Principal's Report

Covid Update

Today the Acting Premier has announced a continuation of the Circuit Breaker lockdown for another 7 days. Remote and flexible learning will continue through to Thursday 10th June (inclusive) and we will await further announcements from today. Students will continue learning at home via our Learning at Home portal. 

Onsite supervision of students will be available only to:

• Children where both parents are authorised workers and are unable to work from home (in the hours that both parents cannot be home)
• Vulnerable children.

If you are at home or working from home, your child must be at home. 

We thank the community for supporting COVID safe rules, so we are all safe. Please ensure that your child is not on the school grounds during lockdown during school hours.

Please refer to the COVID Safety Management Plan as needed:

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/hrweb/Documents/OHS/COVID19SafetyManagementPlan.docx

Thank you to our Robbie Mac Community

Peter and I would like thank our Robbie Mac community for the positive and collaborative way you have transitioned back to remote learning. We know this is a challenging time for everyone, especially for our students as they settle back to learning at home, in lockdown and within COVID restrictions. We appreciate the community’s combined efforts in assisting students so they can continue to learn and engage despite these difficult times.

Supporting Your Child with Remote Learning

You can support your child at home.

Responsibilities will change according to the age, stage and individual needs of your child and include:

·         Checking into daily webexs

·         Completing set work as best as possible

·         Monitor ‘Learning at Home’ page for announcements and feedback from teachers

·         Trying and doing best work

·         Communicating openly with teachers and telling them if there are any concerns or                issues

·         Collaborating and supporting classmates

·         Abiding by the school’s behaviour guidelines

·         Taking a break, enjoying- a play, walk, family game & some sunshine!

It’s important you keep a balanced approach to home learning. Time spent using digital devices for learning should be broken up with physical exercise and offline learning tasks often.

It’s also important that during this time of remote learning we maintain safe and responsible use of information and communication technologies. This includes:

·         The appropriate use of digital platforms, privacy and information protection

·         Respectful online communication.

Some exciting news happening around the Robbie Mac Grounds during lockdown

As you would be aware we have developed a Concept Landscape Masterplan for the school. And the first stage has just been begun!

Last Friday we received news that we were able to commence our first buildings & grounds construction much earlier than we first thought – landscaping between the basketball court and main building.

This project will include a lovely walkway next to the basketball court, with seating, gardens, synthetic turf and some established trees!

Funds for this construction have been raised by our school fair, the PFA and school families via the Building Fund over the past few years, so we are thrilled to see this getting underway as we speak!

The other great news is that our gravel pit between the 34 classrooms and the gym (where the portable was removed) was restored yesterday- with soil and seed. This area will be roped off until the grass is established.

As part of our landscape masterplan this area will become our Wilderness Playground with an Indigenous garden and part of the next community-funded project.

Our Artist in Residence Program this year is being facilitated by Scott Ratham, a contemporary aboriginal artist from Rusted Tin in South Australia. With Scott’s guidance students will design an indigenous painting on the wall of the gym, looking over the Wilderness Playground, to be completed in Term 3. Scott’s work is very impressive, see some photos of his art works!

Garden Upgrade: though our Working Bee was postponed last weekend we hope to find another date for our garden upgrade. This garden is located behind the large playground near the gym.

The aim of our Working bee is to prepare our veggie garden in readiness for our School Eco Captains who have project planned for the old garden. Through a small grant we have received supplies from Bunnings who are donating soil, mulch, vegetable seedlings, fertiliser, worms and fencing for our garden.

Early next term new, a line marking service will restore the lines on the basketball court, 4 square courts, volley ball court etc, with a couple of surprises that the student voice team and junior school councillors have chosen for the bitumen areas.

Look out for this upgrade!

  Education Committee Tonight

Please come along to Education Committee this evening. We are working on the Safe and Happy Book.

Meeting will be via webex from 6.00 to 7.00pm.

If you wish to attend please register via Amanda Wigg at: amanda.wigg@education.vic.gov.au

We will keep you updated with any changes to remote learning as soon as possible.

In the meantime, keep warm and safe, and smiling via webex!

Amanda Wigg