Archive | August 9, 2020

Term 3 Week 3

From the Principal’s desk

Education Week
It has been a very different approach to Education Week 2020. Due to the COVID limitations, we are adapting to how we can
show you how the school is going and how hard the children are working. Over this week you will have the opportunity to
look at the classes through the lens as the children and the teachers work together to make movies of their classes,
showcasing their hard work. Take time to look at our class movies on either See Saw or on our school’s Facebook page. I am
very proud of our school and I hope the movies give you an insight into your children’s time at school!

Attendance
Education for your child is important and regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational
best and increase their career and life options. NSW public schools work in partnership with parents to encourage and
support regular attendance of children and young people. When your child attends school every day, learning becomes easier
and your child will build and maintain friendships with other children.

What are your legal responsibilities?
Education in New South Wales is compulsory for all children between the ages of six years and below the minimum school
leaving age. Once enrolled, children are required to attend school each day it is open for students.
The importance of arriving on time
Arriving at school and class on time:
• Ensures that students do not miss out on important learning activities scheduled early in the day.
• Helps students learn the importance of punctuality and routine
• Give students time to greet their friends before class
• Reduces classroom disruption

Lateness is recorded as a partial absence and must be explained by parents.
What if my child has to be away from school?
On occasion, your child may need to be absent from school. Justified reasons for student absences may include:
• Being sick, or having an infectious disease.
• Having an unavoidable medical appointment.
• Being required to attend a recognised religious holiday.
• Exceptional or urgent family circumstance (e.g. attending a funeral).

Following an absence from school you must ensure that within 7 days you provide your child’s school with a verbal or written
explanation for the absence. However, if the school has not received an explanation from you within 2 days, the school may
contact you to discuss the absence.

Book Club
Book Club brochures have been sent home and will close this Friday August 7. Online ordering is the preferred
option at the moment, however, we can still accept payments at the school office.

Is your Account in Credit?
As Star Struck and the Hunter Dance Festival have been canceled for this year, many of you have a credit on your
school account due to the deposits that were paid earlier in the year. This can be put towards the purchase of
uniforms or used against any other school activity up until the end of the year, including Life Education which is
coming up in a couple of weeks. Please call the office to see if you are in credit.

School Uniform Policy
Full school uniform should be worn every day. As the weather becomes colder this does not mean that coloured
tights, extra layers of coloured jumpers or jackets can be worn. Any tights that are worn with the school dress
must be navy blue. Black school shoes must be worn and sports shoes with sports uniforms.

We appreciate your ongoing co-operation with this policy.

This entry was posted on August 9, 2020.

Term 3 Week 2

From the Principal’s desk

It is great to see the STEAM room back into full swing again. Classes are cooling and coding at the same time. This
helps to keep the Covid safety measures in place by reducing the number of children in each group at one time.
The children are also wearing PPE gloves and taking care in all parts of the process to keep the classes safe. They
LOVE the cooking classes and enjoy eating the finished product!
At each weekly assembly, four students from each class are awarded a merit card for their great class work, their
fabulous behaviour or their efforts toward making the school a great place to be. The reading merit awards are
given to students who complete a certain number of nights reading. A change for this year is that the certificates
that the children receive as part of our PBL system of rewards are now able to be included as a merit award. This
gives the children greater scope to earn higher awards. Because of this we have adjusted the system by giving it a
1-year time frame. The Assembly Awards structure begins afresh each year.
Once a student has attained the required merits to be traded for the next higher award, they hand them back to
their teacher to be stamped and returned and they will be presented with the higher award at the next school
assembly.
Note, for the SILVER and GOLD Principal’s award, the student needs a new CITIZENSHIP AWARD to be able to claim
the Principal’s Award. The school staff and I keep a keen eye out for students who have shown to be true citizens
of our wonderful school and will be presenting the Citizenship Award at assembly! Only those who show true
Citizenship will get these awards. I suggest that all school awards achieved by students be kept in a special folder
at home.

Mr Culhane

This entry was posted on August 9, 2020.

Welcome back to Term 3

From the Principal’s desk

It is so nice to see all our students back at school! The school is very settled and productive. It has been a busy
week and all is going very well.
We are continuing with the same necessary precautions as we had in place in Term 2 to keep the children safe and
well.
• All the school gates will remain closed except the front gate near the office. This is to stop any unsafe entry
into the school.
• Parents are dropping the students off at the gate to limit adult contact from that point. Please be sure to
follow social distancing at that point.
• There will be no visitors to school sites unless they are essential.
• The 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.
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.

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, or runny nose).
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.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the office to speak to me or make an appointment for a
meeting.

Welcome Back Everyone!

This entry was posted on August 9, 2020.