Dear parents and carers,

There is at present an increase in community transmission of COVID-19 in Victoria.

You can help us keep our school as safe as possible by taking 2 important steps:

1. Ensure your COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date. Information on how and where to get vaccinated is available on the Get vaccinated webpage.

2. If your child shows symptoms of COVID-19, please ensure they stay home and get tested. The easiest way to test is to use a rapid antigen test (RAT). We have a limited amount of RATs available at our school for collection, and more on the way. Free RATs are available from your local council where you can collect 2 packs of 5 RATs and an extra 2 packs for each person in your household. People with disability and their carers can get 4 packs of 5 RATs. You are not required to have a Medicare card and you can collect RATs as many times as you need. You can also buy RATs at supermarkets, pharmacies and other retailers.

If your child has symptoms but tests negative, please ensure they stay home until they no longer have symptoms.

If the RAT test result is positive, please ensure they say home for at least 5 days and until there are no more symptoms.

Thank you for your support - these steps will help us all stay well.

Lindy Burke

2023 TERM DATES

	Start date	Finish date
Term 1	31 January	6 April
Term 2	24 April	23 June
Term 3	10 July	15 September
Term 4	2 October	20 December

As we get closer to the weekend, we wanted to send a friendly reminder to all our families about the importance of checking your child's hair for head lice.

Head lice are a common occurrence in schools and today we have had reports of headlice across all levels of the school. Early detection is key to preventing their spread. It's a quick and simple process that can make a big difference in the health and comfort of our children and the entire school community.

If you discover any signs of head lice, don't worry. It's a common issue, and there are effective treatments available. Please see the link below for advice on what to look for and information on treatment.

https://www.betterhealth.vic.g...

We have also had a confirmed case of School Sores in the Grade 1/2 area, please open the link below for more information on what to look out for.

https://www.betterhealth.vic.g...

Your diligence in both these matters not only helps ensure your child's well-being but also contributes to a healthier school environment for all. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

Thank you and have a fantastic weekend!

MOBILE PHONE POLICY

Student use of mobile phones at school policy

From Term 1, 2020 there is a new mobile phone policy for all government schools. The policy means phones brought to school must be switched off and stored securely during the school day. (Delivered to the office at Echuca East)

The aim of this policy is to provide:

a safe environment to learn without inappropriate mobile phone use (including cyberbullying) or distractions
greater opportunities for social interaction and physical activity during recess and lunchtimes.

The use of technology is important, but the risks and benefits from its use need to be managed, refer to our summary of research articles.

2023 iPad Program

Our iPad program has been revamped this year after changes to DET policy meant we were no longer able to “on sell” to our families and therefore offer payment plan options. All students from grades 1 to 6 will be assigned a school iPad that will stay with the student for three years, at which time the device will be replaced. They are only for school use and will stay at school permanently.

All student owned iPads have now been removed from school management. You should now be able to reset these devices to factory settings (instructions here). If you are unable to do this, you can bring to school for help.

Child safety and wellbeing at Echuca East Primary School: Information for families and the school community.

The Victorian Government has announced new Child Safe Standards to further strengthen child safety across organisations, including schools. The new standards recognise the critical importance of families and the broader school community in maintaining and promoting child safety and wellbeing.

Echuca East Primary School has reviewed and updated our child safety policies and procedures to ensure they meet the requirements of the new standards. These are available to view on our school’s website, on Sentral parent app, and at the school’s front office on request.

We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and wellbeing and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further strengthen our child safety policies, procedures and practices.

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions, please contact Echuca East Primary School at echuca.east.ps@education.vic.gov.au or by phone on 03 5482 2588.

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.

OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088879415793&mibextid=LQQJ4d

SCHOOL HOURS

ARRIVAL

Doors open at 8:30 am and students go directly to their classrooms.

All students will have hands sanitised as they arrive.

Keep up the great work of getting to school on time. Parents, remember this is your responsibility!

DISMISSAL

All students will be dismissed at 3.15pm, please remember that the back of the oval is currently a construction site so please park in another place and make use of crossings situated in Sutton and Eyre Street.

When parking in residential streets please be mindful of residential driveways we have had a few residents contact us to advise that their driveway/vision have been cut off making it dangerous for them to leave and enter their property.

CONTACT US

21-31 Eyre St, Echuca VIC 3564

Ph (03) 5482 2588

Email echuca.east.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Website https://echucaeastps.vic.edu.au/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EchucaEastPrimarySchool

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Echuca East would like to acknowledge and pay our respects to the people whose land we learn and journey on.

We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

CHILD SAFE

Echuca East Primary School is committed to Child safety. The safety and well-being of our students is a primary concern.

We want children to be safe, happy and empowered. We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers. We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all

allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures. To ensure the safety and best interests of all students, we take into account the needs of those with an Aboriginal or Torres strait Islander heritage and those from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds.

UNIFORMS

Please be reminded that uniform is compulsory at school. If you need support to get your child back into uniform, please contact the office and we will assist you. On the odd occasion your child is out of uniform, please provide a note.

WELLBEING

Nicole Chalmers