Principal's report 

I would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which Kalinda Primary school gathers, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. I would like to pay my respects to their elders past, present, and emerging.

Challenging ourselves to improve

Over the first three weeks of school, there have been so many wonderful examples of great learning from Foundation through to Yr 6. In the classroom and in Specialist classes, students are challenging themselves to do their very best work. Our teachers and Education Support staff have done a great job in ensuring the classroom is calm, safe and engaging. Within this space, students are able to take risks with their learning, not be afraid of making mistakes (and understand that making mistakes is a key part of learning), and be open to feedback about their work.

Congratulations to all the students who take these risks every day, work towards their learning goals and strive to continually improve. We are always incredibly proud of your efforts with your learning.

Just as our students challenge themselves with their learning, we do the same thing as staff members. We have a constant focus on Professional Learning, trying new approaches, making continual improvements in our practice, and being open to feedback. Modelling this approach to self-improvement and learning is a really crucial part of being a teacher. 

At home, it is also incredibly valuable as parents to share with our children our own learning journeys, challenges we face, and the efforts we have to make to improve in anything we do. Being role models of resilience and life-long learning has a major influence on our children.

School Council Elections

We are calling for nominations for the 2022 School Council. We have 5 Parent member positions and 2 DET member positions vacant.

I strongly encourage parents to nominate to be a part of our School Council. It is a great way to actively participate in your children's school and we are strengthened by having a broad range of viewpoints and experiences that parents bring. Further information about the Kalinda School Council can be seen on our website via this link. 

The Nomination and Self Nomination Forms are below, or they can be collected from the school office. Nominations for School Council must be returned to the office or emailed to kalinda.ps@education.vic.gov.au by 4:00pm on Wednesday 23rd February. Further information regarding an Election will be distributed after the nominations have closed. If you have any questions or would like to discuss School Council, please feel free to contact me by phone 03 9876 3289 or email shaun.mcclare@education.vic.gov.au

Extension of COVID safety measures

We want to thank parents and students for the great job they have done in keeping our school as safe as possible by following important COVIDSafe measures such as mask-wearing, physical distancing, ventilation, getting vaccinated and rapid antigen testing.

This has meant that our school has remained open and our students in class. This is a fantastic outcome and a testament to the hard work of parents, carers, students and school staff.

Rapid antigen tests

To keep schools as safe as possible, the Victorian Government has extended the COVIDSafe measures introduced for the beginning of Term 1. This includes extending the availability of free rapid antigen tests (RAT) for screening until the end of term. It is anticipated an additional 24 million RATs will be provided to schools and early childhood settings to continue to support early detection and prevent infection, for use at home.

The need for this program will continue to be monitored and may end earlier based on health advice. This is great news and will mean we’re able to continue identifying COVID-19 cases as early as possible, reducing the impact on our school and individuals.

Department of Health modelling indicates that in the first two weeks of school returning, the program has already prevented more than 21,000 cases in schools alone. Their modelling indicates, assuming a 75 percent compliance rate with screening of students, that by continuing RAT screening in schools for the full 10 weeks of Term 1, we will prevent:

• 61,000 COVID-19 infections in children aged 5 to 17
• more than 150,000 COVID-19 infections in the overall community (on average 15,000 per week over 10 weeks, or more than 2,100 per day)
• around 400 hospital admissions.

The department will continue to supply RATs to our school for your use. We will provide you with details of their distribution next week.

Twice-a-week testing continues to be strongly recommended for both students and staff. 

Testing will be conducted at home, and students and staff must report any positive result. There is no requirement to report a negative result.

Vaccination

Vaccination is another key component to protect students and staff in school settings.

There are lots of convenient options to access vaccinations. These include state-wide vaccination hubs, your local GP or pharmacy.

You can book your appointment in a few different ways, including: 

• online: coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccine
• by phone: 1800 675 398 (Coronavirus Hotline)
• In person: talk to your local pharmacy, doctor, or attend a state-wide vaccination hub. 
• using the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder - COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder | Australian Government Department of Health

In addition, schools provide a trusted place among the community to access vaccination, particularly for families who may experience language or social barriers. 

Following successful implementation of school pop-up clinics at the commencement of Term 1, more than 230 schools across Victoria are currently hosting mini-vaccination clinics led by GPs and pharmacists. Many of these clinics will also make vaccinations available the broader school community, inclusive of families of students and school staff.

Ventilation

Improving ventilation is one of the most effective measures to keep education settings safe. 51,000 air purifiers were delivered to schools by Term 1, 2022 to support COVIDSafe settings in schools.

Up to an additional 60,000 air purifiers will be rolled out to schools ahead of winter to supplement natural and mechanical ventilation during the cooler months. 

The winter allocation will provide enough purifiers to cover all classrooms, in government schools and low-fee non-government schools based on current enrolments. This includes general purpose classrooms and other specialist classrooms such as art and science rooms.

Mask rules will remain the same, with students in Grade 3 and above required to wear masks – although they will not be required outdoors.

On behalf of the school, I would like to thank you again for your continued support in helping your child to complete the rapid antigen tests and other COVID Safe measures. As a result of these efforts our school can continue providing a safe environment for students and staff. 

Shaun McClare,

Principal 

Kalinda Primary School

We are kind. We are resilient. We are respectful.