Child Protection Sunday
Last Sunday was Child Protection Sunday marking the end of Child Protection Week. The safety and wellbeing of our students is at the forefront of all we do. This year, we have constantly been reminded of the importance of being aware of our students’ use of technology. I remind parents and carers to be aware of your child’s access to technology and their use of it. The following tips come from an open letter to school principals from the eSafety Commissioner:
Engage in your child’s online activities – ask what apps, sites and games they’re using and make sure they’re age-appropriate
Use parental controls on devices to help limit what your child is exposed to
Help them report and block upsetting content they see on social media sites or apps
Let them know they can come to you about anything upsetting they see online.
Return To School Road Map
With the improved situation and easing of restrictions in regional Victoria, the advice we received last week has changed.
Onsite learning will resume for all students at the start of Term 4, Monday 5th October.
Children who are unwell must remain at home. Children who present at school as being unwell will be sent home.
All staff and students will observe hand hygiene with regular use of hand sanitiser and washing of hands throughout the day.
High contact cleaning will continue to be carried out twice a day.
Parents will not be permitted to enter the school unless attending a scheduled meeting or conducting business at the office. Please avoid unnecessary entry into the school.
Staggered dismissal of students will resume so as to avoid large numbers of adults gathering outside the school. As previously, students being picked up will be dismissed in their house groups as follows:
3.05 MacKillop House
3.10 Polding House
3.15 Samaritan House
3.20 Winnen House
Students not being picked up (walkers, cyclists and bus travellers) will be dismissed at 3.20.
As I said last week, much planning and consideration is going into our return to onsite learning so as to continue our efforts to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and to maximise the learning and wellbeing of our students. Our learning and teaching focus will be on reacquainting our students (particularly our Foundation students) to school life and addressing gaps that may exist in essential learning as a result of our interrupted year.
We may also need to be creative in the way we observe significant Term 4 rituals such as transition for our 2021 Foundation students, information sessions for the parents of these children, Year 6 transition to secondary school and our End of Year Awards and Year 6 Graduation ceremony. All of these are dependent on the restrictions on gatherings and we will keep you informed as plans progress.
Public Holidays and Pupil-free Day
The following public holidays and pupil-free day will occur during Term 4:
Friday 23rd October AFL Grand Final Eve / Thank You Day
Tuesday 2nd November Melbourne Cup Day
Friday 13th November Report writing day (to be confirmed)
Swimming Program
Our swimming program which would normally take place in Term 4 has been cancelled due to restrictions on gatherings. Parents will be reimbursed the cost of this program. The Yr 6 SurfGroms program will be able to go ahead.
Sporting Schools
Our Sporting Schools program will begin in Week 2 of next term and will run on a Wednesday and Thursday with a focus on basketball and minor games. Further information can be found below.
End of Term
This Friday is the last day of Term 3. School will be dismissed at 2.20pm on that day.
Hats and Summer Uniform
As per our Sunsmart policy, school hats are now required to be worn when outside. Now is the time of year when UV levels begin to rise and the Cancer Council recommends the reintroduction of Sunsmart measures. Students attending school will need to ensure their hats are at school. Those working from home should put their hats in their schoolbags, ready for a return to school next term. Students should be in summer uniform from the beginning of Term 4.
School Improvement Surveys
Thank you to those who received an invitation to complete School Improvement Survey and have done so already. Surveys are open till Friday 16th October, so, if you were lucky enough to receive an invitation last week, I urge you to take the time to submit a response. Every four years schools in the Ballarat Diocese undertake a School Improvement Survey. Data is collected from a random sample of parents, senior students and staff and this data assists in the development of our School Improvement Plan and Annual Action Plans. As with any survey, the more data we receive, the better overall picture we can gain for our analysis and future goal setting.
Kind regards,
Peter Sanderson
Principal