Newsletter - 12 February 2025
Principal's Report
This term has really moved along quickly! By the completion of the next fortnight, our students will have participated in swimming, touch, rugby league, soccer and netball trials and we have celebrated some fantastic results with personal bests, age championships and high levels of sportsmanship and enjoyment! Our students have made us all proud and should be proud of their achievements.
School Review: Wednesday 19 – Friday 21 February. At Allora State School, we are committed to ensuring every student receives the best possible education in a supportive and inclusive learning environment. As part of this commitment, our school will soon undergo a School Review, providing us with valuable independent feedback to guide our continued improvement.
What is a School Review? All Queensland state schools participate in a review at least once every four years. These reviews play a key role in evaluating school practices and identifying areas for growth. The feedback we receive will help inform our four-year strategic plan, ensuring we continue to deliver high quality education from Prep to Year 10.
How Does the Review Work? The review will be conducted by experienced educators trained in the School Improvement Tool which is an internationally recognised framework for assessing school performance. The review team will engage with staff, students and the community, gathering insights to provide a detailed report with key findings and recommendations tailored to our school’s unique context.
Your Voice Matters! We highly value input from parents and our wider school community. Your feedback ensures that Allora State School remains a place where every student can thrive. Reviewers will be available for conversations in person or over the phone, with all feedback remaining confidential. They may also be available to chat informally around the school, before and after school hours.
If you would like to share your thoughts as part of the review, please contact the school office to register your interest.
Once the review is complete, we will publish a summary of the findings on our school website and use the recommendations to refine our strategic direction.
This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of Allora State School and we encourage all parents and community members to participate. Together, we can ensure excellence and equity for every student.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
This year, NAPLAN testing will be held in Weeks 7 and 8 of this term. Mrs Kanowski and our Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 teachers have been working with our students on the finer details of the online testing and preparation for routines and the expectations. Mrs Kanowski has added a detailed flyer in this edition of the newsletter for parents’ and carers’ information. Please contact the school if you have any questions regarding this process.
We hope you all had the opportunity to visit the show and see the beautiful display curated by Mrs Weier and Mrs Chandler, with the help of examples of our students' beautiful work.
Kind regards
Megan
General Information
Office Hours: 8:30am to 3:30pm. Email: admin@allorass.eq.edu.au Phone : 4666 7222
School Hours: School hours start at 8:30am and conclude at 3:00pm. Students are not permitted in the grounds prior to 8:30am in the mornings, unless special arrangements have been made.
Reminder: Students are reminded to enter school through the gates and avoid walking through the office unless they are late. Students arriving late must collect a late slip from the office before going to class.
Emergency Contacts: Emergency contact details must be up to date as students are not permitted to leave the school grounds with anyone who is not listed. Updates can be made by contacting the office. Students leaving early must be signed out at the office.
Student Absences: It is a requirement for student absences to be explained. For your convenience, you can SMS Student Absences to 0429 316 194 or alternatively, call the Student Absence Line on 4666 7266 at any time, with an explanation of your student’s absence and their name.
After-School Arrangements: Prior to sending your child to school, students and parents/carers are encouraged to discuss any changes to pick-up arrangements, especially if they differ from the normal routine. This will assist to reduce the relaying of messages throughout the day, which causes interruptions to student learning. Also, students are less likely to be distressed, miss their bus or have parents/carers inconvenienced.
Concerns? From time to time during the school year, concerns may crop up regarding your child or a school matter. I invite parents/carers to make early contact and an appointment with your child’s teacher to clarify any concerns and come to an early resolution.
Calendar of Events
Secondary Assessment
Sports Report
Thank you to Mr Johnson for coaching our secondary students at the Border District Touch Trials on Tuesday, 4 February. Congratulations to Jesse on his selection in the Border District Touch team to compete at the Darling Downs Trials in Toowoomba on 29 April.
Central Downs Swimming carnival - Allora had a very successful day at the Central Downs Swimming Carnival on 4 February. We had 24 students compete and were overall champion school. Congratulations to the following students: Age Champions – Keighley, Aydan and Runner up Age Champion Kyah Hoey.
Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to go to the Southern Downs Carnival on Tuesday 25 February in Warwick: Cody, Kyah, Aydan, Anabel and Keighley. Best wishes, students.
Thank you to the following parents who volunteered at the carnival - Carla Pidgeon, Kelly Dalsanto, Vicki Sparksman, Pam Lever and Shannon Masters.
Best wishes to our three secondary students, Jackson, Blake and Tristan, competing at the Border District Swimming Carnival today.
Roy Nott
NAPLAN
Solid Pathways
A Note from the Library
Welcome back to another school year. Book Club was given out and has now been ordered. Students should receive their orders in the near future.
Library borrowing has now commenced for the school year and it would be wonderful if students have a library bag to take their borrowed book/s home in. This helps to protect our books.
Students can also borrow library books from the Sora App. You will need your student’s Education Queensland MIS Id to access this fabulous website. Please contact the school office for these login details.
Library borrowing days are as follows:
- Magnificent Monday Year 2 and Year 4
- Tremendous Tuesday Year 3 and Year 1
- Wonderful Wednesday Year 6
- Thabulous Thursday Year 5
Have a great week.
Lea-ann Weier
Immunisation Program
OZCARE, through Queensland Health, offer Year 7 and Year 10 students free immunisation through school clinics. This year, they are going paperless, with consent being completed online. Online consent for Year 10 students must be completed by 4 April and Year 7 are due by 2 May. Please follow the link below to register for these free clinics. https://OzcareDarlingDowns.book.vitavo.com.au/school/AlloraP-10StateSchool-EG6Fkb
Community News
QCWA BURSARIES - CLOSING DATE EXTENDED
QCWA’s State office advised that all Queensland Bursaries now close on Friday 28th February at 5.00p.m.
This also applies to Condamine Valley/Warwick Branch bursaries. The Branch advised that students who had lodged their application prior to the original closing date of 28th January, will now go forward to the new closing date in February.
“Our invitation is extended to students who possibly did not have all their documents on hand for the January closing date. We have three bursaries of $2000.00 each for male and female students, who graduated from Grade 12 last year, whose home address is in the QCWA Border region and upon commencing their tertiary studies may be experiencing some financial difficulty at this time.” said QCWA Condamine Valley/Warwick Bursary Organiser, Penny Campbell-Wilson.
Bursary applications can be sourced through admin@qcwa.org.au or QCWA Condamine Valley/Warwick rooms at 76 Grafton Street, Warwick from Wednesday to Friday between 9:00am and 1:30p.m.
For further information regarding these Bursaries, please contact Penny on 0408 767 558.
