Acknowledgement of Country

This week we have celebrated National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day. It has been wonderful to see so many community members join our celebrations.

Lara T has recorded an Acknowledgement of Country - this will be a regular part of our newsletter. An Acknowledgement of Country is an opportunity to show respect for Traditional Owners and the continuing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Country.

Great job Lara!!

Remote Learning

As the term progresses we hope that everyone is staying safe during the current lock-down restrictions. We are now faced with up to six more weeks of remote learning with stage 4 restrictions now in place. Everyone is working hard to maintain a strong, positive disposition during these challenging times. Some days, this is easier than others. For each of us, children and adults, parents and education staff, there’s no greater skill needed at the moment than resilience. We are living through a tough time. It requires us to dig into the depths of our reserves to ensure we have the energy and positivity to support our children to get up each day, no matter the bumps and roadblocks each of us are facing.

Each week, we are tracking the engagement levels of all students in our remote learning program. Ideally, students are expected to log on each morning. (This, of course, can vary for each family depending on circumstances). To support us, we ask that you please notify the school office via Compass (preferably) or a phone call, if your child is not going to be participating in the remote learning program on any given day. Recording this absence is critical in helping us to follow up only necessary concerns and ensure that our kids are all doing ok.

Staff continue to meet on a weekly basis in order to fine tune the school’s remote learning provision. We understand the many challenges associated with remote learning and as always, invite your feedback and observations over the coming weeks. Through our positive collaboration, we can work together to ensure the best outcomes for our students; which is even more paramount during this extraordinary period.

Well-being

With the introduction of stage 4 restrictions and remote learning, it’s only natural to hold greater concern around your child’s well-being than normal.

Attached to this message is an article which outlines tips and information about looking after your child’s well-being.

Please reach out if there is anything we can do to further support you and your children in navigating these challenging times.

Please refer to our Health and Well-being page for more information.

Parent - Teacher Interviews

Information will be sent home next week via Compass, re Parent Teacher Interviews. Interviews will be conducted via Webex or a phone call if that is more suitable. It is important that parents take this opportunity to engage with teachers to support student learning and growth.

School Access

It is now more important than ever that we remind parents of current regulations, such as access to school premises. Until further notice there is no access to the school premises by parents/carers. Also if you need to drop something off during the school day, make a payment etc., please contact the office and a staff member will come out and meet you at the gate. Thank you for your anticipated support.

Changes to Eligibility to Work On-site

Approximately 40-50 students have been on-site over the last few weeks to undertake their remote learning at school. This has required teaching, education support and admin staff to be on-site. With the new stage 4 restrictions, there will be a reduction in staff working on-site. Eligibility for on-site student supervision has become increasingly complex.

A State of Disaster has now been declared by the Victorian Premier. Staff will participate in a roster to cover only those students of permitted workers or vulnerable students.

These new changes will cause additional challenges for families however we must all work together to do what is best for not only our school community but for Victoria. We again thank parents for the consideration and understanding that has been expressed through the many recent conversations we have undertaken on this matter.

Thompson Family

We would like to wish Paul, Justin and Robert all the best as they move to regional Victoria. It has been a pleasure having the family with us at LPPS. Paul has worked hard to support our school community helping with such things as canteen, special lunch order days and working bees. We are going to miss you all and wish you all the best with this next exciting adventure!

Enrolments - 2021

Do you have a sibling starting at LPPS in 2021? Have you completed and returned an enrolment form? Enrolments are being accepted now for next year. Please help us to confirm numbers for 2021 by contacting the office to confirm your intentions to enrol for next year. This year the enrolment process has changed - there is a new process for schools in the Outer East. All enrolments need to be in by tomorrow, Friday 7th August. Please find a copy of the new transition/ enrolment guidelines and term 4 transition dates attached.

Communication

As we continue with Remote Learning, we ask families to ensure they read all communications, including this newsletter, Compass and emails. Please ensure that your details are up to date.

A Final Word

Throughout all of this, we encourage you to keep on doing the best you can do in your circumstances. Looking after yourself as you care for your family is of paramount importance. Should there be anything you would like to discuss or ask, please continue to contact us by phone or email. This ongoing connection is vitally important as we continue to strengthen the home-school learning partnership at Launch Primary.

Launching Place Primary School Staff

Prep celebrations