Dear mums, dads, carers and colleagues

This has been a very busy week and the inclusions in this issue of the newsletter attest to this.  Read on to see the brilliance of our children.

Sports days are next week

The biggest item on the calendar for next week is our annual Sports Fun Days.  We have three carnivals.

• Monday - Senior school sports fun day (Years 4, 5 and 6)
• Wednesday - Junior school sports fun day (Prep and Year 1)
• Thursday - Middle school sports fun day (Year 2 and 3)

Important information at a glance:

• All carnivals commence at 9:00am but I recommend all families arrive by 8:45am.  Bring a chair, sunscreen, shade and maybe a picnic rug.  Wear your house colours to earn bonus points too.
• Parents must adhere to the government's current Covid restrictions and this means that masks MUST be worn when you are unable to socially distance.  Please also ensure you check-in using the Queensland check-in app.
• Students MUST stay with their house or class.  Once we start rotation activities (session 2), parents can join their children.
• Flat races start the day and families cannot come onto the oval (safety reasons).   A collision between a Year 6 sprinter and a 4 year old will only end badly.
• Morning tea will be around 10:35am
• Rotation activities commence at 11:00am and parents can move around with the classes as they compete.  These are a great photo opportunity.
• We will try to hold a parent v teacher event but it will depend on time.
• Lunch will be around 12:45pm.

And above all, the only focus we have for the day is participation and fun.  The only winners will be the house with the most points on Thursday afternoon.  

Visit the sections later in this edition regarding Subway lunches and other sports day merchadise.  

Sport houses and colours:

• Colman (Red()
• Foxwell (Blue)
• Pedley (Yellow)
• Siganto (Green)

This photo will scare you

Regular reades of the newsletter will know that I will often implore parents to help keep our children safe by obeying road rules and using patience and respect.  And while we have not had an accident, we have had some close calls.  The photo below shows how these close calls happen.  This young girl was called across the road by an adult after school earlier this week.  The photo is a screenshot from a dash cam video that was sent to me.  You can see the school crossing and supervisors about 25m behind the young girl.  My heart was in my mouth when I saw the girl run out into traffic without a adult escort.  Just out of camera shot was a parent who I could tell had summoned her across.  I hate to think what could have gone wrong.

Please do not do this to your children.  No amount of teaching our children about road safety will overcome the directions that adults give them.  All of us have an obligation to keep our children safe.  Please don't do this any longer.

Solar update

Our solar panels are all installed and only the connection remains.  This will be completed across the vacation.  477 solar panels will certainly generate a lot of power.  We will be able to monitor our system generation and our use once the system is set up.  Check out these drone shots.

Diamond level is elite

Congratulations to these students (& their very proud parents) for achieving Diamond Level at our school.  They join other class mates who have been acknowledged a little earlier in the year.  Diamond Level reflects the highest level of human skills and character virtues.  And more incredibly, a select few have earned this level each year since Year 3.  

Year 3 and 4

Year 5

Year 6

Parent teacher interviews

I will email the link for booking Term 4 parent-teacher interviews, to families at around 7:00pm on Wednesday evening.  The booking schedule will remain open until Wednesday 6 October at 7:00pm.  Please book early as spots disappear very quickly.  Please see your child's teacher if this date does not suit.  

Interview date:  Monday 11 October

Venue:  School Hall

Chicken Pox

We have had a case of chicken pox confirmed at school.  It is just the one case at the moment but plesae keep an eye on your children's health.

Traffic around school

The City of Gold Coast wants to ensure that motorists comply with school zone road rules at and around schools to achieve a safer environment for children and the broader school community. These rules also help to optimise traffic movement and safety.

Please take extra care and obey the signed parking rules when parking on the roads and streets around the school.

Park Safe Vehicles - Licence Plate Recognition (LPR)

As part of the City Parking Plan 2015 to improve parking behaviour on the Gold Coast, City Parking Officers will soon patrol school zones using vehicles, clearly badged as Park Safe vehicles.  These vehicles use Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) which is camera technology fitted to Park Safe vehicles to ensure motorists are parking safely.

Park Safe will operate on school days at student drop-off and pick-up times focusing on pedestrian areas around schools. If a vehicle is found to be parked illegally the City will issue an infringement notice to the registered vehicle owner by post.

Offences to be aware of:

• stopping 20 metres before or 10 metres after a sign posted crossing
• stopping 20 metres before or 10 metres after a bus stop
• stopping within 10 metres of an intersection or corner
• stopping within a bus zone (bayed area)
• stopping on a footpath or nature strip within a built-up area
• stopping in a way that restricts access to a driveway
• stopping on a yellow painted line
• stopping in a loading zone
• double parking for any period of time.

Please park safely and legally to avoid a fine.  For more information visit www.cityofgoldcoast.com.au/parksafe

Keep well

Kind regards

Vic