Dear Parents,
Week 8 of the school term already! Our last day of term is Friday 25th September, with school resuming on Monday 12th October. There is no pupil-free day at the start of Term 4.
Social Media
As you may have heard on the radio, television or internet, there is a very distressing video circulating at the moment that is targeting the social media platforms that children and young people access. The Department has advised parents to restrict their child’s access to social media until the source of the video can be traced and removed. The video starts innocuously with some cute fluffy animals, so it is easy to think the video is appropriate initially. The safest option for our students is to stay away from social media until next week.
Parent & Teacher Interviews
These will be held in the last week of term via telephone. The booking system opens this Friday, so please keep an eye out on SkoolBag!
During these interviews, you may be asked to answer a few questions to inform our planning for 2021. This is, of course, optional! A random selection of parents have been identified and will be asked 4 questions about our school:
· What are 2 things we are doing really well?
· What are 2 things we could get better at?
· What are 2 things that we aren’t doing that we could think about doing?
· What are the 2 most important outcomes for children at school?
Of course, any parent is welcome to provide their feedback. If you are not part of the random selection, but would like to have your say, please contact the office or send an email.
Kindy Transition
We are still awaiting information from the Department regarding our transition program for Term 4. The state education minister, health officials and department of education representatives will be meeting on Friday regarding a range of current restrictions in schools and will provide advice about changes following this. Meanwhile, many of our Kindy 2021 families have already had their phone interview with Mrs Haran, our Deputy Principal, with the remainder of the interviews scheduled across the rest of this term. The sharing of information is a vital part of successful transition programs!
Lost Property
It will come as no surprise to you to hear that our lost property tub is overflowing again! Our lovely ladies in the office regularly check for names and reunite lost items with their owner; however, there are a lot of items that do not have names in them. We will hold all un-named items until the end of the term. After this, they will be washed and dried and added to our school clothing pool. Please encourage your child to check lost property for their missing items!
Principal’s Morning Tea
Last week, two children from each of our K-2 classes were invited to spend morning tea with me. Every child enjoyed their individual treat bag of morning tea goodies, ensuring we were Covid-safe! The Years 3-6 morning tea was held today. Congratulations to all our Principal Morning Tea students, for being recognised by their teachers as safe, respectful learners!
After Hours Safety
We have noticed a few students coming onto school grounds after hours, which is a safety risk. Students are not permitted to be on school grounds once they have left for the afternoon. Our students have been reminded of this safety rule and the importance of following it.
Early Leavers
With parents not able to be onsite at present, picking your child up early from school to attend appointments requires some pre-planning. Please contact the office, in advance, so it is easier for us to arrange for your child to be ready for you to pick up. Please be aware that if you contact us during school break times – recess and lunch, you may need to wait until after the play period is finished before we can organise your child to come to the office with their bag.
School Photos
Our school photo day went smoothly last week, with great smiles and neat uniforms everywhere! Our school photographer was back onsite today to take photos of any students who were absent last Friday. Although these students will not be in the class group photo, they will be included in the class composite photo!
The Year 6 Year Book photos, will be taken in Term 4.
Covid-19
Please see the following information from the Department:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, students with symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, loss of taste, and loss of smell), even mild symptoms, should not be at school. For students who are unwell with respiratory symptoms, a negative COVID-19 test result must be received and sighted by the school, otherwise the student is to be excluded from school for a 10 day period. Additionally, the student must have been symptom free for at least 3 days before returning to school.
I understand that these measures put into place by the Department may cause concern for families. The usual viruses are certainly circulating at the moment, but the current situation means we need to be more vigilant in ensuring that sniffly noses and irritating coughs are not masking a possible Covid case. If your child is unwell with cold or flu-like symptoms, please keep them away from school and arrange for a Covid test. Thank you for your understanding and support in this.
The same rules apply to our staff and their families, which is why you have seen an increase in staff absences this term!
Have a lovely week!
Mrs Jennifer Thompson
