Principal's Report

Hello everyone,

I hope all our families achieved some restful time over the term break. I’m hearing excited reports from students who managed to get away from Winter and headed somewhere warm.

Here we are in our first week back for term 3. Over the next few days, we are celebrating NAIDOC week and on Thursday/Friday years 3-6 will be in Ballarat on camp.              Students in years 3-6 not on camp are still able to attend school.

Each class is celebrating NAIDOC week in their own way. P-2 have been playing indigenous games, drawing and colouring, as well as reading and listening to stories from the Dreamtime. 3-6 have been painting and colouring, discussing the acknowledgement of country, watching videos about NAIDOC and exploring cultural resilience and the calendar of indigenous seasons. All Newham Students have received a Koori kids/ Respect Culture wrist band.

Staffing

On Monday 25th July we will be welcoming Rai Jones to Newham P.S. Rai is an experienced primary and secondary school teacher and she will be taking over the role of 456A teacher from Kerry Hammond. Rai has most recently been at Kilmore PS. 456A have been making a list of questions for her and are very excited! Because this newsletter has gone out earlier due to camp, Rai hasn't been able to send us a teacher profile in time. As soon as we get one, 456A will know.

Also on Monday 25th Tim Furphy will be back from paternity leave. We would like to thank Sue Hiland for her work with yr 3 in his absence.

Due to the outbreak of Covid with Jacqueline Lee succumbing today, staff have had to be moved around to accommodate the continuation of camp. Therefore Alyssa Cole will be attending camp and Libby Fullard will be taking Prep. The process is underway to replace Jacqueline next week during her isolation period.

Camp  (stop press: Jacqueline Lee has come down with Covid and Alyssa Cole will be taking her place.)

There is a lot of excitement and nerves in expectation of our Sovereign Hill camp this week. In preparation staff have held a student meeting to help settle nerves and answer student questions. Staff have also outlined that it is important to remember that we are staying at Sovereign Hill’s own hotel. As we come and go from our accommodation, we will come across the general public who are also staying at Sovereign Hill and will be using the same pathways. It is here and during our visit around the diggings and the main street that we will demonstrate our school values to the best of our ability.

A Sovereign Hill Camp outline was sent home via uEducateUs. Could parents please emphasise the details within this information, which may help students in their preparation. Included in the information was the following on our values:

Newham PS looks proud, talks proud! 

Show RESPECT by listening to teachers, parent helpers and Sovereign Hill guides and following their instructions first time, every time. 

Show UNITY by including all the other kids and letting other visitors at Sovereign Hill have a good time. 

Show RESILIENCE by putting brave in front, trying new things, and asking for help when you need it. 

Show RESPONSIBILITY by sticking with your group and being in the right place at the right time.

The main thing to remember is that our activities do not end with sunset on the first day. After dinner, we will be able to see the Winter light show in Main Street before we are picked up for our evening show called Aura. BOTH of these evening events will require layers of warmth. Being winter it means that it gets dark early which is important for these events BUT of course it is Ballarat, and it WILL BE COLD. Please pack coats, beanies etc (all named please). It is only one night so pack just a few things. When we are out and about in Sovereign Hill for the day it is difficult to get back to the hostel so we will need to prepare well for the day. 

A sleeping bag or doona will be required and a towel also.

Day one: ALL students will need to bring their own lunch and snacks. Please ensure that there are no 'wet' items that could leak or require container cleaning.

Day 2 it is provided and these lunches will be handed out to be carried by students in their back packs.

Please DO NOT SEND your child with spending money or any electronic devices.

Students may bring a small plastic bottle to collect their panned gold from the creek (should they be so lucky to find some!)

Should families have an emergency at home, contacting students on camp will be done through the school and in turn the Newham staff on camp. 

Covid and Camp 

Primary school students are strongly encouraged to Rapid antigen test at home on the morning of the camp and on return from camp.

Students who show symptoms associated with COVID-19 cannot remain on the camp. Parents will be required to collect their child and transport them home to isolate for 7 days.

The buses will leave Newham PS for Ballarat on Thursday at 8.30 am. There is a mask-wearing compliance for all passengers aged 8 and above, (unless they have a valid exemption) when travelling to/from camp (e.g. on buses). Extra masks, hand sanitiser, extra ventilation etc will be available on the buses. (There is also a potential need to comply with Sovereign Hill's mask wearing requirements in light of the Health Minister's suggestion on mask wearing.)

Parents/carers will be informed if a confirmed or probable case is present at the camp while infectious, as others attending the camp may be identified as household-like contacts. 

Current Household-like contacts are still permitted to participate in camp as long as they wear a mask when indoors (if aged 8 and above or have a valid exception) and can complete 5 rapid antigen tests within the 7-day period that would have been their quarantine period. A household-like contact attending camp during this period must notify school they are attending under these conditions and parental permission provided and arrangements made for the student to undertake the testing while on camp. 

COVID Update – School Operations Guide July 8

Rapid Antigen Testing

The Victorian Government is providing up to three further deliveries of rapid antigen tests in Term 3 and again in Term 4 to schools. 

It is recommended that rapid antigen tests are used by students when symptomatic. Household contacts are required to test negative using a rapid antigen test on at least 5 out of 7 if they are attending or working at a school onsite. 

If students receive a positive test result at any time, they must report this through the Department of Health system (Rapid antigen tests | Coronavirus Victoria)or via the coronavirus hotline at 1800 675 398.

Face Masks

Current advice from the Victorian government on the wearing of face masks is available here: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/face-masks:  It states:

Wearing a face mask can help protect you and those around you. Face masks stop droplets spreading when you talk, cough, sneeze and laugh, which lowers your chance of spreading or catching the virus.

This information is especially important for those who are medically at risk.

The advice also strongly recommends the wearing of face masks in indoor settings (noting that exceptions to the recommendation apply to teaching circumstances when clear enunciation or visibility of the mouth is essential).

Household contacts attending school who are over 8 years of age are required to wear face masks indoors unless they have a valid exception. 

Everyone including students aged 8 years and above must wear a face mask when travelling on public transport, taxis or ride share vehicles.

Students (or their parents) must report a positive result to their school, either through the COVID Test portal or by phone or written notification; this is so the school can record that they will be absent while in 7-day isolation, provide support and learning materials as needed, and let the rest of the school community know there has been a positive case onsite and that they should monitor for symptoms. 

Parents and Carers who have COVID-19 can transport their non-COVID-19 children via private vehicle to their primary or secondary school when an alternative person is not available to assist. This will include school holiday programs held on school grounds.

This means that parents and carers will be able to leave COVID self-isolation to take their non-COVID-19 child to school or school holiday programs via a private vehicle. 

The parent or carer must travel directly to and from the school only. They must remain in the vehicle at all times unless it is reasonably necessary to leave the vehicle to walk the child to and from the entrance of the school safely. They must wear a face mask at all times.

School Break Thank You

Thank you to families who over the break kept an eye on the school, came in and did some work around the gardens or looked after the bins for us. We appreciate your help.

Amazing Race and Bio-diversity Tree Planting - Last Day of Term 2

Thank you to parents who came along and supported the Amazing Race and the tree planting on the last day. Students had a very busy time; they ran and ran through the Amazing race and very carefully listened and planted out tube stock in the holes prepared by parents. A huge thank you also to Newham Landcare for their support on the day in our Bio-diversity area. There are some pictures later in the newsletter.

Enrolments for 2023 are Open. Please submit your forms directly to assist with planning for 2023. Enrolment packs for siblings and new enrolments can be collected from the school office or downloaded from the school website.  

Moving on to Braemar

Could parents who have students moving on to Braemar for Year 5 in 2023 please contact administration here at Newham Primary School in writing to confirm this departure as soon as possible. This will assist us with planning for 2023. Last year we were aware that Braemar made some late Term 4 offers. Please let us know as soon as you accept one of these as well.

Parents and Friends

I would like to encourage any interested folk to support the reformation of our Parents and Friends group. Either by joining and helping with the organisation of fundraising or by buying raffle tickets etc and supporting P&F activities with funds.

P&F meeting times for Term 3: - 

- Friday 15th July 2:30pm at Newham General Store

- Friday 22nd July 2:30pm at Newham General Store - organising set-up for trivia night only, not a formal meeting.

- Friday 5th August 2:30 pm at Newham General Store

- Friday 9th September 2:30pm at Newham General Store

Term 3 Dates

Week 2 - Class level newsletters/information sent home

Thursday 14th – Friday 15th July   Years 3/4/5/6 school camp

Tuesday 9th August Basketball comp

Monday 15th August Curriculum Day – no students at school

Wednesday 17th August Whole School Triceratops excursion for science week

Friday 19th August Athletics comp

Friday 26th August Book week Dress up as a book character event

Friday 2nd September Professional Practice Day – no students at school

Friday 16th September- End of Term Assembly and 2.30 finish 

Newsletter Dates

Thursday 14 Jul, 28 Jul, 11 Aug, 25 Aug, 8 Sept, 15 Sept

Special Weeks (Beginning…) 

15th August Science week

22nd August Book Week (theme – dreaming with eyes open)

Assembly Dates at 3pm

Friday 22 July, 5 Aug, 19 Aug, 16 Sept (last day = 2pm)

Keyboard is Monday

Guitar is Wednesday