Good afternoon families,

A heartfelt thank you to our students, parents, family members, staff, and the Evandale community members who supported our Election Day fundraiser. Your time, donations, baking, and purchases of delicious food, drinks, and coffee helped make the day a tremendous success. The school had an amazing community buzz on Saturday afternoon, with people travelling to Evandale to vote just to purchase the delicious food options on sale.

Thanks to the outstanding coordination by Amanda, Cherie, Edwina, and Aneika, with just over $2,000 being raised, which will support our library fundraising effort. A special thank you to our procurement extraordinaire, Mrs. Becker, and the following businesses for their generous donations that made this possible:

• PFD Food Services
• Woolworths Prospect
• Woolworths Kings Meadows
• Nigel's Gourmet - Meadow Mews
• Evandale Providore
• Cripps Bakery
• Prince of Wales Hotel - Evandale
• Banjo's Bakery - Kings Meadows
• Tasmanian Flour Mills
• Coles - Meadow Mews
• Young's Vege Shed

What a treat it was to have pizza and cupcakes for lunch on Tuesday! Mrs. Becker and Mrs. Shelton organised this delicious fundraiser to support our library upgrade. We would like to thank Domino’s Kings Meadows for their generous donation of pizzas, and our talented cupcake bakers, Mrs. Stanton and Mrs. Shelton for their incredible baking skills. We raised $820.00!

This afternoon our Kindergarten students visited the Mother’s Day Stall in the Flexi. Prep to Year 6 students will visit the Mother’s Day Stall tomorrow afternoon. Gifts will be on sale again tomorrow for purchase between $3-$5. Thanks again to our Community Champions for their organisation of this stall.   

Tomorrow six of our students will participate as part of the Northern Midlands Team at the State Athletic Carnival at St Leonards. We congratulate Oliver R, Darci, Rivah, Cooper, Jack, and Casey for making the Northern Midlands team. Wishing you the best of luck and enjoy the day!

I wanted to share a timely reminder about the importance of school attendance. We love seeing your child at school every day – it is the best place for them to learn and grow. It is a chance to be around their friends, learn new things (including life skills), spark their curiosity, and have fun. Term 2 is packed with exciting things your child will not want to miss:

• Next week the Launceston Youth Theatre will be providing a three-day drama incursion with all students
• Week 4 is Fire Safety week
• EPS Cross Country Carnival is on the Wednesday of week 4
• 5-6 Sports Exchange begins for Football and Netball with 3 inter school games this term and several Country Gold Tryouts.
• Year 5 students will participate in an Illuminate weeklong opportunity with other students from neighbouring schools in week 5
• Swimming and Water Safety Program at the Launceston Aquatic Centre for our year 3,4&5 students in weeks 7 and 8
• And the Community Champions hope to organise a disco later in the term.

Please talk to us if you are having trouble getting your child to school. We are here to help, and support is available.

As we celebrate Mother's Day, let us take a moment to honour and appreciate the incredible women who shape our lives with their love, strength, and wisdom. Mothers are our first teachers, our biggest supporters, and our most trusted confidants. To all the mothers in our school community, thank you for your tireless efforts and support. You nurture not only your own children but also contribute to the growth and well-being of our entire school family. Wishing you a very....

Kind regards,

Mrs Maree Duggan

Our Mother's Day Stall is happening again tomorrow Friday 9th May for Prep - Year 6. Our Kinders and State Athletics Carnival students enjoyed purchasing their gifts today.

Our new navy and yellow Evandale Beanies are now for sale in the office for $20!

Limited beanies are available and can be worn by anyone: students, family members, sporting clubs of Evandale.

This is an SLC fundraiser and all proceeds will go towards refurbishing our school library.

Mrs Duggan is enjoying wearing her beanie and capturing selfies with students wearing their beanies!

Meet Rivah and Eli outside the office for a sticker if you walk to school.

This day is a great opportunity for families to walk to school together and have conversations about being a safe road user.

Here are some tips to help make walking to school a regular part of your routine:

Plan your route:

• Take some time to plan the safest and most convenient route to walk to school. Consider pedestrian crossings, footpaths, and traffic lights.

Set a schedule:

• Decide on the days and times you'll walk to school each week. Consistency is key to forming a new habit. Try to stick to your schedule as much as possible.

Safety first:

• ALWAYS hold your child’s hand until they are at least 8 years old. Closely supervise them until they are at least 10 years old.
• ALWAYS hold your child's hand:
• when on the footpath
• when crossing the road or
• when in a car park

Teach your child about being a safe pedestrian:

• This includes watching out for driveways, walking facing traffic when there are no footpaths and always Stop, Look, Listen, Think, everytime you cross the road.

Avoid distractions:

• Set a good example by putting your phone away. Focus on your surroundings. If you need to use your phone, stop in a safe place.

Make it fun:

• Keep the walks enjoyable by talking about what you see and about your day. This can help make the time go quickly and make walking to school something your child looks forward to.

Join forces:

• Coordinate with other families in your neighbourhood to walk to school together. Not only does this make it more fun for the kids, but it also provides additional safety in numbers.

Celebrate achievements:

• Celebrate achievements along the way to keep motivation high. Whether it's reaching a certain number of walks or noticing improvements in fitness, acknowledging progress can help reinforce the habit.

Practise, Practise, Practise:

• The more supervised pedestrian experiences your child can get the better, so they will be ready to safely travel by themselves when they are older.

Walk Safely to School Day can be the start of a new routine.

A friendly reminder to families who are yet to pay their school levies. Please contact the office to organise payment. Payment plans are available.

School levies help support your child with resources for their learning.