Issue 8 - 17/05/2024

Following the finalisation of the recent appointments of the parent representatives to the school board, I'm pleased to announce the make-up of the School Board for 2024. It is as follows;

Parent Representative - Heidi O’Brien

Parent Representative - Garth Spackman

P&C Parent Representative - Sarah Cavanagh

Community Representative - Michelle Armstrong

Teacher Representative - Peter Frankcom

Teacher Representative - Clare Callahan

Business Manager - Rebecca Swiridziuk

School Principal - Michael Hatswell

A School Board chair will be elected later this term and the community will be advised once this has occurred.

I look forward to working collaboratively with our School Board as we progress our School Improvement Journey.

Jen Howard visit to Evatt Primary School

Last night, we hosted Jen Howard, Executive Principal Melba Copland Secondary School who shared an overview of the school and her commitment to strong school improvement.

We had a great turnout of parents who have children ranging from Kindergarten through to Year 6.

Our parents enjoyed meeting Jen in person, listening to her presentation and having a range of questions answered.

Evatt Primary School will continue to work strongly with Jen and MCSS.

Pedal Together

As part of Family Connect, ‘Pedal Together’ has been running for the past three weeks on Thursday afternoons 3.15 - 4.00pm. This has been a fabulous opportunity for students to be joined by their parents and carers to learn important bike skills and ride together at our Dirt Bike Skills Track.

Our families have had a fabulous experience under the guidance of bike coach and parent volunteer Duane Toohey. Thank you Duane for running this program for our community.

We have our last Pedal Together session next Thursday 3.15 - 4.00pm. Feel free to bring your bike and your child(ren) and their bikes along for a fun afternoon riding if you have the time.

Combined Band

We are excited to have our Year 6 Band students join up with Miles Franklin Primary School next Monday for Term 2 combined band. It's always a great experience for our students who make up the woodwind section join the brass section to practise and perform. It certainly is a fantastic and BIG sound.

Sports Carnivals

We have a busy week with carnivals next week. We wish our district cross country runners the very best on Thursday and we are looking forward to a fabulous whole school Athletics Carnival on Friday.

Please ensure permission notes for the Athletics Carnival are returned on Monday if they have not already been sent into school.

School Photos

School Photos are coming up in week 5. The dates are:

-Wednesday 29 May for K-6 + Green PS,

-Thursday 30 May for Blue PS.

Additional order forms: if you need a duplicate order form or you have lost your form, please request one from the front office.

Sibling photos: to have a sibling photo taken you will need to request a sibling photo order form from the front office. These can be sent home with your child on request.

Unwell Children

We have seen a range of differing reasons for children being unwell over the past few weeks. A big reminder that if your child is unwell to keep them at home until they are well again. If we all play our part in doing this, it helps reduce the spread to other students and staff at school.

Parent Portal

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

Some reminders about Parent Portal:

If you already have a Parent Portal account, use this Parent Portal access link to start using the great features.
The website can only be viewed using a web browser on your computer, mobile phone or tablet. An app is not available at this time.
If you still need to register, you will need an access key and a Parent Portal registration link via email to link your existing account to your child’s records. If you haven’t received this, please contact the school’s front office team for assistance.

Sentral Pay Guide

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

Hats On

Our whole school day is generally within the hours that sun protection is recommended for UV safety.

Please make sure your child has a sun safe hat with their name on their hat.

https://www.sunsmart.com.au/

From the Minister for Communications - Sage

Week 3, Term 2: Year 6 Band

Band is an activity that you can do in year 5 and 6. You do a test and if you pass, you can join. In week 4, on Monday, year 6 band will be performing with Miles Franklin (a brass band).

Here are the year 6 band students:

Percussion:

Liam. E
Taj. T
Anderson. L

Flutes:

Alana. Q
Nyx. A
Zac. T
Taylor. L
Skyla. S
Pepper. S
Erin. E

Oboe:

Angela. Z

Clarinets:

Noah. J
Sage. D
Jasper. Y
Felix. H
Will. H

Bass Clarinet:

Katie. S

Alto Saxophone:

Liam. N

Tenor Saxophone:

Emna. A

And, of course lead by our conductor:

Conductor:

Ms Susan Ford.

We will play the songs: Spiderman (Spiderpig), Ghost Busters, The Tweeny Tango, American Spirit March, Go Get me a Pizza, Infinity and maybe the Spook.

It is at Miles Franklin and will go from 12:30pm to 2:00pm. Parents ARE welcome to watch a shot concert from 1:30pm to 2:00pm. Please arrive at Miles Franklin at preferably, 1:20pm - 1:25pm reay for a 1:30pm start. Mrs Frost will accompany the year six band students. We look forward to seeing you at Miles Franklin on Monday.

COMMUNITY CONNECT - Felicity Toohey

Good Omen Goodeze

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

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.

Reconciliation Day poster competition

Do you want to be part of reconciliation in the ACT and have a chance to win $1000 for your school? The Reconciliation Day Council invites you to design a poster that represents this year’s theme ‘Now More Than Ever’.

Get creative and show us what reconciliation means to you. Posters will be displayed at the Reconciliation Day event at Commonwealth Park on Monday 27 May 2024. Submit your entries to reconciliation@act.gov.au. Entries close 10 May 2024.

Parent and Carer Online Safety (eSafety) Webinars – for Preschool-Year 12 Families

The Online Safety Education team are committed to supporting school communities to develop their online safety skills and knowledge. The team aim to increase the number of safe and positive online experiences students have and reduce the number of online safety incidents that impact on learning environments.

There are multiple webinars running each term with both afternoon and evening times available that will help your family be more confident and safer online by:

· understanding online safety and risks young people face

· learning strategies to prevent and respond to online issues

· supporting your child to be safe online

· knowing where to go for further support.

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

National Office of Child Safety – ‘One Talk at a Time’

The National Office of Child Safety has launched the ‘One Talk at a Time’ Campaign that aims to help prevent child sexual abuse by encouraging adults to learn about the issue and have ongoing, proactive, preventative conversations with children, young people and other adults. The campaign is aimed at adults with children and young people in their lives. For more information about the campaign, visit One talk at a time. Let’s end child sexual abuse ‘One Talk at a Time’.

Australian Government School Student Broadband Initiative

The Australian Government has established the School Student Broadband Initiative to provide free home Internet for one year for up to 244 unconnected families with school students in the ACT.

To be eligible, families must:

have a school student at home;
not have an NBN connection and
live at an address with access to a standard NBN connection.

For more information see www.infrastructure.gov.au/SSBI

To nominate, please fill in this form: https://forms.office.com/r/kHUg92YZaR

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

Code Camp

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