Kruger State School eNewsletter

From the Principal – Maja Bogicevic

If you dream of moving mountains tomorrow, you must start by lifting small stones today.

Equatorial Guinean proverb

As we start a new school year, we move forward with a strong vision for our students’ future as well-educated, confident learners who are respectful and honest people. As the proverb says, starting this work early is crucial to our long-term success. With such great community on board, I am sure that Kruger students will reach these goals.

On behalf of Kruger teaching team, we thank you for being our partners in education and supporting us to help our students be the best they can be. We aim to ensure our students get the best educational opportunities to develop their literacy and numeracy skills and improve their knowledge and understanding of the Australian Curriculum. We strive to provide an inclusive, supportive and engaging environment for learning where all children can feel inspired, safe and excited to learn.

I would like to wish all new families a very warm welcome to our Kruger family and I hope that your children have enjoyed the first couple of weeks at our school. If you have any feedback for us or any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out via email, phone or in person. We value your voice.

To our returning students and their families, we are so excited to see you all back at school. We hope that your holidays were enjoyable and that your students were excited about coming back.

Teaching and learning are the core business of every school; and this year, we are focusing strongly on improving our students’ reading outcomes. Teaching reading effectively across the curriculum is the focus of our teachers’ professional development opportunities this year, as well as the focus of our conversations about our students’ academic achievement. At the end of last year, we employed a new Deputy Principal, Elena Finlay, who will be leading our efforts in this area. Elena Finlay has extensive experience and proven success in supporting students to enhance their reading skills. We are so excited about our reading journey and will be sending you more information about how you can help your child improve their reading level.

At Kruger, we believe that our students will achieve the best learning outcomes in an environment where their culture is recognised and celebrated. As teachers, we are slowly embarking on the journey of cultural responsiveness where our school becomes a place where everyone feels welcome and able to contribute. Over the holidays, Malia Naititi joined our Kruger family as a teacher and Cultural Lead helping us on this learning journey. Malia’s article in this newsletter offers more information about her work and plans for 2025.

As you are aware, this year we moved to change the way in which we offer education opportunities for our students in Year 6. To support them to better transition to high school, our students now have different teachers for different curriculum areas, as well as more opportunities to develop their talents in sport, music, coding or performing arts, which are all offered as part of our Electives in Years 5 and 6. I am very pleased that the students and teachers have truly embraced this change, and we expect to see improved student learning outcomes as a result.

Kruger State School’s enrolment numbers are 695 students, with Year 4 being our largest cohort. Our Prep enrolments are very strong this year and continue to grow. At Day 8 count, we have 94 Prep students, with a few more expected to enrol over the next few days. Thank you for the trust you put in us to educate your children.

Deputy Principal Teaching and Learning - Elena Finlay

NAPLAN at Kruger State School

Students in Years 3 and 5 will take part in the 2025 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) from Wednesday 12 March to Monday 24 March 2025. Tests will be scheduled as soon as possible within the testing window, prioritising the first week. A detailed NAPLAN test schedule will be provided in early March.

The students will be assessed through four assessment tasks in the areas of writing, reading, conventions of language, and numeracy. Students will engage in practise tasks throughout the term to prepare them for the online testing environment.

The below links provide information about NAPLAN and the privacy of student information collected during the testing.

https://www.nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/simple-english-naplan-parent-carer-information.pdf

https://nap.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/naplan-information-brochure-for-parents-and-carers.pdf

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) privacy notice (PDF, 129KB)

Any questions regarding NAPLAN should be addressed to Mrs Elena Finlay, Deputy Principal – Teaching and Learning (efinl9@eq.edu.au).

Deputy Principal Year 3 to Year 6 - Peta Jackson

Welcome Back to everyone! I am excited to start 2025 looking after the Year 3-6 students. My other role this year is supporting the Kruger SS community to build an understanding of Positive Behaviour of Learning (PBL) and the other strategies that we use at Kruger SS to support and build a sense of belonging for all of our students at Kruger.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) is the framework and foundation of the work we do at Kruger SS. It promotes positive behaviour across the school and helps to develop a safe and supportive learning environment. We take a proactive, preventative approach to ensure that all students receive an appropriate level of support to help them to be the best that they can be. We have 4 values; We are Learners, We are Respectful, We are Safe and We are Honest, and we explicitly teach the expected behaviours every 3-4 weeks. The current focus is We are Safe and making sure we are in the right place at the right time during our breaks.

In 2025, you would have heard of some big changes that we are making to celebrate and embrace our culturally diverse school community. In 2025, during break/lunch times Year 1-6 students can play across the school. There are some exceptions for safety reasons. There are still some out of bounds areas, Year 1 and 2 students are to play on the 1-2 oval only, the playgrounds are for the Year levels they are designed for, e.g., The Year 1-2 playground should only have Year 1-2 students on it. The Year 3-6 students can go to the Year 1-2 oval, this is to help and support the Year 1-2 students with their games. This means that brothers, sisters and cousins can hang out together and visit each other during their lunch/break times. We consistently remind students that if there is a problem with a younger brother, sister, cousin, etc that they find an adult to help them solve the problem.

Thank you to all parents and carers for their support and working with us at Kruger SS in partnership to keep all Kruger kids safe and to be the best they can be.

Deputy Principal Prep to Year 2 - Katie Robinson

Prep – 2

What an amazing start to the year for our students in the Prep, Year One and Year Two. It was a privilege to watch Prep students embark on their schooling journey and watching the proud (and some teary) parents waving them off. Many younger students have enjoyed visits from their older siblings at play time, proudly showing off where their classrooms are. In the mornings, Prep students who arrive after 8:00am will continue to go to the Prep area for supervision.

We look forward to seeing the Kruger community at our welcome back barbeque on Tuesday 18 February.

Head of Special Education Services - Regina Birchley

A warm welcome to returning and new families to our school!

The CRU (Community Resource Unit) is holding an online workshop on Inclusive Education: What it is and why it matters for your child.

This online workshop will focus on the basics about inclusive education – the definition, what it looks like, and why it is so important to all children, with and without disability. Join us online as we discuss the evidence in favour of inclusive education, the policies and supports that work towards inclusion at school, and tips on how parents can work confidently and effectively with their child’s school for an inclusive education.

This workshop is relevant for parents and carers of children with disability of school age, or younger, who are wanting to know more about inclusive education. We also welcome any interested supporters or community members wanting to learn about the importance of inclusion in schools.

The CRU also offer a face-to-face workshop at Chermside on 27 February. Details on how to register for the online event or face to face event is available at the end of this newsletter.

Asthma

If your child has asthma, please ensure there is an updated Asthma Action Plan at school. An asthma action plan is like an instruction manual for asthma written by a doctor. Everyone with asthma should have an action plan, no matter how old or how mild the asthma is. Please see your doctor for an action plan if your child has not had an asthma action plan reviewed in the last 12 months and bring the completed plan to the office.

Prep Hearing Screening

Thank you to Prep parents who have used the QR code to consent for their child to have a hearing screening by the Hear and Say Centre. The Hear and Say Centre will be visiting Kruger State School on Monday 17 February. Emails were sent home to Prep parents last week with a link and QR codes are available outside of all the Prep classrooms. If you haven’t already given online consent, please do so by the end of the week as bookings will close on Sunday evening. Please advise the class teacher if you don’t have access to the internet.

Last week we were fortunate to have Mrs Donna Carlow-Hounslow (Advisory Visiting Teacher – Hearing Impaired) visit Kruger State School to visit students and teachers regarding hearing health and impairments in the classroom.

Hearing loss, which can be due to recurrent ear infections (otitis Media) and fluid build-up may affect childhood development – including speech, language and cognitive development. Long term developmental and learning problems due to a hearing loss impacts on school readiness and communication skills. It can affect a child’s family relationships, social skills and contribute to perceptions of behavioural problems. This can have social and economic consequences because they influence the trajectory of children’s lives towards adolescence and adulthood.

If you have any concerns for your child/ren, please contact your local health centre or GP ask for their ears to be checked by a doctor, nurse or health worker. Additionally, make sure your child removes mucous from their nose by blowing their nose and washing their hands afterwards.

Prep Vision Screening

Prep Vision Screening will be on 5 May 2025. Information regarding will come out soon!

Have a fantastic Term 1!

Guidance Officer - Allen Weynberg

Hello Everyone! Allen Weynberg is once again your friendly and approachable Guidance Counsellor at Kruger State School this year. I work five days a week and my office is in the Admin Block. I have been in Guidance at Kruger for five years now and before that I had many different roles in Queensland and the UK. You will often see me out and about – please say hello.

Business Manager - Melissa Henderson

Welcome back! The Office has been very busy with the start of the new school year! Please read the key messages and updates provided below.

Key Messages for Families

Office Hours 8:00am to 3:30pm
Class Roll Marking & Late Slips

Class rolls will now be marked at 8:45am instead of 8:30am. Students arriving shortly after the bell at 8:30am are to proceed directly to their classrooms, not to the Office. Late slips are only issued to students who arrive at school from 8:45am onwards.

Student Absence Process

There are 3 ways to advise the school of a student absence:

Call the student absence phone line at any time and leave a message for later attention. The number is 07 3814 9360
Send an email to absences@krugerss.eq.edu.au or
Write a note to the class teacher

Please provide your name, student’s name, class, reason for and duration of absence.

Student Resource Scheme (SRS) Payments

Invoices have been sent to families for the SRS with a payment due date of 28 February.

Please contact the Office if you wish to set up a payment plan or a Centrepay arrangement.

Parent Handbook

Just a reminder that Kruger SS’s parent handbook contains valuable information for families about school operations and procedures. It is available on the school website.

School Facilities

The school was a hive of activity over the Christmas break with contractors working hard to improve facilities at our school. Here’s a brief update:

Prep 1 Building Refurbishment
The Prep 1 building is sparkling after a complete interior refurbishment - new toilets, kitchenette, flooring, painting!
Block 5 Works
Block 5 had a complete roof replacement over the break – no more water leaks into the classrooms! Two classrooms at the front end of the school also had the floor coverings replaced after the roofing works were completed.
Amenities Refurbishment
During the demolition stage of the works, walls that were meant to remain in place for the refurbishment collapsed! The works will now also include a new concrete slab.
There is no revised estimated time of completion at this stage, but we will keep you informed.
Sick Bay
The sick bay will be moving from the Office to Block 2. A sink and new flooring were installed in the room over the holidays, but we are still in the process of setting it up. We will let you know of updates.

📚 Reading is Everywhere at Kruger!

What a fantastic start to the school year! It has been wonderful to see students immersed in reading and writing—not just in class, but beyond the classroom as well.

Our Reading House Garden has been a popular spot, with students enjoying books independently or sharing stories with friends during break times.

A special highlight has been the Year 5-6 ‘Reading with the Prep’ Elective, which saw over 30 enthusiastic students signing up to read with our youngest learners during Sessions 8 and 9 on Wednesdays and Fridays. The Prep students were thrilled to welcome their Year 5 and 6 reading buddies in Week 1 and can’t wait for their visit this week!

💡 Reading at Home Matters!
Daily reading makes a big difference! Please encourage 10 to 15 minutes of reading at home each day—it’s a simple habit that builds strong, confident readers.

Thank you for supporting our reading culture at Kruger!

🎓 Learning at Kruger

This week, our teachers have been hard at work during their Curriculum, Students, Teaching, and Next Step Sessions (CSTN), creating an overview of the exciting learning opportunities students will engage in this term.

We can’t wait to share these overviews with families in Week 3, giving you a glimpse into what’s ahead for your child’s learning journey.

📚 Questions About Your Child’s Learning?
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher—they’re always happy to help!

Thank you for being partners in your child’s education! 🌟

Teaching and Learning

Prep

📖 Our Kruger Preps are Learning to Read!

It’s an exciting time for our Prep students as they begin their reading journey! So far, they have been introduced to the letters s, a, t, p, i, n and are learning their associated sounds. They are also practising how to write these letters with correct formation and placement.

A key focus during literacy sessions is blending sounds—an essential skill that will help them begin reading words with confidence.

📚 Reading at Home Matters!
You can support your child’s reading journey by reading with them for at least 15 minutes each day. This simple daily habit builds strong literacy foundations and fosters a love of reading.

If you have any questions about your child’s reading progress, please reach out to their class teacher—we’re here to help!

Let’s keep nurturing a love of reading together! 💙

Year 1

1A students are working hard during spelling rotations and practicing how to segment and blend words together.

Year 2

Welcome to Year 2! We have had a fabulous couple of weeks together and it has been such a joy seeing students create new friendships in their classes. In Maths, we are learning about positional language and giving directions. Students have been drawing different pathways and have had wonderful helpers from 3D work with us on our directions.

Year 3

Welcome back to a brand-new year, Year 3! We are so excited to begin this journey with you as we focus on settling into our routines and getting to know our wonderful new teachers. Over the past two weeks, we've been working hard on developing our handwriting skills through a series of fun challenges, helping everyone improve their penmanship and build confidence in their writing.

We’re looking forward to getting to know each and every one of you as we continue to explore, learn, and grow together throughout 2025. Here's to an exciting and successful year ahead!

Year 4

The Year 4’s have settled back into the new school year with excitement and an eagerness to learn. So far, it has been a great opportunity to get to know each other and create the routines that allow our students to be present, centred and ready to learn.

Each class has been implementing our Launch into Learning initiative that teaches the students the behaviours that are expected at Kruger. These lessons are based upon the four (4) Kruger expectations which are; We are Learners, We are Respectful, We are Safe and We are Honest. This has allowed each class to set the routines and expected behaviour by sharing stories, role plays and modelling.

Year 5

Dear Year 5 Families,

Welcome to an exciting new school year! Our students have hit the ground running with Launch into Learning, setting the foundation for a year of growth and success. We’re also thrilled to introduce electives two afternoons a week, giving students opportunities to explore new interests and develop important skills. Stay tuned for more updates as we embark on a fantastic year of learning together!

Year 6

Year 6 students have made an outstanding start to the school year. They have responded to our new middle school model of lessons with maturity and enthusiasm. They've also enjoyed choosing and starting to participate in their electives, held on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Scholastically, year 6 has hit the ground running. In English, we've started engaging with the fictionalised history of Australia, My Place, by Nadia Wheatley and Donna Rawlins. This text ties in nicely with our work on Australian Federation in HASS. In Maths, students will be applying numerical understanding and critical thinking skills to representations of data, while in Science, the awe-inspiring power of natural disasters is our field of study.

Over the last two weeks students from 6C and 6D have been working hard to piece together and understand the events leading up to Australia’s Federation.

Below is a picture of the classes Federation Timelines that are located on our HASS learning wall.

We look forward to seeing you for our first open classroom session in week four!

The Year Six Team

Instrumental Music - Jason Osman

All Instrumental Music lessons will begin next Week (Week 3) and early band for the advanced students will begin in Week 4. A timetable for lessons will be distributed to the teachers by Friday. Could students who have their own instruments bring their instruments for lessons next week for their lessons. Beginners will get to try their instrument next week and can take them home as soon as they return their form that will be handed out next week.

Celebrating Our Teachers

Teacher and Cultural Lead - Malia Naititi

To family of Kruger 2025,

My name is Malia Naititi and I am new to Kruger State School this year. I teach in Year 3 for two days a week but on Tuesdays, I am responsible for developing the cultural capabilities of our school. Having chosen Kruger as the school for my own children when we moved to Australia in 2023, I am excited to work in this leadership role to improve the learning outcomes for all of our babies.

My family and I are from NZ/Aotearoa but my cultural background is Samoan and English. Growing up it wasn’t well known how valuable a child’s culture is to their learning success, we were taught that school and home were different lives. More recently, many researchers have discovered that bringing culture to the classroom learning is powerful for our students. My job is to support Kruger State School to not only include the culture your kids bring from home, but to celebrate it.

This term we have Harmony week in Week 8 and I am busy preparing already. I would love to include as many of the amazing cultures that are represented in our school, as possible. While I am enthusiastic, it is always better for the teaching to come from somebody belonging to the culture. I am here to support and do as much as possible from my end. If you would like to be involved at Kruger, volunteering to share your culture in any way you can, please get in touch with me on the email address below. Some ideas for getting involved could be:

Teaching a group a dance or song from your culture
Sharing your knowledge with me so I can include it in our teaching
Reading a book from your country to your child’s class (and others?)
Contributing food from your culture to a shared lunch/morning tea
Sharing special things from your culture with your child’s class (and others?)

Later in the year we would also love to celebrate language weeks and special events so please do contact me if you would like to be a part of any of it! My email is menai0@eq.edu.au. Please also let me know if English is not your first language at home and if there is a way I can make communication easier for you and your family.

Thank you, I look forward to working together with the amazing families of Kruger,

Kind Regards,

Malia Naititi

HPE - Orhan Memedovski

Year 5/6 electives are underway, and we’re excited to offer basketball. In week two, our Kruger ballers focused on skill development, including improved shooting techniques (B.E.E.F). We had a lot of fun during our shooting competitions and games! If you haven’t chosen an elective or want to try basketball, please see Mr. M. Also, keep an eye out for the 2025 Kruger Crocs Basketball trials in the coming weeks.

See you on the courts!