From the Deputy 

Positive Behaviour Learning, student of the week awards.

Last Term, our school staff spent a great deal of time learning about and implementing our Positive Behaviour Learning (PBL) and School Wide Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) programs. Overall, our aim is to instil a positive belief in each child to make positive choices in all areas of the school as they relate to our school norms: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible. To highlight and celebrate positive behaviours, as well as reinforce these publicly, we will be introducing weekly Student of the Week Awards. Each class teacher will award a certificate to one student in the class who has demonstrated positive behaviour according to a monthly focus. For April, the classroom teachers have been looking for behaviour that aligns with our norm Be Respectful. Awards will be announced weekly at assembly, and written in the newsletter in the following edition.

Cladding and building works officially completed.

We are pleased to say that the building fence around the playground has come down at the start of this Term due to the cladding works completed over the Easter break. Haddarco, the contracted company have done an excellent job especially with the quick turn around of the project given the many public holidays and limited access to building supplies due to COVID. The cladding works and the completion of the refurbishment represents a major improvement milestone for the school. Now that these works have been completed we will be turning our attention to improving garden beds and other outdoor spaces, including an improved area for bike and scooter storage. We will keep you posted in due course.

Walk Safely To School Day, Friday 20th May.

On the back of Ride2School Day in Term 1, in Term 2 we will be participating in Walk Safely To School Day. This national initiative aims to encourage children to lead a healthier, more active lifestyle by simply including a walk at the beginning and at the end of each day. The event also promotes reduced car-dependency, greater use of public transport, cleaner air, improved diets and road safety to primary school children across Australia. We will provide further information about Walk Safely To School Day in the next newsletter.

Update to COVID Safe Measures

Face masks

From 11:59 pm Friday 22 April, face masks, while recommended, are not required in any school setting. This means students in grades 3 to 6, staff and visitors in primary schools are no longer required to wear face masks. Any student or staff member who wishes to wear a mask may do so, including those who are medically at-risk. The school has ample supply of face masks, therefore students are welcome to request them from teachers.

Rapid antigen test supply

Rapid Antigen Tests will be supplied for the first 4 weeks of Term 2 to support the early detection of COVID-19 in our school. The allocation for the first two weeks of this Term was issued before the break. The testing recommendations will remain the same, for students and staff with home testing twice a week.

Rapid antigen test screening requirements

Students who have tested positive for COVID-19, and have completed their 7-day isolation period, now do not need to undertake rapid antigen test (RAT) screening for 12 weeks after their release from isolation. This was previously 8 weeks.

Household contacts

Students who are household contacts of a COVID-19 case are not required to quarantine. They may return to school as long as they undertake rapid antigen tests (RAT) 5 times during their 7-day period. They are required to notify the school that they are a household contact. Students aged 8 years and above who are household contacts are required to wear face masks when indoors at school unless they have a valid exemption. If a student household contact returns a positive RAT result, they must isolate for 7 days. 

Vaccination

As we approach winter and flu season, the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 and booster shots for students 16+ remains the best way to ensure protection for students and staff. If you have any concerns about getting your child vaccinated, please get in contact with your GP or another health professional who can answer your questions.