Newsletter 10 14 July 2025

From the Principal

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to Term 3! It was fantastic to see so many smiling faces returning to school this morning. The energy and excitement in the air was a great reminder of the strong sense of community that makes our school such a special place. I’m looking forward to seeing our students continue to grow, connect and thrive over the coming weeks.

NAIDOC Week 2025 – Celebrating First Nations Culture

Although officially marked during the school holidays, we are proudly recognising NAIDOC Week at school this week. This year’s theme, “The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy”, celebrates achievements of the past and the bright future ahead. NAIDOC Week provides opportunities to deepen our understanding, build respect and celebrate the contributions of First Nations peoples to our shared history and future.

Prep Information Session – Thursday July 17

If you or someone you know has a child starting Prep in 2026 (or later), we warmly invite you to our Prep Information Session on Thursday, July 17 from 3:30pm to 4:00pm. This session is a great opportunity to hear about our school’s values, learning programs, and what a typical day in Prep looks like. It’s also a chance to meet our staff and ask any questions. Please help spread the word to families in our community who may be interested. Please note: This is an additional session intended for families who are still considering enrolment.

Mr Bryant – Update

Many families have been asking after Mr Bryant following his health concerns last term. I’m pleased to share that he is recovering well and in good spirits. He will be taking some additional time this term to focus on his rehabilitation and recovery. We continue to send him our very best wishes and look forward to welcoming him back when he is ready.

Looking Ahead

Term 3 is always a big one—full of learning, extracurricular events and continued development for our students.  As always, thank you for your ongoing support. Let’s make Term 3 a great one.

Simon Vaseo - Principal

From the HOD-C

National Science Week

In week 5 on Monday the 11^th August, Dr Rob Bell, will provide presentations, in the school hall, for the students to celebrate National Science Week.

Consent forms for this incursion will be sent to parents in due course. Consent and payment must be returned prior to the incursions for students to participate.

Life Education

In week 8 Life Education Queensland (LEQ), an organisation at the forefront of child health and wellbeing, will offer students in Years 3-6 presentations from the ‘Talk About It Program’. LEQ are the state’s largest health promotion charity, providing age-appropriate health and safety education to students from prep to high school.

LEQ will be providing:

• a 75-minute session to the year 3 and 4 students called 'Body Safety, Body Changes'.
• a 90-minute session to the year 5 students called Welcome to Puberty.
• two 90-minute modules to the year 6 students about life education called 'Thriving in Puberty' and a 'Journey of Human Reproduction'.

These presentations are aligned to the Australian Curriculum Health and address aspects of the achievement standard and content descriptions within the Personal, Social and Community Health strand of the HPE curriculum.

The Talk About It Program has been presented to students in Years 5 and 6 for many years at Buranda and has been very successful in helping to educate students about identity, relationships, and puberty. This year we have extended the program to Year 3 and 4 as consent education is now a compulsory part of the curriculum and is included in the Talk About It Program, in age-appropriate ways.

Consent forms for the LEQ incursions will be sent to parents in due course. Consent and payment must be returned prior to the incursions for students to participate.

Plastic Free July

Join millions of people reducing their plastic waste.

Plastic Free July™ is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. Will you be part of Plastic Free July by pledging to refuse single-use plastics?

At school students can do this by ensuring they bring less plastic in their lunch boxes and more nude food. They can also reuse and recycle and dispose of plastic appropriately so that it lessens the problem in our immediate environment. Teamwork makes the dreamwork!

eSafety Commissioner – Technology Use and Online Safety

eSafety is Australia's independent regulator for online safety. They educate Australians about online safety risks and help to remove harmful content such as cyberbullying of children, adult cyber abuse and intimate images or videos shared without consent.

eSafety offers an Online safety book for parents which covers some of the key online safety issues for young people and includes a range of practical tips and advice on what to do if things go wrong. You can also find a list of important services that can offer extra support. This book is available in multiple languages on their website.

eSafety also has a section of their website devoted to information for parents under the following headings

• Online safety basics
• Safer gaming for families
• Prevent child sexual abuse online
• Focus on under 5s
• Cyber bullying
• Parental controls
• And more …. including advice on Screen Time

Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the eSafety website and resources.

Rosie Scholl - HOD-C

From the Inclusion Teacher

Growing Real Confidence: Why Less Praise Can Be More Powerful

Over the holiday break, I revisited a book I first bought after hearing the author speak at a previous school: The Bonsai Child by Judith Y. Locke. I read Locke’s books as much for myself as I do for professional interest. I’m currently parenting a 17-year-old and a 14-year-old… and, like many of you, I’ve never parented a 17-year-old or a 14-year-old before.

We’re all learning as we go — and that’s part of what makes this work (and life) so challenging, humbling, and meaningful.

Although The Bonsai Child was published nearly ten years ago, it remains deeply relevant — perhaps even more so — in today’s world of anxious parenting and increasing child dependence.

Our approach to parenting is often shaped by prevailing trends and advice, and one growing tendency is what Locke calls “bonsai parenting.” Like a bonsai tree, carefully shaped and pruned to fit a particular ideal, some children are raised in environments of intense nurturing, attention, and protection. While well-intentioned, this high level of responsiveness can inadvertently lead to greater demandingness, where children feel pressure to be constantly successful and happy — without learning how to manage discomfort or failure.

In trying to prevent upset, parents (and teachers too!) sometimes step in too quickly to fix problems or ease frustrations. This can limit a child’s ability to develop independence, emotional regulation, and resilience.

One of the first steps in helping children grow into capable, confident adults is to focus on building real confidence — not just momentary reassurance, but lasting self-belief grounded in experience and effort.

Locke explains that constant or excessive praise — especially when vague (“You’re amazing!”) — can work against a child’s confidence. Over praise tends to encourage children to seek external approval rather than internal motivation. It may make children afraid to take risks or face failure, and it can lead to fragile self-esteem, where a child only feels successful when others validate them.

Instead, Locke encourages us to build confidence by fostering competence — the real sense of achievement that comes from learning, trying, and persevering.

True confidence comes from doing things for oneself, even when it's hard. Our role as adults is to step back just enough so children can step up. Instead of praise, try to:

• encourage effort, not just results
  “You really stuck with that, even when it got tricky.”
• give specific feedback
  “You packed your bag on your own this morning — that shows great responsibility.”
• allow manageable struggles
  Don’t rush in to fix everything. Struggles help children build capability and pride.

At Buranda, many of us — parents, teachers, and support staff — work closely with children who are neurodivergent, including those with ADHD, autism, or learning differences. These students bring a wonderful diversity of strengths and perspectives to our classrooms, and the care and advocacy shown by their families and teachers is often extraordinary.

That said, in our efforts to support and protect these learners, we can sometimes — with the best of intentions — lower expectations or remove accountability. This might look like stepping in too quickly, softening boundaries too much, or praising effort without ensuring it's linked to meaningful growth. Over time, these patterns can limit a child's opportunity to develop independence, resilience, and a sense of genuine achievement.

Together, as a school community, we can better support all of our learners by:

• setting clear, consistent expectations that scaffold success without removing challenge.
• celebrating genuine progress, even if it looks different from their peers’.
• helping students understand and embrace both their strengths and responsibilities.

Many of our neurodivergent students are capable of far more than we may initially expect — especially when supported with structure, encouragement, and opportunities to stretch and grow.

Confidence doesn’t come from hearing “You’re the best!” — it comes from thinking, “I can do this.”

Whether we’re parents, teachers, or both, we’re all figuring it out as we go — often learning right alongside our kids. What matters most is that we stay open, reflective, and willing to step back a little so they can step up.

Let’s give our children the space, support, and trust to grow — not perfectly, but purposefully.

Katherine Austin - Inclusion 

Junior Philosothon Competition 2025

On the last Monday in term 2, two teams from Buranda SS entered the QLD Philosothon for 2025.

Philosothon is a competition where students engage in deep, collaborative discussions about philosophical ideas through a series of Communities of Inquiry. Students were scored on their thinking, questioning, and how well they worked with others. They were encouraged to share ideas, listen respectfully, ask thoughtful questions, and consider different points of view.

Students had three discussions with other students from a range of schools. They discussed:

• “What it means to be human?”
• “Should we show empathy to everyone?”
• “If parents can do it, then why can’t we?”

Our teams also enjoyed the final event of the day—the Logic Cup—where they competed against other schools to solve a series of logic puzzles and riddles within a set time. We're proud to share that Team 1 placed third overall Congratulations on a fantastic effort!

Congratulations also to our second team for their active contribution to the Philosothon.

From Mr Vaseo and Mrs Alexion 

Drop and Go Martin Street

34W Artwork - Fluffy!

QParents is up and running!

Thank you to all the parents who have registered for QParents. An email was sent to all families on 19 June outlining the process. Please check your junk folder for the QParents email. If you are still unable to locate it, please advise admin on admin@burandass.eq.edu.au

• QParents registration process for parents (see flyer below)
• QParents fact sheet (see flyer below)
• QParents account registration form (QPAO) (emailed to parents)

Please complete the QPAO form and return to the office asap. Once we have received the completed form, the school will email you an invitation code. This code will be unique to you, and you will need to enter it as part of the registration process. If you have lost your invitation code, please contact the school and we will resend your invitation.

Kind regards,

Rose Beake - Admin