Murrays Departure

As everyone is no doubt now aware, Murray has made the very difficult decision to step away from Coombabah State School. I know this was a really hard decision but ultimately health and family have to come first.

The massive contribution Murray has made to Coombabah State School over the last 12 years cannot be overstated. Everything Murray did had the interests of our students at the forefront of his thinking. Importantly, he was very well respected and well-liked by staff, students and community alike and worked tirelessly to give students at Coombabah access to a variety of experiences whilst keeping wellbeing and student learning front and centre.

Many people have already approached the school enquiring about what will be done to give everybody a chance to say their goodbyes and celebrate his time here. For the moment we are giving Murray and his family space to focus on his health. Once he’s progressed through his surgery and is ready, we will start working on how to give him the farewell he deserves, both from staff and also the broader school community.

In terms of his replacement, I would envisage the process would likely be finalised for the commencement of Term 3 however this depends on how quickly recruitment processes can be finalised within the department. Until this is completed, I will continue in the roll of Acting Principal.

An amazing school Disco

A massive thankyou to the P & C, to Jemma Orford (P&C President) and her amazing team of volunteers for their hard work putting together a fabulous disco. It was certainly one of the largest senior discos I’ve been to with over 250 students and over 200 at the junior. All the students I’ve spoken to had a wonderful time and many made special mention of the circus theme. There was certainly no shortage of students who were keen to try their hand at plate spinning for the first time and the hula hoops were hit with everyone.

e-Scooters – Not to be bought to school

Unfortunately, I was made aware of yet another near miss involving one of our students riding an electric scooter this week. In Queensland it is illegal for children under the age of 12 to ride electric scooters at any time. Children aged between 12 – 16 are required to be supervised by an adult. This means less than 12 current students at Coombabah would be legally able to ride an e-scooter and would still require adult supervision. E-scooters also pose a storage hazard due to the risk of fire. Whilst the risk is lower when they are not being charged, they still provide a risk, particularly if they become wet. For these reasons, e-scooters are not to be bought on site at any time. If they are found on sight you may be called and asked to remove it from the school grounds.

School Gates

We kindly remind all parents and carers to ensure that external gates are securely closed behind them when entering or leaving the school grounds. This simple action plays a vital role in helping to maintain a safe and secure environment for all our children. Your cooperation helps us protect students throughout the day—thank you for supporting our school’s safety measures.

Students contacting parents during learning time.

We kindly ask that parents do not respond to direct messages from students requesting to be picked up during school hours. All early departures must go through the school office so we can ensure student safety and manage attendance appropriately. Some students have been messaging home for non-essential reasons or to avoid class activities, and this disrupts their learning and the school routine. If your child does message home could you kindly remind them to speak with the teacher. If you are concerned please call through to the office rather then racing to pick them up first. We can then see if this something that can be fixed at school. There have been occasions recently where messages home may simply have been an attempt to avoid essential classwork and in particular assessment tasks. 

Thank you for your support in helping us maintain a safe and structured learning environment for all students.