Warmer Weather and a Wonderful Return to On-site Education

It has been fabulous to see our teachers and students returning to onsite learning over the last two weeks. The students have settled back into the school routine with ease after the initial excitement of catching up with peers and teachers.

We are doing everything we can to ensure we are COVID Safe at North Melbourne Primary School. As we move into the warmer weather, expect to see the outdoor learning experiences become a frequent occurrence throughout the day. Already we have seen Drama and Music classes outdoors and Year 6 has extended the HIVE’s learning space to include outdoor tables. Students have been excited to get back into the Stephanie Alexander Garden and we are looking forward to using our ‘Outdoor Library’ in the coming weeks.

We thank parents for following the COVID Safe guidelines, ensuring that adults remain off-site and socially distant. As we progress through the term, if any parent or carer would like to talk to their child’s teacher, please either email or ring the office to make an appointment.

It has been pleasing to see the independence in our students as they enter the school grounds and proceed to their classrooms for the day. We remind everyone of the importance of using the correct gates for student arrival and dismissal and encourage families to arrange a safe meeting place outside of the school and then move away quickly while maintaining traffic safety. This practice will continue to eliminate the congregation of adults at the end of the day and keep everyone safe. Unfortunately, there is to be no socialising after school of parents and students.

School Program Modifications

We are in the process of modifying some of our whole school events to ensure students have as close to normal Term 4 as possible while adhering to DET guidelines and COVID principles. Unfortunately, due to restrictions in place, some events have had to be postponed for the year. Please see below for the list of school events and make note of changes or cancellations. Please also be aware advice regarding these events are subject to change based on the Department of Education guidelines, aligned with the Victorian Government Roadmap. We will continue to update families on any changes throughout the term as soon as possible.

Event	Changes
School Assemblies	These will continue in the virtual format for the remainder of the year. We are planning to release three virtual assemblies throughout the term.
School Photos	Cannot go ahead at this stage. Tentative date booked for 18th November if advice changes.
Book Week and Dress-up Day	Moved to the week commencing 16th November. Dress up day will be Friday 20th November (unfortunately parents will not be able to attend celebrations, although we have planning in place to share experiences virtually).
Reno Rumble	Postponed for 2021
2021 Prep Transition Program	Modified program (more information to follow later in the term)
Year 3 Camp	Cannot go ahead at this stage
Year 6 High School Transition	TBC
NMPS Transition Day	TBC
Swimming Program	Will commence as planned with COVID safe principles in place (more information to follow later in the term).
Year 6 Farewell & End of Year events	Modified program (more information to follow later in the term)

We look forward to the term ahead as we know it is important that students reconnect with their peers, teachers, and learning. Teachers will strive to deliver high-quality learning for everyone with a strong focus on making sure that every student is supported in their well-being, learning, and transition needs. Differentiated teaching is a high impact teaching strategies teachers use to extend the knowledge and skills of every student. Small group learning will also be implemented across the school to support students.

Every Day Counts

As we continue to make our way through Term 4, ‘Every Day Counts’ and attendance enables students to build on their learning and maintain strong connections with friends and teachers. Throughout the term, we will be monitoring student attendance and reaching out to families where necessary. While we recognise this has been a challenging time for some students, it is never too early or too late to establish positive attendance habits.

Once again, we would like to thank the community of North Melbourne for all of the support that they have shown the school throughout the duration of remote learning and the return to school.

A gesture of thanks