Palm Island school leads challenge!

The recently released Try for 5! leaderboard reveals how participating primary schools are placed in the Sun Metals inter-school competition.

The top three leaders are Bwgcolman Community School in first place, Ayr State School in second, with St. Michael's School following in third place.

Bwgcolman Community School is leading with an 8.86% improved attendance rate, placing the school in the top position of the 14 schools ranked.

Try for 5! ambassador Ray Thompson visited Bwgcolman in Term 3 and spoke of the high level of student engagement.

"When I talked about self-motivation the students responded really positively, especially when we discussed the fun aspects of school and why they choose to come every day," Ray said.

On his visit Ray spoke about respect and the three different ways respect is important.

"I talked about the importance of respecting others, respecting the environment and most importantly, respecting ourselves," Ray said.

Ray balanced these important messages with interactive fun, dancing with the Year 1 class to the Cowboys theme song.

Ambassador visits inspire students to attend school daily, and tailored plans deliver extra help to students with a low attendance record.

"By acknowledging individual and collective successes during our visits we inspire kids to do their best, and then plans help with making sure kids stay on track when we're not there to reward them," Ray said.

"It's because of the hard-work of everyone involved, and the support from Sun Metals, that positive results come about, and it's equally rewarding for us to see how hard students try."

For more information on Try for 5! go to www.cowboysfoundation.org.au/programs/try-for-5/.