Everleigh State School eNewsletter

Principal's Message

I am apologising in advance for a very long article this week. Please sit down, relax, grab a drink or snack and take the time to read.

School Opinion Survey

One parent/carer of students who attended Everleigh State School prior to or during Term 2 should have received an email with a link to complete this year’s School Opinion Survey (SOS). While we welcome open, regular and respectful feedback at all times, the SOS provides families with the opportunity to provide feedback to the school in a number of areas. I posted information and a link to SeeSaw last week. If you would like more information, or you did not receive a link, please visit

https://qed.qld.gov.au/publications/reports/statistics/schooling/schools/schoolopinionsurvey?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2u6O4mhwTmIf3zNJsmTOWOTjNbM8GCH3w0pNGxHf3HZmQ94AOVyEd9D6Y_aem_j2FhR-ASiCd1WVcQMCTHsA

Update on school parking and pick up zones

I am listening to your feedback, responding to your emails, and fully aware of the challenges faced during pick up, particularly in the Platypus Zone. I have at least two (2) staff members at both Kangaroo and Platypus zones of an afternoon to ensure the safety of students being collected of an afternoon. Our Teacher Aides do their best to get students into cars and traffic moving as best they can. The safety of our students is paramount and I expect that this is also your concern.

Over the past week, I have had three (3) meetings to discuss my growing concerns and frustrations around:

The length of the Platypus Pick up zone
Lack of safe pedestrian access from the Platypus Zone to the footpath
Safety concerns in the event of a emergent/critical incident with only one (1) way in and out of the estate.

The first of these meetings was with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and Logan City Council (LCC). What I learned from this meeting is:

Kangaroo Carpark is the responsibility of the school (lucky us!) and therefore council has no jurisdiction in relation to parking infringements. I am yet to speak with Jimboomba Police Station to discuss whether or not they have the ability to intervene regarding unsafe driving and/or incorrect use of the pick up area
LCC will not provide any footpaths from the public footpath to the school, as the school is ‘private property’
Crossing supervisors and/or speed cameras will not be considered for Everleigh State School due to our student population
A stepped walkway cannot be placed through the garden many families use due to accessibility issues (prams, etc)
The second entrance planned for the Everleigh estate (joining Teviot Road near the Active Kids Day Care Centre) is at least 12 months away

A possible solution is to extend the footpath from the edge of the Platypus area across the entry and exit points of the staff carpark with pedestrian crossings. Another option is extending the footpath along the fence line adjacent to Stage 2; however, this would require the relocation of the boundary fence. Each of these options are beyond the school budget and/or a decision not up to me.

I stressed my frustrations with both parties being unable to act, resulting in us being back to the ‘drawing board’.

On Monday, I met with Division 11 Councillor, Mrs Natalie Willcocks. She provided the same information as last Wednesday in relation to a second entry and exit point into the estate. I will be speaking with our P&C in more detail at our next meeting about what they can do as a collective in terms of making our local, state and federal members aware of the challenges parents face with our current facilities.

The final meeting this afternoon was with Traffic Engineers employed by our Stage 2 Project Managers, Capworks. The gentleman I met with at Platypus was speechless with the lack of consideration given to the length of the pick-up zone and lack of safe access from the school to the public carpark. He informed me that he was expecting his visit to be a waste of time and was unpleasantly surprised by what he witnessed from 2.25 – 2.45 pm. He believes that the initial plans were not expecting there to be large volume of traffic our school experiences given its location in a master planned estate with the ability for families to use alternative methods of transport other than car. I informed him that our catchment area takes in more than Everleigh Estate, with little safe access for students outside of this estate. He will be reviewing the initial plans and taking his observations to the Project Managers for consideration.

For the time being, until we have a solution, I need everyone to be patient and considerate of our staff and other families. I also need parents/carers to not use the carparks as a racetrack and drive in the correct direction! Yes, you read that correctly – this week we had a driver decide it was more convenient to drive against the direction of traffic to access the Kangaroo pick up area. Thankfully there were no cars coming. Thank you to the parent who pointed this out to staff on duty who were able to address this issue at the time.

A reminder to families NOT TO PARK OR QUEUE on yellow lines near the crossing on Ivory Parkway, the round-a-bout onto Anderson Drive, and near the exit of the Platypus Zone. While I cannot issue fines, I can certainly invite the council and local police to conduct a drive by and fine offenders. The yellow line serves as a buffer to ensure visibility of oncoming traffic.

Please continue to report unsafe driving within our carparks and drop off zones to me, as this is something I can do my best to manage. In the case of those who choose to break the law, I encourage you to report to both the council and local police.

I thank those of you who report matters directly to the school in a respectful manner rather than taking to social media or taking matters into your own hands.

Prep – Year 2 Sports Carnival

Due to being on leave, I was unable to attend this event. I would like to thank Ms Beck, Mr Elliott, Mrs Harker and all of our Prep, Year 1, and Year teachers and all of the other staff who made for a fun day. The weather was perfect and the wind finally left us.

Thank you to all of the family members who attended and cheered on our students.

Congratulations to all of the boys and girls who tried their best and a fun day.

Uniforms

A reminder of our Uniform Policy. Students are expected to wear our school uniform as per our policy. Nail polish, coloured hair, jewellery other than a signet ring, watch and sleeper or stud earrings are not to be worn. In the event your son or daughter does not have an Everleigh State School winter jacket, black (preferred) or maroon jackets may be worn. Jackets with hoodies are not to be worn for safety reasons. Students who wear a hoodie jumper as a last resort are encouraged to tuck the hoodie into the back of their jacket/jumper. Please visit our website for a copy of our school dress code.

https://everleighss.eq.edu.au/supportandresources/formsanddocuments/documents/ess%20dress%20code%20incl%20sports%20shirts_2023.pdf

School start and Finish times

I would like to remind families that our school day starts at 8.30 am and finishes at 2.30 pm. When observing school drop off time on Wednesday morning, I was shocked by the number of cars entering both pick up zones at school start time.

The school day starts at 8.30 am sharp, which is why our music bell sounds at 8.25 am. This is the reminder for students to use toilets and move to the classrooms to prepare for their day of learning. All teachers are expected to have their doors open from 8.25 am to welcome students in to start the day by 8.30 am.

In addition to this, our schooling finishing time of 2.30 pm is not optional. Some of the reasons for early departures, sometimes at 2.20 pm, include:

Avoid the traffic
I was on my way home from work and didn’t want to wait/go out again
I was only sitting in the car
Haircut

These are not acceptable reasons for our office staff to have to stop their work, interrupt classroom teachers, or make unnecessary calls for the mere convenience of families. Any parents or carers wishing to collect students after 2.10 pm without an acceptable reason will be kindly asked to wait until 2.30 pm. If you are needing to collect your son or daughter early, it is very helpful if you contact the office in advance. However, a phone call from the car stating you are 5 minutes away and need your son or daughter at the office in this timeframe is unreasonable.

2025 Prep Information Night

Our 2025 Prep Information Night will be held at 6:00 pm on Thursday 8th of August in our school hall. All 2025 Prep families are welcome to attend to learn a little more about our school, the Prep Year and our upcoming Prep Start transition sessions in Term 4. We look forward to seeing parents on the night.

Message From The Head of Department - Curriculum, Ms Tanya Conway

NAIDOC Week Wrap!

National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (7th – 14th July, 2024) to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This term, Everleigh State School celebrated NAIDOC Week in week 1. It was a wonderful opportunity for staff and students to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in activities and celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. The 2024 NAIDOC week theme, 'Keep the fire burning! Blak, loud and proud', honours the continuing strength and vitality of First Nations culture.

NAIDOC Week at Flagstone State Community College

Everleigh State School is proud to connect with Flagstone State Community College to celebrate and honour the enduring spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, by standing tall, embracing heritage and amplifying their voice with pride.

On Friday 26th July, 2024, Flagstone State Community College warmly invited our First Nations students to join them in activities, arts/craft, games, and sampling of bush tucker.

Premier’s Reading Challenge

The Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) is an annual state-wide initiative for Queensland state and non-state schools and home-educated students from Prep to Year 9, as well as children (aged up to 5 years) enrolled in an early childhood centre. The PRC aims to improve literacy and encourage children to read for pleasure and learning.

The PRC is not a competition but a way to encourage students to develop a love of reading for life. Through the challenge children and students are given an opportunity to develop their appreciation of the English language and additional languages and are encouraged to explore and enjoy a wide range of literary texts.

Students can participate in the challenge within our school or as individual readers. Those who complete the challenge have their efforts recognised through the receipt of a Certificate of Achievement.

Everleigh State School Reading Challenge started on Tuesday 7^th May and will close on Friday 23^rd August, 2024.

English as an Additional Language or Dialect

English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D), formerly known as English as a Second Language (ESL), is a specialised field of education concerned with teaching English to learners who do not speak Standard Australian English (SAE) as their first language.

EAL/D Learners in Queensland

EAL/D learners speak a language or dialect other than English and need support with the English language in order to access their age-appropriate curriculum.

Not all learners who speak other languages or dialects are EAL/D learners, because they may have sufficient English proficiency to participate effectively in the school curriculum.

EAL/D learners can include those born in Australia and raised in families in which languages or dialects other than English are spoken such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students or children of migrants. Those born outside of Australia include humanitarian entrants, international students and migrants.

Identifying EAL/D learners in need of support

Everleigh State School and other Queensland schools identify EAL/D learners either through the enrolment process or through ongoing classroom processes.

Advice for Parents

Parents play a very important role in supporting student learning. Studies consistently show that students perform better in school if their parents are involved in their education. You need not be proficient in English to help and support your child in school.

To support EAL/D learners, parents are strongly encouraged to:

read to their child, in the home language and/or English, on a regular basis
encourage their child to develop and maintain active use of the home language
become familiar with the Australian Curriculum and what their child is expected to learn at school
involve their child in talking about his/her school experiences
speak with their child's teacher or appropriate staff member whenever they have questions or concerns about the program or their child's progress
attend parent-teacher interviews.

When visiting Everleigh State School, you can make an appointment to speak to teachers by contacting your child’s teacher (via SeeSaw) or the front office. If English is not your first language and you feel more comfortable speaking in your own language you can ask a family member or friend, who can help you communicate, to accompany you to the school. Alternatively, you can ask the school for an interpreter. Interpreters are organised through the Translating and Interpreting Service. This service will not cost you any money.

advice_for_parents_fact_sheet_punjabi.pdf

english_language_support_punjabi.pdf

PBL Focus Weeks 3 & 4 - "Respect" From The PBL Team

Messages From Executive Services

Attendance_information.pdf

Student Absence Procedure

If your student will be absent, parents/carers have a legal obligation to notify the school office, 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

Change of contact details:

Please advise Executive Services if any of your details have changed. For example:

Address
Best contact phone number
Work details
Emergency contacts other than parents/carers

Please pop into the office to complete a change of details form, or email admin@everleighss.eq.edu.au to update your details.

Spare change of clothes reminder

With the recent cold weather, we have noticed an increase in toileting accidents. Please ensure you pack a spare change of clothes in your child’s bag just in case. Please include underwear, black shorts/skort/tracksuit pants 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, hats, lunch boxes, water bottles, etc. We really appreciate your assistance with this. Any item that is labelled gets returned directly to the classroom.

We also ask families to check you have your own jackets and not someone else’s. We have many families waiting for their own labelled items to be returned.

All unclaimed, unnamed items are disposed of or donated at the end of each term.

Student Council News - Talk Like A Pirate Day

Ahoy, Parents and Caregivers!

We are excited to announce that in Term 3, our school’s Student Council be hosting a special fundraiser event—Talk Like a Pirate Day! This swashbucklin’ event be raisin' funds to support families who be battlin’ childhood cancers.

On Friday, the 13th of September, our students will be transformin’ into pirates and settin’ sail for a fun-filled day that includes a pirate-themed movie session. It will be a day for hearty laughs, grand adventures, and most importantly, showing our support for a worthy cause.

ESS_TLAP_Day_A4.pdf