoutout to Prep A and 3S for who took top honors on Mount Archer Day,

Keep up the great work, everyone!

A huge congratulations to 5T for being Erimus on parade and demonstrating the best listening skills on Friday! Well done students and teachers!

Bookwork Superstars

Congratulations to our Week 3 Bookwork Superstars. We are seeing some amazing writing.

Week 3

Prep C

Classroom Foyer Displays

5P

This term, the creative minds in 5P have been busy building their very own three-level maze games! Each game features custom avatars, exciting levels with unique backgrounds, cool rewards, a points system, and of course—a sneaky enemy or tricky predator to watch out for. The students also had to dream up and set the rules of the game. Along the way, they put their defining and designing superpowers to great use!

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.

Read more about QParents at https://qparents.qld.edu.au/#/about

Help and more information

Further help with registering for QParents can be found on the QParents Help page at https://qparents.qld.edu.au/#/help

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

Community Hub Coordinator

Thanks,

Hannah Patson
Community Hub Coordinator

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.