Principal
Were You at the Fair on Saturday?
WOW! What an AMAZING day! The combined efforts of our school community came together for a fun time, to celebrate and share all that is great about Solway. All of the hard work, creative ideas and careful planning came together for the Solway Community Fair!
Rides, food, stalls, activities and animals – there was something for everyone, and from start to finish the school grounds buzzed with excitement as hundreds came along to join in the fun, or try their luck on activities such as the Silent Auction, Lob-a-Choc or the Dunking Machine. The rides and the popular blend-n-bike smoothies had queues most of the day, including the Petting Farm and Pony Rides, Face Painting and Lucky Dip.
Hundreds of school families contributed to the fabulous success of our Fair, whether it was providing goods for stalls, or cooking something delicious for our famous Cake Stall, assisting with the setting up, or the packing away. Families and members of the local community donated, created, supplied, purchased, made, entertained and organised, and came together to give life to the 2023 Solway Community Fair.
It would be impossible to name everyone who contributed to the Fair, there were so many who were generous with their time, money, efforts and enthusiasm – in the lead up to the Fair and on the day itself. And we thank them all! The Fair was a huge success, as a fun day out, as a community event and with the large crowds which came along to enjoy it.
However, we must acknowledge our amazing Fair Conveners, Felicity McGrath (Max 3/4G), Liz Warry (Thomas 5D) and Anna Globan (Charlie 3/4G) who created the vision and worked so hard and so enthusiastically to see it become a reality. The dedication and organisation of these ladies is astounding. Beginning with the planning in June last year, meeting with me for the initial plans, then running a fair meeting in August where a number of new parents joined us to discuss what being a stall holder was all about. They worked tirelessly with a team of helpers to ensure nothing was left to chance, and every detail was considered, culminating in such a successful Fair. So a very, very big ‘THANK YOU’ to the three of you for everything! Even under the most challenging of circumstances, Felicity and Anna stayed on course, keeping Liz informed about the progress along the way. We are so incredibly lucky to have these amazing women, our fair could not have happened without their leadership. We will formally acknowledge their work on Friday 31 March at assembly.
Thanks also to Sarah McDonell our wonderful Business Manager, for her support and organisation as she liaised between the Fair organising committee members and the school, and for her guidance regarding ‘all things financial’, before, during and after the Fair. Sarah worked tirelessly in the Office from 8am till 7pm on the Fair Day, to make sure EFPTOS machines were working, tokens collected and all money was handled efficiently and securely.
Parents, school staff, students and members of the wider community all contributed to the success of our Fair – it was truly a successful Solway Community event, and we should all be so very proud to have been a part of it. Well done to all!
Early indications show we have raised over $60,000! This is absolutely amazing! Once final costs have all been presented, paid and money collected for the silent auction, we will have an accurate figure to share with the community.
Raffle
Thanks so much for everyone who sold raffle tickets. The barrel was full! There was an amazing response from the whole school and it was a close battle to see who could sell the most raffle books and win a fair superpass!! A special congratulations to the following students who were our runners up:
* Selling a very impressive 4 books were Max B (3/4G), Maxi D and Maddie D (1M and 2T), Angus and Hugo C (PD), Alexander B (3S).
* Selling a massive 6 books well done Emmie and Arlo L (4B and 6W)
Taking out the superpass win with the sale of 7 books are Sam and Eden V (PO and 2D)!
Raffle Winners
1st Prize Congratulations to Alicia Laxana – winner of the 4 night/5 day stay at the Tamarind Resort in Nusa Lembongan which is a small Balinese Island approx. 20 minutes by boat from Bali. This year our first prize has been donated by one of our Solway families, the Hamilton’s. The Tamarind Resort is a 5 star, eco-friendly luxury boutique hotel with all the amenities – private beach, fine dining, beautiful spa, fully equipped gym, 3 pools, yoga, water sports – the lot. The prize is valued at over $2500. A big thanks to Monty and Shae!!
2nd Prize Congratulations to Emma Hill – winner of the $1000 QT Kitchen Voucher: donated by Kevin and Kenny at QT Kitchen Glen Iris. In 2022 QT Kitchen was awarded Victoria’s Vietnamese Restaurant of the Year and was also the Silver Award winner for the National Vietnamese Restaurant of the Year competition. They have delicious food and a great venue for functions. Thank you so much QT kitchen.
3rd Prize Congratulations to Kylie O’Dea – winner of the Yarra Valley Winery Day Tour for up to 6 people including private transport, lunch at Balgownie Estate and wine tasting at Soumah Wines with a total Value over $900, donated by our very own Taylor St Lollipop lady, Carolyn Ahearne. Thank you so much Carolyn and the team at Travel Managers!
Sponsors and Donations
A very big thank you to all our sponsors for their generous donations. Thank you to our school students for taking part in free dress days and donating all the chocolate for the Lob-a-Choc. Thank you to all who baked and brought in ingredients cake and jam stalls. Without the generosity of our school and wider community, we would not have had the prizes to give away and the produce to purchase!
Thank you to the Hamilton Family, QT Kitchen and Carolyn and the team at Travel Managers for the Raffle prizes.
Thank you to all who donated items for the silent auction.
Thank you, Salesian College, for their sponsorship and having their stall with some amazing prizes.
Stall Thank you
Thank you to the wonderful stall holders for their work in setting up and ensuring their station was supervised all day:
Hot foods/BBQ/Sushi – Jess Symmons and Libby Green
Fun Food – Caroline Drew, Lisa Wilson and Jo Raisbeck
Information/Token Booth – Laura Sheffield, Kate Strange, Sarah Zarbos
Lucky Dip and Big Wheel – Alicia Laxana, Sam Giannikos and Shannon Stewart
Lob a Choc – Claire Atchison, Bianca Lapins and Amanda Seefield
Mystery Wine – Alex McManamey and Claire Jenkinson
Raffle – Lucinda Brockfield
Sports Arena – Susan and Dan Raven
Photo Booth – Lucinda Watford and Claire Scott
Bar – Haydn Scott
Cake Stall – Kasia Odgers, Vanessa Loayza Bustamante, Con O’Gorman and Emily Grenville
Silent Auction – Elly Herrick
Petting Zoo and Pony Rides – Caitlin Bowden and Sam Davidson
Plant Stall – Penny Dumsday and Kelly Hendry
Kids Glow Up – Kim James, Lucy Price and Kate Walker
Bike N Blend – Sally and Rob Hamilton
Condiments – Phillippa Waters, Jane Skanthalingham and Susannah Hicks
Other thank you
Special shout out to Keean Mallon for setting up and coordinating the electrical work for the day to ensure everything was running smoothly and safely!
Thanks to Belinda Macphie for supervising the traffic and oval for the arrival of the rides on Friday afternoon/evening.
Nicky Moore and the many parents who worked all day Friday to help get the school Fair ready, preparing for the stalls and setting up.
Adam Dale and Andrew Stobie for transporting the dunk tank to and from Sandringham.
A big thanks also to the Solway staff who attended on Fair day to show their support and the 10 staff, parents and students for volunteering for the Dunk Tank!
Thank you to all who helped out on the day at the various locations, set up, pack up, etc.
It really takes the whole community to ensure the day is a success and that it was!
Year 5/6 Camp
We wish all of the year 5/6 students, teachers and parent helpers a wonderful time on camp! We hope they have a wonderful week and that the weather is kind to them.
NAPLAN
Last week we supported our Year 3 and 5 students who began the 2023 NAPLAN Assessments. This year NAPLAN is online, but earlier this year. We have a ten day window to complete the assessments, however with the Year 5/6 camp our Year 5 students will only have Monday 27th March to complete any missed assessments on their return. Our Year 3 students have time this week to reschedule any assessments missed due to absence.
Swimming
Congratulations to the students who represented Solway at the Division Swimming on Wednesday 8 March. They did a fabulous job, with four students – Zenith L Yr 6, Henry S Yr 5, Sid D Yr 4 and Charlie E Yr 4, making it through to the Regional Swimming Championship on Friday 24 March. Congratulations to these four students and we wish you all the very best at the Regional event.
Harmony Day
Today is Harmony Day, however with so much happening with the Fair, Year 5/6 Camp and NAPLAN, Solway will celebrate on Tuesday 4 April. On this date, students, staff and community members can come dressed in clothes from any cultural background or wear a touch of orange – the colour that symbolises Harmony Day. Students will take part in activites on the day. This important date on the calendar is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values. Held every year on 21 March, Harmony Day coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. We look forward to celebrating when our year 5/6 students are back and NAPLAN is over!
Ramadan
Based on the sighting of the moon; The Australian National Council for Imams has officially declared the commencement of the Holy Month of Ramadan to be on Thursday the 23rd of March. Wishing all of our Muslim families a reverent month.
Congratulations
To Allan and Tanya Skea on the birth of their second child, Etta Jane Skea, a little sister for Robin. Etta was born very early on Saturday morning!
Lyn Rodda
Principal