A note from Mr Jackson

School Council Update

This week our School Council met for the third time within the term. Here are some of the items discussed.

• Sites for the Camping Program

The School Council confirmed the 2024 3/4 Camp will be held at Phillip Island early in Term 4. Rosanna Primary students have visited the site regularly over many years. The experience of all involved has been inclusive and positive in a high-quality learning environment.

The School Council has spent a great deal of time in recent weeks listening to and responding to some parental concerns related to the values and beliefs listed on the website of the owners of the campsite (CYC). The Council acknowledges that the online documentation and belief statements related to CYC are not aligned to the values of Rosanna Primary. 

Our school has always had positive experiences at this camp and the Council recognises the significant disconnect between the online statements of the CYC organisation and our experiences of inclusivity, willingness to accommodate individual student needs, diversity and professional management of the school camp service provided at this site over many years.

The School Council has a process in place to evaluate and endorse all camp locations to make sure they are child safe, age appropriate, engaging and affordable. 

Over the past months, the School Council has reviewed the Phillip Island campsite and other camps with booking availability in 2024. Of the camps available and considered, the Council has reconfirmed that Phillip Island remains Child Safe and the endorsed camp for this year. The available alternate sites could not provide acceptable outcomes which were child safe, age appropriate, engaging and affordable. 

The Council has already begun the process of seeking a site not linked to CYC for next years’ 5/6 camp ahead of time, enabling the assessment of the widest range of options available, to make sure we secure the best available camp for our community. Alternative arrangements will be considered for future 3/4 Camps.

We look forward to sharing with parents and students more about the 3/4 Camp in an information session during an orientation session towards the end of the term.

While a number of schools have decided to minimise and at times cease their camping program, we are fortunate to have a staff willing to ensure the camping program from Prep through to the senior school continues. The camps continue to be heavily subsidised by the school, but staff and parents affirm their value.

The Preps begin their Camping adventure with an early arrival for breakfast one morning. This step towards independence grows in Year 1 when students stay late one night for dinner and the Year 2 students stay overnight at the school. Students in Years 3 and 4 venture every second year to a two night camp while students in Year 5 and Year 6 experience a yearly camp adventure for two nights starting in 2025.

• Skorts

Our uniform supplier has informed us that the current skorts offered as part of our uniform range has come to an end. We have two possible options to replace the discontinued line. School Council has suggested that samples of both these skorts are available to see at the office for interested families to nominate their preferred design over this term. Please feel free to speak to Ally or Anne at the front office  

• Policies

The ongoing review and update of the a diverse range of policies were included in the meeting. These policies included SunSmart Policy, Anaphylaxis Policy, Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy and Procedures and Asthma Policy.

• Changes to TheirCare Pricing from the Start of Term 3

The School Council confirmed a small increase in the TheirCare pricing structure. It will see the following price structure

Before School Care $29.49.  After School Care $36.72. Pupil Free Day $80.33. Holiday Program $80.33

For more information you may contact the TheirCare team.

Head Lice

There have been a number of students who needed to go home due to the identification of head lice. It is important to note, that health regulations require that where a child has head lice, that child should not return to school until the day after appropriate treatment has started. Please note that this refers only to those children who have live head lice and does not refer to head lice eggs. 

I encourage parents/carers to keep a close check on their child/ren’s hair to ensure their ongoing attendance.

Please see below link for more information

Late Arrivals

The start of the day is an important opportunity for students to be welcomed to the day. Arriving on time enables students to connect with their peers and teacher and be oriented to the day’s learning. I encourage parents to ensure the timely arrival of students to enable a positive start to the learning day. Please also ensure students do not arrive prior to supervision starting at 8:45 am in the morning.

Public Holiday

A reminder that Monday is a Public Holiday. We look forward to regathering as a community on Tuesday 11 June. We hope that the weekend is restful!

Moving Around our Site Safely

At a recent Occupational, Health and Safety meeting the safe movement of students and parents throughout our spaces was discussed. I encourage both students and all users of our buildings to move carefully as they travel in and out of rooms through crowded spaces and corridors. 

A reminder to parents and carers that the carpark is set aside for staff use only. At no point should it be used as a pedestrian thoroughfare. To ensure the safety of all, students and parents/carers are asked to ensure that they access the site from the top of the driveway on Grandview Grove rather than travel through the carpark.