MS Readathon

One of our Year 3 students, Charli A, is taking part in MS Readathon this year to help raise vital funds for people living with Multiple Sclerosis. Funds raised go towards research into better treatments for MS sufferers as well as supporting the families of those who have the disease. Charli spoke briefly at our assembly this morning so that St Justin's students could have some understanding of what she is doing and invited them to support her in this cause. If you or your child would like to donate to the cause, please go to: https://www.msreadathon.org.au/fundraisers/CharliAboujaber202449

International Day of Friendship

On Saturday 30th July we celebrate the International Day of Friendship, a day proclaimed in 2011 by the United Nations General Assembly to appreciate and promote friendships. One goal of this day is to bridge the gaps between differences which keep humans from building friendship with one another. According to the UN, one purpose of this day is to promote the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures, and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.

On Saturday (and every other day) we encourage you to get in touch with a friend - make a call, pop in for a coffee, send a message. Good friends are important because they make us feel happy. Having friends also helps us feel like we belong. We need to have these feelings so that we can be healthy and happy in our minds and in our hearts.

Students will be completing activities next week to encourage them to think about what it means to be a good friend and what they look for in a friend.

Child Safe Standards (CSS)

As a whole staff this week, we took time in our professional learning meetings to analyse and become familiar with the updated Victorian Child Safety Standards, as set out in Ministerial Order 1359. Each of the eleven standards, guides us in what we need to do to maintain safe environments.

As a staff we listed the various actions that we take in each of the 11 areas. We were delightfully surprised at the number of strategies that are already in place.

Child Safe Standard 1: Culturally safe environments

Religious Education program promoting equality and respect for all, Social & Emotional Learning Programs, explicitly teaching social skills, Respectful Relationships taught at all levels focusing on anti bullying behaviors and tolerance. Italian Day – Culture Day, Harmony Day, NAIDOC Week, Acknowledgment of Country and raising of the Australian flag, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, Kitchen Garden Program - multicultural recipes, Indigenous studies resources compiled for staff access for programs, Religions of the World focus in RE program, students with diverse needs supported through Australian government funding - Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) or Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) programs.

Child Safe Standard 2: Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in leadership, governance and culture

Staff complete online Mandatory Reporting course, new staff are inducted on child safe procedures, Staff are required to sign and acknowledge declaration of Child Safety Code of Conduct annually, SJWH Community is updated about the Child Safe Standards via the school newsletter, School Advisory Council (SAC) ensure that the school is functioning in accordance with governing authority, which incorporate the CDD, regular practice of emergency evacuation / lockdown plans.

Child Safe Standard 3: Child and student empowerment

Year 6 Leadership, student voice in curriculum, SRC, Health focused inquiry unit, with a focus on safety and Cyber safety, Minnie Vinnie's, Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships Program, Surveys - MACSSIS, student goal setting, Student-led Conferences, Buddy Program, students sharing learning with families via Seesaw, classroom leadership roles, Wellbeing check-ins.

Child Safe Standard 4: Family engagement

Sacramental Information Sessions and Celebrations, School Newsletter, St. Justin’s Website, Parents and Friends, Class Parent Representative, School Advisory Council, Fair on the Hill, School Diaries, Emails, Skoolbag App, Operoo, Seesaw, Parent Teacher Meetings, Mother's Day and Father's Day Stalls.

Child Safe Standard 5: Diversity and equity

Mandatory Reporting Professional Development, Child Safety Professional Development, Staff Meetings, Well Being Check Ins, Respectful Relationships, Check in with Learning Diversity and Wellbeing Leaders, Senior School Survey, Italian Day, Acknowledgement of Country, Disability Facilities, Code of Conduct, Flags at Assembly, Play Pals, Student Clubs, After School Activities, Special Day/Week Celebrations - NAIDOC Week, National Reconciliation Week, RUOK Day, Harmony Day, Saint Days, Health Education Year 5 & 6, Buddy Program.

Child Safe Standard 6: Suitable staff and volunteers

Staff Meetings, Website, Pass tab sign-ins, Lanyards, Volunteer Interviews,

Employment Interviews, User Agreements - Staff/Student, Employment Contract.

Child Safe Standard 7: Complaints processes

Regular Parent Teacher interviews and student led meetings, parents raise meetings as needed for issues, annual staff students and parents MACSSIS survey, SRC - to address student issues eg: places to play on the playground(basketball court), Parents able to arrange meetings to raise an issue, termly level newsletters with information and staff contact details, visible Code of Conduct in all classrooms, Leadership available before and after school.

Child Safe Standard 8: Child safety knowledge, skills and awareness

All staff undertake Smart Safe training annually, all staff agree to / sign Code of Conduct annually, all visitors to school check in at office, staff visibility on yard duty, staff regularly updated about child safety and revisit information, parent forums available on child safety and wellbeing.

Child Safe Standard 9: Child safety in physical and online environments

Students regularly revisit Code of Conduct, ICT Acceptable Usage Policy for students and parents/guardians to read through and sign at the beginning of the year, Cyber safety Incursions for students, Cyber safety Workshops for parents and families, school policies / agreements regularly reviewed with students, Hapara program to monitor students’ ICT usage during school hours.

Child Safe Standard 10: Review of child safety practices

Regular staff discussions on policies and practices, whole school focus on Code of Conduct, teaching of Social & Emotional Learning through Respectful Relationships program, Safety online programs, staff and volunteer induction programs, all staff complete annual Mandatory Reporting online module, playground safety audits.

Child Safe Standard 11: Implementation of child safety practices

Staff child safety team who conduct briefings regularly, staff access to documentation through portal, use of MACS protocols and templates for child safety policies, policies available for parents through the website.

Covid Update

Thanks everyone for your ongoing support with regard to the Covid-19 regulations. The updated School Operations Guidelines don't suggest a great deal of change so we will continue to do what we can to keep everyone safe. Below are listed some of the changes:

Vaccination Status

From Saturday 25 June, all school staff (including principals, teachers, administration and education support staff, including casual relief teachers (CRT’s), pre-service teachers, and Outside School Hours Care staff), volunteers, contractors and visitors are no longer required to meet COVID-19 vaccination requirements to attend work.

Rapid Antigen Tests

The Victorian Government is providing up to three further deliveries of rapid antigen tests in Term 3 and again in Term 4 to schools. It is recommended that rapid antigen tests are used by students and staff when symptomatic.
Household contacts are required to test negative using a rapid antigen test on at least 5 out of 7 if they are attending or working at a school onsite. If staff or students receive a positive test result at any time, they must report this through the Department of Health system (Rapid antigen tests | Coronavirus Victoria) or via the coronavirus hotline at 1800 675 398. Students (or their parents) must also report a positive result to their school by phone or written notification; this is so the school can support them, record that they will be absent while in 7-day isolation, and let the rest of the school community know there has been a positive case onsite and that they should monitor for symptoms.
Students and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19, have completed their 7-day isolation period and are subsequently asymptomatic do not need to undertake surveillance testing for four weeks.

Face masks

Current advice from the Victorian Government on the wearing of face masks is available here: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/face-masks. It states: Wearing a face mask can help protect you and those around you. Face masks stop droplets spreading when you talk, cough, sneeze and laugh, which lowers your chance of spreading or catching the virus.

Household Contacts

Where a student is a household contact of a positive case (that is, they have spent more than four hours with someone who has COVID-19 inside a house, accommodation, or care facility) they must inform the school. Household and household-like contacts are no longer required to quarantine as long as they take additional safety measures in the 7 days that would have been their quarantine period. If household contacts do not undertake the safety measures, they are required to isolate and test on Day one and Day 6 of isolation. Household contacts are required to inform the school that they are attending during the 7 day period.
Students who are household contacts may attend school and must wear a mask for the 5 school days following the positive test result if they are 8 years or older.
Parents/carers are able to leave isolation if other arrangements cannot be made to transport their non-infectious child via private vehicle to and/or from school. The person leaving self-isolation must travel directly to and from the location, making no stops, unless there is an emergency or as required by law. They must remain in the vehicle at all times, unless it is reasonably necessary to leave the vehicle to deliver the person to and from school, and must wear a face covering whilst outside the place of self-isolation.

Parents & Friends

It takes a village to raise a child.

Kiosk Friday

St Justin's Working Bee on the Hill

St Justin's Trivia Night