Crossing the Road Safely – Be a Role Model for Our Children

At Warrigal Road State School, the safety of our students is our top priority — and that includes what happens before and after the bell rings. One of the most important lessons we can teach our children isn’t in the classroom — it’s how to cross the road safely.

Each day, hundreds of students arrive and leave school via busy roads. They look to the adults around them for guidance. That’s why it’s so important that parents, carers, and family members lead by example.

We’ve noticed that some people are choosing to cross roads between cars, outside designated crossings, or when the lights haven’t yet changed. While this may save a few seconds, it puts everyone at risk — especially young children who are watching and learning.

To bring some humour and awareness to this serious issue, we created a short movie featuring two very special guests: Mr Carter and Judge Geary. Let’s just say things didn’t go quite as planned when Mr Carter forgot to follow the road safety rules!

Check out the video on our Warrigal Road State School Facebook page to see what happened!

The message is clear:
Use the designated crossings
Wait for the signal
Be alert, not distracted
Hold hands with young children
Set the example — every time

By following the road rules ourselves, we’re helping to keep our children safe and empowering them to make safe choices for life.

Let’s work together to protect our most precious pedestrians.

After School Procedures at Warrigal Road State School
Supporting a Safe and Smooth End to Every School Day

As the school bell rings each afternoon, our priority remains the same: ensuring every student is safely on their way home or to after-school care. To make this possible, we ask all families to follow our after-school procedures closely.

Supervision and Exits

A staff member is positioned at every school exit until 3:30pm to help monitor student safety and assist with end-of-day routines. Students are expected to leave promptly unless attending OSHC or waiting with a parent or carer.

Pick-Up Timing

To help reduce congestion and wait times:

• Parents of older students are encouraged to arrive after 3:15pm, once the initial rush has eased.

• This allows for a smoother pick-up and less traffic around the school gates.

Pick-Up Zones

• Use the designated pick-up/drop-off areas only.

• Stay in your vehicle and move forward as directed by staff.

• We recommend your family name (or code name) is clearly displayed for efficient identification. Mrs Geary at the office has plenty of dashboard displays if you want one.

Walkers and Riders

• Students walking or riding home must use designated pedestrian exits and follow road safety rules.

Uncollected Students

• Any student not collected by 3:30pm will be taken to the school office.

• Parents will be contacted, and students must remain inside the office area until collected and be signed out.

While we understand that occasional delays due to traffic or unforeseen circumstances can happen, these should be rare exceptions.
Please note:

• Repeated late pick-ups may be referred to relevant authorities.

• After 3:30pm, after-hours supervision fees apply — currently $200 per minute.

• We highly recommend registering with our OSHC (Outside School Hours Care) service if you are regularly unable to collect your child on time.

Celebrating the Sounds-Write Success at Warrigal Road!

Over the past few weeks, our leadership team has had the absolute pleasure of visiting classrooms across the school to witness the incredible teaching and learning taking place during Sounds-Write reading sessions.

From Prep to Year 6, it has been inspiring to see the dedication, consistency, and expertise with which our teachers and teacher aides are delivering high-quality reading instruction. Classrooms are alive with purposeful learning — students are engaged, confident, and making strong connections between sounds, letters, and words.

Sounds-Write is a highly effective, evidence-based approach to teaching reading, and it has become an integral part of our whole-school commitment to improving literacy outcomes for every student. What stood out most during our visits was the clarity of routines, the precision of instruction, and the warm, supportive environments that make learning to read both successful and joyful.

We want to acknowledge and celebrate the incredible efforts of our teachers and teacher aides, who continue to demonstrate unwavering commitment to the program. Whether it's guiding students through a new sound, supporting their blending and segmenting skills, or reinforcing previous learning with enthusiasm — the results speak for themselves.

Thank you for your continued work in ensuring every Warrigal student has the strongest possible foundation in reading. Your impact is seen daily in your students’ progress and confidence — and we are so proud of the consistent excellence being delivered in every classroom.