19 June 2026
Welcome to week 9 - Term 2 - 2026!
"You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem,
and smarter than you think." - Winnie-the-Pooh -
IN THIS EDITION:
• Student Progress and Reporting
• Food for thought
• School Photo Day is coming!
• Premier's Reading Challenge
• Interschool Cross Country 2026 a Success
• Upcoming events & promotions
KEY DATES:
- 📸 School Photos: Monday 29th June and Thursday 2nd July
- 📅 Pupil free day: Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st July
Student Progress and Reporting
There is clear quality in the learning programs being delivered at Coolbinia and in the outcomes our students are achieving. I encourage you to take the time to read your child's report and acknowledge the effort they have put into their learning. Words of encouragement go a long way in helping children understand the important connection between effort and achievement.
It is also important to clarify how grading works in primary school. Reporting at this level is based on a child's developmental understanding of concepts, rather than on outcomes alone. Children do not all learn at the same rate, nor do they develop evenly across all areas. Their progress often occurs in stages and is not always linear.
At times, parents may notice changes in grades, both up and down. This is a normal part of the learning journey. These changes are not a reflection of effort, intelligence, or the quality of teaching. More often, they reflect a child's level of understanding at that point in time.
For example:
A move from a B to a C, or an A to a B, often indicates a child is still consolidating their understanding and is not yet ready to progress to more complex concepts.
A move from a C to a B, or a B to an A, reflects that a child's understanding has deepened and they are ready for more advanced learning.
All students move through stages of learning:
• Concrete – learning through doing and experiencing
• Pictorial – learning through seeing and representing
• Abstract – learning through thinking and understanding
These stages cannot be rushed, just as we cannot speed up how quickly a child grows. Progress happens when children are developmentally ready.
For reference, our grading broadly reflects:
A – Understanding well above the expected year level
B – Understanding above the expected year level
C – Understanding at the expected year level
D – Understanding below the expected year level
E – Understanding well below the expected year level
While it is natural to focus on grades, the most important indicators of success are a child's attitude, persistence, and consistency of effort. Conversations at home that focus on learning, what your child has tried, what they have learned, and what they can improve, are far more powerful than focusing on the grade alone.
At Coolbinia, we explicitly teach and model a positive growth mindset, supporting students to reflect on their thinking, embrace challenge, and develop the habits that lead to long-term success.
Working Together as a Community
This work is most powerful when school and home are aligned. We encourage all members of our community to support this by:
• Modelling positive language and attitudes
• Encouraging effort, persistence, and reflection
• Talking with your child about their learning and progress
• Celebrating who children are becoming, not just what they achieve
Together, we can ensure our children grow into confident, resilient, and capable young people who approach the world with curiosity, optimism, and a strong belief in themselves.
Food for Thought
Be the role model you needed when you were younger
Who our children become is shaped not only by what we tell them, but by what they see, hear, and experience every day. Research reminds us that children learn most powerfully by observing the adults around them. They are constantly watching how we respond, what we value, and how we approach challenges.
This means the everyday moments matter most. The way we speak to others, manage setbacks, and demonstrate effort becomes the blueprint children draw on as they develop their own habits and beliefs. Over time, these experiences shape their confidence, resilience, and overall wellbeing.
Research also highlights the importance of the internal language we use. The way we think and speak to ourselves influences our motivation and our ability to persist. Children develop this “inner voice” from what they hear and observe. When we model calm, positive, and constructive thinking, we help children build a strong belief in themselves a belief that “I can.”
As parents and educators, we often speak about wanting the best for our children opportunities, success, and happiness. However, an even more powerful question is:
What kind of person will my child become?
The answer lies in the experiences, habits, and behaviours they see each day.
Encouraging children to believe in themselves, follow their interests, and embrace challenges is one of the greatest gifts we can offer. Like all of us, our children will make mistakes. This is an important part of learning. What matters most is helping them develop the confidence, resilience, and inner strength to keep going, and to approach life with a positive mindset.
This aligns directly with our Coolbinia Business Plan, where we are committed to developing students who are:
- Confident and capable learners
- Active in their own learning through student voice and agency
- Resilient, reflective, and willing to take on challenges
At Coolbinia, we believe that improvement comes through consistent effort over time better today than yesterday, and better tomorrow than today. Motivation may get us started, but it is our habits that sustain us. These habits take time to build and require patience, encouragement, and consistency, both at school and at home.
SCHOOL PHOTO DAY IS COMING!
Every student has received a personalised flyer from Kapture Photography to bring home. This flyer contains your child’s unique codes for ordering school photos online.
Please keep your flyer secure.
The unique codes contained on the flyer will be issued only once.
Sibling Photography – Order Early
Sibling photos can only be ordered online. Once you receive the personalised flyers for your children, it is important that you place your sibling photo order early to avoid missing out.
Order Early for Discount Photo Day Prices
Order your photos up to 10 calendar days after photo day to receive discount photo day pricing. Late orders are processed separately from the school delivery and incur a $30 custom service charge.
Additional Information
Kapture Photography offers a money-back guarantee for any parent who is not fully satisfied with their photo package. If you have any questions before or after photo day, please refer to the FAQs on the Kapture website.
Kapture Photography
Students who are unable to attend on school photo day can book a studio appointment at Kapture’s Malaga office during the school holidays. We appreciate your understanding in this matter.
We will notify families in a few weeks when team and special group photos are available to view and purchase through the Kapture website. Please note that class, individual and sibling portraits are not available to view online prior to purchase.
All students will be photographed individually on photo day for school administration records, as well as included in their class group presentation, which will be available for purchase by families. If there is any reason your child should not be included in the photo shoot, please contact the school office as soon as possible.
A big thank you, on behalf of the English Committee, for supporting and promoting the Premier's Reading Challenge.
We had 45 students register, with 37 students logging books over the three-month challenge period. Together, they read an impressive 1,236 books!
Congratulations to our top readers:
🏆 Edie Morton (Pre-Primary) – 252 books
🏆 Sam Parry (Year 5) – 106 books
🏆 Gabriella Stoddart (Year 5) – 71 books
The English Committee will be looking at ways to encourage even more students to participate next year. Certificates will be presented to all participants before the end of term.
Well done to everyone who took part!
Interschool Cross Country Success
Our Coolbinia students proudly represented the school at the annual Interschool Cross Country Carnival, competing with determination, resilience and excellent sportsmanship against runners from across our cluster schools.
Coolbinia achieved an outstanding 3rd place overall, finishing ahead of Inglewood Primary School and behind only Highgate Primary School and Mount Lawley Primary School. As the smallest school in the cluster, this result is a testament to the commitment and effort of our students and the strength of our Sport program.
Congratulations to all students who achieved Top 10 placings in their age groups, with special recognition to Isabelle A and Mary, who both finished 1st in their respective divisions.
A sincere thank you to Mr Porcaro, staff, workplace learning students and volunteers whose support helped make the carnival such a success. We are incredibly proud of all our runners for representing Coolbinia with pride and enthusiasm.
Upcoming events and promotions
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