Principals' Message
From the Principals - Alison & Lisa
Dear Parents, Carers and Friends,
Welcome to St Edward's School for 2020! To all current families, welcome back. We trust you have enjoyed a wonderful Christmas and summer holiday with your children. To all our new families, we welcome you to the St Edward's family and hope the start of your journey here at St Edward's is a happy and prosperous one. We look forward to working with all our beautiful children to improve our focus on student-centred learning, in a fun and safe environment.
We have made a great start in spite of the heat. We have spent considerable time this past week talking to our students at length about our expectations. Quite simply, we have high standards in manners, conduct, wearing school uniform and working in class to the very best of their potential and allowing our teachers and staff to do their job - which is quality teaching. Our mantra for the year is one adopted from Lieutenant General David Morrison (OA) "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept".
We ask for your support in helping us to maintain these standards across our school community by ensuring your child presents each day in their full St Edward's school uniform and that good manners are reinforced at home.
MEET AND GREET
Mrs Hatton and Mrs McSweeney warmly invite all our parents and carers to a "Meet and Greet" evening on Thursday 13th February at 6.30pm in the Year 6 Rooms at the Primary Campus. This will be an opportunity to meet the new leadership team for 2020 including Assistant Principal Mr Greg O'Toole in a relaxed and informal setting over a cuppa. It will also provide the chance to put names to faces and to hear about our goals and expectations for St Edward's School in 2020. If you are free to come along, we would love to see you there.
PARENT ASSOCIATION MEETING
Our first Parent Association Meeting will be held in the Primary Campus Staffroom on Tuesday 3rd March at 6.30pm. Once again, we warmly welcome all parents and carers to come along and become involved in this important facet of school life, especially our new Kindy parents! We look forward to seeing you there.
NEW STAFF
Along with our new Co-Principal Mrs Lisa McSweeney and Assistant Principal Greg O'Toole, we also welcome Mrs Hannah Barnes (Administration), Mr Darryl Martin, Miss Natasha Bell & Mrs Bri Starr (Teachers), Miss Kate Lane and Miss Emily Nicholson (MiniLit Paraprofessionals).
CONGRATULATIONS
Special congratulations to Miss Adriana Purdy and Miss Natasha Bell on their recent engagements in the holidays. We wish Adriana & Brendan and Natasha & Rory much happiness and joy on this wonderful news.
We also congratulate Miss Kayla Urqhuart-Smith and Miss Amy Gambrill on achieving their Accreditation in Proficient Teaching.
OPENING SCHOOL MASS
We look forward to celebrating the start of our new school year as a Catholic Community with our Opening School Mass on Friday 14th February at 10.00am at Mary Help of Christians Church. We look forward to sharing this special event with our parents and carers. Please see more details in the Religious Education section of this Newsletter.
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE
As you would be well aware, the Coronavirus has been a very prominent topic in the media in these past few weeks. The Catholic Schools Office in Armidale has sent through a directive on how this needs to be managed in our schools should there be cases of students, staff or families who have travelled to Asia (in particular China) in the recent holidays.
In short, the most current and up to date directive is as follows:
Based on the new Federal Government advice (attached) the following applies to travellers from China:
Travellers who arrive after 1st February 2020
Any student or staff member who has returned to Australia after 1 February 2020, and has over the last 14 days visited or transited through mainland China, is excluded from school and should not return to school or child care services for a period of 14 days after leaving China. These students or staff members are also required to self-isolate from the community, as the coronavirus’ incubation period can be as long as two weeks.
Travellers who arrived before the 1st February 2020
Any student or staff member who over who arrived in Australia before 1 February 2020 and in the previous 14 days had visited the province of Hubei in central China is excluded from school and should not return to school or child care services for a period of 14 days after leaving China, as the coronavirus’ incubation period can be as long as two weeks. Returned travellers who have been in Hubei Province of China must be isolated in their home for 14 days after leaving Hubei Province, other than for seeking individual medical care.
Travellers from Hong Kong
Any staff member or student who is currently not attending school due to being in Hong Kong should not return to school until the 14 period has expired. As of the 2 February CSNSW working with NSW Health is recommending that people who have travelled in Hong Kong and not mainland China are able to attend school.
Transiting Travellers
The current advice does include those who only passed through airports in mainland China. Any student or staff member who has returned to Australia after 1 February 2020 and has transited through mainland China is excluded from school and required to self-isolate from the community.
NSW Health has information available on its website.
Factsheet: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/alerts/Pages/coronavirus.aspx
FAQs: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/alerts/Pages/coronavirus-faqs.aspx
WORKS IN THE HOLIDAYS - Bus Shelter, Kiss & Drop, Infants Toilets
Considerable work has been undertaken in the holidays to improve the facilities at both our Campuses. At the infants Campus we have refurbished both the boys and girls toilets with new stalls. At the Primary Campus we have had a new bus shelter constructed at the front of the school to allow better access and egress of an afternoon. Our new Kiss and Drop area is still a work in progress and as yet will not be operational until fully compliant. We will inform parents and carers of when it will begin operating once these issues have been resolved.
NEW KINDERS
Today we welcomed our newest members to St Edward's - Kindergarten 2020. It was lovely to see these happy smiling faces as they arrived in their school uniform ready to start their journey at big school. And whilst t