Swimming lessons

I have been very proud of our students and how they  have represented our school and themselves (for the most part anyway:)) when participating in swimming lessons this week. We have a number of non-swimmers across our school and a number of very experienced, confident swimmers and yet we had very positive participation levels, with students really applying themselves and trying their best to improve their skills. As Queenslanders, swimming is really quite an essential skill and such a source of enjoyment for our social lives. We have one final lesson next Wednesday and then our Swimming Carnival on Thursday where we will bus kids to and from the carnival. We expect the carnival to conclude around 1.00pm and if you are there, you are welcome to take your children home but please let your class teacher know.

Car parking

This week we have had quite some kerfuffle on social media regarding parking at the school as we have had traffic police respond to some complaints by booking or warning a couple of parents for parking in No Standing Zones. I would like to reiterate that parking along Bishop Putney Avenue on both sides has always been designated- No Standing and I have always said that those parking there are doing so at your own risk. Bishop Putney Avenue is a council owned road that we were required to build to their specifications for our Stage 1 Project but it does remain a council road and therefore is not school property.

In our next stage next year, there is an extension to the current car park right up to the Kindy but I don’t expect this to be ready until towards the end of 2019. In future stages, I do believe Bishop Putney Avenue may widen as it will become part of an intersection (hopefully with lights) going into a possible shopping centre across the road (Dalrymple Rd) and possibly even extending in the opposite direction towards Harris Crossing eventually. The other part of our difficulty is that we don’t have suburban streets joining onto our school yet as other schools do. This means parents in other schools can spill into nearby streets for parking though we do have the added advantage for now of being very accessible due to the lack of suburban streets- there is a balancing of good and the bad :)

If car parking in peak times is continuing to be an issue, I encourage you to park on the dirt parking area at the end of Bishop Putney Avenue (not on the side of the road there) or on the dirt area behind Kindy near the P-3 play area. You cannot park on the roadside of Dalrymple Rd, but you can certainly park closer to the school fence. I did also call the Kirwan Police Station to clarify a few other options and was told you can actually park on the opposite side of the road to the school on Bishop Putney Avenue if you park in the lower dirt area 3 metres back from the No Standing signs (closer to the paddock area). It is actually quite easy to park in there and get out of there (except in really wet weather).

For whole school events like our upcoming O’Holy night (school and Kindy) we will make good use of those dirt parking areas and we have already booked some light towers to assist in making this easier. I will invest in a gate from the P-3 play area so families parking out there can shortcut across here for school entry though this won’t likely be an option for daily access.

I do encourage the use of our Drop Off area for most school families as the afternoon is always clear within 15 minutes. We seriously do not need to line up from 2.00pm as the hour waiting before school even finishes is far more time than it takes for everyone to have got through. Lining up this early blocks access to the areas where we do have car parking available.

I am very happy for our Prep students to use the Drop Off if you as the parents feel they are ready. We do have quite a number of preppies being dropped off in the morning and picked up in the afternoon from here. They do seem to love that sense of independence and the afternoon play session is loved by most kids. That being said however, I do welcome parents to park and come in to the school to wait for pick up as this is also a great opportunity to meet and chat to other parents. We support whatever works for your family but do ask for patience and consideration with each other as much as possible.

Please be aware that parking in the bus zone causes disruption to our school operations as this is where we receive deliveries, rubbish collection and of course our bus service. Please also be aware that there have been complaints about speeding, students not being buckled in with seat belts correctly and mobile phone use when driving. These are all your responsibility as drivers, not our role as the school to monitor, hence the reason why complaints can be made directly to the police. Let’s avoid further visits from the police by doing the right thing please.

I welcome emails or appointments to discuss any further questions or suggestions you may have in relation to building a positive school community.

Remembrance Day- Sunday November 11

Please make plans over the weekend to participate in Remembrance day commemorations as this year marks 100 years since armistice. We will have a prayer service as part of our assembly on Monday.

Honour their Spirit….

Have a fabulous week

Cheers

Penny