Important dates
| 30 June 2026 | Year 5 Brownes Dairy Excursion |
| 3 July 2026 | Students last day Term 2 |
| 3 July 2026 | Pyjama Day – Fundraising RSPCA |
| 20 July 2026 | Term 3 – School Development Day |
| 21 July 2026 | Students commence Term 3 2026 |
| 30 July 2026 | Coffee with the Principal –RSVP |
| 31 July 2026 | Room 8 Assembly |
| 4 August 2026 | Science Week – sausage sizzle luncheon – Volunteer here |
| 19 August 2026 | Open Classrooms 2:00pm-3:00pm |
| 21 August 2026 | Room 5 Assembly |
| 26 August 2026 | Book Week Parade – 8:50am |
| 2 September 2026 | School Athletics Carnival |
| 5 September 2026 | P&C Fundraiser Night |
| 17 September | Interschool Athletics Carnival |
| 12 October 2026 | Term 4 – School Development Day |
| 13 October 2026 | Students commence Term 4 2026 |
| 14 October – 16 October 2026 | Year 6 Camp |
| 3 December 2026 | End of Year Concert |
| 17 December 2026 | Student last day |
Principal Message
Principal’s Message
As we reach the end of Term 2, I would like to thank our students, staff and families for another productive and successful term at Kapinara Primary School. It has been wonderful to see the continued learning, growth and engagement of our students across a wide range of academic, sporting and community activities.
We are delighted to announce the upcoming launch of our new Kapinara supporter range. The collection will include a rugby top ($75), t-shirt ($25) and cap ($15), each featuring our school values graphics embroidered into the design. These items will be available for purchase through the school uniform shop (thanks to Annie and Kristina) from Term 3. We hope these items will provide another opportunity to celebrate and showcase our Kapinara values and school spirit at school and weekend sporting events.
As we prepare for Term 3, I would also like to advise families of staffing arrangements. Mrs DeBrass will continue her leave through to the end of the 2026 school year. We are pleased to have Samara Westall moving into Room 12 upon the return of Mrs Hopetoun-Smith. Miss Westall will teach Room 12 each Wednesday to Friday, while Mrs Carruthers will continue teaching the class on Mondays and Tuesdays, providing continuity and support for students. I would also like to acknowledge and sincerely thank Mrs Vaswani for her work in Year 2 throughout Term 2. Mrs Vaswani has built positive relationships with students and families as she supported student learning and wellbeing. We are grateful for the care and enthusiasm she has brought to the role and wish her every success in the future.
Mrs Tsironis will take on Mrs Carruthers’ Tuesday teaching commitment in addition to her role in Room 11.
Mr Hodgson will be taking leave each Friday during Semester 2. Mrs Cannon will continue teaching Room 5 across the week to support this arrangement. Mrs Cannon has been teaching Kindergarten on Fridays throughout Semester 1, and we are grateful to Mrs Szwedzicki and Mrs Canfora, who will continue teaching their Kindergarten classes on Fridays.
I am currently enjoying a period of long service leave. I look forward to returning and seeing our students, staff and families again at the commencement of Term 3. On behalf of all staff, I wish our students and families a safe, restful and enjoyable holiday break. Thank you for your ongoing support of our school and for the many ways you contribute to making Kapinara such a special community. We look forward to welcoming everyone back for another exciting semester of learning in Term 3.
Warm regards,
Natalie Oddy
Principal
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Yirra Yaakin Incursion
Our Pre-Primary to Year 6 students had a fantastic experience during the Yirra Yaakin Incursion. Through engaging storytelling and interactive performance, students were immersed in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. They listened, joined in, and learned more about language, traditions, and stories.
Kapinara Soiree
The Kapinara Soirée was a truly wonderful evening celebrating the incredible talents of our students in performing arts and music.
Families and friends gathered to enjoy a vibrant showcase of performances, including beautiful musical pieces, singing, and dance. The evening highlighted the hard work, dedication, and passion of our students.
A huge congratulations to all students involved for their outstanding performances and thank you to staff and families for their support in making the evening such a success.
Interhouse Cross Country
The Interhouse Carnival was a vibrant day filled with determination, endurance, and fierce faction pride. Students pushed themselves around a demanding cross-country course, with every run contributing valuable points in a closely contested competition between factions. Along the route, enthusiastic supporters lined the track, cheering on each effort and creating an uplifting atmosphere of energy and encouragement.
Congratulations to Strickland on securing 1st place overall.
Well done to all participants for their effort, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm throughout the event.
Volcanoes in Action! A Year 2 & 3 Science Experiment
This week in Science we made a volcano. How did we shape the volcano? We got some sand and sha0ped it as a cone, then we put a cup at the top and put vinegar and bicarb soda to create foam. Finally we added some cracks for the eruption to flow down. The sodium bicarbonate (bicarb) locks onto the acid (vinegar) and the acid splits to create water and oxygen (air). The air and water mix to make foam, and the foam builds up to spill out of the cone. We also added red food colouring to make it look more like lava. Our volcanoes were awesome! from Oliver and James (Year 2/3)
Kapinara School Values in Action
Inter School Cross Country
Congratulations to all our students who competed in the 2026 Interschool Cross Country event. Every student raced hard, showed great determination, and gave their very best effort. We are extremely proud of the way they represented our school. A big thank you to City Beach Primary School for organising and hosting such a fantastic event.
We would also like to thank the parents who generously gave their time to volunteer and support our students throughout the day. Your assistance and encouragement are greatly appreciated.
Finally, thank you to David Virgo for his support at training sessions, helping our students prepare for the event.
We had several top ten finishers: Jordan B 6th, Pia E 8th, Cooper L 7th, Mia T 4th, with Grayson VN winning the year 5 boy’s event.
Well done to everyone involved on a successful day of racing!
Singapore Bound for Floorball Success
Congratulations to Verity and Cooper , who have been selected to compete in the Singapore Open Floorball Tournament. They will be heading to Singapore in the School holidays to compete against other countries in the Under 13’s. Adding to this exciting achievement, Cooper has also been selected as captain a well-deserved honour that reflects his leadership and commitment to service for other. We wish both Verity and Cooper every success as they take on this exciting opportunity.
News & Updates
News From our Student Councillors
On the last day of term, we have a very special surprise for everyone — a whole school Pyjama Day!
Pyjama Day will be held on Friday, 3 July. Students are invited to wear their favourite pyjamas, bring along a stuffed animal pet to snuggle, and donate a gold coin donation. In support of the RSPCA, we encourage students to bring a cuddly animal friend to help celebrate and raise awareness for animals in need. All proceeds raised will be donated to the RSPCA.
This special event is also a wonderful way for our students to demonstrate Kapinara’s value of Leading Through Service by showing kindness, compassion, and care for animals in our wider community.
The Art Leaders will also be running an “Animals in Pyjamas” drawing competition. Entries will be due by Tuesday, 30 June. Drawing sheets can be collected from the front office.
We can’t wait to see everyone in their cosy pyjamas with their furry friends for a fun-filled day supporting a wonderful cause!
From your Student Captains and Student Councillors
School Board
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all members of our community who took the time to nominate and participate in the Board nominations process. We greatly appreciate the strong level of engagement and the thoughtful voting from our school community.
It is wonderful to see such interest and commitment to supporting our school and its future direction.
We are pleased to formally announce the successful appointments of Kate Bartle, Peter Wallce and Katie Voss all serving a 3-year term. Congratulations to our newly appointed Board members and thank you again to everyone who contributed to this important process.
Athletics Club Commences – Term 3
Athletics Club will be running in Term 3 from Week 2 to Week 9, giving students the opportunity to build fitness, develop skills, and enjoy a range of track and field activities in a fun and supportive environment. Sessions will take place every Wednesday morning from 7:45am to 8:30am.
Athletics Carnival 2 September
This year’s Athletics Carnival will be a whole-school event, bringing students together for a shared day of participation, teamwork, and house spirit. By moving to one inclusive carnival program, all students will have the opportunity to take part in the tabloid activities as part of the celebrations.
This approach also provides a wonderful opportunity for our younger students to be part of the full carnival experience, joining in alongside older students and enjoying the excitement of the day in a supportive, whole-school setting.
We look forward to a fun, energetic day where every student can be involved and enjoy the spirit of the carnival.
Kindergarten Applications Closing Soon!
A friendly reminder that Kindergarten applications at Kapinara are closing soon.
If your child is due to start Kindergarten, or you know families in the community who are considering enrolment, we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid missing out.
School Solar Panel Upgrade Nearing Completion
As part of the Small-Scale Election Commitment Program, our school is nearing completion of a major sustainability upgrade with the installation of 72 new solar panels, with works expected to be finished by Friday 26 June. Once complete, the system will generate clean, renewable energy to help power classrooms, administration areas, and shared facilities. This upgrade is expected to reduce electricity costs and significantly lower the school’s carbon footprint.
Supporting Student Wellbeing
Chaplain Chats
Strengthening Resilience during the holidays.
Dear parents and caregivers,
It is nearly the end of term, and a particularly helpful time to revisit the Grow Your Mind (GYM) concepts used at Kapinara to support students’ resilience.
Calming the “Guard Dog”: The end of term can be stressful with melt downs as kids are over tired and reacting to events with heightened sadness or anger. When dealing with big emotions the “Guard Dog” (amygdala/fight-or-flight) has taken over. To support children, it’s better not to try to reason with them; instead, stay close, use less words and a calm voice, and acknowledge their feelings. The GYM phrase is ‘?let’s calm your Guard Dog’.
When holidays arrive, it is an opportunity for children to rest, renew and recalibrate. It is an important time to focus on the basics of enough sleep, nutritious meals, and downtime to restore children’s resilience. It is also an opportunity for practicing strategies to build resilience. These can be revisited at times when children are upset.
Some GYM habits you may want to include over the holidays. include:
- Gratitude: Build gratitude by encouraging children to notice and share good things—for example, naming things they’re thankful for, reflecting on positive moments, or writing thank-you notes. You could try out a family gratitude journal or jar. But keep it natural and never force it.
- Move Your Body: Change your physical state instantly to reset a bad or anxious mood. Movement in nature has an even stronger impact.
- Kindness: Focus on kind acts daily to boost both community connection and your own joy.
All the best for the upcoming school holidays.
Grow Your Mind
All about strengths! Why we teach character strengths at Kapinara?
character strengths in Grow Your Mind is about helping children understand, recognize, and actively use their positive personal qualities to support wellbeing, relationships, and resilience.
Here’s the core idea in simple terms:
1. Everyone has strengths
The program teaches that every child has different character strengths (like kindness, bravery, curiosity, teamwork). These are not fixed talents—they can be noticed and grown.
2. Strengths help your brain and wellbeing
Using your strengths is linked to better mental health. In Grow Your Mind, this connects to the brain concept (often represented as the “garden” metaphor), where strengths help things “grow well” inside you.
3. Strengths support relationships
When children use strengths like kindness, fairness, or empathy, they build stronger friendships and feel more connected to others.
4. Strengths build resilience
A key message is that strengths help you cope with challenges. For example:
- Using bravery when something feels scary
- Using perseverance when learning is hard
5. Notice and name strengths
Students are encouraged to:
- Identify strengths in themselves
- Spot strengths in others
- Talk about them using shared language
This builds self-awareness and confidence.
6. Strengths can be developed
A big takeaway is that strengths aren’t “you either have them or you don’t.” They can be practiced and strengthened over time—just like muscles.
Want to know more about each character strength in detail that we teach? Click here
News from our P&C
YOU ARE INVITED! “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!” ? Step into a night of glamour and decadence for our Gatsby Glitz P&C fundraiser!
Doors Open • 5:30pm • 5th September! Tickets are STRICTLY LIMITED to 200 so fast fingers means you don’t miss the party. QKR! – 7pm Tuesday, 30th June.
Dress code: Gatsby Roaring 1920’s
Casino theme play tables, Live Auction, Photobooth, DJ and prizes galore!
FYI – No set tables this year & BYO food not necessary with a huge shared charcuterie board included with ticket!
“The party is over, is the last thing we want to hear!”
Thank you to our GOLD & SILVER sponsors! This night wouldn’t go ahead with you.
Kapinara Primary School Playgroup
What a fantastic term we’ve had at Playgroup! Our sessions have been full of laughter, creativity, and plenty of fun. The children have loved exploring arts and crafts, sensory activities, singing, stories, and outdoor play, with smiles and excitement all around. It’s also been wonderful to see parents and caregivers connecting and building friendships within our Playgroup community.
