Principal's News
Dear Parents / Carers,
Well winter has certainly arrived in the south-west right on schedule. With it, unfortunately have come a series of different illnesses and ailments as we contend with Covid-19, Influenza and some nasty common colds.
All of this is definitely having an impact at school. The number of absences amongst our student population is climbing and it has hit our staff as well, I’m afraid. Today we have 10 staff away sick. As you would imagine this is putting some strain on the school.
For this reason I am afraid we will not be in a position to complete Reports and Individual Learning Plans by the date we had set for ourselves. Therefore we will not be trying to schedule “Assessment Conversations” nor Program Support Group Meetings this term as we had originally planned.
I have advised our staff that we will instead aim to schedule these meetings and accompanying reports for Weeks 2 and 3 of Term 3.
Our staff are the most valuable asset that I have to provide an education for your children. It is my duty to protect this asset when necessary. Knowing these people, as I do, they would all try to meet our previous deadlines, despite illness and despite the loss of all support that the school would normally put behind them, and so I am removing this deadline. I need to take this stress away from our staff as we negotiate this challenging period.
I know parents will understand and support us as we continue to practice flexibility in overcoming the challenges that the pandemic has brought.
To sum up: Mid-year reports will be distribute as planned at Assessment Conversations and Program Support Group Meetings.
These meetings will be booked via P.A.M. These meetings will be scheduled for Week 2 and 3 of third term. Parents will be notified about when they can book their meetings on the first newsletter of Term 3.
Thank you for your understanding in this matter.
STAFF NEWS
Congratulations to both Meredith Ryan and Nicole Lynch who last week were recognised by the Catholic Education Office for thirty years of dedicated service to Catholic Education in this Diocese.
Both of these women have made a significant contribution to the education of hundreds of children during this period, so we congratulate and thank both Meredith and Nicole.
COVID-19
The school will continue to send R.A.Tests home for the remainder of this term. The latest advice is that tests need only be administered if the patient has symptoms. When students and staff have tested positive for COVID-19, they must go into 7days of isolation. Family contacts, i.e. those that live in the same house as the infected individual must continue to test themselves 5 times within this 7 day period. If they remain negative they attend school but must wear a mask. If any household contact returns a positive RAT result during this period, they must isolate for 7 days and not attend school.
Vaccination requirements for visitors to schools:
Parents, carers and other adult visitors (not performing work) are no longer required to show evidence of two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
SWIMMING PROGRAM
Children are responsible for bringing their bathers and a towel for their swimming lessons. Recently our office staff have been called on to make dozens of phone calls every day we have swimming lessons, because the kids have forgotten them. I’m afraid this is unsustainable. Our office staff have a great deal to do every day and cannot be expected to continue to do this. In the future when children forget their gear they will take a book to the pool and they may remember it for next week.