Writer's Festival 2022

The Monday launch of the Writers’ Festival at assembly and the subsequent open invitation and sausage sizzle after school were a fabulous success!! It was so great to see parents being back in our school!

Thank you to John Scollo who led the organisation supported by the English Strategic Action Team (SAT) and Gabby Tigafua.

A big thank you also to our amazing students for producing their writing pieces. One student from each year level was selected to present their writing to their parents and our invited guests in the staff room. Each parent was very proud of their child’s achievement and our visitors were duly impressed.

More information from the English SAT team follows in this Newsletter…….

Covid Update - RATs

RATs will continue to be distributed to your children as they have been throughout this school year for the remainder of this term.

However, from Monday 23rd May 2022, students will no longer be recommended to undertake twice weekly RATs in mainstream schools. RATs, however, will continue to be required by students who are household contacts to attend school (5 negative tests over a 7 day period) or who have symptoms. Face masks are to be worn indoors during that 7-day period if they are aged 8 and above unless they have a valid exemption.

The ongoing supply of RATs to families in our school will ensure that they are available if their child is a household contact or has symptoms. Families must continue to notify the Department of Health and the school if their child returns a positive RAT result. Additionally, you should inform us if any of your children are household contacts.

Thank you to the families that have had their child vaccinated. Vaccination continues to remain the best way to protect students and staff in our school. Getting vaccinated is easy and bookings can be done via the coronavirus website. If you have any questions about the vaccines, I encourage you to speak to your GP or a health practitioner.

Student Attitude to School Survey (AtoSS)

The Attitudes to School Survey Years 4-6 will be open to complete from Monday 16th May to Friday 10th June.

The AtoSS is an annual student survey developed by the Department to assist us to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer and family relationships, resilience, bullying, mental health and wellbeing, physical activity, and life in general.

We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction and are offering our Year 4 to 6 students an opportunity to participate in the Department of Education and Training survey to find out what your child thinks of our school.

Greenvale Primary School is a Child Safe School

Our aim is to ensure that all members of the Greenvale Primary School community (including school employees, contractors and volunteers, parents and families and visitors) have a commitment to keeping all children safe from harm in all physical and online school environments including excursions and camps.

All organisations regulated or funded by government that provide services for children are required to work towards compliance with the Child Safe Standards. This includes government and non-government schools, education and care services.

Recently, our School Council reviewed the Child Safety policy at its meeting. All members of School Council are required to sign our Code of Conduct as do volunteers, tradespeople and visitors into our school when signing in on our iPad at reception. You can read this policy on our school website.

Our school Child Safety Code of Conduct states that all staff of Greenvale Primary School (GPS) are responsible for supporting the safety, participation, wellbeing and empowerment of children by:

adhering to the GPS child safe policy at all times / upholding GPS statement of commitment to child safety at all time
taking all reasonable steps to protect children from abuse
treating everyone with respect
listening and responding to the views and concerns of children, particularly if they are telling you that they or another child has been abused and/or are worried about their safety or the safety of another
promoting the diversity cultural safety, participation and empowerment of children
promoting the safety, participation and empowerment of children with a disability (for example, during personal care activities)
ensuring as far as practicable that adults who are with a child are in view of others
reporting any allegations of child abuse to any of GPS’s Principal Class Officers and ensure any allegation to be reported to the police or child protection
reporting any child safety concerns to any of GPS’s Principal Class Officers
ensuring as quickly as possible that the child(ren) are safe if an allegation of child abuse is made,
encouraging children to ‘have a say’ and participate in all relevant organisational activities where possible, especially on issues that are important to them.

For more information on the Child Safe Standards go to the Department of Health and Human Services site at

https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/publications/child-safe-standards

Food For Thought:

Regards

Angelika Ireland

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