Principal's Report

Saint Francis Xavier - Principal's Report

Term 4 - Week 1

Dear Parents and Friends of St Francis Xavier,

I hope you all had a wonderful school holidays,  free from Google Meets and Seesaw submissions! Although there wasn't a great deal for most of us to do, hopefully the break from the routine of home learning was appreciated by everyone. We now have only a few short weeks before the students are able to start returning on a part-time basis and can I tell you, we are very excited!

All students recommenced online learning on  Monday 4th October in the same format as Term 3. Thankfully, a staged return to onsite learning is planned from Monday 18th October. Remote and flexible learning will continue to be delivered to students on the days they are not attending onsite. Current advice regarding the timing of this is shown in the table below:

This is indicative only and is subject to change.

We will endeavour to communicate with you as soon as we are made aware of any changes to the proposed timeframes. We appreciate your understanding and ongoing support as we work towards safely returning all our students to onsite learning in the coming weeks. The current day that hav been earmarked as the day for all students to return to school full-time is Friday 5th November. Let's keep our fingers and toes crossed!

Closure Days 

A number of the Closure Days we had scheduled this year have been cancelled or postponed due to Covid restrictions. We do have a closure day on Monday 1st November (the day before Melb Cup). I can confirm that this will go ahead  - the school will be closed for Assessment and Reporting requirements. 

Last Day of Term 4

I can also confirm that the last day of Term 4 for students will be Wednesday 15th December.  Students will finish at the normal time of 3:15pm on this day.

Camp Australia -Outside of School Hours Care Programs (OSHC)

We recieved some unfortunate news earlier this week in regard to students from S.F.X being unable to access OSHC at the moment.

We have been informed that at this point in time, there should be no mixing of children from different schools at any Outside of School Hours Care Programs. As we share the Camp Australia service with Frankston Primary School, our students are now unable to access the service until further notice. Camp Australia has been advised that this restriction will remain in place until Friday 5th November.

I know this will be a huge inconvenience to families who rely on this service in order to be able to attend work. I apologise for the short term pain this will bring. I contacted our local MP, Mr Paul Edbrooke, earlier in the week to let him know the impact this will have on families who are authorised workers and do not have flexibility with their working hours. I anticipate many local MP's will be getting similar phone calls all throughout Metropolitan Melbourne as I can only imagine how many families will be affected. 

Traffic issues due to the COVID-clinic

It will come as no surprise to anyone that the traffic at the front of our school has been tgo asy the least, 'chaotic', every day this week. By 8:30am, there has been a 3 hour wait to access the COVID clinic. 

My advice to all families is that whenever possible in the mornings, try to avoid Park St completely. The area outside of the Church Car Park seems to be the best option at the moment. There is generally a few parks on the street and also in the Church car park which leaves only a short walk up the hill (please see the pretty average image below, apologies for the dodgy arrow!). It ends up being so much quicker than being stuck in the COVID queue! Once students return to school part-time, we will organise a collection point in the area where a staff member will wait with students and then walk small groups up the hill. 

Many families have also had success parking on or near High St at the low side of Beauty Park and then walking up the hill. Ruberta, our Crossing Supervisor is now back, which is lovely for the kids. She will ensure that any students who need to cross the road will be able to do so safely. 

Hats - Term 4 

In Term 4 hats will again become compulsory when playing outside at recess and lunch. Any students attending on-site must have their school hat with them from the start of next week. 

COVID Safe updates

In order to ensure the health and safety of all community members, we ask that all families adhere to the following guidelines. These guidelines are set with our Catholic Education Commission Victoria (CECV) School Operations Guide: 

Testing- Symptomatic (Feeling unwell) or Asymptomatic 

If a member of a family is recommended by their doctor to have COVID 19 testing, this person is asked to self isolate until the results are known. The Victorian Government coronavirus website states that ‘there is no need for others in the house to self isolate unless they are also waiting for a COVID 19 test result or have been told to quarantine’. If your child is ill or is feeling unwell, they must not attend school. They must remain home and seek medical advice. Any unwell children will be sent home. We will temperature check any child we feel is unwell. 

Face Masks

It is recommended that you visit hps://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/victorias-restricon-levels-covid-19 to keep up to date with current restriction levels. If you are coming into the school, it is asked that you are wearing a mask. Victoria’s public health team are strongly recommending that primary school aged children wear a mask as an extra precaution when they are not at home. This is a family decision. It is a recommendation only

If you do intend to send your child to school in a mask, please be aware that staff are not able to help students put them on or take them off. Please make sure that younger students have plenty of practise at home before wearing a mask to school.

Visitors to S.F.X

It is recommended that parents enter the school building for short periods of time only. We would ask, if you do have to come in, that it is a valid reason and that the task is completed as quickly as possible. Any parents/visitors that are onsite will need to sign in at the office and also QR code in as well. We still advise parents and guardians to maximise the use of phone (97833424) and email communication with the school or directly to your child’s teacher. 

Have a fantastic weekend everyone.

Steve Peart

School Principal