Dear Parents,

Lots has changed in the past 8 days at school, and I feel like we have now put systems and processes in place which are sustainable for staff, parents and children. This has allowed us to continue to supervise the learning of children still attending school and those learning from home.

Teachers are extremely busy teaching the children at school, contacting parents and children by phone, emailing students, being involved in the closed Facebook live-streams, marking and planning future work. A reminder that teachers will be contacting children twice a week by phone.

The staff at school have put together the next comprehensive learning package for each child for the first 3 weeks of Term 2 - if the current situation remains the same. Parents are asked to come to the front office, deliver all completed work into the boxes marked with your child's stage group and collect the package of work that will commence after the holidays. If parents cannot collect the next work packages, please let us know. We can either post them or have them delivered. So to reiterate:

1) Please return all completed work (with your child's name clearly written on it) into the boxes in the foyer at school in the next few days.

2) Collect the next package of work that is for Weeks 1, 2 and 3 of Term 2 before Thursday 9th April.

Remember our closed Facebook sessions will continue until the last day of Term 1 (Thursday 9th April). If you are not already a member of the Facebook page for your stage group, the times and what title you need to search for on Facebook are listed below:

Kinder - 10.00am each school day - please ask to join - Bathurst Public School Kindergarten

Stage 1 (Year 1 and 2) - 10.45am each school day - please ask to join - Bathurst Public School Years 1 and 2

Stage 2 (Year 3 and 4) - 12.15pm each school day - please ask to join - Bathurst Public School Years 3 and 4

Stage 3 (Year 5 and 6) - 1.00pm each school day - please ask to join - Bathurst Public School Years 5 and 6

Support classes - 2.15pm each school day - please ask to join - Bathurst Public School Support

We are continuing to utilise our Parent Portal as another means of communication. If parents need support with logging on, passwords etc, please contact Mrs Cafe at school. The direct link is:

https://bathurstps.sentral.com.au/portal2/#!/login

I continue to thank parents for their messages of support and encouragement of us all through this extremely difficult time. At any stage if you need any additional support, please contact the school and speak with your child's classroom teacher, an Assistant Principal or myself. We are all in this together, and more then ever, we need to support one another.

I would like to also take this opportunity to thank the staff of Bathurst Public School for their incredibly hard work, commitment and support of the children and each other in these challenging times. They have pivoted under extraordinary circumstances, providing a continuity of education for our children that is remarkable and inspiring. Thankyou all.

A reminder of the procedures we have in place to ensure a safe working environment are;

Requesting sick staff and children to remain at home. If children become sick during the day we will contact parents for them to be collected and taken home. Likewise, if staff become unwell throughout the day, they will go home immediately. If parents are unwell, we ask you not to come near the school or enter the school grounds.
Hand sanitiser is at the front door of the school and should be used by anyone accessing the school throughout the day.
Hand sanitiser is in every classroom and soap is in all bathrooms. Children and staff are washing hands or using sanitiser before eating, when coming in from the playground or when using the bathrooms. Soap is in the soap dispensers in all of the bathrooms. Children and staff are washing their hands for about 20 seconds regularly throughout the day.
Alcohol wipes have been given to each classroom, office and workroom so keyboards, phones, tables etc can be cleaned regularly throughout the day.
Tissues are in every room. Once tissues are used, they should be disposed of and children and staff should rewash/use sanitiser on hands.
The protocols for washing hands and coughing etiquette from NSW Health are clearly located in every classroom, bathroom and offices around the school.

We would ask that parents limit entering the school grounds as much as possible to ensure the safety, health and well-being of all children and staff. If possible, parents are requested to drop their child/children at the gate each morning and wait outside the gates to collect them in the afternoon. Parents are reminded to present at the office if they need to attend the school.

Our School Canteen is closed until further notice. No lunch orders are available.

Our Breakfast club is closed until further notice.

Teacher tables, student tables, any benches and classroom furniture, workroom and staffroom tables and areas in offices are cleared each day so these area can be wiped thoroughly with disinfectant. Everything is also lifted off the floor so a thorough vacuum can occur daily.

Please follow us on Facebook. Please remember that the Facebook page is to celebrate our wonderful school and our student’s achievements. If you have questions in regards to things like bus passes, excursions, uniform, absences, or any other enquiry, please contact the office on 6331 3923.

If any parent has any concerns regarding any aspect of school life, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please take care everyone, stay safe and look after one another.

Kate White

Principal

Term 1 - Calendar 2020