Bayside Catholic Mission

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Sunday Bulletin

Dear Families

Thank you for your understanding and for working with us last week. It was an anxious time for all concerned. Our staff member is doing well and is still isolating as a close contact. We have and will continue to keep parents updated via Operoo if this happens again. The reality is - is that there will be cases in schools over the weeks ahead.

We hope that St Joseph's does not have a close contact or a positive case but in that event we will work with you and follow the advice and guidelines from DHHS and MACS.

It won't be too long before the students are back with us at St Joseph's and we can't wait. Below is the table of the days in the week that we have for the 'staggered return' to school. This is set by the Victorian Government. This was updated over the weekend. When the students are not onsite they will be learning remotely with their teacher.

When the students are onsite, they will be face to face learning with their teachers.

If attending on Wednesdays students will have specialist program (PE, ART, Env Science)

Welcome back

Today our Foundation students returned onsite and it's such a joy to have our youngest students back onsite. Mrs O'Brien and Mrs Bedford (Learning Support Officer) are thrilled to be working face to face with the children.

Our Foundation children were also given a lovely welcome pack from Mantecado Cafe to snack on in the afternoon!

Melbourne Cup Weekend

Please note that we will be open on Monday 1st November. This day is usually a 'report writing' day but under the circumstances we will be open for Foundation students and , and there will be remote learning for students at home. We appreciate that this weekend is traditionally a long weekend and including Melbourne Cup on the Tuesday. If you are planning a long weekend - please do! We will be operating normally otherwise.

Transition back to school

We expect that many students will find the transition back to school challenging. It will also be an exciting time to see friends and learn and play together again. As a staff we will be approaching the term with student wellbeing as the central focus. We will be adapting our days to include more breaks and exercise, we will be providing extra time for students to reconnect and adjust to being back in an environment that is very different to home.

All students will have to develop their stamina again for full days at school. We acknowledge that that will take time and that our students will experience a wide range of emotions. As children readjust they may show greater difficulties with emotional regulation and challenging behaviour. Please partner with us in discussing the return to school with your children and reminding them that it will feel very different to being at home. There is a good article here about transition back to school.

Vaccinations

The Victorian Chief Health Officer has determined that COVID-19 vaccination will be mandatory for staff who work in schools. This includes principals, teachers, administration and education support staff, including casual relief teachers (CRTs) and pre-service teachers. All staff who work in schools will be required to have a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by 18 October 2021 or be able to produce evidence of a vaccination booking within that week. All staff are required to be fully vaccinated by 29 November 2021 unless a medical exemption applies. They will be required to show evidence of their vaccination status.

Sunsmart

Please remember that now we are in Term 4 we need to be wearing school hats while we play / learn outdoors. We will be bringing our new Sunsmart dispenser online in the next couple of weeks so the students can apply sunscreen before break-times.

Staffing and structure 2022

Firstly we have a couple of staff to farewell and we will acknowledge their contribution to St Joseph's later in the term. Jenny Keely will be retiring at the end of this year. We will ensure we give Jenny a well deserved celebration after her years of dedication here at St Joseph's.

Henry Mutimer has accepted a full-time position in Aspendale and we wish him every success. We have replaced Henry as our PE teacher with another talented teacher called Sam Templeton. We will introduce you to Samantha in a later newsletter.

We will be working on the class and staffing structure for 2022 over the next couple of weeks. This will communicated with you when finalised. It is more than likely that we will have 5 classes next year set up in the following way:

2022
Foundation
Year 1/2
Year 3
Year4
Year5/6

Composite classes are based on the number of students in the levels.

Combustible cladding

We have applied for a loan to remove the cladding that is contained in our main building. We will keep you updated as to what the process will be.

Dates.

Term 4

Monday 4th Oct - Wednesday 15th Dec

School events are becoming a moveable feast at the moment so all dates remain flexible in the hope of being able to come back together as a community.

Please note that we will be open on Monday 1st November.

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