From the Principal 

Diana Ellis

Sun Protection Policy

In my last newsletter I commented on the need for sun protection at this time of the year. Our updated policy was endorsed recently at School Council. Previously the policy was called the SunSmart Policy. In line with the DET Policy, it is now called the Sun Protection Policy. All staff and students are required to wear bucket or wide brimmed hats that protect the eyes, head, face, ears and neck. From week 6 term 3 through to the end of April hats must be worn. If students do not have hats they will be asked to move to a shaded area.

Child Safe and Wellbeing Policy

As part of the legal requirements, schools are required to comply with the 11 Child Safe Standards. This requirement includes a number of school wide policies and documents and also the requirement for staff and School Council members to have training. Child Safety is an ongoing agenda item at our meetings and this week we had another briefing with staff about the requirements. 

The main premise of the standards is to keep children safe and protect them from all sorts of abuse including: grooming, sexual, physical, verbal or emotional abuse, online abuse, psychological harm and neglect. 

All children can be vulnerable and we all have a legal and moral duty to protect children from harm and report any concerns we have about abuse, or if a child discloses information where we form a reasonable belief of abuse.

Copies of the newly endorsed policies will be added to our website and a hard copy of the policies are available at the office.

Infectious Diseases

At the moment we have had a few cases of Hand Foot and Mouth and Chicken Pox. These are classified as infectious diseases, so if your child is unlucky enough to be affected, we will contact you to pick your child up from school.

Chicken pox requires students to be excluded until all blisters have dried. This is usually at least 5 days after the rash appears in unimmunised children but may be less in previously immunised children. Hand, foot and mouth requires students to be excluded until all blisters have dried.

I have included a link to the exclusion table from the Department of Health 

https://www.health.vic.gov.au/infectious-diseases/school-exclusion-table

Safety Audits and Inspections

Every year we are required by law to have a number of annual inspections and audits for safety compliance. Our school is listed as a high level bush fire risk so recently we had someone from the DET Bushfire Unit come out and inspect all the vegetation around the school and there were a number of items that need we to attend to, where trees have too many low hanging branches or plants and trees are next to buildings and above window height or wooden garden beds close to the building are a risk because they are highly flammable. All of these items will be prioritised and rectified.

We also had our annual inspection of our fire hydrants to check that the water flow and pressure is at the required level.

Year 3 experience Day and Parent Information Session

In preparation for their transition into Year 4, our Year 3 students recently spent the day at Carlsruhe. The sheep, chooks and guinea pigs were a big hit. Our students also loved exploring the gardens and making cubbies. Our current Year 4 students did an outstanding job of hosting the Year 3 students and acting as buddies to ensure the Year 3 students felt comfortable. This experience day was followed up with a parent information session where our Carslruhe staff did an excellent job of explaining the Carlsruhe structure and programs to parents. Mrs. Campbell also informed parents of the Bring Your Own Device Program that will operate for Year 4 students. 

Mental Health Program

Recently our Year 6 students participated in a session with a guest speaker about strategies to deal with anxiety. The guest speaker particularly targeted the session towards anxieties students have about their impending transition to secondary school. Feedback from the students indicated that the session was informative and helped them to deal with some of their fears and perceptions of what secondary school might be. 

Staff reflection

At this time of the year a lot of our work with staff is about reflecting on the work we have done throughout the year and our successes and areas for further work. Last week our 3 Learning Leaders ran a session with our staff where staff were asked to reflect on our achievements in Literacy, Numeracy and Wellbeing and to also identify areas where we need further whole school focus . Staff were also asked to identify areas for personal growth in their teaching practice. 

Year 6 fundraising

Yesterday our Year 6 students fundraised towards their end of year excursion to Funfields. I was extremely proud of the way the students worked together for a common goal. Their activities were well thought out and the collaborative approach went a long way to raising funds to cover the cost of the event.

Art Program

Every few weeks Miss Mann changes the art displays around the school and student work is also celebrated at assembly where art pieces are exhibited to the audience. Our students are highly engaged in our Art Program and love creating each new project.

Exploring our local area

Within our local area we are blessed with local areas to explore. One of these areas is the Pink Cliffs at Heathcote. Whilst this geological site is not huge, it is a lovely place for families to explore. You can enjoy the walking trails and picnic areas. At this time of the year there is a sea of colour with all of the wildflowers in bloom.

Principal

Diana Ellis