NEWS FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
It has been such a unique term, with the 'new normal' changing so frequently we were all in a head spin! From face to face learning to remote learning, with a rotational workforce and flexible attendance, our community navigated these unchartered waters with trust, hope and mutual support.
The student's educational and well being needs remain our first and only priority at this stage. Unfortunately, as the global pandemic is gaining momentum around the world, we continue educating under exceptional circumstances. We are still no where near 'business as usual'.
Despite the many challenges, the students have been awesome. They have coped confidently and demonstrated a sense of responsibility and calmness. We are very proud of them.
May each of you have a wonderful pupil vacation to recharge and renew. Stay safe and healthy. We look forward to welcoming you back to school on Monday 20 July 2020. Please arrive via car drop off zone.
On behalf of the staff, I would like to thank the P&F, Rebecca and Paulo and Culinarius for our 'thank you dinner' that was beautifully prepared and delivered on Wednesday night.
KINDERGARTEN CLASS OF 2021
Our Kindergarten class for 2021 has now been finalised. We have a class of 32 students, with 16 new families joining St Brigid's. We look forward to welcoming the class of 2021 for the Transition to Schools program that begins at the commencement of Term 4.
PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS
Thank you to the parents who made themselves available this week for teleconferences. The teachers appreciated the time to discuss the learning of your child/ren. I am grateful to the teachers for their preparedness and commitment in making the calls.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
It is a condition of enrolment that you send your child to school every day. A small number of absences may be justified if your child has to:
- go to a special religious ceremony;
- is required to attend to a serious and/or urgent family situation (e.g. a funeral); and
- is too sick to go to school or has an infectious illness.
Students are expected to attend all regular school activities, including sport. Do not keep your child away from school for the following:
- birthdays;
- shopping;
- minding other children;
- routine check-ups or care such as hair cuts;
- minor family events; and
- sleeping in.
Medical and other health appointments for your child should be made either before or after school or during the school holidays.
Lateness is recorded as a partial absence and must be explained to the school the same way as other forms of absence. Simply arriving 10 minutes late every day equates to a week of learning lost in a year.
From Term 3, we encourage families to ensure they are arriving between 8:40am - 8:50am each day. On any given day, we can have up to 40+ students arriving after the bell.
Until social distancing restrictions are lifted we will continue with EVERY FAMILY using the car zone for drop off and pick up. We thank you for continuing to support our efforts with social distancing.
Following consultation with the staff, students and parent body, some of the procedures we had to adopt during COVID-19 will continue as ongoing procedures.
The school day will still commence at 8.50am. Students are required to arrive from 8.40am and proceed directly to class. We will continue to provide supervision at the car zone as the entire school still needs to use the zone for drop off and pick up. However, from Term 3, supervision will cease at 8:50am. Therefore, teachers will mark the roll at 8:50am. Any student who arrives after this time will be marked absent and will need to go to the office for a late pass.
BELL TIMES FROM TERM 3
From the commencement of Term 3, the following changes to bell times will be made. We are condensing the arrival and dismissal times as the students are now very well trained in the new procedures.
|
TIME |
ACTIVITY |
|
8:40am |
Student drop off commences - students go directly to class |
|
8:50am |
Drop off supervision concludes. Bell rings. Roll is marked |
|
8:50 – 10:50am |
Session 1 |
|
10:50 – 11:20am |
Recess and playtime |
|
11:20 – 12.50pm |
Session 2 |
|
12.50 – 1.30pm |
Lunch and playtime |
|
1.30 – 3.00pm |
Session 3 |
|
2.55 – 3.00pm |
All students seated ready for pick up |
|
3.00pm - 3.15pm |
Car pick up zone supervision and dismissal commences |
GOOGLE FORM FOR RESPIRATORY ILLNESS
Your support in ensuring the health and safety of the St Brigid’s Community during this global pandemic is evident in the growing number of students who are either staying home with respiratory illness and/or being tested for COVID-19. We really appreciate your vigilance with this.
It is compulsory for us to keep a detailed register of the process, from symptoms to medical clearance, and so, it is crucial we know when your child develops symptoms BEFORE they are tested for COVID-19. To make this easier for you to communicate all the information that we need, we have developed a google form that will only take 30 seconds to complete and submit.
This google form can be found on the St Brigid’s website, as a link in the Brigid Bulletin and by clicking the link in this COMPASS news-feed.
PARENT FORM
This form is now ready for use if you have a child with respiratory symptoms. Thank you to the families who have already used the form. Please complete it any day or time of the week, including weekends. The information will automatically come to me and Mrs Benoit.
SAVE THE DATE
Our next Staff Development Day will be held on FRIDAY 25 September 2020. This will be a pupil free day.