From the Principal's Desk

Its' a Boy

Congratulations to Emilia Foti (Learning Support Officer) and  her partner Jake on the safe arrival of little James Jake. 

We have been waiting for you for so long. Welcome to the family!

Return to School Plan

Next Tuesday will be an exciting time for our Year Prep- 2 children as they reunite with their friends, peers and teachers, and our school begins to return to being a vibrant Catholic 'onsite' learning community.

You have all been  incredibly supportive of our Continuous Learning Program (Remote and Flexible Learning) over the past several weeks and I know many will join me in looking forward to the return to the school routine and class-room based teaching.

The period of remote learning, while challenging in some ways, has strengthened the sense of partnership we have with our families in the education process.

I am so proud of our team here at Corpus Christi School who have done an enormous amount of work to keep our students progressing with their learning while maintaining school connectedness. And now we prepare for their return. 

Our teachers are very aware of the progress of each child and understand the support required for each upon return. Therefore it's really important  that we re-orientate our children  with the routines and processes that they have come to know and expect as quickly as possible. This is where your help is vital. Below we have stepped out our Return to School Plan so everyone is aware of what is expected to get our children back on track while maintaining the safety of everyone in our community.     

Stage 1 

Our Year Prep and Year 1/2 students will return to school from Tuesday 26th May.  

To support all school staff to prepare for this transition, Monday 25th May will be a student-free day (School Closure Day). OSHClub will be running for those families who need supervised care for their children on the day. 

For those students who cannot be supervised at home and vulnerable children, the existing model of onsite schooling will remain in place during the two-week period from Tuesday 26th May to Tuesday 9th June. 

Stage 2

Our Years 3-6 children will continue to learn from home and will return to school on Tuesday 9th June.

Once a year level has returned, all students will be expected to attend school as normal. This means if you choose to keep your child/children home after their year level has returned to onsite schooling, we can no longer support their learning from home.

This does not apply to children who need to be absent for health or medical reasons. For those families, please contact us so we can make an appropriate plan.

Extend Online Days

While we continue with our remote learning model for our Year 3-6 Children, staff will be adjusting programs  and work tasks with an emphasis on transitioning back to school. You will  notice that the  'virtual program' will gradually extend to include the afternoon sessions to get our children back into routine.

Morning Drop Off

To stagger the morning 'drop off', children can be dropped off from 8:30am (as usual), however parents will not be permitted past the front office gate  or the Library at the back entrance. 'Stop, Kiss and Drop' Signs will be placed at each entrance to remind families.

From these points, children will head to their classrooms, be greeted by their class teachers and place their bag where directed. Doors will open at 8:50am for children to head inside  and prepare for the day.

PLEASE BE ON TIME FOR SCHOOL! 

Afternoon Pick-Up

Afternoon 'pick-up' will be a little different. I am very conscious of the amount of roadworks around the school at present so in the interest and safety of all, the following process will occur.

If necessary parents may enter the site  to collect children. Gates will open around 3:25pm.  Children will be brought to the central courtyard where parents can collect their child and leave promptly. We really want to avoid multiple members of families coming onsite to collect children.  This is not a time for social gatherings. Parents are NOT TO GATHER AROUND CLASSROOM DOORWAYS .

Alternatively children can move independently to regular collection points (front office or back gate) where teachers will be on yard duty. Most older children will do this automatically.

The afternoon 'pick-up' is not a time to socialise or speak to teachers. It is important that all adults adhere to current social distancing measures as COVID-19 is predominantly spread between adult to adult rather than child to child. If you wish to speak to your child's teacher, please phone or email to arrange a time. This  all may seem a little harsh but these measures are put in place to keep us all safe.  

If we can all adhere to these procedures, and only enter the site if necessary, we may be able to avoid the staggered 'drop offs' and 'pick-ups'.

Classroom Programs

Classroom programs, will remain as normal as possible upon return. While the Chief Health Officer has advised that students will not be required to maintain physical distancing at school, there will be a number of important adjustments that we will make to our classroom operations, consistent with health advice to all schools. These will happen naturally over the course of time.

Shared items

Practices are being put in place to limit shared utensils  within the classroom. So (as has been the case with our 'onsite' children) we ask that all children bring their own set of earphones/headphones to school. 

These are not to be anything extravagant  (see image) but this has worked really well with our 'onsite' children .

Water Bottles

On direction from the Chief Medical Officer, children will not be able to drink from the drink taps. Each child MUST have his/her own water bottle. They can use the classroom taps to re-fill when necessary. Please make sure these are labelled.

Hand Sanitiser

Students will be given hand sanitiser every time they enter or leave a learning space. If you prefer that your children have their own sanitiser, which they can keep on them at all times, you are welcome to provide it.

Enhanced Cleaning Program

I understand that some families may feel anxious about this move back to classroom teaching and learning. I can assure you that this decision has been taken on the basis of the best health advice available to our state.

So in line with government and CECV recommendations, an enhanced cleaning program will be enacted from the commencement of next week to minimise the risk of transmission of the coronavirus.

Extended routine cleaning/disinfecting of the school environment including high risk areas will be enacted along with enhanced classroom hygiene practices to make sure our school is safe for our children and staff.   This is another reason why we need to limit the people who come on site.

Sickness

A reminder if your child is ill or is feeling unwell, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice. Parents will be contacted to collect their child should he/she   fall sick during the day.

School Uniform

Children are to wear their full winter uniform as of day 1 as follows:

BOYS:

Long  grey trousers, grey socks, plain white skivvy or blue school shirt (NOT BOTH), royal blue jumper, black shoes. Shirts are to be tucked in

GIRLS:

Blue checked skirt or navy slacks, plain white skivvy or white blouse, royal blue jumper, navy tights or white socks (NOT BOTH), black shoes.

There is to be no mix and matching of uniforms.

Sports uniforms are to be worn ONLY on the timetabled days.

Lunch Orders

Please note there will be NO lunch orders until further notice.

As we move into these new phases I would like to thank you for your continued support and patience during this time and we truly look forward to welcoming our students back to the classroom.

Have a wonderful weekend!

God Bless

Anthony Hyde

(Principal)