Filter Content
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are truly excited here at St Thomas to be welcoming many of our students back to school on Monday and the remainder, the following week. It has been 11 weeks since they have been here at school and that, in the life of a child, is a very long time. The staff have been preparing for this and I want to reassure you that we will make the transition back to school as calm, inviting and welcoming as we possibly can. We know that although they are keen to be back, after such a long time, there will be trepidation. We know too, that many of you will also be feeling varied levels of anxiety. We understand this so please make sure that you reach out to your child’s teacher, to me, to Anne Gowen our Wellbeing Counsellor, to Cathy Duffy our Classroom Support teacher or to any of our leadership team. We are here for you and for your child/ren. I have included an article here that you may find helpful as your child/ren return to school.
Last week I gave a detailed account of how we will transition back to school and the measures we have in place for COVID 19 safety. I don’t want to repeat that as it was quite lengthy, but I will reiterate some of the most important points (and added details) that you need to be aware of.
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 drop area for quick drop off from cars;
- Park and walk your child to the school gate;
- The bottom gate near the oval will be open and a teacher there to 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 their classroom 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, 3-6 will assemble in front of the stage. Classes will be distanced from each other, and each class will have a designated lining up point. Morning Assembly will be run by a member of the Leadership Team.
- 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 through mode 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-up zone and will assist the teachers in calling children up to the kerb for pick up.On Monday morning, staff will hand these out to parents as they drive through the car park. Tables will be set up next to the side entrance of the school. Otherwise, they will be sent home with students on Monday.
- 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 teaching and learning time in the day. Students will be escorted by the teachers to the designated pick-up zones. They will be there ready for pick-up from 3pm through to 3:30pm.
- Drive through pick up in all three areas will be from 3pm. Please do not come early and queue, this will cause a traffic jam. We are already staring 10 mins early so that there is no queuing. Please consider waiting until 3:15pmif you can, that way the traffic will flow.
Please refer to the map displayed. Details for families are:
Pick up A – Surnames beginning A-D come 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 hectic to 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.
- TEAMKIDS will gather on the stage and will be supervised until they are collected by the TEAMKIDS educators.
I won’t go over the wet weather plan this week (it is in last week’s newsletter) but if rain is forecast for pick up time, we will send out the details via Compass.
Returning Devices
Borrowed devices (excluding those with Year 3, 4 and 5 students) are asked to be returned on Monday morning at the same drive through where you will pick up your car label that will be displayed on the dashboard. Staff will be there to check in the returned devices.
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 welcome to come into the front office. They must be socially distanced, use the hand sanitiser provided and check in with the CBR app.
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 and stay 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.
Years 3, 4 and 5
As directed by ACT Government Health Orders, children in these classes are to remain at home and Remote Learning will continue for the week. Children of working parents who cannot work from home and have no other form of childcare, can send their children to school. These children will be in a separate area of the school and will be supervised as they engage in Remote Learning. This is tricky for Year 5/6 as they are a multi-age class with only the year 6 students returning. The Year 5/6 teachers have worked hard this week to make this viable and I thank them for the extensive planning they have done to accommodate this. Here is the link to book you child in if required https://forms.office.com/r/p4rHu7kiEY
School Uniform
Full school summer uniforms will be worn upon return to school. We understand that there may need to be some accommodations made initially due to some items not being readily available. Please also remember to ensure your child has a hat in their bag. Please contact your child’s teachers if they are wearing something out of uniform.
Hall Renovations
If you haven’t been past the school recently, when you do come Monday you will see that the builder's fences are up and surrounding the hall. Renovations are well under way. I will put some progress photos in the newsletter next week along with some images of what it will look like on completion.
As I sign off today, I will say on behalf of all the staff here are St Thomas the Apostle, that we are excited about your beautiful children returning to school over the next two weeks. We can’t wait to see them and have them back learning in their classrooms, with their teachers and peers.
Yours in partnersip,
Ursula Jamieson
Principal
RE Week 3 - Who do you say I am?
As our community opens up, we are encouraged to go gently and to look with a compassionate awareness on the feelings and actions of those around us. We have all experienced this time in different ways and approach our “freedom” with varied emotions. I love this prayer by Michael Leunig and hope that it will speak to you also;
Dear God,
We give thanks for places of simplicity and peace;
let us find such a place within ourselves.
We give thanks for places of refuge and beauty;
let us find such a place within ourselves.
We give thanks for places of nature’s truth and freedom,
of joy, inspiration and renewal,
places where all creatures
may find acceptance and belonging.
Let us search for these places;
in the world, in ourselves and in others.
Let us restore them.
Let us strengthen and protect them
and let us create them.
May we mend this outer world
according to the truth of our inner life
and may our souls be shaped and nourished
by nature’s eternal wisdom.
Amen!
Eucharist
A reminder that the new date for Eucharist is 6pm 11th November in the church. Each child is able to bring 3 people with them. We look forward to celebrating this important occasion with your children.
Confirmation
All students receiving the sacrament of Confirmation this year should have collected their pack and begun the program by now. If you have not collected the pack, please make every effort to collect it today from outside the school. We are doing our best to ensure the children are able to receive the Sacrament this year and are relying on your support with this.
Youth Ministry and Mini Vinnies Mini Retreat
A reminder that the Youth Retreat will be held 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 7:30-8pm. Families are encouraged 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 is our annual Book Week Dress Up Day. We look forward to sharing this super fun day in person with your children!
Penny Vanzwol
Teacher Librarian
Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who will celebrate a birthday this week
Musica Viva Online Performance
- 12pm Performance - Years 3 - 6
- The students will receive a link to access the performance. These will be sent out with instructions through COMPASS once they are generated.
- 2pm Performance - Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2
- These students will be at school so they will log on with their teacher (you will not be sent any log in information for this session)
Adam and the Velvet Players are an exciting and engaging band. It is wonderful that they can perform for us online.
We are looking forward to the performance and expect to see all the students there!