What a week to have the flu!

I haven't had the flu since 2007! And I've probably gotten a little complacent - sure, I wash my hands 20 times a day and steer clear of sneezing people; I send my staff home when they are sick with severe admonishments about coming back to school too soon, but I don't have the flu jab every year and for the past few years have escaped unscathed.

But, no, this is the week I pick to get bedridden - the week our Indoor Sports Centre was finally open and we could have an indoor Assembly!

I've been talking about this possibility since our very first Assembly in January 2010. The fact we didn't have a hall like every other school in Australia at that time drew raised eyebrows from the then Minister for Education and Training, Geoff Wilson, when he opened our school on 12 February 2010.

There were lots of phone calls, emails and letters from me and pleas from the P&C Association which all seemed to fall on deaf ears; then suddenly one day in 2012 I was told the funding for our hall was in the state budget.

However, a budget year came and went and there was no sign of any activity at all. I had sat in on many meetings, chosen a plan, walked the site with builders and engineers but no one could say when it was going to happen.

Suddenly last August I received a call - 'we start next week' was the message. And it's been flat out since then. We've had a few hiccups - 'small' things like too many new enrolments and not enough classrooms, so they decided to put two classrooms under the centre, lots of dirt through classrooms driving our cleaners crazy, Prep H shouting at each other over the noise of diggers and trucks despite Ms Hollonds best efforts to instil 'whisper voices' in the classroom. But now it's finished. It's big and beautiful and exactly right for Assembly.

And I had to go and miss the first one!

I've seen a recording on You Tube though - thanks to Elaine in the office. It was so great to see all the students, parents and staff in there with room to spare! And everyone stood QUIETLY for the national anthem (this is my dream!) but maybe Elaine's recording wasn't so good for that section.

We are going to have a lot of fun in that space. It's a facility that will add to our already strong community spirit. But for now, I'm so happy to see it sitting there up high on the edge of our school.

I'm not missing Assembly next week - for anything!

5SH - the first class to have PE in the ISC

Our children are so very lucky!

Today I collected the keys for our new Indoor Sports Centre and the two new classrooms underneath. It was quite overwhelming to see this wonderful facility finished and ready for kids to learn in. The builders proudly took Cam (our PE teacher), Mark (our School's Officer), Jill (our Business Services Manager) and I for a tour. We were all smiling from ear to ear!

The facility is beautiful! Just beautiful!

It's big and bright and airy. It has amazing sound proofing on the walls for acoustics - I couldn't stop touching it!) It has properly installed automatic basketball hoops - it has an international standards rating.  Yes, we could actually host an international basketball carnival in our very own Sports Centre. The space is aerated with massive fans (there is a rude name for these!). There's a kitchen and very generous amenities.


The classrooms underneath are stunning - long rooms with muted colours just screaming out for colourful art works; tinted windows and air conditioning (yes, air conditioning! I'm now conducting an auction at Staff Meetings for teachers wanting to move to these rooms!)

We can move in on Monday.

A friend of mine recently spent seven weeks working in Tanzania and spent most of that time in classrooms with children who walk up to an hour each way just to go to school.


I wonder if our children realise how very lucky they are?

Image courtesy of Africa Geographic

Happy Mother's Day

Some of you will know I'm a mother - a very proud one!

I remember when Maddie was born, looking down at her on the birthing cushion and thinking 'oh my, look what I've done'. The only other time I have felt that way was the day our school opened and all the children came streaming in the gate on that first day.

Even now I look her as an adult and marvel on how her childhood and young adulthood is panning out. She went off to Thailand for the university holidays last year and worked as a dive master for three months. Of course, I went to visit her and spent days on the boats watching her working. As she hosted 30+ holiday makers, organised the dive staff, paid the marine park fees, bossed the Captain and boat boys around, sorted out passenger problems, dealt with sea sick kids, jumped in the water with her own divers, and then made sure everyone got back to their hotel safe and sound, I kept wondering 'who is that young woman?'

There's a lot said these days about mothers and 'me time'. I've never been a fan of 'me time'. The best use of 'me time' is always to spend it with my daughter. I relish every minute with my child and always have. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I had four!

I remember the day she moved to college and started uni - I was completely bereft and thought my heart would break. I'm getting better at 'me time' now!

The other day I was listening to little Jude chattering away to his Dad in the other office. I emailed Dave and told him how I loved listening to Jude talking to him in the afternoons. He emailed back and said 'Yes, Jude has an interesting take on life and I need to stop and listen to him more'.

To all mothers everywhere - have a wonderful Mother's Day. Enjoy and make the most of the time with your children. They grow up so fast and are gone making their own way in the world before you know it.

ANZAC Traditions

It's wonderful to see our school's traditions establishing, growing and changing over time.  One of the most important traditions is our ANZAC Ceremony at school and our attendance at the Dawn Service at Coolum RSL on ANZAC Day morning.

Our Student Leaders do a fabulous job of leading the Ceremony which is usually held the day before ANZAC Day. All the classes make gorgeous wreaths and two children proudly represent their class to lay it at the base of the flag pole. In our first year we held our ceremony at the flag poles at the front of the school. Now we have 803 children meeting in the Central Covered Games Area facing the beautiful Peace Garden built by Mark, our School's Officer, and paid for by Coolum RSL.

Sometimes we have a real life trumpeter and other times we rely on technology for the Last Post and the Reveille. This year we had drummers - fantastic! And these days, we are all excellent at the Minute's Silence! This year we added the New Zealand National Anthem. After all, ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps - it's not all about us!

Early ANZAC morning we meet at Seacove Court and proudly march with our school flag to the RSL for the Dawn Service. It's often cold and always dark. And we are always very quiet and respectful. We usually take one of the class' beautiful wreaths, and two Student Leaders line up and take it to the flag pole.

ANZAC Dawn Service on Lady Elliot Island

I was unable to attend this year. University holidays don't coincide with school holidays this year so I took a few extra days and went scuba diving with my daughter. On ANZAC morning, we stood in our wet suits on the beach facing a sunrise over the water watching the Australian flag flying on a yacht's mast and I was hoping that another tradition had been upheld back at Coolum RSL - and that is the supply of muffins for hungry little tummies. (I was so happy to see later on Facebook that in fact, Mr Foxover and Mrs Cathcart had remembered, and that the tradition has evolved to cupcakes!)

I love the Drop Off Zone

I love the Drop Off Zone! How nerdy is that?

I race out at 3.00pm every afternoon I can. Sometimes Sandy (Mrs Cathcart) will say, 'I'll do it for you'. But I never let her.

It's the one time of the day that I get to spend time with the same group of children. I love that they greet me when I get there. Some of them are carrying books and we chat about stories and authors. Others are proudly carrying art works they have created that day and they love to show me.  I help them put stuff in their bags and we talk about what's in their homework folders.

We often have to huddle together under umbrellas and I have a special pair of gum boots for those days. Too many pairs of shoes have been ruined on wet days! Or I have to insist everyone put their hat on because we are baking in the sun for 15 minutes. The children are always good natured about whatever happens.

Kids yell goodbye as they climb into their cars, Mums and Dads wave, some older past students slink low in front seats trying not to be seen, and when there is a dog in the front seat we say 'how cute!' One past parent used to bring their cat and I got to cuddle him on more than one occasion. I often have a quick chat with a parent or two - Did you get my email? Your child has settled well into our school? Can you come and see me about your little bloke who is starting school next year?

The boys and I often pass comment on the cars and we love it when the Butterworth's drive their Cadillac in. We can smell the gasoline from a mile away! This week we saw a car with a self-closing boot. 'Awesome', we all said together and then laughed.

Everyone waits in line politely and kids like it when the gate is open and they can run up the path when their parent's car pulls in along the kerb. Kids watch the road and yell ' I can see my mum - she's gonna be on the roundabout soon'.

Children know not to chase their balls when one escapes across the road and sometimes I have to weave between the traffic to retrieve a lost item. And there is always something interesting left behind - a swimming bag, a diorama, a toy - yesterday we found just one Haviana thong. And we all had a laugh about how someone could have left only one thong behind.

Recently at a community meeting, representatives from the Council, the Police and the Department of Transport commented on how everyone waits patiently in the line all around the two roundabouts and through the school car park. Sure - we have the odd cranky person who doesn't want to keep moving when their children are not in the green space but in the main we are a very well behaved community! (Thanks for that, everyone)

At this same meeting a suggestion was made to get rid of the Drop Off Zone.  My heart sank. Really! Are they joking! I hope so because I love the Drop Off Zone. It usually ends my day with smiles and hugs from the kids I love. And when the last child is packed safely into a car, I wander back to the office to finish the day.