The West Weekly  

Principal's Report 

Appreciations

We made it!  Tomorrow is the final day of Remote and Flexible Learning at Home for students in grades 3 -6.  It has been beyond expectation and we feel our community’s response has been phenomenal.  Well Done!

 

Information on Stage 2 Return to School - 3-6 is included, as well as a survey link for parents and carers, so we can seek your feedback.

 

News – Return to school 

We are very pleased that this long period of remote and flexible learning is finally due to come to a conclusion tomorrow.  We cannot be more proud of our students, teachers, parents and carers for continuing to manage this challenging situation. But we also understand most of you are OVER IT! 

We look forward to facilitating the plans to make the return as smooth as we possibly make it.

I have provided a brief summary here, but turn to pages 2-4 for more specific details, a map and copies of the signage.  These have been broken down by Family Surname. 

 

Remote and Flexible Learning at Home survey – We are seeking your feedback at the conclusion to the Learning at Home program. Please click the link Link to Remote Learning Survey and take a few minutes to provide us with your feedback on how you and your family have coped, learnt and been challenged.

 

Stage 2 - Return to School - 3-6

  • All students in grades P-2 will continue to use the same 3 entrance/exit gates they have been using over the last fortnight.
  • Three ‘supplementary’ gates will be opened daily. They are located near the gates we have been currently using.
  • The supplementary gates will be used by students in grades 3-6, who are not accompanying younger siblings in grades P-2. They will align with the same family alphabetical groupings we have been already been using.
  • The supplementary gates are located at Habitat Haven - A-G (nearby the Main gate), at Fielding Way - H-N (near the Crossing gate) and the Vehicle access gate - O-Z (near the Blandford St pedestrian gate).
  • From Tuesday morning, all gates will open at 8.50 am and close at 9.10 am.  This will enable families to comfortably ‘stagger’ school entry times. All class teachers will welcome their students into the classrooms from 8.50 am.  After 9.10am, arriving students should access school via the main gate/office.
  • In the afternoon junior classes will cease from approximately 3.15 pm and students will meet at 3 assembly points located near the basketball court. They will be followed by the 3/4s and 5/6s.
  • Students being collected by adult carers will be first priority for collection after school.  They will be followed by family groups. Unaccompanied students in grades 3-6 will leave through the appropriate supplementary gate they entered by.
  • Students with bikes and scooters will be the last students to leave due to reasons of safety and convenience.
  • Mobile phones will be signed in at the classroom. A member of the office team will collect them after 9.10 am and return them by 3.10 pm daily.

The TheirCare OSHC program is open before and after school each day.  From next week TheirCare will also be able to again cater for students in grades 3-6. For parents who are dropping children at the program after 8.00 am (when the car park is no longer accessible), please walk your child through the Argyle St crossing gate, past Koala and Wallaby buildings, on the basketball court side of Gecko, to Emu Corner.  We understand that may be an anomalous instruction, considering the requirement to restrict adult access to school grounds, however I believe is far safer than having students walking (even accompanied) within the car park as staff are driving in.

 

Loaned iPads – When students in grades 3-6 return from learning at home next week they are required to return any iPads they have borrowed to support the remote and flexible learning at home program.  As students transition back to school, all our iPads will be required daily.

 

Capturing the experience – We had no expectation that we would experience what the first 6 months of 2020 has wrought world-wide.  We believe we learn and cope best by applying our known skills and the ability to reflect and capture what our experiences have been like.  The JSC has already begun this process with their Google Meetings held during the period of remote and flexible learning at home and this work will continue.  The school and class captains have also reflected through their weekly online meetings with Shannon and me.  They have come up with some creative ideas and these have been shared with the coordinators and level leaders.  Next week, all the grades will have a focused time for an activity devised by our grade 6 captains.  These will be displayed in order to capture how our community has coped and even thrived during this worldwide event.

 

Other news

The Facilities sub-committee met remotely last evening to review current initiatives and to discuss future planning:  

  • We are waiting on advice regarding the structural rehabilitation required for the Wallaby building.
  • We are pleased to have an approved construction plan for the climbing wall.  We will be preparing a specific scope to accompany the planning in order to seek quotes from builders.
  • We discussed a scope for the installation of CCTV in the yard to deter after hours vandalism and theft.  This concept has already been approved at Council.
  • Cleaning is now occurring every day during school hours to better combat concerns with CV-19.  Our contractor are better meeting our needs due to a change of management structure and personnel
  • Solar project – our plan to install this was approved by School Council last year but was subject to Victorian Schools Building Authority’s compliance requirements.  We are pleased that the investigative work that parent (and electrical engineer) Peter Deith did last year will be an important requirement in meeting these compliance expectations.
  • A working bee will be held to plant at the front of the school when we are able to do so.

Health – We appreciate that parents have shown understanding that we are managing student health issues more conservatively than usual. Our school nurse, Zowi has penned a piece on this very issue in today’s newsletter.

 

Best regards

Brendan 

 

A Word of Appreciation to our Parents and Carers

Dear parents and guardians, 

On behalf of all of the students at FWPS, we would like to thank you for the time and effort you have put in to help make online learning a great success. We know it must have been hard having to balance work and helping your kids so we share our appreciation for the help you gave us. 

Have a fantastic day, stay safe.

Stephen Sully and Tilly McNamara

Captaincy Representatives