21 Jul 2021
COVID UPDATE
Thank you to our families who have been following the Department of Health and Department of Education guidelines and have been keeping their children at home. As was mentioned in last week’s newsletter, all schools in Greater Sydney will continue on Level 4 restrictions, with learning from home, until at least 30 July, 2021.
Please ensure you are following the NSW Public Health Orders closely. There are a number of exposure sites listed in the Carlingford area and as a result we have many community members self-isolating. If you or someone in your house is self-isolating do not send your child to school.
I can’t overemphasise to the community, the importance of keeping your children at home wherever possible, and to minimise mobility to stop the spread of the virus.
This week we have had an average of 36 students at school each day. Due to the severity of the latest COVID outbreak, schools have been advised to “reduce the number of staff onsite”. From Monday of this week (19 July), our school is now only permitted to have a maximum of 8 staff onsite on any given day, including admin and executive staff.
Yesterday the Department of Education issued the following advice, “Parents must keep children – of all ages, across primary and secondary schooling and early childcare, home if they can. Students will be supported to learn from home. School will remain open for families of essential workers”.
Thank you for your ongoing support in keeping our community safe.
OPPORTUNITY CLASS RESCHEDULED
The Opportunity Class Placement Test for entry in 2021 has been delayed to give schools time to comply with the latest NSW Health advice to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Only students whose parents have received a confirmation email from the High Performing Students Team are eligible to sit the test. The application portal will not be re-opened for new applications.
New testing arrangements for students will be announced as soon as possible.
ONLINE LEARNING – THANK YOU TEACHERS, PARENTS & STUDENTS
As we enter week two of online learning, once again I would like to thank our teachers and parents for enabling continuity of learning for our students.
Well done to our students for their efforts at online learning. They have displayed great perseverance and persistence in these challenging times.
I would just like to emphasise that, at this time, when there are many stresses on our lives, it is important that we are all flexible and understand the need to support general wellbeing as well as academic learning.
Online learning is an attempt to provide continuity of learning for our students, it should not compromise family harmony and cause unreasonable stress levels. Please be assured that we are not expecting perfection at this time.
Here is a suggested guide for how much time to spend on learning from home for each stage.
As mentioned last week, I encourage you to access the Learning from Home resource, which provides practical advice to parents and carers on how to best create and support a productive learning environment at home:
Parents and carers (nsw.gov.au)
ROLL MARKING PROCEDURES
Students who are learning from home will not be marked absent, and these days will not affect their overall attendance percentage.
Students who are at home and are not participating in learning activities provided by the school will be marked as absent. Any students /families who are experiencing difficulty in completing assigned tasks at home are asked to contact their teacher via class Dojo.
If your child is sick and will not be completing learning from home, please send the teacher a message via Class Dojo. Thank you for your support and understanding during this difficult period.
BEFORE and AFTER SCHOOL CARE
Camp Australia will operate Before / After school care for those families who have no other options. This service is now operating out of the new OSHC hub located on the oval.
PARENTS NOT PERMITTED ON SCHOOL GROUNDS
Given the current guidelines, parents will not be permitted on school grounds, with drop off and pick up being via the Rickard St. gate (outside the library). Due to the current construction of the sports courts, the Keeler St. gate will remain closed.
CANTEEN
Unfortunately we have been advised by the Department of Education that all school canteen operations have ceased. If you are sending your children to school, they will need to bring a packed lunch, afternoon tea and drinks in their drink bottle.
UNIFORM SHOP
Unfortunately we have been advised by the Department of Education that all school Uniform Shop operations have ceased. We will advise when trading is able to resume.
Neil Hinton
Principal