Mrs Leanne Schulz

Transition Back to School for Fairview

What a wonderful week it has been to see all the Fairview students back at school! There were smiles all round from students and teachers (although, I think there may have been a few tears from parents). After being in isolation for over two months, the students transitioned smoothly back into school routines. They will certainly be exhausted after this week as social and emotional learning require just as much energy as academic learning. There has been an impressive 98% attendance rate for Fairview students this week. What a fantastic effort after so much time away from school.

A big thank you to families for preparing your child for returning to school. As mentioned during the parent Zoom meetings, it is so important to:

Help children feel safe and supported.
Know that it is a normal reaction for your child to experience a range of emotions, including excitement, relief, or worry.
Be aware of your own behaviour and the effect that it can have on your child; try to remain calm and positive.
Reassure your child that it is safe to go to school. The decision to return to school has been made based on health advice; everyone in the school will make sure they are keeping safe.
Prepare children for changes to school processes, such as drop-offs and pick-ups, hand washing and seating arrangements.
Establish a back-to-school routine.

Drop-offs and Pick Ups

Routines for drop-offs and pick-ups are getting smoother as everybody becomes familiar with new processes. Parents have been adhering to the two parking area pick-ups, social distancing and leaving straight away which has made the process run smoothly.

The use of the Ring Road to drop off children in the mornings seems to be running smoothly as it is quite staggered. In the afternoon, it can become problematic.

At pick-up time teachers will only be taking students to the two designated carparks as we do not want children walking up and down the ring road looking for their parents for safety reasons. If your child sees you parked on the ring road near the crossing as they are walking to the carpark outside the gym, they may tell the teacher and walk to you. If they do not see you, students will continue the journey to the car park with the teacher. Thank you for your understanding as the children’s safety is our main concern.

Birthday Treats

If your child has a birthday and you wish to send something along for the class to celebrate, please use a bag of sealed lollipops to limit the handling and sharing of treats.

Prep News by Gemma Jackson

The Preps have transitioned well back to school and have shown excitement and happiness towards their teachers and classmates. We have been busy discussing Home Learning and getting used to our routines again. It is fantastic to see the Preps come to school with bright smiles and positive attitudes. The Prep teachers have missed them!

Cumberland Home Learning Highlights

Learning about angles

Jessica M - 3A

Year 6 Maths Work

Positive Thoughts from one of our Cumberland Parents regarding Home Learning

Initially Home Learning was daunting for most of us and we did not know how this was going to turn out for our child. The first week or two was overwhelming and challenging as I was working from home as well. Thankfully my employer was understanding. I did tell him that home schooling was my priority and I could catch up on work in the evenings and weekends.

Eventually we got into the swing of things and followed the routine. I cannot complain about the tasks the teachers have set and I do not think my child has lost any educational time or knowledge while out of the school based environment. I can say that I have learnt along the way with her. From narrative Writing, Maths, Religion, Performing Arts, Art, Life Skills, etc. It was a refresher for me too as well as fun for some of the specialist classes. The one-on-one teaching has worked for my child. I have helped her to think out of the box and have asked her lots of questions to steer her into the right direction. She has grown so much whilst being at home.

Fairview and Cumberland Assemblies

The attendance of children and parents at the Primary Assemblies has been fantastic. For the remainder of the term, Assemblies will be delivered using Zoom. Fairview students at school will remain in their classroom and watch as a class. Parents are welcome to attend (a link will be emailed to parents). Next week’s Cumberland Assembly link will be posted on My Aitken by the Homeroom teachers.

Sadie and Otto at School

We are so excited to be back at school. We have missed all the Fairview students and we were so happy to see all the smiling faces walking to school on Tuesday morning. We love walking around the playground at recess and lunch because we get lots of pats and cuddles from everybody. Sadie is shy sometimes and can be a bit worried with all this attention, but she’s learning how to be brave and try new things. She’s even discovered that although being in new places can be a bit scary sometimes, having lots of people around to support and help you makes things so much easier. Otto loves being out and about all the time. He’s really enjoying going on long walks up to the farm and meeting all the animals up there.

Sadie and Otto

What we think about Sadie and Otto being at school:

“I like taking Sadie and Otto for walks, they make me happy to come to school”.

Ivy L 2B

“They’re so cute and fluffy!”

Rubi C 2B

“I like taking the dogs for a walk”

Dennis J 2B

“They make school a happy place.”

Marlon G 2B

VCAL News

Welcome Back