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Dear Families
It is great to be back at school. We have been experimenting with Virtual Assembly on Wednesdays at 3.10pm and you’ll be pleased to know that we are getting better at it, each week. Yesterday we had a small number of families join us and I believe that you were able to hear and see what was going on, so that’s a good thing. It is important for us to continue to work at staying connected in this time. Thanks for your support.
RETURN TO ONSITE SCHOOLING:
Please remember to send your child to school with a drink bottle (drinking fountains will not be in use), a cake of soap and a hand towel. Hygiene and cleanliness is of paramount importance in our school. We do of course, have liquid soap and paper towels, and hand sanitizer everywhere at school, so if you child forgets their soap and handtowel, it definitely isn’t a problem. The staff believe that it is important to teach the students independence within this renewed personal hygiene regime, so we encourage the students where possible to take responsibility of washing their hands with their own toiletries. Of course, staff are leading and supporting the regular washing of hands as well. Students bringing their own hand towel works on 2 levels: it is more hygienic than using the same towel and is better for the environment than using so many paper towels. It seems to be working well in the classrooms.
Please also remember to return any school equipment (technology or musical instruments) that you borrowed before remote learning.
Carline will operate a little differently at the beginning of the day. We ask parents to stop and drop your child/ren off at the back gate. There is no access to the school at the front side carline gate or the front gate. At the end of the day teachers will bring the children out to car line. If you are not using carline and walking to pick your child up, we suggest you pick your child up before 3.30pm (anytime after 3.00pm) is fine. You will need to ring the office, 56331151, and ask for your child/ren to be taken to the parish side gate and we will meet you there. The School Crossing Supervisor will be on duty from 3.00pm to 3.45pm daily in the coming weeks before the school holidays. Parents are asked not to congregate in small groups around the school. We ask that you remember safe social distancing at all times.
REPORTS:
Written School Reports will go out on Wednesday 24th June. In Term 3 we have parent/teacher/student interviews in week 6 (Thursday August 20th) to keep tracking your child’s progress. Finally in Term 4 we have written school reports again. Please know that this is the formal process but you are of course, very welcome to check in with your child’s class teacher any time. Please remember it is best to make an appointment.
Administration Office Refurbishment
ADMINISTRATION OFFICE REFURBISHMENT:
Our refurbishment has started and hopefully it will be finished before the school holidays. Vicki’s new office will be relocated in the front meeting room. The refurbishment is about meeting child safety standards. During the refurbishment the front gate and door will be out of bounds for us (this will be the builder’s access). We will need to use the side parish gate to enter the school and the back gates will be used for carline operation.
PROMOTION: FACEBOOK
Remember we are on Facebook, search St Joseph’s Primary School Trafalgar. Our virtual tour is on there. Please share this with your friends and recommend it to other people. During this panademic, this is the best way to promote our school.
SRC SURVEYS:
As part of our ongoing improvement strategy we send out surveys to collect data on what you think about our school. We usually send these out in the first few weeks of Term 2 but this year they were postponed because of the pandemic and now will be sent out in weeks 2 & 3 of next term, that is, Monday July 20th through to July 31st. We ask that you participate in this improvement strategy next term.
ENROLMENTS FOR 2021 ARE NOW OPEN:
If you have a child in 4 year old kinder we ask you to collect an Enrolment Pack from the office and complete the Enrolment Form at your earliest convenience. If you have any friends with a 4 year old please invite them to have a look at our school. I really appreciate your help in this space.
UNIFORM:
Remember the School Advisory Committee has approved grey pants and shorts for the uniform, so that both girls and boys can wear them. We are looking at different T-shirts. The first thing we need to do is decide on the fabric. So next term, you will have a chance to say which fabric you prefer, then we will put out a brief survey for everyone to vote.
Please find on our website an information letter to parents about the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) on School Students with Disability. This happens each year and helps governments plan for the needs of students with disability.
CONCESSION FOR FEES:
Please find on the website a letter entitled ‘Important Message About School Fees’ for those families impacted financially by COVID19.
Whole School Approach to Positive Behavior
Whole School Approach to Positive Behavior (WSAPBS)
At St Joseph’s Primary School, we have adopted a whole school approach to supporting behaviour in a positive manner. Our Whole School Approach to Positive Behaviour Support (WSAPBS) is an evidence-based framework that outlines a school wide system that clearly defines social and behavioural expectations as well as providing explicit teaching to support the development of these key relationship skills.
This approach ensures that all members of our school community are familiar with our School Wide Expectations (SWE). We believe that acting on our SWE helps us to build strong and positive relationships as well as to build effective communication skills.
Our four School Wide Expectations are:
- RESPECT
- RESILIENCE
- INCLUSIVENESS
- TEAMWORK
At St Joseph’s School, we understand that these expectations are to be used 100% of the time and by all members of our school community. We look for opportunities to explicitly teach each of the SWE, what it means and how it looks in our school, family and in the wider community. The SWE are considered extremely important as we continue to build our school community and move forward, together in a positive manner.
May God continue to bless and guide us in our learning.
Trish Mulqueen
Principal
Prayer for Reconciliation
In the midst of conflict and division,
We know it is you
Who turns our minds to thoughts of peace.
Your spirit changes hearts:
Enemies begin to speak to one another,
Those who were estranged join hands in friendship,
And nations seek the way of peace together.
Let your spirit be at work in us.
Give us understanding
and put an end to strife,
Fill us with your mercy
and overcome our denial.
Grant us wisdom and teach us to learn
from the people of the land.
Call us to justice.
(Adapted from the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer for the Mass of Reconciliation 11)
Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, Prayer Card, 2006
Permission for use granted by ACSJC
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
As we gather on this sacred land, let us acknowledge that we are standing on Country for which the members and Elders of the local Aboriginal community and their ancestors have been custodians for thousands of years; land on which they have performed age-old ceremonies, celebrations initiations and renewals. We acknowledge their living culture and their unique role in the life of this area today.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
JUNE
Mon 22nd School Advisory Committee Google Meeting 4pm
Wed 24th Written School Reports Go Out
Virtual School Assembly 3.10pm Quilt Raffle drawn at Assembly
Fri 26th Last day of Term 2 - 1.00pm dismissal.
JULY
Mon 13th First day of Term 3
Wed 15th Gr 6 Leadership Day at school
Thurs 16th P & F Virtual Meeting 4pm via Google Meeting
Mon 20th through to Fri 31st SRC surveys