As we reach the midpoint of Term 3, it’s a wonderful opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved so far. The past five weeks have been filled with learning, growth, and a sense of connection across our whole college. From the dedication shown in classrooms to the energy and spirit on display at co-curricular events, our students have truly demonstrated our CARES values in action.

The term so far has seen students settling into strong learning routines, participating in rich class projects, and taking part in a variety of activities that strengthen both skills and friendships.

Our staff continue to work hard to provide engaging, supportive, and challenging learning experiences for all year levels—from our Prep students taking confident early steps into literacy and numeracy, to our senior students making important strides towards the end of their schooling journey.

Looking ahead, the next five weeks promise just as much excitement and opportunity. Highlights include:

• Science Week (Week 5) – inspiring curiosity and creativity through hands-on activities and exploration.
• Book Week (Week 6, P–6) – celebrating reading and imagination with a focus on this year’s theme and, of course, the much-loved dress-up parade.
• Athletics Carnivals & Sporting Events – showcasing teamwork, determination, and house spirit.
• Year 12 preparation for external exams – with revision programs, support sessions, and opportunities to practise and consolidate skills.
• Cultural and co-curricular events that bring our community together and enrich the college experience for every student.

At WHSC, we are guided by our five overarching values:

Have you met Captain CARES?

I have no doubt our students are looking to the term break with a strong finish to the learning cycle, setting all students up for success heading into Term 4.

As always, we thank our families for your continued support in ensuring strong attendance, active participation, and encouragement of your children’s learning. Together, we create the environment where every student can thrive.

Student Supervision

Sadly, we have had a few concerns regarding students on our college grounds outside of school hours.  We have had students arriving regularly as early as 7:45am and on site as late at 3:45pm. 

Our day commences at 8:45am and ends at 2:55pm. We hold student safety in very high regard and remind our families there is no supervision in our Primary sector before 8:30am or after 3:15pm (this includes at the hall gate Samuel Street bus stop).  We actively encourage our students to arrive at school at a reasonable hour to assist with school readiness and depart school as soon as is possible after the bell and we ask for your support in reminding our students of this.

Student Free Day

A reminder that Friday 5 September is a student free day.  We look forward to seeing everyone again on Monday 8 September.

Richenda Wagener
College Principal

What an incredible start to Term 3 Primary have had!

In the first five weeks of this term we have:

• celebrated 100 days of Prep
• celebrated NAIDOC week
• celebrated Bastille day
• started training for Gala sports day in years 4-6
• competed in Lytton District Athletics
• captured a moment in time with school photos – one for the archives and memories
• congratulated champions in Sports Aerobics
• visited Parliament House (year 6 leaders)
• raised funds for Motor Neuron Disease by wearing beanies or blue for Big Freeze Day
• broadened our minds during Science Week learning coding and decoding
• made tomato and basil bruschetta from our own vegetable garden (Environment Club students)
• shared all things Prep during our Prep information afternoon
• contributed to environment health by planting trees for National Tree Day (Eco Marine students)
• learnt how to sing and play body percussion in music lessons

We are fortunate to belong to a school community that offers our students such a rich variety of cultural, social, and educational learning experiences. We are equally grateful to our dedicated staff, whose enthusiasm and passion ensure these opportunities are available to all.

Communication and meetings with Leadership

I value the opportunity to meet with you and talk through any concerns. There are times, however, when I’m in pre-scheduled meetings or at events and may not be able to chat if you ‘drop in’. To make sure I can give you my full attention, it’s best to arrange a time through our school administration team. I will always endeavour to return calls or emails within a reasonable time frame.

Alternatively, if you see me walking around the school before or after school, you are welcome to come and say hello and have a conversation.

Calendar of events

From the frequent updates on our Facebook page and in the weekly College Update from Richenda, there is plenty of events happening across the College. All our events are on the school website under Events calendar.

Toys to school

Please remind your children that toys are not permitted at school. This includes items such as soft toys, dolls, cars, and trading cards (e.g., Pokémon). We ask that toys are left at home to prevent loss, damage, or potential disagreements. Students are welcome to borrow school equipment during break times for play.

Prep enrolments

This term, we have warmly welcomed several students for the 2026 Prep intake as we commence our Prep interviews. Each of our new students receives a personalised take-home show bag. If you have prep aged children or know of someone who does, we encourage you to collect an enrolment pack from us. Did you know that our Prep students are writing full sentences and learning to become fluent readers?

Spotlight on Reading (from our Flexi-Space and Literacy Lead, Mrs Buchan)

Reading is not a natural skill (biologically primary) like walking and talking.  It needs to be explicitly and systematically taught so that the correct areas of the brain are activated and to prevent cognitive overload (mental exhaustion resulting in feelings of overwhelm, forgetfulness, and being unable to act).

All words are sight words until they are recognised accurately, automatically and effortlessly.  As a literate adult you have between 30,000 to 70,000 sight words in your memory.  It can take as few as one to five exposures or as many as forty or more before a new word is stored and retrieved (orthographically mapped) in long term memory.

The way we teach Tricky or Heart Words (formerly referred to as Sight Words) has changed.  Not so long ago, children were taught their “sight words” through rote memorisation. We thought that if a student saw a word enough times, it would eventually stick, and they’d know it.  Word lists for students to study and memorise were sent home to study and memorise.  Perhaps you were taught this way? While, this method worked for some students, it didn’t it work for many. 

Extensive reading research over many years tells us that the best way to teach children their “tricky” words is to have them use their sound (phoneme) knowledge to map the regular part of the words e.g. the letters ‘s’ and ‘d’ in the word ‘said’.  They then only have “learn by heart” the sounds that irregular in the word e.g. the letters ‘ai’ making short ‘e’s’ sound in the word ‘said’.

Australian Curriculum Version 9.0 (from our Head of Curriculum, Miss Blackburn)

The Australian Curriculum version 9.0 is a refined version of the previous version 8.4. It is not a new curriculum, but rather an updated curriculum that focuses on improved clarity for teachers, reduced content and better alignment between content that teachers teach and students learn, and the achievement standards, which is what students are assessed against.

The goal for the Australian Curriculum is to develop successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed young people who are ready to take their place in society. To achieve this goal, the Australian Curriculum includes 3 parts:

8 Learning Areas (less in Prep to year 2)

7 general capabilities (ways of knowing, behaving and engaging in the world)

3 cross curriculum priorities

Each State School in Qld is required to implement V9.0 and develop an implementation schedule aligned to the Department expectations. In Primary, we have implemented English in 2025 and are moving towards V9.0 mathematics in 2026.

This schedule allows us time to familiarise, plan and implement the Australian Curriculum v9.0 in all eight learning areas by 2028.  

Parents can find information about the updated curriculum, including how it supports student learning in specific areas like literacy and numeracy, on the v9 Australian Curriculum website:

https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/help/parent-information

We will continue to provide you with updates regarding the updated curriculum. At the start of each term, parents have been receiving a term overview that outlines what the learning focus is for each of the learning areas.

Briohny Cuskelly
Head of School - Primary 

At Whites Hill we recognise students who have excelled academically, as well as students who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to reaching their potential through the level of effort and behaviour they have demonstrated.  EVERY student at Whites Hill State College has the capacity to   achieve EXCELLENCE in effort and behaviour.  This capacity is established through mindset.  Mindset can be defined as the habitual mental attitudes we have to situations.  For example, if students address the challenges that each day presents with a ‘this is too hard’, or ‘what is the point’ attitude, then they are less likely to see the multiple growth opportunities that are available to them.   Effort and behaviour are undeniably linked.  However, they ultimately come down to the concept of RESPECT. Respect for self, and the idea that we can achieve when we are willing to commit to the highs and lows of a journey of discovery and improvement; and respect for others, we all have the right to undertake our day in an environment where we feel safe and supported. 

It is important for all of our learners to understand that learning new things and any type of skill development can be hard work and is likely to be challenging.  Fortunately for our young people they don’t remember the process of learning to walk.  If they did remember it, they would describe it as challenging, frustrating, and a process in which they often needed support.  This is the same as learning anything as a child, adolescent or adult.  Creating new connections in our brain takes time, and it is important to acknowledge that at some point every individual needs to ask for support and can find things challenging.  Hard and challenging is good!  When the human brain recognises activities as challenging, new connections are being formed, and this is how the process of human development occurs.  Acknowledging that learning and life have inherent challenges is a resilience building opportunity.  Unfortunately, many communication platforms in our modern world advertise the end result, or the elements that they want us to see.  What is missing is the hard work, sacrifice, disappointment, and time that it has taken to achieve this favourable outcome.  One of the best things we can do for our young people is to encourage them to embrace the difficulties that arise and support them to work through them.  When individuals work through a challenge, the positives of working through the pit can often outweigh the immediate relief of choosing not to tackle the challenge. 

Pathways Planning

In Term 3, Year 9 and 10 students and their parents will engage in conversations with school staff regarding senior pathway planning.  Year 9 and 10 students have completed a significant amount of planning and research leading into these conversations, and we look forward to hearing about the varied number of pathways they have planned for their futures.   For families interested in starting the career planning journey with their young people through rich discussion the Myfuture website is an excellent resource. 

Parentline: Support and advice for all Queensland parents and carers

Being a parent can be rewarding—but it can also be challenging. Whether you’re trying to support your child with school issues, friendship challenges, behaviour, or tough moments at home, it’s completely normal to feel unsure about what to do next.

Parentline is a free and confidential service available to all Queensland parents and carers. No problem is too big or too small—and reaching out early can make a real difference.

Parentline offers advice and support on a wide range of parenting topics, including:

• bullying and friendship issues
• parent–child relationships
• parenting strategies and behaviour management
• mental and emotional wellbeing—for both children and parents

You can speak with a trained professional by phone or webchat (6am-midnight), seven days a week.

Scholarship Opportunities for Year 12 Students

For students and families interested in learning what scholarship opportunities are available for students upon completion of year 12 the links below may be of interest.  Scholarships are available for a wide number of categories and reasons.  Scholarships are available for academic excellence, financial hardships, diversity, subject area interest and excellence, First Nations, and rural/remote places of residence.  Scholarships may help a young person pursue an opportunity, that they may not have considered.   

University of Queensland – Undergraduate Scholarships

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) – Undergraduate Scholarships

Griffith University – Scholarships and awards

University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) – Scholarships for Future Students

CQU University – Undergraduate Scholarships

Every Minute Counts

Student attendance will always be a focus at Whites Hill.  Attendance at school is a critical element of progressing learning.  Our attendance target at Whites Hill has intentionally been set high because our priority is student learning.  There is a significant body of research which highlights the strong connection between attendance at school and achievement.  An aspect of attendance is arriving to school on time, and ready for the beginning of the day.  The graphic below shows the impact of lateness on learning progress and the impact on student learning if they are late for the start of the school day.  Every minute late is a minute of learning lost. 

Take care, be kind to yourself and others. 

Samantha Hawkins
Head of School - Secondary

French Bilingual Program Staffing Update

Unfortunately, due to family and health issues, Mrs Posterino was unable to continue teaching on 2/3FB for the remainder of the year. We wish Mrs Posterino and her family all the best for the end of the year.

The recruitment of qualified French teachers who are also registered with the Queensland College of Teachers can be challenging and we thank the families in the French Bilingual Program for their continued support while we navigate the recruitment for a replacement for Mrs Posterino.

We are pleased to announce that Miss Aimee-Lee Valette, Mrs Chohan and myself will be sharing the teaching week with 2/3FB until the end of the year.

Miss Valette is a teacher from the French Bilingual program at Tingalpa State School who brings her knowledge of the French and Australian curricula. We are looking forward to welcoming Miss Valette to the Whites Hill State College Team in week 6.

Bilingual Puppet Show

On Friday 1 August, our Prep to Y3 French Bilingual students watched the puppet show ‘Le livre de la jungle’, perfomed by Le Carousel Theatre company. The show, conducted in French was a great opportunity for students to discover ‘marionettes’ and to hear French in another setting. The play was funny and encouraged participation from the children throughout which they really enjoyed.

Bastille Day Breakfast

On Friday 25 July, we celebrated Bastille Day at Whites Hill State College.

It was our second event at Whites Hill and it was lovely to see the college families get together to celebrate this important French event around a croissant or pastry at the breakfast event generously organised by the our P&C.

I would like to extend my thanks for the work the P&C has done to make this event possible once again.

 Alliance Francaise Poetry Competition

The Alliance Francaise is running its 51^st edition of the Poetry Competition. This week I submitted the list of participants from our French Bilingual Program. It is now time to practice!

Videos are to be emailed to your child’s French teacher by September 15^th to give us enough time to submit them to Alliance Francaise before the cut off dates. I will be sharing payment information with you in the coming week.

Abonnements Bayard | French magazine subscriptions

If your subscriptions are coming to an end or if you would like to receive French magazine at home, please see the Bayard Monde website.

1/ Les parents bénéficient des meilleurs tarifs et du suivi personnalisé en s'abonnant sur la boutique Bayard monde avec le Code déléguée E20

=>  https://boutique.bayard-monde.com/. 

2/ En sélectionnant Tingalpa State School ou Whiteshill State College dans le menu déroulant, les abonnements sont comptabilisés pour l'école!

Pour 10 abonnements rattachés, l'école bénéficie d'un abonnement de 6 mois gratuit.

1/ Parents benefit from the best rates and personalized support by subscribing to the Bayard Monde store with the Delegate Code E20
=> https://boutique.bayard-monde.com/

2/ By selecting Tingalpa State School or Whites Hill State College from the drop-down menu, the subscriptions are counted for the school!

For every 10 subscriptions, the school receives a free 6-month subscription.

Vivre au Queensland Newsletter

Do you receive the ‘Vivre au Queensland’ newsletter? Their newsletter is a great resource to find out about social activities organised by various French-speaking associations, cultural outings in French, classified ads, etc.

You can register to receive it via their website: https://www.vivreauqueensland.org/

Emma Van Cuylenberg 
Head of Department - French Bilingual Program | Coordinatrice du Programme Bilingue

Join our Heads of School for a College Tour.

Meet at the main administration at 9:00am.

• Wednesday, 27 August
• Wednesday, 22 October

To book online please scan this QR Code or contact our office on 39008333.

We are very excited to meet our new Preppies for 2026. At our Prep interviews our newest students will receive lots of fun things in their goodies bag. 

Contact our Administration team to book your interviews. Ph: 3900 8333  |  E: admin@whiteshillsc.eq.edu.au

Last term, we wrote information texts and collaged pictures of our topics. We ended Term 2 with crazy socks and began Term 3 with beanies or blue, raising quite a bit of money with gold coin donations. NAIDOC Week was recognised with stories and artwork. Science Week had lots of interesting activities on offer thanks to our Secondary teachers. We’re looking forward to Book Week and you’ll be able to see photos of our amazing book character costumes in the next newsletter.

Our students have been exploring a wide range of learning experiences. For NAIDOC Week, we created striking scratch art inspired by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander designs. Students experimented with colour and line, to produce artworks that celebrated culture and connection to Country.

We have been studying the engaging picture books of Bob Graham, with a special focus on The Concrete Garden. We explored the story’s themes of community, renewal, and hope, and students created thoughtful responses through discussion, writing, and art.

Mathematics lessons have been filled with colour and symmetry as we investigated patterns. From repeating sequences to more complex designs, students explored how patterns appear in art, nature, and everyday life.

Our Science unit, Changing States of Matter, had students predicting, observing, and experimenting to see how materials transform between solids and liquid. Science Week was a highlight, with hands-on activities, investigations, and demonstrations sparking plenty of curiosity and “wow” moments.

On 3rd August, our Sports Aerobics teams competed in the Futures Cup. Achievement is built by persistence and effort - not luck - and our athletes have displayed these qualities in abundance. After a challenging States competition, they have put in hours of practice with great enthusiasm to come home with some great results this weekend:

• 3x 1st Gold (Hustlers, Triple Threat and Power)

• 3x 2nd Silver (Dreamers, Supremes and Super Stars)

• 1x 3rd Bronze (Magnificent)

With only 4 weeks of the competition season remaining, our teams will continue to work hard and represent our college with pride and enthusiasm. We are very proud of all athletes. Congratulations on these awesome results!

Delicious Bruschetta Picnic

This term, our veggie patches are beginning to thrive, and to celebrate, the Environment Club enjoyed a delicious tomato and basil bruschetta made from our own garden produce this term. During the lunchtime session, students picked fresh ingredients and prepared the snack together. It was a tasty reward for all their hard work—and everyone loved it!

Garden-Fresh Eco-Crunch Perfection!

This week, the Environment Club took sustainability to a delicious new level – by snacking on nachos made from ingredients grown in our very own garden!

The star of the snack?  The juiciest, vine ripened tomatoes harvested fresh on Monday.  They were bursting with flavour, paired with our fresh herbs.  These nachos are a celebration of all our hard gardening work.  It isn’t just about our food it is also about celebrating community, connection and show how delicious sustainability can be.  Big thanks to everyone who helps tend to the garden. 

Stay tuned for more garden-to-table adventures with the Environment Club.

We believe there’s future members of the Australian Youth Choir right here!

Take a listen (wait for it…) to the awesomeness that is 1/2A's very FIRST singing lesson in music with our fabulous new Primary music teacher, Mrs Van Trier.

Our string ensemble is part of our Instrumental Music Program where students have the opportunity to develop their musical skills and collaborate with others in a focused group. Students can learn to play an instrument which may lead to performing in orchestras or ensembles.

For more information contact our Administration Team on P: 39008333 or E: admin@whiteshillsc.eq.edu.au.

Gerri Courtney
HOD – The Arts

From 6 to 13 July, we celebrated NAIDOC Week across the college.

On the first day of term, we held our Secondary Assembly where student leaders spoke about this year’s NAIDOC Week theme “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy”. During the assembly we also officially launched our Imagine, Believe, Achieve artworks. We are very grateful to have been able to collaborate with Danielle Leedie Gray to create these beautiful artworks that reflect our college motto.

As part of our celebrations Secondary students visited Prep to help with colouring-in activities and students enjoyed sport including participating in some traditional games. We finished NAIDOC Week with our 'Sharing the Spirit' lunch.

While NAIDOC Week is a significant and special time to celebrate and learn, it's important we continue to come together to recognise and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures every week. We recognise the enduring strength, leadership and cultural pride of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Ziara Unicomb
Teacher

 

 

Our students have continued to achieve incredible things since the start of Term 3 as they demonstrate our CARES values both inside and outside of the classroom.

Each fortnight we shine the spotlight on one of our CARES values and learn how we can demonstrate that value each and every day. Currently, our fortnightly focus is COOPERATION – Always following instructions and requests from school staff during the day ensures that our learning environment is productive.

Our Secondary students celebrated their academic success in Week 1 of the term and were rewarded for their achievement and enthusiasm with a healthy deposit of CARES points into their CARES accounts.

Our Primary students continue to earn CARES points for demonstrating the College values. We are looking forward to seeing just how many of our students reach the bronze level in the coming weeks.

The PBL Team

Interschool Sport

The Interschool Winter Sport Season is nearing the end of the competition. Next week (Week 6) sees the District Finals. Whites Hill will be well represented in these upcoming finals. These results just shows how Whites Hill has grown in the sporting arena and is a major part of the South District Interschool Sporting Competition.

Thank you to both staff and students for their time and effort in Interschool Sport and best of luck to all teams in finals next week.

Our last rotation of Sport for 2025 is the Interhouse Cup. Students will compete in their houses in their respective year levels across a variety of sports to see which House becomes the victors. All students will be involved in this competition. Let’s see if Mitchell can win this title again.

District Trials and Met East Sport Trials

As the sporting year is starting to come to a close, the majority of South District and Met East Trials have taken place. Whites Hill have had a number of students trial and gain both South District and Met East Representation. Best of luck to those students who will trial in the last of the representative trials for 2025.

Interschool District Athletics Carnival

The South District Athletics Championships was held last Monday 4^th and Friday 8^th August. Whites Hill was once again well represented at these championships. We had some great results and would like to highlight a number of students who participated extremely well and achieved some great results- Cianna, Ilias, Tommy, Coby, Caleb, Aintwon, Sahara, Samuel, Isabella and Donte.

The Met East Athletics Trial is on Thursday 28^th and Friday 29^th August at QSAC Stadium. More details to come once we know which students have been selected in the South District Team.

Thank you to all students who gave up their time to represent Whites Hill at the last South District Athletics Carnival.

Please feel free to contact myself with any questions/concerns with regards to sport here at Whites Hill State College- Secondary.

Mardi Johnson
Culture and Engagement Coordinator - Sport

At the end of last term our HSP students had a great day out at South Bank Parklands! The weather was glorious. It set the perfect scene for a day full of fun and learning. Everyone loved the treasure hunt, which got them exploring and working together. Lunchtime was a treat too, with delicious food enjoyed by all. The highlight of the excursion was the amazing focus and drawing skills students showed while sketching the Brisbane skyline. Just look at the extraordinary work they produced.

It was a wonderful day that reminded us all how rewarding learning outside the classroom can be, and how it provides us an opportunity to see hidden talents that might not be revealed in classroom work.

Andrea Pugh
Director of Studies (HSP)
International

As a host provider, you provide a secure family environment with a bedroom, study area, three meals a day and contribute to the brilliant reputation Queensland has of providing the perfect Aussie cultural experience.

Homestay families are a smorgasbord of diversity. They are married couples with or without kids, singles, singles with kids, dog people, cat people and grandparents too.

You could earn up to $1400 a month for welcoming an international high school student into your home! To find out more contact our Homestay Coordinator on 39008318 or email: international@whiteshillsc.eq.edu.au

As we continue to embed The Resilience Project into our everyday practices, we are committed to supporting our students’ wellbeing. We know that when students feel happy, safe and supported, they are more confident to try new things, overcome challenges and thrive every day. The Resilience Project lessons and Gem Chats help our students to build resilience, develop positive relationships and learn strategies to manage life’s ups and downs.

Through engaging lessons, activities and school-wide initiatives, we aim to create a community where every student feels valued, understood and supported.

Parents and carers are an important part of The Resilience Project. By working together, we can reinforce the skills and strategies students are learning at school and support their wellbeing at home and in the community.

You can access the parent hub online at any time by using the following link:

https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2025-parent-carer-hub-inspire-3/

Mary-Anne Hollands
HOD - Student Services

Taking enrolments for 2026

For more information email our Health Hub Partnership Officer - mtayl505@eq.edu.au

Join us at Open Day on Thursday 21 August 2025 from 4pm - 6pm and learn about the career pathways available through Mater Education, including:

• Our 18-month Diploma of Nursing program
• Certificates III in Pathology Collection
• Our popular High School Health Adventure experience for students in Years 10-12.
• Vocational Education and Training in Schools - our schools-based training program for students in Years 10-12.

 To learn more or to register follow this link: https://mater.eventsair.com/mater-education-open-day---brisbane-2025/rsvp/Site/Register

 

ATTENTION YEAR 12 STUDENTS | The Hotel School Australia, Industry Insights Brisbane | Saturday, 30 August 

This free, one-day event gives students hands-on experience in a working hospitality environment—building confidence and career clarity before they finish school.

Follow the link for more information: https://hotelschool.scu.edu.au/events/industry-insights-brisbane-2025/#msdynmkt_trackingcontext=116593b9-7eaa-4dae-95ea-9eac73270100

Dear Year 12 Students and Parents,

We’re excited to invite you to a TAFE Transition Support Day designed for current Year 12 students who are planning to enrol at TAFE in 2026 and may want or need access to support services.

This event is a valuable opportunity to explore the campus, meet support staff, and learn about the resources available to help make your transition to TAFE smooth and successful. Parents are strongly encouraged to attend alongside students.

Event Details:

• Monday, October 13 – Bundamba TAFE
• Tuesday, October 14 – South Bank TAFE
• Wednesday, October 15 – Alexandra Hills TAFE

Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Meeting Point: Outside the Library

Dress Code: Closed-in shoes are required for safety

RSVP: Please confirm your attendance with your school so TAFE can be notified of final numbers for each day.

We look forward to seeing you there and supporting your next steps into TAFE life!

 

Are you looking to start your career and develop your skills? If so, a career in the Australian Public Service awaits.

Phone – 3900 8333
Email – admin@whiteshillsc.eq.edu.au

2025 STUDENT PHOTOS

Thank you to everyone participating in the school photos. The images are currently being edited and compiled by the photographers. We will advise when they are received at the school and being sent home with students or ready for collection.

You can still order your students photos; however extra fees for delivery may apply.

ONLINE ORDER CODE: WVF P9B LDW

Online Order link: https://advancedimage.com.au/

2026 ENROLMENTS

Our 2026 classes across all year levels are filling up fast, if you have friends or family who intend to join our college community in 2026; please have them call 3900 8333 in order to reserve a place for next year.

Prep 2026 – Our Prep Explorers Program sessions for enrolled 2026 prep students begins next term. Prep Explorers will participate in fun experiences to get them ready and excited for Prep.

• Session 1: Thursday 4 September, 8.55am – 9.55am
• Session 2: Thursday 16 October, 8.55am – 9.55am
• Session 3: Thursday 30 October, 8.55am – 9.55am

Further information and enrolment application documents can be found on our website -– https://whiteshillsc.eq.edu.au/enrolments.

Completed application documents can be lodged by emailing them to – admin@whiteshillsc.eq.edu.au; Daniela Kirkham – Enrolment Officer Ph: 3900 8333.

2026 French Bilingual Program enrolments

Offers of enrolment for Whites Hill State College & Tingalpa State School have started to be released. This is an ongoing process, we appreciate your patience during this time.

If you registered your interest on the French Bilingual Prep Waitlist for 2026, I invite you to check your junk mail during this time as it has been reported in the past that some emails can end up in the junk mail section of people’s inboxes.

For more information on the Program and to register your interest please follow the link to: https://whiteshillsc.eq.edu.au/curriculum/excellence-programs

Our next College Tour for enrolment in any year level is Wednesday 27 August 2025 meeting at Administration on Burn Street at 9am.

These tours are led by our Head of School Primary and Head of School Secondary.

If you wish to attend please follow the QR code to RSVP

HAVE YOU BEEN RECEIVING EMAILS?

Quite often we have emails bounce back due to incorrect details or full mailboxes.

Please take a moment to review if you have received emails from us recently and if not please get in contact. You could be missing out on vital information.

EARLY PICK UP

If you have a pre-planned need to pick up your student early (ie doctors appointment) please have your student come to the main office in the morning to get a leave slip. They can show this to their teacher at the allocated time to be released from class in time for pick up.

Please notify us via one of the following:

• text - 0428 632 704
• email - admin@whiteshillsc.eq.edu.au
• phone call - 3900 8370

Please state student/s NAME and REASON.

Phone – 3900 8304
Email – accounts@whiteshillsc.eq.edu.au

YEAR 12 ACCOUNTS

WHSC reminds Yr 12 families that all year 12 accounts must be settled for students to attend any non-compulsory activity including the formal and the final week’s activities. This includes Student Resource Scheme, certificate courses and academy costs. Statements will be sent out more regularly for Year 12 students, to help manage the costs of this last year of schooling. If you have questions or wish to set up a payment plan, please contact the finance office to discuss.

APPLYING FOR AND USING PLAY ON! SPORTS VOUCHERS

To assist with cost of living and keeping children in sports, the government has replaced the Fair Play system with Play On! Sports Vouchers which are open to more families.

If you’re a Queensland parent, carer or guardian, you can apply for a voucher of up to $200 for your child to use for sporting memberships, registration or participation fees with a registered activity provider.

There is a limit of 1 voucher per child per calendar year.

Follow this link to find out more.

https://www.qld.gov.au/recreation/sports/funding/playon

UPCOMING EVENTS PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Please be aware that every event – excursion or incursion – comes with a final date for permission and payment.

This is so final numbers can be advised to the businesses involved and payments made to them.

NO LATE PAYMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Please note that we have a strict no pay no go policy, both parent permission and payment is required by the due date, otherwise unfortunately your child will not be able to attend.

Please note it is College policy that families are required to be financial in the SRS to access extra curriculum optional activities (ie excursions, camps etc).

Contact: Kylie Harris (Convener)
Phone: 07 3900 8325
Email: whscuniforms@gmail.com
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 8.00am – 1pm

PREPARING FOR 2026

Return to school is an extremely busy period, with many new families requiring fittings.

For this reason we strongly suggest that existing families organise any items they may need for 2026 during Term 4.

For orders requiring a fitting a booking is required.  

For known sizes, please order online or students may walk in without appointment

between 8.00-8.30am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Online orders preferred – www.flexischools.com.au

Flexischools allows you to purchase new uniforms and text books via the app or website that will be delivered to either the main admin (Secondary) or to Primary classrooms. If you wish to purchase second-hand uniforms, you can email whscuniforms@gmail.com and use the pre-payment option to pay for items.

Should you be unable to visit the college during the uniform shop opening hours and require an appointment outside the opening times, please contact college administration via email admin@whiteshillsc.eq.edu.au to arrange.

If a fitting is required, please make an appointment by clicking this link or scan the QR code:

For further information including uniform policy & prices please visit the website:

P&C Grill’d Fundraiser 

Where’s our Grill’d jar? https://maps.app.goo.gl/zmGhFVxNonk4Sj1N6 

Find our jar at Grill’d Camp Hill, Samuel Village 7&16/152, Cnr Boundary Rd, CAMP HILL, QLD – easy parking behind Camp Hill Marketplace!

✅ Order dine-in or takeaway

✅ Get your Local Matters token

✅ Pop it in the Whites Hill State College P&C jar to support our School Staff Appreciation celebration.

 Every burger = 1 token = a special thank you for our school staff.

P&C Executive Role Vacancies

We're currently seeking a Vice-President and Secretary. Joining the P&C offers opportunities to connect and contribute to our school community. If you are interested in joining our WHSC P&C we'd love to hear from you.

Email: pandc@whiteshillsc.eq.edu.au

Volunteers Needed – WHSC Father’s Day Stall

Can you spare an hour or two to help us run the Father’s Day Stall on Wednesday 3 September 2025?

We’re looking for friendly helpers to assist with setup, gift sales, and pack-up throughout the day. It’s a fun and rewarding way to support the school and see the kids light up while choosing something special for Dad, Grandpa, or any father figure in their lives!

Volunteer shifts run from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM at the ILC (Integrated Learning Centre) on the day — and we’d love some extra hands to help with setup the afternoon before too!

✅ Sign up here: volunteersignup.org/KRP37

Questions? Email us at pandc@whiteshillsc.eq.edu.au

Thank you for helping make this event a success! 

To stay updated and to support our P&C (Parents and Citizens Association), please follow their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/whscpandc

Welcome to Term 3!

Has this year already flown by or what! The first half of this year has been super busy and super exciting for all of us here at AWH.

2025 Enrolment

Our team at AWH couldn’t be happier with the number of new enrolments we have received and completed for this year, it has been the highlight of our year creating new relationships with all our children and families that have started with us these past few months. Please ensure all your information on your enrolments is up to date, including immunization forms and any forms of ID that you have. Make sure if you have any Kindy aged children you keep an eye out for 2026 enrollments! These will be open soon.

Preps 2025 & 2026

What an absolute pleasure it has been watching all our Preps grow into such beautiful people.  Our preppies have settled in very well and have formed so many wonderful friendships. Our Preppies are amazing with our current routine at OSHC. Don’t forget as we get closer to the end of this year 2026 will open!  

Staffing

The team here at AWH is growing and we have another 2 new Educators, Chris and Keeley. Chris may be familiar to yssou as he is a wonderful Groundsman from the school who has come to join us at OSHC as well!

We are so excited that our team continues to grow – but we do need to say a very sad goodbye to Mr. Arran who has left us for an amazing opportunity with his ballet company – as sad as we are, it’s an incredible chance and we are all so proud of him!

Quest Football

As most families are aware, we are continuing to do Quest. From the children that have started doing it, they are giving great feedback about it. Quest is running every Friday afternoon in 2 separate groups. As we have a few families started already, we do currently only have a few spots left! Please see below the bottom for the link.

Our Program

The AWH program is a fun, exciting, educational program which is created by our entire team. Our staff are paired up with one another each week to ensure we join all the ideas that we have and put them into the best program possible for our children to enjoy!

We are super excited for you all to see our upcoming vacation care program!

Story Park

It’s great to see how many parents are now actively involved with what we post on our Story Park.  If you haven’t already, please accept our Invitation for you to join.  We also want to assure families this is only for our Service to see.   This is an easy-to-use online service that is very private.   We do require permission prior, and this is what you have indicated on your Enrolment Form. Please note this can be changed at any time.

We also use this platform to notify special events, holidays and our Monthly Service Bulletin.

Driving up to OSHC Building

Thank you to everyone for helping to keep our children safe by not driving up to the OSHC building.  There are some exceptions so if you do see someone driving up, please know that we are aware in the Office. 

Our Next Vacation Care commences: 22^nd September – 3^rd October !!

The program will be sent to all families later this term. Please, if you require bookings for vacation care, bookings can be made via the app, if these bookings are made after week 8 of term, they will be casual bookings. Our team also require 2 weeks’ notice for any cancellations for vacation care, after this deadline, you will receive an absent fee.

Failure of Notice of Absence

We ask that if you are away if you can please notify us as soon as possible.  We need to account for all children who are booked in, and this can take some time contacting families.

We are unfortunately needed to charge a non-communication fee if we are having to make calls/texts.

Absences need to be given to the service the Friday prior to the following week, during term, or an absent fee is charged.

Sharon Seagrott – Service Coordinator
YMCA Queensland – Outside School Hours Care YMCA Whites Hill
Gate 6 Abbott Street, Camp Hill
M 0439 510 335 E awh@ymcaqueensland.org.au
W http://www.ymcachildcare.com.au/services/outside-school-hours-care.html

This year’s School Opinion Survey runs from 28 July to 22 August. Parents, carers, students in selected year levels, and staff have been emailed a link to participate. Your feedback will help us understand our school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Survey responses are confidential. Find out more on the School Opinion Survey webpage or contact school administration.

The Department of Education is keen to hear from Year 10, 11 and 12 students who left school during 2024, before completing Year 12.  

Eligible students will shortly receive a letter with a personalised link to complete a 5-minute survey. Students may also be contacted by email or phone and have the chance to win an iPad Air for participating.

The results will help us improve learning experiences and supports for future students. We ask that parents and carers please encourage them to take part.

For more information, visit www.qld.gov.au/nextstep/ or telephone toll free on 1800 068 587.

SCHOOL CROSSING SUPERVISORS NEEDED

Have you ever thought about becoming a School Crossing Supervisor? Transport and Main Roads want to hear from you!

Transport and Main Roads are always looking for School Crossing Supervisors to help keep our students safe.

STUDENT SAFETY AND SCHOOL SECURITY AT WHSC

For student and staff safety, college gates will be locked daily between 9:00am and 2:45pm.

All late arrivals, parents, visitors and contractors attending the school, while the gates are locked, are asked to use the administration gate on Burn Street.

Thank you for your support in keeping our school community safe.

 

 

 

Important information regarding parking 

DO NOT ENDANGER THE LIVES OF OUR STUDENTS BY DRIVING ONTO COLLEGE GROUNDS

Please note: Our College parking is for staff only. No parent / carer access is permitted unless prior arrangements have been organised.

The college has 4 disability parking spaces within the grounds.  These have been designated for specific families of our school.  If access is required please contact administration otherwise please keep this access completely clear every day.  

Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students safe.