From the Principal

Term 2 Week 8 Kevin Kennedy

Dear Families,

Teachers are currently writing student achievement reports based on the first two terms of this year. The report will look very similar in format to what has been sent home in previous years. I am hopeful this will be the last time we will be using this format and we will be accessing a more user friendly online platform later this year. We have been attempting to use the Sentral online program but have had some challenges connecting with it, they look like being resolved shortly.

Absences due to COVID19 has meant collecting data on student performance has been particularly challenging. The focus during this time has been on literacy and numeracy and teachers are satisfied that they have enough information  to provide grades in English and Maths . However, during this time minimal work was completed in the other subject areas and as a result grades will not be provided. These subjects include Humanities and Social Studies, The Arts and Technology,

What this means is that you child’s report will have grades for English and Maths only. These will be supported with comments for both subject areas as well as a general comment.

The specialty teachers (Japanese, Physical Education and Science) have faced a similar challenge of not having enough evidence to provide a grade. They instead will be providing and effort grade only.

COVID19 restrictions have also muted much of the face to face communication between parents, carers and teachers. At this stage I am unsure when parents will be allowed into school, I am hopeful it will be sometime next term. We will be offering parent/ teacher interviews during term 3, it will be an opportunity to discuss the your child/children’s progress and areas for development. Should face to face interviews not be permitted at this time we will offer phone interviews. In the meantime parents and carers can contact their child’s teacher at any time, either via email or over the phone to discuss an issue or for a update of their child’s learning.

School Fees

School fees are often referred to as ‘Materials and Services fees’.

The school fees that we ask families to pay provides funding for materials and services to use directly with our students, for example, library resources, classroom and stationery resources, IT software etc.

For this reason, the school heavily relies on families paying the invoiced school fees as soon as possible, and certainly by the due date of Friday 3rd July, 2020.

If you are facing any financial hardship and would like to pay the school fees by an instalment plan, we are happy to help facilitate this, and I ask that you contact our new Business Manager, Sue Dreyer, by either email sue.dreyer392@schools.sa.edu.au or by visiting the front office.

Alternatively, if you think that you would qualify for school card, we strongly encourage you to apply for school card as soon as possible. If families think they may be eligible for school card, we encourage you to visit https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/education-and-learning/financial-help-scholarships-and-grants/school-card-scheme

Please note: school card eligibility is determined based on the 2018-2019 income tax assessment. For families that may have a reduced income this year due to COVID19, this is likely to impact on your 2019-2020 income tax assessment, which may make some families eligible for school card in the 2021 school year.

We encourage families to pay school fees via the QKR app, or alternatively, to visit/ring the front office on 8356 7930, to pay via credit card. Cash payments are also welcome, but we ask that parents personally come to the front office to make payments via cash, and to have the exact amount to be paid, as the front office will not be able to provide change.

If you have any queries or concerns please contact me at the school.

Kind regards,

Kevin Kennedy

Principal