26 February 2025

From the Executive Principal's Desk

Despite the impact of the severe weather we had at the start of the year, the 2025 school year has got off to a great start at Pimlico and our students are now well and truly moving into assessment mode.

Each year, Pimlico State High School sets out a series of improvement priorities for the year ahead in our Annual Improvement Plan (AIP). This form of strategic planning is common across all State Schools in Queensland. I wanted to share with our community our plan for the deliberate improvement across 3 areas of the school. Of course, there will by a wide range of areas where the school is continuously seeking to ensure we are doing things in the best way possible, but our AIP identifies our priority areas, where we will schedule time for staff learning. I have attached a copy of our AIP, but I find that the simple explanation below is of most interest to parents and is relatively free from educational jargon! Please note that the below priority areas are not hierarchical and each area will support the other two areas.

Our first priority is around wellbeing. While students learning and achieving at their best is, of course, central to the purpose of schooling, we know that positive educational outcomes are underpinned by students feeling a sense of belonging and safety at school. A key aspect of this is our focus on strengthening our positive learning culture. In 2025 we will continue to explicitly teach students what our school culture should look like, how they are expected to behave and engage and how they can respond and seek assistance when situations arise. The school will also find additional ways to recognise positive behaviour and engagement so that the vast majority of students who are engaging positively are recognised for their efforts. This is a continued area of focus from 2024, and we are noticing positive changes in our community already. Ensuring that Pimlico State High School is a kind and caring community of learners is the highest priority of staff at the school.

Alongside a focus on student wellbeing is a deliberate effort to support the wellbeing of staff at the school. We have incredible teachers and support staff at Pimlico who go above and beyond. I firmly believe that ensuring they feel that their wellbeing is also prioritised will help them to do their job in the most effective way possible.

Our second priority area is around Inclusion, and in 2025 we will be specifically looking at how we provide academic supports to students around the area of reading. The school already has a range of ways that we support students to develop their reading, including intervention style programs that focus on a particular skill, as well as ways of teaching that are embedded across classes for all learners. Our work this year is in better identifying students who need more significant intervention and tracking their progress, while also equipping teachers in the latest skills and knowledge drawn from the Queensland Government’s Teaching Reading Through the Australian Curriculum strategy.

Our third priority area is around student learning. In this priority area we are focusing on developing our teachers to use strategies that support higher levels of student engagement. In doing this work we are trying to leverage educational research as well as the deep knowledge and expertise that sits amongst our experienced teaching staff, and the new ideas of our early career teachers. We know that to engage in the learning, students first have to feel safe and the initial area of practice we have focused on is strengthening relationships with students, which can be a key determining factor in how students feel about the classroom. Across the year we will continue to unpack different strategies that help students to maintain their engagement in the classroom.

Alongside our 2025 AIP, the school continues to work toward re-accreditation with the Council of International Schools. Our preparatory visit went well last year and we are looking forward to our full re-accreditation visit early in 2026. Only two schools in Queensland hold this level of accreditation, one of which is Pimlico, with re-accreditation required every 5 years. As part of our journey to re-accreditation, I will be sharing a community survey later in the term. Your input into this survey would be appreciated and the feedback will guide the school’s work leading up to the 2026 visit.

As always, I look forward to continuing to work in partnership with you across the year ahead so that all of our students can have a wonderful year at Pimlico.

Best wishes
Stephen Baskerville
Executive Principal

P&C Association

Notice of Annual General Meeting

The Pimlico State High School P&C Association’s Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 11 March 2025, commencing at 7pm. This year the AGM will be held in the Pimlico SHS Library on Fulham Road.

We encourage all parents to join our P&C – as they say, many hands make light work! Simply download the membership form, complete and return addressed to the P&C either to the school’s office administration, or via email at pandc@pimlicoshs.eq.edu.au 

At the AGM all Executive positions will be declared vacant, and nominations for the 2024 Executive Committee will be tabled for election. These positions are:

• President
• Vice President
• Treasurer
• Secretary

For more information about the P&C as well as the upcoming AGM, please read the attached documents.

Entertainment Book Fundraiser

Looking to save yourself some money, and support your school at the same time? Why not grab the latest Entertainment “book” where you will get upto 50% off things you love to do!

For more information, head to: https://subscribe.entertainment.com.au/fundraiser/926j637

General Information

The remaining meetings for 2025 will be held in the library from 7pm on the following dates:

Our canteen continues to do great business, ably run by our convenor Jeena Philips Koshy and our other employees. Volunteers are always welcome! Please email Jeena on 2049_canteen@eq.edu.au with any time you have.

Please send any matters for P&C discussion to pimlicopandcsecretary@outlook.com

Thanks, until next time
Polly
P&C Vice President

Upcoming Events

Updates

Change of Details

Now that the school year is in full swing, have you changed your details since the end of last year? Moved house, changed jobs, new number? Then please complete a change of details form before and email it back to us so we can make sure we have the latest information if we need to contact you.

Updated Consent Forms

As we have just completed our School Photos for the year, if you would like to officially update your students consent form, please download and complete from the link below. If your student achieves something significant (making a rep team, wins an award etc), we would love to be able to celebrate this achievement with our schooling community.

Save the Date - Parent Teacher Progress Meetings

Coming up on March 11 & 12! More information about how to book will be coming out soon, so keep an eye on your emails and our Facebook page.

Senior Schooling

Year 12 Exams

Please find attached a copy of the week 6 Exam and Assessment Schedule. This assessment block will run from Tuesday 4 March up to an including Friday 7 March. Year 12 students are only required to be in attendance for scheduled assessment sessions. A number of students will be required to attend catch-up sessions for VET courses across this time to ensure they are on track for their QCE, teachers will notify those students required for those sessions.

All exam sessions are compulsory and if a student is unwell and cannot attend an exam you must contact the school and apply for an AARA. AARA’s will only be approved with supporting evidence such as a detailed medical certificate. AARAs will not be approved for absences of a student or family’s own doing.

Please also find attached a copy of the QCAA’s approved equipment for exams.

Year 11 Senior Information Evening & Assessment Schedule

Firstly, thank you for those families who attend the recent Year 11 Senior Information Evening.

Please find attached information that was shared on the night, as well as the generic assessment calendar.

You will also find email addresses for staff members you would have met, should you wish to contact them.

Junior Schooling

NAPLAN – Years 7 & 9

The National Assessment Program (NAPLAN) in 2025 will take place from Wednesday, March 12 to Monday, March 24. This is a nine-day testing window. The tests will assess reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and numeracy. More information for parents will come out as NAPLAN approaches.

A NAPLAN webinar information session has been introduced for parents and designed to help parents navigate NAPLAN. Held in collaboration with P&C's QLD, the session will provide valuable information on NAPLAN and offer tips to support your child to take part and do their best. It will take place Thursday 7 March  between 6pm & 7pm.

To register, please head to:

Year 7 Camp

This year, we are taking 168 of our super keen Year 7 Cohort to the Tinaroo Environmental Education Centre up on the Atherton Tableland. Below is a FAQ for camp, along with some information about students who are staying at school and what they are upto.

Wellbeing

Breakfast Club

Breakfast Club is held in the V Block undercover area from 8.15am. We are currently offering toast and cereal. This is a free service that all students can access if they need some breakfast food.

Grab N Go

Our 'Grab and Go' program is during first break in the V block undercover area. We are offering sandwiches, fruit, muesli bars and other healthy snacks. This is a free service that all students can access if they need some lunch or snacks.

Around the Grounds

SCIENCE

SCUBA Session

Year 12 students got the opportunity to try SCUBA on Wednesday just in time for the weather to break as well. 

This forms part of their current unit in Aquatic Practices where they have opportunities to get their Open Water Scuba ticket and their boat licence. 

HUMANITITES

Ancient History

Year 11 Ancient History - Our Year 11 Ancient History students have been exploring the role of archaeology in uncovering the past. As part of their learning, they took part in a hands-on simulated dig, working in teams to carefully excavate a site. This activity put their archaeological techniques to the test as they applied their knowledge of excavation tools, uncovered artefacts, and gained firsthand insight into the challenges faced by archaeologists in the field. Building on their understanding of dating methods, students also examined how techniques such as carbon dating, comparative analysis, and stratigraphy could be used to authenticate and date their discoveries.

Pimlico Sport

Over the Holidays

A few congratulations to our amazing students who excelled over the school holidays.

• Year 11 Pimlico Boys Volleyball team competed on the Gold Coast in the Australian Schools Volleyball Cup. This competition is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, with over 500 teams competing from 160 different schools. Our boys team competed in the Year 11, Division 1 competition, with 29 other teams from around the country. They played 10 games over the six days, where they secured 9 wins and only suffered one loss, ultimately finishing 5th place.
• Over the holidays, Alyssa and Finlay competed in the Sabot Sailing Nationals in Drummoyne in Sydney after finishing 1st and 3rd respectively at the state sailing event. At the nationals, Alyssa placed 1st and Final placed 13th in a fleet of 57 boats. An awesome effort! Congratulations to both Alyssa and Finlay.
• Lachlan Evennett in Year 12, is our Pimlico Racing Car Superstar! Recently, Lachlan debuted in the 2025 NextGen New Zealand Toyota Gazoo Racing 86GR Series. In round one, he finished with a Top 10 in Race 1, 1st in Race 2 and a Top 10 in Race 3. In round two, Lachlan got 3rd place in race 1, and 2nd in race 3. A fantastic result! Lachlan will continue his 2025 Australian campaign in the Australian Formula Ford Series, Australian V8 Trans Am and Australian Toyota 86GR Cup Series. He will also be racing at the Townsville 500 in July.
• A well overdue congratulations to current Year 8 student Jim who went to the Gold Coast in the last week of Term 4 for the Greg Norman Junior Masters Golf tournament at Palmers Golf Course, Robina. An individual has to qualify and be invited to attend and golfers from across all of QLD regions were represented. Weather conditions weren’t great and it was very wet for the majority of the 4 day competition.

2025 Swimming Carnival

Good luck to all our students taking part in our swimming carnival today. Next week we will post photos from the day on our Facebook page, so be sure to check them out!

#PIMLICOPROUD

Softball

Congrats to Isabella for making the team at the recent Northern School Sport 13 – 19 Years, girls softball trials!

Soccer Trials

Great effort by 6 of our students who this week participated in the NQ school boys football trials.

Under 13-15: Lachlan, Nate T, Raphael & Liam
U16-19 Boys : Nate W, Josh & K'paw

Congratulations to 3 of our students Lachlan, Liam and Nate W (not pictured) for being selected in the team!

Canteen

Roster

Volunteers

Our canteen is always in desperate need of some more lovely volunteers. We like to keep our prices at a reasonable price for the students, and also like to contribute our profit to the school for any needs that are required. We are a fun lot at Canteen and would love to have you join us.  If you would like to volunteer, please contact Jeena on Ph. 47593432 or email 2049_canteen@eq.edu.au

Canteen Operating Hours

• Breakfasts & Pre-orders: 8.15am – 8.40am
• Break 1: 11:20 – 12.00
• Break 2: 1:10 – 1:50

Regards
Jeena Philips-Koshy

Library Information

What a busy but exciting start to the year in the Library!

All Year 7s have been introduced to our fabulous library and the wide array of resources available.  Some things they have learnt include:

• looking for the smiley face stickers on spine labels to help identify books suitable for lower secondary
• using signage around the library to help locate genres of interest
• five books can be borrowed at any one time for two weeks
• the library catalogue can be accessed on the library iPad, via the school’s website or through the QLearn Library site.

We have been very happy to see so many keen Year 7 readers in the Library at break times.

Textbooks

Textbooks are now available for loan.  To borrow textbooks:

• the Student Resource Hire Scheme fee needs to have been paid, and
• all books from previous years returned.

Emails have been sent regarding outstanding resources from 2024.  Please contact the Library should you have any queries.

Textbooks available for loan this year:

Library opening hours

Monday and Friday:                                        8:15am – 3:15pm including both breaks
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday:                     8:15am – 3:30pm including both breaks

Defence School Mentor (DSM)

Hello and welcome to 2025

My name is Vicki Clothier, and I’m excited to be appointed as Defence School Mentor at Pimlico in 2025. My job is to provide ongoing support for Defence Students, especially during any difficult times, such as parental absences or transitioning into the school. If you are an ADF family and have not yet notified the school, please reach out to me via email dsm@pimlicoshs.eq.edu.au so that I can include your child(ren) in our support network.

Education Support Programs for Defence Families

For those families that have just posted to Townsville or have arrived in the last 18 months your child may be eligible for Education Assistance. Financial support is available to help minimise the disruption to education caused by posting, which can include tutoring support. If you think your child may need this extra support, I can assist you with navigating this service or please call Defence Member and Family Support on 1800 624 608 or email education.supportprograms@defence.gov.au

Contact

I can be contacted via email dsm@pimlicoshs.eq.edu.au or by phoning the front office.
Students are always welcome to visit me in V Block.
I look forward to supporting you and your family through 2025.

Vicki

EQI & International Students

Welcome to our 2025 International Students

This term, we have had the pleasure of welcoming four new international students to our EQI Student Program: Nora (Austria), Janis (Switzerland), Giorgia and Francesca (Italy).

A heartfelt thank you to the Putscher, Andreassen, Taylor, Jenkins and Adams families for opening their homes and hearts to these students and providing with such a warm and caring environment.

If you see these students out and about in the community, please take a moment to stop and say hello. A friendly smile and warm welcome can go a long way in helping them feel at home!

A day of wildlife and Beach Safety

Our international students had an unforgettable excursion on Tuesday 25th, starting with a hands-on wildlife experience at Billabong Sanctuary with Ranger Ellie. They patted a koala, fed kangaroos and a cassowary, held a snake and baby crocodile (bravely, we might add!), had a black cockatoo perch on their hand and even saw a wombat up close! The ranger tour was both fun and educational, teaching them about North Queensland's unique wildlife in Croc Country. A highlight was watching the thrilling crocodile feeding show - thankfully from a safe distance!

We then headed to the Surf Life Saving Club at the Strand Park for a beach safety workshop. Through an engaging show - and - tell session, students learnt about ocean safety, swimming between the flags, what each flag meant, reading beach reports and identifying marine hazards. They even got to dress up in surf-life saving gear and met surf lifesaver Dan.

The day was wrapped up with ice cream at Juliettes, enjoying the glorious sunshine (before it poured) and the ocean views.  It was the perfect way to experience the best of North Queensland.

Homestay Families

We are always on the lookout for kind and generous families who would like to hosting an international student in their house as you both get to experience a life changing event. If you would like more information, please contact our Homestay Coordinator Shevindi on 0429 045 297, or email sdemo0@eq.edu.au

STARS

Radio Stars

Last week the Year 9 Stars girls had the opportunity to visit 4K1G where they experienced firsthand how to write scripts, prerecord content and also were interviewed live on air!

Student Services

Homework Club!

Homework Club is back in full swing for 2025!

For those who are new to the school, homework program provides the opportunity for students to catch up on their school work and assessment.

On Thursday afternoons, students can use this initiative to meet with various subject teachers and learning support staff to enhance their learning in a relaxed environment outside the classroom.

QPARENTS

Parents & Caregivers

If you want to keep track of your students activities at school, then welcome to QParents!

QParents allows you to access and manage information online about your child.

You can access information about:

• attendance details
• timetables and upcoming events
• report cards and assessments
• invoices and payment history

For more information on what you can do with Qparents, head to:

QParents is available on iTunes or Google play store.

If you have any more questions, contact our Qparents guru at principal@pimlicoshs.eq.edu.au 

Events and Notices

Townsville Variety Abilities Unleashed Kids

Disability Sports Australia invite children living with disabilities to our free Variety Abilities Unleashed Kids event.  Proudly supported by Variety Queensland - The Children's Charity this multi-sport come and try day marks the initial steps in the active journey of children living with disabilities. Each event enables and empowers participants to discover local active opportunities within a fun, safe, and inclusive environment.

Date: Thursday 13th March
Time: 10am - 1pm 
Location: Townsville Stadium, Murray Sporting Complex, 40-48 Murray Lyons Cres, Annandale QLD 4814, Australia

Saver Plus

The Smith Family knows cost of living pressures are continuing to put extra stress on households, with families in particular feeling the effects. Could parents / carers use an extra $500 to assist with education costs?

What is Saver Plus?

Saver Plus is a program for people on lower incomes. It’s about bolstering their financial skills, so they can develop (and keep) good savings habits.  Since 2003, Saver Plus has supported more than 62,000 people to start saving. It’s helped overcome the barriers around education expenses. And it’s set them up for a brighter future.