25 June 2025

Principal and Deputy News

End of Semester 1 report cards

Semester 1 report cards were emailed home to parents on Wednesday (Week 10) using the email address that the school has listed on OneSchool. If you did not receive your child’s report card in your inbox, please check your junk mail. Report cards are also available through Q Parents.

A report card is one way teachers communicate with parents and students. The report card is the teacher’s appraisal of the student’s work for the past semester. The following tips may be helpful to parents in discussing their child’s report card with them.

Meet privately with your child, without distractions. Be sure you have enough time.

Your child deserves your attention without interruptions. Be sure you allow enough time for a relaxed discussion.

Start with a review of what your child has learned in each subject.

Ask your child to tell you about the activity in each subject and what they have learned. Be positive and calm. Remember, a “C” or “Working With” rating in a subject area means your child is achieving at their year level standard.

Discuss with your child their goals for the next semester.

Are the goals reasonable and challenging?

If you would like more information about your child’s report card, please contact your child’s class teacher or the relevant specialist teacher.

End of term Thank You

We would like to thank everyone who helped and supported our school this term. It has been a very busy and rewarding term and your support has been greatly appreciated. We hope that you have a very restful and relaxing break and we look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday 14 July.

Semester 1 Principal’s Academic Excellence Awards

These awards will be presented at our Week 3 assembly next term and recognise excellence in academic achievement in Semester 1. Parents of children receiving an award will receive an email in Week 2. To receive an award students will need to have achieved the following in their subject ratings on their Semester 1 report card:

Prep:  5 or more “Applying” (from 8 subjects)
Year 1 & 2:  6 or more “Applying” (from 9 subjects)
Years 3 – 6:  6 or more “A” s (from 9 subjects)

Semester 1 RISE acknowledgement awards

These awards acknowledge student effort in their subjects and their behaviour and will be handed out in class next term. Semester 1 report cards are used to determine the award. For more information, please refer to the “Individual Student RISE Acknowledgement System” poster for the appropriate year level.

2026 Prep parent information session

Last week we were excited to meet with parents who have children who will be starting Prep in 2026. Important information about our school, kindy to school transition activities and Prep interviews were discussed on the night. If your child is 5 by 30 June 2026, they are eligible to start Prep in 2026. If you did not attend the night and have not yet placed your child’s name on our “Expression of Interest” list, please contact the office so that we can keep you up to date with our future events.

Beginner Band Camp

Congratulations to our students who attended the Beginner Band camp this week. We hope that you enjoyed this opportunity to focus on band and your instrument. The end of camp concert was fantastic and all students should be proud of their achievements.

Lost property

Please ensure you check out lost property before the school holidays. There is a large pile of jumpers and hats waiting to be collected to go home. All unclaimed lost property will be donated to charity or the second-hand uniform shop.

Congratulations Holly!

Congratulations to our wonderful P&C President, Holly, who was presented with a Queensland Day award by Di Farmer. Thank you to Holly and our entire P&C for all the hard work that you do to support our school. We appreciate you!

Save these Term 3 dates

First Day of Term 3:  Monday 14 July.

P&C Parent Disco:  Saturday 26 July.

Ekka Show Holiday:  Wednesday 14 August.

Term 3 Pupil Free Day:  Friday 5 September.

School Watch

During the school holidays, Look, Listen, Report and help keep our school safe.  If you see something suspicious, contact School Watch on 13 17 88 and report any incidents you see or hear, even if they appear to be minor.  If it’s an emergency, call triple zero (000).

ICAS Tests

Reminder, Morningside is offering the option for interested students to participate in the ICAS tests. There are several tests across a range of subjects for students in Years 2 to 6. Sign up and payment details are below.

Parents of Year 6 students please note: Camp is on from Tuesday 5 August to Friday 8 August. Any student wishing to participate in the Digital Technologies or Writing tests will sit these on Monday 4 August.

What is ICAS?  

ICAS is an online academic competition that gives students the opportunity to challenge their higher order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing, Spelling Bee, and Digital Technologies.

Every student who participates is celebrated and recognised with a printed certificate in each subject area, and an online results report to track development each year. Top performers are eligible for one of the highly coveted ICAS medals.

To learn more about this year’s exciting ICAS competition, visit: (icasassessments.com/products-icas/)

How to participate in ICAS  

If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please go to the Parent Portal to sign up to your chosen subject areas using the link and code below.  

Registration for all subject areas closes on Monday 28 July at 11:59pm.

This year, our students can elect to sit the following assessments:

Please note, we cannot facilitate refunds or make alterations as all money is paid directly to ICAS Assessments.

Read the terms and conditions here: (icasassessments.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023-ICAS-Assessments-Schools-TsCs_S2023.V6-1.pdf). 

Have a fantastic holiday!

Sheryl Kennedy                                                                            Adam Gilmore
Principal                                                                                       Deputy Principal

Dates to Remember

Curriculum News

Academic Reporting in 2025

As you may be aware, the Australian Curriculum has been updated and we have begun our implementation of English and Maths for version 9 of the national curriculum at Morningside. With the updated curricula, there have been some changes to how Queensland schools report achievement to parents at the end of each semester.

For our Prep families, this may be the first time you have received a report card, while many of you will already be familiar with receiving report cards for your student/s. Here’s a few things to remember about report cards in general:

• Reports cards are just one of the ways that we communicate student achievement and progress across the year. Parents also have opportunities for formal, face to face interviews each semester, as well as informal discussions as required.
• Academic reports provide point in time information about achievement at the end of each reporting period. An achievement rating is based on demonstrations of learning within the class program for the relevant focus that semester.
• While some areas of the class program continue to be built across the year (e.g. literacy skills), some learning areas have a focus for each term or semester (e.g. Humanities may have a geography focus in the first half of the year, then move to a history focus in second semester.)
• Report cards communicate the curriculum provided during the semester, the student’s achievement against expected standards and how well the student is engaging with the expected learning. This also includes learning and demonstration of behaviour and effort in line with the school’s Student Code of Conduct.
• A Working with or C rating is the expected level of achievement in Queensland.
• We send student report cards directly to your email inbox, so it vitally important that we have an accurate and up to date email address within our OneSchool system. Please ensure that you notify us of any changes to your family’s email address since commencing at Morningside.
• Emails will be generated with an address that your inbox may not be familiar with. Sometimes messages are sent to a Junk or Quarantine file. Emails for report cards will come from: Application@oneschool.eq.edu.au

As Queensland state schools implement Version 9 of the Australian Curriculum, the Department of Education Queensland has updated the K–12 Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Framework to enhance how we report student progress. In 2025, there are some changes that all families should be aware of when reading a student’s report.

Key updates to reporting

1. Streamlined achievement scales

To ensure consistency across all year levels, the reporting scales have been updated:

• Prep to Year 2: A new five-point scale replaces the previous system.

• Years 3 to 6: The traditional A–E grading scale continues to be used.

Occasionally there are times when there is insufficient evidence to assess a student’s level of achievement. This can occur for several reasons. If this is the case for your student, an N rating is given.

2. Consistent reporting of behaviour and effort

In 2025 there is a focus on using a consistent language and scale across all year levels to report on learning behaviours.

• In Prep–Year 6, effort results appear for every subject and behaviour is displayed as an overall result.

At Morningside, we provide you with meaningful and clear information about your child’s learning journey. We know that working together as a school community helps every child thrive, and we look forward to continuing that partnership with you. If you have any questions or would like further information about these changes, please don't hesitate to contact your child's teacher.

Michelle Hanrahan
Head of Department - Curriculum

Administration

Student Resource Scheme, Camps and Excursion Payment Reminder

Payment reminder:

Payments can be made as follows:

• Selecting the payment link at the bottom of your invoice
• BPoint - the BPoint code is 1002534
• QParents
• Direct deposit (BSB 064136, Account 00090111, Account Name Morningside State School) – please note student’s full name
• Credit card payment over phone via a secure BPoint number on 1300 631 073
• Directly at office
• Centrepay – Centrepay is a voluntary bill-paying service which is free for Service Australia customers. Use Centrepay to arrange regular deductions from your Services Australia payment.  You can start or change a deduction at any time. The quickest way to do it is through your Services Australia account online. Go to servicesaustralia.gov.au/Centrepay for more information.

Environment Club News

Term 2 Wrap Up

The environment team has been busy this term and everything is looking great! We have re-established all our growing beds after the summer and Farmer John has been madly planting. We now have a range of veggies, herbs and fruit growing, supplying the tuckshop as well as our excitable taste testers at lunchtime Environment Club sessions - Mondays and Fridays at first break.

We have had a lot happening with our Pick of the Crop program too, with class trips to Northey St City Farm, rolling out the OzHarvest FEAST program in OSHC, and establishing our very own bush tucker trail.

Our Environment Captains have been winning as well, with their World Environment Day dress up raising $340.70 for the EcoMarines Foundation. MSS has been a proud participant in EcoMarines Primary School Program since 2017. The initiative our Captains have chosen to work on this year is improving waste management – putting things in the right bins. Look out for them doing some bin monitoring and giving rewards to students who use recycling and landfill bins correctly.

There are some exciting plans for Term 3 & 4 activities too – National Tree Day (July) some special visitors for Save the Koala month (September) and much more. If any parents or grandparents, greenthumbs or greenies are interested in helping – we are always happy to have more volunteers. Please get in touch – swetz4@eq.edu.au

Just a reminder too, that we have collection bins for 10c containers. They are located near the pool gate and under admin. Alternatively, if you want to take your containers directly to a recycler and send your refund to the school – use the code C11355967.

Sharon Wetzig
MSS Sustainability Partner

Chappy News

Chappy Vlad

P&C News

🎟️ TICKETS ON SALE NOW! ✨

Get ready to Bring Your Sparkle at the MSS Parent Disco – a night of dancing, fun, and fundraising 💃🕺

📅 Saturday July 26th

🕡 6:30pm ‘til late

📍 MSS School Hall (but trust us, it’ll be glowing!)

🎟️ Your ticket includes:
✔️ DJ & dancefloor
✔️ Welcome Drink
✔️ Gourmet Pizza and late-night snacks
✔️ A glittering night out with the MSS parent community

And best of all…

🌟 All profits go toward refurbishing the MSS School Library – giving our kids an inspiring space to read, learn, and grow 📚💛

Book your tickets now and party for a great cause:

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📢 Second-Hand Uniform Shop Update

As we continue the transition to our new MSS school uniform, please note that the Second-Hand Uniform Shop will stop accepting old-style uniform items at the end of Term 2.

If you have any old-style pieces you'd like to donate, please ensure they are brought in before the final Wednesday of Term 2.

Thank you for supporting our uniform transition and helping us keep our shop well-stocked for all families.

OSHC News

Morningside State School - Outside School Hours Care
oshc@msspandc.com.au
0403 631 230

Tuckshop

Please make sure that you have updated your child’s class on QKR.

June Burfoot
Convenor

Community News

Shake N Stir

Hampton Swim School

Hampton Swim School

Bookings are now open for our most beloved promotion of the year: TWO lessons for the price of one! Our 2-4-1 special runs throughout June, July & Aug and offers the perfect opportunity for your child(ren) to practice and improve their swimming skills, and to get some extra exercise for a stronger immune system and happy mind during the slower months.

Only available for learn 2 swim levels not Team Accelerate (squad) and 2-4-1 is a free second lesson applied to an enrolled child.
Secure your spot now for June/July/Aug and book your (first and) second lesson:
💦 email to support@hamptonswimschool.com.au, or Book online www.hamptonswimschool.com.au
💦 call 07 3399 2004.

Did you know that during the cooler months, our pool is the warmest place to be? We raise the pool temperature to 33 degrees, have hot showers and heated changing rooms. We also adjust our lesson format to make sure your child stays warm throughout their classes.

Summer swimmers are made in winter! 😁❄️

Tennis for Kids