Issue 20 - 13/12/2024

A heartfelt thank you to our incredible Evatt community for making 50Fest such a memorable celebration! It was wonderful to see our students performing with excitement in front of so many family members and friends.

A special thank you to our amazing P&C for organising free and fun activities that brought joy to both the kids and the young at heart throughout the evening.

Finally, a big shout out to the wonderful staff at Evatt Primary School, whose hard work and enthusiasm helped make this event a resounding success.

MoveUp Session

On Monday morning, students will have a Move Up session where they will meet their 2025 class and teacher. They will spend time in their new classroom, preparing for the upcoming school year. After this session, parents will be informed about their child's 2025 teacher. Students not returning in 2025 will go to the library for this session and year 6's will go to preschool.

FeatherFest Fun Day

Next Monday will be our FeatherFest Fun Day for all students. Our students have been working extremely hard throughout the semester to earn feathers that in turn provides a range of fun options for our funday. A reminder that it's a non uniform day and students are to bring a towel and change of clothes.

Semester 2 Reports

A reminder that student reports will be emailed to parents and carers today. If parents are expecting duplicate copies and this doesn't happen please reach out to the front office so we can provide this.

Farewelling Staff

Each and every year we take the time to farewell staff who are moving on for 2025. I'd like to thank the following staff for their wonderful contribution to Evatt Primary School.

We thank and wish the following staff all the best for the future.

Rebekah Heritage
Elisha Bailey
Rhylee Taylor
Lucy Buckmaster
Wendy Wyeth
Krissy Quinell
Felicity Toohey
Jamal See

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

Thank You Evatt Community

As we wrap up our final formal newsletter for 2024, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Evatt Primary community for your incredible support throughout the year. The way our families have partnered with the school has been wonderful.

We wish all our families a safe and relaxing holiday break, and we’re eagerly looking forward to the exciting learning opportunities in 2025.

Term 1 2025 Start Dates:

Monday 3 February: Kindergarten, Preschool (Green Group), New students
Tuesday 4 February: All Students Year 1 - Year 6
Thursday 6 February: Preschool (Blue Group)

Parent Portal App

The school will 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 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

Minister for Communications - Sage D

What a busy few weeks we have had, leading up to the end of the year. Today, we have many things to talk about! 50 Fest was in week 7 and we had some amazing dances to songs from the seventies through to now. The Year 5 and 6 band played Caveman Gets a Haircut, Long Shorts and Tequila, which we changed to ‘EVATT FEST!’.

Year 6 graduation was this Wednesday. As a year 6 student, I can say it was very fun. We went to Bounce and Rashays. We were accompanied by the year 6 teachers, Ms Green, Mr Frankcom, Ms Buckmaster and Ms Bultitude.

Melba Dance was also on Thursday evening. Students danced at the MCSS Regional Arts Program Showcase to the song “Shut up and Dance With Me” by Walk the Moon. There are still 2 days of school so don’t get too excited. We are also looking forward to Feather Fest on Monday. This is my last post as the communications minister of 2024, we hope to see you next year and have a great Christmas.

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.