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Dear Parents and Community.
Well, what great news. We are very excited to have the students coming back on Monday. Schools are very quiet places without the students!!! Our first priority will be well being, making sure the students feel reconnected and happy. Without good well being, it is difficult to learn. I am sure our students just want to get back to school. We will be doing our assessments to check in on their learning needs, but the most important thing at the start will be to welcome them back to school.
Update on Restrictions
The new guidelines came out late Sunday Night. We know these get updated all the time, so we work from these and then make changes when necessary. It is a forty page document so it is hard to summarise, but I will mention a few that have come out that relate particularly to this time of year. Most of the other restrictions are not new and we have had them before.
Some of the Restrictions that families need to be aware of
- No parents or guardians on site
- Parents and guardians to follow correct social distancing outside or near the school.
Quick reference of permitted school activities
Temperature checks NO
Face masks YES (Primary school students do not need to wear masks.)
Create COVIDSafe spaces
Enhanced environmental cleaning YES
Enhanced hand hygiene facilities YES
Enhanced ventilation YES
Community use of school playground YES with daily cleaning
Libraries (for borrowing and as a learning
space)
Key actions for schools
School Tours NO
Excursions NO
Incursions NO
School photos NO - (We have booked November 13, hoping restrictions will change.)
Camps and overnight stays NO
Assemblies (whole school) NO
Assemblies (year level) NO
Graduation ceremonies NO
Kinder transition program NO (Small groups allowed)
Non-contact sport (indoors) NO
Contact sports (indoors) NO
Contact sports (outdoors) NO
Non-contact sports (outdoors) YES
Interschool sport (Outdoor only) NO
Intraschool sport NO
Singing, brass and woodwind classes and
groups NO
Private Music Lessons NO
Respond to COVID-19 risk
Keep visitor records YES
Maintain adequate PPE supply YES
The school has purchased some automatic hand sanitiser dispensers to be positioned at entry points for the students.
Return to school- Staggered start, finish times and entry and exit points
Schools have been asked to manage drop-off and pick-up times to minimise the risk of congregation at school entry and exit points.
We have widened the drop off times for children to allow for less congregation in and around the school.
All P-6 students can be dropped off between 8:30am-9:00am.
We will have 6 designated areas for students to enter, please note these are the same points as term two and the same pick up times.
Please note families with older siblings, we will ensure all family members are at the gate for collection of the youngest child in the family.
Prep students- Will come through the side gate of the church and directly into the classroom from 8:30am to 9:00am. Students will be dismissed at 3:00pm.
Year 1 students- Gate on the green/ behind Prep classrooms directly into the classroom from 8:30am to 9:00am. Students will be dismissed at 3:00pm.
Year 2 students- Front entrance of the school and directly into the classroom from 8:30am to 9:00am. Students will be dismissed at 3:00pm.
Year 3 students- Enter from the gate off the green, sports shed side of the playground. Students will be dismissed from the gate at 3:15pm.
Year 4 students-Enter from the gate near the bike enclosure. Students will be dismissed at 3:15pm.
Year 5-6 students-Enter through the gates on the netball court. Normal 3:30pm finish.
Please note no parents/ visitors are allowed on school grounds at any time, therefore please ensure you drop off outside the designated areas. We will have an LSO staff member on each morning gate.
Building Project Update.
By the end of Week 2, we hope to have our Year 5 students back in their classrooms. Steelworks continue, which does include some disruption to the classrooms upstairs on Cecil st. We are hoping to get that work done after school and on weekends. We have some further audio work and lighting work done in the hall planned to be completed soon.
Staffing News. One of the changes we have had to put into place because of Paul Burke being stuck in Ireland has been Teresa Prismall taking over his classroom role. Of course, this has now left us without a music teacher. Fortunately for us, Jenny Peck is able to come in and cover Teresa's time. Jenny is not musically trained, so we are still working out exactly what Jenny will do, but it may end up more of a Drama class than music.
God Bless and Stay Safe
Anthony
We thank you God
For bringing us all back safe and well.
We say thank you God.
That we can now see some light at the end of the tunnel.
We thank you God.
That we can now breathe a little easier without so much fear and anxiety.
We thank you God.
For the days we were simply grateful for some sunshine and fresh air on our face.
We thank you God.
When we received a surprise gift or kind gesture from a friend or neighbour.
We thank you God.
To hear the laughter and banter of family enjoying each other's company.
We thank you God
For helping us reassess what is truly important deep in our hearts.
We thank you God
We thank you for protecting us, guiding us and loving us through this time.
Amen
Way of the West
Thank you for all the generous donations that were left on the presbytery porch for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. Father Greg and Mark Northeast had the pleasure of giving over 2,000 items to the ASRC during the holidays. A truly magnificent achievement from our school and parish community!
A Message from Father Greg
ANNUAL ‘ Way of the West Food and Living Essentials Collection’.
In the last 5 years we as a Parish and School have received about 3,000 items in our normal August push to help asylum seekers and refugees. Due to circumstances of ‘covid’ we had to change our giving date to September this year. There would have been about 2,500 items placed on the presbytery porch during the month of September. I am very thankful for that number and I am extremely pleased with the quality of items as refugees and asylum seekers need not be deprived of things of substance – thank you- it has been great. Last week was the official end of this year’s push for items but not doubt we as a Parish and School Community have succeeded in doing a great deal of good for so many in greater need than ourselves. All items go to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in Footscray. Next year we will try again and continue this wonderful project initiated and supported by our own Parish group: “the Way of the West”.
Yours sincerely ‘ in Christ’
Fr Greg Trythall
Sacraments 2020
We are currently waiting for restrictions to lift on the amount of people who are allowed to gather in the church. Because of this, the dates for the sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion for 2020 are still unknown at this stage. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Please be aware that these sacraments may need to be postponed until 2021. Watch this space!
STUDENT WELLBEING NEWS
Return to School Wellbeing Celebration
On Friday 16th October we will participate in a Health and Wellbeing day. We will be celebrating our return to school with sport and wellbeing activities. We would like all students to come dressed in their house colours as Ms Cooke will be organising some fun sporting events on the day.
Parent Information
The return to school can be filled with many emotions. Some of us are very excited to be returning to some kind of normal where some may be feeling less excited or worried about the change. Below are some tips for parents/carers to support your child with returning to school.
Returning to school: Adapted from: Parent zone
7 tips for parents/carers to help children cope
After months of remote learning and a range of COVID19 restrictions, children will be returning to school routines, classrooms, classmates, teachers, expectations and, in some cases, even new school settings.
Amid the anticipation and excitement many children are feeling, for some, leaving the home learning routine and environment may create anxiety for a range of reasons including: the ongoing uncertainty of COVID19; social distancing and hygiene measures in place; family circumstances related to health; grief associated with a recent loss; or economic circumstances.
To prepare and support students’ return to onsite learning and the school/classroom environment, consider the following tips:
- Talk to your children about how they feel
- It is important to encourage children to discuss their feelings about returning to school.
- If they feel anxious or worried, help them understand this is perfectly normal, and that you and their teachers are there to support them.
- Although difficult, try not to share any anxiety you may be feeling with your children.
- Bear in mind that your child may be returning to a pre-existing issue from before remote learning – for example, a bullying or relationship issue, or difficulty with school work – or they may be preparing for the transition to secondary school.
- Try to give them a non-judgemental and supportive place to share any worries. Younger children, in particular, may not always have the words to express their feelings, so try to find a way of bringing up the conversation without putting pressure on them – for instance when you’re playing with them or going for a walk. This can help them to open up naturally and identify what they’re worried about.
- Pack right, pack light
- Your school will be in touch to let you know what your child should and shouldn’t bring on their return. Eg. bring an individual water bottle.
- Make sure you have checked with your school about what they need in order to make your child’s day easier.
- Support children to understand the school procedures
- Your school will also be in touch to explain various procedures in place – such as entry points, start and finish times.
- It will be important for your child to understand social distancing and hygiene rules and, importantly, why they are in place.
- Familiarise yourself with school procedures
- You’ll need to know where and when to drop children off and pick them up, as well as what parts of the school you can access.
- Your child will be expecting you at the end of the day so make sure you, or whoever is collecting them, are there in the right place at the right time.
- If your child travels home independently, make sure you, or another carer, is there to welcome them home and check-in about their day.
- End of day emotions
- For younger children in particular, a school day can require a lot of self-regulation or compressed behaviour, which can lead to tired and emotional outbursts later on in the day.
- Given the length of remote learning and new school safety procedures in place, these emotions may be hard to cope with when they return home.
- It is a good idea to keep this in mind, and allow some time for ‘letting off steam’ by encouraging children to unwind and play outdoors.
- Stay informed
- Given the long absence from school, there may be a period of readjustment.
- Discuss and affirm familiar routines and school expectations regarding uniform, grooming, attendance and participation to help your child reconnect with their school community.
- There may be fresh challenges for your child, from working with new classmates and teachers, to coping with their work and school expectations / ‘rules’.
- Try to stay informed about how they are getting on – but if you are concerned, contact your class teacher.
- Sleep and rest
- Your children may have been getting used to some unusual hours during the remote learning period and that may have extended into the school holidays.
- Make sure children are getting a good night’s sleep for their return to school.
- It might mean introducing some earlier bedtimes than they have had recently and limiting screen time. A good night’s rest will help them cope with the return to school and the new routines they will be adapting to.
Throughout 2020 P&F continues to be focused on engaging our community and fundraising for the school. We hope that your kids and family have enjoyed the Jogathon, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day colouring and drawing competitions.
Given the huge disruption we have of course had to cancel many of our scheduled activities including our highly anticipated biennial school fair, chocolate drive, school disco etc. In term 4 we have been able to reimagine some of those activities, some of which had been planned for the school fair, and we hope to have your help, support and participation.
Reminder if you have not yet logged on the CDF pay and registered to please do so, you will be able to pay for items such as school uniforms.
Disco Bingo Night
Ready for a family fun night?
While we still can't get together in large groups, we still want to create opportunities for our community to reconnect and have a bit of fun. The P&F will be hosting a Disco Bingo Night that is open for the whole family to join in! This is Bingo with a twist, it will test your music knowledge, dance and lip-syncing skills.
Places are limited so please make sure that you register early.
- Date Friday 30th October 2020
- Time 7pm – 8.30pm
- Cost $10 per family
How to register: Log into CDF Pay and select Family Disco Bingo and purchase your family ticket, if you have more than one child at the school you only need to register once.
Your registration will be captured through your payment and you will be sent a zoom link and bingo cards prior to the evening.
If you have any questions, please email vicepresident@smwilliamstown.catholic.edu.au.
Christmas Raffle
We will be running a Christmas Raffle and will be seeking the following donations from our community. These items can be dropped off at a tub outside the school office both at school drop off and pick up. We hope to offer as many hamper prizes as possible so we appreciate our friends and family support with this raffle.
Donation Items
- Bottles - glass bottles of wine, cordial, vinegar, sauces etc
- Lollies - chocolate and lollies
- Condiments - mixture of jams, pickles etc
- Toys/Books/Puzzles - would need to be new items
- Xmas pantry items
- Donated prizes
Footy and Fairies Day – 22 October
We will host Footy and Fairies Day on Thursday 22 October, where we welcome students to dress up in their footy colours or best fairy outfits to celebrate Grand Final Day. This year we will be collecting a family size block of chocolate or bag of lollies instead of a gold coin donation. These items will be used for the hampers within the Christmas Raffle. More information to follow next week.
Christmas Store
This year we will be introducing an online Christmas Store which was going to be a stall at our Fair. The store will feature cards prepared by the children with some of the older years testing a new digital printing platform. Our school champion Ms Lipnicki has the glitter, feathers, pom poms at the ready and we hope that most importantly that kids enjoy the activities and that parents, carers and friends can add some very personal cards to their Christmas greetings and well wishes this year. Given 2020 has been such a crazy year, we hope that these personal cards will give a moment or new way to connect with Family and Friends that isn’t online.
MacLean Reserve Roster
Students will be able to access MacLean Reserve when they return to school so we are quickly working on our Term 4 Roster. To guide the rostering, we will be using the forms that were returned for Term 2 as our starting point. If your circumstances and/or availability has changed for Term 4 please email the office at info@smwilliamstown.catholic.
Second Hand Uniforms
If you have had a clean out over the lockdown period and school holidays you may have some school uniforms that are still good quality but your child has grown out of. We would welcome donated items, these will be then made available through our second-hand uniform shop. We will give an update on this next week for ordering. Please provide laundered items in a bag and hand in at the office.
St Mary’s Pantry
Our School Community comes together to support our families that may need or would like help during times of need or distress through our St Mary’s Pantry. The Pantry consists of frozen family meals, enough to feed a family of five, and can be accessed through the school office or your classroom teacher. If you are interested in becoming involved in meal preparation, please contact Kitty Colton - kitrian@optusnet.com . We would encourage any families that feel to access these meals when needed.
Icy Poles
Unfortunately we won’t be able to run icey poles in term 4 under current restrictions. We understand that this is something that the kids look forward to and it is disappointing. We will continue to monitor throughout the term.