30 May 2025

From Taylor Haley, Principal

Dear Parents and Caregivers

We’ve now reached the halfway point of Term 2, and it’s been wonderful to see the energy, engagement, and growth across all year levels. Classrooms are buzzing with learning, and our students continue to impress us with their curiosity, resilience, and enthusiasm.

As we move into the second half of the term, I’d like to thank our dedicated staff, supportive families, and of course, our incredible students for the positive and collaborative spirit that defines our school community.

Enhancing Communication: Digging Deeper

At our school, we deeply value open and respectful communication between families and staff. The document "Communicating with your child’s school" outlines key expectations to ensure this partnership is strong and effective.

One important section, “You can expect schools to:” highlights what you, as parents and carers, can count on from us. This includes:

• Recognising and celebrating your child’s achievements
• Providing updates on academic progress, learning, wellbeing, and development
• Alerting you promptly if your child is absent without explanation
• Keeping you informed about serious issues, upcoming events, and activities requiring consent or payment
• Offering opportunities to provide feedback and attend parent/carer-teacher interviews twice per year

These commitments are part of our effort to ensure you feel connected and confident in your child’s education journey.

Flu Season

As we move ever closer to winter and flu season we are seeing an increasing number of unwell students.

Please help your child and other students by following the below procedures.

1. Parents must ensure their contact details are current.
2. The emergency contact should be a trusted person who is local and able to collect a child in lieu of parents/guardians unable to attend the school in a timely manner.
3. When parents are away from home – please provide the school with a guardian/s in their absence.
4. The office team will only call and request a pick-up from school when they believe it is necessary. The expectation is that children are collected within the hour – the sick bay doesn’t have the capacity to keep children for extended periods. Unwell children should not be at school for their health and safety and that of our community.
5. If children require paracetamol/ibuprofen before school – they are not well enough to be at school and can possibly infect other children.
6. Siblings of unwell children can be collected when parents are coming to collect – however well siblings won’t be called to leave their class until the parent has arrived at school.

And finally, we ask that parents respect the valuable role our office ladies play within our first aid protocols in keeping our community well. Please respond to requests for collection with the compassion and kindness with which they are delivered.

Road Safety and Parent Conduct at Drop-Off and Pick-Up

I would like to take a moment to remind our school community about the importance of road safety and respectful conduct during drop-off and pick-up times.

The safety of our students is our highest priority. Please ensure that you are using designated crossing points, driving slowly around the school, and always obeying the signs and instructions from our staff and crossing supervisors. It only takes a moment of distraction or impatience for a serious accident to occur.

I also want to encourage all parents and carers to model calm, courteous behaviour at these busy times of the day. We understand that mornings and afternoons can be hectic, but your patience and respect towards staff, students, and each other sets a strong example for our children and helps create a safer, more positive environment for everyone.

Let’s continue working together to keep our school community safe and respectful.

Staffing Update

This week we welcome Ms Cedella Elliott, an experienced and exceptional teacher from Gainsborough State School. Ms Elliott will partner with Mrs McDonald two (2) days a week on Year 1 and fulfill the Literacy Leaders position on the three (3) other days. This appointment marks a significant moment in our Structured Literacy improvement agenda for this year and into the future. Ms Elliott will be working closely with teachers on all things Literacy and will even be facilitating sessions with our parent community into the future as well.

Regards, Taylor Haley

Calendar 2025 Term 2

This calendar is for reference only and is subject to change. Please check with your child’s class newsletter for any changes to times and dates. If you are unsure, please contact your child’s teacher or the school office during business hours.

Book Fair

Next week, the Book Fair will visit our school Tuesday 3/6/2025 to Friday 6/6/2025.  Classes will be timetabled to visit and will be given a ‘wish list’ form to complete.

For all purchases at the Book Fair, our school will receive 25% of the profits in Scholastic dollars to purchase more resources for our students.

The fair will open for students to purchase items

Extra sessions for families to attend

P&C Fundraisers

The Entertainment Book can be purchased to raise funds for our school.

Pie Drive fundraiser orders will close Monday 2/6/2025.  Please place orders via Flexischools or use the attached order form.

Email pandc@surfersparadisess.eq.edu.au if you have any questions.

Music – Choral Fanfare and Winterfest

Wow, just wow!  Firstly, can I say how proud I was of the respectful behaviour shown yesterday at Fanfare! Our beautiful audience manners even got a compliment from one of the organisers. Go Surfers Paradise Choir students!

Secondly, thank you so much to our two wonderful parents and the fabulous Ms Sloane who accompanied us yesterday. Thank you for coming with us.

And last, but not least, congratulations - 2 silver awards today!

I know it is sometimes hard to understand the judging conditions. We are marked against a set of criteria at Fanfare, not against the other choirs. 

We are in a different skill level category to the other choirs that performed. It is highly unlikely that we will compete against any of those choirs at Eisteddfod except maybe the Junior Choir from Varsity. But my goodness it was very special to listen to all those stunning choirs today. What a musical treat!

So, please celebrate the amazing performances with your children. I was absolutely blown away with their singing, their vowels and their actions.  

We now wait for our feedback from the adjudicator which I'll share with the children at rehearsal next week.  We will continue to work on our dynamics (louds and softs to colour our work) and our unison singing, making sure we are all singing together and our harmonies, singing different pitches at the same time. 

Next, Winterfest is just around the corner in week 9, Thursday 19/6/2025 after school. Remember to put that date in your diaries. More information will be provided next week.

Thanks again for your continued support of choir.

Yours in Music, Louise Kelly

My New Gallery

Year 1 Currumbin Wildlife excursion

Library News

On Wednesday, SPSS participated in National Simultaneous Storytime. It is an important annual campaign that supports children's literacy by encouraging reading in a fun, community event. The link to the book, The Truck Cat, can be found on their website.

There were 2,204,658 participants who shared the reading nationwide!  Mr Haley read the book to some Year 1 students and Bella, Ava, Alfie and Marley were checking out the library display.

Birthday Book Club

“Many happy returns” to the following students who have donated a ‘Birthday Book’ for our school library:  

Student Early Departures

Please telephone the office on 5582 0333 or advise your child’s classroom teacher if your child will be leaving school before 2.55pm.  We ask families to please avoid break times which are 11.05am to 11.40am and 1.45pm to 2.10pm as your child will not be in their classroom and it will be difficult to locate them.

If you arrive during break time with no previous arrangement in place, you will need to wait in the school office until the end of break when students have returned to the classroom. 

Community Notice Board

The school is happy to advertise some local events and business ventures. However, we do not necessarily endorse them to you. It is the responsibility of individual parents/caregivers to ensure that they themselves are satisfied with all services offered before they involve their children.