Dear Families,

Wow! What a fabulous evening we had last night at our very first School Colour Run. It was so pleasing to see so many students and their families support the event. The weather certainly helped and there were lots of children and adults who enjoyed a bit of a cool off under the spray of the fire truck.

So many people's contribution made for a very memorable evening for everyone. Sincere thanks is extended to our Parent Action Group who organised the event and all the parents who volunteered to distribute the powder with such enthusiasm and joy. Thank you also to the Echuca/Moama Lion's Club who volunteered their time to cook all the sausages. We'd also like to thank the Echuca Fire Brigade who attended and certainly added to the atmosphere. And last but not least, thank you to our staff, parents and students who also attended and enjoyed the fun.

Well done to so many children who have been fundraising for our classroom library books. We are edging $3000 as I write this which is a fantastic effort.

Foundation 2021 Evening

This Monday the 16th March at 6.30pm we are hosting an Information Evening for prospective families and Foundation students in 2021. If you know any families interested in enrolling at ETRS please encourage them to attend. There will be child minding available during this time. Please spread the word.

School Council Elections

A reminder that School Council Election voting ballots are due back on Monday by 4pm. The results of the ballot will be announced on Tuesday.

Donations

We are looking for donations for the ETRS Easter Raffle. Please leave any donations at the office.

Drink Bottles

All students yesterday recieved a new ETRS drink bottle. We hope the students enjoy these and we saw lots of them at the Colour Run last night. We purchased the drink bottles so students can celebreate being a Twin Rivers student and take them to events with them.

Names

From next term Mrs Mathers and I have decided that we would like to be called by our first names, Brea and Anthea. We have spoken with some of the students about this and will continue these conversations as we move towards the end of term. Some staff will also be moving towards this model and I will update the newsletter with this information before the end of term.

New Seating

You may have noticed some new, bright and inviting tables and chairs in the courtyard over the past few days. These wonderful new tables and chairs have added a new dimension to the courtyard. They are being enjoyed by the students and it has been lovely to see many classes utilising them for outdoor learning. We love them!

A very big shout out to Barry Dixon and Graeme, Callum and Tom Fish who spent many hours assembling. They did a great job and we appreciated your time and effort in creating a new hub for our students. We'd like to also thank Mrs Harvey for taking the time to submit the successful $15,000 grant application.

School Wide Positive Behaviour Update

It has been fantastic to see so many students receiving our Wally stickers this week. We have been delivered 35 000 new Wally stickers and these stickers are the cornerstone of our positive behaviour acknowledgement system. As students accumulate these stickers in tens, they can choose from a range of pre- determined rewards. These stickers have been sponsored by the Moama Bowling Club.

Next Week's Behaviour Focus

Our Value focus next week is Respect

I will show respect by wearing full school uniform each day to school.

Save the Date

On Friday 1st May we are hosting a Literacy and Numeracy Tips session for parents/carers at 9-10. We hope you can join us on the day.

Current advice for Coronavirus

This week the classroom teachers have been speaking with all the students about good hygiene practices to protect us from infection.

We ask that families notify the school if either of the two events listed below occur:

-A student or a staff member is a confirmed case of novel coronavirus

-A student or staff member is in close contact with a confirmed case of novel coronavirus in the past 14 days.

Students/staff will be excluded if these occur and further advice will be sought from DHHS and DET.

'Close contact' is defined by DHHS as someone who has had at least 15 minutes of face-to face contact with a confirmed case, or shared a closed space with someone for more than two hours with a confirmed case.

Everyone can protect against infections by practising good hand and respiratory hygiene. Here are some tips that we all can follow:

*Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing with a tissue, or cough into your elbow. *Dispose of the tissue into a bin and then wash your hands afterwards.

*Wash your hands regularly using soap and water, including after using the toilet, and before eating.

Please refer to the Department’s coronavirus web page for the latest advice and information. DET advice is in accordance with national public health guidelines and current information from the Australian Chief Medical Officer and Victorian Chief Health Officer. For the most current advice see here:

www.education.vic.gov.au/about/department/Pages/coronavirus.aspx.

Have a great weekend.

Kind regards,

Brea Terris

Principal

Community News

Echuca College Discovery Night