Welcome Back

A very warm ‘Welcome Back’ to all members of the SSPS community. In particular, I would like to greet all the families of our new students; I’m sure that you will be made to feel very welcome at SSPS. 

I hope that you all enjoyed some family time and a restful break. With COVID restrictions easing, many of the activities that have been out of reach the past two years have allowed us to enjoy lots of family activities.

In reference to COVID 19 there are two major changes in place to our daily operations this term. These being: 

• Students in Years 3 – 6 are no longer required to wear face masks in class (unless they are a close contact of a COVID positive family member) 
• Students deemed as close contacts no longer need to quarantine for seven days. In this instance, where a student continues to test negatively on a RAT test each morning, whilst a member of the family is COVID positive, they may continue to attend school on the basis that they wear a mask whilst in class. We have our fingers crossed that the above changes will make for a more manageable term ahead for families and the school. To ensure the ongoing safety of all students this term, we ask that parents continue to be vigilant in undertaking rapid antigen testing twice a week with children. As many students are asymptomatic, the RAT tests continue to be an important screening measure. 

ANZAC Day

ANZAC Day Services were held across the state on Monday, in light of this our School Captains Advika and Ziyad gave a comprehensive explanation about why we commemorate ANZAC Day on Tuesday just before lunchtime. They highlighted the fact that we not only remember those who have served in the past and those who made the ultimate sacrifice, but we gather to remember those who continue to serve to defend Australia today.

Mother’s Day Stall 

In helping to celebrate the upcoming Mother’s Day (or special person day), we will be hosting a Mother’s Day stall next Friday 6th May, whereby students will be able to purchase a small gift for mum or someone special in their lives. Prices will range from $2 to $10. Students will be able to purchase 1 gift from the stall. We recommend that the younger students have their money in an envelope clearly marked with their name and class. A huge thank you to the Parent’s Association, who have once again volunteered to coordinate the stall. 

School Assemblies

Just a reminder that parents, grandparents, and friends are welcome to attend Monday morning assembly. From next week onwards, we are certainly excited to be re-introducing our Monday morning assemblies. Our assemblies in the past have been a great opportunity to recognise student achievements with awards or presentations, as well as being an important forum for sharing information about school processes.

NAPLAN

National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The tests cover skills in reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy. The 2022 NAPLAN tests will take place online on Tuesday 10th May, Wednesday 11th May and Thursday 12th May. Please encourage your child to think of this as an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in these areas, not a competition and nothing to be worried about. It does show us what still needs to be learnt and can assist the teachers to identify whole school areas to work on in their teaching. Students will need to bring their own headphones for the assessments.

Election Day BBQ and Cake Stall

Yes, another great fundraising opportunity has been planned for Saturday 21st May, the Election Day BBQ and Cake Stall. We are hoping that you will once again support us by supplying homemade cakes, slices, and biscuits.  You will find details on how you can help in this newsletter.

All the best, keep safe.

Helen