Principal's Report

Acting Principal - Julie Hommelhoff 

Assistant Principal - Matt Saunders  

Principal’s Welcome

Thank you to teachers, students and parents for being so organised and eager to start school in 2022. 

Thank you to the ETRS Community for welcoming Matt Saunders (Assistant Principal) to this beautiful facility, with such a warm approach. I am looking forward to getting to know Matt and working alongside him here at ETRS. 

To our new families beginning their time at ETRS, we welcome you and truly hope your time here is enjoyable and full of learning opportunities. 

To our existing families, its welcome back and it’s great to see familiar faces with big smiles. 

Welcome Matt Saunders (Assistant Principal)

Thank you for the warm welcomes I have received from all staff, parents and students at Echuca Twin Rivers School. I am so excited to be joining the fantastic staff at ETRS and working with all our amazing students. Myself, wife Britt and our three children have recently moved to Echuca/Moama from Point Cook. We have settled in nicely to our new home and are enjoying the warmer weather. 

I have worked in education for the past 12 years with the last 5 years as an educational leader. I enjoy getting away camping with my family and friends and staying fit and healthy. I am a keen AFL fan, supporting the mighty Essendon Bombers and have played lots of cricket in a past life. I look forward to bringing my skills, knowledge and experience to ETRS.

COVID 19 changes (and entry into the school grounds or buildings)

Parents / carers, you are able to accompany your child/ren during drop off and pick up times ‘inside’ the school grounds. Please feel free to bring your child/ren to the classroom door and collect from the grounds at the end of the day. If you need to be in the school for longer than 15 minutes or wish to enter the classroom, please make your way to the office to sign in and provide evidence of your vaccination status. 

Staff are looking forward to seeing parents/carers throughout the school again. 

We still have QR Codes available to check-in at the gates and on the doors of all classrooms. Feel free to access the hand sanitiser from our gate staff when entering the school.

Rapid Antigen Tests

Free rapid antigen tests are available for all students in Victorian schools for the first four weeks of Term 1 2022. Rapid antigen testing will be voluntary for all primary students and staff. It is recommended by the Department of Education that rapid antigen testing is done twice weekly, on school days. If you have not picked up your RATs from the school, please visit reception.

Students will do the tests at home. Parents must report positive tests results through the Department of Health system, phone 1800 675 398. Parents must also notify the school of any positive results; this is so the school can support families, record that students 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.

Families with students who return a positive test result from a rapid antigen test should follow the latest advice at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/rapid-antigen-tests.

Great Start Conferences - Thursday 17 February

Conferences will take place in Week 4 on Thursday 17 February for every student in the school. This provides an opportunity for you and your child to meet with the classroom teacher and discuss their interests, strengths, medical or wellbeing needs and together set learning goals for your child. There will be an allocation of 15 mins per student. This can occur in person, or a phone call. This will not apply to our Prep students who will? have had interviews already.

There will be an opportunity for you to book a time with your child’s teacher next week via Sentral. Our office staff will send out a link that you can use to book in. Please indicate if you would like to meet the teacher either in person or over the phone when you do this. If you’d prefer to attend the conference as a phone call, please book in as per the booking form and let your child's teacher know via Class Dojo that you'd prefer a phone call. 

We strongly encourage our students to attend these meetings. We are looking forward to meeting with you. 

If you require support accessing Sentral, please call the office for assistance. 

Please note: students attend school for their conference only and must be in full school uniform. Schools Out is available on this day. 

Class Dojo 

All classes at ETRS will have their own Class Dojo. This is an online tool our staff use to communicate with families. On Class Dojo you will find photos, videos, messages that will share the experiences of the classroom with our parents and wider school community. Please engage with your child/ren’s class dojo to keep up to date with school news, announcements and information. See your child’s teacher for more information.

Student Accident Insurance 

The Department of Education does not provide personal accident insurance for students. 

Parents are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any ambulance attendance/transport costs. Reasonable, low-cost accident insurance policies are available from the commercial insurance sector. Complete a google search on ‘Student Insurance’ if you are interested.

It is recommended that personal property stays home as there is no insurance cover for personal belongings. 

SunSmart Policy: Hats On 

All students are required to wear their broad brimmed hats, even when playing or participating in activities under any shelters. 

Our SunSmart Policy is based upon the Cancer Council guidelines that hats should be worn when UV levels are above 3 on the index (usually around the beginning of September in each year). We source this information from the following website:  www.bom.gov.au/products/UV/Bendigo_VIC.shtml

Please remember that only our school hats may be worn.

1st September… Hats Remember.

1st May… Hats off Day.

Naming Clothing 

Please clearly name all clothing (including hats) so that it can be quickly returned to its owner. We have white material markers in the Office, and we will happily record student’s names on hats and clothing if needed.  Just send your child to ask for help.

Communication

As parents and carers you will at times need to meet with classroom teachers to clarify classrooms programs and sometimes discuss problems that may have arisen. The teachers and Leadership Team will endeavour to meet and discuss any range of school issues as soon as possible, however, please be aware staff meetings occur each Tuesday and Wednesday nights straight after school. There is an assumption all teachers will attend meetings on time. No teacher will dismiss your question or concerns, so calling to organise a time to meet will ensure the question or issue can be addressed with plenty of time and no interruptions. This also allows us to follow DET and Health Dep’t requirements when checking-in and or providing vaccination status. 

Smoking 

Smoking is not permitted on school grounds and is not permitted within 4 metres of any entry point into the school grounds. We appreciate your cooperation with this. This is a Department of Education & Training policy requirement. 

Respect, Inclusion, Resilience, Responsibility (Academic Excellence) 

Enjoy the weekend!

Julie Hommelhoff          Matt Saunders

Acting Principal             Assistant Principal