Hallett Cove East Primary School

• Monday 24th August - School Photograph Day
• Wednesday 26th August - School Photograph Catch Up (for students absent on Photo Day)
• Friday 4th September - Premier's Reading Challenge FINISHES
• Tuesday 8th September - House 8 Nature Play SA - Cubby Building Belair National Park Excursion
• Wednesday 28th October - Splash Theatre
• Monday 26th - 30th October  - BOOK WEEK

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

COVID IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL EVENTS

In South Australia we have been extremely lucky to have lived reasonably safely in our community during the pandemic. Our students have also been able to continue to enjoy schooling perhaps much more than others in different parts of Australia. The threat of a second wave is, however, ever present. 

As you would already be aware, the SA Government currently has clear restrictions in place around events and gatherings to try to minimise COVID risk. While schools are allowed to hold some big events with parent attendance, there are very strict expectations that must be followed to ensure the risks are minimised. These include:

·         School personnel on all entry points to sign all parents/families/friends in

·         Parents required to socially distance at all times and school personnel to move around to ensure this happens throughout the event

·         Hand sanitisation and hygiene stations at several places throughout the area of the event

·         Comprehensive cleaning processes in place to manage toilets being used by the public

·         No barbecue or extended food service mainly due to hygiene protocols and social distancing issues

·         The school is expected to create a COVID plan for every event

As you can appreciate, the level of management of these expectations by school personnel throughout each of the events would be extremely challenging. Because the above expectations are required generally for all events where parents may usually be present, our staff with support of the Governing Council, has made the tough decision to cancel parent attendance at Sports Day, Concert and Book Week Assembly this year. Class led Assemblies and Disco have been cancelled outright. (These events are considered non-essential anyway.)

Graduation, Drama Club performance and KidzBiz presentation (see Andrea Hayden’s article below), only involve small numbers of students and we believe that we can readily manage the protocols around holding these events with parents attending, so at this stage, it is expected they will go ahead.

Wherever possible we will ensure events go ahead for our students because they are after all our focus. Of course things may change if our COVID status changes in the state and restrictions are increased. Staging events like a Concert for example can be an expensive process and take a lot of time to organise. So we also have to carefully weigh up the impact of time spent on organising an event against a possible second wave of COVID cancelling it.

We understand that parents/caregivers will be disappointed at not being able to attend some of our big community events this year, but hope you understand the responsibility the school has to ensure we do everything to keep students and staff safe.  

UNIFORM

It is really fantastic to see almost all students in full and appropriate school uniform while also remembering other expectations including simple stud or sleeper and watch as the only jewellery. Correct uniform shows a pride in and respect for our school. We have, however, started to noticing a number of students with brightly coloured hair, or hair colour that is very different to their natural hair colour. We respectfully remind families that hair colouring should be limited to only those colours that are close to the normal hair colour for school. We thank you all for your support.

UNSAFE DRIVING PRACTICES

I have been made aware that a number of drivers are not following speeding and parking restrictions around the school. Please ensure you consider the safety of all students and families and drive at the correct speed and park only in the areas that are available during school pickup/drop off times. Please also remember that the carpark on the school side of the red line is for staff only and that children are expected to walk through the drop zone gate when coming into school from the carpark. The staff carpark gates are not for general pedestrian use. I would also remind all drivers coming into the school drop zone or carpark to please consider students and all road and school carpark/drop zone users, and move on to find another appropriate place to park, if the traffic at the entrance is building. I thank you for your cooperation in keeping our students safe.

With Regards,

Anne Rathjen

Principal

As we approach the half way point of term three I have paused to reflect on comments I have read on line about some overseas children returning to school after five months of being at home. Even though we haven’t been able to have parents on site for a considerable time and some events which involve our community have been cancelled, postponed or modified we really are fortunate that we have been able to keep our children learning and at school for most of the year so far. In fact our school has been open to our students all year. Our hard working staff have ensured that the needs of our students are always at the heart of everything we do.

Enrolments for 2021

I am repeating my message from the previous newsletter because we are beginning our processes for 2021 and everything starts with knowing how many children we are to going to have enrolled at our school!

School Tours

If you know any families who are considering enrolling their children at our school next year could you please ask them to contact the front office by phone or email to organise a school tour as soon as possible?  If they already have children at the school they do not need to do a tour but we do need their enrolment forms as soon as possible. This year has been disruptive in many ways but we now need to know how many students we will have in each year level in 2021 for staffing purposes.

Kid Biz Ed

We had planned family Growth and Development Sessions for term 1 with Kid Biz Ed but we had to postpone.

We have now rescheduled them to Wednesday 23rd September 2020 (week 10 of this term). We do however need to know if we have the numbers to make this viable. There is a cost to the school so we do not want to run with too few families. We also need to be able to socially distance so we need to ensure we do not have too many people to accommodate this.

The sessions are:

6:40pm   Where Did We Come From? (Year2 to Year4)

7:40pm    What’s Happening To Us?  (Year 5 to Year7)

Our year 6/7 students are doing Growth and Development Sessions in lessons during the latter part of term 3 so the second family session would be a great adjunct to this learning.

Early next week (week 5) we will send out a Skoolbag notice asking for an indication of intention to attend. If you replied that you wished to attend during term one could you please reply again as your circumstances may have changed.

If you have any queries please email or ring the front office.

Kind Regards,

Andrea Hayden

Deputy Principal

Just a reminder that our teaching staff are busy planning incursions and excursions for the remainder of the year.  Please ensure you have paid your $60 levy to avoid students not being able to participate.

Unfortunately as you know term 1 disco had to be cancelled, families who purchased disco tickets will have a credit on their statement which can be used against future expenses.

If you are yet to pay your 2020 Materials and Services fees we remind families to clear all outstanding accounts as soon as possible to avoid debt collection services being appointed. 

If you are experiencing financial difficulties we ask you contact the Business Manager  via email dl.1053.finance@schools.sa.edu.au 

Jenny McFadyen

Business Manager

The “What if’s?

What if my friends don’t want to play?

What if I don’t have any lunch?

What if I my best friend is away today?

What if mum/dad is late to pick me up?

Does this sound familiar? 

Sometimes the “what if’s” are important as it keeps us from threats and danger

Many young people are afraid of the unknown. The “what if’s” take over. 

What happens though when the “what if’s” keep them from trying something new, something fun, something worthwhile, something that is beneficial, something important?

What happens if it stops us from our best learning?  From making friends?  From going to school?

If you would like some strategies for encouraging children to try something new or want to be part of the conversation please visit https://dono1.edublogs.org/

Evie Donoghue

Wellbeing leader

In an ever changing world it is often quite easy to forget that our students and children grow up with different technology than we did.

We make assumptions about children’s ability to use a piece of equipment like a computer mouse and are often flabbergasted when they don’t know how to use it. We ask ourselves why they can’t double click on something or move the cursor to the right spot on the screen. After all, they use their tablet or our phone every day? 

These are skills that are still vitally important in most work based programs but unlike our generations the students are used to touch screen and swiping.

If you are at home using a mouse or a keyboard get your child to try something fun with it? Get them to draw something on the computer using the mouse? Try some touch typing practice and make a game out of it.

These are all valuable skills that can help your student navigate different computer systems as they progress through school.

They will naturally learn how to use the new technologies, it is what children do. They might need help understanding old technology and these could lead to some great conversations. 

Jonathon Warren-White

Earlier this week you would have received a skoolbag notification regarding the 2020 FUNDRAISING RAFFLE. 

Please support our fundraising committee and school by purchasing a raffle ticket or better still multiple raffle tickets.  Many of the regular fundraising events have not been able to occur this year due to restrictions, our fundraising committee are hoping you will be able to support the raffle as our target is to raise funds to support the purchase of much needed air conditioning for The Pavilion.

Hallett Cove East August 2020 Raffle

$ 5.00 per ticket bought through Qkr ONLY!

Available from Monday the 10th August till Monday 24st August.

Drawn on Tuesday 25th August.  Winners will be contacted during the day.

1st Prize -       Intencity Bundle ($70 value)

2nd Prize -      Tent-it Teepee Party Voucher($50 value)

3rd Prize -      Patritti Wines ($50 value)

4th Prize -      Patritti Wine ($25 value)

5th Prize -      Commonwealth Bank (school banking) bundle

No tickets will be sent home, names will go into the draw.

We were lucky enough to have perfect weather to enjoy our excursion to Belair National Park, students participated in a broad range of activities while building a cubby and caring for the natural environment.  Initially the students built small cubbies but  then moved on to build much larger cubbies that they could sit in and eat their lunch.  The children displayed great teamwork and problem solving skills, it was a fantastic learning experience and everyone had an enjoyable day.

Both our girls and boys teams recently competed in SAPSASA  Soccer Knockout competition.

Girls competed at Lockelys North Primary School and the Boys at Hallett Cove R-12.  All players displayed great competitive skills and  represented our school well. Thank you to the parent/caregivers who volunteered their time to allow our students to compete.

Fear   

It is so easy for us to get scared. We can be scared of change, of a challenge, of a person or animal. Fear in and of itself is not a bad thing. In fact, fear can be very protective and can stop us from getting hurt. The important thing is that we understand the fear that we are feeling and we use it to our benefit.  

There is a wonderful quote:  

“F-E-A-R has two meanings: 'Forget Everything And Run' or 'Face Everything And Rise.' The choice is yours.” Zig Ziglar  

We can identify times when we do need to run away from the things that scare us, so that we don’t get hurt. And we can identify times when we need to have growth mindset and face a challenge even if it is scary.  

However, sometimes we are so caught up in the fear that it is impossible to tell if it is fear that we should listen to or not. In these times it is important to share our fears with someone we trust, maybe a friend or a family member.   

I recently read a psychological study about the truth behind ‘A problem shared is a problem halved.’ The results show that when people talk about their fears, particularly with someone who has experienced the same fears, their fear lessens significantly.  

Next time you are scared of something I encourage you to share your fear, and work through it together.  

PASTORAL CARE WORKER

at HCEPS on Wednesdays and Fridays

Joey.Traeger704@schools.sa.edu.au

 Monday is School Banking at our school . 

For every deposit made at school, students will receive a silver Dollarmites token. Once students have individually collected 10 tokens they can redeem them for an exclusive School Banking reward item in recognition of their regular savings habits. 

School Banking is also a great fundraiser for our school. Our school receives a Regular Savers Contribution of $5 for every 10 deposits processed per student as well as an Annual Contribution which is based on the number of students who made at least one School Banking deposit in the prior year. 

If your child has lost their book, please contact your School Banking Co-ordinator for a replacement or visit any Commbank Branch. 

If you would like to know more about School Banking, please ask for a 2020 School Banking program information pack from the school office or visit www.commbank.com.au/schoolbanking

We pleased to be offering a limited Canteen LUNCH service 

• Cashless service until further notice
• All orders via Qkr! ONLY
• No counter sales at recess or lunch
• Limited Lunch menu 
• Orders by 9.15
• Unfortunately no Volunteers are allowed in school hence our limited menu offer.
• We thank you for your continued understanding and support.

Our limited menu will be 

• Hotdogs $4.00
• Pizza $4.00
• Mac and Cheese $5.00
• Lasagna $5.00
• Chicken Nuggets $4.00
• Meat Pies $4.00
• Sausage Rolls  $3.50
• Muffins $1.00
• Cookies $1.00

There will be no sandwiches, wraps, burgers and potatoes available

If you have lost a SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 mobile phone, please see one of our friendly, front office staff, who have been keeping it safe for you.

We do our best to return LOST PROPERTY, Hoodies, Hats etc.  We are always sorting through uniforms BUT there are so many uniform items that have not been named/labelled.  PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE write your child's name on each piece of clothing, lunch box, drink bottle, sporting equipment that is send to school.

Opening hours will be Wednesday morning 8.30-9.00 & Wednesday afternoon 3.00-3.30.

There is a lot in stock across all sizes.

Support us today! 20% of every Entertainment Membership sold goes to our fundraiser.  Buy a Membership and download the Entertainment App today.

Hallett Cove East Primary School 

Order your Memberships online today!

www.entbook.com.au/160997n

Raffle in August.  Keep a look out for more details via SkoolBag.  Prizes include Intencity bundle, Tent-it Teepee voucher, Patritti Wines.