Newsletter: Term 3 2025
Principal
Mr Russell Thompson
We have had a busy end to the term. It is amazing to think that we are three quarters of the way through the school year. We as a school community need to stop and reflect on the wonderful work that has been completed so far. I would like to thank the staff for their relentless commitment to the improvement agenda and their continued focus on enhancing student is succeeding and improving.
Term 3 Highlights and Successes
Wow — what a term it has been! Term 3 has been jam-packed with achievements, creativity, sport, and community spirit. Our students (and staff!) have absolutely shone, and we couldn’t be prouder. Here’s just a taste of what we’ve celebrated this term:
- Our Readers Cup team placed 3rd in all of Queensland – an incredible effort!
- The Senior Dance Academy dazzled their way to 2nd at regionals and are now off to the State Finals.
- Students embraced culture and language during the Japanese Kinder Kids visit — a highlight of the term.
- Buddina kids shone on the sporting stage, with many trialling for regional and state rep teams.
- Our Junior Athletics Day was full of energy, fun, and fantastic sportsmanship.
- Students showed their brilliance in the ICAS academic challenges.
- The Rugby League team fought hard to finish as regional runners-up.
- Both our Girls’ and Boys’ AFL teams powered their way into the regional finals.
- Excursions and incursions brought learning to life across every year level.
- After-school Art Classes kept creativity thriving — and the masterpieces keep coming!
- The Book Parade filled the school with colour, costumes, and a love of reading.
- Our Father’s Day afternoon (thanks to the P&C!) brought families together with games and a legendary pie-eating contest.
- Three OZTAG teams have progressed to the State Finals — a huge achievement!
- Selected students shone at the Regional Instrumental Music Workshops, proudly representing Buddina.
From classrooms to sports fields, from costumes to culture, Term 3 has been one to remember. A huge thank you to our students, staff, and families for making it all possible — together, we’ve achieved so much and celebrated every step of the way!
WK | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
1 | 89.1% | 91.1% | 92.3% | 91.4% | 89.8% |
2 | 88.8% | 89.4% | 92.3% | 91.5% | 88.4% |
3 | 85.9% | 90.4% | 90.1% | 89.1% | 87.5% |
4 | 88.3% | 89.5% | STRIKE Day | 92.1% | 87.6% |
5 | 90.8% | 91.4% | 91.4% | 91.9% | 88.6% |
6 | 88.5% | 89.4% | 84.2% | 90.2% | 88.3% |
7 | 89.4% | 90.9% | 91.7% | 92% | 90.1% |
8 | 88.8% | 91.4% | 92.1% | 89.9% | Pupil Free |
9 | 84.7% | 87.9% | 90.6% | 90.6% | 86.6% |
School Improvement Agenda – Achievements Term 3
Our focus is on ensuring every child is succeeding and included. At Buddina we believe the students will be successful by the below areas and targets.
The students and staff have been working very hard this term on our school focuses. It is very important that we step back and celebrate the wonderful results that have happened. Some celebrations to share from this term:
Belonging: (Results from student zones of regulation survey)
- 88% of students feel they can finish tasks even if they are hard for them
- 87% of students feel other students are helpful towards each other
- 86% of students can identify am area of improvement for themselves
Engagement:
- 1% attendance
- 1 Major incident a week
- 2 Minor incidents a week
Learning: (Results from student grades)
- 93% A-C English, 65% A/B English
- 95% A-C Math, 75% A/B Math
- Year 3 NAPAN: 69.7% of students exceeding or strong in writing, 48% of students exceeding or strong in numeracy
- Year 5 NAPLAN: 72.5% of students exceeding or strong in reading, 69.6% of students exceeding or strong in numeracy
These are fantastic results, and all students, staff, parents/carers and community members should be commended on them. Well done, Buddina!
School returns on Tuesday 7 October. I hope you all have an enjoyable break.
Regards
Mr Russell Thompson
P&C Members
A heartfelt thanks to our wonderful P&C team for their incredible support and dedication throughout the term. Your commitment to our school community is invaluable, and your efforts make a significant difference in enhancing the learning experience for our students.
2026 Prep Enrolments
Prep Enrolments for 2026
Enrolments are now open! Children born between 1 July 2020 and 30 June 2021 are eligible to start Prep in 2026. Enrolment forms are available from the school office.
If you know neighbours, friends, or family with children eligible for Prep, please encourage them to contact the school or email enrol@buddinass.eq.edu.au
Important Dates – Term 4
Parent, Teacher & Student Introduction Sessions
Tuesday 28 October, 5:00pm or
Wednesday 29 October, 9:00amPrep Orientation
Wednesday 26 November, 8:45am
Playgroup Reminder
Playgroup runs every Friday 9am -10:30am. It’s a fun way for your little one to socialise and get used to our school before transitioning to Prep.
All things Sport
Junior Sports Day
On Tuesday, August 12, our Prep–Year 3 students enthusiastically participated in the Annual Junior Sports Day. The children showcased their skills and teamwork through running races on the track and a variety of engaging rotational activities. It was wonderful to see each student giving their best effort and supporting one another throughout the day.
We were delighted to have such a strong turnout from families, whose encouragement and involvement created a vibrant and supportive atmosphere.
A special thank you goes to our Year 6 leaders for their outstanding contribution in assisting with the setup and smooth running of the event. Your leadership, energy, and encouragement were greatly valued by students, staff, and parents alike.
Congratulations to all involved on a truly successful and enjoyable day!
Oz Tag
Earlier this term Buddina entered three teams in the Queensland All School Oz Tag carnival. This year’s event was the biggest to date with 375 teams competing from all over the state. Our students were extremely successful with all teams making the grand final! Our year six boys claimed victory for the second year in a row and our year six girls and year five boys both claiming runners up. Such an achievement doesn’t happen without hard work and commitment, and all players should be commended on their success. A huge thank you to all the families that came along to support our teams over the weekend and create a great atmosphere for the students and a massive thank you to the coaches that gave up their time to train and take our teams throughout the event. Without you these things simply do not happen, and we appreciate it greatly!
AFL
In week five Buddina entered four teams in the Q Schools AFL gala day at Meridan Fields. Our year five and six students played exceptionally well, playing tough, skilful footy while working together and doing our school proud. Well done to all students who played and good luck to our year six teams competing in the “Best on ground” follow on carnival in week ten.
Rugby League
Our Buddina Rugby League program has come to a close for 2025. Mr Gherashe would like to thank all the students who participated and parents who transported and supported our Buddina rugby league teams this year. In Mr Gherashe’s 11 years involved in rugby league here at Buddina, this has been officially our most successful year for our competitive rugby league team. We won both the Mountain Creek High School Invitational Carnival and the Steve Belshem Shield. We then placed second at the follow up Mark West Cup, which involved all the local winning teams from across the entire Sunshine Coast Region. Well done Buddina boys.
Remember to run strong and tackle hard.
Representative Sport
It has been another busy term for our Buddina students competing in representative school sports. Many of our athletes have been busy training hard with district and regional teams that have been competing in carnivals held across the state.
Congratulations to the following students for your success in your selected teams and good luck to those who have upcoming events.
Sunshine Coast Regional Touch Team: Frank, Zahlee, Jahlia
Sunshine Coast Regional Rugby League Team: Jahlia, Juju, Parker, Kolbe
Sunshine Coast Regional Track and Field Team: Kolbe, Elke, Parker
Sunshine Coast Regional Cross Country Team: India and Kolbe
Coastal District Athletics Team: Bento, Milla, Elke, India, Kolbe and Parker
Coastal District Cross Country team: India, Elke, Kai and Kolbe
Coastal District Girls Rugby League Team: Zahlee and Jahlia
Coastal District Touch Team: Zahlee, Jahlia, Frank and Kolbe
Ballinger Cup
On Wednesday, 17th September, our school proudly entered two teams into the Ballinger Cup field hockey competition. For many of our students, this was their very first-time playing field hockey – and what an incredible effort they put in!
Team 1 had a fantastic run, finishing 3rd out of 24 teams, an outstanding achievement against some very experienced opposition. Team 2 also did brilliantly, securing 12th place out of 24 teams and showing great teamwork and persistence throughout the day.
A huge congratulations to all players who represented our school with determination and enthusiasm – you should all be very proud of your efforts!
Readers Cup
Congratulations to our incredible Readers Cup team — Zara, Kate, Carla, Mia, and Samantha — who worked tirelessly at school and at home to prepare for the State Finals by reading five books over the term.
The competition was held at Moreton Bay College on 4 August, and our team placed 3rd out of 497 participating schools. An amazing achievement!
Colour Run
A huge thank you to our Buddina State School community for raising more than $30,000 — just over our target! The funds will support our school Chaplain, Scott Carrol, who will now be able to continue helping students in need and running programs that build connection and belonging. These include Boxercise, Check In with Chappy, lunchtime games, Christmas hampers, family and community support, and much more.
A big shout-out to all the teachers who volunteered to be slimed and to the families who helped make the day such a success.
Excursions (Year 1 & Year 2)
Beach Walk - Year 1
In HASS we were so excited to explore natural, managed and constructed features at the beach. Teddy, 1B.
We walked all the way to Kawana Beach and had so much fun. We even wrote some directions on how to get from one place to another. We also had some parents come to help which was so exciting. Elsea and Gracie 1B
Natural features are rainforests, water and trees. Carter and Prue 1B
Managed features are looked after by humans like lawns and vegetable gardens. Cooper 1A
Constructed feature are playgrounds and buildings. They can also be pathways and benches. Rosa 1C
I liked seeing the war memorial. It was fun finding a path to surf club from the toilets. Taffy 1D
Sealife - Year 1
In Science we are learning all about living things and we went to Sealife to explore all the different habitats. In the morning, we saw a medium sized octopus move in its sparkling enclosure. Odin and Alec 1B
My favourite thing was the tunnel and seeing enormous sharks. Wilder 1A
I loved looking at the penguins in their habitat. Ava 1C
I learnt all about living things at Sealife. I learnt that jellyfish could grow very big! Edi 1D
Bankfoot House - Year 2
This term students from year 2 visited Bankfoot House at the Glasshouse Mountains. As we are learning all about changes to technology over time it was a great opportunity for students to see what it was like in the past.
Students learned how butter was made and even got to taste their freshly churned butter on a slice of bread, yum!
They also made clothes for wooden peg dolls. Some had long hair, short hair, beards, dresses, pants and hats. Old fashioned games and toys were enjoyed by all.
Yoyos, knuckles, quoites, bowling and even hopscotch had the boys and girls testing their skills.
Then the hard work began when students washed clothes by hand. First, they had to wring the water out and figure out how to hang the washing out on a clothesline made out of rope and wooden posts. Everyone was exhausted after that.
Thankfully we had a relaxing but very interesting tour through the old wooden house. It was full of furniture, appliances and household goods once used in the past. The pianola which played music just by pedalling was super cool. No hands needed!! We saw woodfire ovens, meat safes, gramophones, metal bed warmers (kind of like a hot water bottle) and even a commode that had to be emptied every day, ewwww!
Such a busy day learning about life in the old days. It was certainly tough back then.
Chess
Buddina State School sent five teams and one individual to the 2025 Sunshine Coast Teams Championship held at Grammar.
Highlights:
Our Premier Team, made up of Noah, Vincent, Felix and Zara, bravely competed in the highest division, the Premier Division. It’s wonderful that we have the talent to field a Premier team – you should all be immensely proud. Competing against the strongest primary school chess players on the coast (many rated between 700–1000), they put in a valiant effort. It’s not easy competing at the top, and the whole club is proud of you. Buddina placed 6th out of 8 teams. Individually, Zara placed 13th out of 32 and Felix 16th out of 32, both tied on 4/7, making them our top performers for the day. Noah had the tough job on Board 1 and Vincent on Board 2 – thank you both for your courage and efforts. Congratulations to our Premier Team!
In Primary A Division, Team 2 – Archie, Carla, Kate and Hanna – placed 6th out of 14 teams. A special mention to Carla, who was the top scorer for the team, finishing on 4.5/7 and placing 10th out of 47, earning a merit ribbon. Well done Team 2!
In Primary B Division, Team 3 – Lael, Aiden, Jared and Alfred – had an outstanding result, coming 2nd out of 15 teams – amazing achievement! Top scorers and merit ribbon winners were Alfred (5/7, 8th out of 59) and Lael (5/7, 10th out of 59), with Aiden placing 18th and Jared 22nd. Congratulations Team 3!
In Primary C Division, we fielded two teams. Team 4 – Sasha, Hannah, Ty and Wyatt – placed an excellent 4th out of 26 teams. Team 5 – Freya, Sadie and Edward – played with only three members and still placed 23rd – well done! Top individual scorers and merit ribbon winners for Division C were Wyatt (5.5/7, 6th out of 90), Sasha (5/7, 10th out of 90) and Hannah (4.5/7, 18th out of 90).
In Primary D Division, we had our brave solo competitor, Theia – well done for trying so hard, Theia!
A huge congratulations to Zara who took out first place in the U13 section in the 2025 Sunshine Coast Womens' and Girls’ Chess Championships.
Music
In Week 7, some of our talented Buddina students attended the Sunshine Coast Instrumental Music Excellence Program (SCIMEP) and had an amazing experience! A special mention to Kate and Sam, who learnt to play the Baritone Sax for the event, and to Mia, who was the only Bass Clarinet player and performed brilliantly. We are so proud of all our students for their dedication and musical achievements!
First Aid Room
Medication Requirements
With Year 6 Camp coming up, it is important that all medication requirements are organised well in advance.
If your child requires medication (including over-the-counter medication) to be administered at school or during a school activity (such as camp or excursions), the following requirements must be met:
A completed Consent to Administer Medication form must be provided for each medication.
The medication must be labelled by a qualified health professional (doctor, dentist, paediatrician) and include:
Doctor’s name
Child’s name
Dosage amount and times
In addition, the prescribing health professional must either:
Provide a letter with dosage instructions, or
Complete the form: Medication Order to Administer ‘As-Needed’ Medication at School (last page).
To ensure staff can safely administer medication at camp, please submit all forms and labelled medication by 10 October to give us sufficient time for us to prepare.
Upcoming events
We have an exciting Term 4 ahead! Please note the following dates:
Twilight on the Turf – 17 October
Year 6 Camp – 3–6 November
Grandparents’ Afternoon – 12 November
Year 1 & 2 End-of-Year Celebration – 9 December
Year 6 Graduation Ceremony – 9 December
Year 3 End-of-Year Celebration – 11 December
More information about these events will be shared closer to the dates.
St Vincent de Paul - Gratitude
The members of the St Vincent de Paul Society of Kawana sincerely thank the staff, students, and families of Buddina State School for your ongoing and incredible support in assisting those experiencing hardship in our local community.
The generous donation from your Pyjama Day fundraiser last term has been put to good use, helping the homeless keep warm and fed through winter. In addition, the donations of items for the dignity packs created by the ‘Sleepout Students’ in June were gratefully received by many individuals and families in need.
Your thoughtfulness and generosity have shown those doing it tough that they are not alone—there are people who truly care about them and want to provide hope and help.
You are a wonderful community and should be very proud of the positive impact you are having on the lives of others during difficult times.
Christmas Hamper Appeal
Our school is proud to once again support the St Vincent de Paul Society with their Christmas Hamper Appeal. Last year’s appeal was such a huge success, thanks to the generosity of our wonderful school community, and we’re excited to take part again this year. Things will be run a little differently this time, so keep an eye out for more details on how you can help make Christmas brighter for local families in need.
Wishing you a well-earned break. See you back for Term 4
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