A Kindergarten ‘first day’ is special

Without wanting to detract in any way from all of our students in Years 1-6 who have had an excellent start to 2023, there is something very special about the first day for a new Kindergarten class. Last Thursday, we were privileged to welcome 45 new students who commenced Kindergarten with us at LPS. As a group they came in excited, full of confidence and ready to start their school journey with very few tears. To my delight, something that has never happened to me before melted my heart and made my week. As I made my way down to greet the students and their families, one of the girls walked straight up to me and presented me with a picture that she had drawn especially for me with the letters MH (Mr Holland) in the top corner. Although I am lucky to receive lots of lovely notes and drawings from students across our school throughout the year, I’ve never had a student present me one on their first day of school. Wow – Thank you Zoe! Of course, the joy didn’t stop there, as I mixed with them during recess, Luca couldn’t wait to show me his Spiderman lunch box and several wanted to show me their new shoes. At the end of the day, Lachlan told me the best part of his day was playing with big brother Liam at school and Hazel liked playing with her friend Hadley in Year 1. This is just a sample of the joy, innocence and delight that a new group of Kindergarten students bring to a school community. My thanks to the parents and Kindergarten staff for all the work and preparation that went into making their first day a really good one. 

School Uniform

A big thank you to everyone who completed the uniform design survey at the end of 2022. After collating the parents, students and teachers survey results there was a very clear result with approximately 63% of the community voting for Option 1 (see below) as the preferred choice. Voting for the overall design was fairly consistent across all 3 stakeholder groups, but there were some differences with respect to the hat colour and jumper style.

In this coming week, I will summarise the voting in more detail  in order to share details at the P&C meeting and in next week’s newsletter. Our uniform supplier, The School Locker, is starting work on producing sample garments, using the most popular design concept for our approval. This step proceeds the commencement of manufacture. At this stage, we are still working towards new uniforms be available some time towards the middle of this year.

Swimming Carnival

I’m looking forward to our first extra-curricular activity this week – the annual swimming carnival. Parents, carers, friends and family are invited to join us at the Forum Aquatic Centre, Newcastle University. Please not that there is a $3 spectator fee to enter the facility. Good luck to all of the students who are competing. I look forward to seeing you there.

Thank you to all of our students and staff for a very calm and settled start to 2023.

Have a greet week.

David Holland

Lambton Public School's annual swimming carnival is taking place this coming Wednesday 8 February. We are looking forward to welcoming families back as spectators this year. The back 2 rows of the grandstand will be reserved for visitors (please note there is a $3 spectator fee). We have included below a schedule of events for the day and information regarding parking at the venue which you may find helpful.  

Reminders for the day:

• Students are asked to arrive at school before the 8.55 am morning bell to be ready to line up under the COLA for the morning assembly with their bags.
• Buses will be departing at approximately 9.10 am with events expected to start by 9.40 am. All races are expected to conclude by 2.30 pm with students expected back at school by 2.55 pm.
• To support their Sporting House, students can wear their House colours, and bring mascots and signs. Items that cannot be worn or taken to the pool include zinc, coloured hairspray and crepe paper. 
• Students need to wear their swimmers to school under their uniform but will have an opportunity to change before returning to school. They are encouraged to bring a plastic bag to place their wet belongings in for the return to school.
• Spectators can access the cafe, however, students will not be able to leave the grandstand to purchase food. They need to pack water and enough food for the entire day.
• If you would like to collect your child from the venue you must sign them out at the recorder's table. All early leave is considered an unjustified partial absence and will be recorded on your child's attendance record. 
•  All races are timed, and final places are determined by the fastest 3 times in each category. This may mean that your child may receive a place in their heat and not place in the top 3 overall.
• Please note that we acknowledge students using House points who place in the novelty 25m race, however, ribbons for these events are not rewarded. 

This information was shared on Skoolbag last Wednesday, but in case you missed it, from our student enrolment we formed 13 mainstream classes plus our autism support class. The staff roles in 2023 are as follows:

At the end of Term 4, Mrs Tracy Lewis was successful in applying for a relieving Assistant Principal position at Edgeworth Public School for 2023. Congratulations to Mrs Lewis, we wish her all the best for her new relieving role. 

While the community continues to transition towards living with COVID-19, NSW Health advised that the unpredictable nature of the virus will continue to present a health risk to the community, with new waves of transmission expected this year. Our school will continue to operate with baseline COVID-smart measures in place this term to minimise transmission. These include a combination of layered safety measures, such as:

• Staying home if unwell and test for COVID-19 if showing any symptoms
• Boosted day cleaning of high-touch areas in our schools
• Strongly encouraging masks to be worn by all students, staff and visitors, particularly when indoors or outdoors when physical distancing is difficult to maintain
• Strongly encouraging up-to-date vaccinations for our staff and students, including COVID-19 booster shots for anyone eligible
• Maintaining natural ventilation with windows and doors open whenever possible, including when cooling/heating systems are in use
• Continuing to provide RATs and other hygiene products to families free of charge.
  

If our school grounds, particularly the pathways to and from buildings are not quite as tidy as you would normally see them, we apologise for this. Keeping the pathways and concrete play areas clean and tidy falls under the cleaning contract and at present our school does not have a permanent cleaner appointed. Casual cleaners are here each morning and prioritising the work internally in classrooms and toilets etc but unfortunately the grounds are not being cleared routinely as they normally would. We hope it will be amended soon, and we thank you for your patience in the meantime. 

Our first P&C meeting for 2023 is scheduled for next Tuesday 7 February at 7:00pm and will take place at the Waterboard Bowling Club (2 Compton Street, North Lambton). If you are new to our school – we would like to invite you to come along and meet us. Connecting with school through the P&C is a great way to get a better understanding of your child’s school and the role P&C plays in collaborating with the school – and why not bring a friend if you can. Hope to see you there. 

In 2023, our RFF program will be delivered by Mr Moore and will have a sport and physical activity focus. This means that your child may now participate in sport on a day other than Friday. This has caused some confusion for families with respect to the sports uniform, ie which day to wear it.

Firstly, once we move to the new uniform there will be no sports uniform. The new garments have been selected to be suitable for physical activity on any day of the week, and there was deemed to be no need for a sports uniform moving forward. Traditionally, the day that students wear the current sports uniform has been Friday, this will not change.

In 2023, there is no requirement to wear a sports uniform at all. If your child has a sports uniform, they may wear it on Friday (only) as has been our tradition. For new families, please do not attempt to purchase a sports uniform, your children are fine to wear the everyday uniform of a red polo shirt with bottle green shorts/skorts every day of the week, until the new uniform is available. 

Playground Equipment

Work has begun on the installation of our new playground equipment in the asphalt playground. Most of the fixtures were connected and put in place on Friday and the rubber softfall will be installed this coming Thursday. There will be some additional maintenance to do around the tree to tidy this area up, in the weeks ahead, but we are hopeful that the new equipment will be ready to use in approx 10 days’ time.

 Library Carpet

In the Christmas holiday period, the carpet in both the library and our K/6C classroom were upgraded and replaced. Yes, that is correct - no more ‘lime green’ library carpet!

Our Kindergarten students did a fantastic job last week for their first two school days. It was lovely to see so many smiling and excited faces each morning. We have also enjoyed meeting so many new parents and grandparents during drop off and pick up, and we look forward to working with you and sharing your child’s educational journey this year. 

This week our morning routine for kindergarten students will be adjusted slightly. We ask that kindergarten students continue to come to the hall COLA area each morning, where they will be able to collect their name badges and meet one of the buddies from their pod. We encourage parents to farewell their child in this COLA before leaving for the day. Buddies will then escort the kindergarten students into the playground and ensure they find their class and teacher when the bell goes.  

As kindergarten students begin to feel more confident, they may begin coming into school with older siblings rather than a parent. If this is the case, we ask that siblings assist by bringing their kindergarten brother or sister to the hall COLA to collect their badge on arrival. 

There are teachers on duty at school from 8:30 am each day, so parents can drop their children at school anytime between 8:30 and 8:55 am. It is generally ideal if students arrive approximately 10 minutes before the bell as this allows them to connect with other students on arrival and be settled and ready to meet their class when the bell goes. 

If your child is having difficulties separating from you, a teacher at the hall COLA will be able to assist.  

We look forward to a fabulous week in kindergarten this week. 

Our end of day exit procedures will be exactly the same for the start of 2023 as they were at the end of last year. They are designed to release the students safely and slowly in smaller groups. Please refer to the information and map below to know the time and place where your child will exit. As pick-up and collection can vary for some families from day to day, please ensure that your children clearly know how they are to exit each day. This includes informing them of the days that they are to attend OOSH. For younger children, a great parent idea is to attach a little label/tag to your child’s bag which can be changed each day to show them (and their teacher) how they are getting home. 

Personal Details

If you have changed personal details e.g. address, phone numbers including work or mobile please contact the office asap so that we can update our records. Also, if there has been a change in emergency contact details, please speak to one of the team members in the office, or email changes to the school. This will ensure that we contact the most appropriate people in the event of an emergency.  

The administration team requires this information in writing so please  send an email to lambton-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au should you need to update any information. 

Custody Orders and AVOs

If your child is subject to custody orders, could you please ensure a copy of these orders are lodged with the office staff. Custody orders and the like can often impact on school life in some form or another, so having them on site gives us the best opportunity to support your family. This needs to be done annually to ensure the best care for your child.

Absence from School

The current Covid-19 advice is that if children are unwell they should not come to school. If they have flu-like symptoms they should use one of the RAT test supplied (coming next week) to check for Covid-19 before attending school, however if they are negative but generally unwell, parents should use discretion on if they are well enough to attend school.

 Please note: If your child is absent from school, you are legally required to explain the reason for their absence within 7 days of the absence.  This can be done, by sending a note in to your child’s class teacher on the day they return or by using the eForms section of the Skoolbag App. If your doctor provides you with a medical certificate for your child, a copy can be provided to school to support their absence if you choose. From time to time, families plan holidays during the school term. Family holidays are no longer an accepted category for exemption from school attendance. If your family is planning a holiday during a school term, please speak to the office staff about the process involved, in some cases you may meet the Department’s guidelines for ‘Extended Leave – Travel’. It is always best to do this in advance and to also inform your child’s class teacher. We will provide more information about absences due to a family holiday in a newsletter in the coming weeks.

Administration of Medication

From time to time, some students need to take medication at school. This can be on a regular basis for a specific condition or may be for short term periods following illness. The administration of medication to students during the school day is managed by the office team. In order for the school to administer medication to your child, you must complete a consent form, provide the medication in its original packaging and ensure the medication has the pharmacy label with dosage and administration times clearly indicated. All of this must be done in advance by a parent or carer. Please do not send your child to school with medication in their bag. We would ask that you contact the office to complete preparations prior to medication being administered.

What to do if you have an Issue?

We are often asked – ‘What’s the best thing to do if there is an issue regarding or involving my child?’. The best course of action is always to speak to your child’s class teacher first. They are at the ‘coal face’ so to speak and have the best idea of the things impacting upon your child. Often concerns about their learning or friendship issues can be best resolved at the classroom level. If after you have spoken to the child’s class teacher the issue remains unresolved – please make contact with the appropriate Assistant Principal who supervises your child’s grade:

K-2         Mrs Saunders

3-4         Mr Semmens

5-6         Miss O’Connor (Mon-Tue) and Mrs Gillard (Wed-Fri)

If after you have spoken to the class teacher and AP the issue is still unresolved, you can certainly bring your concerns to the principal Mr Holland. For all matters involving school policies and procedures an appointment with Mr Holland can be arranged through the school office. The leaflet attached below provides a helpful summary.

Children at LPS are permitted to use the toilets during class time if it is necessary. However, we do encourage using the toilet at the beginning or end of breaks and just before school so as to have less impact on their learning. Any child that needs to go to the toilet is expected to take a friend with them. If we believe that your child is using the toilet to the point that their class work is suffering, Mr Holland has asked the classroom teachers to mention this to you for your guidance on the most appropriate course of action.

An updated canteen menu has been uploaded to the My School Connect App. Please refer to this for the most up to date and current information about the menu and the prices of each item. The classes were entered and updated in My School Connect at the of last week, so it should now be easier to select your child’s class when placing an order. Thanks for your patience during the transition. 

Click here to register your account with MySchoolConnect

The Book Club LOOP platform for parents allows you to pay by credit card. Your child’s order is submitted directly to school safe and sound and the books will be delivered to class. You can place your child’s order at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.