Dear mums, dads, carers and colleagues

Gosh!  This has been a tougher week than most.  Making decisions that impact on thousands of people in our community is stressful.  And decisions that also carry the weight of tens of thousands of dollars is even worse.  But this is what our P&C team - all of whom act voluntarily in their respective roles - needed to do on Wednesday afternoon.  

With the arrival of rides (semi-trailers) planned for Thursday morning, any decision to postpone the Community Fair due to weather needed to be made by Wednesday afternoon.  It was clear that we could set up without too much trouble.  The damage to the oval from the trucks was expected to be minimal and we had hired $1400 worth of track mats to minimise this.  But then there was the weather forecast.......

Any rain would result very expensive repair costs to get the rides (& semi-trailers) off the oval.  Plus the forecast at the time of the decision was for a cool day (18*) with showers in the afternoon with potential falls of 5-10mm.  Any showers would essentially need the rides to stop until the rain passed.  And with all of the sickness about the community, would it be safe?  What are the financial losses if we postpone?  What would the costs be (including repair costs) if we go ahead?  

They were very courageous in making the decision and I applaud them.  We will try to make a new date in Term 4.  And while we will always be at the mercy of wet weather, the temperature will be warmer.  We will let everyone know the new date as soon as it is set.  

Proposed teacher strike (Wednesday 6 August)

I contacted families on Wednesday evening to inform them that the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) have advised the Department of Education of their intention for teachers to participate in a 24-hour stop work action on Wednesday, 6 August 2025.

As a result, many of our teachers will not be attending school on Wednesday, 6 August 2025 as part of a statewide strike related to ongoing Teachers’ enterprise bargaining negotiations between the Department and the QTU.

I want to reassure you that, while there will be a reduced number of school staff onsite during this day of industrial action, arrangements are being made to ensure students are supervised.  At this stage, I expect a large majority of our teachers will be participating in this industrial action. However, while the school will remain open during this time, normal classes will not occur.  I humbly request that if you are able to do so, to please keep your children home on this day.  

By regulation, OSHC is only able to - and will - provide the usual before and after school care on the day.

I am hopeful that the two parties might come to agreement before this day, meaning the action can be cancelled. Time will tell. We also apologise for the inconvenience this causes families and appreciate your understanding and co-operation as we work through this process. I will do my best to keep our families informed of any changes or updates.

Strings bring happiness

On Friday morning, Miss Baker conducted our Espressivo Chamber Strings Group at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod. Mrs Ellison was cheering on from the audience and was impressed with their use of dynamics during their performance of the song Great Dividing Range; a piece composed by Brisbane musician Timo Jarvela. The girls had incredible stage presence and despite being a small ensemble, their projection filled the auditorium with wonderful sound. They earned a highly commended ribbon.  

Eisteddfods are such a great experience, not just for our students to build their performance skills, but for them to see other groups of the same age perform a different repertoire. The girls spent the whole bus trip there and back singing a variety of tunes from all different genres so it was well and truly a day for music! We look forward to taking our band ensembles to Eisteddfod in the next few weeks. 

Gallery:

And Oztag brings pride

I am extremely proud of the two Oztag teams who competed at the All-Schools carnival last weekend.  Both teams progressed to the finals on Day 3 but more importantly, they represented our school with terrific pride.  My sincere gratitude to both Mr Burrows and Mr Bradley for the weeks of training and them freely giving their weekend for the carnival.

Parent-teacher interviews

Thank you to the parents and teachers who braved the chilly breeze on Monday evening to meet at the parent-teacher interviews to discuss progress at school.  I am sure that everyone appreciated the efforts that teachers are making for their children and the great lengths they go to in their teaching.  I know the teachers appreciated the connections and partnerships that have formed as we aim at continued success in Semester 2.

Free dress day (Purple)

Bullying happens at school, in the community and around the world, despite our best efforts and strongest intentions for it not to.  Standing against bullying is everyone's responsibility. It takes a community to be brave and address bullying behaviours, within and beyond the school gate.

In our community and in our school, we want a place where everyone can belong, a place that celebrates everyone for their differences, and where bullying is never accepted.

This Bullying No Way Week, we are asking our entire school community to be bold and say something, be kind and support someone, and be proud to take a stand against bullying.

We are holding a free dress day on Friday 15 August to unite against bullying.  The theme is PURPLE. 

Click here to visit the Bullying No Way website.

Storytime has returned

We’re thrilled to invite you to Morning Storytime Sessions in the iCentre.  Start your day in the most delightful way — sharing stories, laughter, and quality time together. With a wide variety of engaging picture books, early readers, and class favourites, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.  These sessions are a wonderful way to connect, relax, and grow a love of reading.

When: Term 3 - Every morning 8am - 8:20am
Where: iCentre
No bookings required – just drop in and enjoy.

Thank you to Ms Costello for organising this activity.  It is a very valuable one.