Back Where We Belong

Yesterday was a day to celebrate for students, staff and families. It has been fifteen weeks since we last had everyone at school – fifteen weeks! It was great to open the school gates on Monday morning, and welcome students back to where they belong.

Sarah and I have spent the last couple of days visiting classrooms, and have been so impressed by how the children have adapted back to FPS life. It is as though they have never been away. Whilst the overall emotion was one of excitement, we recognise that this transition requires care, time and support, to ensure that students are feeling comfortable and connected. This continues to be our priority.

I particularly enjoyed seeing the children on the yard at recess, lunchtime and during lesson time. They have enjoyed playing on the playgrounds, hanging out in Kaan’s Winya, kicking a ball on the oval, reconnecting with the forest and fig tree areas and shooting hoops on the sports court.

Your children may well have returned from school yesterday and today a little weary (or a lot weary) as they adapt to school life. We also hope that they come home with stories to tell of friendship, fun and learning.

Restrictions mean that parents are not able to venture further than the school office, so hopefully your children will be able to tell you about the refurbishment around the school. The school grounds, inside and out, look wonderful. There was a lot of work involved in preparing for the works in the Langridge St building, and it has been worth the effort. Thank you to Graham Keen, our maintenance guru, for his many hours of work during recent weeks. Thank you also to parent Di Edwards who has completed a second round of planting around the school grounds. This biodiversity planting is a part of our Junior Landcare Grant that we were awarded last year.

Remote Learning 2.0

I again express my admiration and appreciation of everyone for their involvement during remote learning. At this week’s staff meeting, we reflected upon the very limited knowledge we had of Google Classroom back in March, and that we are now at a stage where teachers and students proficiently use this platform to provide rich learning opportunities at home.

Whilst saying farewell to remote learning, we should acknowledge the skills that the students have acquired, and the experience that they have lived through. They will always remember 2020, and despite the challenges, should be able to draw upon highlights from the year.

Congratulations to our staff. Teachers went to great efforts to ensure that that remote learning was engaging, fun and productive. I often visited the Google Classrooms and loved seeing the creativity and innovation on display.

Well done to our students. You did brilliantly! The teachers often comment on how active and engaged the students have been this term. You should be proud.

Finally, thank you to families. Remote learning presents additional challenges at an already challenging time. We recognise that without your support of your children, we wouldn’t have had the success that we did.

Looking Forward—Book Week, Halloween Disco & Art4All

After such a long absence, we recognise that it is important for the children to experience fun and joy. Although we can’t run many of our events in the usual fashion, we will make every effort to provide opportunities for students to enjoy the memorable and fun activities.

Keep an eye out in Compass for details of next Thursday’s Book Week celebrations. Whilst we can’t have a whole-school costume parade, there is nothing stopping us from running this event within classes, so we encourage students do dress in a costume and be ready to explore a winning book or two.

Following the success of last term’s disco, we will be holding an after-school Virtual Halloween Disco, Friday 30 October. Details to follow.

COVID-19 won’t stop us from acknowledging Art4All. Our wonderful Art4All committee have organised a Fairfield Art Trail which we encourage you to explore. This year’s special iso edition t-shirts, are also available to purchase.

Specialist Timetable

Click to access the specialist timetable for this term.

School Opening Time – 8:45am

Thank you for your support and understanding of the school’s current arrangements. A reminder that students are not to be on school grounds before 8:45am, as this is when the classrooms open and we have playground supervision.

School Grounds Open

We are now able to have our school grounds open to the community use after 4pm of a week day and all day of a weekend. The gate next to the Year 1/2 double storey building will remain open in the evening and at weekends.

We still request that families do not enter the school grounds before 8:45am, and exit by 3:45pm, to meet with our COVID-safe guidelines.

Lost Property & Second Hand Uniform

Our lost property and second hand uniform have been relocated to the BER foyer. If parents require access to these garments, please inform an office staff member. Due to parent restrictions on school grounds, we ask that you only access these garments just after drop-off and prior to pick-up.

To avoid large collections of lost property, we request that all clothing is labelled with the child’s first and last name. This way we can ensure that the uniform is returned to its owner promptly.

Parent Opinion Survey

Each year the school conducts an opinion survey amongst a sample of the school community. This year, all parents are invited to participate. Results will be used to inform and direct our future school planning and improvement.

A separate Compass communication will be sent next week, with login details to access the survey.

Date Reminders

Last week’s return to school arrangements included some important reminders and dates. These include:

Friday 23 October: Public holiday, no school
Monday 2 November: Curriculum day, no school for students

Return FPS Laptops/iPads, Library Books & Readers

Parents who borrowed devices are to return these with the charging cables to the school office by Friday 16 October. It is imperative we get all equipment back as they will be used in the classroom.

If you have any library books or readers at home, please return these to school. The library will reopen the week beginning Monday 19 October.

Wear a Hat

In line with our SunSmart Policy, hats are required this term.

~ Paul Wallace, Principal

Book Week

Book Week Celebration—Thursday 22 October