Term 4 Week 8
Principal's Report
Dear families,
Community- a group of people who are located in a particular space, have shared values and interact within a caring social system. Community-it’s in our motto- it’s what we are about at Coolum SS, and it is what will protect our students when we all band together as one. I have felt the power of our strong Coolum community in the recent weeks and believe that this spirit is what make this school such a special and safe place for our students to achieve.
Over the semester, our Year 6 students have been engaging in high school transition activities. They are being challenged to be out of their comfort zone, to stretch themselves as they prepare for their next journey. However along the way, our teachers have been working with Coolum State High School to provide support and set them up for success next year. This week, Mr Troy Ascott has personally reached out to me to assure our team that Coolum Primary students will be well supported and wrapped up when they get to high school. The connection in our community will transition our students well.
This week I met with our P&C President, Vice President and Manager to work together on some united plans for next year and beyond. The care and dedication that Stephanie Hartas, Shane Urban and Denise French have for our school and pride in the continual improvement for our students is a true gift. One topic that we addressed was encouraging more parents to participate in our P&C meetings. Volunteering or joining a group for the first time may be daunting, however our Coolum P&C are a lovely bunch of dedicated community members who want to work with the school so that our children are able to have the best primary school experience. Keep an eye out for additional information on how you can become involved.
You may have seen the recent Police Blitz on E-Scooters and E-Bikes in our Coolum Community. On Wednesday afternoon, I met with our newly elected Minister for Police and Emergency Services; Dan Purdie, Coolum Police; Senior Sergeant Hardy Wirth and local principals from Primary and High Schools to work together to continue the messages and work around safety and keeping our community safe. The main topics for discussion were how we as a community can positively influence the choices that our youths are making on the roads and paths in our area. We need our parents to partner with us on this and help us by abiding by the laws around ages of children on E-Scooters, all riders wearing helmets, encouraging the safe crossing of roads and driving safety in our community, particularly around our schools. This community partnership has also worked together to provide information sessions for our families around E-Bikes and E-Scooters in the coming weeks. Please see the information attached.
Ultimately, as a part of this great community, we as adults can model positive community behaviour. Teaching our students how to make positive choices, take responsibility and do the right thing. Thank you for partnering with us.
Principal
Shannyn Taylor
Environmental News
School’s Beach Clean Up
The members of the Year 6 Environmental Team joined schools from the Sunshine Coast to clean up our beaches. November 1st marks the start of the turtle season and a time to make sure our beachers are always litter free. The team went to Stumers Creek to tidy up the lower dunes and foreshore. The Waste Warrior Team recently had gifted from the P&C some rubbish grabbers so we took them along with us. The area wasn’t too bad but even still the students removed 1.7kg of small waste including plastic scraps, bags, 7 pooh bags (quickly deposited in a nearby bin), cigarette butts, hair ties, cans, orange peel, broken pieces of food packaging, lids and straws. We also located 3 x 3m posts which we reported to council on their app.
Afterwards, the team travelled to Cooper’s Lookout at Kawana to meetup with the other schools and complete a waste sort and identification led by Envirocom. The students were involved in data collection which is reported to CSIRO. They then had the opportunity to talk to SCC Turtlecare, Reef Check and SeaLife Sunshine Coast about how even picking up one or two pieces of rubbish can benefit the coast.
We learnt a lot and will be taking this knowledge back to school as we continue to promote plastic free lunchboxes and minimising plastic use in school. Have you heard? Next year the team have suggested that all students bring in an old sock or piece of cloth to use as a whiteboard rubber instead of buying a board rubber. Remember, even little things make a difference.
Thanks, from the Environmental Team
Environmental Team
My New Gallery
Box of Hope Salvation Army Christmas Appeal
In week 9 we are inviting all of our students to participate in an act of kindness. As a school we will be collecting donations for the Salvation Army. Students will be encouraged to bring in an item to be included in a class ‘Hope Box’. Suggestions of items that can be accepted is below. Products that cannot be accepted include items that will deteriorate e.g., salads, vegetables, fruit, meat and electrical items or gift vouchers. Only new or unused items can be accepted.
Please note some items on the list can be bought for a dollar. We are aiming to provide a variety of items across the school. If you would like to know what has already been donated by your child’s class, please check in with your class teacher and they will be able to update you.
On Friday November 29, each class will bring their Box of Hope to parade so that it can be presented to the Salvation Army. The boxes will then be taken to their collection point where they will be sorted into hampers ready for a Christmas delivery to those in need.
We know our Coolum students have a big heart and love to demonstrate their kindness in school. At this time of year, we would like to support our community and spread some kindness and Christmas cheer beyond our school boundaries.
For other ideas on how to spread kindness at Christmas please take a look at the 25 days of kindness calendar.
Student Council
Prep 2025 Enrolments
Prep 2025 enrolments are now open. Please collect an Enrolment Pack from the office. Our Enrolments Officer Katie will be happy to assist you with any questions or queries that you may have.
Other News
RideScore Active Schools
Do you live close to school?
- Does your child have a bike or scooter?
- Would you like your child to get an active, healthy and fun start to the day?
- Would you like a system that tells you automatically when they have arrived or left school?
If you answered YES to these questions, then RideScore is for you!
We are one of 11 Sunshine Coast schools that are enjoying RideScore Active Schools Program funded by councils Transport Levy.
What is RideScore?
RideScore is an incentive-based program delivered by Sunshine Coast Council and We Ride Australia to increase active travel to and from school. The program will be open to students who are able to ride a bicycle or scooter to school.
Participating students receive a personal sensor (beacon) to attach to their bicycle or scooter. The school bicycle storage facility has a Bluetooth reader that detects the signal from the beacon and sends a notification to the nominated contact to inform them that the student has arrived at/or departed the school.
Each trip is recorded by the RideScore app, providing incentives when the students reach their milestones. Earn great prizes:
- 20 Trips – Mystery prize
- 70 Trips – Movie ticket
- 120 Trips – Bli Bli Aqua Park voucher
Activities will be planned throughout the school year to promote and encourage riding and scooting, including fun events and bicycle skills classes for all year 4 students.
This program was developed in 2022 with a Federal grant funding from the Move it AUS program, with the support of Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and Stockland.
How do I register?
Step 1 - Download the app (search ‘RideScore’), complete your registration details
Step 2 – Receive your sign on bag (posted within 1 week) that will include:
- Your child’s beacon & instructions on how to pair and fit
- A scorecard (your app will also keep a live score)
Step 3 – Start riding and scooting!
Visit the RideScore website for more information, great resources and safety tips.
Reporting your child's absence
If your child is absent from school it is important that you notify us as soon as possible. To report your child’s absence please either complete the short form available on the website at https://coolumss.eq.edu.au/our-school/absences or telephone us on 5471 9300.
Absences may be reported both on the webform and on the telephone in advance for planned absences.
We thank you for your assistance.
Contact details
Have you changed your mobile number recently? Have you moved house?
It's important that we hold up to date contact details for you and your nominated emergency contacts. If you would like to update your details please pop in to the Administration Office or email us at info@coolumss.eq.edu.au .
QParents
Did you know that the QParents portal is available for Coolum State School? QParents enables schools to offer parents secure access to information about their child. Parents can communicate directly with the school and update their child’s address and medical conditions and submit reasons for absences.
QParents is available to all families and not just our new families! If you would like to receive your unique invitation code and child's EQ ID please email us info@coolumss.eq.edu.au to request this.
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