The weather was perfect and the crowds rolled in early. All sectors of the Coolum Community came along to take advantage of all the wonderful activities on offer. A noticeable feature of the night was the amazing efforts some of the parents had taken in the presentation of bottles and cakes. Many were a real work of art. Financially the night was very successful with the GROSS takings up 25% on 2008. Final figures will be available once all the accounts have been finalised. A big thank you to all the staff, students, parents, our generous sponsors and the wider Coolum community for their incredible support. A special thanks to our Co-ordinators Cathy Taylor and Denise French whose untiring efforts ensure a well co-ordinated and safe night. Perhaps the thing that strikes you most about the Carnival is the tremendous community spirit which was evident on the night. Well done on a fantastic community event.

Each and every day at school children are taught new concepts. The school curriculum is developed to span the 10 weeks of each term. Concepts are presented, developed and revised over this time frame. As we come to the end of the school year many assessment pieces are presented and graded. It has come to my attention that some students are having irregular school attendance, arriving late/ leaving early or taking family holidays during term. Teachers do their very best to deliver the required teaching and also help where children are finding it hard to grasp the topic. If a child is not in class they are missing out. Sometimes parents ask for "work", however teachers TEACH and then use tasks to consolidate the learning, the sheet is not, in itself, the teaching. Ten days absence for the full school year would be considered the maximum unless a child has a reported ongoing illness.

 In line with Education Queensland Policy, we are currently undertaking a review of the school’s Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students. This review is to not only make changes in accordance with new policies such as Cyber bullying but to reflect on what we do to ensure a safe and supportive environment.  I invite parents to call in and see me and share any concerns or ideas which could be used to improve on what we already do.  The current Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students can be found on our school website.  I look forward to any parent contributions.