Edition 28
Principal's Message
What a busy couple of weeks we have had! I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Elicia Jenkins, our STEAM Teacher, who along with members of the STEAM Committee, organised a very engaging Science Week.
This week, we celebrated Book Week! It was wonderful to see staff and students dressed up! Thank you to Mrs Harker for coordinating our special parade.
It has been shared multiple times on SeeSaw, Facebook, newsletter and calendars about the state wide Student Free Day on Friday 1 September. As our staff have already worked the hours for this day, there will be NO school staff on site. Please ensure you have booked in to YMCA if you require care.
As we approach the end of Term 3, students and teachers busily working towards their summative assessment pieces. We are working hard with our staff and students to use the Five Learning Questions to provide us with valuable feedback about how well we are going with our teaching and learning. I encourage you to ask the child the Learning Questions below.
Deputy Principals' Message
Is your child getting enough sleep?
Last term, students across Queensland had the opportunity to complete the Queensland Engagement and Wellbeing Survey. Individual student responses are completely anonymous but the combined results highlight areas for celebration and areas to concentrate our efforts to enhance student wellbeing. Some of our students in Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 completed the survey and the school has received valuable feedback to support our continued improvement.
As can be seen below, students report that they are going to bed later than most peers their age (this is seen in the narrow bar at the top) and they are using electronic devices before sleep.
Sleep is incredibly important to support growth, learning and overall wellbeing. It is recommended that children aged between 5- and 12-years sleep for 9 to 11 hours per night. Sleep helps with memory, thinking skills, attention span and creativity, making school performance better. It also strengthens their immune system, protecting them from illnesses.
A lack of sleep can lead to concentration issues, mood swings and behaviour problems. To ensure your child thrives in school and life, it is vital to establish healthy sleep routines early. By valuing sleep, we are setting the path for a brighter future for our young learners.
Top tips for getting a good night’s sleep:
- Encourage your child to go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
- Establish a wind down routine that is free from electronic devices that stimulate the brain. Reading is a great way to relax!
- Limit sugary snacks and chocolate which contains caffeine and can interfere with sleep.
- Engage in some physical activity.
Consistency is key when it comes to improving sleep. By implementing these tips and creating a sleep-supportive routine, you can help your child enjoy more restful nights and better overall wellbeing.
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, or two weeks, of learning per year.
Cohort | % Year to date | This fortnight |
Prep | 90.9 | 92.0 |
Year 1 | 90.4 | 88.7 |
Year 2 | 89.9 | 91.1 |
Year 3 | 86.5 | 84.5 |
Year 4 | 86.9 | 85.8 |
Year 5 | 87.3 | 85.6 |
Year 6 | 85.2 |
Congratulations to this edition’s Attendance Champions – Prep!
It is reassuring to see our attendance rates increasing again. Let’s keep striving for attendance all day every day!
Student Council
Everleigh State School Student Council are once again raising funds for Childhood Cancer Support through Talk Like a Pirate Day. Students are invited to dress as a pirate on September 15th to show their support for families impacted by childhood cancer. Donations can be made at the link below.
https://fundraise.ccs.org.au/fundraisers/everleighstateschoolstudentcouncil
Here is a little bit of information about Childhood Cancer Support who have been in operation since 1975. This charity provide families impacted with a place to call home during their child’s cancer treatment. A new accommodation facility is being redeveloped close to the Children's Hospital and will house an additional 15 families in new apartments providing a home away from home accommodation option. Childhood Cancer Support provide holistic support to families impacted by childhood cancer in an inclusive, warm and loving social environment for the families as well as professional counselling and mental health services and transport services.
Junior Leaders’ Parliament Tour
On Wednesday August 30th, our school captains will be attending the Junior Leaders’ Parliament Tour with Ms Charis Mullen MP for Jordan. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our leaders to meet with other school captains and develop a greater understanding of leadership. Thank you to Ms Charis Mullen for inviting our leaders along for this event.
Children’s Book Week
This week is Children’s Book Week and our annual Book Week Parade was held on Thursday 24th August. It was fantastic to see so many parents attend the event to watch our students parade in costume. The creativity in the student’s and teachers costumes was fantastic. Over the last few weeks students have engaged in reading of the CBA short listed books and this week they were able to hear the winners of each category and hear from some of the authors and illustrators. Classes decorated their doors as part of this celebration and the winning classroom was Prep A. Our best library borrower for each year level were also acknowledged and got to take home a new book. Thank you to everyone for getting into the spirit of the week and celebrating the beauty of reading.
Parent teacher interviews
Next week we have parent teacher interviews. This is a time for you to check in on your child’s learning progress and learn what your child’s next best learning moves are. When we authentically partner with each other, and have families and the school both supporting the learning it really enhances the children’s results. We thank you for taking the time to check in with your child’s teacher to celebrate the progress your child has made already this year.
Messages from Executive Services
Student Absence Procedure
If your student will be absent, parents/carers have an 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
Spare change of clothes reminder
Please ensure you have a spare change of clothes in your child’s bag in case of accidents. Please include underwear, black shorts/skort and socks.
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 jackets, 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.
We also have a table near the front entry gates where we leave other lost property such as lunch boxes, water bottles and non-Everleigh jumpers and tracksuit pants. Those will be donated or binned at the end of each term.
Q Parents
We invite 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 absences. It is quick and easy to use. If you require any assistance to set this up, please contact executive services.
STEAM News
Science week was lots of fun. Here are a few pictures of some of our activities we enjoyed.
Thank you parents who came along to have a look at our Science Set Up and thank you to our school and our awesome student leaders who raised money towards the Street Science Show so everyone could enjoy it.
Book Week photos
Everleigh SS P&C News
