Issue 11 – The Hall Happenings 23 July 2025
Principal’s Messages
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Welcome back to Term 3! We hope you had a restful and refreshing school holiday break. We’re excited to begin another important term of learning, growth, and connection here at The Hall State School.
As we settle into the new term, we remind all students and families of our high expectations around respectful behaviour, full participation in learning, and wearing the correct school uniform each day. These expectations help ensure a safe, supportive and high-performing learning environment for all.
Our key school priorities for 2025 continue to focus on:
- Improving student achievement in English through evidence-based literacy practices and embedding consistent, high-impact teaching strategies across every classroom.
- Enhancing access and engagement in learning for all students.
Thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s education. We look forward to a fantastic Term 3 filled with success, progress and school spirit.
Important Email Reminder for Parents and Caregivers
We kindly remind all families to check their junk or spam folders for any emails from the school or classroom teachers. Sometimes email accounts go dormant over the holiday break without contact from the school, and important messages may be missed.
Emailed report cards
If you have not yet received your child’s Semester 1 report card via email, please contact our school administration. The Department has advised that some report cards were unable to be delivered, particularly to Gmail accounts, due to technical complications which should by now be resolved. We want to ensure all families are kept informed.
Staying Warm and in Uniform – A Reminder for Families
We’d like to remind our school community about the importance of wearing the correct school uniform each day. Our uniform policy, supported by the P&C, reflects our school expectations of Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be a Learner, and helps promote a strong sense of pride and belonging among all students.
To support our expectations during the winter months, please ensure your child is wearing:
- The school spray jacket, available from the uniform shop (preferred) or
- A plain navy jumper or jacket – no hoods or branding
- Navy leggings or navy track pants
- Black school shoes and navy socks
- Full school uniform must still be worn underneath all outerwear
Wearing the correct uniform each day is a way students can:
- Be Safe by avoiding hazards like hoodies catching on equipment, remaining visible, hampering play or inappropriate footwear
- Be Respectful of our school community by following shared expectations
- Be Responsible for presenting themselves with pride and being ready for learning
- Be a Learner by minimising distractions and feeling part of the team
We appreciate your ongoing support in helping students come to school dressed for success. Please contact the Uniform Shop at uniform@thehalls.eq.edu.au for any uniform related enquires.
Kind regards,
Mrs Katie Bull
Principal
From The Deputy
Attendance
At The Hall State School, we understand that regular attendance is a vital part of a student's success. Consistent school attendance not only ensures students stay up-to-date with their schoolwork but also helps them build essential skills like responsibility, time management, discipline and social skills.
Research shows that students who attend school regularly are more likely to perform well academically, socially, and emotionally. They benefit from a structured learning environment, have access to support, and can engage with their peers and teachers effectively.
Why Attendance Matters:
Academic Growth: Missing even a few days of school can set students back, especially when important lessons or projects are being worked on.
Social Development: Regular school attendance allows students to build and maintain strong relationships with classmates and teachers, promoting teamwork and communication skills.
Building Responsibility: Being present at school regularly fosters a sense of discipline and responsibility that will serve students well throughout their education and beyond.
We encourage all families to support students in maintaining a strong attendance record, as every day counts! If your child is struggling with attendance, please reach out to us so we can work together to identify and address any challenges.
Behaviour
At The Hall State School we are proud to guide and support our students in growing into respectful, responsible, and confident learners. A big part of that growth comes from understanding and living by the core values we focus on every day:
Be Safe
We teach students to look after themselves and others by making safe choices in the classroom, playground, and online. From walking calmly through school corridors to using equipment appropriately, being safe is always our top priority.
Be Responsible
Being responsible means taking ownership of actions, following through on commitments, and contributing positively to our school environment. Whether it's completing homework, caring for belongings, or helping a friend, responsibility builds trust and independence.
Be Respectful
Respect is at the heart of our school culture. We encourage students to treat others with kindness, listen carefully, and appreciate differences. Respectful behaviours help everyone feel valued and included.
Be a Learner
Being a learner means coming to school with curiosity and a positive attitude. It’s about doing your best, asking questions, learning from mistakes, and always looking for ways to improve.
These values are reinforced every day and embedded in students’ “ways of working” at THSS. It is fantastic to see these values in action every day. Our students are showing pride in themselves and their school community, and we love celebrating their efforts.
Please continue to talk with your child about the school’s four expectations; Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful, and Be a Learner.
Bikes and Scooters.
It is pleasing to see so many students riding their scooters and bikes to school. We would like to remind these students not to ride on the school grounds, rather walk their bike/scooter to the school gate. Also, if your child does ride to school, please ensure they bring a lock to secure their bikes/scooters to the bike racks. Bike racks are provided between the MPC and Library, as well as near the Stop Drop Go shelter. The bike rack behind the senior toilets is not to be used. This bike rack will be relocated in the near future.
Kind regards,
Mr Cameron Preston
Deputy Principal
Head of Curriculum
School Priority One – Improvement in English – C and Above
Data Conversations
As part of the THSS Academic Case Management processes, teaching staff and leadership are engaging in professional conversations based on formative data. At multiple points throughout the unit, teachers collect evidence to track student progress against the English Achievement Standards aligned to V9 of the Australian Curriculum. The next step for teaching staff is to make changes to their planning to support next steps for students. The next step for teaching staff and students is to create English Learning Goals for students to work towards.
Term Three English Units
This term in English students are working towards the following:
Year Level | Unit Description |
Prep | Exploring and sharing experiences Students engage with texts that contain straightforward sequences of events and everyday happenings, for example: informative texts that retell real experiences, and imaginative texts that include events or happenings experienced by the characters. They read, view and comprehend texts including simple decodable texts aligned with phonic development, and authentic texts including traditional oral texts, picture books, films, various types of stories, rhyming verse, poems, non-fiction, multimodal texts and dramatic performances. Through texts, students recognise and develop awareness of vocabulary used in familiar contexts related to everyday experiences, personal interests and topics taught at school. They explore language for expressing and developing ideas when retelling experiences or events in stories. Students make connections to personal or character experiences, and explore how feelings and preferences relating to these experiences might be expressed. Students engage in shared and independent writing and/or learning experiences to create short spoken and written texts to retell events in stories and everyday happenings, using language to sequence events, and express thoughts and feelings. For assessment, students: · create a short spoken text to retell an experience. |
Year One | Expressing opinions about procedures in texts Students engage with a range of texts which contain topics or story elements that can be presented as a procedure. They read, view and comprehend imaginative and informative texts including simple decodable texts aligned with phonic development, and authentic texts including picture books, stories, short films and animations, non-fiction books, and various types of information texts. Through texts, students explore text structures, language features and visual features of simple procedures. They share ideas and recount or adapt procedures using language features including topic-specific vocabulary to suit the purpose and audience. Students respond to procedural texts, exploring language to express opinions, as well as persuasive text structures to provide reasons for opinions using a small number of details. Students engage in shared and independent writing and/or learning experiences to create procedural texts. They participate in informal and structured discussions and give short oral presentations. For assessment, students: · create and deliver a short, spoken text to recount a simple procedure for a favourite game and express an opinion as to why their peers should learn it. |
Year Two | Expressing opinions Students engage with a range of imaginative and informative texts which contain storylines, learnt topics or topics of interest. These texts provide a stimulus for using language to express opinions and understanding of how topics can be presented in persuasive texts. Students read, view and comprehend texts, including simple texts that support students’ transition to becoming independent readers, picture books, simple chapter books, and imaginative and informative short films and animations. Through texts, students explore how information is presented in different types of texts to suit their purpose and audience, and explore how persuasive language is used to express opinions about texts and topics. Students engage in shared and independent writing and/or learning experiences in response to texts. They use interaction skills when engaging in discussions using conscious choices of vocabulary to suit the topic. They create texts to express opinions, with reasons, using persuasive language. For assessment, students: · create and deliver a spoken text to express a preference for a place or setting to peers. |
Year Three | Exploring language to express opinions Students engage with a variety of fiction and non-fiction texts that provide a stimulus for constructing persuasive responses. These texts may include picture or chapter books and informative texts containing topics of interest and topics being studied in other learning areas. Students read, view and comprehend texts with content of increasing complexity and technicality that extends students as independent readers. Through texts, students explore how texts are created, using different language features and structures depending on their purpose and audience. Students engage in shared and independent writing and/or learning experiences to create persuasive responses for a particular purpose and audience. They use language of evaluation and emotion such as modal verbs, words, phrases and images, and text structures including the stages of a basic argument, to persuade. Students use interaction skills to contribute to discussions and share ideas for an audience using a clear structure, details to elaborate ideas, and topic-specific and precise vocabulary. For assessment, students: · create and deliver a spoken text to express a preference and opinions about a favourite activity. |
Year Four | Exploring language to express opinions Students engage with a variety of texts that provide a stimulus for building an argument, such as picture books, short novels, films and non-fiction texts, and persuasive texts, as models for creating their own work. Students read, view and comprehend texts that extend them as independent readers. They explore text structure and organisation, including language features and text connectives for cohesion, and sequencing and connecting ideas. Students identify the subjective language of opinion and feeling, and the objective language of factual reporting. Students engage in shared and independent writing and/or learning experiences to explore persuasive features of an argument and create texts to present arguments to an audience using features of voice. For assessment, students: · create a spoken argument to share and extend ideas, opinions and information about a topic. |
Year Five | Persuading others Students engage with a variety of texts which provide a stimulus for persuasive responses, such as film and digital texts, novels, non-fiction or dramatic performances, and persuasive texts, such as speeches and arguments, as models for creating their own work. Students, read, view and comprehend texts that support and extend students as independent readers, monitoring and building meaning. Through texts, students explore ethical dilemmas in real-world and imagined settings. They examine point-of-view, positioning and influence in text, and how they affect interpretation and response from the audience. Through teaching and learning, students create spoken and written persuasive responses to issues or dilemmas faced by characters in texts and real-world topics. They participate in a range of speaking and listening situations, including formal presentations, using appropriate interaction skills to present and justify opinions or ideas, experimenting with features of voice such as tone, volume, pitch and pace. For assessment, students: · share, develop and expand on ideas and opinions for a particular purpose and audience. |
Year Six | Using language to persuade Students engage with a range of texts which provide a stimulus for persuasive responses, such as film and digital texts, novels, non-fiction or dramatic performances, and persuasive texts, such as video logs (vlogs), media texts and letters to the editor, as models for creating their own work. Students read, view and comprehend texts that support and extend them as independent readers, monitoring meaning and analysing how text structures and language features work to engage and influence an audience. Through texts, students explore ethical dilemmas or issues in real-world and imagined settings. They examine persuasive techniques and devices, including language choices that evoke emotion and judgements in direct and indirect ways. They explore the use of objective and subjective language and identify bias. Through teaching and learning, students create spoken and written persuasive responses to issues or dilemmas faced by characters in texts and real-world topics. Students use interaction skills and awareness of formality when developing and supporting arguments and sharing opinions in speaking and listening situations. For assessment, students: · create a vlog to present an argument to a person of importance. |
School Priority Two – Access and Engagement
Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)
As Semester One ends and Semester Two starts, we once again have a fresh start and begin the school-based reward processes again.
Our focus for the first three weeks are:
- Week 1 – Review our expectations – Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe and Be a Learner
- Week 2 – Be Responsible – Know you PBL wall. Where is it and how should I use it?
- Week 3 – Be a Learner – Have a go!!
Kind regards,
Ms Tracey Vine
HODC
Student of the Week
Congratulations to the following students who received Student of the Week awards.
Class | Week 1 |
PM | Hope B |
PN | Evelyn D |
1/2F | Stephanie H |
1A | Nhurali G |
2C | Harlee R |
2R | Ayra N |
3D | Mason O |
3S | Stanley F |
4CF | Parent advised |
4CF | Aleska T |
5C | Lindsay H |
5W | William I |
6B | Cadynce-Reine B |
6L | Sharyn D |
Athletics Carnival Results
Our school athletics carnival was held last term, and the results are in.
House Results
OVERALL HOUSE CHAMPION | |
John Duthie Trophy | Fitzroy Crocs |
Boys Events | |
Jacobsen Shield Aggregate | Fitzroy Crocs |
Banks Trophy Track & Field | Fitzroy Crocs |
Girls Events | |
Duthie Shield Aggregate | Fitzroy Crocs |
Ward Trophy Track & Field | Fitzroy Crocs |
Junior Events | |
Moyce Trophy - Infants Sprints | Jardine Dragons |
P&C Trophy Infants Mini Athletics | Jardine Dragons |
Age Champions
10 Years | Matilda M | Reggie F |
11 Years | Savannah N | Floyd C |
12 Years | Georgia V | Xavier W |
Prep N - Potato People
Prep N are learning how to retell events. This week we are reading ‘The Potato People’ by Pamela Allen. We had so much fun making our potato people using a variety of materials.
Dragon Writing from 6L
As part of our daily writing routine, 6L use their knowledge of parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives) to improve and add to a basic sentence(s) to create a descriptive and entertaining narrative passage. Below is the stimulus picture and original sentence:
“The dragon called to its masters. They had found the tree at the heart of the forest”
As the demonic master approached the tree, the dragon straight from hell screeched in terror. The UAC Cyber demon was trying to stop the group from getting to the gateway tree, the entrance to another dimension. The demonic master ran to the gateway and as he was about to enter the Great Slayer himself barricaded him from getting in. As the demonic master stumbled towards the gateway once more, the Great Slayer grabbed his trusty weapon, his argent energy blade made from the souls of the damned which had once killed a great titan that had tried to destroy the ancient City of Argenteus and took several steps towards the demonic master and readied his blade to strike. At that moment the loyal dragon swooped down directly at the Great Slayer's blade unknowingly putting himself in deaths' hands. By Douglas L
The small but fierce dragon called to the loyal masters. They had found the undefinable tree at the heart of the unknown forest. They carefully walked into the unknown home inside the great tree. The dragon and the masters walked in and started hearing voices inside the house like, ''help me help me''. Mysterious skulls and skeletons were inside. Suddenly someone attacked them. Do they get out? By Freddie R
The loyal dragon unexpectedly called to the greedy masters. At last, they had suddenly found the protective tree at the heart of the mystical forest. They walked in and felt shivers down their spines. They thought their minds were scrambled hearing screams echoing and all sorts of sounds, then they dropped to the ground. As their eyes opened, they were locked in what looked like some sort of dungeon. Will they escape? By Savannah N
The small green dragon desperately called to the mysterious masters. They had finally found the magical mushroom-covered tree at the heart of the unexplored forest. They could hear a very strange noise coming from inside. By Ben C
The loyal dragon suddenly screamed to its masters. They had found the most dangerous tree in the land, the Twisted Tree of the Dark Forest. The partners sighed in relief "we finally found it," said The Wise One of the two. By Liam G
The loyal tamed dragon screeched in pain to its magical masters. They had accidently found the wavering willow at the pounding heart of the forbidden forest. THUD, THUD, THUD. Something was coming for them. The sound they heard was roaring until... By Chelsea T
The mystical dragon quickly called to its lost masters. They had desperately searched for the only house-built tree at the heart of the enchanted forest. As a door opened, the dragon horrifyingly flung itself over to its master to protect them. “What's that?” the master said.
“I don't know!” replied the other master. BANG CRASH BOOM! Everything went pitch black. By Simeana D
2025 Interschool Gymkhana
The Hall State School Shines at 2025 Interschool Gymkhana
On Sunday 20th July 2025, a proud team of young equestrians from The Hall State School represented their school with excellence at the Interschool Gymkhana, hosted by the Alton Downs Pony Club. Competing against talented riders from 15 different schools across the region, our team showed incredible determination, sportsmanship, and school spirit throughout the day.
The team – Amelia, Candice, Ella, and Jackson – rode with confidence and pride, demonstrating the skills and dedication they’ve worked so hard to develop. From the very first event, it was clear that The Hall riders came ready to shine.
One of the standout moments of the day was the March Past, where our team’s unity and presentation earned them an impressive 2nd place, a fantastic achievement against strong competition.
Individually, there were also some amazing results:
- Amelia delivered a brilliant performance across her events, earning 2nd overall in her age group – a remarkable result!
- Candice also had a fantastic day, riding consistently and placing 4th overall in her age group – a proud moment for her and the team.
Although Ella and Jackson didn’t place overall, they gave it their all in every event and contributed greatly to the team’s success and spirit. Their efforts, enthusiasm, and teamwork were just as valuable and deserve a big round of applause.
We are incredibly proud of all four riders – their commitment, courage, and team pride truly represented the values of The Hall State School. Well done, team!
We would like to thank Nat Lewis, our parent representative for supporting on the day and for this great report.
School Photo Day -Tuesday 5th August 2025
School Photo envelopes have been distributed to students. Please check with your student that they have received their envelope. Please keep your envelope at home and bring it on School Photo Day.
The oldest student in each family who has siblings will have also received a sibling photo envelope. We do have some spare sibling envelopes at the office if you didn't receive one.
Blended families - Additional order envelopes are available from the office for separated parents, blended families and grandparents. Students can collect an envelope from the office. Remember to write "Mum’s order" or "Dad’s order" on top of the envelope.
If you have any queries please contact MSP Photography on 4921 3355 or schoolphotos.cq@msp.com.au
Pyjama Day - 24th July 2025
This year, The Hall State School has registered for National Pyjama Day on Thursday July 24th. The Pyjama Foundation provides children in foster care the opportunity to change the direction of their lives and achieve their dreams. The money raised helps fund educational resources, train volunteers and make a positive life-long impact for children in foster and kinship care.
We are hosting a Pyjama Day to help raise funds and would like students to come dressed up in pyjamas on Thursday July 24th. Students can bring a gold coin on the day or make a donation on Qkr!
Pyjamas must be sun safe, have appropriate wording and be practical to wear at school. Enclosed shoes must still be worn.
A suggestion is to wear your school uniform underneath or bring it along with you in case you get hot or want to play on the oval so your PJs don’t get damaged.
Thank you for your support.
Junior Squash
The 1st week of the holidays, from June 30th to July 5th, Chelsea T participated in QJC (Squash Queensland Junior Championship) in Townsville. The first three days involved individual events, which Chelsea played in a number of rounds. Days 4 to 6 featured team events, where Chelsea represented the Central Region Bulls and had a win in the mixed doubles category.
PlayCricket Week
The PlayCricket launch event on Great Keppel Island is almost here! Michael Neser, Bonnie Berry and Ruby Strange will be in attendance.
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