Parkhill Primary School Newsletter

Issue 27 Friday 9 October, 2020

Principal's Message

Dear Parents/Carers

I am so excited to have the children back onsite next week! We have been busy preparing and getting ready for the big first day back on Monday. 

The children in our lower school have been part of a series of sessions to help them re-establish important links with the classroom environment and the school grounds this week. Don’t forget if you are local to us you can pop up over the weekend for a walk around and peek into the classrooms too. 

As we head into term 4 we are starting to think about transition into 2021 for our Y6 cohort. Information will follow regarding events like graduation and Big Day Out. I understand that these key events are a cause of concern for the children as they are so special to them. We are working to ensure that Y6 graduation will be a special time and celebrated in the best way we can given the circumstances.  

We are also planning Kinder to Foundation transitions too. 

Below are the arrangements for Monday's return to school. Please do remind the children that their school day will look very similar to how it always has but that school staff will be wearing face masks - this is something we are all becoming more and more comfortable with as time passes. 

The arrangements for drop off and pick up will be similar to term 2. The children have been allocated entry and exit gates to the school grounds (see below). Parents will not be allowed on school grounds at this stage and we strongly encourage you to drop your child and leave without congregating. All adults must wear a face mask when dropping off and picking up children. 

There are a few basic rules we have established to make the return to school as smooth as possible. I ask for your support with these rules to ensure we are working together to protect the health and wellbeing of everyone in our community.  I ask for your support in honouring and being respectful of these guidelines. 

I have outlined these rules below:

  • Children must enter the school and leave the school through designated gates

    • F/1 use the front gate of the school, walk around the admin building to their classrooms.

    • 2/3 will enter via the oval and use the path at the side of the soccer park to access the decked area and their classrooms.

    • 4/5/6 classes will enter the school via the Roger Beech Hall gate and use the undercover walkway access to get to their classrooms. 

  • Parents are not allowed on site. There will be school staff at the gates to meet and greet the children and help support the transition to their classrooms. 

  • At pick up time parents are advised to arrange a meeting place outside of the school boundaries to meet up with their children. Again staff will walk their classes to the exit points outlined above.

  • Volunteers and parent helpers will not be needed for the initial weeks of term 4, or until further notice.

  • School will start at 9am and finish at 3:30 as usual. Children can start to arrive from 8:50.  

  • Children cannot be onsite before 8:50 and must meet a member of staff at the allocated gate. Please use the 10 min as a staggered drop off and avoid waiting before 9:50 in a cluster. The 10min allows for people to ‘dribble’ past and drop the children off. 

Additional information:

  • Children will not be allowed to use the drink bubblers - please send a drink bottle with them. 

  • The Department of Education has added additional daily cleaning hours for high touch areas.

  • Any students who are showing symptoms of cold and flu must not attend school and will be sent home immediately if exhibiting symptoms. 

  • Students with any illness should stay home at all times.

  • All adults must wear a face mask as per the government restrictions, students may wear face masks if they wish. Children in primary school aged 12 and over are not required to wear face masks during the school day if they don’t want to. 

  • Any devices loaned must be returned to school with your child on their first day.

There will be many children who are building anxiety around returning to school, please let me know if you have concerns about your child’s return so that we can be proactive in implementing strategies to help support them. elaine.brady@education.vic.gov.au

The 12th October was originally pinned as a school based curriculum day – this will no longer be the case. The curriculum day has been rescheduled for November 16th.

Social stories and resources for Return to School:

As we prepare some of the children to return to school we may find increased anxiety and worry about what it will look like. The week 1 content for our lower school is all about return to school and refamiliarizing the children with their surroundings.  The link below hosts some resources that you may also find helpful if your child is showing signs of anxiety or worry about coming back onsite. Again, as always, please do let me know if you have concerns and we will work together to put strategies in place to help support that transition back into school life.  

https://sites.google.com/education.vic.gov.au/lfh-with-pps

Please reach out if you need support, help or have any feedback at all to offer elaine.brady@education.vic.gov.au

Take care and very best wishes,

Elaine Brady

Principal



Calendar of Curriculum Events

Monday 12th October -  All students return to school

Friday 23rd October - Grand Final Public Holiday                                   

Tuesday 3rd November - Cup Day Public Holiday                                   

Monday 16th November - Curriculum Day - No School  

We want our parents to tell us what they think!

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents think of our school. The Parent Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is conducted amongst all parents. It is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of parents’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, student engagement and experiences of remote and flexible learning. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. All parents will be invited to participate in this year’s survey. All responses to the survey are anonymous.  

This year, the Parent Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday 12th October to Friday 13th November. 

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. These include: Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Chin(Hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Turkish, Punjabi and Greek.

Michelle Smith

Assistant Principal

Home Learning Update

The students in F1C have been practising their writing whilst sharing why they are excited to come back to school!



Check out the 4/5 students shape enlargements!

'WALT: Apply your understanding of enlargements to a picture

WILF: A picture using 2D shapes accurately enlarged or reduced'


Lunch orders will be resuming next week!

Flexischools will resume from Monday 12th October and Classroom Cuisine from Wednesday the 14th October

Both will be running a reduced menu for the first couple of weeks while they ease back into term 4.

Orders can be place through the Flexischools app or from

Classroom cuisine at www.classroomcuisine.com.au

Dear Parkhill Families,

Welcome to Term 4! We are so excited about having everyone back at school next week.

Scholastic has released their next issue - Issue 7 2020. This is the Christmas bumper edition and it’s filled with 8 bonus pages of gift ideas and Christmas joy!

Important Note:

Orders will work differently this time round as our students are back at school.

  • Home delivery is not available.
  • Orders will be delivered to school, there is no delivery charge.
  • When the orders arrive, they will be given to your child to bring home.
  • Cut off date for orders - Thursday 29 October.

    Your order earns us Scholastic Rewards, which can be used to purchase additional books and resources for our school. Orders can be placed via the Book Club LOOP platform. Remember there is no obligation for you to make a purchase.

    Please do get in touch if you need a hand with your order or have any questions, angelita.williams@education.vic.gov.au.

    Chaplain’s Corner

    Chaplain’s Corner

    As we prepare for our return to school onsite next week I wanted to provide you with information that will help you and your child readjust to school after isolation. As always, KidsHelpline has proved to be a valuable resource at this time, I’ve included the key points below:

    Why is going back to normal challenging for some people?

    There are many reasons why going back to normal might be anxiety-provoking for your child. Here are some of the main concerns young people had:

    • Grief/loss over changes in lifestyle
    • 'Normal’ won’t be the same as before COVID-19 
    • Return to pre-COVID-19 stresses, like school bullying 
    • Life was better in isolation, e.g. more time with family 
    • Feeling safe at home and unsafe/out-of-control in public       
    • Fear of COVID-19 third-wave

    Supporting a worried child:

    It’s very normal for children and young people to experience re-entry anxiety following a pandemic. Here are some things that can help:

    Be curious. Ask open questions and actively listen to understand more about your child’s thoughts and feelings.

    Normalise and validate their feelings. This means letting them know that what they are feeling is normal, other people feel the same way and that there is nothing wrong with their feelings. For example, “It must be hard to have so many worries, but it’s normal to worry about getting sick when you go back to school.”

    Help them limit exposure to media. If they are younger, this might include reducing their exposure to the news. If they are older, it might be helping them to critically think about media messages they are exposed to or ensuring they are accessing reputable sources.

    Create a plan around transitioning. Planning can help alleviate some anxiety, especially fear of the unknown. Having a plan for the first day of school can help.

    Take small steps to re-integrate into society. Some fears can be alleviated with small, controlled exposures. For instance, a great first step might be a quick trip to the supermarket, or organising for your child to meet and hangout with one friend in a park.

    Problem-solve any concerns together. A lot of young people have let Kids Helpline know that their main fears revolve around bullying, conflict with friends, or school/study-related stress and this is contributing to their anxiety around going back to ‘normal’. Talking through strategies together (you can use Kids Helpline as a resource if needed for different topics) can help your child improve their problem-solving skills and feel more empowered.

    From https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/returning-normal-after-covid-19.

    As always do reach out to us if you have particular concerns or things you need support with.

    Suzanne Carmody

    Chaplain

        PFA News 18 September 2020

        Office Bearers:

        President: Rossanne Clay       

        Vice President: Vacant

        Treasurer: Vacant

        Secretary/Communications: Kylie Touloupis

        General Members:  

        Elle Delmee, Wendy Douglas, Donna Edwards, Sumi Sundram, Vanessa Cowley

        Next Meeting: Monday 19th October 8.30pm (online)

         

        TICK TOCK PARKHILL!

        How many hoops can you shoot? Always dreamed of filling your cheeks with Marshmallows? Ever wondered how many times you could write your name in 1 minute? Well watch this space the Challenge-a-thon is on its way!

        News from the PFA President

        Dear Parkhill Families,

        We have two members resigning from their role due to increasing other commitments and so we are looking for new recruits. Being part of the PFA provides an opportunity to add enormous value to the school, students and community through fundraising for amenities and by creating social activities that bring families and students together fostering the wonderful Parkhill community.

        TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

        With so few events happening in our Covid calendar year, it's a great time to try out the PFA and see if we are a fit. Have a chat with one of the team or jump onto one of our monthly calls. We would love more volunteers to brainstorm new ideas, and connect us to others in our community.

        YOUR HIDDEN TALENT

        If there is one thing you would love to help us with, that is your specialty area, please let us know so we can add you to our list of fantastic on-call members. Remember nothing is obligatory. We understand better than anyone that a "No" could mean "Next time". But letting us know what you would love to do for the school will help us when we plan our events.

        The two vacant roles where we are looking for new recruits are Vice President and Treasurer.

        Vice President:

        To chair the monthly meetings when the President is unavailable.

        To coordinate events/activities in conjunction with the President, Secretary, Treasurer and general committee members.

        To be approachable by members of the school communities.

        Treasurer:

        To follow the DET Money Handling Guidelines.

        To provide a Treasurer's Report reflecting income vs expenditure to the PFA committee meetings.

        To coordinate events/activities in conjunction with the President, Vice President, Secretary and general committee members.

        Have you tried the Newsletter in a different language?

        Simply scroll to the bottom of this newsletter, click 'select language' choose the language you would like to read the newsletter in and that's It!