I am so impressed with how the students have settled back into school life and learning. Classrooms are buzzing with new learning and activities as we head toward the end of Term 2.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the parents, carers and community for following the guidelines and not entering the site. As a school we have always had an open door policy, welcoming parents, families and volunteers. The impact of COVID19 is still evident. I anticipate that we will be in this current state of restrictions until at the very least the end of term. Thank you for your support in the afternoons. This is the trickiest part of our changes as we are trying to get nearly 300 students safely off the site. Three weeks into the master plan and I think it is starting to feel like a smooth transition at the end of the day. I know it is not ideal, and often it is difficult but we are following these guidelines to keep all adults safe and well and do our part in keeping the curve flat.
As soon as I know, I will communicate plans for Term 3. We are hoping that some things might return to normal…fingers crossed. As a staff we are currently evaluating what worked during the learning at home period. There are already some great things coming out of the changes. I look forward to sharing some of these with you in the coming weeks.
As a gentle reminder, as we are limiting the adults on the site to essential visitors, which generally are just trades people to fix things in the school. Here are a few of the changes:
· If you require new uniforms please call the front office and our wonderful office ladies will take your payment over the phone and then deliver the new uniforms to your child to bring home.
· If you are collecting your child/ren early or bringing them to school after an appointment please call the front office from the front gate and someone will meet you there to walk with your child/ren. We are here to support the students and are happy to meet them there to ease any anxiety.
· If you need to speak to your child’s classroom teacher, either call the front office or email the school and the message will be passed on to the teacher who will follow up. We are happy to arrange a meeting at the gate or Zoom meeting with parents if necessary.
Thank you to Kristy Grice, who so very kindly dropped some goodies in last week to thank the staff for all of the their hard work recently. It is times like this I feel so very privileged to work here at Stockton Public School.
SCHOOL REPORTS
Semester 1 reports will be coming home Wednesday Week 10 (1 July) for students K-6. They will be a modified report consistent with Department of Education guidelines due to learning at home during COVID19 restrictions and the consequential disruptions to class learning and assessments. The report will include a comment on your child’s progress in English and Mathematics as well as future learning goals. We have also included Commitment to Learning, Wellbeing and Social Development markers. There will be no grades this semester. We are hoping that as restrictions ease we might be able to schedule student led conferences at some point next term.
KINDER ENROLMENTS 2021F
From the beginning of Term 3 we will be taking enrolments for Preschool and Kindergarten for 2021. Families who reside within our ‘Enrolment Zone’ may apply for enrolment at any time. Our boundary map and street names are on our school website. Please be aware if a non-local child is enrolled at Stockton Public School, parents need to understand siblings will only be enrolled if enrolment capacity allows at the time of an enrolment application. If this is a future kindergarten enrolment, this may not be able to be determined until September for the beginning of the following year. If your family’s current residential address is in the current intake zone, and you move outside the school’s intake zone, younger siblings cannot be offered enrolment unless there are spaces available for non-locals. Sibling enrolments are prioritised but not guaranteed. Parents need to be aware of these policy implications.
Please note this is also the case for entry to high school. Attendance at Stockton Public School does not guarantee enrolment at Newcastle High School. Please see Newcastle High School’s website for their enrolment procedures.
If you need to discuss this matter further please do not hesitate to contact me.
KEEPING OUR KIDS SAFE AND HEALTHY
We have a number of students enrolled in our school who have severe, life threatening allergic reactions to some foods particularly tree nuts and peanuts. We would ask for the co-operation of our school community in helping to minimise the risk to these students by not including peanut butter, Nutella or nut based food in their children’s lunches. Please talk to your child about not sharing or swapping lunches or other food. Your efforts will help make our school a safer place for all our students.
TELL THEM FROM ME
I am delighted that this term, our school, like many other public schools in the state, will participate in a Department of Education initiative: the Tell Them From Me student feedback survey. The survey measures factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW-wide survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices. The survey is only for students in Years 4, 5 and 6.
The survey is a great opportunity for our students to provide us with valuable and quick feedback on what they think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. More than 6,300 schools in Australia and around the world have used Tell Them From Me to survey 5.4 million students. Capturing the voices of our students will help improve how we do things at our school. More information about the survey is available at: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au
I want to assure you that the survey is confidential. The survey is conducted online and will typically take less than 30 minutes to complete. It will be administered during school hours before the end of the term. Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary. A consent form and FAQs for parents/carers about the survey will be sent home with Year 4, 5 and 6 students. If you do not want your child or children to participate, please return the form to school by next Friday 19 June.
INTENTION TO APPLY FOR YEAR 5 ENTRY TO AN OPPORTUNITY CLASS FOR 2020
Opportunity classes cater for academically gifted and talented students. Applications for opportunity class placement are considered mainly on the combined results of the Opportunity Class Placement Test and school assessments. The Opportunity Class Placement Test will be held on Wednesday 16 September 2020. If you would like to have your child considered for Year 5 opportunity class entry in 2020, you need to apply soon. You will need to apply on the internet using a valid email address (not the student’s email address).
Parents and carers must apply online between Tuesday 9 June and Friday 26 June 2020 at:
https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-5
You must apply by the due date. There are no paper application forms. You must submit only ONE application for each student.
If you require further information please contact the office as there is a booklet that can be emailed to you.
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS School holidays are not far away. Our last day of Term 2 is Friday 3 July. Staff Development Day for staff only is Monday 20 July. Students return Tuesday 21 July.
Kind regards
Ms Jodie Holt
Principal
