From the Principal 2

.

Dear St Joseph's Parents and Families,

Just one week to go and we will be at the end of Term One. How the weeks have flown.  Seems like no time since we welcoming people back to school and the holidays are nearly here.  Here are some photos of the term to look back on.

Despite the challenges our local and global is currently facing, we are providing some stability for our children, running 'Business as Usual.' Staff are doing a great job, keeping things as normal as possible, beginning each day with Morning Fitness, followed by Literacy, Numeracy and Inquiry Based learning, incorporating Religious Education.  See below photos of our St Joe's kids hard at work, enjoying sporting activities, etc.

Potential School Closure

There are still currently no plans for Catholic Schools in the Melbourne Archdiocese to close.  As you will have read in the statement from the Chief Health Officer shared via FlexiBuzz, children are safest at school, rather than mixing with adults in the community who are more likely to be infectious. Children are better to be at school in their usual routines.  I would encourage parents to continue sending their children to school until the advice from the Chief Health Officer changes.  

It is, of course a family's right to choose to self-isolate if they believe this is their best course of action to keep their family safe.  If doing so, I would strongly encourage children to be kept away from other members beyond our school community.  At this stage, it will not be possible for the school to ensure the continuity of learning for children from families who choose to self-isolate.  It would not be possible for, or reasonable of us to expect teachers to be delivering face to face and online classes. In the event of a school shut down, teachers will be able to enact plans for the delivery of online learning to all the students.  Teachers have in place plans for the continuity of student learning, in the event of a school closure.  Please refer to the Deputy Principal page for an overview of what this will entail.

As not all families have access to multiple devices in homes, it will be possible for families from Year Two to Six to borrow devices from the school.  As these are school owned and uninsured off-site, families would first be required to sign an agreement to pay in full for the replacement/repair of any lost, stolen or damaged devices.  Credit card details would be collected and charged in the event of a device being lost, stolen or damaged.  This will be sent home in the event of a shutdown.  Families choosing to self-isolate will not automatically be provided with access to technology at home.  If this is something they feel would be helpful, they are invited to call me on 0425 736 305 to discuss the options.  Please do not email a request through.  A conversation would be required.

Fair Use and Cyber Safety Agreement for Primary Students

In your children's bags today you should find a hard copy of the school's Fair Use and Cyber Safety Agreement for Primary Students.  

Please read the document thoroughly, discuss it with your child, sign the tear off slip on Appendix 2 and return it to your child's classroom teacher.

NAPLAN cancelled due to COVID-19 impact

This year’s NAPLAN tests have been cancelled to help principals and teachers focus on the wellbeing of students amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, which has now infected more than 700 people in Australia.  Click here to read the full article.

Camps and Excursions Postponed

All Camps and Excursions in the foreseeable future are on hold including the Year Three/Four camp at ADANAC.  This will be rebooked later in the year once the camp and excursion ban has been lifted.

Best wishes for a restful weekend,

Nicholas Boyhan

Principal