Dear mums, dads, carers and colleagues

We are back with an absolute bang this term.  Have a quick perusal of the newsletter (and the calendar) and you will see what I mean.  

Smokey Wednesday afternoon

Like everyone in our community, we also had a few challenges this week during the controlled burn off.  And if the thick blanket of smoke was not enough, one or two quite irrational Facebook posts followed, suggesting the school was responsible.  Common sense would suggest that schools do not start fires nor manage controlled burn offs.  Queensland Fire and Emergency Services do this.  

The strong winds and heavy smoke created more than a few asthma issues for students and staff at school and the Queensland Ambulance Service was called to assist a number of sufferers.  All were well again soon.  

This incident also highlighted the need for our families to ensure they have:

• Current 2022 consent to administer medication forms filled out if your child requires any type of medication at school.  The forms must be completed each year to be valid.
• Current “in date” supplies of that particular medication (Asthma inhaler in particular).

Please never assume that the school has your puffer because you left one with the school a couple of years ago.  I must commend the office staff on their management of student health and well-being on Wednesday afternoon.  Well done!

Dress up day

Today was our annual Book Week Dress Up Day.  Once again I was amazed with the ingenuity shown by mums and dads in the creation of costumes.  Wow!  The full report is later in this issue so be sure to check out the names and gallery.  Thank you to all who supported the Book Fair this week and to Miss Katie for her fine work organising the event for us.

Sports fun days

Our 2022 sports fun days were finally conducted last week after the weather from earlier in the year changed our plans. The carnivals were excellent There was team spirit and sportsmanship shown across the three days of carnival and after all races were run and activities completed, we tallied the points.  For the sake of transparency and fairness, we add the team points and divide them by the number of students in the house for that year.  

Congratulations to Pedley house for taking out the carnival in 2023.

Junior gallery (Prep and Year 1)

Middle school gallery (Years 2 and 3)

Senior school gallery (Years 4-6)

Thank you sincerely to:

• The parents who cheered and supported so wonderfully well.  Your tug-of-war and sprint races were excellent.
• Our awesome P&C for coordinating the Subway lunches and looking after the staff across the three days.
• Our grounds staff for preparing the oval surface.  It was absolutely superb, despite the showers that passed through each day.
• Our staff for running the carnival events so smoothly, and 
• Our sports team for their leadership and organisation of the carnival.  

Speaking and debating

This week saw some very talented students from Years 4-6 demonstrate their wonderful public speaking and debating skills.  

Our public speaking teams in Years 5&6 competed at the AB Paterson College public speaking competition on Tuesday evening this week.  Each of them was very well prepared and presented with a polish and professionalism that we have become renowned for.  

The following night, six Coomera Rivers' teams across Years 4-6 competed in the Alliance Schools debating competition.  Each of our six teams were successful in the round of debates against competition from local state and independent schools.  A fuller report is in the newsletter below.

Our success is no fluke and comes from the commitment from our teachers and Mrs Artz.  I am extremely grateful for their leadership and investment in our children.  

Staff appreciation day

Week 4 (of Term 4) has been set aside for Staff Appreciation activities.  Check the calendar for the precise dates of events.  We are very lucky at Coomera Rivers.  Our school has a highly professional, highly committed staff team who go far beyond the tasks for which they are paid.  They add so much to the lives of children in our community.  

I would be very grateful to you if you could show your appreciation of them by sending them a message of thanks, a card or even a very small gift as a token.  

Fundraising at school

Our P&C is the best in the business.  They continually volunteer their time to ensure that our school continues to provide the very best for our children and community.  Their fundraising events are fewer in number now that they operate the OSHC at Coomera Rivers.  Profits from events and business are always directed back to the school and students.  For instance, our tennis court, a majority of the classroom air-conditioning, our security gates and many more facilities were all provided by our P&C.  So please continue to support their two coming events (Spooky Disco and Colour SPLAT-tacular) as they invest profits into the school and community.

Chicken Pox is about

We have had a couple of cases of chicken pox (AKA Varicella) reported to the school.  Please consult your medical professional if you are concerned and check the Time Out poster below for advice on isolation periods.

Table Tennis trials have begun

We are about to begin our selection trials for our school table tennis teams.  We traditionally do very well in the state and national table tennis competitions and this year looks very strong again.  We have once again had a lot if interest in trialing.

Leaving in 2022?

We are beginning to complete our plans for the start of 2023.  If you are leaving Coomera Rivers, please let our school office know as soon as possible so that we can make preparations.  

Kind regards

Vic