Staying Safe Online Over the Holidays

As we approach the holiday break, it’s a good time to pause and reflect on how our students engage with the online world outside of school. Here at school, our students are very accustomed to working online — but in a carefully managed environment. They are supervised, given specific tasks, and supported by secure systems that track and trace every keystroke to keep them safe.

At home, the situation can look quite different. Parents are often busy working or managing holiday commitments, and students may have a little more freedom to explore the online world. This extra freedom can sometimes lead to riskier behaviour, including visiting unsafe sites or engaging in disrespectful online conversations. We occasionally receive screenshots of concerning interactions between students that occur on social media or gaming platforms — and unfortunately, we deal with at least one serious incident of inappropriate online behaviour after almost every school holiday.

How Families Can Help

We encourage all parents and carers to take an active role in supporting safe online behaviour at home:

• Talk to your children about online safety and respectful communication.

• Set clear boundaries around when, where, and how long devices can be used.

• Monitor online activity by checking in regularly on the games, apps, and platforms your child is using.

• Model positive behaviour by demonstrating good digital habits yourself.

Being proactive now can prevent distress later — for your child, for other children, and for your family. Together, we can help students enjoy a safe, respectful, and positive online experience over the break.

Kids Diwali Celebration – Free Community Event

We are excited to share a wonderful opportunity for our families to celebrate Diwali during the upcoming Term 3 school holidays!

BAPS Swaminarayan warmly invites children and families to their Kids Diwali Celebration — a vibrant, family-friendly event filled with fun, food, and festivities.

Date: Sunday, 5 October 2025
Time: 2:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Venue: Mt Gravatt Showgrounds, 1644 Logan Road, Mt Gravatt, QLD 4122

This free-entry event will feature:

• Carnival games and activities for children

• Delicious Indian street food stalls

• Spectacular fireworks display

• Cultural exhibitions and much more to explore!

Bring your family and friends for an afternoon of celebration and connection as we mark the Festival of Lights together.

A Gift of Unity and Shared Values

This fortnight, we were honoured to receive a very special gift for our school — a beautifully crafted sign bearing the Arabic phrase "السلام عليكم" (As-salamu alaykum), which means “Peace be upon you.”

The artwork was designed by a talented local Aboriginal artist, blending cultural symbols and patterns that celebrate the diversity within our community. The piece is a powerful reminder that while we may come from different cultures and hold different perspectives, our shared values — respect, kindness, and community — bring us together.

It was a joy to welcome members of the Kuraby Mosque community and our wonderful Essof family to present this meaningful piece to our school. Our students proudly accepted the gift and reflected on what it means to create a place where everyone feels seen, respected, and included.

As principal, I could not be prouder of the way our students embrace opportunities to connect with and learn from the many cultures that make up our Warrigal Road community. This sign will be displayed in a prominent location at school as a symbol of peace, understanding, and the belief that we can walk together — side by side — despite our differences.

What a wonderful way to remind us daily that our school is not just a place of learning, but a place of shared humanity.

OTHER IMPORTANT DATES

MET WET REPRESENTATIVES

A couple of weeks ago, 13 of our Warrigal students proudly represented the district at the Regional Track & Field Trials, delivering some outstanding performances over two action-packed days. Every athlete should be incredibly proud of their hard work and dedication!

To advance to the next level, athletes needed to finish in the top 2 or meet the qualifying standard. Congratulations to the following students who have earned their spot on the Met West Team and will be competing at the State Championships in Townsville next month:

• Sofia C – Combined Event (1st place)
• Marc L – 1500m (4th), 800m (4th)
• Gregorius B – 800m (3rd)

 A special shoutout to Sofia for breaking the 100m record in her combined event—an incredible achievement! This record was previously held by one of our past Warrigal students, Caitlyn Blade, since 2015. It’s fantastic to see the Warrigal legacy continue!

We wish all our qualifiers the very best at States. Go get ‘em, Warrigal!

BLUES CUP – TOUCH FOOTBALL

Boys:

Last weekend Warrigal Rd participated in the Blues Cup Boys Touch Competition at Runcorn State High School. The Boys were placed into a pool of 4 teams including Cleveland 4, Belmont and Pullenvale. The top team in the pool progresses to the Cup division for the second day. In the first game against Cleveland 4, the boys started a little hesitant due to their first time playing in a big competition, and also the conditions, as the rain started to tumble down. Once the boys started to get used to the game and the conditions, they eventually piled on the points to defeat Cleveland 6-1. Izack S was the star with 3 tries and Noah J scoring a double.

In game 2, we played Belmont, and this was very hotly contested game going right to the wire, with Warrigal going down 3-2. We felt this was a game we could have won with several very close tries denied by some last-ditch Belmont defence. This gave the boys confidence going into the final game against Pullenvale who were undefeated. Warrigal started very strongly and managed to lead the entire game with captain, Shriyan, leading the way with 2 tries. With a minute remaining and the score 3-2 to Warrigal, we turned over possession, and Pullenvale were good enough to score a last ditch try to level the game at 3-3. This meant the Warrigal boys would play in the Shield Division on Day 2. This was the Shield Warrigal had won for the last 2 years in a row, they now had to defend.

Day 2 started with a game against Greenslopes, and Ibrahim scored a great try to open the scoring. Greenslopes had some very clever players and kept the game very close throughout, and the scores level at 2-2 with only a minute left on the clock. Some very hard rucking led to our fastest player Issac B running straight through the middle and more than half the field to take the win 3-2!

In the quarter final we played Kuraby. Warrigal were far too good, playing a very solid game with tries to Shriyan, Isaac B, Terence, and Marc L scoring a double to take us to the Semi-final 6-1. In the Semi-final we met Wishart, who had never played before in the Blues Cup. Both teams went try for try, and with minutes remaining and Warrigal leading 3-2, Wishart scored late to level 3-3. This meant the teams now had to play drop offs (extra time) to try and progress to the final. Both teams started with 4 players, instead of the usual 6. After 2 minutes, scores were still level meaning teams had to drop another player to 3v3. Shriyan was the star, diving in between 2 defenders to snatch the win and secure our place in the final!!

The grand final was against Greenslopes, the team we had beaten earlier in the day, in a very tough match. The game didn’t start well with Greenslopes scoring off the first set, and five minutes later scoring again to go up 2-0. The boys fought hard in defence as they kept giving possession back to Greenslopes with sloppy errors. With five minutes to go, Ibrahim scored an amazing length of the field try to get us back in with a chance at 2-1. Unfortunately, we were unable to score again, and our fate was sealed.

While the team was very disappointed, they were reminded that they had played a great level of touch over the weekend and should be very proud of their efforts. Their improvement throughout the weekend was excellent. Some of the students are only playing touch for their first time this year, and they have much more to look forward to and improve their game even more. 

Thank you to all the teachers, parents and coaches who supported these students throughout the weekend. We now look forward to our last Gala Day in Term 4 and entering the Qld All Schools tournament next term in late October.  

Girls:

Over the weekend, Warrigal entered a girls’ team in the Blues Cup Touch Football Competition, featuring players from both Year 5 and Year 6.

We kicked off the tournament with a dominant 9–0 win over MacGregor 2, with tries scored by more than half the team—a fantastic team effort!

In Game 2, our girls showed impressive defensive skills against Wynnum, who went on to win the entire competition. Despite the loss (3–0), holding such a strong team to just three tries, was a huge achievement.

To finish off Day 1, we faced Cleveland 1, another well-drilled side. Our team fought hard but were edged out, 4–1.

Thanks to our solid defence across all games, we finished 3rd in our pool and entered Day 2 ranked 4th in the Shield Division.

Day 2 – Finals Day

We had a tough draw to start Day 2, going up against Hillcrest Christian College. Although we played well, we lost 3–1 to the team that eventually won the Shield Division.

Next, we faced Cleveland 2 in a must-win match for a spot in the semi-finals. Despite a strong performance, we narrowly lost 1–0 in a very close contest. Cleveland 2 also went on to play Hillcrest in the Final.

With two losses on Day 2, the highest we could now place was 5th—and the girls made sure to finish strong. In our final game, the team powered to a 5–0 win over Algester 2. A special shout-out to Sofia, who scored four of the five tries and named “Player of the Match”!

It was a great way to end two days of tough competition. Well done, girls—you’ve done Warrigal proud!

 A big thank you to all the supporters who cheered us on throughout the weekend!

Another busy term is nearly behind us, and as I reflect on the many wonderful performances by our students, I’m reminded of what makes Warrigal Road such a special place to teach. The enthusiasm and dedication our students bring — especially the extra time they spend practising — are what make our music program truly shine.

As we look ahead, please encourage your child to continue practising over the holidays. We have our school music concert coming up, and many of our groups will be participating in Music Fest, so ongoing rehearsal is key.

It's natural for things to get more challenging as we grow, but helping your child stay positive and persistent builds not just musical skill, but resilience and confidence too. Overcoming obstacles — even small ones — helps develop strong, capable learners.

“Practise as if you’re the worst. Perform as if you’re the best.”
(Or as we like to say: ‘Don’t stop until your neighbours know all your songs by heart!’)

Thank you for your continued support, and well done to all our young musicians for a fantastic term!

 ½ Day Music Workshop: Concert Winds Band & Corelli Orchestra.

2026 Strings and Band Program – Expression of Interest Update

Thank you to all the students who expressed interest in joining the 2026 Strings and Band Instrumental Music Program. We’re excited to see such enthusiasm for music at our school! 

Selection Process & Next Steps
Letters regarding the outcome of the selection process will be sent home at the end of this week.

Please note that we follow a thorough and equitable selection process, based on the guidelines provided by the Queensland Department of Education's Instrumental Music Program (IMP). Our goal is to identify students who are ready for the commitment, responsibility, and focus required to be successful in learning an instrument.

Why not everyone is offered a place (yet)
While we would love to offer every interested student a place, this is not always possible. Instrumental learning requires:

• A high level of focus and attentiveness
• The ability to manage classroom learning alongside music commitments
• A strong level of maturity and readiness
• Students to be meeting or exceeding expectations in their academic work

In line with the IMP philosophy, we aim to ensure students are well-supported and positioned for success — emotionally, academically, and developmentally.

For Year 2 Students Not Selected This Year
If your child is currently in Year 2 and was not selected for 2026, we encourage you to apply again next year for the 2027 Band Program intake. This program has a wider variety of instruments and more available positions.

Another year can make a big difference in a child’s concentration, confidence, and desire to learn an instrument. We often see students thrive after a year of growth!

Keen to Start Learning Anyway?
If your child is very eager to start learning an instrument, we encourage you to explore private tuition options within the community. Some of our instrumental students began their learning journey with a private teacher and joined our school program in future years when positions became available.

Remember: instrumental music is a long-term journey, and places may become available as the years progress.

Information Evening
We look forward to meeting our 2026 instrumental recruits at the Information Evening in October. This will be an important opportunity to learn about expectations, meet the music team, and discuss instruments and timetables.

About Our Program
Our school has a strong, high-quality music program with clear expectations for students and families. Our instrumental teachers are:

• Experienced and actively involved in the professional music community
• Regularly engaged in professional development
• Passionate educators who bring out the best in each student

As with all things, consistent practice is the key to success. With dedication and support, your child will thrive musically and personally.

The Boys Chorus and Senior Choir need to know all of their words and music thoroughly for the pieces they will be performing at Music Fest in October. You have access to recordings—please use them to practise regularly and ensure you know your part inside and out.

Be sure to read the rehearsal schedule carefully so you are fully prepared for Week 1. Consistent practice and attention to the schedule will help us all have a successful start to the term.