18 September 2025

Principal’s News

Term 3 has been fun-filled and action-packed, from Book Week Parade and Arts Week to 100 Days of Prep and Gala Day.  And I certainly won’t forget the P&C Colour Run Fundraiser – courtesy of a bucket or two of slime! We wish all our families a wonderful September holiday break.

Facilities

Unfortunately, a portion of the new fencing and gates at the school’s entrance on Kersley Road was damaged recently due to an alleged stolen car ploughing through this area. The school is currently seeking quotes to have this fencing repaired as soon as possible.

During the September school holidays works are being undertaken to repaint the school hall both internally and externally, carpet the back of the hall, paint the Activities Centre (OSHC) externally, replace the vinyl flooring in the Activities Centre, and replace the decking of the Activities Centre. We are also having asbestos removed from the Administration building during the first weekend of the school holidays, with some wall sheeting replaced and painted. We are looking forward to this work being conducted and are very fortunate to have these upgrades occur so soon after the major works to other areas of the school in recent years.

Prep for 2026

We are already well into planning for Prep 2026. Our Prep 2026 Interviews will begin soon, and we are excited to welcome both new and current families to Kenmore South for 2026. If you know if anyone yet to enrol for next year, please encourage them to collect an enrolment form from the school office.

Acting HOD-C position

Mr Taylor Imhoff, our Head of Department – Curriculum has taken up a role as Acting HOD-C at McDowall State School until the end of Term 1 2026 with a possibility of extension. Ms Catherine Schulz has been appointed to the Acting HOD-C position at Kenmore South SS.

Term 4 Commencement

Term 4 will commence on Tuesday 7 October due to the King’s Birthday holiday on the Monday of that week.

Senior Years Deputy Principal News - Natalie Thomas

Year 6 Camp – Canberra

The Year 6 students and staff are getting very excited about their upcoming trip to Canberra in Week 1. Students will depart school on the first day of term (Tuesday 7 October) and be away for the rest of the week. Please make sure that all forms and medication have been delivered to the school. Should any new medication be required on Camp (e.g., due to an unexpected illness over the holidays), parents will need to drop it at the office first thing on Tuesday morning and complete the necessary forms. We are looking forward to a terrific learning adventure!

2026 Student Leader Process

Year 5 students are starting to get excited about nominating for leadership positions in 2026. To support them with this, the students will participate in the Ylead incursion in Week 2 of next term. This is an engaging day of exploring what it is to lead and be a respectful, courageous and positive leader in the school and wider community.

Currently the leadership nomination process is under review. More information will be sent to Year 5 families early next term.

Warm regards,

Nat Thomas

Junior Years Deputy Principal News - Andrew Sellick

Preparing Our Preps for Year 1

At Kenmore South, we often talk about the important transition from Kindy to Prep – and rightly so, as it’s such a big step for our little learners. But just as significant is the transition from Prep to Year 1. Term 4 provides the perfect opportunity for us to work together in building the skills and confidence our Prep students will need as they step into the next stage of their schooling journey.

One of the best ways parents can support this is by encouraging independence in the mornings. From Term 4, we ask families to begin allowing our Prep students to enter the classroom on their own, unpack their own bags, and get themselves settled for the day. These small steps help children develop responsibility, confidence, and a sense of ownership over their learning – all of which are so valuable as they prepare for Year 1.

We also ask for your support in helping our mornings run smoothly. While it’s very easy for a quick two-minute check-in with the teacher to turn into a longer chat, we kindly remind families that once the 8:55am bell rings, teachers need to focus on beginning the day with their class. If you’d like to connect with your child’s teacher, please reach out via email or arrange a suitable time for a conversation outside of the morning rush.

By using Term 4 as a stepping stone, we can make the transition to Year 1 feel more natural and less daunting for our Preps. Thank you for working with us to support your children in becoming confident, capable, and independent learners.

Active Travel Scooter Winners!

At yesterday’s assembly we were excited to give away two brand new scooters to our students – one from Prep–Year 2 and one from Years 3–6.

Throughout the term, students have been earning tickets for actively travelling to school and entering our scooter raffle. It was wonderful to see so many children getting involved and making healthy, active choices in their travel to school.

A big thank you to Cr Greg Adermann and the Pullenvale Ward Office for generously donating the scooters and for joining us at assembly to congratulate our winning students, Charlie in Year 2 and Austin Year 5, with TRIP, our school owl!

Head of Inclusion News - Caitlin Donaghey

Kenmore South State Inclusion Values 

As part of our school's Culture and Inclusion priorities, we have consulted with staff and all Year 1-6 classes to nominate their top three values around Inclusion. 

We would now like to invite our parents to share their top 5 values related to Inclusion.

Please follow the link below to complete the short survey. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VDRG29P

This data will assist us to identify the top 3 values from all stakeholders and these will inform our schools inclusion values. 

Environmental Club News

Another term has flown past and our group has been busy learning about, protecting and enjoying our natural environment. We have celebrated National Tree Day with leaf rubbings, welcomed Wattle Day by doing some painting, explored the mini world with magnifying lenses and even enjoyed wearing the green vests as we picked up rubbish around the school grounds.

Making our new flag by hammering flowers and leaves into cloth was another fun activity that now hangs outside 1B to let everyone know when and where we meet each week.

Our new bin stickers (paid for from our Containers for Change program) look amazing and we’d like to thank Mrs Westmore for all the work she did designing them. The stickers are helping people put the correct items in each bin.

This was especialy great when some students helped out at the sausage sizzle by supervising the many empty poppers going into the correct bin.

Everyone is very excited about the curlews choosing to start their new family in our school grounds. Thanks to Mrs Ross in 2C for getting Mr Ross to take some amazing photographs.

Arts Night

On Friday, 12 September Kenmore South School hosted our Community Arts Fair, a biennial event that encourages students to showcase their artistic talents in an art competition and includes art workshops, entertainment, food trucks and community art stalls.

This year’s theme was “Love of Self, Family and Community”. There were four awards per year level, and we had nearly 200 entries!  Our creative students used mediums such as paint, sculpture, pencil, collage, metal work, resin, watercolour and digital art to create their pieces. The entries were very impressive, and the judges were blown away by not only the talent evident in the artwork submitted, but the students’ abilities to reflect on their own emotions and allow that love of self to shine through.

A big thank you to our many sponsors, including Kenmore Art Gallery and Picture Framing, a long-time supporter of this event, the Jo Langstaff team at Ray White Metro West, Dr Christian Rowan and Councillor Greg Adermann, as well as many other local businesses in the area. We would also like to thank the teachers and support staff in the Arts Committee and the additional staff who volunteered their time before and on the night. This wonderful event would not happen without your hard work and dedication.

The night was a resounding success, encapsulated by the observations of Leo J, who on the night looked around that stated that the Community Arts Night actually brought together all of the themes of this year’s competition, “Love of yourself, family, community.”

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Sporting News

Liam Takes to Open Water Like a Natural

We are thrilled to celebrate the outstanding achievement of Liam E, a Year 6 student, who recently competed in the Brisbane Open Water Championships. Taking on the 1.25km challenge in the 11-years division, Liam swam at Coolum based Oz Ski Resort and claimed 4th place, finishing with a time of 20 minutes.

The open water event tested participants not only on speed, but also on endurance and strategy — all of which Liam handled brilliantly. His performance is a testament to the dedication and strong work ethic he brings to his training.

Liam’s achievement is a wonderful example for our school community. We congratulate him for his commitment, courage, and excellent swimming, and look forward to cheering him on in his next competition!

Chappy News

Thank You – R U OK? Day Sausage Sizzle

A big thank you to everyone who supported our R U OK? Day Sausage Sizzle Fundraiser. It was wonderful to see our school community come together, share a meal, and take a moment to connect.

Special thanks to our amazing parent volunteers and student helpers who gave their time to cook, serve and keep everything running smoothly. We couldn’t have done it without you!

With your support, we were able to raise funds for our Chaplaincy Program and, more importantly, remind each other of the power of a simple question.

R U OK? Day may be once a year, but we can ask “R U OK?” any day. A conversation could change a life.

Student of the Week Awards

Prep A: Ashton H & Lucas C
Prep B: Corey K
Prep C: Theodore S & Mia H
Prep D: Abigail S & Onaya R
1A: Hakeem G & Alexander B
1C: Hugo G-J & Annabelle L
1D: Emmett R & Islla N.C
2A: Isabel B & Lewis J
2B: Elliott M & Sasha C
2C: Declan H
2D: Sophia S & Oscar R
3A: Kalina O & Alana O
3B: Somer H
3C: Elsa Z
3D: Elora K
4B: Sina F.V & Madeleine F
4C: Eloise C
4E: Peter F & Yowon K
5A: Josephine G
5B: Lauren C, Felix K & Lukas D
5C: Assunta A
6B: Tallulah W & Chloe E
6C: Lauren J

Each week, Student of the Week Awards are handed out in class by our Junior and Senior Deputy Principal's. The awards recognise a student from each class from the previous week. 

Upcoming Blue Card Changes

Blue card changes are coming from 20 September.

These changes include:

• parent volunteers will require blue cards if:
  • services or activities do not include their own child
  • they attend overnight excursions or camps
  • close personal contact may occur with another child (such as assisting with toileting, bathing or dressing).
• external businesses providing services in schools or to children will need a blue card.

For more information about the upcoming changes, visit the Queensland Government website: https://www.qld.gov.au/law/laws-regulated-industries-and-accountability/queensland-laws-and-regulations/regulated-industries-and-licensing/blue-card-system-changes  

P & C News

As Term 3 wraps up, thank you to everyone who has supported our school community with time, energy, and ideas. Here are just a few highlights from the term:

• Father’s Day – a special celebration for our dads and carers. Special thanks to Yulia for co-ordinating this fantastic event as well as all volunteers who assisted on the day
• Lunchbox Special Food Day (Charlie and the chocolate factory)– a big hit with the students, thanks to Sachiko and Tyler for your creativity and organisation, as well as all our ongoing volunteers
• New faces – We welcomed a new Tuckshop Assistant (Emma) and Uniform Shop Convenor (Angela).
• Fete 2026 planning – The first steps are underway for this exciting community event.
• Principal’s Day – a chance to say thank you for the leadership and care guiding our school.

Wishing all our families a safe, happy holiday break — we look forward to another great term ahead!

What’s coming up

We hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved rest, time with family and friends, and a chance to recharge. We look forward to welcoming you back refreshed and ready for an exciting Term 4!

• Term 4 Disco – 14^th November

Looking Ahead to 2026 – P&C AGM

As we approach 2026, we’d like to remind our school community that our P&C Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on 10^th March 2026. At the AGM, all executive positions will be declared vacant and open for nominations.

Serving on the P&C executive is a fantastic way to support our school, meet new people, and help make decisions that benefit our students. The positions which will be open for nomination are:

• President – Provides leadership to the P&C, chairs meetings, and represents the P&C at school and community events.
• Vice-President – Supports the President and the executive team, steps into chair meetings as required.
• Secretary – Manages meeting agendas, minutes, and correspondence, helping to keep communication clear and organised.
• Treasurer – Oversees finances, presents reports, and ensures the P&C’s funds are managed responsibly.

We encourage anyone who is interested in getting more involved in our school community to consider nominating for one of these roles. No previous experience is necessary — just enthusiasm and a willingness to contribute.

Gemma Kent
P&C President

Come along to our next P&C Meeting and see how easy it is to get involved.

Joining is easy – Reach out to our P&C secretary for a membership form: pandc_secretary@kenmoresouthss.eq.edu.au

Our General P&C Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month, starting promptly at 7:00pm in the school staffroom. 

Next Meeting:   

Tuesday 14^th October 7:00pm in the staffroom 

Come along, have your say, and get involved! 

Contact Us 

Follow Us on Facebook: If you’re not already in the group, here’s the link to join: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AXuyTbXjL/?mibextid=wwXIfr  

P&C Contact Emails:

President – Gemma Kent: pandc_president@kenmoresouthss.eq.edu.au
Vice President – Laura Tromans: pandc_vice_president@kenmoresouthss.eq.edu.au
Treasurer – Lezanne Van Der Vyver: pandc_treasurer@kenmoresouthss.eq.edu.au
Secretary – Clemence Ville: pandc_secretary@kenmoresouthss.eq.edu.au   

Term 4 Lunchbox Volunteers

A huge thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who have given their time and energy to help out in the Tuckbox this term! Your support makes a real difference to our school community and helps keep this much-loved service running smoothly.

As we head into Term 4, we’d love to welcome more helpers to our team! Whether you can spare just one shift, help out every now and then, or volunteer regularly, your time makes a huge difference. Every bit of help is truly appreciated, and it all adds up to supporting our students and school community.

Term 4 Lunchbox Volunteers Needed
Please sign up at https://volunteersignup.org/LYCLR?classic or get in touch with us via pandc_lunchbox@kenmoresouthss.eq.edu.au to find out more.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

Contact us:

Lunchbox: pandc_lunchbox@kenmoresouthss.eq.edu.au
Uniform Shop: pandc_uniform_shop@kenmoresouthss.eq.edu.au 

2026 Senior Shirts

Our 2026 Year 6 senior shirts are under production. Check out a sneak peak of the selected design.

Term Dates 2025

Term 1: 28 January to 4 April 2025
Term 2: 22 April to 27 June 2025
Term 3: 14 July to 19 September 2025
Term 4: 7 October to 12 December 2025

Upcoming Dates

Friday 19 September: Last day of Term 3

Monday 6 October: Public Holiday

Tuesday 7 October: First day of Term 4

School Communication and Publicity

All requests for articles or information to be placed in the school’s newsletter, Facebook Page or school website are to be directed to Publicity@kenmoresouthss.eq.edu.au Deadline for the school newsletter is the Friday prior to distribution. Newsletters are sent out on the Thursday of every even week during the term. File types submitted are requested to be in .jpg format for photos and Word format for text.

Community News