Principal's Report
Grade 3/4 Camp
I had a great time at Anglesea with our Grade 3/4 children. I was particularly proud of their behaviour and the way they supported each other. I was also blown away by how much they can eat!
I would like to thank all of our adult helpers, both staff and parents, for the way they supported all of the children. It was a great team effort! We are so lucky to have such awesome staff and parents at our school.
Please visit the 'Grade 3/4 News' page for more information and photos.
COVID Update
There were some recent changes/updates regarding COVID guidelines. Some of the key details are summarised below:
- Vaccination requirements - Vaccination requirements for mainstream schools came into effect from 11.59pm Friday 24 June, which mean there are no longer any mandatory vaccination requirements for staff or visitors working or attending mainstream schools.
- Rapid Antigen Tests - The Victorian Government is providing up to three further deliveries of Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) in Term 3 and again in Term 4. These will be distributed for use by staff and students who are symptomatic or who are household contacts. We will receive the first delivery of Term 3 RATs by the end of week 3.
- Face masks - It is recommended face masks are worn in indoor settings (except for close contacts, who must wear a mask indoors unless an exception applies).
Home Learning Packs
In 2022, it has been a DET requirement to provide Home Learning Packs (HLP) for students who are isolating at home due to COVID. During Semester 1, we endeavoured to deliver HLPs to families. Unfortunately, the time required to maintain this approach has become unsustainable.
Tomorrow, your child will bring home an exercise book and HLP (Grade 5/6 students can find their HLP on Google Classroom). We ask that you keep this on standby if your child contracts COVID and is required to isolate at home. We certainly don't want families to be alarmed by this and we are not expecting any lock-downs. We are just anticipating that COVID cases will continue and are taking this measure to support families in a more efficient way.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Thanks to those families who were able to book and attend a parent-teacher conference last week. I hope you found this valuable. If you weren't able to attend these conferences due to illness, work commitments, etc, I would encourage you to contact your child's teacher and find a mutually convenient time to meet.
Staffing News
Julie Baldwin has been appointed as our new German Teacher. Julie has previously filled leave positions for Mrs Woodward in 2015, 2016 and 2018. Mrs Baldwin started on Monday and will fill this position for the rest of 2022.
Effie Hamilton returned as our Music teacher on Monday, having been on Maternity Leave. Anne Begg did a great job in her absence and will return as a CRT from time-to-time.
Prep Enrolments 2023
Our Prep enrolments for 2023 closed at the end of last term. A number of families were notified that they did not secure a position and are now on a waiting list.
Families who have new Prep students coming to school in 2023 and have been identified as having additional needs (e.g. speech therapy, paediatric investigation, autism, significant medical condition, etc) are encouraged to make time to talk to Brett to discuss.
Brett will be able to help those families in understanding the Department of Education’s support framework and provide information on how our school and can support the transition into Prep and any additional resourcing that we may have access to. To arrange a meeting with Brett, please call the office to book a time or contact Brett via his email (brett.parkes@education.vic.gov.au).
School Crossing
The school crossing is supervised from 8.00am-8.50am and 3.00pm-3.40pm by our friendly crossing supervisor - Sam. Please make sure your children always use the crossing if they are crossing Spring Gully Road. We regularly observe dangerous situations and want to ensure all of our children are safe.