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Dear Parents and Carers,
We are nearly there! Only one more week for our K, Yr 1, Yr 2 and Yr 6 students and two weeks for Yrs 3,4 and 5. I would like to express my deep appreciation to each of you for your support and loyalty to the school during what has been a challenging time for you and your families. You have been magnificent supporting your child in their learning during this period. Staff have been incredible in the way they have adapted to provide an engaging and supportive Remote Learning program. We have all missed your children and their energy, humour and joy.
Following advice from Catholic Education, ACT Chief Health Officer and the ACT Education Directorate, the following is in place for return to on campus learning. Where possible, we have made every attempt to minimise any risk and to ensure what is ‘practical and reasonable’ to ensure the safety of students, parents and staff. The planned measures are described below.
Next week I will share information about what we will be doing to support our students as they transition back into school life. For some, they will be so excited and bursting with enthusiasm to be back at school. For others, returning to school will bring varied degrees of anxiety. I know that there will be parents feeling the same way about going back to their workplace. It’s important that we are all understanding that this is a big change after being in lockdown for 9 weeks. We will be endeavouring to make the first few days back as days of welcoming, reconnecting and settling.
Next week will be the final week of Lockdown Dinners on sale from the canteen. Victoria’s meals have been nutritious and delicious and welcomed by many families over the past months. The canteen will resume normal sales from Week 4 with all orders required to be made online through Flexischools. There will be no over the counter sales and no physical payments in cash.
So these will be the measures for now and will be changed as restrictions are eased. Hopefully by the end of the year, we will be able to have some events to finish the school year. As we ease back into school and a more social world, we expect there to be a rise in the number of COVID 19 cases in the community. We will be doing everything we can to diminish the chance of the introduction and spread of the virus within the school.
Staged return to school
- 25 October - Kinder, Year 1,Year 2 and Year 6 return to on campus learning.
- 1 November - Years3, 4 and 5 return to on campus learning.
- Although Yr5/6 is multi-age class, Yr 5 cannot return until Week 5 as directed by the ACT Government.
Vaccination
- All staff working with children are required to have had their first vaccination by 1 November and their secondby 29 As it is a privacy matter, I am not able to comment further on this.
- All eligible students and parents are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated.
- Given that children under the age of 12 will be unvaccinated as school starts to return, all possible measures will betaken to surround our students with vaccinated people.
Cohorts and Gatherings
- Kinder to Year 2 will be considered one cohort and Years 3-6 will be another.
- Students will be encouraged to stay seated during classes where possible.
- Activities that bring multiple classes or Year groups together will be minimised. Where mixing of cohorts is required, this will occur outdoors.
- The two cohorts will have separate areas to assemble in, play in and each will have a designated toilet block and bank of taps to wash their hands and refill their water-bottles.
- There will be very limited mingling of the classes within the cohort.
Students coming to and leaving school
Morning
- Drop off only, as parents and carers are not able to come into the school grounds or classrooms at this stage. Here are the options:
- Kiss and droparea for quick drop off from cars;
- Park and walk your child to the gate;
- The bottom gate near the oval will be open and a teacher thereto greet children who may be feeling a little anxious. You can park at the sports field carpark (also the Kambah playgroup carpark) and walk the children to the gate;
- Bike riders come through the gate near the bike racks. - Students place their schoolbag at theirclassroom door and then play in designated cohort area (teachers will be there to show the students and will also be explained in Remote Learning next week).
- When the bell rings, Yrs3-6 will assemble in front of the stage. Classes will be distanced from each other and each class will have a labelled lining up point. Morning Assembly will be run by a member of the Leadership Team.
- Yr K – 2 will assemble in the courtyard. Classes will be distanced from each other and each class will have a labelled lining up point. Morning Assembly will be run by a member of the Leadership Team.
Afternoon
- Pick up will be drive throughmode only. We will have three pick up points and each family will be allocated a pick-up area based on the first letter of their surname.
- Each child will be issued with a laminated sign of their surname. This is to put on the dashboard of the car coming through the pick-upzone and will assist the teachers in calling children up to the kerb for pick up.
- We will shorten recess and lunch by 10 min each day. The end of the school day will be 2:50pm. This means there will be no less teachingand learning time in the day. Students will be escorted by the teachers to the designated pick-up. They will be there ready for pick-up from 3pm through to 3:30pm.
- Please refer to the map displayed. Details for families are:
- Pick up A – Surnames beginning A-Dcome through the normal school carpark.
- Pick up B - Surnames beginning E-K come to the Kambah Playgroup / playing field carpark. This is just before the church off Boddington Crescent.
- Pick up C - Surnames beginning L-Z will be a loop drive through off Chirnside Crescent (across the back ovals).
- It may be hecticto start so please stagger your afternoon arrival time, as there will be 30 mins for pick up (3pm to 3:30pm).
- Walkers and bike riders will be supervised in the school grounds until 3:00 pm and will then be allowed to ride / walk home.
- TEAMKIDSwill gather on the stage and will be supervised until they are collected by the TEAMKIDS educators.
Wet Weather
- In the mornings, if it is raining, children come into the playground from 8:30amand go straight to their classrooms.
- In the afternoons, with cohorts not being able to mix and the hall out of action, patience will be required for us to execute a successful pick up in the afternoonswhen it is raining.
- It is imperative that family namesigns are displayed on the dashboard of cars.
- Year 3-6 will walk to the church at 2:50pmand remain undercover until their pick-up car comes through the pick-up area from 3pm. (If it is forecast to be raining, students are encouraged to bring a raincoat to wear as they walk over to the church).
- Kinder to Year 2 will be in the STEM room and the corridor (this is the normal pick-uparea we use now) and will remain undercover until their pick up car comes through the pick-up area from 3pm.
- For families who have a child in K-2 and another in 3-6 you will need to go through the church pick up area first and thenproceed to the zone alongside the school. We know this is an inconvenience, but it allows us to conform with the health orders of not mixing cohorts indoors.
- If there are walkers and bike riders, theywill be supervised in the school grounds until 3:00 pm and will then be allowed to ride / walk home.
Parents and Carers
- At all other times, parents and carers must not enter school grounds except in the case of an emergency or for an essential reason.
- Parents and carers are welcometo come into the front office. They must be socially distanced, use the hand sanitiser provided and check in with the CBR app.
- Parent/teacher interviews or conversations will be held online or over the phone.These will be in Weeks 9 and 10 of the school term and Semester Reports will be sent out in Week 11.
Masks
- All staff will wear masks indoors and outdoors.Some may also wear face shields.
- Masks are required for all visitors.
- Students in Preschool to Year 2 should not wear masks as they are likely to be worn incorrectly and may present a choking hazard.(However still at the discretion of the student and their parents/carers.)
- Students in Years 3 to 6 are encouraged to wear a mask at school if they are comfortable doing so (at the discretion of the student and their parents/carers).
Sick Students
- No child is to attend school if they are showing any high temperatures or cold and flu-like symptoms. They must remain at home andstay away from school until they are no longer showing symptoms or have attended a GP who has instructed that they are fit and safe to return.
- Any student presenting with high temperatures or cold and flu like symptoms will be sent to the Front Office and parents will be called to collect them.
- If your child, or family members or other close contacts are tested for COVID-19, your child is not to attend school until the results of those tests are known and are negative. Please advise the school if this situation occurs.
- If your child has a medical condition that places them at greater risk from a return to face-to-face teaching at this time, please contact their teacher so that we can discuss their needs in greater detail.
Cleaning & Hygiene
- Regular cleaning of high touch surfaces (such as handrails and desks), frequently used objects (such as desktop computers), common areas, toilets and play equipment will continue.
- Cleaning schedules and resources onsite during the school day to wipe down and disinfect high-touch areas, including classrooms and common spaces, in addition to regular daily cleaning.
- Provision of extra hand sanitiser across the school.
- Provision of extra hand soap for children to wash their hands frequently, particularly before and after recess and lunch time.
- Frequent reminders to ensure children are practising good personal hygiene. This means, covering mouths and noses when coughing and sneezing, frequent hand washing, not sharing food or drinks and minimising physical contact.
- Please ensure your child brings a water bottle to school each day as bubblers arenot available.
- Children will have theirown pens and pencils to use in the classroom. Classroom teachers will let you know about that if needed.
Visitors
- Visitors will be on the premises on a needsbasis, such as incursion presenters, maintenance providers.
- NDIS providers/therapists can attend the school campus.
- Visitors mustuse the CBR Check-In App and social distance.
Excursions & Extracurricular Activities
- Excursions, interschool activities, extracurricular activitiesand close contact activities such as indoor and contact sports are not allowed at this stage
Recess & Lunch
- Students will play in designated areas.
- The Librarywill be closed at recess and
- The canteen will be open for recess and lunchon Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
- All food and beverages areto be ordered online through Flexischools as there will be no children lining up at the canteen for over the counter sales and no cash sales.
- Orders will be delivered to the classrooms directly from the canteen.
Ventilation
- Classrooms will be ventilated as much as possible, by having windows and doors open as much as possible.
- Fans and air purifiers will also be used where required.
End of Year Events
- Further advice on end of year celebrations, including graduations will be provided and will be subject to the health conditions at the time.
Covid Case
- If ACT Health confirms that St Thomas the Apostlehas a confirmed COVID19 case or is an exposure site, we will immediately follow the direction and advice from ACT Health. Hence, it is vitally important that parents and carers are aware of operational changes and follow them.
Students Not Returning
- We fully understand and appreciate concerns parents have regarding returning to school and the possibility that some parents may choose to keep their children at home. We support any family’s decision.
- As teachers will be back at school, RemoteLearning in its current format will not be able to occur.
- Teachers will be providing some form of learning for these students,however, it may impact and compromise the Semester 2 Report as it is difficult to assess work completed without direct teacher supervision.
Please note, that all the information listed above is subject to Health Orders at the time of writing and subject to change.
I again thank you for your ongoing support of our school. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like any further clarification on any of these matters.
Yours in partnersip,
Ursula Jamieson
Principal
RE Week 2 - Who do you say I am?
Thank you for the way your children are engaging with prayer each morning. I love the special messages I get. Starting the day with a grateful heart and a calm, inspired soul sets us up for a productive day. By bringing us closer to God, prayer has long term benefits in building resilience and in fostering a positive sense of self.
First Eucharist
First Eucharist Mass has been rescheduled for Thursday 11th November at 6pm. Each family will be able to have 3 people attend with their child. This means 4 people altogether from each family. We appreciate that this is not an ideal situation but we are grateful to be able to celebrate this special occasion with you and your child.
Confirmation
Youth Ministry and Mini Vinnies Mini Retreat
Prior to lockdown, I met with Joseph, our Youth Minister, Matthew Wilson, the Youth Liaison from St Vincent de Paul and Bob Wilson from the Kambah branch of St Vincent de Paul. We were keen to run a mini retreat with the Youth Ministry Team and the Mini Vinnies Team. We have decided that this will go ahead and will be on Thursday 25th November at 6pm. It will be an outside event with the Church as a backup venue. While not a compulsory event, we encourage all members to attend this evening. We will be finished by 8pm. Families are very welcome to attend this evening. The students in these teams have worked tirelessly for our school community, many of them over a period of many years. This will be a lovely way to celebrate their commitment.
Penny Vanzwol
REC
Thursday 4th November will be our Book Week Dress Up Day. It will be a lovely way to celebrate our community being back together! There is plenty of time between now and then to get a costume organised. We can’t wait!
Penny Vanzwol
Teacher Librarian
The Awards were presented "virtually" in this morning's class meeting. They will be posted home to students.
Kinder |
Damiano Olivetti, Benjamin Jeffery |
Year 1 |
Jessica O’Callaghan, Mia Harradine |
Year 2 |
Dean McIntyre, Eliza Creber |
Year 3/4 |
Declan McNamara. Zoe Adcock |
Year 5/6 |
Dominique Busa, Lily Sanders |
Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who will celebrate a birthday this week
Cupcake Challenge Photos and Winners
Congratulations to all students for their amazing cupcakes. The following students were the winners in their year levels.
K – TBA
Yr 1 – Jessica O'Callaghan and Caleb Earl
Yr 2 – Vincent McInerney
Year 3/4 - Holly Smith
Year 5/6 – Chloe Shatzman
Their prizes will be home delivered next week.