Dear Parents and Caregivers
Welcome
Welcome to this addition of our school newsletter. As you all would be aware, our Principal, Mr Martin Leach, has received and taken up the offer to work in Regional Office as a Lead Principal for the rest of this term. This is a testament to the great work Mr Leach has done in our school over the past three years and the quality of outcomes Banksia Beach State School achieves. We look forward to learning more from Mr Leach as he becomes our supervisor and gathers knowledge and ideas from throughout our region.
To ensure school consistency, I will be stepping into the role of Acting Principal in Mr Leach’s absence and Mr Brett Somerville will become the Deputy Principal managing Years two and three. We have both had experience in these roles and I have no doubt Banksia Beach State School will continue to achieve great outcomes while living and breathing our values of pride, unity, respect and excellence.
COVID
As reported in the media, the close contact hotspots for COVID19 are becoming widespread and there have been sights identified within our local area. At this point this has not impacted on our school and in the event that this does occur, our school community will be notified promptly. We learn, work and live in a beautiful place that is a popular tourist destination so we have to expect this eventuality. To maintain our vigilance, we ask that the social distancing guidelines be adhered to when entering our school and that if students are unwell they remain at home. When students are absent, please advise the school through the absentee line or via our school website. An SMS message will be sent if students are unaccounted for after 9 o’clock.
Year 5 Camp
Last week our Year 5 students had the privilege of attending their camp at Mapleton. Student behaviour was excellent and all involved had a fantastic time. These camps are designed to take students outside their comfort zone in a close, supportive manner while building leadership skills and teamwork. Thank you to our Year 5 teachers and support staff for organising and facilitating this for our students. We know that during camp, teachers are not only on the clock all the time but are away from their families also. It is the time and consideration that our teachers put into these opportunities that make them so worthwhile for our students.
Preprep
Preprep interviews with our Prep and Year One Deputy Principal, Mrs Ellen Mead are well and truly underway. To have an interview, students must first be enrolled for prep in 2022. An Open Morning for Prep will take place on August 18 and this will inform parents and caregivers about the importance of the prep year, explain some of the processes that will occur during the lead up to prep and showcase the amazing work our students and teachers do. If you have an enquiry regarding enrolment or the Open Day, please call our office on 3408 5333.
Sport
Term Three provides multiple opportunities for our students to participate in sport. On Tuesday and Wednesday of this week (27,28/7/21) students represented Banksia Beach State School at the District Athletic carnival held at Caboolture. All of our students performed to their best and many have come away with a place in their event/s. For those who qualify, the next step will be the regional athletics carnival where students will compete against athletes from across the Sunshine Coast Region. Our students will also compete in two District Gala Days this term, the first of which is next Friday, 6 August. At this event, students will compete in the team sports of softball, football, rugby union and cricket. The next Gala Day will be on 20th August. We thank Mr Stuart MacArthur for his organisation of the students for these events and the time he and his team of coaches put in to training and preparing our students.
Choir
Next week our Advanced Choir will compete at the Sunshine Coast Eisteddfod. This is the first time our choir has performed outside of our school for at least 18 months and they sound beautiful. Thank you to Mrs Nicole Doe for all her work with our choral groups. Your commitment to producing excellence has resulted in our students producing a quality sound that will be highly competitive.