Dear Community
It’s hard to believe that this is the last newsletter for Term 2! Despite facing many challenges, as a community we have shown great perseverance and flexibility and all pulled together to make it a positive and enriching experience for our children. So, I thank you.
As you will be aware, we can look forward to further easing of restrictions this weekend. As a school, we will continue with what is currently in place for the last week of term. During the week, staff will reassess the situation and notify you of any changes as we move forward to Term 3 and beyond. Some of the things we will be discussing will be regarding parent access on site, assemblies and of course sports carnivals, which are a Term 3 fixture.
Please read on below for information on some events that have occurred over the past few weeks as well as those that will be taking place next week and at the start of Term 3.
As always, if you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Sarah Dawson
Principal
Pupil Free Day: Friday 3 July.
The last day of Term 2 for students will be THURSDAY 2 July.
Staff were unable to participate in a school development day at the beginning of this term as teachers were required to use the pupil free day to plan for the unexpected return of students to school. As a result, the Department has directed that schools choose an extra pupil free day for school development purposes.
We have chosen to hold this day on Friday 3 July, the last day of term. We hope that adjoining this day to the upcoming holidays will cause the least possible disruption to our families.
Please add this pupil free day to your calendars. Reminders will also be sent out on the Skoolbag App.
Whole School Picnic – Farewell to Will: Thursday 2 July
The imminent easing of restrictions has allowed us the opportunity to hold a whole school picnic on the last day of term.
· Lunch will be held from 1pm – 2pm
· Parents are invited to come and picnic with their children on the school oval
· Our student leaders will have some organised activities for students to participate in
· Students will be allowed to wear free dress for the day
This event is very much ‘weather permitting’. At this stage Thursday looks like it will be sunny, however, should things change the event may need to be cancelled. Whether or not it is going ahead will confirmed on Wednesday afternoon via the Skoolbag App.
This is the first time we have been able to invite parents to a school event this term. We do however, still require all adults to adhere to a 2m social distancing rule whilst on the site.
If possible, please come along and help us farewell our wonderful Chaplain, Mr Will Veldman!
Classroom teachers will email out reminders about this event early next week.
Reports
Semester 1 reports will be emailed on Friday July 3 so please make sure to check your inboxes! The link to your child’s report remain active for one month so it is a good idea to download a copy for future reference.
As previously mentioned, with the regular attendance of many students being greatly reduced over this time, missing up to six weeks of schooling, the breadth and depth of the curriculum covered throughout Semester 1 has been greatly impacted. For this reason, the Department of Education has directed that schools are not required to include A to E grades on this year’s Semester 1 student reports. It also means that your child’s attendance may not be reported, and any written comments may provide less information on their progress than usual.
The reports will still include information on what your children have been covering in each learning area. English and Maths comments will be more personalised, outlining what your child has been able to demonstrate and also include some goals for students to work towards in Semester 2. They just will not contain a grade. The reports will also have a general comment and an indication of the attitudes, efforts and behaviours that have been displayed by students. We hope that more detailed reports will once again be able to be provided at the end of Semester 2.
School Board
The School Board met last Wednesday evening, 17 June.
We looked at how links are made between School Reviews and Business Plans, and targets and strategies are set to reflect suggested areas of improvement. We also noted differences between the old and new School Review formats and discussed how this might inform the content of our next Business Plan.
We then reviewed the wording of the Dress Code policy to better reflect the current school context and ethos. This same discussion was had with staff and with input from both groups, updates will be drafted and the reviewed policy endorsed during Term 3.
The next meeting is scheduled for 12 August. As always, our meetings are open to the public and we welcome anyone who may be interested in joining us.
Student Drop Off and Pick Up
Unfortunately we are still having some issues with parking behavior on Hinderwell Road. Please refrain from double or triple parking when picking up children. We have had several complaints from the community. If this issue continues it is likely that the ranger may become involved.
Also, parents that are congregating near the weatherboard building (year 4/5 classroom) at the end of the day please keep their children from climbing the wooden steps and playing on the wooden landing.
