Dear Helensvale State High School community
I hope this email finds you well and your preparations for the new school year are underway. The school has been abuzz with numerous contractors repairing damage. Whilst the vast majority of repairs will be completed by the first day of the school term, we are still waiting on the materials to repair our canteen skylight. The skylight is directly above the serving area where there is now scaffolding for worker access. The materials are forecast to arrive shortly, so we are hoping repairs will be completed by the end of the first week of the school term. The canteen serving area and the canteen toilets will not be accessible until the works are completed.
In the meantime, our canteen will not be able to function at the capacity it generally does. We ask that students bring their own food and drinks to school in the first week. The canteen will be still open, in a restricted capacity, to serve those students who are unable to bring their own food from home.
For students who need to purchase food, we ask that you are patient. There is only one service door that the canteen staff can serve from. This is the door facing the science building. Service from this door will occur before school and second break. First break is always the busiest time for the canteen. During first break, the canteen staff will be serving food from Cassidy's restaurant. The menu items will be restricted to the following:
- Breakfast items will continue to be served before school
- At first break, meal deals will be available. For example, a meal deal may include a salad roll or salad, a drink and a fruit snack. There will be no hot food.
- At second break a limited range of snacks will be available.
Our school has now been cashless for a year. We no longer accept cash at our Finance Office, Uniform Shop or Canteen. A range of other payment options will continue to be available for students such as debit or credit card, online ordering through https://www.flexischools.com.au/ , pre-loaded student cards (previous year's student cards are acceptable) or student ID numbers found on timetables. As per the state-wide 'away for the day' phone policy, students will not be permitted to use their phones to make payment.
Other reminders:
- Students will be emailed their timetable to their school email address on Friday 19th January. Timetables will then also be accessible through the state-wide OneSchool data base which can be accessed by all students on or off campus. Students MUST view their school timetable no later than the weekend prior to arriving at school, so they know which roll class they are assigned to.
- Students will not be able to use their mobile device to do this once they enter the school grounds. Students must have their phone switched off and in their bags, and notifications switched off on wearable devices prior to entering the school grounds in the morning
- Our shade sails that were damaged will be replaced during the term. There are still plenty of shady spaces around the school to sit. However, students are encouraged to wear a hat and apply sunscreen. In extreme heat we always open some of the larger air conditioned spaces for the students.
- The mosquitoes and sandflies are quite bad, so you might like to consider your child having some type of protection or repellent.
- We have been notified by Translink of some changes to bus services. All previous services exist but sometimes have slightly altered. Please check times for your child's bus route https://translink.com.au/travel-with-us/school-travel . Please also note that there is an amnesty on bus passes due to a technical issue at Translink. The amnesty will extend until March 1st meaning that passes will not be required until that date. Information about obtaining your bus pass can be found at the above provided link.
Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you are facing any financial hardship or if your child's wellbeing has been affected by the extreme weather event.
Please enjoy the remainder of the summer holiday and I look forward to seeing our students very soon.
Kind regards
Karen Lindsay
Executive Principal
p: (07) 5573 8555
a: 243 Discovery Drive, Helensvale QLD 4212
w: helensvaleshs.eq.edu.au