Traffic Issues

Traffic around the school is heavier than usual due to works at the university. We are also beginning to experience the annual influx of student drivers who are often inexperienced and unfamiliar with the area’s speed limits.

To help keep our kids safe, please

• Escort younger kids across crossings rather than dropping them off and observing from your car.
• Use the roundabout to make turns: illegal U turns near crossings over double lines are unsafe.
• Don’t stop in the road at the crossings to drop off your kids, this blocks other drivers’view of them and other children.

A survey of traffic on Abercrombie and Golden Grove Streets was conducted in Week 2 by Oz Traffic, and this is the first step to hopefully get a “Lollypop person.”

Crossing Duty

In the absence of an official "Lollypop person", you may have seen the parent volunteer assistants in hi-vis vests attending at the two pedestrian crossings nearest the school. The role of the assistants is to increase driver awareness of the crossings by providing a clear, visible adult presence.

This role is informal and assistants have no authority to stop or direct traffic or pedestrians, but we have found that their presence effectively calms traffic by causing cars to slow down and check their driving environment.

Ideally we’d like to have two assistants present per crossing, morning and afternoon. It takes 30 minutes, and is done on a rotation basis so you can commit just for one session per week if that suits.

If you can help out with crossing duty please contact Rebecca: rks@wideopen.net.au.

Mad Hair for Matilda

Today students wore mad hair to school, with gold coin donations going to support Matilda's YMCA swimathon.

Matilda is in year 6 at Darlington Public School, and participating in the the swimathon on 2nd of March. You can help her by donating online here : https://ymcaswimathon-ianthorpe2014.everydayhero.com/au/matilda.

"please help me raise money so that kids with disabilities can learn to swim, it's great that you are helping me and I say a huge THANKS! wish me luck on the 2nd of March!"

Well done to Matilda who has already personally  raised $1,090 to this great cause!

Her team is $265 short of their goal, so please consider helping them out.

Trivia Night

The first Darlington Public School Fundraiser for 2014 is coming...

When: Friday 4 April 7:00pm
Where: At the school
How much: Tickets will be $25 per person including pizza. $250 for a table of 10. Alcohol will be available for purchase on the night.
What: A chance to connect with other parents while trying to answer questions about anything and everything. Lots of prizes, raffle, silent auction, dancing. Lots of fun!!

Now we need your help:

Donations: Can your work place or business offer a voucher that we can auction? Do you have some amazing gift from granny that you don’t want/need but someone else would? Do you have contacts with alcohol or pizza suppliers who you could ask to help?

Volunteers: We need people to...

• Contact (either in person or with a letter) local businesses and organisations to ask for donations such as...‘lunch for 2’ or ‘icecream for 4 kids’, ‘book vouchers’
• Make a poster to advertise the event
• Sell tickets and organise tables
• Set up and decorate the hall and collect things needed a few days before the event
• MC for the event
• Provide entertainment – Do you know a band who would want to perform?
• Man the bar on the night (preferably with RSA certificate)
• Clean up etc.

If you can help out in any way please contact Heather Clement on heather@fixylady.com.au or 0431 217 302.