Principal's Report
5th June 2020
We are very excited and looking forward to the rest of our students in Years 3-6 returning next week. Returning to school for our Prep–Year 2 students has been very successful and it has been wonderful to see and hear children around the school again. Thank you to our parents for following the new pick up and drop off guidelines, your support and co-operation has been amazing so far. Well done to our Prep-Year 2 students, your resilience and willingness to enthusiastically get back into school life has been outstanding.
Below are some more reminders for the return to school next week for families. Please make sure you are familiar with the Return to School Information Version 2 which was published in the Return to School Update #2. Please note some times for drop off and pick up arrangements have changed slightly from the last two weeks and are outlined below. Teachers and the principals will continue to be on yard duty before and after school to assist. Please ask the school staff if you are unsure and need some help at these times.
During pick up and drop off times please make sure you stay in or by your car, or at least 1.5 metres away from other adults to follow social distancing guidelines. Please follow these guidelines to keep yourselves and others around the school safe.
The Care and Supervision Program in the OSHC room will end this week. I would like to sincerely thank Sharyn Veale and the OSHC team, as well as the supervising teachers for their support in running this program over the last few weeks.
Remote Learning for the Year 3-6 students will end this week as well. I am sure you will agree our teachers have done an amazing job supporting our students with remote learning over this time. They are very excited to have their students back at school next week as I am sure many of you are as well!
Thank you to all our parents for your ongoing support, co-operation and understanding over the last few weeks during this challenging time. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful and supportive community at Wheelers Hill Primary School and we sincerely thank you as well.
PICK UP and DROP OFF ARRANGEMENTS (from the 9th June)
PREP No change to drop off and pick up arrangements.
YEAR ONE
No change to drop off arrangements. Pick up will be at the same location but now five minutes earlier at 3:25pm
YEAR TWO
No change to drop off arrangements. Pick up will be at the same location but now five minutes earlier at 3:25pm
YEAR THREE
Parents should drop off their children at the Threadbow Crescent entrance between 8:45 and 9am and pick them up at 3:30pm at the same location. Students will be lined up with their teacher at the south side (bottom end of the hill) of Threadbow Crescent for pick up.
YEAR FOUR
Parents should drop off their children at the Rostella Court entrance (behind the gym) between 8:45 and 9am and pick them up at the same entrance at 3:30pm. Students will need to walk directly to and from their classrooms from this point.
YEAR FIVE and SIX
Parents should drop off their children at the Whites Lane entrance by the OSHC room between 8:45 and 9am and pick them up at the same entrance at 3:30pm. Students will need to walk directly to and from their classrooms from this point.
OLDER SIBLINGS
Older sibling/s can be picked and dropped off from the youngest sibling’s location. For example with a Year 1 and a Year 4, both students will be dropped off and picked up at the Whites Lane entrance by the prep building. For a Year 3 and a Year 6, both will be picked up and dropped off at Threadbow Crescent. For a Year 4 and 6, both can be picked up and dropped off at the Rostella Court Entrance. This may mean you will have to wait for a short time till an older sibling comes to a pick up point if they finish slightly later.
OSHC
Prep students in the OSHC program will be taken to and from the prep building by the OSHC staff. Other children in OSHC will make their own way (as they usually do) to and from the OSHC room to their classrooms. Parents will still need to sign their children in and out if they are part of the OSHC program.
OTHER PICK UP and DROP OFF INFORMATION
Students (age appropriate) are encouraged to walk or ride their bikes to school to minimise congestion and assist with adult social distancing. Students who ride their bikes to school will need to enter and exit via the entrance by the OSHC room on Whites Lane. A bike rack is located by the OSHC room.Students and families who are walking to school from home can access the school from any of the entrances that is closest to their home, irrespective of their year level.If you do not drop off or pick up your child (e.g a grandparent) please communicate this information to them. Also please talk through the new pick up and drop off arrangements with your children so they know and aware what to do before next week. You may also wish to come to the school to practice dropping off and picking up with your child before they restart school.Please be aware there will a lot more traffic around the school from next week. If you can park a distance from the school and walk, it would be very helpful.
NO PARENTS ON SITE
Just a reminder no parents are to be on the school site at this stage. The only exceptions are prep parents who are dropping off or picking up their Prep students and parents signing their children in or out at the office.
CANTEEN
The canteen re-opens on Tuesday 9th June
DRINK BOTTLES
The drinking fountains are currently closed so all students need to bring a full drink bottle of water to school each day.
LEARNING from HOME SURVEY
Just a reminder to complete (if you can) the Learning from Home Survey I sent out earlier in the week on Compass. The link for this survey is below. We would really like to hear your feedback.
https://www.orima.com.au/lfh/parents
School PIN: 673169
PREP 2021 ENROLMENT
Information about enrolment and forms are available via our school website under the enrolment tab. You are welcome to scan and email the Enrolment Form and required documentation to: wheelers.hill.ps@education.vic.gov.au.
Alternatively you are also welcome to put the form and associated documents in a envelope and put them in the letter box at the front of the school.
If you are current family at school and are enrolling a Prep student for next year, I encourage you to do so by the end of next week, Friday 12th June so we can confirm numbers.
Due to the Coronavirus we have cancelled all school tours. We will open more tours as soon as we can.
SCHOOL PRODUCTION CANCELLED
Sadly, the current government restrictions do not allow schools to engage in any camps, excursions or special events for all of Term 2, and possibly much longer. For these reasons, together with the restrictions on students mixing, adult crowds, social distancing requirements and very limited preparation time due to students being away from school engaged in remote learning, it is not possible to proceed with the 2020 School production we had scheduled for in Term 3. The 2020 School production is therefore cancelled and will now happen (depending on restrictions) in 2021.
The performing arts teachers and I have discussed the cancellation of the production and are committed to including some other performing arts opportunities into our program during Term 3 or 4 if possible. Obviously this will depend upon other commitments and what we are permitted to do, however we will do our very best. This will be particularly important for our Year 6 students as it was to be their final school production and we will endeavor to do our best to provide these students with a special and creative project in the performing arts.
NEXT NEWSLETTER
Our next newsletter will be Friday 26th June, the last day of Term 3. Please note students will finish at the earlier time of 2:30pm on this day.
Michael Ramsey
Principal