Happy new year to all our wonderful families, I trust you've enjoyed the school holidays with your children and that they (and perhaps you!) are looking forward to returning to school next Monday 31st January. Draft class lists went up at the end of last year and remain up in the window of the staffroom, down the path from the front office, if you haven't seen them already.

This Thursday and Friday our staff will be at school preparing for the students' arrival next week, and we're all excited to see their smiling faces. As well as engaging in professional learning around a whole-school approach to teaching literacy, we will be revising some of our plans, including our response to COVID and our preparedness for distance learning, should the need arise throughout the year.

Don't forget, the uniform shop will be open Thursday 27th January in the morning to purchase new uniforms for your child.

With the warmer weather still firmly in place, please ensure your child comes to school on Monday with a SunSmart hat and drink bottle. We also recommend ice packs in their lunch boxes, if they are eating any food that needs to stay cool, particularly as they bring their lunch outside while they play.

Before I highlight our response to COVID, I would like to inform you of some changes to staffing at Marangaroo for 2022. Firstly, Mr Volodymr Malanczak, our Deputy Principal, has made the decision to retire and will not be returning to Marangaroo this year. While I have not had the opportunity to work with Volodymr, I am grateful for all the work he's done for the Marangaroo community over the years and I wish him the very best in his retirement.

I have asked Mr Brett Cutting to step into the role of Deputy Principal for the first half of the year, while we run a selection process for the position. Mr Cutting did a fantastic job in the role for the second half of last year, securing his move into the role this year. Replacing Mr Cutting in the 5/6 classroom, we welcome Ms Sarah Brown (pictured below). Ms Brown is an experienced teacher and we were lucky to secure her for the position just this week. Welcome to Marangaroo, Ms Brown!

Ibu, our Indonesian teacher, won a position developing a new language to be taught in schools from next year and will be away from the school for this year at least. Mrs Ward will be stepping into the languages role, however, will not be teaching Indonesian. Instead we will be offering Auslan (Australian Sign Language) to our students at Marangaroo this year (Pre-primary to Year Six).

We also welcome Mrs Pallavi Arora and Mrs Joanne Tester to Marangaroo, who will both be teaching Physical Education, among other subjects, this year. Mrs Michelle D'Souza will also be joining the Marangaroo staff in the 4/5 class for one day per week. Miss Kaitlyn Matchett will also be returning this year, working with some of our students in the SLP.

COVID

As we wrapped things up at the end of last year, we were looking forward to a relatively normal start to the year. As we all know, the circumstances have changed since then and we are now preparing for the possibilities that lie ahead.

Mandatory Vaccination

As you would be aware, all staff in schools are required to be vaccinated by the start of the school year. I can confirm that this is in place for all staff, contractors and regular visitors at Marangaroo. There is not a requirement for parents to be vaccinated in order to come onto the school grounds, unless they are volunteering on a regular basis (more than once per week). We have processes in place to ensure this is adhered to.

Masks

We are all well and truly used to wearing masks again and there is a requirement that masks are worn by adults while inside any school building, including dropping children off into the classroom. There are no changes to pick up and drop off procedures outside of this at this stage. As masks are to be worn outside where social distancing is difficult, you may wish to bring a mask to school if you are collecting your child from the classroom door, as this can sometimes be a crowded area of the school.

While it has been announced that mask wearing is likely to come into place for Year Three students and older, this requirement is not currently in place. If students wish to wear a mask at school, however, this is perfectly fine.

Distance Learning

We have had a plan in place for distance learning since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and we have continually revised this plan and will continue to do so as things progress. If the school is closed by the Chief Health Officer, or students are required to isolate at home, we are prepared with work packs for the students, as well as a longer-term plan of distance learning, should the need arise.

Ventilation

We are lucky at Marangaroo to have evaporative air conditioning in most areas of the school, meaning adequate ventilation is easier for us to maintain. We are working with the Department to ensure we have everything in place to start school with this in mind, including receiving a CO2 monitor, to provide reassurance that our ventilation is in line with the health advice.

Hygiene Practices

We have hand sanitiser in each classroom and will continue to encourage and explicitly teach good hygiene and hand washing practices to the children when they arrive back. As was the case last year, we continue to maintain a cleaning regiment in line with the requirements set out by the Department of Education.

Student Illness

If your child shows possible symptoms of COVID-19, they will be sent home and asked to seek testing in accordance with State guidelines. While they wait to be picked up, they will be given a mask to wear and be isolated from others. The student will be provided with support to learn from home while they are waiting for a test result or quarantining. If they test positive for COVID-19, the Department of Health have processes in place to advise close contacts, so they can also be tested.

What we have learned over the past two years is that things change quickly. Please rest assured that it is our priority to keep you informed on any changes that occur and the impact it will have to you and your child.

Please don't hesitate to get in contact with me should you wish to discuss this in greater detail.

Kind regards,

Adrian Keenan

Principal - Marangaroo Primary School

adrian.keenan@education.wa.edu.au

9462 9999

M Chat

CARE, LEARN, THRIVE

Special Edition M-Chat - Welcome back to 2022 · 26 Jan 2022

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