6 March 2025

Principal Stephen Adams

Dear Talara Primary College Community,

As I sit down to write this week article, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey that the past 23 years have been. 17 January 2002 was the very first day I started the inspiring journey as Principal of Talara Primary College. At the end of this term, in just a couple of weeks, I will be finishing my time as Principal of this wonderful school, and while I always knew this day would come, I don’t think I could have ever prepared myself for just how hard it would be to say goodbye.

Being part of the Talara Primary College community has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. From the moment I first walked through these gates, I knew I was somewhere special. The warmth, the spirit, and the unwavering sense of community is truly unique, and I have been incredibly fortunate to have been a part of it for over twenty years.

The relationships I have built with students, families, and staff over the years have meant more to me than words can express. Watching generations of students grow, learn, and go on to achieve incredible things has been both an honour and a joy. The trust and support of our families, who have welcomed me into their lives and shared in their children's journeys, has been something I will always cherish.

There are so many memories that I will take with me. Year level culminations each term filled with student pride, laughter and energy, the excitement of sports days, the magic in seeing students perform on stage, and the countless moments of kindness and resilience that make this school so special. The way everyone gets involved in Book Week dress ups, Colour Runs, Trivia Nights, Discos and of course Talara Family Fun Festivals. But most of all, I will take with me the deep sense of connection and belonging that Talara has given me.

To the unique and incomparable staff of Talara, past and present, thank you for your dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment to our students. The genuine care and inclusive culture that lives and breathes every day is a direct result of this team of legends.  To the absolute best Parents and Citizens Committee (P. and C.) a Principal could ever ask for to work with, right from my first year till my last, Talara is so incredibly fortunate to have such incredible and generous volunteers who just go above and beyond. Each and every year you guys are the P. & C Team of the Year!

To the families, thank you for your trust, your support, and for allowing me to be part of your children's lives. The students, both those here today and those who have since moved on, you have been the heart of my time at Talara, and I will always carry your stories, your laughter, and your incredible spirits with me.

I would like to take this opportunity to publicly acknowledge my biggest supporters and greatest advocates, my wife Jen and our 3 kids, Nikki, Josh and Matt, and now daughter Danielle and 2 grandsons Kingsley and Julian. Family has always been the most important value in everything I have done, and it is these guys who have who kept me grounded when needed and lifted me high when the time calls. To each Talara family, I wish you the greatest years ahead as you celebrate, grow together, and take joy in watching your children become even better versions of yourselves.

Though my time as Principal is coming to an end, Talara Primary College will forever hold a strong place in my heart. This school, this community, and the people within it have shaped me in ways I could never have imagined, and for that, I am endlessly grateful.

Thank you for 23 wonderful years. It has truly been the experience of a lifetime.

With heartfelt gratitude,

PRINCIPAL Kristy Walton UPDATE

Cyclone Alfred

Thank you to our community for the calm and responsive approach so far as this impeding weather event draws closer. At the time this newsletter is published we anticipate the cyclone will be upon us. Hopefully through emails and Facebook we have been able to keep all families updated as we all work together to ensure the safety of our students, staff and families are the highest priority. We hope your families remain safe and that any property damage is minimal. If your family is adversely impacted, please make sure you reach out and let us know at school so we can keep an extra eye on your little ones and help in any way we can. 

Student Leadership Investiture

Last Thursday we celebrated our 46 school leaders with a very special whole school parade. A huge thank you to all our parents, family member and special guests for attending and making what was a beautiful investiture ceremony so special for our 2025 school leaders. Watching each parent of our newly elected leaders support them with their pledge and securing their badge, is always very special and a terrific recognition of the critical partnership parents play in our students’ successes.

Our four young Talara College captains all spoke incredibly well, along with the Year 12 leaders from each of our feeder State High Schools. The clear messages around the importance of role models and what leadership really is, were inspirational. I really appreciate the Year 12 leaders from these high schools who so generously give us their time to deliver these important messages to our whole student body.

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Parent Teacher Interviews

As part of our commitment to developing quality parent partnerships, all parents have been invited to attend an individual Parent Teacher interview during Week 8 of this term, commencing Monday 17-21 March. These interviews are an opportunity to discuss with each parent how their child is settling in, find out any specific information from home or discuss any concerns that you may have. As part of this interview, we use the Student Behaviour Report as a focus.

All parents should have received an invitation to go online and book an interview timeslot. Online bookings will close 12pm Friday 14 March. If you haven’t made your appointment by then, please contact your teacher directly through their email to arrange an interview.

ANZAC DAY Commemorations

Early Term 2, a very significant event takes place with our annual ANZAC Day Commemorations. This year the school service will take place on Thursday 24 April (Week 1 of Term 2) at 1:30pm in the Performance Hall.

This is always a very moving and special parade where the memory of the ANZAC’s and the wonderful ANZAC spirit is celebrated.

A very special component of the parade is the opportunity for students to share and present their feelings regarding ANZAC Day and what it means to them. Each year we run a special competition for students, this year we are asking students to write a poem expressing the spirit of the ANZAC’s. Three students are then chosen to read their poem during this parade in front of the whole school. Full details are included in the flyer attached. This is an out of school activity as we would really like to encourage parents to discuss this important day with your children and support them to undertake this piece of writing.

Community March:

On the morning of ANZAC Day, Friday 25 April at 8.30am all students are invited to represent Talara in the Caloundra Community March. Our students all arrive in full school uniform and form up at Stockland Shopping Centre carpark in Oval Avenue (at the rear of Kmart). A map of the route is attached. At 9.00am the parade steps off and we finish at the Caloundra RSL.

NAPLAN

Students in Year 3 and Year 5 will soon be taking part in the annual National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests. Held over three days, 12 – 14 March, NAPLAN tests the skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling and numeracy.

Thanks in advance to all of our families for supporting our Year 3 and Year 5 students in helping your child be super confident in preparing for the tests. In my conversations with the students, I am very impressed with their confidence and attitude leading up to NAPLAN. It is very much an opportunity for them to just give it their best effort.

Our teachers have done a great job supporting students to be confident and to try their very best. At Talara Primary College, we strongly advocate for every student to participate in NAPLAN in a positive way.

Each year we have some parents asking if they should withdraw their child from NAPLAN as they are nervous or fear they won’t do very well. At Talara, we believe passionately that every student should have a go at doing the tests. Formal testing is a big part of schooling, especially in the secondary sector. I cannot think of a more supportive environment than with our caring teachers at Talara, to assist every student to become confident and not to fear this form of assessment. It is not the tests to fear, but the importance which some place on the results. At the end of the day, NAPLAN is a point in time test completed on a given day. It is the comprehensive end of semester report card that you get from your child’s teacher at the end of each semester that paints the best picture of your child’s academic progress.

We ask parents of students in Year 3 and Year 5 to actively support their child to do their best by making sure bedtimes are early each night, and that they head off to school each morning with an “A” grade breakfast in their tummies. The most important message we can all give them is to just try their best and this will be great!

A Friendly Reminder: Before-School Waiting Areas

As we settle into the term, we’d like to remind parents that before-school time is an important period for our teachers to prepare for their busy day ahead. To support this, we kindly ask that parents do not wait outside classrooms or in the courts attached before school.

Each year level has a designated court area (senior, centre, junior, prep) where students can wait before the school day begins. Supervision in these areas is available from 8:20 am, ensuring a safe and structured start to the day for all students.

We appreciate your cooperation in modelling this routine for your children. Encouraging them to use the designated waiting areas helps reinforce independence and allows our teachers the uninterrupted time they need to prepare engaging lessons for the day ahead.

Thank you for your ongoing support in making our school a great place for learning.

Driving into school grounds

A very clear reminder to all parents that under no circumstances should you be driving your car into the school grounds. Our driveways are major access points for our students before and after school, and any parent choosing to drive in to the grounds is significantly risking the safety of so many students. Please be thoughtful, responsible and caring and do not drive into the school grounds.

Wednesday Afternoons

Every Wednesday afternoon, all teaching staff are required to attend a staff meeting. This meeting starts at 3pm and involves over 70 staff. For our meetings to be able to start on time, we require all teachers to leave their rooms promptly on a Wednesday to be in the venue and ready for the meeting to start.

I ask all parents to please be aware of this and appreciate that on a Wednesday after school, the teacher is not available for any interviews or extended discussions. Your support in this is greatly appreciated.

Date Claimers

So much is happening over the next few weeks, here are a couple of dates to make sure you have on the fridge calendar:

• 12 - 14 March – Year 3 and Year 5 NAPLAN Testing
• 17 - 21 March – Prep through to Year 6 Parent Teacher Interviews
• 18/19/20 March – Tribal Parades
• 18 March – Parents and Citizens Annual General Meeting
• 17 - 18 March – Year 3 and Year 5 MAKEUP NAPLAN Testing
• 25 March – Talara Prep to Year 6 Cross Country
• 28 March – Announced FIREDRILL practice 12.45pm
• 28 March – Year 6 Classroom Open Afternoon
• 28 March – Term 1 Excellence Parade 9am
• 31 March - 2 April – Year 6 Mapleton Camp
• 31 March – Prep to Year 5 Classroom Open Afternoon
• 3 April – Gold Pass Day
• 4 April – Mr Adams Farewell Parade 11.30am
• 4 April – Last day Term 1, Free Dress Day
• 4 April - 21 April – School Holidays

NAPLAN

Students in Year 3 and Year 5 will soon be taking part in the annual National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests. Held over three days, 12 – 14 March, NAPLAN tests the skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling, grammar & punctuation and numeracy.

Year 3 and 5 teachers continue to support students to be comfortable and confident with formal testing, providing engaging mini lessons that focus on teaching students the required skills to be successful in the NAPLAN online platform.  This week, Year 3 and 5 students were exposed to the practice test environment where they had the opportunity to experience the full range of question types, tools and test messages they will encounter during the testing phase. This practice tests also allows us as a school to check all of the technical aspects required to run NAPLAN smoothly.

Thank you in advance to all of our families for supporting our Year 3 and Year 5 students in helping your child be super confident in preparing for the tests. In my experience, the best way to build confidence and a positive attitude leading up to NAPLAN is to keep all conversations about the topic positive and to remind students that all we ask of them is to give it their best effort.

At Talara Primary College, we strongly advocate for every student to participate in NAPLAN in a positive way. Each year we have some parents asking if they should withdraw their child from NAPLAN as they are nervous or fear they won’t do very well. We believe that every student should have a go at doing the tests. Formal testing is a big part of schooling, especially in the secondary sector. I cannot think of a more supportive environment than with our caring teachers at Talara, to assist every student to become confident and not to fear this form of assessment. At the end of the day, NAPLAN is a point in time test completed on a given day. It is the comprehensive end of semester report card that you get from your child’s teacher at the end of each semester that paints the best picture of your child’s academic progress.

During NAPLAN week, we ask parents of students in Year 3 and Year 5 to actively support their child by making sure bedtimes are early each night and that they arrive at school on time each morning with an “A” grade breakfast in their tummies and the thought that they are just going to do their very best.

Megan James
Talara Primary College

Year 7 2026 Scholarships

The Principals of the Coalition of State Secondary Schools, invite Year 6 students to apply for Year 7 Scholarships for 2026. Application forms can be downloaded from each State Secondary School’s website. Each Secondary School has its own scholarship selection criteria and process. Parents are advised to contact our Coalition State Secondary Schools for further information.

• Scholarship Application period opened on Friday 28 February.
• Scholarship Application period closes on Friday 21 March.
• Successful & unsuccessful applicants will be notified via email by Thursday 1 May (Term 2 Week 2)

Note: Date and time change for the scholarship information session at Talara Primary College will now be held on Friday 14 March from 12-1pm in the Performance Hall.

Secondary School Catchment Information

The Caloundra Coalition of Secondary Schools, wish you and your student a successful, productive and memorable final year of state primary education.

During this year, coalition primary schools will work together with the four local state secondary sites – Baringa State Secondary College, Caloundra State High School, Kawana Waters State College and Meridan State College, to provide a comprehensive and supportive program to assist both you and your student to make the transition to junior secondary schooling. At this early time of the year, we would like to provide you with important information regarding coalition enrolment processes for students transitioning to high school:

• Similar to primary school, all four coalition secondary sites have an Enrolment Management Plan (EMP) and corresponding catchment boundary.
• Parents can determine in which catchment they live by using the EdMap website (http://www.qgso.qld.gov.au/maps/edmap/). This is the method used by all coalition secondary schools to determine if a student is living ‘in-catchment’.
• Students are guaranteed enrolment at the school that is indicated by this web site as their ‘in-catchment’ school. This is determined by the student’s residential address. Proof of residency is required when lodging an enrolment application with a coalition secondary school and catchment status will be verified upon enrolment.
• The ‘in-catchment’ secondary school is the site that the student is assumed to be attending for Year 6 Transition Days in June and December.
• If a student has an older sibling already attending at an ‘out-of-catchment’ secondary school, the Enrolment Management Plan allows for the student to enrol at that school as long as certain conditions are met.
• Students may enrol in an ‘out-of-catchment’ school if they are successful in gaining a place in a scholarship program or Program of Excellence at that school.
• Parents may lodge a written Expression of Interest to enrol in an ‘out-of-catchment’ school for consideration by the Principal. ‘Out-of-catchment’ enrolments are granted at the sole discretion of the Principal and are subject to available enrolment capacity at the school after all ‘in-catchment’ enrolments have been accommodated.
• Details of each secondary school’s Enrolment Management Plan can be found on the school’s website.
• Each school has an Enrolment Officer who can be contacted to provide further information and advice.

State schools are great schools! Our secondary schools have planned a wide variety of whole day, before school and after school events that showcase the new and exciting opportunities available to Year 7 students. We urge you to take advantage and participate as much as possible in the Year 6 Transition Program this year. A summary of key dates is included on the back of the attached letter for your reference. Further details for each event will be provided closer to the day.

Born Wired: Raising Tech-Healthy Humans

In today’s digital world, it’s more important than ever to guide children in developing healthy technology habits. Raising Tech-Healthy Humans, by Daniel Sih, is an insightful and practical book designed to help parents navigate the challenges of raising children in an era dominated by screens. 

Sih, a productivity consultant, highlights the impact of excessive screen use on young minds, from reduced attention spans to the loss of real-world social skills. He emphasises that technology itself isn’t bad—it’s how we use it that matters. The book offers simple, research-backed strategies for fostering a balanced and mindful approach to technology use at home.

One of the key takeaways is the concept of “tech intentionality”. Sih encourages parents to be proactive rather than reactive, setting clear and consistent boundaries around screen time from an early age. He also discusses the importance of free play, outdoor activities, and face-to-face interactions in ensuring children develop essential life skills.

For busy parents, the book provides practical tips, including:

• How to create tech-free zones at home
• Setting age-appropriate limits on screen time
• Encouraging family routines that prioritise real-life connections
• Teaching children to self-regulate their technology use

Raising Tech-Healthy Humans is a must-read for parents who want to raise resilient, socially aware, and emotionally healthy children in a digital world. By taking small, intentional steps, we can help our children build a positive relationship with technology while embracing the joys of real-world experiences.

Pick up your copy of this book by award-winning Australian author, Daniel Sih, to help your kids enjoy the online world without losing the wonders of life beyond a screen.

Early Childhood Education Program (ECDP)

Welcome to all our wonderful ECDP children and families.  It has been so exciting to welcome you and your little ones into the new school year.  For more about our EDCP Program please click the link below.

Free Prep Vision Screening

Good vision is important for a child’s educational, physical and social development. Vision screening checks for common eye conditions that may impact your child’s ability to see and therefore impact their learning and development.

A Registered Nurse will be visiting the school in Term 2 Week 2 - Monday 28, Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 April 2025 to conduct vision screening for children in their prep year.

If you wish to have your prep child participate in this FREE vision screening program, please scan the QR code below and complete an online consent form by April 13, 2025. 

Parents / carers do not need to be present for screening, however if you would like to be, please contact the school to arrange this.

If you have concerns about your child’s eyes at any time, please take your child to see an eye health professional (optometrist/ophthalmologist). 

For further information, please scan the below QR code to visit the Program website or contact the Primary School Nurse Health Readiness Program on 1800 687 372.

TEAK News

Last week we held our annual Clean Up Australia Day. Around fifteen bags of rubbish were collected from the school grounds and gardens. The most common rubbish was small pieces of plastic that had been blown into gardens, under furniture and against the buildings. 

Big thanks to all of the classes that participated. Our class winners are - 

Prep/Year 1 and Year 2 -  2G
Year 3 and Year 4 - 3A
Year 5 and Year 6 - 5Y

These classes will receive the perpetual trophies at the Tribal Parades this week from our TEAK captains Harper and Eloise and other senior TEAK students.

Thanks to the students who helped with our Containers for Change collection at the disco last week. We were able to collect three full bags of containers. Not only will they be recycled but the school will also receive money for their collection.

Our next whole school activity will be Earth Hour which we will mark on Friday 21 March. Go to the website www.earthhour.org to so see how you can be involved at home on Saturday 22 March. 

TEAK meetings will be held each Friday at first break in the 3W classroom.

GRIP Student Leadership

Last Tuesday 25of February, Ms Walton, Mrs Lawrence and Mrs Paul  had the pleasure of joining 45 of our student leaders from Years 4-6 at the student leadership conference – GRIP (Leadership with Generosity, Responsibility, Integrity and People) at Lake Kawana Community Centre. The day was attended by student leaders from primary schools across the Sunshine Coast.

It was an excellent day and a great pleasure to see our students interact with such confidence in this type of forum. Our students were all outstanding ambassadors for our College and they have certainly come back with some ideas of what they would like to do as leaders at Talara in 2025.

District Swimming

On Friday, February 28, the Talara swim team attended the District Swimming Carnival at Grammar. Despite the hot weather, our swimmers gave it their all! A huge congratulations to Willow D, Camy J, Charlie Mc, Curtis J, James B, Mikayla M, Charlie S, Leroy L, Tala M, Charli H, Addy S and Sophie R for their outstanding performances, as well as for being the best cheer squad of the day! A big shout out to Mrs Seldon and Mr Javorek who took the time out of their day to time-keep, your support is much appreciated!

A special congratulations to Willow, Curtis and Addy for qualifying for the Regional Swimming Carnival, we wish you all the best at next week trials.

We would also like to give a special mention to Willow for being awarded Age Champion, a big achievement going up against all 10-years girls within Coastal District!

Cross Country -Save the Date

Our annual P-6 Cross Country carnival is being held on Tuesday 25 March (Week 9) during the morning session. A program of events and course maps will be emailed to families within the coming weeks. Now is a great time to start up some training within the cooler parts of the day. We look forward to seeing our families and community in attendance to support our super-star runners!

Primary School Life Saving Championship

The Primary Pool Rescue competition will take place on Sunday 1 June 2025 at the Sunshine Coast Grammar Aquatic Centre. At last year’s carnival, Talara came 3^rd up against some pretty great schools.

I am looking for students to nominate who currently partake in either surf lifesaving or competitive swimming. The competition consists of the following events:

• 8m Line Throw
• Individual Medley
• 50m Pool Rescue Race (non-contact)
• 4 x 25m Team Survival Relay
• 100m Individual Life Saving Race
• 4 x 25m Fin Relay

No experience of Pool Rescue is required; however, students must be strong swimmers/squad swimmers and comfortable swimming fully clothed to nominate. Mrs Little will put out a call for interested students in the coming weeks. If you think your child may be interested in this, you can email me at elitt31@eq.edu.au . Minimum Age 8 years as at 31st December 2024.

Seen: The Film

I’d like to encourage Talara Parents to come along to Seen: The Film, which will be screening at Talara Primary College on Wednesday 12 March, from 7-9pm.

“SEEN” is a feature-length documentary that explores the transformative power of personal healing for parents. It also delves into the scientifically supported effects of such healing on parenting and its impact on child brain development.The story is centred on candid interviews, this documentary delves into the lives of four individuals, each starting their journey with a pivotal wake-up call.

A Chilean-born woman unravels her challenging childhood’s impact; a First Nations man realises he’s been a dad for only two out of 18 years; an adopted man confronts his anger’s root cause, and a German woman learns how emotional shutdown affected her and her children. These narratives show paths to self-discovery, breaking free from ingrained patterns.

Experts in psychology, neuroscience, counseling, and developmental paediatrics provide insights into children’s needs and the science of understanding them. Ultimately, viewers find inspiration as each story leads to acceptance and seeing ourselves and, in turn, seeing our children more clearly.

Following the film, there is a live Q & A with professor Selina Bartlett, along with Zidia (a parent from the film).

If you can spare the time, we would love as many Talara Parents as possible to come along, to what promises to be an inspiring event. For Booking please click the link https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/1135131271189/

Tickets are limited and cost $18.78 each, thanks to sponsorship by Helping Hands.

Parent TV

Dealing with Separation Anxiety

As adults, we all know what it is like to say goodbye to someone when we may not be ready. It might be a relative you haven’t seen for a while or a friend?

For a child starting school or a new school year, this separation from you can be overwhelming.  They can become distressed, inconsolable and refuse to let you go. It’s even more difficult when you, as the parent, aren’t sure what to do. Do you ‘sneak ‘off when they aren’t looking or try for ‘just one more hug?’

Please watch the 2 videos below for some ideas on making drop off much easier for you and your child.

This first one features Dr Kaylene Henderson, Paediatric Psychiatrist as she gives tips and advice on handling goodbyes at school:

The second one features Maggie Dent, author, educator and parenting educator and discusses how you can ease your child’s separation anxiety:

This can be a very stressful time for all involved so I hope the tips and strategies work for you!

Student of the Week

Community Notices

Caloundra State High School Rugby League Development day

Mountain Creek High School Rugby League Trials

Currimundi Netball

School Calendar