The rain last weekend was a welcome blessing just as we laid more turf around the front of the oval and hydro-mulched the area near the drop-off zone. Having access to water for our sprinklers through our bore system is certainly another blessing we appreciate but you can never duplicate the value of actual rain. The rain however did hold up some painting preparation we had planned for a chicken coop but all will go ahead this weekend with some friends of our school helping us out with construction and the Active Volunteering students from Southern Cross Catholic College coming along to paint. Not long before we will have chickens.

Swimming lessons

In Week 5, we have swimming lessons commencing for all students at Northern Beaches Leisure Centre in Burdell. All students will attend lessons with qualified instructors daily from Monday 5 November to Thursday 8 November and again on Wednesday 14 November, with our Swimming Carnival on Thursday 15 November. Students will travel to and from the pool by bus in groups of two classes and the classroom teachers can let you know their specific time slot (it is the same for each class each day). Our swimming program is built into your school fees so there is no additional cost. Students will be required to wear only their swimmers, swim-shirt (rashie), thongs and towel to and from the pool. Teachers will communicate time slots as some students may be required to come to school ready, where others will need to change throughout the day. If you have any questions, please ask your class teacher. Our swimming carnival will  have a number of novelty events along with the competitive components and is bound to be another enjoyable day.

Schools Law Conference

So far this week, I have attended the Inaugural Townsville Catholic Education Schools Law Conference where we have learned about the implications of changing legislation, risk management, school liabilities and legislative trends. As you can imagine, this was an especially heavy but very valuable day. There is always so much to learn in the ever evolving nature of schools but we do our best to support the needs of our community. Well done to our Catholic Education team for conducting such an important opportunity for our school leaders.

Reminders

Could I please remind parents to avoid parking in the Bus Zone  as this an area used for delivery services, waste collection along with our bus service. Cars parking in this area impact on the smooth running of our school  The Drop Off Zone is a well functioning option that I encourage you to use.

Can I also suggest that if parents are having issues with students other than their own children, that these are dealt with through the classroom teacher or where needed, through me as opposed to speaking to other people’s children,  even if you think you are doing it in a positive way. Children can feel easily intimidated by adults and it is simply not okay to approach other people’s children; unless of course you are directly intervening in a safety situation. We continue to work together to build a positive community.

Townsville Catholic Education President’s Dinner

This weekend, Townsville Catholic Education are hosting their annual President’s Dinner which is an event that recognises the outstanding service of parents and friends in our schools. Generally, each school nominates a parent to receive an award recognising significant service to the school community. As we are so new I wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate the contributions of a group of parents by attending this occasion together but will wait a while before we nominate parents for the award. I am very proud of the efforts of our parent body and very grateful for the valuable insights you all provide through our P&F and our Board, or through  the many incidental conversations and interactions we have.

Don’t forget the Student Free day on Monday 22 October.  

Have a fabulous week

Cheers

Penny