Edition 23
Principal's Message
Wednesday’s Emergency Evacuation
Thank you for your support and understanding with the events that occurred on Wednesday. I was extremely proud of how staff and students managed the situations. The students were amazing, given they were out of their regular routine and in the Hall for an extended period of time. While this is a disappointing and very unexpected situation and outcome for our school, our staff ensured that all students were safe and reassured. It is anticipated that the boys’ toilets will be accessible again early next week. Unfortunately, there was a great deal of cleaning required.
There were rumours circulating with regards to how the fire was started and by whom. This information has not been shared. Teachers have spoken with their classes about the importance of not making assumptions about what happened. The situation has been managed as per departmental and school policies and procedures and no further details will be shared. Rest assured that a full investigation has taken place with relevant details provided to Police for investigation.
I was disappointed, however to hear that a visitor to our school (not a parent/carer) took video footage of the incident despite me telling another visitor to stop recording and delete the footage. This other individual, reportedly then showed the footage of our school at a local business. This is behaviour is extremely unacceptable, as there were staff members and students around at the time. Should you become aware of any comments, footage, photos, etc, please contact me. I will be addressing this behaviour with the individual in question.
A planned lockdown was scheduled for Wednesday but did not take place. There will be a practice within the next few weeks. An update will be provided after the lockdown practice occurs.
Hats and Playtime
The Everleigh State School bucket hat is a part of our school uniform and should therefore be worn by all students when participating in outdoor activities, both during class time and playtime. Due to an increase in the number of students not wearing hats and running around unsafely on the concrete, any student who is not wearing their hat, will be required to sit down at play time.
As part of our school’s CARE Code, which I have been referring to regularly on parade, students are ‘Accountable for our choices and actions’ when ‘we are sun smart and wear hats’. This is particularly important with our Sports Days fast approaching.
Regardless of whether students are in Prep or Year 6, they can begin to develop accountability and responsibility by ensuring their hat is on their head or in the bags when they arrive at school each.
I am aware that hats appear to be like the disappearing sock in the washing. Please ensure your child’s hat is clearly labelled and remind them to place their hat in the bag at the end of play times. We do our best to reunite hats with owners, but this is not possible if they are not named.
Carpark update
I will be meeting with a representative of Department of Main Roads this week to discuss issues regarding our carpark use. I continue to receive complaints from members of our school community regarding the lack of etiquette of some of our parents/carers. The latest email relates to parents/carers:
a) not parking between the lines
b) not leaveing any room for cars to pull out once children are in.
I again request that we all do our part to show respect to other drivers and ensure our actions do not endanger the lives of our children.
Deputy Principals' Message
Year 5/6 School Camp
Students in Years 5 and 6 have been invited to attend the Sydney-Canberra Trip. This will be a wonderful experience for all students with the chance to visit Taronga Zoo, Australian War Memorial, Parliament House, Questacon and more. Invoices have now been sent out for those students attending and payments can be made. Final payment is due during Term 3 with the camp taking place in week 2 of Term 4. It will be such an exciting experience.
Senior Sport Carnival
Students in Years 3-6 will participate in their sports carnival next week over two days. On Wednesday June 7 and Thursday June 8 students will run, jump and throw to win points for their house and selves. Parents are invited to attend. Age Champions will be announced and presented on Thursday at the end of the carnival which is currently scheduled to conclude at midday as per the schedule sent out via SeeSaw on Tuesday.
Free Dress Day
The Student Council are holding a free dress day on Tuesday June 6. Students are invited to make a donation and dress in clothing that reminds them of Queensland. This is suggested as the theme as June 6 is Queensland Day. Students are able to wear clothing of their choice if this theme is challenging for them. They must wear sun safe clothing and appropriate footwear o ensure they can participate in all learning activities on the day.
Every Day Counts!
Attendance at school every day is critical for long-term success. Our school target for attendance is 95 per cent. This is based on our understanding that illness, injury and personal circumstances sometimes arise. An attendance rate of 95 per cent equates to ten (10) missed days of learning per year. Our attendance rates since last newsletter are:
Prep 87.5%%
Year 1 88.1%
Year 2 90.5%
Year 3 85.0%
Year 4 85.7%
Years 5 & 6 83.6%
It is pleasing to see our attendance has increased since last edition despite the start of Winter and very cold mornings. Congratulations to this edition’s Attendance Champions – Year 2!
Messages from Executive Services
2022 Yearbooks
If you ordered and have not yet collected your 2022 yearbook, they are still available for collection at Executive Services.
Student Absence Procedure
With the weather becoming cooler in the mornings, we are seeing an increase of illness at school. While we value attendance, please be reminded to keep unwell children home, so as to allow them time to recover as well as to stop the spread.
If your student will be absent, parents/carers have a legal obligation to notify the school, including advising the reason for the absence. We kindly request you let us know by 9am on the day of the absence. We have two preferred methods for advising absence:
- Via the Q-Parents App – please see reception if you require information on this.
- Via our dedicated Student Absence Line – (07) 2899 5160, where you can leave a message any time of the day or night. Please save this number in your phone.
Reminder: You will also need to advise YMCA if your child is booked in and will be absent.
YMCA absences should be advised before 2:15pm via email aev@ymcabrisbane.org or via text or phone call 0459 905 087.
Don’t forget to also cancel your canteen order if you have pre-ordered ahead: (07) 2899 5125.
Lost Property
Name labels make all the difference in helping us to returned lost items to the correct students. We kindly remind parents to name lunch boxes, water bottles, containers and also hats. We really appreciate your assistance with this. Please see the attached photos of recent treasures waiting for their owners to claim them.
Stop, Drop and Go Procedures
We now have name tags for you to attach to your car sun visor which will allow our staff to see your child’s surname and have them ready for collection.
Kangaroo – families with students in Prep to Year 2 (as well as older siblings) use the Kangaroo stop, drop and go zone at the front of the school.
Platypus – families with students in Years 3 to 6 only may use the Platypus stop, drop and go zone at the rear of the school, on Anderson Drive.
These name tags are available to collect from the office.
Q Parents
We invite and encourage all parents and carers to set up their Q Parents app. This app is our preferred option and is a one-stop location to check on your account or pay invoices, as well as to report student absences. It is quick and easy to use. If you require any assistance to set this up, please contact executive services.
Instrumental Music Park Ridge SHS Visit
We were thrilled to experience music from the Park Ridge SHS Big Band during Tuesday’s parade. After hearing small solos from each of these jazzy instruments, the high school had a few upbeat numbers prepared that had students dancing in their seats.
Our Everleigh musicians then remained behind for some workshop time with PRSHS and their conductor Mr Purtle. Split into two workshop sessions; our continuing Concert Band musicians focused on their own band repertoire, whilst our beginner musicians came together for their very first band rehearsal.
Music Notes with Mrs Chivers
Congratulations to Mira, Dhruveer and Evelyn for earning their choir badges this week. They were presented with them on parade this past Tuesday. More choir students are well on their way to earning their badges.
Choir practise is on Monday and Friday at second break. Students from Years 3 to 6 are invited to attend.
We are busy with music assessments at the moment and I am so proud of how far the students have come. It can be daunting to get up and perform in front of the class or even just me, but it is an important skill to develop and helps develop confidence and resilience. For some children, even this small activity becomes overwhelming. Can I ask that you encourage your child to have a go, no matter what the task.
Next term, we will be doing Drama as our Arts focus and there are some interesting units planned for each year level. Watch this space!
Everleigh SS P&C News
Thank you families for supporting our Mother's Day stall, and to those who donated gifts or time volunteering on the day. We hope that you enjoyed the gifts your child/ren selected. The P&C have donated funds for the school to purchase new home reader sets for the students.
We would appreciate a minute of your time to complete a very short survey about the stall and future P&C organised events by following this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HG8BMG9
SAVE THE DATE
Our school disco will be on Friday 14th July.
Prep - Year 2: Sausage Sizzle 4:30-5.00 pm and disco 5.00 pm-6:15 pm.
Years 3-6 Sausage Sizzle 6:30pm-7.00 pm and Disco 7.00 pm-8:30 pm.
Flyer with more information and ticket purchasing will be sent out soon.