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Dear Parents and Carers,
It has been such a good week here at school with the return of our K, Years 1,2 and 6 students. It will be even better next week when we have all of our students back.
The transition back has been smooth and it is clear from visiting the classrooms, that the students and the staff are happy to be here. There are quite a lot of changes that have taken place to ensure that we comply with Health Orders but more importantly to ensure that we are as COVID safe as possible. Soap, hand sanitiser, specific play areas and the separation of cohorts are all part of that. Ventilation is another area that we are well aware, is as an important area of safety. Thankfully, our school is very well ventilated. All classrooms have windows and either one or two sliding doors to the outside. All classrooms open on to breakout spaces that are also ventilated with open doors and windows to the outside. Although not essential, classrooms with only two doors also have a large air purifier in the room. Every day, where possible, windows and doors will remain open in classrooms and corridors allowing the natural flow of air to move effectively through the entire building structure. It is fortuitous that the weather at this time of year allows us to operate this way.
When the weather isn't so cooperative, all of our classrooms are individually air conditioned, with the capacity to draw air from outside as well as assist with the circulation of air inside classrooms. These are only two years old and are functioning well.
Afternoon pick-up is happening without any issues and I expect with the return of Years 3,4 and 5 next week, it will continue this way. We haven’t had wet weather yet (and maybe we won’t at all). That will be more hectic but we will give you plenty of notice if that is going to occur and a reminder of how it works.
Wet Weather Pickup
For those who want to be well prepared, here is the wet weather procedure again:
- 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 afternoons when it is raining;
- It is imperative that family name signs are displayed on the dashboard of cars;
- Year 3-6 will walk to the church at 2:50pm and 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-up area 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 Year 3-6 you will need to go through the church pick up area first and then proceed 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, they will be supervised in the school grounds until 3:00 pm and will then be allowed to ride/ walk home.
Returning Devices on Monday 1 November morning for students in Years 3, 4 and 5
Borrowed devices are asked to be returned on Monday morning in the drive through. This is also where you will pick up your car label to be displayed on the dashboard. Staff will be there to check in the returned devices.
I will continue to update you on changes and the relaxation of restrictions that will impact us here at school.
Have a great weekend.
Yours in partnersip,
Ursula Jamieson
Principal
RE Week 4 - Who do you say I am?
Sacramental Programs
We look forward to welcoming the Year 4 students back and finalising our preparations for First Eucharist on 11th November ay 6pm.
All Confirmation candidates should have collected their packs and commenced the program by now. If you are yet to collect your child’s pack, please do so by today, Friday 29th November. I will be asking the children to bring their booklets in at various stages during the next few weeks and will expect the activities to be up to date. As we said during remote learning, preparing the children to receive this important sacrament in our current social climate will take a deal of cooperation and commitment from both school, and families. If you feel that this commitment is too much for your family at this stage please send me an email and we can discuss options. Thank you for your continued support and patience.
Gratitude and Compassion
It was lovely to welcome back so many of our students this week. We look forward to Years 3-5 joining us on Monday. With our return to school, we are each reminded of two important virtues; gratitude and compassion. Despite all we have faced, we remain grateful for the many blessings we receive each day. So often we can reach the end of the day and feel discouraged or deflated. At these times it is important to look more closely at the day to recognise and appreciate the many small blessings God has placed in our way. We also remember to respond compassionately to the words and actions of others, acknowledging that we have each experienced our period of lockdown in different ways. In the words of Pope Francis which I know I have used before;
“We need to slow down, take stock and design better ways of living together on this earth…We need a movement of people who know we need each other, who have a sense of responsibility to others and to the world. We need to proclaim that being kind, having faith, and working for the common good are great life goals that need courage and vigor…”
Mini Retreat
On Thursday 25th November at 6pm, the Youth Ministry Team and Mini Vinnies Team will be involved in a Mini Retreat. The note is attached below. Due to numbers, the evening will be offered to Year 5/6 students only. If there are places available after Year 5/6 students have responded it will then be offered to Mini Vinnies students in Years 3/4. We look forward to this exciting opportunity.
Penny Vanzwol
REC
Date |
Event |
Monday 1 November |
Yr 3, 4 and 5 student return to school |
Thursday 4 November |
Bookweek Dress Up day |
Friday 5 November |
St Clare's College Orientation Day (Yr 7 2022) |
Library Book Returns
Thank you to all those families who have returned library books over the past few weeks. Overdue notices have been sent home. I apologise that there seems to have been a glitch in the system with some books that were returned over the remote learning period showing as still on loan. If you know you have returned books but they are still on the overdue list, please return the note to the front office explaining they have been returned. If you have looked carefully and are unable to locate the books, please return the overdue note explaining this. I appreciate your support in this matter and apologise for the inconvenience caused by the glitch.
A reminder that Library books are due EACH MONDAY FOR STUDENTS IN K-2.
Book Week Dress Up
Book Week Dress Up day is next Thursday 4th November. We look forward to celebrating this fun day.
Penny Vanzwol
Teacher Librarian