Dear mums, dads, carers and colleagues

This coming week will be very busy indeed.  Please read the restructure section of the newsletter carefully so that you are aware of our strategy this week as we even out our classes.   

Class restructure is coming next week

Schools are allocated staffing and financial resources as a result of enrolments.  The department captures enrolments on Day 8 of the school year and uses this point in time to make these decisions.  Thursday was Day 8 and I submitted our effective enrolment of 927 students. 

Currently, some of our classes are too big.  The department has a maximum class size limit that we cannot exceed.  Prep to Year 3 = 25 students and Years 4-6 = 28 students.  This means that we will need to restructure our classes.  This year’s restructure is a complicated one and we will:

• Create an additional Prep class
• Create a Year 1/2 composite class
• Create a Year 5/6 composite class
• Move a small number of students to balance class sizes. 

Who decides which students are changing?

• My Deputy Principals will need to adjust class lists for the new model.  This will be completed by Monday.  They will consult with teachers in this process. 
• They are also interested to know if any parents of students in Years 1, 2, 5 and 6 who would like their child to be part of the composite classes.  I must stress that students are never disadvantaged by being in a composite class.  
• If you are interested in your child being in a Year 1/2 class, please email Ms Waide as soon as possible via email – awaid2@eq.edu.au
• If you are interested in your child being in a Year 5/6 class, please email Mr Meijboom as soon as possible via email – jmeij1@eq.edu.au

Notifying families day is Tuesday 6 February.

• CURRENT class teachers will send a paper note home to parents on Tuesday.  It will indicate if your child is involved in a change.  If this is the case, please do not panic.  These decisions will have been made by professionals who have many years of experience. 
• All staff are well practised in supporting change processes in schools and will always support students.

Change day is Thursday 7 February during the afternoon learning session.

• School staff will support students through this process.  The benefit of completing the changes on Thursday afternoon means that students are ready for Friday.
• We will move students’ books and have classrooms set up. 
• Students will leave school from their NEW class on Thursday afternoon.
• Families of students involved in a class change will receive a welcome email from their new teacher by 6:00pm.

Chance to (briefly) meet the teacher on Friday morning.

• Please wait in the designated zones until the 8:20am bell sounds before moving to class. 
• We will support teachers of new classes with an extra 30 minutes on Friday morning to allow families to meet the teacher quickly.  This will be from 8:30am – 9:00am. 
• We will need all new classes, to get under way with their learning by 9:00am so routines and expectations can be created. 

The thought of change can promote anxiety but please remember that:

• All changes are kept to a minimum.
• Most students in the school are not affected by a change.
• Class sizes will be balanced across the school.
• This process is commonplace in all Queensland state schools.
• We do this every year and are very successful in supporting our students in a positive way.
• Changes are carefully considered for students, taking into account friendship groups, academic performance and well-being.

Parking issues

Please park your car legally (& respectfully) in and around the school. The Gold Coast City Council has contacted me to tell me that parking officers will be booking motorists who park on footpaths, across driveways or half-up on median strips. This will begin from Monday morning.

The back gate of the school will be linked to the footpath by council later this term. This will help the parking situation but until then, please do the right thing for our children and our neighbours.

Chess Club

Chess Club begins next Wednesday afternoon (7 February) immediately after school from 2:30pm - 3:30pm. Club members meet in the staffroom. Chess Club is open to all students (Prep to Year 6) and involves learning about chess, undertaking coaching from an accredited coach and participating in various inter-school and club tournaments across the year. Teachers join me in helping with this program. It really is enjoyable and the strategy and skills the children learn are impressive.  

There is a small cost for the activity. Please email your questions or nominations to Mrs McMurtrie on mmcmu43@eq.edu.au. There is a maximum of 40 players and spaces will fill quickly.

Kokoda challenge

I will soon send out information regarding this year’s Schools’ Kokoda Challenge. It is open to students in Years 5&6 who love trail running and working as a team. It will involve teams of 4 (plus a coach) competing in the Brisbane 18km challenge. There are costs associated with competition shirts plus some other equipment (like camelbaks). There is also scheduled training sessions on Saturday mornings which we use to improve our fitness and select our teams. If your child is interested, please keep a look out for the information next week. Nominations and training will start soon.

Team 4 (2023) are at the start line.

Cafe update

Please consider volunteering in our school cafe.  We have some great incentives and we value all help.

This week our sushi orders proved VERY popular.  Well done ladies!

Offensive language

Offensive language has no place at our school or OSHC.  I need all parents and carers to understand that swearing is simply not acceptable behaviour.  Our staff deserve to be treated respectfully.  There is no excuse for swearing or abuse of any kind at any time.

Kind regards

Vic