Dear mums, dads, carers and colleagues

Oh what a night!  Bingo Bonanza was a great event with many thousands of dollars in cash and prizes taken home.  Thank you to everyone who supported the event and our amazing P&C.  They literally did not stop all day as they put the last minute touches to the evening - and then hosted us - and then cleaned up afterwards.  Their level of commitment & dedication was incredible.

This coming week looks very exciting, especially with Grandparents Day and Pizza Pizzazz as two special events.  

Covered Kiss n Go area is nearly finished

Installation of the cover for the northern end of the Kiss n Go area resumes Monday.  This means that the top end of the Kiss n Go will be closed off again for a few days.  

The breakdown of work will be as follows (Weather permitting):

• Monday: Delivery of steel, drilling for the installation of structure
• Tuesday: Continued installation
• Wednesday: Roof material install and guttering
• Thursday: De-mobilisation and site clean-up

So fingers crossed for it to be ready for Grandparent's Day on Friday.

School accounts matter greatly

The school is able to support families who require financial assistance with the option of payment plans for the resource scheme.  If you enter into a payment plan (by instalment) we need every debt honoured.  Unfortunately, students will lose the privilege of attending school camps, excursions or be involved in special events if debts are active and repayment schedules are not up to date.  Please discuss any concerns about finance with Mrs Porch or the administration team.

And so do your child's school resources

Your children need access to a number of on-line subscriptions each year.   These are the 'text books' from which we set their group or individual courses.  The school can provide you a very cost effective way to supply these (at roughly $3.50 per week per child) or you can provide them privately.  Either way, children use them daily at school and you will enjoy the access through SeeSaw to see directly what your children are learning and doing in class.  If you would like to be part of the school resource scheme, please contact the school before the end of this term.   Only families new to the school will be able to join the scheme after this date.

Coming events to know about

There are quite a few special events still to come.  This is just some that need to be marked on your pantry calendar.

• P&C Volunteer afternoon tea (18 June from 1:30pm  RSVP needed)
• Athletics trials Day 1 (18 June from 1:15pm) (Finalists 2007 / 2008 / 2009 only)
• Athletics trials Day 2 (19 June - All day)  (Finalists 2007 / 2008 / 2009 only)
• Grandparents Day (21 June) Registrations open at 8:00am on the tennis court area
• The Great Debate (21 June) From 1:00pm in the hall
• NAIDOC day (26 June)
• Report cards sent home (26 June - Available on QParents from 25 June)
• Last day of Term 2 (28 June)

• And save the date for...

Have a fantasic week

Kind regards

Vic

Congratulations to the following students who received a Student Excellence Award this week.  They not only received a certificate but also a very special Coomera Rivers pencil.  Needless to say, the highlight of course is coming down to the office to have their photo taken!

Does your family identify with being a New Zealander and/or Pacific Islander?  We would love for you to complete the following 2-minute survey to help us gain more information about our school community.

If you would like to speak further about future cultural initiatives or activities as mentioned in the survey, please click here to email Miss Jemma Findlay.

Please click here to start the survey .

On Tuesday, our Regional Chess team went to Pacific Pines Primary to compete against other schools from all over the Gold Coast.  We had teams in D Grade, C Grade, B Grade and in the Premier Grade - in fact we were the only state school in Premier Grade.

Every member of the Coomera Rivers team gave it their best effort on the day, and showed great etiquette, respect and sportsmanship towards their opponents.  And while we didn't bring back trophies this time, we represented wonderfully well and thoroughly enjoyed the event.  Thank you to Mr Burrows and Ms Nic for leading the day and to the mums who drove us to and from the event.

Attached to this newsletter is information regarding the 2019 University of New South Wales International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS).  This is a highly recommended assessment program offered for students in years 2 - 6. Focus areas include Digital Technology, English, Maths, Science, Spelling and Writing.  You have the choice of which test or tests you'd like your child to participate in. So if you believe your child has a real talent or strength in one or more of these areas, why not have them sit the assessment and receive recognition for their aptitude? Each participating student will receive a diagnostic report as well as a certificate to recognise their achievement.  These tests are particularly useful for students wishing to apply for scholarships and/or high school excellence programs.  For further information, please click here to email Wendy Artz.

Our Environmental Warriors (Isabella, Isabella and Ava) held a teddy bear drive with the help of Year 3, 4 and 6 students. Heidi from Wildcare Australia explained that orphaned and sick joeys love to cuddle teddy bears to help them feel safe and keep them warm while they are getting better. Coomera Rivers collected three big bags of teddy bears for them.

Our 10-12 Years Athletics Trials day/s are on this:

• Tuesday afternoon (800m) and
• Wednesday (100m, 200m, High Jump, Long Jump, Shot Put and Discus.

The full program is:

On Monday, multiple teams represented our school in football, netball, rugby league and touch football at inter-school sport. As the results below show, we are not only very successful but we can be proud of the spirit in which our students play the game.  Well done students and thank you to our hard working teachers who give up their time to train and coach them.

The results form Week 2 are:

The draw for Week 3, Monday 17 June is:

On Thursday we took two teams to the Gold Coast Titans Gala Day.  Both teams played extremely well, representing our school with pride.  Our senior team went through the carnival undefeated. It was the junior team’s first time playing together.  They did very well, earning a win and a draw from their four matches.  Showing the Coomera Rivers spirit, our five female players elected to fill in for other schools in their teams that were short players. Well done team!  And thank you to Mr Raffin who coordinated the day.

We have recently implemented several activities throughout the service to provide the students with opportunities to enjoy different forms of literacy and improve their reading skills.  One activity the students are really enthusiastic about is reading a book at afternoon tea.  Each afternoon while eating, our younger students are enjoying being read to by an educator while our senior students like to take turns at reading to the group.  To complement this, we have included literacy aspects in our homework grid focus activities for the week.  The students have completed activities such as drawing a scene from one of the books they have been reading, making posters or making a list of information that is safe or unsafe to share online.  

NAIDOC Week will be celebrated at Coomera Rivers in Week 10. All classes will be writing their own class Acknowledgement of Country to display at the entrance to their room, or in a prominent position in your classroom.  We will be including the Acknowledgement of Country at class meetings too.  All classes will also be celebrating NAIDOC Week in Week 10.  Make sure you see what they have been doing.

Every year, absences spike in the weeks before and after winter break. It’s time to break that cycle.  We know it’s tempting to extend your vacation by a few days on either side of the holiday. We recognise that holidays are an important time for reconnecting with families far away and exposing your children to your home and language, whether you grew up in another part of Australia or a different country. The costs of airfares often influence when you want to travel. But keep in mind the costs to your children’s education if they miss too much school. Just a few missed days here and there, even if they’re excused absences, can add up to too much lost learning time and put your child behind in school. This is as true in Prep as it is in high school. So make sure your child is in school every day, right up until vacation starts. Our teachers will be teaching, and our students will be learning. But it’s harder to teach and it’s harder to learn when too many students are absent.  - Attendance Works

Siba Soccer is back at Coomera Rivers in Term 3.  The program starts on 24 July.  Click here for details.

I received word this week that someone is playing golf in their back yard around the Nimbus Court area.  These golf balls have been hit out of their backyard across Finnegan Way and into the back yard of houses on the other side of the street.  One neighbour has had their back window of their vehicle smashed and others have found a few golf balls in their yards.

The neighbours are very concerned that someone may become seriously injured or furthermore, it may cause a serious vehicle accident if these golf balls happen to hit a vehicle travelling on Finnegan Way.

If your children are involved, your neighbours would appreciate them to head to the Gainsborough Greens golf course that is ideal for this practice.

The term rolls on, NAIDOC week, Grandparents day, bingo night, school banking, classroom duties and of course cafe jobs all kept our volunteers very busy this week. We're still looking for extra help in the cafe if anyone can pitch in? 

Cafe

• Wednesday 19 June: 1 Volunteer needed
• Thursday 20 June: 1 Volunteers needed
• Friday 21 June: 2 Volunteers needed

​Don't forget to RSVP

for the Volunteer Afternoon Tea!

Time:  1.30pm in the Staff Room Tuesday 18 June.