Dear Parents and Guardians,

It is wonderful to hear the joyous sounds of students and teachers back again in our school. The excited chatter of students reconnecting with their friends and returning to classrooms is very welcome after so much time away.

On behalf of our school, l would like to say a very big thank you to all our students, parents and teachers for their continued support this year. We have truly worked together to support each other with the challenges of remote and flexible learning and whilst it has not been easy, our collective efforts has supported the students to make valuable progress in their learning.

Staff and students have created thank you messages to acknowledge the wonderful work done by our families during remote learning. We wanted to say thank you to everyone and the messages displayed on our fence are to remind you of how grateful we are for your patience and hard work during the past months.

Our focus this term is to make sure that every student is supported in their wellbeing. This includes providing opportunities for students to reconnect socially with their peers, help them to understand and regulate their emotions and

support them to feel settled again. This support will be undertaken with the understanding that a transition is not a single point in time, but rather an ongoing process of adaptability and flexibility, to understand what individuals require to facilitate safety, comfort and connection. You can be confident that the staff of St Joseph the Worker will support all students in their transition so that they feel connected again to each other and feel safe to resume their learning.

Students are required to bring their own water bottle to school as they are not permitted to drink from the school taps. We are currently organising trolleys to transport drink bottles outside at play and lunch time so students can use them whenever needed.

Thank you to all families for their support of our drop off and pick up procedures. A friendly reminder that parents must follow the directions of the Chief Health Officer regarding physically distancing of 1.5 metres at all times. Also please remember that if you leave your car, all adults are expected to be wearing a mask. It is important that everyone follows these guidelines to ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone in our community.

Please remember that if your child is unwell, you are required to follow health advice and keep your child/ren at home. If they show any symptoms at school, you will be contacted immediately and they will be sent home.

Again l offer my thanks to all our families for the amazing work they have done supporting their children with remote learning.

Keep safe and take care of yourself and your family and friends.

May St Joseph the Worker bless you and watch over you and your family at this time.

Regards

Maria Barnes

Creative Music