It is hard to believe we only have 5 weeks left until the holidays. We still have lots of learning to do!
We would continue to encourage all families to arrive to school on time. This ensures that students do not miss out on important learning activities scheduled throughout the day. It also helps the students learn the importance of punctuality and routine. Being on time gives students time to greet and play with their friends before class and it reduces classroom disruption. Thank you for your support with this.
On Sunday morning, four teams from Martin’s Gully competed in the Armidale school’s triathlon which was held at TAS. Congratulations to all the students who competed and thank you to the parents who took them.

We held our final Kindergarten orientation on Tuesday. We have a very excited group of children ready to begin in 2023.
Today our Year 6 students attended an orientation day at Armidale Secondary College. I am sure all the families involved with students leaving Year 6 and going to Year 7 can still remember their children going to a Kinder orientation!
Today our Kindergarten class visited Thalgarrah Environmental Education Centre for the annual Teddy Bear’s Picnic. We will share photos from this excursion in the next issue of GULGOS.
Swimming for Stage 1 students continues this week.
Students in 3-6 will also begin swimming on Thursday. Please ensure you have given permission via COMPASS. This program is for all children in Years 3 – 6. It will be held at the Sport UNE Swimming Centre. Instruction will be provided by the class teachers using the Royal Life Saving Society of Australia Lifesaving Program. Sessions will run each Thursday from 11.30am to 1.30pm on Thursday 17th November to Thursday 8th December. Travel will be by Edwards Coaches. Cost for this program is $25 per student which includes lessons, transport and pool entry (Non-Refundable). Please pay online via school website. Assistance is available through the school to support families who may be experiencing financial difficulty. Contact should be made directly with the Principal and confidentiality is assured.
Department of Education COVID-19 update and continued COVID-smart measures: NSW Health recently advised that we are already starting to see a rise in COVID-19 transmissions within the community, with a peak of cases expected in early December. Our COVID-smart measures continue to be in place and are vital in allowing us to keep our school operational while prioritising student and staff wellbeing. These measures include:
staying home if unwell and/or showing any symptoms
mask-wearing strongly encouraged, particularly when indoors and/or when physical distancing is not possible, and on public transport
using rapid antigen tests (RATs) when showing symptoms or exposed to COVID-19
encouraging all students, staff and families to keep up-to-date with their vaccinations, including COVID-19 booster shots if eligible
NSW Health are also encouraging everyone in the community to continue to register positive RATs with Service NSW to ensure they receive timely support and advice, including access to antivirals for those eligible. Please continue to test whenever you are showing symptoms or if they have been exposed to COVID-19. We have RAT kits on site here at MGPS to support symptomatic testing. Please call into the office if you require more RAT kits.
Attendance Matters: We have set our school a target to achieve 90% attendance 90% of the time for the remainder of 2022 and continuing in 2023.

Have a lovely week!

Felicity Pennington and Peta Deiderick

Gulgos

Issue 34 · 16 Nov 2022

In this issue