David's Message
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to term 4! We have tried to do things a little differently this week, with our assembly on Monday to welcome students back and flipping things in order to keep the students engaged and focused on reconnecting. The specialist team and Miss Francine have also provided a smorgasbord of activities and learning opportunities that link in to mental health, and I know the students I have spoken with who have engaged with this learning have found it incredibly rewarding. In the spirit of our Aspiration, we took a bit of a risk with our learning, leaning into courage to see what worked, and next week we will return to the usual timetable of learning for our students.
We have this week said a temporary goodbye to Señorita Irene, who is due to have her baby in just four weeks' time. We wish her and her husband the very best of luck and can't wait to meet their new arrival. Sunshine Heights students and families will all be able to say a big goodbye to Irene on Friday next week at our assembly; she will return towards the end of 2022 and in the meantime Javi will be looking after our Spanish program. Mr Allardice will return next week as well after the birth of his new son Rafferty and we have also had news that Miss Dierickx and her husband have welcomed Avery, their son. It is wonderful to watch our Sunshine Heights extended family continue to grow, especially during these challenging times.
This week I have been showing some of our students at the school site the videos of my son Teo, who has mastered crawling, high fives and making celebratory noises when his sister is around. It was great to spend time in the holidays reconnecting as a family. This included beginning to spend time outside with picnics, visits to the beach and walks in the Botanic Gardens. I hope that all of you had a similar opportunity to spend time with your loved ones and start to make your way out of the lockdown blues.
In week 3, students will begin to transition back to school; the dates for this are on the important date page. Many students will have only two days at school per week, so please carefully check which days your child is due to attend. A big change that was announced today was that it will be mandated that students in grades 3-6 must wear a face mask when inside the school buildings. This is going to be a big change for students and may make them feel uncomfortable. It would be worth exploring mask options to see which ones suit your child best; we will ensure that there are a large number of disposable masks at school for students to access. If your child is medically unable to wear a mask please ensure that we have a note from the doctor on file.
We are so happy to have our children return to us at school. In order to keep everyone safe, we will need parents to be proactive in keeping students at home who are ill, getting themselves and their family tested if you have any symptoms, and keeping physically distanced. The great thing is now students will be able to reconnect with friends, go deeper with their learning, and ensure that we focus on getting back on track. As ever, if you have any concerns about the progress of your child please speak to your class teacher so that we can implement support and ensure they are back on track.