Tuesday 12th July 2022
Hello everyone,
Welcome to Term 3. I hope that you all had a chance to have some kind of a break.
Yesterday I attended an online meeting for principals with the Deputy Secretary of Education. The messages for us were: -
· There is an expectation that the new strain of Omicron will be present in schools this term. It is highly virulent. This may have an impact on student attendance and also mean that there may be some workforce pressures with absent staff.
· Vaccination mandates are no longer in force in schools. You will not be required to prove any level of vaccination to visit or work in the school.
· RAT kits will be provided to staff and students until the end of the year. You are encouraged to test your children every week to ensure that they are negative. If you have a sufficient supply of RAT kits, could you please let the office know and we will stop sending them to you.
· Ventilation units will be run at the highest level in each classroom.
· Face masks are available and recommended for all students and staff in schools. There is no obligation to wear a mask.
· Please remember that your child cannot be at school if they are unwell.
· Household contacts are required to test negative using a rapid antigen test on at least 5 out of 7 days if they are attending or working at a school onsite.
· Household contacts attending school who are over 8 years of age are required to wear face masks indoors unless they have a valid exception. See updated close contact requirements below.
- Parents/carers are able to leave isolation if other arrangements cannot be made to transport their non-infectious child via private vehicle to and/or from school. The person leaving self-isolation must travel directly to and from the location, making no stops, unless there is an emergency or as required by law. They must remain in the vehicle at all times, unless it is reasonably necessary to leave the vehicle to deliver the person to and from school, and must wear a face covering whilst outside the place of self-isolation.
As always, I am approaching this term positively and hoping that we will be able to provide a term of learning that is not disrupted by illness.
Term three is our “production term”. This year, despite not being able to hold the production for the last two years, we are going ahead with the planning and rehearsals for our performance of “Bug Boogie”. All students will participate in the show, which is scheduled for the week beginning the 5th September (second last week of term). There will be a matinee performance (Tuesday afternoon) and two night performances on the Wednesday and Thursday night. Closer to the date, you will be offered the chance to buy tickets via the Trybooking website. This was always a highlight of our school year and I’m really looking forward to having it as part of our calendar again.
Today, you will receive an invitation to parent teacher interviews which will be held next week. We have decided to use WebEx for these, rather than ask you to come out on a Winter’s night, but if you would prefer a face-to-face meeting, please contact your child’s teacher to arrange a suitable time.
I know that Friends of the School are working hard behind the scenes to prepare for our school fete on November 11th. This term you will be asked if you can volunteer your time for the fete. This event is not only the major fundraiser for the school, but also our biggest community event. It is a time for us to all work together to show our children how a healthy community can achieve goals. Please help us by giving us some of your time on the day.
This term is also our International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme evaluation. For three days (August 15th, 16th 17th) we will host an IB team who will look at the learning and our processes in the school. This is a prestigious program, and we are required to demonstrate that we meet all of the policies and guidelines of the IB. Simon Dohler (our PYP coordinator) and I will be hosting an open day and information session early in August for parents who would like to know more about the program and the benefits it provides for your children. We will send out an invitation next week.
Could I please remind all parents to read the newsletter, as it contains important dates and information? If you know of any parent who is not using Skoolbag, could you please ask them to contact us so that we can help them to access it, as we are aware of some parents who are missing important messages.
At the request of the School Council, I have been negotiating with Macedon Ranges Shire re the removal of the Kiss and Drop Zone at the front of the school. School Council believe that the area is not safe and are asking that parents return to the previous system of parking and walking their children into school. This process has been quite protracted, and I will let you know via the newsletter if there is a change to the parking situation.
Today I hosted the new Senior Education Improvement Leader (my boss) Stephen Brain to our school. He was very complimentary about the high level of student achievement that our results are showing and the successes that the school is achieving, even though we have been through such a difficult period of time. This is the result of hard work by students, teachers, and parents to keep the focus on learning and wellbeing, despite all of the issues that have been faced!
Please remember that you are now welcome in the school at any time. There are no longer any restrictions on entry.
Kind Regards,
Trish
