Issue 16 20/09/2024

A huge reminder about our P&C event, Stomp The Grounds this Sunday. The weather looks superb so make sure you and the family get down to the school for a fantastic morning.

Combined Band

It was lovely to hear about our Year 5 band who teamed up with Miles Franklin Primary School for a combined band rehearsal and concert yesterday. They made a great sound and demonstrated how far they have come since starting on their instruments at the start of the year. Thank you to so many parents and carers coming in to watch their mini concert at the end of the morning over at Miles Franklin Primary.

End of Year/New Year School Holiday Programs

We have been made aware that Woden Community Services will not be running a holiday program at Evatt Primary School until Monday 6 January 2025. We understand that this has put some of our families in a tricky situation to find out of school care for their children between 18 December 2024 - 6 January 2025. Some services that we believe are running that are in the Belconnen Region are listed below.

Woden Community Services: will be running from December 18 at Margaret Hendry School. Bookings can be found https://www.wcs.org.au/holiday-programs/school-holiday-programs/
OSHClub @ St. Thomas Aquinas Primary School (Florey): will be running from December 18. Bookings and enquiries: https://www.oshclub.com.au/find-us/st-thomas-aquinas-primary-school/
Capital Region Community Services: runs programs at Florey Primary School and Charnwood-Dunlop School, are intending to run from December 18. Enrolment enquiries and more information: https://crcs.com.au/programs-and-services/education-care/school-holiday-program/

Is Your Child Leaving in 2025

If your child or children are moving on from Evatt Primary School for next year could you please let the school know. This will help us with our planning for 2025. Obviously students in year 6 are excluded from this.

We will share some information early next term about parent requests for class placements in 2025. You can let us know by emailing info@evattps.act.edu.au.

Happy and Safe School Holidays

This will be the last newsletter for the term before the school holidays. We are excited for a great last week of term three next week, and then we will head into school holidays. Have a safe and enjoyable break. A reminder term Four starts on Tuesday 14 October.

Hats on

It's great to see nearly all students with hats for playtime & PE. Please make sure your child has a sun safe hat with their name on their hat.

School hats are available from the P&C uniform shop.

Parent Portal App

Parent Portal is now available as a mobile app!

You can now access Parent Portal with the Sentral for Parents app. Download Sentral for Parents for free through the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.

Parent Portal is a secure online platform used to share student information between you and your child’s teachers.

If you’ve already registered, you can download the Sentral for Parents app to receive notifications when new information is available.

If you haven’t registered for Parent Portal yet, use this Parent Portal access link to log into or create your ACT Digital Account. To access Parent Portal, you will need your access key, you should have received this by email when we launched.

If you can’t find the email with the access key, please contact the front office team for help.

Some reminders about what you can do with Parent Portal:

notify us if your child is sick or explain an absence
book parent-teacher interviews
receive academic reports
receive our school newsletter
receive messages from your child’s teachers
make payments
access the school calendar and your child’s student timetable.

Head to our website for all the details: https://www.evattps.act.edu.au/home

More about Parent Portal / Sentral Pay Guide

Dear parents and carers,

We recently launched Parent Portal, a secure online platform to share student information between you and your child’s teachers.

You’ll soon be able to access Parent Portal through the Sentral for Parents app. Keep an eye out for more information from us once the Sentral for Parents app is available for our school to use. Evatt Primary is expected to launch the app for use on September 2nd, 2024.

If you haven’t registered for Parent Portal yet, I encourage you to do so using this Parent Portal access link and log into or create your ACT Digital Account. To access Parent Portal, you will need your access key. You should have received these by email when we launched.

If you have any questions, or don’t have your access key, please contact the Front Office at info@evattps.act.edu.au or on 02 6142 1640.

Remember that using Parent Portal means you can:

notify us if your child is sick or explain an absence
book parent-teacher interviews
receive academic reports
receive our school newsletter
receive messages from your child’s teachers
make payments
access the school calendar and your child’s student timetable.

Michael Hatswell

Evatt Primary School

Sentral Pay Guide:

https://www.evattps.act.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/580753/Sentral_Pay_for_families.pdf

From the Minister for Communications - Sage

Week 7, Friday, students got to enjoy their class rewards. We did many things like PE, computers, watched movies, played and had a dance party. Kindy continued on their playgrounds in craft.

Year 5 band had a wonderful performance in week 9. They played Rock Attack, The Blues, and Zombie. They had an audience at Miles Franklin. Well Done to the students who represented Evatt at the ACT athletics carnival. They made us proud. We hope to see you at Stomp the Grounds on Sunday. Check seesaw for more information.

COMMUNITY CONNECT - Felicity Toohey

Good Omen Goodeze Craft Group

Join us for a delightful journey into the world of stitching at our FREE, beginner-friendly workshops! Whether you're eager to craft a whimsical sensory toy for your little one or create something for yourself, our sessions offer the perfect blend of guidance and camaraderie in a child friendly environment. Dive into the colorful yarns and learn the art of stitches in a warm and inviting atmosphere.

No prior experience necessary – just bring your enthusiasm, and we'll provide all the materials you need. Discover the joy of crafting alongside fellow enthusiasts in a fun and supportive environment. Let your creativity flourish as you embark on this rewarding and fulfilling adventure!

Many thanks,

Mary

From the Education Directorate

Year 1 Phonics Check

As part of the Strong Foundations reform program, ACT public schools will begin a phased introduction of the Year 1 Phonics Check starting with 26 schools this term.

The Phonics Check is a quick and easy way for teachers to gauge the phonics knowledge of Year 1 students. It is designed to help teachers identify students who may need more help learning to read.

The first schools selected to participate were chosen based on demographic, location and size to provide a broad sample from across the ACT public school system. Insights from this first group of schools will inform a rollout of the Year 1 Phonics Check to our school and all ACT public schools in 2025.

This is an important milestone as part of the Strong Foundations program designed to strengthen literacy and numeracy outcomes for all students. You can read more on the Education Directorate website.

2025 school year enrolments are open

Enrolments for the 2025 school year are now open for students starting at a new school. Visit www.education.act.gov.au for the online application link and information about the school in your child’s Priority Enrolment Area. Apply by 7 June to receive an offer from 29 July 2024.

2024 student-free days

From 2024, there will be 4 student-free days for ACT public schools. These are the first day of each school term:

Term 1, Monday 29 January 2024

Term 2, Monday 29 April 2024

Term 3, Monday 22 July 2024

Term 4, Monday 14 October 2024.

We use student-free days for staff development, enabling us to plan in a student-free environment. Student-free planning days have been expanded from 1 to 4 days from 2024 as part of our new Teaching Staff Enterprise Agreement which prioritises better teacher workloads for educational leadership, teaching and learning. F

or all school term dates, visit the Term Dates page: https://www.education.act.gov.au/public-school-life/term_dates_and_public_holidays

Evatt School P&C

Contacting the P&C

Messages for the Evatt School P&C can be sent to evattpspc@gmail.com or connect on Facebook.

Evatt School Board

Contacting the School Board

Messages for the Evatt School Board can be sent to info@evattps.act.edu.au.

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS

Holiday Happenings

www.holidayhappenings.com.au/online-booklet

Woden Community Services

Woden Community Services Evatt Preschool program offers a safe, secure, and supportive environment for your child. We have built a nurturing, child focused environment in which all children are welcomed and are supported to thrive. Our friendly and qualified educators guide the program with a focus on educational outcomes and school reediness in a small group environment with a high educator to child ratio.

We offer a range of programs at Evatt Preschool to suit your individual care needs,

Before school care: 7am to 9am – from $25.40 per session
Whole day preschool: 7am to 6pm - $124.60 per session
School hours preschool: 9am to 3pm - $83.00 per session
After school care: 3pm to 6pm – from $35.20 per session

All fees attract the child care subsidy

If you would like to enroll, know more about our program, or discuss your individual needs please get in contact with our friendly staff on 02 6147 3318 or email enrolments@wcs.org.au

Addressing your Child's anxious avoidance - parenting program

Koala Playschool

Koala Playschool is a play-based educational program that meets the developmental needs and interests of three- and four-year-olds. Sessions are conducted by our Early Childhood Teacher and Teaching Assistant with the help of parents and carers. Koala Playschool is the ideal setting to provide opportunities for young children to gain independence and develop social skills is a safe, supportive and stimulating environment. With the focus on warm reciprocal relationships, children are given the opportunity to play and learn in a rich, vibrant learning community. Our learning spaces are welcoming and well-resourced with a bright airy classroom and a beautiful natural garden.