Hi everyone,

This term has flown past and we are almost at the school holidays. Parents and carers should be very proud of their students for the fantastic effort put in this term. Term 2 will conclude on Friday 23rd June with a normal finish time of 3:20pm. Term 3 will recommence for staff on Monday 10th July with a professional development day, and students will commence on Tuesday 11th July. We look forward to students returning refreshed next term and ready to continue their learning.

School Tours

I have been conducting many school tours over the last couple of weeks for our 2024 Foundation students and look forward to them starting their schooling journey with our Pre-Prep Program in Term 4. The school is open every day for tours and I encourage families to come and have a look at our school!

School Reports

Our Semester 1 School reports will be released to families next week. Reports will be sent home with students, in a sealed envelope.

Road Safety

A reminder to all families that we are role models for our students and they will learn from our actions. We are asking all families to assist us in setting a good example for students when it comes to road safety. We have a manned school crossing at the north end of the school and this is the ONLY place that families and students should be crossing the road. There has been an increasing number of incidences where families are encouraging students to cross the road at the south end of the school. Students are therefore crossing the road in front of school buses and are unable to see the oncoming traffic, making it very dangerous. Students and families must not cross the road at this end, they must walk to the school crossing and cross safely. We hope that all families will assist us with this and keep our students safe.

Policies

All school policies are regularly updated in line with department requirements. Parents and families are invited to view our policies on the school website, with printed copies available at the school office if you prefer. We welcome feedback and ask that if you would like to speak to us regarding any policies please contact the office.

COVID Update

Whilst we are all very glad that COVID has not disrupted our school year as it has in previous years, we are aware that there has been quite an increase of COVID numbers in our community recently. If any families are in need of Rapid Antigen Tests please contact the school as we still have some available.

As per Education Department Guidelines COVIDSafe measures have changed but all Victorian government schools are required to continue to implement important practices to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Any staff member, student or visitor who is symptomatic is recommended to undergo testing for COVID-19. Parents of students who are symptomatic will be asked to collect their child from school and to keep them home until they are no longer symptomatic.

It is recommended that rapid antigen tests (RATs) are used by students and staff:

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 infection, no matter how mild
If you are a household or close contact of someone who has COVID-19
If you are a social contact of someone who has COVID-19.

Families should report a positive result to the Department of Health online and to the school, either through the COVID Test portal or by phone or written notification.

Where a student or staff member is identified as a positive case, the following steps should be taken:

Parents/carers should complete the Student COVID-19 COVID Test Portal if a student tests positive to COVID-19 (via a PCR or rapid antigen test). Where a parent/carer informs the school by phone or written notification, the school will complete the COVID Case Management Tool.
Students who report a positive result are recommended to isolate for a minimum of 5 days and not attend school until their symptoms have resolved.
Staff who test positive will isolate for a minimum of 5 days or until their symptoms resolve.
There is no longer a requirement for principals to inform the school community of a positive case associated with the school.

Take care and enjoy the upcoming holidays!

Claye Runnalls

Principal

YMCA School Holiday Program