2025 Newsletter Term 2 Week 6
- From the Principal – Maja Bogicevic
- What's Coming Up at Kruger!
- Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning - Elena Finlay
- National Simultaneous Storytime Brings the School Together at Kruger State School
- National Reconciliation Week at Kruger State School
- Kruger Readers Rising to the Challenge!
- Deputy Principal Student Engagement - Peta Jackson
- Acting Deputy Principal and Head of Special Education Services - Regina Birchley
- Head of Department Student Engagement - Ahmed Jalloh
- Head of Department Student Engagement - Mathilda Holt
- Guidance Officer - Allen Weynberg
- Business Manager - Melissa Henderson
- Teaching and Learning
- Flexi Space - Jenni Atkinson
- LOTE - Roberta Mango
- HPE - Orhan Memedovski and Lachlan Bowser
- From the P & C
- The Community Hub - Kym Alexander
- Community Information
From the Principal – Maja Bogicevic
‘The road to freedom – here and everywhere on earth – begins in the classroom.’
Hubert Humphrey
Every school day counts. Whether it’s a kindergartner learning the ABCs or a high schooler mastering algebra, consistent school attendance lays the foundation for academic success, social development, and long-term well-being. Yet, many students miss crucial learning opportunities due to frequent absences. As a parent or guardian, your support is key in helping your child build healthy attendance habits that will benefit them for a lifetime.
Regular attendance is one of the strongest predictors of student achievement. Research shows that students who miss just two days a month—often considered “chronically absent”—can fall significantly behind their peers academically. This gap can start early and grow over time, leading to lower grades, reduced engagement, and an increased risk of dropping out.
Beyond academics, attending school every day helps students build routines, strengthen friendships, and develop resilience. Each day they show up, they’re learning more than just curriculum—they’re learning how to navigate life.
While some absences are unavoidable, such as illness or family emergencies, other common causes include:
- Difficulty waking up or getting to school on time
- Anxiety or social challenges at school
- Transportation issues
- Family trips scheduled during the school year
Identifying the reasons behind frequent absences is the first step in finding solutions.
As a parent, you play a vital role in ensuring your child attends school regularly. Here are some ways you can support positive attendance habits:
- Set a Consistent Routine
Establish regular bedtimes and morning routines to make getting ready for school smoother. Consistency helps children feel secure and prepared for the day ahead. - Talk About the Importance of School
Remind your child why going to school is important—for learning, friendships, and their future goals. Encourage a positive attitude toward school, even during challenging times. - Plan Ahead
Schedule vacations and appointments outside of school hours whenever possible. Make a plan for your child to catch up if they do need to miss school. - Stay Connected with the School
If your child is struggling with attendance, communicate with teachers, counsellors, or administrators. Kruger State School has resources to help families overcome barriers to attendance. - Monitor Attendance
Keep track of how many days your child misses and intervene early if absences begin to add up. Sometimes even a few days here and there can lead to falling behind.
Building a habit of good attendance sets the stage for lifelong responsibility and success. By partnering with the school and showing your child that attendance is a priority, you're sending a powerful message: their education matters, and so do they.
If you have questions or concerns about your child’s attendance, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
We’re here to support you and your family every step of the way. Thank you for being our partners in education.
Contact Email: mbogi4@eq.edu.au
What's Coming Up at Kruger!
Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning - Elena Finlay
Prep Reading Progress
The Preps continue to make great strides in their reading development. Layla from Prep C impressed the Junior Parade with her careful tracking, and her excellent sounding out and blending skills during reading.
Over the past three weeks, the Preps have been consolidating the following 12 sounds for these letters: s a t p i n m r h e d c. Please ensure you practise these sounds regularly with your child and engage with the activities teachers are sending home. These activities are designed to support and build their literacy skills.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
Contact Email: efinl9@eq.edu.au
National Simultaneous Storytime Brings the School Together at Kruger State School
On Wednesday of Week 5 at 12 midday, Kruger State School joined thousands of schools across Australia to participate in National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS). Classes across the school paused their regular lessons to come together and read the same story — The Cat Truck by Deborah Frenkel.
This year, NSS was even more special at Kruger State School. In addition to the story being read aloud in English by Mrs Bogicevic, Kruger State School Principal, it was also shared in eight other major languages spoken by our school community. This inclusive approach allowed students the opportunity to enjoy the story in their home languages, celebrating the diversity of cultures within the school.
A big shout-out goes to our dedicated staff and Mr Mapensi, whose efforts in translating and filming the story made this possible. Their hard work helped bring the story to life for all students, ensuring everyone could engage with the magic of reading regardless of language.
National Simultaneous Storytime is an important event that promotes the love of reading, cultural inclusiveness, and community spirit — values that Kruger State School proudly embraces.
Below are photos shared by teachers of classes engaging with text. Thank you, teachers!
National Reconciliation Week at Kruger State School
Kruger State School marked National Reconciliation Week with a powerful presentation by Beza (5D), great-granddaughter of Indigenous rights activist Eddie Mabo.
Beza shared the meaning of the week and this year’s theme, “Bridging Now to Next”, which calls on Australians to learn from the past and build a future based on respect and fairness.
She highlighted key moments in history: the 1967 referendum that counted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the census, and the 1992 High Court case led by Eddie Mabo that recognised First Nations peoples as the true owners of the land.
Beza reminded students that reconciliation means telling the truth, showing respect, and walking together. She encouraged everyone to continue building bridges from “now to next” for a united future.
The school community was inspired by her message and the importance of working together on this shared journey.
Kruger Readers Rising to the Challenge!
As of Wednesday Week 6, we’re thrilled to celebrate a remarkable milestone — 27 Kruger students have already completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge! This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the power of persistence, curiosity, and a love of reading.
Leading the way are Year 4D and Year 3C, with six students each already completing the challenge. The Flexispace class also has four students who have completed the challenge and are well on their way to filling their second record sheet! The efforts of these students are setting a great example and encouraging others to get involved.
The Premier’s Reading Challenge isn’t just about finishing a list of books — it’s about building reading habits, exploring new ideas, and enjoying stories. Every book read helps students grow in confidence and understanding, both in and out of the classroom.
If your child would like to take part from home, encourage them to collect a Premier’s Reading Challenge form from the front office. With every new reader, we grow stronger as a community of learners.
Let’s keep the momentum going — because at Kruger, we believe every reader is a leader!
Left to Right: So’oula 5D and Pulusila 5D; Osman 3C; Sasha 4D; Salima 4A; Luama 3C; Daniel 3C; Oliva 3C; Khloe (FLEX5), Ronan (FLEX6), Indiana (FLEX4) and Paul (FLEX6); Amazon 5C; Lorenzo 4D, Rayan 4D and Azariyah-Faye 4D; Litia 5C; Myra 3B; David S 1C; Mashell 3C; Jessica 4D; Salvation 2C; Laasaga 4D.
Deputy Principal Student Engagement - Peta Jackson
Year 7 High School Enrolments
One of the most important decision Year 6 parents needs to make is where to enrol their child. Acting early and securing your child’s enrolment during their final year of primary school offers your child opportunities to see their new school, participate in different programs and meet key people who will be supporting them in Year 7. Our school is here to support your child to access high school transition days, preparation days as well as to support you with the organisation of the enrolment interview at your child’s new school.
High schools are taking enrolments now. The majority of our families live in catchments for Redbank Plains State High School, Bellbird Park State Secondary College and Collingwood Park State Secondary College. You can check your catchment school using the EdMap tool at https://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/maps/edmap/. Simply Click on Year 7 and enter your address.
Once you have identified your catchment high school, visit the school’s website or contact the school for enrolment information. Enrolment applications can be downloaded directly from the school’s website, or you may wish to contact the school for an enrolment pack. Information about scholarships can also be found on most high school websites. Please note high schools will not allow unenrolled students to participate in transition days later in the year.
Please see the information and dates for Bellbird Park State Secondary College Walk and Talk with the Principal.
Contact Email: pmjac0@eq.edu.au
Acting Deputy Principal and Head of Special Education Services - Regina Birchley
Welcome to Week 6.
We are at a busy time of the year with teachers continuing to deliver high quality lessons for students to complete assessment tasks. Assessments are a great opportunity for students to share with their teacher what they have learned throughout the term or semester. As always, attendance is an important factor in your child’s engagement and learning. Our role as a school, is to maximise learning for every student through the delivery of high-quality curriculum and teaching practices. Your child’s success is important to us, as we are sure it is to you as parents and carers. Let’s work together to make every day count!
School photos are on Monday 16 June and Tuesday 17 June. Please ensure your child is in the correct uniform and at school on time. Sibling photos are taken before school starts. Once school starts, students will move to the hall with their class for group and individual student photos. Order forms for sibling photos are collected from the office. For your convenience, ordering can be done online at msp.cpm.au, or by placing cash in the envelope. Please note: each student’s envelope is personalised with a unique ‘Shootkey’ code, therefore your child’s envelope can be used by them only. Please see the communication from MSP photography below.
Contact Email: rbirc14@eq.edu.au.
Head of Department Student Engagement - Ahmed Jalloh
This week, we celebrate all the students from Prep to Year 6 who have been demonstrating Kruger's Positive Behaviour for Learning expectations in all settings. Congratulations to all our award recipients and keep demonstrating our school values.
Parents and carers are always welcome to join us for assemblies, Senior (Year 3 to Year 6) at 9.00am and Junior (Prep to Year 2) at 10.00am, to celebrate their children's success with us.
Contact Email: asjal0@eq.edu.au.
Head of Department Student Engagement - Mathilda Holt
Over the past three weeks, our school-wide PBL focus has been on supporting students to respond calmly and respectfully when given instructions. We’ve seen many students making positive changes and stepping up to follow directions — a great step towards building calm and consistent classrooms across Kruger State School.
We’re also seeing lots of enthusiasm for earning SNAPS, our school-wide positive behaviour rewards. Students are collecting SNAPS for showing safe, respectful, honest and learner behaviour — and we’re all looking forward to cashing them in for rewards in Weeks 7–10! Prizes include class choice time, basketball games, a dance party, a movie and popcorn session, and even morning tea with the principal.
For our Year 6 students, we’re also preparing for camp at Runaway Bay Sports and Excellence Centre in Week 8. This is a great chance for students to build independence and teamwork. To help them feel confident and ready, we encourage families to talk at home about the importance of listening to instructions from new adults at the centre. This will help ensure a safe and enjoyable camp experience for everyone.
Thank you for your ongoing support as we work together to help all students succeed.
Contact Email: mxhol8@eq.edu.au.
Guidance Officer - Allen Weynberg
Anxiety is a common issue that affects many students, families and people in our community. It is normal to feel nervous in some situations. Everybody is different and experiences anxiety in different ways.
Help is available – please see the attached factsheet from Headspace. Reach out to school if your child is anxious about attending. At Kruger State School, we have a range of supports available to you to support your child to attend school more frequently.
Business Manager - Melissa Henderson
Thank you for taking the time to read the key messages below and keeping informed.
Project Yumi - Thank You Kruger Families
Project Yumi is a not-for-profit organisation on a mission to create comfortable, inspiring learning spaces for students in Papua New Guinea. With the reduction in student numbers and class sizes since the opening of new schools in the area, Kruger SS has some surplus student furniture that we have proudly donated to this cause.
Facilities Updates
Flexispace Project
With the Amenities Project nearing completion, the Flexispace project is getting ready to commence.
The Flexispace is located in Block 6, classroom 4. The classroom is going to be refurbished and a new integrated outdoor learning space will be constructed on the southern side of the building.
Tuckshop Refurbishment Project
Planning continues for the refurbishment of the Tuckshop. Designs and specifications are currently being finalised with a view to going to tender in the coming weeks. No further details are available at this time.
Student Services Office is located at Block 2
Reminder, for all student matters including late slips, picking up students early from school etc please proceed to the Student Services Office located at Block 2. Follow the green painted line on the concrete from Admin.
The Office in the Admin Building continues to be staffed for all non-student enquiries.
Please see below for services offered at each location.
Contact Email: admin@krugerss.eq.edu.au
Teaching and Learning
Prep
Our amazing Prep students have been working hard and having fun while learning dictation — and what a fantastic job they’re doing!
Each week, they’ve been practising how to listen carefully, sound out words, and write short sentences all on their own. It’s helping them become confident writers and even better readers. We’ve seen big smiles and proud faces as they learn to hear each sound and put their ideas on paper.
Year 1
The Year One’s had the Fire truck visit this week. Students were very excited and engaged in some fun learning experiences. Check out the photos below!
Year 2
In 2D, we are using concrete materials to explore and understand place value in a hands-on and meaningful way. The students are working with base ten blocks, including units, rods, and flats, to build and break apart numbers. This tactile approach helps them visualise how numbers are composed and decomposed, reinforcing the concept of ones, tens, and hundreds. For example, in the image, a student is combining unit cubes with a flat to show how ten ones can be exchanged for a ten or added to larger numbers. These manipulatives provide a clear and engaging way for students to grasp foundational math skills.
Year 3
Year 3 have been working hard in maths, practising their skip counting, times tables, partitioning, and problem solving.
Now that they are mastering their times tables, we've been playing times table board games and other engaging activities before assessment time.
We are excited to keep watching the year three students continue to develop their maths skills.
The Year 3 Team 🙂
Year 4
In 4B, students have been learning how to write paragraphs using a topic sentence, details, concluding sentence and linking words. Students have been using knowledge about colonisation in HASS and animals in English to practise their paragraphs and sentence types.
Year 5
“Reading is everywhere and Reading is everyone’s business.” What a week it has been for the Year 5s! We have been practising our dictations during Spelling and becoming confident readers each day.
As a Year 5 cohort we were lucky to have Mr Ruska share his knowledge on bush fires and explain what cool burning is to help with our English Assessment. We all enjoyed this lesson, especially when he taught us a game – learning the Indigenous language!
Year 6
English and HASS
Year 6 students have been busy working on their biographies on their chosen Australian Activist. They have been working incredibly hard to ensure they meet the criteria for their assessment.
Flexi Space - Jenni Atkinson
Last week, we had the pleasure of having three members of the Education Department Head Office come and visit FlexiSpace. Tess, Victoria and Rebecca enjoyed speaking with the students, exploring our space and sharing morning tea with us. They were even more impressed that Ariel had baked a lovely cake, we are so proud of her thoughtfulness.
LOTE - Roberta Mango
The German students are testing their general knowledge about German facts. How many can you answer? Some questions are much harder than others!
Das Quiz
1. What is the population of Germany? _______________________________
2. What is its capital city? ________________________________________
3. What is the currency/money unit? ________________________________
4. Who is the Chancellor of Germany? _______________________________
5. Who is the President of Germany? ________________________________
6. What are the colours of the German flag? __________________________
7. What is the Bundesliga? ________________________________________
8. What is the Oktoberfest? ______________________________________
9. What year was Germany unified? _________________________________
10. What was the Berlin Wall? Which years did it exist? __________________
5C German class talked about Sorry Day during Reconciliation Week and made a chain of hearts for Mr Ruska, our Youth Worker, to display in his room.
HPE - Orhan Memedovski and Lachlan Bowser
Our 2025 Kruger Crocs Teams for Rugby League, Soccer and Netball began their first round of Gala Days today!
The Kruger State School Crocs gave an outstanding effort at today’s Gala Day, doing their absolute best in each of their chosen sports. The students showed great sportsmanship, teamwork, and determination throughout the day. They are very lucky to be supported by such dedicated and skilled coaches, as well as parents who make every effort to be there for their children’s games. It was a day full of energy, encouragement, and pride for the whole Kruger community.
From the P & C
Billy G's Cookie Dough – Top 5 Award Winners! 🍪🎉
A massive congratulations to our Top 5 Sellers in the Billy G’s Cookie Dough fundraiser: Aaliyah Prep A, Carson 3A, Rhys 3B, Tilly 4A and Avi 4B.
A special cheer for Aaliyah, our Top Tub Seller, who went above and beyond to take the Number 1 spot! Aaliyah received a special certificate and a brand new scooter to celebrate her incredible achievement 🏆
The awards were proudly presented by our P&C President and Vice President, who joined us to recognise the fantastic efforts of all our winners 🎖️
Thank you to everyone who supported the fundraiser - your efforts help make our school community even stronger!
The Community Hub - Kym Alexander
Community Information
The Bubble Canteen
The Bubble Canteen is bubbling its way to SPARK Ipswich Festival!
Step into a magical installation where the air shimmers with 20,000 bubbles per minute—from delicate floating whispers to gigantic, gleaming orbs. Created by the delightfully eccentric sisters Beryl, Annie & Fredia, The Bubble Canteen is a playful escape from the ordinary, connecting people of all ages through joy, wonder, and laughter.
WHERE:
Nicholas Street Precinct, Ipswich
WHEN:
Friday 11 – Sunday 13 July
Friday 18 – Sunday 20 July
Session Times: 4.30pm & 6.15pm
FREE. FUN. FOR EVERYONE.
Presented by Ipswich Festivals, proudly produced by The Mask Family, and originally commissioned by Brisbane Festival.
Netball Clinics - Nissan Arena
These school holidays Netball Queensland and the Queensland Firebirds are hosting six exciting clinics at Nissan Arena across three days — 30 June, 1 July 1 and 2 July, from 9.00am to 3.00pm each day.
- Woolworths NetSetGo Clinics (Ages 5-10)
- Jump to Juniors Clinics (Ages 9-12)
These sessions are designed to be fun, social, and active — offering a safe environment for kids to build skills and confidence in netball.
Some Queensland Firebirds players will be dropping in during the clinics for signing sessions and Q&As — a fantastic chance for young netballers to meet their heroes!
About the Clinics:
- Woolworths NetSetGo is the perfect introduction to netball for 5–10-year-olds, catering to all abilities—no prior experience required! Kids will develop fundamental skills in a fun and inclusive setting.
- Jump to Juniors is ideal for 9–12-year-olds who are ready to transition to competitive netball, however no experience is needed! Led by trained coaches, sessions include skill-based activities, minor games, and modified match play.
Clinic Registration Links – Nissan Arena:
June 30
July 1
July 2
