5 More Sleeps to Go!

That's right. Just 5 more sleeps until our Year Preps come back to school as we enact our Return to School Plan.

Last week I sent all families information about the staged return to school which is as follows:

Week 3: Mon 18th- Fri 22nd October
- Monday-Wednesday: Year Prep on-site learning
- Thursday and Friday: Years 1 and 2 on-site Learning
Week 4: Mon 25th 0ct- Fri 29th Oct
- Monday - Wednesday: Years Prep - 2 on-site learning
- Thursday and Friday: Year 3 -6 on-site learning
Week 5 Mon 1st - Fri 5th Nov
- Monday: School Closure Day
- Tuesday: Melbourne Cup
- Wednesday: Years Prep - 2 on-site learning
- Thursday: Year 3-6 onsite Learning
- Friday: ALL levels on-site learning

A few things to note:

Our Continuous Learning Program: Remote and Flexible Learning Program will operate on days when children are not at school.
All 'specialist classes' will operate on days when children are NOT at school
Timetables may vary each week to facilitate the staged return. They will be posted on Google Classrooms every Friday in preparation for the week ahead. Please read them carefully.
To avoid confusion, children are to wear whatever uniform they would normally wear on days when they are at school.

Student Attendance

All students are expected to attend onsite as their year levels return to onsite learning unless they are unwell or have been directed to quarantine or isolate. Our Google Classrooms will remain active for these children so I ask you to communicate closely with your child's teacher.

Parent preference is not an approved absence reason.

Onsite Supervision Program

Our Onsite Supervision Program will continue to operate for children during periods of remote learning for:

Category A
- Children where both parents/carers are considered authorised workers who cannot work from home, work for an authorised provider and where no other supervision arrangements can be made.
- Where there are two parents/carers, both must be authorised workers working outside the home for their children to be eligible for onsite provision at school.
- For single parents/carers, the authorised worker must be working outside the home for their children to be eligible for onsite provision at school.
Category B
- Children experiencing vulnerability, including;
- in out-of-home care
- deemed vulnerable by a government agency, funded family or family violence service, and assessed as requiring education and care outside the family home
- identified by a school or early childhood service as vulnerable, (including via referral from a government agency, or funded family or family violence service, homeless or youth justice service or mental health or another health service)
- where a parent/carer indicates that a student with a disability is vulnerable because they cannot learn from home, and/or informs the school the student is vulnerable due to family stress, the school must provide onsite supervision for that student.

The learning program delivered onsite will be the same as the learning program delivered to students undertaking remote learning.

Students attending onsite will be supervised by staff onsite but follow the teaching and learning program provided by their classroom teacher.

Morning Drop-Off and Afternoon Pick-Up

During our staged return, morning drop-off procedures will be as they were before we went into lockdown. Families are welcome to come onsite but please observe the 'Stop, Kiss and Drop' signs placed outside each learning area. For the interim, families will not be permitted in classrooms.

In the afternoons, families are welcome to come onsite but please do NOT congregate outside classroom doorways. At the end of the day, teachers will dismiss children from the central courtyard.

Face Masks

A key change in the Return to School Plan this time around is the directive from the Chief Health Officer which states that:

Students in Years 3-6 are to wear a face mask while indoors at school unless an exemption applies
Recommends all other children (P-2) to wear a face mask while indoors

For our Year P-2 families, we will leave that to parent direction. For our Year 3-6 families, please begin the process (if you haven't already) of getting your children familiar with wearing a mask by teaching mask etiquette e.g:

wash or sanitise your hands before putting it on or taking it off
make sure the mask covers your nose and mouth and fits snugly under your chin, over the bridge of your nose and against the sides of your face
do not touch the front of your mask while wearing or removing it
do not allow the mask to hang around your neck or under your nose

We will also need children to learn how to store their mask while they are eating or outside playing. We recommend children use a small plastic container or a 'snap-lock bag' to store their mask in during this time which can be left in their locker.

If you are choosing to send your child to school with a disposable mask, please make sure they have a sufficient amount for each day.

Please remember it is each family's responsibility to supply their child with masks.

COVID-Safe Practices

It is natural for families to have some level of anxiety as children begin to return to school.

Please rest assured that we have updated our COVID-Safe Plan and our operations to reflect the latest health advice and measures as communicated in the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria's School Operational Guidelines. This is ever-evolving and ensures the safety of our community.

OSHClub

OSHClub will be available to families on days when their children are attending school.

Key Priorities

As our children return to school please be assured we will be focused on three key priorities in Term 4:

Mental health and wellbeing

Our highest priority will be the wellbeing, particularly the mental health, of every student and member of staff. This means effectively mobilising all available resources to support our most vulnerable students and enabling staff to access the relevant support services.

Learning and excellence

Some of our students have thrived in the remote and flexible learning environment, others have maintained their learning progress, and some may have fallen behind, despite their best efforts and those of their families and teachers. Our priority will be supporting both those who need it to catch up and those who have progressed to continue to extend their learning particularly in the areas of literacy and numeracy.

Transitions

We will make every effort to ensure successful transitions for children moving from kindergarten into Prep and Year 6 moving into Year 7.

ABRACADABRA! ALAKAZAM!

KEEP THIS DATE FREE

Don't forget this Thursday evening we invite your whole family to be dazzled by Max the Magician with his amazing magic tricks.

As an opportunity to reconnect as a community, Corpus Christi School invites you to join us on an adventure into the world of magic!

Commencing at 6:30pm, we invite your whole family to be dazzled by Max the Magician with his amazing magic tricks.

All you will need to do, from the comfort of your own home, is join our Google Meet for an hour of free entertainment!

Be prepared to be amazed, astonished, impressed and flabbergasted by Max’s Magic Show!

This must-see event is not to be missed. Let’s all take some time to relax, laugh and have some fun together.

The event code will appear in your child's Google Classroom Stream on Thursday around 6:00pm.

We really don't want children/families connecting (logging on) before 6:30pm as we will need to run some technical tests beforehand.

I hope this all makes sense and we hope to see you all there. Don't forget the popcorn!

Important Notice!

While there has been so much effort being placed into our 'Return to School Plan' we are also well into planning preparations for 2022. So, to assist with staffing and class groupings we really need to know ASAP if there are any families who are NOT returning to Corpus Christi School next year.

Please contact me directly if your child/ren will not be returning in 2022.

School Improvement Family Surveys

This year, our school is participating in Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools – School Improvement Surveys (MACSSIS).

MACSSIS is an annual process whereby schools listen to the thoughts and feelings students, families and staff have about how their school can improve. These surveys help inform the ongoing improvement of schools across the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

One of the main goals of the family survey is to identify the strengths and areas for improvement in our school. MACSSIS data benefits everyone within our school and provides valuable community insights on areas that each school can focus on. Our school believes it is important to encourage families to have a voice and contribute to shaping the ongoing improvement of the school.

This week I will send out an email to each family inviting you to participate in the survey. You will receive a survey link and a personalised PIN along with relevant details. The survey is voluntary yet the more responses we receive, the more accurate the data will be. Please keep an eye out for the email.

Guess Who's Having a Baby?

Have you heard the news?

Congratulations to Mrs Victoria La Fauci (and husband Sal) who is pregnant with baby number two. Vic will commence her maternity leave at the end of this year. In the meantime, we look forward to watching her grow (I mean glow) and wish her good health in the months to come.

Thanks for the Memories

Those of you who utilise the OSHClub program may already be aware that our Co-ordinator, Milan has stepped away to begin a new journey.

We thank Milan for his dedication to the program and for the gentle and kind way in which he has always related to children and families. We sincerely thank Milan and wish him well for the future. Before leaving I asked Milan to write a little farewell letter:

Summer Uniform

As families begin their return-to-school preparations, it's time to pull out the shorts and/or summer dresses and give them a wash and an iron ready for the first day back!

That's right, it's Summer Uniform time!

Let's not wait until first day back to realise that your child has grown out of their uniform. Act now!

To purchase items, these are your options:

'Click and Collect': Fill out the attached order form, enter your credit card details and return via email to info@cckingsville.catholic.edu.au.
Phone order: Call the office directly to place your order. Have your credit card details ready to pay over the phone.

Once your order is packed and ready we will contact you to make a time for collection.

SunSmart: Hats

As we return to school don't forget that in accordance with our SunSmart policy, all children are required to wear their school hat during Term 4 whenever outside. Time to hunt them up and give them a wash!

Have a wonderful week

God Bless

Anthony Hyde

(Principal)

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