Principal's Report 

2023 has been an incredible year and on behalf of Team Tally I extend heartfelt thanks to our school community for your support and kindness.  The positive impact of our friendly school community cannot be overstated. 

We are very proud of the achievements of our students throughout the year, as well as their effort and behaviour.  It has been a pleasure to see and hear our students being respectful, grateful, friendly and kind.  

I am incredibly grateful to Team Tally (i.e. all staff members) for their collective efforts to nurture our students and continue our ongoing work to make our school the very best it can be.  Team Tally consistently go above and beyond to care for our students, community and each other and I am impressed by their expertise, dedication and positivity on a daily basis. 

As you know, this year we reviewed our school and engaged in an external validation process.  I don't yet have the publishable version of the validation report from Central Office but would like to share some excerpts with you: 

• Words such as ‘family’, ‘community’, ‘belonging’ and ‘team’ are frequently used across the school to describe ‘Tally’. 
• The Tally Way is highly valued and celebrated by all, as uniting the community and fostering a growth mindset and desire for learning with and for students.  
• The tone of the school reflects a deep belief and school-wide commitment to all students being successful. 
• Teachers and leaders take personal and collective responsibility for learning, wellbeing, engagement and achievement for all students.  
• A culture of collaboration, care and support permeates the school community. 
• Evidence-informed decision-making drives whole-school and student learning improvement. 
• Staff highly value, seek and contribute to their individual and colleagues’ professional learning. 
• The holistic development of the individual is at the core of the school’s vision. 
• A strong focus on the academic, wellbeing and relational growth of each student is consistently described as the shared purpose of leaders, teachers, staff and parents.  

Tally Way Day 

Our students thoroughly enjoyed Tally Way Day today and it was a lovely way to culminate another year of learning about positive behaviour and wellbeing.  The entire day was free for or students thanks to the generous support of our P&C and Gold Prosperity Partners, John Fischer & Shelley Watkins - PRD Burleigh Head.  Children danced, did activities and had a pizza party.  Thank you to the wonderful volunteers who rallied to distribute the pizza and chocolates.  

‘Night of Stars’ - 23 November 

Congratulations and thank you to all students who performed at our Night of Stars. Thank you to Mr Gaggin for coordinating this event and to our fabulous Performing Arts team, Lucy Williamson and Tegan Ferrier (Dance Team Leaders), Reuben McLean (Strings), Mark Slingsy (Band) and Lucy Wild (Choir) for teaching our students and preparing them for their performances. 

It was wonderful to have some many friends and family members here to enjoy the entertainment!   

Year 6 Graduates 

We wish our graduating class of 2023 all the very best for their next educational chapter.  It has been our privilege and pleasure to know these impressive young people and see them learn and grow throughout their primary years. 

Last Thursday (30 November), we celebrated our Year 6 students at a graduation ceremony with parents and caregivers.  Each child was presented a graduation certificate to mark this very special milestone and achievement and awards were given across a wide range of categories including: Strive for Excellence (i.e. highest effort grade in all subjects), academic performance, sport, The Arts and citizenship.  That night, Year 6 children attended a gala event with dinner, dancing, photos, sharing memories and trivia.   

Thank you to the following people and organisations for supporting these events: 

• Tallebudgera State School Parents & Citizens Association and our Prosperity Partners:  John Fischer & Shelley Watkins - PRD Burleigh Heads, Lauren Macdonald & Glen Parsons Nurse Next Door, Ryan & Jodi Harding – Cricks Tweed, Ella Sanderson - Blackk Mortgage Brokers, Glen Bowe – Positive Energy Tennis Club 
• Fusion Media (Dave and Liz Paull) who volunteered their time to take professional photos that were then shared with families 
• Parent and carer volunteers who worked together to add decorations (e.g. balloons and a red carpet) and personal touches (e.g. photo collages) and to help pack up 
• Honourable Karen Andrews MP 
• Councillor Gail O’Neill  
• Laura Gerber MP 
• The YMCA 
• Lions Club of Palm Beach Currumbin 
• Lions Club of Gold Coast Tallebudgera 
• Team Tally 

Yesterday, our whole school lined the paths for our traditional Tunnel of Love to farewell our Year 6 graduates.  

Karen Andrews MP Christmas Colouring In Competition  

On the 20 November we had a visit by Karen Andrews MP Federal Member for McPherson to award our Year 5 student, Elaina, with a gift hamper and certificate for taking out first place in the MP's Christmas Colouring in Competition.  Congratulations Elaina!  

Prep and Year 1 Concerts 

There was cuteness and talent overload at the Prep and Year 1 end of Year Dance concerts this week.  Mrs Theuerkauf did a fabulous job showcasing our children's individual talents through the choreography and the hall was full on both days with an audience of parents, carers and other family members.   

Swimming Carnival 

Congratulations to our students who participated in the swimming carnival this week and to all those who placed in competitive events.  Please see the Sport report in this newsletter for more about this event that was run brilliantly by our HPE Teacher, Craig Marais, with assistance from Team Tally. 

First Day Back 

School resumes on Monday, 22 January 2024 and we are excited about our plans for welcoming everyone to school for Term 1.  Additional information about the start of school will be emailed to parents and carers. 

Thank you for a spectacular year!  Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday!   

Zoe Harlow

Principal