KATRINA RYAN MEMORIAL

Katrina tried her hand at many jobs including hairdressing, childcare and her final job as a stay-at-home Mum to her two beautiful boys, Jharal (6) and Luca (2). They were the light in her eyes and her whole world. Her two boys are now in the loving care of the Smart family.

We are holding a memorial afternoon at the Samford Rangers Soccer Club on 25th February 2023 at 3.00pm. All are welcome to attend and share their stories and love for our beautiful Kat.

We have a GoFundMe page set up to raise funds to help the boys in the future https:// gofund.me/75a33df2. Alternatively, you can donate to Beyondblue.

The Smart Family

Family and friends have been devastated to learn of the passing of Katrina Ryan on 22nd January 2023 at the age of 28. Katrina was born on 2nd May 1994 and unfortunately had a tough start, entering into the foster care system at the age of two and lived with several foster families before coming to Samford at the age of seven to live with the Smart family of Upper Camp Mountain.

Katrina attended Samford State School from grade 2-7 and Ferny Grove High School from grade 8-11. She made many great friends and created wonderful memories during her time at school. Growing up, she loved her soccer and a favourite story to recall from this time was the cracking win of her Ferny GBS soccer team over a very strong Albany Creek team.

For many years Katrina was a valued and respected member of the Samford Rangers Soccer Club. She threw herself into the game and much to her coaches’ frustration, often found herself face to face with a red card. Recently she had moved to Maryborough and joined the Doon Villa team who last year won the Division 1 premiership and are this year moving onto the Premier League, an achievement Katrina was very proud of.

School Update

“Welcome back to the school year. We have had a wonderful commencement and we admire the dedication of our families, students and staff to make this time so memorable,” said Mrs Collins, Principal of Samford State School. “On Monday, we inducted our Senior Leaders for 2023. The School Captains and Leaders were presented with their senior badges at the induction assembly by Deputy Principal of Years 4-6, Mr John Mauch.”

“We are incredibly proud of the hard work and citizenship that all senior students display. They are inspiring the future leaders of our great school,” said John.

Samford State School excitedly welcomed our new Prep students to the year. The students arrived with enthusiasm, willing to begin their learning journey. Our Prep teachers know these students well, thanks to the collaborative year-long transition plan developed by the Samford Early Years’ Network (SEYN). Members of the

SEYN include all early education services, therapeutic services, the Albany Creek and Arana Hills libraries, Early Childhood Education and Care Services and the PrepYear 2 teachers at Samford State School.

The transition plan began in Term 1 of 2022, with Mrs Trish Bennell-Kling, Deputy Principal of Prep-Year 3, making regular visits to the kindergartens to read. Children attended play dates throughout the year and even made appearances at our Easter Hat Parade, Junior Athletics Carnival and Under 8’s Day. Four, Get Set for Prep Playdates gave students an opportunity to meet their teacher and classmates for 2023 and spend time ‘being a prep for the afternoon’. Children also attended the Open Day, Transition Morning and Orientation Day.

“Due to our teachers knowing the students so well and the students feeling comfortable in Prep, our first day was full of enthusiasm, learning and laughter, and of course they received their Samford toys to make the day even more memorable,” said Trish. “Our transition plan will continue in 2023 to welcome our 2024 students, as the SEYN continues to strengthen each year.”

Hayley

Grant