Principal's Report
Hopefully you all received the Compass notification that was sent out yesterday with some important information for parents as we navigate our way through the process of transitioning children back to school. All of the information provided relates to both campuses.
Obviously there is a strong focus on keeping everyone in the school community safe as we manage this process, all guided by advice from DET (Department of Education and Training) and the Chief Health Officer. The Wellbeing section of this newsletter provides explanation of how this applies in our context.
In the Teaching and Learning section of this newsletter you will see a full explanation of the end of semester 2 reporting process, as well as providing some tips about supporting your children as they settle back into school.
Apologies for the quantity of information that is being shared at the moment, but it’s important you feel informed.
Return of Face to Face Teaching
All staff return to working on-site from May 25. We’re excited with the prospect of having children back at school and look forward to our Prep-2 students returning on Tuesday May 26 and the 3-6s on Tuesday June 9.
As mentioned yesterday, once students return to school as per the dates listed above, the provision of remote learning for students will cease. The only exception to this will be where there is medical advice explaining why a child should continue learning from home. Should this apply to you, please contact a member of the principal team to discuss.
Red Resource Boxes
We know these have been used every day at home, but it’ll soon be time to gather all the learning materials, pack them back in the box and bring them back to school. Make sure your child has the box with them on their 1st day back.
On-Site LearningBetween May 26 and June 5
On-site learning for children of essential workers will continue for our grade 3-6 students. Scotsburn Campus students who have been attending the on-site program at Buninyong will attend on-site at the Scotsburn Campus from May 26.
Returning Devices
A large number of families have borrowed an iPad to assist with learning from home. Our plan to have these returned by parents in a way that maintains social distancing is explained in the Teaching and Learning section of this newsletter.
Report Writing Day (May 22)
A reminder that your child’s teacher will not be available online on Friday, as they will have the day to make a start on writing end of semester 1 reports. This will be a chance for your child to have a catch up day. For many, this will be an opportunity to tackle some specialist learning tasks that may have been missed along the way.
The on-site program for children of essential workers will operate on this day, as will before and after school care.
Pupil Free Day (May 25)
DET (Department of Education and Training) has declared May 25 pupil free, to give schools the opportunity to prepare for the return of students. School will not operate on this day, including the on-site program for children of essential workers. No learning tasks will be set for this day. Base 1270 will provide child care on this day.
Social Distancing of Adults
Our social distancing practices going forward will be a critical aspect of keeping our staff and students safe and will change significantly. We are used to having parents and community members in and out of the school every day, but that’s not going to be possible over the coming months.
In the Wellbeing section of this newsletter, Scott explains the limits being placed on parent access to the school site. Please understand these are practices being adopted in all schools across the state and that we will be returning to normal as soon as it is safe to do so.
Boost to School Cleaning
Today I am meeting with our cleaning contractor to discuss the additional cleaning that will take place from next week through to the end of term 3. On top of the usual end of day cleaning, progressive cleaning will be happening across each school day. This will focus on cleaning and disinfecting key touch points, play equipment, student tables & chairs and toilets.
Bus Services
All 3 country bus runs continue to run, and as of Tuesday, that includes pick-ups and drop-offs at Scotsburn as per pre-Corona virus times.
Canteen
The canteen will offer lunches for P-2 students on May 29 and June 5 (Fridays). Once all students are back at school, the canteen will offer lunches on Wednesdays and Fridays as per normal.
Playgrounds Ready to Go – Throughout this period of having few students at school, Simon (our maintenance man) has continued to do a great job and has our grounds at both campuses in excellent condition and ready for students to return.
Thanks again for your patience with everything and let us know if you have questions regarding anything in this newsletter. We’re certainly looking forward to having the students back on site and getting back to some sort of normality.
Removal of a Cyprus Tree
Those who saw last week’s broadcast would be aware that the enormous Cyprus tree near the basketball court at the Buninyong Campus was scheduled for removal. Unfortunately the tree has been assessed as being dangerous and tagged for immediate removal. We were sad to receive that news, but acted to get the tree removed before the return of staff and students.
We have deliberately kept any of the larger sections of timber and hope to have them milled on site and then used in various ways around the school. The stump of the tree has been left in place as a reminder of what once stood there. We know that stump will be well used by the children as a place to sit or some sort of base for a game they are playing.
The area now looks very bare and we’ll consider options to restore at least some of the shelter that has been lost. Over the past 3 years we have planted between 25-30 shade trees annually between our 2 campuses and will do the same again in 2020. Whilst these trees aren’t yet large enough to provide shade, in time they will replace the shade that is being lost as some of our older trees are removed.
