Welcome Back

Term 4 has started back in a very orderly and smooth manner.  It is amazing how quickly students and staff enter back into the routines, structures, and life of school. It was lovely to see all the students return to school last Monday with smiles on their faces, full school Summer uniform and ready to commence learning. Before I began writing the newsletter this week, I checked the school calendar, and it was exciting to see so many interesting and varied activities for the students at our school this term. I would like to thank the committed and hardworking teaching staff of Oak Flats Public School for the units of work, engaging activities and assessment tasks they organised during the holidays, ready for the commencement of Term 4.

I am pleased to announce that over the holidays and in the first two weeks of school several building works were completed. These included:

Installation of solar panels on the hall roof
Roller shutters on the canteen
Deep cleaning of the urinals in all boys toilets
Installation of new and more lights in the Junior and Senior boys and girls toilets

I encourage all our parents to visit the school to see these new updates. A big thank you to Mr Rod for being on site while these projects were underway.

PBL Relaunch

Last Monday students in Kindergarten to Year 6 dressed up in the PBL colours of orange, purple, blue and yellow to participate in the PBL Relaunch Day. This day reinforced our ongoing focus on positive behaviour and effective learning. Students engaged in a variety of activities that focused on promoting positive learning environments in the classroom and safe and happy playgrounds to support all students with their learning, social and emotional needs. Treats were purchased at the canteen which included jelly, cupcakes, and cookies. The day was enjoyed by staff and students, and I would like to thank Mr Lloyd and the PBL team for their efforts, time and organisation to ensure the day was a huge success.

Challenge2bfit

We were so excited last week to begin our Challenge2bFit sport program, which will run every Friday for the next five weeks. This program is designed to achieve 70 of the PDHPE Syllabus Outcomes and Indicators and all students are expected to participate. Each week students will be participating in inflatable obstacles and exciting new challenges. I would like to thank Miss Cotterill for her organisation of this event and thank all our parents/carers who have paid, enabling their child to participate. We have shared some photos on Facebook for you to view.

Grandparents Day

Grandparents Day celebrates the diversity of grandparent relationships across age groups, cultural backgrounds, and geographical locations. Grandparents, grand-friends, kin, and those who take on the role of a grandparent in their family or community are recognised for their contributions. Grandparents Day this year will be celebrated on Tuesday 1 November from 9:00 - 11:45am. On this day there will be performances in the school from our musical and dance groups, open classrooms, and a picnic lunch. As a school we have also decided that teachers will dedicate time on the day to allow students to make something to take home  for their grandparents or significant relative or friend. This may be a poem, card, bookmark, drawing and/or painting. I would like to thank our special grandparents who are a valuable part of our school community and look forward to seeing you at Oak Flats Public School soon.

Check In Assessments

Years 3, 4 and 5 will be participating in the Check In Assessments for Reading and Maths in Weeks 2 and 3. These assessments are completed by all students in NSW Public Schools and allow the teachers to monitor the student's progress in these areas and to plan for future learning. The students will need to make sure they have their devices at school each day and that they are fully charged (Week 2 - Year 5 and Week 3 - Years 3 and 4). The students are able to use headphones in the Maths assessment so it is also important to ensure they bring these to school in their testing week. Please contact the school if you have any questions.

Safety Around The School Zone

Many of our students walk home in the afternoon. For the safety of everyone, we ask parents and carers to please remind children of these points when crossing the road.

STEP back from the kerb 
LOOK in all directions 
LISTEN for traffic 
THINK about when it is safe to cross

Crossing the road between parked cars is not recommended for children. The potential for danger of being hit by a car whilst crossing between parked cars is enormous. Drivers cannot always see pedestrians (particularly small children) waiting to cross the road.

Double parking is unfortunately also a problem that places the lives of our students at unnecessary risk. Double-parked vehicles are visual obstructions for young children trying to cross to the other side of the road. They also place children getting in or out of the car at risk, as they must venture to the middle of the road to do so. Please refrain from double parking around our school and use the other safer parking options available to you.

When picking up children in the afternoon, here are a few suggestions for you to help ease traffic congestion around our school. 

Pre-arrange a pick up place with your children
If possible, arrange to meet your children a little further away from the school
Students can exit the school at 3.00pm via the gate on Griffiths Street, the Preschool gate on Central Avenue and the Wentworth Street pedestrian gate. Teachers will be on duty at each exit gate to assist students.

When using the Drop-off and Pick-Up zone on Griffiths Street:

Always drop off or pick up your child from the designated zone and follow the school’s procedures.
Drivers should remain in their vehicles at all times in the Drop-off and Pick-up zone.
Drivers may stop for a maximum of 2 minutes in the Drop-off and Pick-up zone.
Ensure children use the Safety Door (the rear footpath side door) to get in and out of the car.
Ensure the handbrake is applied when the vehicle is stationery.
Always park legally.
Avoid dangerous manoeuvres such as U-turns and three-point turns.

COVID Updates

In Term 4 2022, your child’s school will continue to operate with a number of COVID-smart measures that were in place in the previous term to minimise transmission and keep schools open while prioritising student and staff wellbeing.

These key COVID-smart measures include:

staying home and getting tested if unwell, and only attending school when symptom free
rapid antigen testing for symptomatic students and staff, and household or close contacts attending school to learn or work (note that household/close contacts may not attend an SSP or support unit)
strongly encouraging COVID-19 vaccinations for students, staff and their families, including a booster shot (when eligible) and maintaining double dose vaccination requirements for staff who work in an SSP
good hygiene practices including regular hand washing with soap and warm water and/or use of hand sanitiser
maintaining natural ventilation in all learning spaces of our school.
boosted cleaning during the day, with particular attention given to high touch surface areas
assessing risk and applying appropriate safeguards across activities and events
strongly encouraging mask-wearing for all staff, students and visitors on school sites, particularly indoors and when physical distancing is not possible
learning remotely where face-to-face learning is not possible.

On 30 September, National Cabinet announced that from Friday 14 October 2022, people who test positive to COVID-19 do not need to isolate. In line with this announcement, the NSW Department of Education have worked with NSW Health to support all schools to adapt to this change while continuing to prioritise student and staff wellbeing by minimising the risk of COVID-19 transmissions.

Have a great fortnight.

Alice Wigny

Community News