From the Principal 

Dear Families,

Return to School: It was so pleasing to see kids bouncing in on Friday and then again this week. Thanks to all families for getting back into routines and encouraging the children back to school. We will all handle this transition in different ways and the rest of this week will be a challenge as we regain our ‘school fitness’ over 5 days. Be kind to yourself and family later in the week! 

Accessing Admin: This week staff have created ‘bubbles’ to stay and work in as much as possible, to minimise risk across staff in the event of a positive case onsite. We have also popped a reminder at the Draper St gate and front door to admin to call (5225 1340) the office first before coming in onsite. We appreciate your support in helping us keep the school open and running the best we can. 

Teacher appreciation week: Our lovely Parents and Friends Club (Thanks Nicola Hyde and team!!!) has organised a coffee voucher for staff this week at a few local businesses for Teachers Appreciation Week. The staff are very grateful for this gesture and will no doubt enjoy the little treat. As the P&F letter to staff said ‘It is a small thank you for the work you have done over the past 18 months”. 

Bikes: Great to see so many bikes filling out bike racks! Keep up the safe riding to school kids and parents be aware we have hundreds of kids riding around the neighbourhood. If you can park a little further away from school and walk with your kids, it will not only help with our step count for the day but also keep riders a little bit safer too! 

SunSmart: As I mentioned last week, Hats on outside, masks on inside. Thanks for sending kids with both and supporting them to keep our community safe and healthy. 

Closures: No doubt you will be aware that a number of schools have had to close recently and some haven’t reopened due to positive cases. On the weekend I received the updated procedures we would have to go through in the event of a case onsite. Let’s just say, it’s not a lot of fun for anyone! There will be notifications from the school and the Health Department and various instructions to follow. The best thing we can do is minimise our risks and follow the health advice. I know staff will appreciate us all keeping their work space safe too. 

Professional Learning: last week I attended an online conference entitle Lead Well. It was great to chat with other school leaders about their issues, concerns and opportunities while also being reminded about diet, exercise and sleep! In one breakout session I listened to the head of the Royal Children’s Hospital education section. She told us how staff have to wear full PPE while teaching, they hardly get time to drink or go to the toilet during the day due to the time it takes to apply the PPE. They have a high turnover of staff too. It made me grateful for the way we have negotiated our way through this pandemic and I consider myself lucky that I don’t have to wear full PPE and teach all day in it!!! 

Spelling Bee: My diary is just about booked out this week with Spelling Bee’s!!! Representatives from each class will compete against each other with the winner crowned with a limited edition spelling bee crown. A great opportunity to stretch our students with their spelling. There will be smiles and possibly disappointments but that’s ok. We do need to learn how to handle disappointment and bounce back too. I wish all the competitors the very best and look forward to seeing you all in action. 

Policies: I often wonder how many policies there are in the Department of Education! Our School Council have a large number under review at the moment that will be added to our website when ratified. In the interim, DET has an exhaustive list on their website that we use and update from. If you are interested in policies and love reading them, we’d love your help in proofing ours! Contact the office and we can send you some!!! 

Camps: Information from DET over the weekend has enabled our staff to revisit camp options that we thought may have been cancelled. From November 1, camps are back on and I have had the Year 3 team book into Camp Wilkin for Nov 1 & 2! Well done Year 3 team. And the Year 6’s have rebooked Camp Howqua for Week 6, Nov 9-12. I’m so impressed at how quickly our teachers have acted on this and are making it happen for your children. I’m sure you’ll join with me and thank these teams when you drop off or pick up your kids from these camps! As usual, it is always your families choice whether your child attends a camp or not. We respect these decisions and understand in the current climate this decision may be even more challenging. Either way, we will support your child and I encourage you to discuss with your family and your child’s teacher if need be. 

Enjoy the rest of the week. 

Scott McCumber

Principal