Principal's Report

Hello everyone,

A lot has happened in the time between our last catch up and this newsletter.

Covid has visited the school. It would appear that we likely had multiple entry points of infection as everyone came back from the Term break. Thank you to all families who tested students prior to camp, however this variant has seen only the occasional RAT pick it up. I have heard from some positive cases that it took a PCR test to confirm Covid, even though they were obviously sick and had done multiple RATs. Under these circumstances we can all only continue to do the best that we can do, and the school certainly appreciates the support of families in this instance. Rest assured that the school continues to follow DET guidelines (new and current information has been provided in the Notices section of this newsletter. Please make yourselves familiar with them).

This time round a number of staff also got Covid. Tuesday last week saw the school functioning with the bare minimum of staff. Thank you to all our families for your words of support and your understanding. It has been and continues to be, difficult to obtain replacement staff particularly on short notice.

This week the majority of students who were in isolation have returned. Classes are almost back to full strength, and we only have the occasional case going into isolation. However, it has very much been the case of one student into isolation, two returning, so things are looking much better. Current cases appear to be in the P-3 classes, but as I said only one at a time. It is important to emphasize that students are expected to be at school. DET have prioritised this through their acceptance of the close contacts of positive cases being able to return to school, with conditions on their attendance (Please make yourselves familiar with these in the Notices section). It is understandable that families may keep close contacts at home just in case they turn positive. However, when possible, we look forward to seeing your children return to school. It is important to remember that this is really the first time that DET haven’t locked down schools across Victoria during winter. We are seeing now what this means to schools and Covid cases. Every day DET is also learning what a difference Covid makes.

Coming Up in the Term

This term we have a number of exciting things happening. There is the whole school excursion to the Triceratops  for science week. This was part of the positive return to school initiative by DET which has subsidised some of the costs associated with excursions. We are very much looking forward to this day at the museum.

We will also be having a puppet show incursion on Monday 1st August! There is no cost for the puppet show and this past week has seen the older students helping the P-2s with their own puppet making skills.

Swimming is at the end of this term. There is no cost for swimming this year as it has been fully subsidised by DET, so that students can get back to the pools after Covid. We have certainly appreciated this support and have booked in as many students as the swim school could take so that as many of our students as possible get to participate.

The student group (SWWAGERS) will catch up again soon and begin organising some more activities, including for book week.

Student Teacher- Welcome

456B  and Madam Lee will be welcoming a student teacher from Swinburne University for the next 4 weeks. Please welcome Zara if you see her around the school.

Rai Jones - Welcome

This week we welcomed Rai Jones to Newham Primary School and after recovering from Covid, Kerry Hammond popped in yesterday for a final goodbye to 456A.

Following is an introduction to Rai but I’m sure your children are already on the case and have filled you in.

Hello everyone! 

I’m really excited to be joining your school community. I’ve heard lovely things about Newham Primary School, and I can’t wait to meet you all. Here are a few things to know about me. I’ve been teaching for a long time (nearly 20 years!) and have worked in primary schools and secondary schools. I love learning things, and I love helping others learn. I really enjoy reading and making things. I asked my last class what they thought was important information to share with you. They said I was fun, kind, and caring, and … silly. They also think it’s important that you know I don’t like wasting things, but I do like nature, going to the op shop, and Eurovision. I’m really looking forward to getting to know all the students and families at Newham Primary. See you soon! Rai

Camp

I am sure that families have heard about Camp non- stop. I can without a doubt say that the Sovereign Hill camp was full-bore all the way. There was so much to do and to see.

The mine tours, the educational lessons on immigration and identities in the colony of Victoria and the goldfields of Ballarat, the search for gold in the creek (there were a few for whom gold fever was evident and getting them to put the pan down so that Sovereign Hill could close to the public took some convincing), marching with the Troopers, and our time spent at the Night Lights and Aura shows.

We even went to a pantomime at the Sovereign Hill theatre. After a little explanation of the art of pantomime and the required audience participation our students really got involved in the show.

The Night lights in the main street were spectacular! Music, lights, changing themes, fake snow and fireworks all added to a lovely lead up to dinner in the New York bakery. After dinner it was straight onto the evening at Aura. This show took students on a ride on a little train-style vehicle through the back streets of Sovereign Hill to view an amazing display encompassing the local indigenous culture, the sudden influx of gold seekers, immigration and beyond. At bedtime lights-out there was barely a peep, the result of a very full and exciting day! Please take a look at the photos later on in the newsletter.

A huge thank you also to parents who came on camp, your help was invaluable, we couldn’t have done it without you! I have heard that a few caught covid and therefore we also appreciate your willingness to be there for our students considering that covid could have always been a consideration for you.

Getting Back into the Rhythm of School

It is evident that Covid has made a difference to the way students interact with each other and with staff. Schools right across the state are reporting changes to behaviour that indicates student stress, anxiety and in the most extreme cases trauma.

Newham Primary School has not been immune to this scenario. Our students are demonstrating less tolerance of other students and of staff,  a diminished ability to sort through social situations, and a greater emphasis on only being interested in something if there is something in it for them. I could go on. Although there have always been these factors within schools, they are currently accentuated.

Staff here at Newham Primary School continue to work together to support students to find their way back to a more centred and considered view of the world around them, in the yard and in the classroom. For instance, yesterday, all the footballing students were gathered together to discuss how they could manage playing football. They spoke about how ‘they’ don’t follow the rules the group set down at the beginning of the game and how ‘they’ aren’t thinking about what that means for the game. It was brought to the student’s attention that the ‘they’ to whom they were referring were actually all the students in the room at the meeting and now ‘they’ had heard what the problem was. After realising that, the students were able to come to an agreement for managing games and prepared for lunch break. Such an emphasis on explicit intervention by staff to support students to come to their own agreements allows students to value their own ideas and input while demonstrating to staff that they are responsible.

Staff have also been supporting students who are reluctant to get back into their learning. Praise, rewards, short breaks and working with ES staff have all been effective strategies to name a few. Staff are always appreciative of parent support and are keen to work together to centre students with their learning.

 It would be appreciated if parents could continue to emphasize the importance of our school values (skills in Respect, Responsibility, Resilience and Unity will remain a focus), our school wide positive behaviours and their associated consequences and rewards. Please contact your child’s classroom teacher if you have concerns about your child’s ability to settle back into their learning routine and social networks.

Parent Teacher Interviews with Mr Furphy

Mr Furphy has returned from leave this week and we are currently in the process of organising parent teacher interviews for his class. Please keep an eye on your uEducateUs messages next week for further information.

Student Mental Health - Dr Billy Garvey

Please read in the Notices section of this newsletter that the Seminar With Dr Billy Garvey has finally been rescheduled to 31st August. I heard that some of our families found his first seminar useful.  I hope that you may find this one equally pleasing.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Simone Wood