TOKSAVE - Lihir International School

Term 3, Week 1, 2020

From the Principal

Dear parents and carers,

It has been great to see all our students entusiastic on their return to school for term 3 and I would like to welcome the Brewster and Amidy families to the LIS community.

Thanks to all parents and carers who have been supportive of the Covid 19 prevention measures employed at LIS.  All students and staff who received rapid testing at the LMC have given negative results and are now in school.

School in term 3 will look vastly different at LIS. A comprehensive audit has taken place with several Covid 19 prevention measures put in place to ensure children are safe at school and social distancing requirements are met.  Queensland Department of Education guidelines, along with a comprehensive Newcrest Covid-19 risk assessment tool, have been completed to ensure the safe return for teachers and students to school for term 3. Please note that these new measures are for term 3 will be re-evaluated as the term progresses. Below you will find an outline of the 'new normal' requirements at LIS for term 3.

If you have any concerns, or would like further information on any of the topics in this newsletter, please do not hesitate to make contact.

Mr. Neville

School Council Meeting

There will be a School Council meeting for members of the School Council next Thursday, 16th July, at 6.00pm in the Year 7/8 classroom.

Principal's Awards Week 9 Term 2

Sinai Silambe - Kindy

Moana Zeriga-Gati - Prep

Lekiu Watori - Year 2

Ethan Swart - Year 3

Bethany Sigere - Year 6

Sharon Neville - Year 7

Paulette Tadoi - Year  9

Term 3 Calendar

Download

LIS "New Normal" Requirments Term 3 2020

1. It is imperative that parents and carers do not send their children to school if they are sick or showing any symptoms of a cold or flu. If your child is sick, please keep your child home and seek appropriate medical attention. Children who display any signs of sickness will be isolated under supervision in the school's sick bay and parents called to come and collect them.

2. Entrance to school for students and parents / carers will be via the Aginas Oval gate only, which will open at 7.45am. Students who arrive before this (which is discouraged) are to wait in the carpark undercover area until 7.45am. Students should be at school by 8.05am, ready to start the day at 8.10am.

3. All students will be greeted at the gate by a teacher and will be tempreture tested.. They are to wash their hands at the wash station and then proceed to their classroom.  Parents and carers will not be permitted to escort their children to classrooms, including for Kindy. In the morning, Kindy students will be escorted to the Kindy classroom by a teacher aide and then will be supervised in the under-cover area outside the 1/2 classroom while waiting for parent pick-up at the end of Kindy.  If parents need to go to the office, they will be permitted to proceed to the wash station and are then to make their way straight to the school office. Students will not be permitted to return home during the day to collect lunch or forgotten items such as books, swimming gear etc. 

4. New wash stations have been installed around the school (see pics below) and hand sanitiser is available in all classrooms. Students will be required to wash their hands in the mornings before school, before and after recess/lunch and before leaving school in the afternoons. Educational videos and ISOS personel will be utilised to support education in hand washing and general hygiene.

5. All desks, door handles, playground equipment and other high contact equipment will be sanitised twice daily or after use by cleaning staff.

6. Social distancing measure of 1.5 metres will be employed in classrooms through desk arrangements. Social distancing markings have been painted on cement areas where students line up and in the undercover area for recess/lunch eating times. The school will implement staggered lunch and recess breaks between the primary and high school to reduce the number of children in the eating area at one time.

7. Students will each be issued with a reusable washable mask. Students will be encouraged to use these masks for travel to and from school and during specific identified activities at school.

8. The school canteen will be closed for the duration on term 3. Students will need to bring a packed recess and lunch each day - there is to be no dropping off of lunches by parents, siblings or haus meris. Students are also asked to bring a water bottle to school that they will refill instead of drinking from the bubblers.

9. In term 3 there will be no after-school activities, sports carnivals or team sports and we ask that in the afternoon, students are collected promptly and no later than 3.15pm. Students will however participate in the swimming program for term 3.

10. Term 3 will not have traditional assemblies at school. Virtual assemblies will continue thoughout the term, with the assembly link to be published in the weekly Toksave for parents to view.

Term 3 at LIS - Keeping our island and children safe!

Riding Bikes to School

Parents are reminded that it is compulsory for students to wear a bike helmet if they ride a bike to school.

As the school currently is using only one entrance due to Covid-19 restrictions, townsite children can park and chain their bikes in the bike rack outside the old gate in front of the Kindy, and walk around to the Aginas Oval entrance.

Alternatively, with parental permission, children can ride their bike to the new townsite boom gate, then walk their bike along the cement path to the bike racks at the Aginas Oval entrance.

Term 3 Swimming

All students from grade 1 to 9 will be participating in swimming lessons for PE this term.  Students are required to bring their swimmers and towel each week on their assigned PE day.  As classes walk to and from the pool, it is also suggested to bring a pair of thongs. 

Students will not be permitted to return home if they forget their swimming gear.

If you have any questions about swimming this term, please don’t hesitate to contact Mr McKeiver at the school.

PE DAYS

3/4 – Monday

1/2 – Tuesday

9 - Wednesday

5/6 – Thursday

7/8 - Friday

From the Deputy Principal

Term overviews will be sent home with students today to give parents an overview of the learning that will be taking place in classrooms this term.

These overviews will reflect the changes to our curriculum, particularly in the primary school, where teachers are focussing on reading, writing and maths.

We have also allocated more teacher assistant time in the Prep and Year 1/2 classrooms during the afternoon sessions to help with individual reading and sightwords. We strongly encourage our parents to assist by listening to their child read each day and help them practise their sight words.

If you have any questions about your child's learning or you do not receive a term overview, please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher.

Ms Langusch             

Parents and Wantoks

Please be advised that all P&W organised gatherings are on hold until further notice, given Covid social distancing restrictions.  Book Club will operate this term as normal - see below.

The P&W would like to thank and welcome Joan Rogea as the new canteen coordinator, effective when canteen is able to return. We would like to thank Nicole Powell for the great job she did in term 1 of coordinating canteen. Please note canteen is not available this term due to social distancing measures. Notice will be provided when the canteen is permitted to open again.

We would also like to thank and welcome Amy Brewster who is the new Book Club Coordinator. Amy takes over from Janine Swart who so capably ran Book Club for a year and a half before leaving the island. Please note term 3 Scholastic book orders will all be run online, details to follow from Amy.

Thanks to all our volunteers. We look forward to organising social and fundraising events as soon as permitted

 Thanks!

 Nicole

Student Council Term 3 Reps

It has been decided to allow our Student Council reps from Term 2 to continue in the position for Term 3

Prep Georgia Laien

1/2 Mitchell Boreham

3 Laurel Neville

4 Isabelle McKeiver

5 Ben Daimol

6 Madeline Gunnell

7 Sharon Neville

8 Aidan Daimol

School Leaders - Gabriel Kola, Omega Waho, Brendan Daniel

LIS Covid-19 Prevention Preparation