Principal's Chat

Good afternoon OLSC families   

I hope you have all managed to stay cool and stay out of the sun and heat.  Term 1 is well and truly underway and the students have settled into the school year in an impressive way.  

A reminder to all families (and students) to wear their school hat.  It is an expectation to wear a hat while outside between October and April.  

Reminder: Upcoming School Closure Days 

On Thursday 9th and Friday 10th March we will have school closure days for our staff conference.  The professional development focus of the conference is further developing an appreciation of different cultures and supporting students to achieve their best.   

There will also be a school closure day on Monday 24th April (this is the day prior to the ANZAC day public holiday).  Term 2 will resume on Wednesday 26th April.  The focus of this closure day is Child Safety Standards, Child Safety and Code of Conduct and other compliance requirements for working with children.    

Cyber-Safety Parent Workshop 

This term we are working with the Cyber-Safety Project to offer workshops for students,

 the staff and an online workshop for parents.  The parent workshop took place last night via zoom and all families who registered are able to watch or re-watch the recording of the parent workshop.   I remind parents that have not yet registered to register for the next workshop on Tuesday the 9th May.  The topic is 'Safety on the Socials' and I highly recommend this professional learning for all parents.  The link to register is:

www.cybersafetyproject.com.au/webinars

The Cyber-Safety Project will be working with staff and students next week on Tuesday the 21st of February.    

School Picnic  

As communicated earlier in the week we have needed to postpone our school picnic due to the forecast heat for today.  

A new date has not yet been set and when a suitable date can be found it will be communicated via newsletter and dojo.  Thanks everyone for your understanding.    

Drop off and Pick Up Bay 

The express drop off and pick up zone is for use only if you do not need to get out of the car.  If you need to get out of the car to assist students please find a carpark.  This ensures that the drop off and pick up is a safe and relatively fast option for dropping and collecting students at the beginning and end of school day.  

School Drop Off Times

There have been a number of instances where students have been dropped off at school well prior to the 8:30 gate opening.  Please do not this as it is quite unsafe as there is no supervision outside prior to 8:30am.  Before school care is available through Quantin Binnah should you require this service and can be booked online.  

Reporting Student Absences 

Families are able to report a student absence by phone call or using the absence notification on Class Dojo.  Please do not sent a message directly to teachers on Dojo as these can missed and the office staff will still be required to SMS and call families.  

Before and After School Care - Quantin Binnah

A number of families have contacted myself directly and the school office regarding the challenge to gain casual and permanent places in before and after school care (particularly after school care).  I have spoken to Jennie at Quantin Binnah (OSHC Director) and she hopes that this situation will be alleviated within the next two weeks as they employ more staff.  

Employment Opportunity: Quantin Binnah has mentioned that they have positions for any parents that are looking for employment.  Contact Quantin Binnah for details. 

Family Details  

Please ensure all of your details are up to date and the administration office has been advised if your email or home address has changed if you have a new or different phone number.  

Traffic Traffic Traffic 

At OLSC our number one priority is to ensure the safety of the community.  I understand that school traffic is extremely frustrating although I remind everyone that we all share the same goal of keeping all members of the community safe.  Please follow the road rules and be safe and courteous on the roads at all times.  

There is no easy solution to the congestion problem, especially with 2 large schools in the same area and so I remind all motorists of the importance of being patient and following the road rules to keep all road users safe! 

Some suggestions to help ease congestion:

• please fill the school carparks before queuing
• avoid blocking the lanes on Howqua Way when waiting to gain entry into the car park
• park off-site and walk part of the way
• utilise the back gate as well
• avoid double parking and blocking traffic in Academy Way
• obey the 'no u-turn' signs on Academy Way

Have a great weekend, stay safe and see you all next week.  

Justin and all of the staff at OLSC