Welcome back to a new year. It is a very busy start to the year in PE and District sports as usual.

For PE lessons

Students need the following for each PE lesson:

• broad brimmed school hat so that they can participate fully.
• Water bottle. This way they can drink whenever they need to without disrupting the class and there is only a single fountain on the oval.
• Shorts/skorts suitable for physical activity. Wearing a formal dress on Monday is OK, just ensure that bike shorts are worn underneath.

Swimming Carnivals:

The Pine Rivers District Swimming Carnival will be held on Wednesday 14^th February at Lawnton Pool. Selected students will be informed by Mrs. Cassell once the district paperwork has arrived. 

Cross-country change to program:

This year the junior and senior cross-country carnivals will be separated, bringing them in line with athletics and swimming. The year 3-6 students will continue to train during term 1 and race at the end of term, Tuesday 26^th March, to ensure we are prepared for the district carnival in term 2. The Prep-Year 2 students will now train during term 2, when the weather is cooler, culminating in a carnival on Monday 20^th May.

Cross-country training:

Before and after school training will be available for 10-12 year old students who wish to train for our School Cross Country Carnival and District Cross Country Trials. More information will follow during the term.

District Sports Trials:

The Pine Rivers District run trials through the year as a development pathway for 10-12year old students. At the trials, students will compete against other students from the district for a place in the Pine Rivers District Team. If selected for this team they will then be expected to attend district training and then compete against other districts. Some children may then be selected for the Regional team and so on. These trials are not a ‘give it a go’ session but rather a pathway to state and international level. For your child to be considered to trial, they need to be playing that sport in a club at the highest level available. Some less common sports do not hold district trials. Instead, selected students trial out for the regional team directly.

This year I have placed Expression of Interest forms for ALL SPORTS on the sports noticeboard. Students who have the skills to qualify for a district team need to write their name on the form so that I know who to talk to when the trials approach. Alternatively, parents can email me on cxmar5@eq.edu.au. If students or parents do not inform me of their interest and skill level I will not be able to pass on the required information.

The Pine Rivers District have introduced a new QR code system for all sports trials. The QR codes will be sent by myself to those students who are selected to attend the trial. Families will register through the code and the trial package, which is now paperless, will be sent directly to students / families.

Attached is a list of all the District Sports dates and QR scan code closing dates. However, these dates are subject to frequent changes so please keep an eye on the newsletter and encourage your children to listen in parade for updated information. Again, if your child has their name on the Expression of Interest form, I will be able to make sure that the relevant information gets to the correct people. Many of these sports are run very early this term with AFL, Baseball, Touch and Volleyball at the end of January or early February. 

Clare Marks

PE Teacher