Choral Fanfare State Finals

Congratulations to our Chamber Choir for their outstanding achievement in making it through to the State Finals of Choral Fanfare! This is a remarkable recognition of their dedication, hard work, and the beautiful music they create together.

We would like to sincerely acknowledge the exceptional leadership of our Director of Music, Robyn Kelly, whose guidance and passion inspire the choir to reach new heights. Our thanks also go to Deputy Principal, Lisa Geary, for her ongoing leadership and support, and to our talented accompanist Anna Lu, whose musicianship enriches every performance.

This success is a wonderful moment of celebration for our whole school community. 

Well done, Chamber Choir—you continue to make us proud!

Year 6 Camp Hits Cairns

This week our Year 6 students travelled over 1,700 kilometres from Brisbane to Cairns for the adventure of a lifetime! The camp provided incredible opportunities for students to explore the unique environment of Far North Queensland, build resilience, and create lifelong memories with their friends.

Highlights included snorkelling on Fitzroy Island, tubing on the Barron River, and a fascinating visit to Rainforestation. Students also enjoyed a scenic train ride to Kuranda, where they explored the Koala Gardens, Butterfly Sanctuary, and Bird World, before finishing the week with an inspiring visit to the Cairns Aquarium. Each day was packed with excitement, learning, and fun, and our students embraced every challenge with enthusiasm.

Such a camp is only possible through the dedication and commitment of our staff. We extend heartfelt thanks to Mr Gallaher, Mrs Alexander, Mr Sheppard, Miss Mitchell, Mrs Rowe, Mrs Sherriff, and Mr Mitchell, who played a vital role in the organisation of the camp and gave up time with their families to be there with the students. A special acknowledgement goes to Mrs Humphries, whose leadership and behind-the-scenes planning ensured the camp ran smoothly from start to finish.

We also thank our Business Manager, Ms Stephens, and Finance Officer, Mrs Simpson, for their careful management of the $196,000 camp budget—a massive undertaking in itself.

Finally, we are deeply grateful to all of our parents and carers for both their financial support in making this camp possible and, importantly, for trusting us to take their children so far from home.

The Year 6 Camp is always a milestone experience, and 2025 has certainly set the bar high!

Year 6 Discovery Week – Adventures at School

While many of our Year 6 cohort are away in Cairns, the remainder of our students have been enjoying their very own adventure here at school through Year 6 Discovery Week. This program is designed to provide rich, hands-on experiences that spark creativity and teamwork, ensuring every student enjoys a memorable week.

So far, students have rolled up their sleeves in the kitchen, cooking pizzas and baking gingerbread men, as well as creating their own personalised mugs to take home as a keepsake. The week ahead promises even more excitement, with activities in sewing, art, and a special science incursion to keep curiosity and creativity flowing.

A big thank you goes to the staff who have supported this program and made it such an engaging experience for the students. In particular, we sincerely acknowledge Mrs Jurekie for her thoughtful organisation of the week and extend our thanks to all of our specialist teachers who have contributed their time and expertise.

Year 6 Discovery Week is proving to be a wonderful celebration of learning, fun, and new experiences right here at school!

Check out all the adventures of this week on our facebook page.

Bring Your Own Device

In 2026, all of our students in Years 1-6 will be part of our Bring Your Own Device program. Digital literacy is a huge part of Version 9 of the Australian curriculum, and as a result our students require a high level of access to devices to support their learning. All Year 1-3 students will bring an iPad to school next year, and our Year 4-6 students bring laptops to school.

If you have a child going into Year 1 or Year 4 in 2026, there will be some information sessions about bringing a device during the parent teacher interview evenings in Weeks 9 and 10. You will receive more information about these sessions in the coming weeks.

Prep 2026 Enrolments

If you have a child turning 5 by 30 June 2026, they are eligible to start Prep next year. Enrolments are open and we have just started booking Prep Orientation sessions. If you, family or friends have a child starting Prep next year in our catchment, please enrol NOW!

SPARK – Supporting Parents Advocacy, Resources and Knowledge

We have recently launched a new initiative called SPARK, designed to build stronger connections between home and school. There are a couple of events coming up for parents. See the flyer below.

Qparents notification

STUDENT ABSENCE PHONE LINE - 33405360

EMAIL: absences@warrigalroadss.eq.edu.au

Absences from school for 11 days or more require an exemption application to be submitted with supporting documentation.  

It is critical that payments are made and consent granted via QParents by the due date, which is a week earlier than the event itself.  The school needs this time to finalise arrangements for buses, venues, etc and ensure that teachers are provided with accurate lists of participating students.  Requests for late payments cannot be accommodated, so please make sure that you have responded by the due date.

We have a number of payment arrangements available which can help make payments more manageable.  We have many families currently taking advantage of these arrangements.  If you would like further information, please contact the Business Manager.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the school office.

IMPORTANT DATES

GALA DAY 2 – 29^th August

All Yr5/6 Gala Day students are to be at school by 8:30am on Friday 29th August. Students need to meet their coaches on the Rock Wall at the Senior Oval for roll marking before boarding buses. Be on time, so you don’t miss the bus!

Parents are welcome to attend Gala Days! Please see below venues and all equipment required for your sport. When students return to school, our Warrigal Tuckshop will be open to purchase ice blocks etc.

• Gala Day 2 - Friday 29 August (Week 7, Term 3)
• Gala Day 3 - Friday 24 October (Week 3, Term 4)

Playing Locations for Gala Day:

• Boys & Girls Touch Football – Runcorn State High School, Hill Rd, Runcorn

Touch Requirements - Hats/Sunscreen, x2 Water Bottles, Lunch, Boots (optional)/Joggers. Touch Boots are to be worn at the fields only, No slides. Limited canteen access.

• Girls Netball – Macgregor Netball Association, Granadilla St, Macgregor

Netball Requirements - Hats/Sunscreen, x2 Water Bottles, Lunch. Canteen available.

• Boys & Girls Volleyball – Calamvale Community College

Volleyball Requirements - Hats/Sunscreen, x2 Water Bottles, Lunch. Limited canteen access.

• Boys & Girls Cricket – Griffith University, Nathan Campus

Cricket Requirements - Hats/Sunscreen, x2 Water Bottles, Lunch. NO CANTEEN

MISS SARAH CURRIE – SPORTS COORDINATOR

GALA DAY RESULTS 

Touch Football – A Girls

Gala Day 1 marked a fantastic start to the season for our Touch Football teams, as they went head-to-head with other local schools. Despite being understrength due to a few absences, our Senior A Girls were well-supported by players from the Senior B team, who stepped up to the challenge and performed exceptionally.

The girls came out firing in their first match, delivering a dominant 11–0 win over Kuraby. In Game 2, they faced a tough Algester side featuring several District players. Although they put up a determined fight, they were narrowly defeated, 6-3.

Game 3 saw Sofia and Ammara steal the spotlight, showcasing their speed and skill with a combined total of nine tries in a spectacular 13-0 victory over Eight Mile Plains. Despite fatigue setting in by the final game, the team held their composure and finished the day with a solid 4-0 win against Sunnybank Hills' B Team.

What an incredible way to kick off the season! We can’t wait to see what this talented team can achieve when they're back to full strength.

McDonald Awards went to Sofia, Ammara and Amelia.

Miss Currie – Touch Coach

CHAMBER CHOIR–CHORAL FANFARE STATE FINALS  Congratulations!

A huge congratulations to our Chamber Choir for delivering the most extraordinary performance at the Choral Fanfare State Finals yesterday! Your talent, dedication, and passion lit up the stage, and you absolutely did yourselves—and our school—proud.

The standard of competition was incredibly high, and we know the adjudicators had a tough time selecting a top choir. Performing at the Griffith University Conservatorium Theatre, one of the finest venues in the country, was truly a special experience—and you rose to the occasion brilliantly.

We’re so grateful to the event organisers and sponsors for giving our students the opportunity to perform on such a prestigious stage. Events like this are made possible through their dedication and support of young musicians.

A sincere thank you to all the amazing staff who helped bring this performance to life:

• Miss Lu, for your beautiful and sensitive accompaniment—perfectly balanced and supportive throughout.
• Miss Courtice, for your encouraging words and thoughtful guidance around the Conservatorium.
• Mrs Geary, for your enthusiastic supervision and unwavering support well into the afternoon.
• Mrs Venn and Mr Holloway, for your musical expertise and assistance during sound check, and your positive, inspiring energy in the lead-up to the performance.
• Mrs Chen and Mrs Kang helping behind the scenes with the masks and organising the students.
• Mr Duncan, for your consistent support and those motivating text messages that reached us just before we walked on stage.

We are so fortunate to have such a fabulous team behind the scenes, supporting our amazing students every step of the way.

To our wonderful parents and grandparents cheer squad—thank you for being there in the audience. Your presence meant the world to us. Your warm energy and kind words afterward were truly appreciated. Many of you were visibly moved by the performance—and the choir certainly felt that connection. I must admit, during the second piece, they almost brought me to tears while I was conducting. It was an incredibly moving moment.

You produced an incredible sound—the best I’ve heard from you this year. It was a pleasure and an honour to conduct such a talented and committed group.

We also received so many lovely messages of support from colleagues in the wider music community. It’s uplifting to know how many people were cheering us on from afar, and we shared many of these messages with the students before they took the stage.

Looking ahead, I’m excited to explore new repertoire and apply the insights and experience gained from this performance to further develop our choral skills. But first—here’s to a well-earned good night’s sleep for us all!

Once again, congratulations Chamber Choir. You were magnificent!

2026 STRINGS AND BAND RECRUITMENT UPDATE

We will start our band and strings recruitment process with grade two and three students this week. Teachers of students who put in an expression of interest were emailed a timetable and will send students to modular D or the music block at their allocated time.

Please make sure students have gone to the toilet and had a drink of water before arrival. Students who are currently learning or have an instrument at home are encouraged to bring them for Mrs. Venn and Mr. Holloway to check if they are suitable or may need some servicing. Those who are learning please bring a piece of music you like to play.

Round 3 Scholarships at MacGregor SHS – Newsletter article for Primary Schools

Did you know MacGregor State High School offers scholarships to outstanding students starting Year 7?

The final chance to apply for a scholarship for Year 7 2026 is quickly approaching - don’t miss out! Applications close Friday, 29 August 2025.

They proudly offer scholarships in three key domains: Academic, Cultural (Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music, Visual Arts), and Sport.

These scholarships recognise and support students with exceptional talents and achievements. Acceptance of applications are based on merit and various examination or audition processes. Students do not have to be in the MacGregor SHS catchment area to apply.

For full details and how to apply, visit their website or contact their Enrolments Officer, Angie Blanch:

Web: www.macg.link/scholarships        

Ph: 3347 3555

Email: enrolments@macgregorshs.eq.edu.au