Principal

Return to school

This week it was announced that we will be returning to onsite schooling for all of our students. We cannot wait to see all of our students in real life again. Information was provided via Sentral and has been attached below. 

Monday May 25th is a Pupil Free Day - there will be no students involved in a learning program on this day, either remotely or onsite. Parents who have been sending their children to school will need to make other arrangements on Monday May 25th.

Our Foundation to Year 2 students return onsite on Tuesday May 26th. 

Our Year 3 to 6 students return onsite on Tuesday June 9th. 

Further translations are available here - 

As we all return to onsite attendance there will be changes around drop off and pick up with the possibility of staggered starts to the day. We are currently planning how the logistics will work and will provide information to families shortly.

Parents will not have free access to the school site, we have been advised by the Department of Education and Training to reduce access to staff and those vital to undertake roles within the school - this means there will be new processes for picking up and dropping off students outside of normal school hours. It will also mean our parents will not be able to line up at the office to ask questions, hand in notices and check on information. 

We will set up a processes to ensure the continued smooth running of the school and thank you in advance for assisting us in keeping everyone safe. 

Social distancing and hygiene will remain vital as we return to school. These posters will be up around the school and everyone is responsible to follow the measures included. They will also be on the school gates. 

If your child is unwell they cannot come to school, if they have any of these symptoms then they must stay home and you should seek medical advice. 

Reports

The Department has provided details around what the reporting expectations are for Semester One and these will be incorporated into our reports. 

We will be providing a letter to all members of the community explaining what you can expect. Semester One reports will not look the same as we have not been able to undertake our usual learning programs and assessments to identify progressions points. 

Getting ready for school

There are so many things that have changed in the lives of our students in these weeks of remote and online learning. In preparation for returning to school on either May 26th or June 9th what can we do to support them?

A few suggestions:

- get them used to lunch and snack in their lunchboxes again

- get them back into the getting up for school routine and set the alarm a little earlier 

- dust off the uniform

- get used to packing their school bag

There will be so many things students will be looking forward to with the return to school onsite. Have a conversation and celebrate these with your children.

There will be changes on their return, details will be provided to families when we have finalised the logistics of drop off and pick up and restricted parent access to the school property. It will be important to explain this to your children. 

There will also be things your child has enjoyed about remote learning, as a staff we are going to review what has worked well and how we can include some of this into our ongoing programs. 

Celebration and thank you

It has been wonderful to attend our class Webex meetings just to see our students.

I miss them!

I have had the opportunity to listen to someone playing the guitar, lots of students showing the work they are proud of, conversations about what they have learnt throughout their day, I have seen pets and gardens, I have learnt all sorts of things that have enabled me to learn more about them. 

Holding the regular Webex meetings have been a real and important opportunity to stay connected with our students. 

I want to take time to thank our parent community for their support and help during this time of remote learning. You have supported your children in so many different ways, you have supported us, you have asked questions and offered feedback.

We cannot thank you enough for your efforts this term.

We look forward to seeing you all again, but from a distance!

Wellbeing

An article that might be of interest to you from Adam Voigt (former principal and founder of Real Schools) which appeared in The Age this week. 

Why weeks home from school may benefit students

On site attendance

Up until your child returns to onsite learning on either May 26th or June 9th the following still applies for attending onsite. This program is limited and permission must be granted for your child to attend. 

All students who can learn at home must learn from home. This is a very clear directive by the Victorian Government based on the advice of the Chief Health Officer.

All students will be learning from home, except for children on days when they are not able to be supervised at home and no other arrangements can be made, for example if you are an essential worker and there is no one at home to supervise your child.

Students who attend school will undertake their remote learning program under supervision, they will not be taught as they normally would be - it is important that you explain this to your child if you are making a request for them to attend onsite, we will ensure social distancing is observed and playing in the yard will be limited to certain areas with no access to the play equipment.

Coming to school is a last resort and only those students who have approval are allowed on the school site. 

If you are working from home then all efforts need to be made to supervise your children at home, setting a clear timetable and setting expectations for task completion is essential. 

We ask our parents to provide clear information about why their child needs to be onsite, some parents have provided proof of their essential worker status from their employer. All information will be assessed and only those meeting the needs set out by the Department will be given permission to attend. 

Thank you to everyone for adhering to the timeline which will enable us to safely staff the school. 

Tech Support

A reminder about our site Technical Support at BPPS. Please make contact if you need assistance with tech issues throughout the term. 

Absences

Please remember to log into Sentral and add your child's absence if they are unwell. We need your support to make sure you enter the absences and give the reason, this will support the work of our office staff this term. 

Free Parenting Seminars from Manningham City Council

Parenting Seminars we thought might be of your interest. 

Susanne Lowe

Principal