It is very odd that we have so little in this section! 2 very, very important dates though below:

*10 May- HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY TO ALL OF OUR WONDERFUL, VERY IMPORTANT BHPS MUMS AND MOTHER FIGURES! 

* 11 May- Phase 1 of return to school commences

The DoE has released this helpful overview, explaining the stages. At this stage, we do not know how long each phase will operate, apart from Phase 1 beginning on Monday 11 May. We do know that the Premier aims to return students to full time “on campus” learning as soon as practical and will be reviewing regulations regularly.  

What will Phase 1 look like at Beacon Hill Public School?

From the beginning of week 3, Monday 11 May, the gradual phasing of students returning to school begins, with each student being allocated a specific day to attend. This helps us to ensure our students remain connected with our school and their teachers. Teachers have the opportunity to check in with their students, provide support and feedback on their learning as well as some explicit teaching of key concepts. This will look different though for each grade. In this setting, social distancing measures can also be accommodated more easily. There will be a limit on the number of students in a classroom with the recommendation being an average of 10 students per room. Larger learning spaces, such as libraries, halls or larger classrooms, could accommodate more students where student desks can be adequately spaced.

Rostering a gradual return to school one day per week has proven to be challenging. There is no model that is ideal for all families as there are advantages and disadvantages with each. At Beacon Hill, students will return one day per week in their house colour groups. This arrangement enables us:

*to support our families by keeping siblings together;

*to ensure we are able to keep class sizes small;

*to maximise the face-to-face teaching time between students and their classroom teacher (where possible), avoiding having to split students across many classrooms under supervision of different staff.

Please note: we do have a number of staff members who fall into higher risk categories and the current advice continues to be that these teachers are not to attend school;

* to ensure a balance of age groups meaning there is a balance in students accessing playground spaces, classrooms, additional teaching spaces and toilets.

It is important to remember that, all going well, this current plan will be short term.

What day will my child attend?

The table below indicates the day your child will be attending school with their house group. If you are not sure of your child’s house group, please contact your child’s teacher or the office.

If you are not sending your child to school on their designated day, please let the class teacher know via Skoolbag or email to the office so that the teacher knows your child will be working from home that day. We appreciate that these arrangements won't work for all families but we are not in a position to organise swapping "at school" days as I am sure you can appreciate the domino effect it will cause with timetabling, staffing and us adhering to departmental guidelines.  Thank you so much to our families for their understanding and support. 

 What will my child’s day look like?

*Supervision will be provided from 8:35am in both the K-2 and 3-6 playground. At the 9:00am bell, all students will be directed to their classrooms where they will meet their class teacher. If your child arrives between 9:00am and 9:30am, a staff member will welcome them at the main gate and take them to their classrooms.

*We have been advised to keep the number of students in a classroom to less than we would normally have. So, during Phase 1 there will be much smaller groups in each room, unless they are in one of our larger classrooms or larger learning spaces like the library, MPC or STEM room. Students may be spread across classrooms from the same grade to accommodate this if needed, although they will continue to work with their classroom teacher throughout the day.

*Learning from home will remain an integral component of the phased return to face-to-face teaching as schools will operate in "multiple" modes- supervising a reduced number of students on site (incorporating face to face teaching/ supporting students working through their one unit of learning at school), and students learning at home. While this will look different across grades, we will continue to provide one unit of learning that can be completed at home and at school. Students’ designated school day structure will be modified slightly to enable explicit teaching and direct feedback opportunities as well as some physical education but will generally follow the same structure as students would follow at home.

*Please be advised that teachers will be unable to provide the same level of feedback and assistance as they had previously during the Learning at Home period. While they will have some time scheduled for supporting home learning each day, they will not be in a position to respond to questions as quickly as they have in recent weeks.

 *We are not engaging in face-to-face assemblies, inter-school activities or excursions until further notice.

Staggered break times

We will be staggering break times during phase 1 with K-2 students having 3 scheduled breaks throughout the day. 3-6 breaks follow our usual school routine.

*K-2 morning tea/ fruit break 10:35am-11:00am/ 3-6 morning tea 11:05-11:30am

*K-2 lunch (which is usually referred to as lunch 1 and will effectively remain that way with students eating their lunch at this time) 12:25-12:50pm

*3-6 lunch 1 12:50pm-1:15pm/ 3-6 lunch 2 1:15-1:40pm

*K-2 lunch (normally lunch 2- students have a quick break to eat and a longer play session) 1:40-2:05pm

What should my child/ren bring to school on their designated day?

Please send children to school with a full water bottle, fruit break, morning tea and lunch. They will be able to use our water stations to refill water bottles but they will not be able to use the bubblers at this stage. The canteen will be operational from 11 May for online orders only. Please see canteen news in the Beacon which outlines canteen operations for Term 2 in greater detail.

Please ensure children bring their ‘Learning from Home’ materials and any resources they may need as communicated by their teacher. They will bring the work back home with them again in the afternoon to continue at home.

What uniform should my child/ren wear?

Students should wear their sports uniform on their designated school day as students will engage in a physical education lesson during the day. The first few weeks of Term 2 is traditionally a transition period from summer to winter uniform. Students are able to wear whichever uniform they feel most comfortable wearing if they attend on other days. We envisage moving into winter uniform this term from around 18 May. However, we are aware that we will have families who have not purchased winter uniforms or will need to purchase new items and that our weather can be unpredictable- so we are flexible. The uniform shop is currently taking online orders which at this time can be collected from the office. The uniform shop will continue to operate throughout the term. However, we will continue to keep you updated in regards to how they will operate (i.e continued online orders or move to over the counter) as this may change throughout the term according to guidelines.  

Staggered drop off and pick up

To support our families with maintaining social distancing, drop off and pick up times will be staggered. In the morning, students are able to arrive at school from 8:35am to 9:30am. Where possible, we are encouraging our families to utilise the kiss and drop zones and there will be a BHPS staff member present in the mornings to assist with this process.

While the bell will still ring at 9:00am and students will go directly to class, any student who arrives between 9:00am and 9:30am should head directly to their classroom for roll marking. There is no need for them to be signed in at the office during this time. A staff member will meet students at the front gate to support them with this!

In the afternoon, we are trialling a staggered pick up for interested K-2 families from the “Kiss and Collect” zone supervised by an executive member. This would involve Kindergarten being collected from 2:30pm-2:40pm, Year 1 from 2:40pm-2:50pm and Year 2 from 2:50pm-3:00pm. We have a number of families who have expressed their interest in using this service and we have noted your names and times. For K-2 families collecting students closer to normal pick up time, class teachers will let you know in more detail of collection points in the afternoon. Students attending BHOOSH will head to BHOOSH at 3pm as usual or, if they are in Kindergarten, will be collected from their classrooms as usual. 

Can my child/ren come on other days as well as, or instead of, their designated day?

The recommended guidelines for phase 1 include approximately 25% of students attending school each day from Monday – Thursday and by implementing a house group model, bearing in mind the children we have already attending additional days, we are able to adhere to those guidelines. You are encouraged to keep your child at home for the rest of the week wherever possible. However, families who need to send their child to school every day may continue to do so and no child will be turned away. Students will continue to work through their home learning plans on these days but may not be with their classmates or classroom teacher. Friday has been scheduled as a flexible day for staff where they can provide feedback on learning and plan for the weeks ahead. Students attending on Fridays will be supervised by members of the BHPS staff while working through their home learning plans. The organisation of these days will depend on the number of students who arrive at school each day.

*In order for us to implement appropriate social distancing measures proportionate to health advice at this time, we ask that parents/ carers please consider their drop off and pick up arrangements and clearly communicate them with your children. We strongly encourage parents/ carers to drop students off at the school gate in the morning and to depart promptly where practicable. Staff members will be available near the main gate to assist with the Kiss and Drop, welcome students and guide them to the playground or classroom in the morning. Additionally, we ask that parents/ carers please adhere to social distancing measures in the afternoon at pick up and where possible, arrange to pick up children outside of the school gates. We do understand that this is not as easy to do with our younger students so, if parents/ carers are not using the “Kiss and Collect” service, we ask that they please adhere to social distancing guidelines, remain outside the school grounds where possible as teachers are happy to walk students to you, collect children and leave the school grounds promptly. 

*If you need to contact us at school, please make contact via phone or email. If it is necessary to visit the office, please continue to respect the 1.5 – 2 metre distancing rules, and follow the taped distance markings.

*If your child is unwell or has flu like or respiratory symptoms, please keep them at home, even when the symptoms are mild. If your child is unwell at school, parents will be notified and asked to come and collect their child immediately. We are being supplied with extra PPE and infra-red thermometers for use in our school sick bay.

*If your child is sick and unable to work on the ‘Learning from Home’ material, please email or phone the school office. This helps us to maintain accurate attendance records.  In this event, students will be marked absent as usual and a recording of ‘sick leave’ will be made for this absence.

*If your child has complex health needs you are encouraged to seek medical advice to support the decision on whether your child can physically attend school.

*Family members of students who may be at an increased risk due to a medical condition are advised to seek medical advice about any risks and then to contact the school to review the health care plan.

*Please notify the school if there is a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 in your household.

Additional information…

*If your child is working from home, they will not be marked absent from school but will be marked as working in a ‘flexible’ arrangement and be present for the school day.

*If your child does not appear to be engaging in the ‘Learning from Home’ material and the teacher cannot make contact to discuss this with a parent, the student will be marked absent and this will be recorded as ‘unjustified leave’.

*Schools have been sent additional provisions of soap and hygiene supplies, such as hand sanitizer. The DoE continues to work with schools to ensure they have access to sufficient supplies.

*NSW public schools are regularly and professionally cleaned. Enhanced cleaning is being implemented across all NSW public schools.

*Schools continue to implement good hygiene practices, including:

·         wash hands frequently with soap and water before and after eating and after going to the toilet

·         cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze

·         avoid touching your face

·         limit physical contact when greeting people

·         limit physical contact in the playground.

It would be timely to remind your children about how far 1.5 metres is and how to wash their hands thoroughly for 20 seconds.

More information for parents and carers can be found at:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/advice-for-families

We thank you for your continued support and understanding and will continue to keep you informed as information becomes available. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us at school should you have any questions or concerns. We understand there is a lot of information to absorb! We are so excited to welcome back our wonderful Beacon Hill learners! We have missed them all so much!

As part of the NBN COVID-19 Education Relief Package, approximately $50 million will be directed from NBN to help retailer providers support low-income households with school-aged children who do not currently have an active NBN™ connection at home. More information will be announced soon. In the meantime families can check the following page on the NBN website and stay up to date with the official list of retailers they can engage with . Families may already have some questions and this fact sheet may bring further clarity. 

Although tricky at present, we are starting to prepare for Kindergarten 2021. If you have a child who is starting Kindergarten next year we would love to hear from you! Please make contact with our school office so we can add you to our database and ensure you receive all the vital information for transition to school in 2021. At this point in time, we aim to hold our information session during Term 3 (date TBA). In the meantime, please get in touch and let others know as well! We can add your details to our database so that when Kindergarten 2021 transition commences, we are able to let you know!

The Department recognises that some families will be subject to family breakdown. In the absence of any notification to the contrary,it will be assumed that both parents retain a shared and equal parental responsibility for their children and have been involved in making any decisions regarding their children’s education. This means that the school will recognise that each parent has equal duties, obligations, responsibilities and opportunities in relation to matters involving the school. If any changes occur in your family relationships which have the potential to impact on the relationship between the school and your family, please advise Ms Hanson immediately. This includes providing copies of any court orders that may be obtained.​

More than ever before given the current circumstances it is important that we talk with our children about being safe online. With students having access to digital devices when working from home as part of their unit of learning it is important to revisit with our children about how to be safe when using the internet and digital devices. Some of the things that we regularly talk about at school that can be reinforced at home include:

·         We ask permission before using the Internet.

·         We only use websites that an adult has chosen.

·         We tell an adult if we see anything we are uncomfortable with.

·         We immediately close any web page we are not sure about.

·         We only e-mail people an adult has approved.

·         We send e-mails that are polite and friendly and only to people we know.

·         We never give out personal information or passwords.

·         We never arrange to meet anyone online that we don’t know.

·         We do not open e-mails sent by anyone we don’t know.

Check out the following resources and take the online quiz on how you can stay safe when learning online from home https://www.esafety.gov.au/kids-quiz/

Here is very useful resource for Parents/Adults in talking with children about current events: https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/supporting-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/?utm_source=CFCA+Mailing+List&utm_campaign=b8ad5ec61f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_03_11_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_81f6c8fd89-b8ad5ec61f-211294785

Here is a link to a great little video by Russ Harris on using ACT processes for managing fear and anxiety, using the acronym FACE COVID: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmvNCdpHUYM

Information for Adults and parents: https://www.psychology.org.au/getmedia/d7cb8abd-3192-4b8f-a245-ace9b8ef44d5/20APS-IS-COVID-19-Isolation-P1.pdf

10 ways to take care of yourself during coronavirus: https://au.reachout.com/articles/10-ways-to-take-care-of-yourself-during-coronavirus

We are looking forward to seeing everyone next week during our gradual return to school plan.  Drop of and pick up times will be staggered.  In the morning, students are able to arrive from 8.35 to 9.30am. Supervision for students attending school will be provided from 8.35am in the K-2 playground.  In order for us to implement appropriate social distancing measures proportionate to health advice at this time, we encourage parents to drop off their children at the school gate in the morning and to depart promptly where practicable.  When the children are dropped off, they will come into the playground, put their bags down and follow our normal morning procedures. A teacher will be on duty in the playground to supervise the students.  When the bell rings the students will move straight to their class to avoid lingering as a group lining up.  We are also asking parents to adhere to social distancing measures in the afternoon at pick up and where possible, arrange to pick up children outside the school gates. In the afternoon, the students whose parents who have indicated they would like to use the “Kiss and Collect” service, will be escorted to the Kiss and Drop area by a Kindergarten teacher at the time you indicated.  The remainder of the Kindergarten students will be dismissed from the gate near the vegetable garden between the Pizza Hut buildings and Mrs Ferry’s classroom, at 2.50pm.  Learning from home will remain the same, with plans continuing to be sent home via email. This week we have been very proud of the work that our students have completed.  Wishing all of mums a very Happy Mother’s Day.

We are coming back!!!

 Welcome to Term 2 and we hope all students and their families are well.

 The Canteen will be reopening on 11th May with a limited menu and no contact. We have a few changes with hot recess items added and orchy cups on the menu!!

 Below are the new procedures and changes for Term 2

 We will…………  be open 4 days per week, Monday through to Thursday.

• be having a smaller temporary menu for Term 2 due to limited children attending every day. A copy of this menu is attached.

• be taking online orders only for recess and lunch. Recess will only be available for Years 3 - 6. Recess is a new option in Flexischools. If you need to register for online ordering, go to the Flexischools website or follow link below. Recess can be collected at the canteen by your child. This will be on tables outside the canteen marked with current class. Covid -19 food guidelines requires all food in disposable packaging for Term 2. 

https://www.flexischools.com.au

• not accepting any phone orders or counter orders for Term 2. All food will be cooked and prepared to order. When ordering online, please ensure you receive the green ordered tick and/or receive the confirmation email from Flexischools or check your account to ensure your order has been processed & accepted

• not be handling any cash or operating any form of counter service, recess or lunch.

• now have orchy cups online for Term 2. These will be delivered with your child’s lunch.

• unfortunately not be allowed to have volunteers or Yr 6 helpers in the canteen until further notice. 
• be using appropriate hygiene measures and social distancing. 

• have lunch baskets left outside of the canteen and the office staff will alert the classes by year when canteen lunches are ready for collection. We will put any orders in your child’s usual class basket.

 As this is new to everyone please be patient as we all get through this together. Remember to like our Facebook page “Food On The Hill” to keep up to date with the canteen.

Look after yourselves.

 Jenny and Kellie in the Canteen

The placement process for opportunity class entry in 2021, including the Opportunity Class Placement Test, will be delayed until later in the year. As a result, applications will not open on 28 April 2020 as previously advised.

This delay is in response to the social distancing measures that are currently in place to help slow the spread of COVID-19 throughout the community.

The opportunity class placement will still go ahead in 2020 however, the process for that, including the timeline, will look a little different this year. We intend to ensure Year 5 students are placed opportunity classes in 2021 with minimal disruption to schools and families.

The department will continue to work closely with NSW Health to ensure people have access to the latest advice on how to keep staff, students and the community safe.

Revised dates for applications, tests and process changes (including any changes to school assessment scores) will be announced as soon as they are confirmed. Web pages will be updated shortly to reflect this message.

Parents and carers are encouraged to continue to monitor the department's website via https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-5 to remain up to date with information relating to opportunity classes.

Applications close June 5th 2020

To apply - go to Con High website and fill out the Expression of Interest

https://conhigh.nsw.edu.au/2021-entry-application/

Changes to 2020 Assessment and Audition Schedule

Due to exceptional circumstances brought about by the Covid-19 Virus and the need to ensure that ‘social distancing’ requirements are scrupulously adhered to, the Conservatorium High School has made some changes in the way it will be conducting this year’s assessment and audition process for students applying for entry in 2021. 

Auditions will be begin in July.

Hello families with children attending Anglican, Protestant or Combined Christian scripture classes.  My name is Jacqui Mikac and I coordinate these classes at Beacon Hill School.  I am the C3 Church School Scripture Pastor and am available for Scripture Class Mentoring Support to families who are doing scripture class studies from home. Please go to the portal and download the Combined Christian SRE resources.  To register your interest, ask questions related to the Anglican & Combined Christian SRE resources, or ask for assistance with helping your children complete scripture lessons, please contact with me via Jacqui.mikac@c3syd.church 

Welcome back to school everyone.  I hope you had fun in the school holidays! The scripture teachers will not be seeing you this school term, as you learn from home, but we will be praying for you!  We can’t wait to see you all again real soon, to learn together and have fun in the classroom.

Have you ever received a letter in the mail from someone special to you?  Maybe you have a friend who lives far away, or a family member overseas.  I loved getting letters in the mail from my aunt; she would write to me about her life and I would learn things about her character. In scripture classes we learn that the Bible is God’s word to us; it’s like a special letter from God which shows us what he’s like.  When I was reading Psalm 103, I learned a lot about God.  The Psalm tells me that God forgives us, that he is kind and patient, and he always loves us.  Now that’s something to be thankful for isn’t it?  I hope that this term you’ll participate in scripture lessons, so that you too can learn about God and get to know him.

Would you like to pray with me?  “Thank you God, for giving us the Bible, so that we can learn about you.  Thank you that we can talk to you in prayer.  Help us to learn more about you and your son Jesus.  Amen.”

Jacqui Mikac

Scripture in Schools Pastor

Child Protection Compliance Officer

C3 Church Australia (NSW) SRE Manager

Primary Ethics has created a series of 20 lessons to help children practise their skills in critical thinking and ethical reasoning as they continue their mixed learning methods during term 2. These lessons can be downloaded at no cost from primaryethics.com.au/education

Primary Ethics is an independent, not-for-profit educational organisation and the only approved provider of Special Ethics in Education to NSW public schools. 

Bites are available as audio or audio/visual recordings of between 10–15 minutes. There is a PDF version available for those students who are completing paper-based work. Each Bite contains age-appropriate stories and/or scenarios that support the student to think through ethical dilemmas. Recordings of other students within the lessons help introduce alternative points of view. There are 10 Bites each for children in K-2 and 3-6.

Listen to the K – 2 week 1 topic: Doing harm without meaning to

View the first 3 – 6 topic: Disagreeing respectfully

Kind regards,

Evan Hannah

Chief Executive Officer