Issue 18 01/11/2024

Last Thursday we had the Executive Educational Leader Belconnen and a network Principal come to Evatt PS for half a day as part of our annual Student Centred Improvement Visit. The focus of the visit was to look into our common curriculum, consistency of practice and classroom engagement norms which we have been working hard on here over the past few years.

The feedback was extremely positive. Our team should feel very proud of their great work. We have been asked to look at how we can share what we do at Evatt to other schools to support them on their school improvement journey.

Readers Cup

Congratulations to our Yr 5/6 students who represented our school at the readers Cup last Friday. Our school entered two teams who were required to read five novels in five weeks to prepare for the event.

With over 40 teams competing from a range of schools across Canberra, our students did a wonderful job at answering the questions from the novels. Thank you to Deb Bultitude for taking our students to this event.

P&C Disco

Thank you to our P&C for running a super fun Halloween disco last Thursday night. We had record attendance from students who looked the part in their costumes. It was great to see so many parents and carers grooving up the back also.

Thank you P&C

World Teachers Day

Thank you to the many parents and carers who took the time to write or verbally share some lovely messages to our staff last Friday as part of world teachers day. We do say this often, however we are so fortunate to have such a wonderful team of teachers and staff here at Evatt PS who go above and beyond for our students every day.

With a current day teacher shortage and increasing societal demands on schools, it's lovely to hear and read these messages.

Thank you Evatt community!

Kindergarten Health Check Program

Could I please remind the kindergarten parents that we offer a kindergarten catch-up appointment for those children who missed the health check at school.

The catch-up appointments are available at City Health Centre, 1 Moore Street Canberra City on the second floor.

Appointments can be made by ringing Community Health Intake on 51249977.

If parents have any questions, they can ring the School Health Team office on 51241585.

Kind regards

Judy Wilson

Kindergarten Health Program Coordinator

A Great Start to Learning Everyday

A reminder about the importance of having your children at school for morning lines everyday. This is where we share important messages about the day and what's coming up later in the week. Straight after this, students head into their classrooms and start learning immediately with their teacher. If your child is 15 mins late each day that adds up to over 8 days of missed learning over the course of a year!

Parent/Carer Requests 2025

Our wonderful Evatt teachers will soon start to prepare class groupings for 2025. If you would like to share something to be considered in relation to your child and their placement in a class, could you please send this to michael.hatswell@ed.act.edu.au

Term 4 Events

We have an exciting and busy term ahead at Evatt Primary School. Please see attached many of the events planned for this term so you can put the dates into your diaries.

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

The school will also be transitioning out our use of Seesaw as a communication platform. We will in place be using the ACT Education Parent Portal as our main method of communicating with families. We ask all families if they haven’t done so yet to register for the parent portal, and download the dedicated App which makes use of the system far easier.

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.

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 D

Welcome to term 4.

This term we have many exciting things happening. First, Friday week 5, is market day. We will have 21 stalls, our categories are food, games and craft. There will also be a sausage sizzle. Make sure to buy tickets online. Checkout the Seesaw post for all the information. Years 5 and 6 have been working towards this since term 3. It is to raise money for year 6 graduation.

Last Friday, we had 10 students attend The Readers Cup at St Monicas.

There were 5 rounds. 2 of the 48 teams were from Evatt.

Team 1: Team 2:

Liam Alivia

Sasha Sage

Stefan Anderson

Felix Nico

Eli Jemimah

To join the competition, they had to read 5 books: Rabbit Soldier Angel Thief, August & Jones, Cop & Robber, Pie in the Sky and Bindi. The scores were very close. We would like to thank Ms Bultitude for all of her hard work.

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.

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

UC Highschool Kaleen - Community Forum

McKellar Cottage Open Day

North Belconnen Uniting Church - Inside Out Markets

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

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.