Independent Schools Queensland

📚🎶 Children’s Book Week 2026 is here! 🎶📚

From Saturday 22 to Friday 28 August, we’re celebrating the magic of stories with this year’s theme, ‘Symphony of Stories’.

Stories bring us together, spark imagination and open the door to worlds beyond our own. 🌟📖
With colourful characters, wild adventures and plenty of imagination, there’s no better time to pick up a book and let the story begin!

🎵 What’s your favourite book to get lost in?

A warm welcome to our newest ISQ Alliance Partner, Winc!

From classrooms and staffrooms to administration offices and learning spaces, Winc supports schools with the products and services they need every day, including furniture, stationery, hygiene supplies and technology.

With dedicated education specialists and a personalised delivery service, Winc is helping schools spend less time managing supplies and more time supporting great learning outcomes.

We're excited to have Winc join the ISQ Alliance Partner community.

🔗 Learn more about Winc's solutions for schools https://ow.ly/INbo50ZxWXs

Briefings Volume 30-3 Leading for Continuity of Learning

Increasingly, research is highlighting the importance of continuity of learning across the early years. Children’s experiences before they enter formal schooling shape not only their engagement in learning, but also their sense of belonging, confidence and connection.

In Leading for Continuity of Learning, Fran Myers-Baird, ISQ Early Childhood Advisor and Audrey Fellowes, ISQ School Governance & Operations Advisor, with contributions from Amie Fabry PhD, explore the critical role educational leadership plays in strengthening connections between early childhood education and care services and schools.

As schools continue to respond to the increasingly complex needs of children and families, the insights presented in this Briefings offer practical considerations for strengthening continuity of learning. By embracing collaborative and intentional approaches, school leaders can help ensure every child experiences a connected pathway that supports learning, wellbeing and lifelong success.

Read here: https://ow.ly/4s3t50ZwPvb

🌿 NAIDOC Week 2026: 50 Years of Deadly ✊🏽🖤💛❤️

This year’s theme, “50 Years of Deadly,” celebrates five decades of NAIDOC as a national movement sharing the story of modern Australia through First Nations perspectives.

From land rights in the 1970s to truth-telling, Reconciliation, and the strength of culture through art, music, language, and storytelling, each decade has shaped where we are today—where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices continue to lead.

NAIDOC Week invites us to reflect on whose stories are told, the importance of culture in identity and wellbeing, and how we create respectful, inclusive spaces. Even small actions can deepen understanding - reading a story, exploring an artwork, or attending a local event - can deepen our understanding and connection.

In Brisbane, NAIDOC Week is marked by a number of community events that bring people together in celebration with Musgrave Park a key gathering place—offering a powerful opportunity to connect, celebrate, and share culture on Country.

Independent Schools Queensland has welcomed the passage of amendments to the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, marking an important milestone for the state’s independent schooling sector. Significantly, these amendments will now allow eligible non-state schools to deliver the Queensland Certificate of Education offshore through partnerships with overseas schools.

This reform recognises the quality and credibility of Queensland independent schooling and reflects sustained advocacy by ISQ to ensure our schools can participate on a more level footing in international education while maintaining strong Queensland standards and oversight.

ISQ acknowledges and thanks Education Minster John-Paul Langbroek and the Parliamentary Education, Arts and Communities Committee for their leadership and support in progressing this important reform.

E-scooters and e-bikes are a popular way for students to get around, but the rules are changing. 🛴🚲

From 1 July 2026, new laws will begin rolling out including changes to rider requirements, fines, speed limits and illegal devices.

Learn what the changes mean for your family: https://ow.ly/s0si50Zet8h

📉What Good Maths Teaching Looks Like ➗

Friday 4 September | Term 3 Staff PD / Pupil‑Free Day | event for ISQ members and non-members

Join primary and secondary mathematics teachers from across the country for What Good Maths Teaching Looks Like — a full‑day, evidence‑informed professional learning event focused on what genuinely works in maths classrooms. After a highly successful and fully booked event last year, this conference returns by popular demand.

Designed for Early Years, Primary and Secondary maths teachers, the day brings together leading educators and researchers from across Australia to explore practical, classroom‑ready strategies grounded in the science of learning.

Confirmed keynote speakers include:

🔸Dr Siobhan Merlo – Taking on Australia’s numeracy crisis with the Science of Maths
🔸Brad Nguyen – Strategies to Increase Classroom Engagement in Maths

Across the day, participants can choose from a range of targeted breakout sessions, including:

🔸Alex Blanksby on explicit teaching, questioning, and high participation in secondary maths
🔸Dr Siobhan Merlo on building conceptual understanding using the instructional hierarchy
🔸Loren Sorgiovanni on teaching explicitly without over‑preparation in secondary maths
🔸Toni Hatten‑Roberts on navigating myths and misalignments in maths education
🔸Brad Nguyen on supporting fluent recall of number facts in primary maths
🔸Caiti Wade on embedded retrieval practice in secondary maths
🔸Kelly Norris on strengthening early numeracy through decision‑ready assessment (maths screener)

And more

📍 Location: Clayfield College, Brisbane
Conveniently located close to Brisbane Domestic Airport, making this an ideal one‑day option for regional schools.

🕘 Time: 9:00am–3:15pm


This event sold out last year — don’t miss out in 2026 👉 https://ow.ly/4oAS50ZajLs

QUEENSLAND DAY I 6 JUNE: Today, we celebrate Queensland Day and the people, communities and organisations that make our state such a remarkable place to live, learn and work.
Queensland's strength lies in its diversity, innovation and strong sense of community. From local communities to world-class education, research and industry, our state continues to be shaped by the people who call it home.

Independent Schools Queensland is proud to work alongside independent schools across the state, supporting choice in education and helping school communities deliver high-quality learning opportunities. Together, school leaders, staff, students and families make an important contribution to the strength and prosperity of Queensland.

As we mark the anniversary of Queensland becoming a separate colony in 1859, we join communities across the state in celebrating our rich history and all that makes Queensland unique.