ALL students are to commence full -time school starting Monday 25th May. To ensure the safety and welfare of students, staff, and community, we are implementing new strategies for the morning drop off and end of day periods. Please read carefully.

ALL students must continue to enter the school grounds via one main access point via the Henry Street gate entrance.

We encourage a ‘KISS and DROP’ or ‘STOP and DROP’ out the front of the school; limiting the need for unnecessary community traffic to enter the school grounds.
From 8:30am, a MPS staff member will await incoming students from the pedestrian crossing and drop off bay (in front of the Preschool), after which they will be safely ushered to the school gate. We encourage quick 2min  max. drop-offs, if possible, to better accommodate families during peak morning traffic.

If you MUST walk or wait at the Henry Street Gate, please be mindful of and abide by the social distancing visible markers on the ground. These markers indicate the government’s personal safety distance of 1.5 metres. For the safety of our students, staff, and community, we appreciate your full cooperation.

With a Full School return starting on Monday 25th, we have needed to implement a newly REVISED, staggered ‘End of the Day’ system to avoid overcrowding at the gate and further encourage social distancing during peak periods.
Please see the revised times below:

6R will finish at 2.40pm
4/5P will finish at 2.45pm
3/4LM & 3M will finish at 2.50pm 2N & 1V will finish at 2.55pm
KJ will finish at 3pm
Please note: Siblings will be collected by older students.
Should you have any questions regarding ‘end of day’,  please email your child’s teacher or phone the school’s office.

With all NSW public schools returning full time, it is expected that all students return and regular attendance is taken.
Roll Call via the MPS Online Hub will no longer be available.
No attendance and or late attendance will be recorded as absent and a reason will be requested.

While home learning has ceased (for now), an adapted version of the MPS Online Hub is definitely here to stay!
As full-time schooling has resumed, the MPS Online Hub will continue to operate and keep everyone updated with the latest information. Google Classrooms, In-school Weekly Planners and learning links etc. will continue to be accessed via the one-stop platform. We appreciate all the positive feedback we have received on its successful implementation during the home learning journey.

We want to acknowledge and thank parents and carers for their hard work during a very testing home learning journey.
We’re very much looking forward to bringing our school community back together again.

Fly high MPS!

From the Principal’s desk…

Schools are safe and open for full-time face-to-face learning
Merewether Public School is returning to full on-campus learning from Monday 25 May. All school activities and operations will be in line with the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and NSW Health guidelines as applicable.

School students do not need to follow physical distancing guidelines but should follow good hygiene practices like:
• Regularly washing hands
• Avoiding sharing drinks or food
• Coughing or sneezing into your elbow, or a tissue that should be discarded immediately.
School attendance

All students should be at school unless:
• They have a medical certificate which states that they are unable to return to school due to an ongoing medical condition.
• They are currently unwell (e.g. cold, cough, runny nose or any other illness).

If your child is unwell, do not send them to school. If they are unwell at school you or your nominated emergency contact will need to collect them immediately. Please make sure your contact details are up to date.
Students who have a medical certificate to stay at home will be supported to learn from home in line with regular procedures if they are able to.

Please note, students who live with a family member in one of the categories identified as being at increased risk by the AHPPC, should attend school unless a medical practitioner advises otherwise in writing.
If a student is absent without a medical reason for more than three days, this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and followed up by the school and if need be the Home School Liaison Officer. If you need any support to get your child back to school, please contact us.
Reporting and assessment
Your child has been assessed during the learning from home period and will receive an additional assessment on their return to school. You will receive your child’s semester 1 report before the end of August (week 6, Term 3). This may be a simplified version of the report you normally receive.
School activities
Teachers will continue to follow the same school curriculum with the exception of some activities that can’t go ahead for now.

What children can do:
• Use the school library
• Engage in non-contact sporting activities

What students can’t do:
• School assemblies (unless for critical information)
• School incursions and excursions including camps
• Inter-school activities (debating, inter-school sport)
• In-school activities requiring a parent or other volunteers
• Drink from a water bubbler – bring a water bottle instead

School grounds – Students and staff only
There will be no visitors to school sites unless they are essential. This applies to all parents and carers. We will
not be permitting any parents to accompany their children to classrooms. The drop-off and pick up procedures
that have been put into place over the past weeks will remain until further notice. The front gate remains the only
point of access to the school.

Wherever possible, P&C and parent/carer/teacher meetings should be conducted virtually.
The uniform shop will remain open each day. Please come to the office door and wait behind the red line for the
office staff to organise the purchases. Remember that payments can be made online through our web site by
clicking the “Make a Payment” option or over the phone using your credit card.

TASK can continue to operate as usual.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the office to make an appointment for a meeting.

Greg Culhane

As part of Phase 1 of The NSW Department of Education’s return to school process, starting TODAY,  students at Merewether Public School will be returning to school in small groups for one day each week on a designated day. The small groups are to allow safe social distancing in accordance with The NSW Department of Education (DoE).

Students are encouraged to ONLY attend on their designated day. The Department’s policy stipulates that students are required to work from home on the other 4 school days. Students of essential workers may continue to attend when necessary.

It is expected that all students wear full school uniform when returning on their designated day.

If devices have been borrowed from the school for home learning, please ensure your child carefully brings it with them to school on their designated day. They may take it back home at the end of day.

Please ensure safe social distancing guidelines are followed at all times,  particularly during school drop off and pick ups and when entering the school grounds. We encourage a quick drop off and pick up from the Henry St gate, limiting the need to enter the school grounds, unless it is necessary. We please ask that you phone or email for any pressing queries.

As previously stated, a staggered end of day will see classes finish at slightly different times, until otherwise advised. Please ensure you have accommodated for these minor changes and pre-discussed this with your child(ren). Please note: siblings will be collected by older students, making for a smooth pick up transition at the school gate.

6R & 345P – will finish at 2:45pm

34LM & 3M – will finish at 2:50pm

12N & 1V – will finish at 2:55pm.

KJ – Normal 3pm finish.

We look forward to a great first week, gradually bringing back the life into our school, which is our students. With your assistance and cooperation, we aim for a smooth, organised and as safe as possible return back to school. Whilst the government deems it safe for students to return back to school for 1 day per week, the decision to keep your child(ren) at home will not be penalised. Please notify the school if you wish to keep your child(ren) at home for health and or safety reasons.

Should you have any questions, please contact the school office or your child’s teacher.

Fly High MPS

Students learning from home can continue to access Special religious education (SRE) and Special education in ethics (SEE) classes.

Face-to-face SRE, SEE and Voluntary student activities of a religious nature in schools (VSA) will not be available until schools resume normal operations.

In response to requests from school communities, SRE and SEE approved providers are delivering their authorised curriculum with modifications to allow students to learn from home from the start of Term 2.

The lesson content and the mode of delivery has been reviewed and modified for easy access by students. The approved providers recognise that learning at home will not replicate face-to-face learning at school.

The learning from home SRE and SEE programs are now available:

• all faiths (Islamic, Jewish, Buddhist, Bahai and Hindu) SRE
• Anglican SRE
• Catholic SRE
• Christian based faith SRE
• Primary Ethics SEE.

To further support the approved GodSpace SRE curriculum currently taught at Merewether Public School, it is encouraged to follow the Christian based faith SRE. From there, you can navigate to “Love out Loud OZ” which further supports the approved GodSpace SRE curriculum. It is a great resource that will provide Scripture students with an engaging video lesson every week.

To further support our Ethics Students, we would encourage you to visit the Primary Ethics SEE for weekly lessons and ethical scenarios.

Click on the image or click here for a PDF copy of the document.