P&C Report
Congratulations YSS: 2020 P&C of the Year Awards ‘Band 9’ winner!
CONGRATULATIONS to our fantastic YSS community - on 6 November our school was announced as the 'Band 9' winner of the 2020 P&C of the Year Awards! We were one of 6 schools to be presented an award, which came with $1,500 for our P&C. Our nomination demonstrated our community's collective efforts to air condition every classroom at YSS. This was a special project that started in 2015 and was completed in 2019 with the final classrooms air conditioned in time for the summer heat in term 4. The award recognises our community's outstanding planning, engagement, communication, generosity and collaboration to raise the funds needed to air condition our school.
New ‘gingerbread fence people’ on display now
After months of planning, preparation and working bees by a team of parent volunteers led by Sue and Jeremy Tape, our children's much anticipated new 'fence people' additions to the YSS fence line have all arrived and are on display for all to see. A big THANK YOU to the wonderful parent volunteers, teachers and children who have worked so hard to bring the 2020 'Gingerbread ence people' project to life.
The final working bee to add the 'fence people' to the fence was held on 21 November (a couple of extra trips to school were made the following weeks to put up the last 20). Some of the new 'fence people' are dotted among the original ones, but the majority of the new ones are on School Rd, between the Prep gate and Yeronga Pool, and there are some on the fence near the gate as you enter the school from the pool car park, near the senior Nature Play area. Enjoy!!! Can your child/ren find theirs?
Pic: YSS parents Jeremy, Glenn and Gerlinda at the final 'fence people' working bee on 21 November 2021 'Just One Thing' volunteering survey
As 2020 rapidly draws to a close the P&C is already planning for 2021. Our 'Just One Thing' survey is a window into the myriad of ways you can get involved throughout the year. 2021 volunteering opportunities start the week before school returns with 'back to school' Uniform Shop opening days (18 January to 29 January). We will also need a new team of Parent Reps for 2021, and volunteers for the Prep Welcome BBQ on 30 January.
To sign up for these, and other volunteering opportunities that take your fancy for 2021, please head to: www.surveymonkey.com/r/yss2021justonething. It's easy - just tick the option/s you would like to do, enter your details and submit. Volunteering at school is fun and a great way to meet other wonderful YSS parents/carers.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/yss2021justonething
2021 P&C Membership
2021 P&C Membership is now open! If you're keen to hit the ground running in the New Year, it only takes a moment to renew your membership for 2021 - you're welcome to renew today: www.surveymonkey.com/r/ysspandc2021membership.
Thank you Debbie Spanner: invitation to contribute
Having served as YSS Principal of Yeronga State School from 2012 to 2019, Debbie Spanner has made a significant and lasting contribution to our school.
In 2020 Debbie moved to her next role at Indooroopilly SS, but COVID-19 denied our community the opportunity to come together to honour and thank Debbie for her service to YSS. To let Debbie know how much we appreciate her leadership and the transformation she brought to YSS, appreciative parents have created an online 'GroupTogether' page to collect donations (any amount) from anyone who would like to contribute and add a note of thanks to the online card. Should you wish to contribute, please do so by Friday, 11 December.
Donations will go towards a 'Debbie Spanner Community Care Fund' at YSS to support students in need of financial assistance to fully participate in educational opportunities (eg incursions, excursions, camps, etc) when they may otherwise not be able to participate.
We look forward to presenting this special token of appreciation to Debbie on behalf of our school community (https://app.grouptogether.com/contributor?collection=3fb78590-8b55-4f36-bc8b-8d241efd711a#).
2021 Uniform Shop 'back to school' opening hours
To help families prepare for the 2021 school year, the Uniform Shop will be open the following additional days and times in January. We expect the Uniform Shop will be very busy these days - if you have time to volunteer at any of the following times please let us know by completing the 'Just One Thing' volunteer survey: www.surveymonkey.com/r/yss2021justonething
Price lists and other Uniform Shop information are available on the P&C website: www.yerongasspandc.org.au/index.php/uniform-shop/
Uniform shop opening hours: Last week of summer school holidays 2021
- Monday, 18 January – 9:00am to 12:00 noon
- Tuesday, 19 January – 12:00 to 3:00pm
- Wednesday, 20 January – 9:00am to 12:00 noon
- Thursday, 21 January – 12:00 to 3:00pm
- Friday, 22 January – 9:00am to 12:00 noon
First week of school, 2021
- Wednesday, 27 January – 8:30 to 9:30am, and 2:30 to 3:30pm
- Thursday, 28 January – 8:30 to 9:30am, and 2:30 to 3:30pm
- Friday, 29 January – 8:30 to 9:30am, and 2:30 to 3:30pm
YSS P&C 2020-2023 Strategic Plan
After completing the school air conditioning project in 2019, the P&C embarked on a strategic planning process to determine its priorities from 2020 to 2023. We are proud to share the YSS P&C 2020-2023 Strategic Plan that was endorsed by members in August.
The Plan was developed in consultation with P&C members, the school leadership team, and the wider school community, and will guide future decision making by the YSS P&C. It articulates a set of values, principles and objectives that underpin decisions around management, operations and budget, and was developed using a co-design approach to ensure meaningful community engagement and robust input to guide the P&C's strategic direction. Stages involved in developing the plan included:
- A P&C community survey to establish key priorities for students, staff, P&C leadership and the wider community
- P&C monthly meetings
- A co-designed strategic workshop with key stakeholders - thank you to school parent and Articulous Communications Chief Operations Officer, Emma Andrews, for faciliting the strategic plan workshop and drafting the plan.
To read the Strategic Plan overview and download a copy head to: www.yerongasspandc.org.au/index.php/2020-2023-strategic-plan/ (just a little light Summer holiday reading for you!).
http://yerongasspandc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2020-2023YSSPandC_StrategicPlan_FINAL2-3.pdf.
Thank you for your support through this crazy year
2020 sure has been a year like no other! We are grateful for our calm, caring and compassionate YSS community that adapted so swiftly to changes thrust upon everyone by COVID-19 at the end of term 1. We were lucky to be able to sneak in a couple of activities before the pandemic made everything really tricky, including snow cones for the Senior Cross Country, and our Easter raffle created happiness a couple of weeks earlier than expected.
We experienced 5 weeks of home schooling with our wonderful teachers supporting our children daily with new learning materials, and being on the front line supporting the children of essential workers at school. Our YOSHC and Tuckshop services remained open throughout - a massive THANK YOU to our P&C staff who kept these services open to support our community, while the Tuckshop and Uniform Shop offered 'click and collect' services. Families also benefited from the Australian government's 'free childcare' package that enabled YOSHC to continue to care for YSS children at no cost to families. YOSHC staff also volunteered in the Tuckshop when children returned to school but parent volunteers were not allowed on campus.
Terms 3 and 4 have been full of activity with 'covid' adaptations to ensure the health of our community. The generosity of our community shone through for the Father's Day stall with many making extra donations of gifts and money to ensure all children could choose a gift for their significant adult. The swimming carnival snow cones tradition has continued in week 9 thanks to a team of parents and carers volunteering their time. And of course we celebrate the addition of 150 new 'fence people' to our school's fence line in preparation for YSS' 150th anniversary celebrations in 2021.
Zoom video conferencing has become a regular feature of P&C meetings. In August members officially adopted the P&C's new 2020-2023 Strategic Plan which will guide the P&C's activities, operations and support provided for our children and school over the next three years. We also introduced new streamlined P&C meeting procedures to ensure our meetings are welcoming, enjoyable and efficient for those who attend.
THANK YOU to all in our community for your outstanding contributions that make YSS a truly special school for our children, teachers and families. We wish you a wonderful summer holiday and Christmas festive season and look forward to seeing you back at school in January 2021.
Summer Holiday Art Classes
P&C extracurricular art teacher, Sophia Dias (Kids Art Fun), is offering a range of Summer Holiday Art Classes for children aged 5 to 12 years throughout the summer holidays - 7 December to 22 January (No classes between 21 December to 1 January).
Classes are open to beginners and more experienced child artists where they will explore a variety of visual arts designed to unleash the artist within. Classes are limited to 10 students per class. Bookings can be made online, via phone (0422 539 568), or email (kidsartfun@gmail.com). For more information see the Kids Art Fun flyer or head to www.kidsart.fun.
Kym Mansfield and Hamish Townsend
Yeronga State School P&C Co-Presidents
ysspandcpresident@gmail.com