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Dear Families
Welcome to Term 3
We would like to congratulate our new Student Leaders: Patrick Kennedy, Charlie Donald and Taylah O’Neil. We look forward to their leadership with us.
We also welcome Sabrina Shaw, our new Learning Support Officer.
CORONAVIRUS UPATE
The Victorian Government announced on the 9th of July 2020 that daily temperature checks will be introduced for schools in Casey and Cardinia as part of the Victorian Government’s effort to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). This follows advice from Victoria’s Chief Health Officer. All schools bordering Casey and Cardinia will also require daily temperature checks.
Starting on Monday, all students in our school will receive a temperature check every morning before attending school, with a non-contact infrared forehead thermometer provided to schools by the Victorian Government. In order to practically manage this process, we ask that all students enter the school via the front door only. I understand that our office refurb will be finished by Monday. I am sending out a letter today detailing the process of temperature checking.
Students who are unwell must not attend school. If your child is showing even mild symptoms of COVID-19 they must stay at home.
The symptoms to watch out for are:
fever, chills or sweats, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose or loss of sense of smell.
Please be reassured that SAFETY remains of paramount importance in our school. Personal hygiene processes are practised and reinforced continually.
FORMAL REPORTING PROCESS
In Term 3 we have parent/teacher/student interviews in Week 6 (Thursday August 20th) to keep tracking your child’s progress. Then in Term 4 we have written school reports once again.
Please know that this is the formal process of reporting, 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.
SRC SURVEYS
As part of our ongoing improvement strategy we send out surveys to collect data on what you think about our school. These surveys will be sent out next week.
We ask that you participate in this improvement strategy by completing the surveys by Friday the 31st of July.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO FIND ON OUR WEBSITE
IMPORTANT IMFORMATION TO
FIND ON OUR WEBSITE
Please find 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.
Please also find 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 Support (WSAPBS)
This is an evidence-based framework that outlines our school wide system of social and behavioural expectations as well as providing explicit teaching to support the development of key relationship skills.
During Term 3, we will continue to work through our School Wide Expectations (SWE). This will involve revising Respect and then learning more about what it means to be Resilient, Inclusive and then being a Team Worker.
For the next two weeks, we will be focusing on what it means to be resilient and what this would look like in our school. The children will reflect on how and where we might see resilience. This SWE will be taught through explicit teaching and through opportunities to practise being resilient in a variety of ways such as through drama and in a variety of scenarios. Students will be encouraged to be problem solvers and practise implementing 'keeping calm' strategies when they are trying to learn something new or when they are trying to master a skill that is tricky for them.
At St Joseph's School we will try to remember that anything worth learning takes time. So keep at it and don't give up!
SCHOOL ADVISORY COMMITTEE SUMMARY
SCHOOL ADVISORY COMMITTEE SUMMARY
This Committee is reviewing our school uniform. We have approved grey pants and shorts for the uniform, so that both girls and boys can wear them. We are looking at different T-shirts. In Term 3 we aim to consult parents on the fabric choice for the T-shirts. Then we will put out a brief survey for everyone to vote. We hope to have made a decision by the end of Term 3. So that the beginning of 2021 could be the time of implementation of the new T-shirt (if in fact, that’s what everyone votes for).
The Committee confirmed that the green Grade 6 T-shirts are popular and in fact a privilege to wear. The Committee could see that Grade 6 girls could wear these special green T-shirts with their skorts or their winter skirt if they prefer. We also agreed that it was appropriate for Grade 6s to wear their T-shirts for school photos.
We continued to talk about communication in the school and the best way to do this. We considered a proposed cubby plan for the school. Child safety and promotion are always on the agenda as well.
As a Committee we workshopped ideas around Remote Learning Environment. We discussed the personal hygiene processes at school and agreed that having liquid soap and paper hand towels at all the sinks was necessary and having hand sanitizer in each room was also necessary. The option of students bringing their own soap and handtowel is a good way of promoting independence and this option is also promoted.
Our next meeting via Google Meeting will be Monday August 17th.
SACRAMENTS
Due to COVID-19 there have been changes made to the sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation for 2020.
There will be no First Eucharist celebration in Term 3 as first planned for 2020. Instead, this celebration will be held next year and will be a combination of both Grade 4 and Grade 5 students together.
At this stage, Confirmation has been rescheduled for Term 4 and is most likely to be held in late November. We understand that it is quite difficult to plan too far ahead, but at the moment we are hoping that this sacrament will definitely go ahead. Please know that as more information comes to us we will let you know.
Thank you for your understanding during these uncertain times.
Katie Balfour
Religious Education Leader
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Trafalgar
LOST PROPERTY
There is an abundance of lost property overflowing in the lost property bin. Could parents please check if their child/children has any school clothing at home has their name on it. Some students are accidentally taking other students clothing home.
Parents are not permitted into the school, so we will check the bin for any items that have names on them and those that don't will be put in the storeroom.
Thank You
UNIFORM SHOP
Unisex grey pants are available to order on CDFPay. Orders are processed weekly on Wednesdays and can be collected any time after Wednesday.
Lots of second hand items are available. Please feel free to contact Kylee for a list. Payment fo second hand items are now available through CDFPay.
Thank You
Kylee Eerhardt, Uniform Shop Co-ordinator
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
TERM 3
JULY
Thurs 16th P & F Virtual Meeting 4pm via Google Meeting
20th to 31st SRC surveys
AUGUST
Mon 17th School Advisory Committee Virtual Meeting
Thurs 20th Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews
SEPTEMBER
7th to 11th National Child Protection Week
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.
May God continue to bless and guide us in our learning.
Trish Mulqueen, Principal